TRI-ing to Run DC: Weekend Recap: Vacation Edition

Did you miss me? Last week was awesome. I had a wonderful and relaxing vacation, and I even was able to squeeze in a few sweat sessions. :) The Captain also took last week off, so we both were able to spend lots of quality time together and have lots of fun.

Our vacation started out with family birthday celebrations. I wish I would have taken pictures, but I was too busy eating birthday cake and steamed crabs. I had my first Maryland steamed crab last weekend! It was so yummy!! However, I must admit that I felt a little guilty about dismembering the crabs. It didn't stop me from eating them, but there were a few seconds that I felt bad the little guys. In between the birthday parties, I was able to join the team for a long ride in Poolesville, MD. We rode 60 miles, and I think that ride was one of the toughest rides I have done. The ride itself wasn't that bad, but the ride combined with hill repeats, was pretty tough!

After all the weekend festivities, the Captain and I decided to hit the pool on Monday. It was really nice to swim outside. Because I knew the week was going to be crazy, I went ahead and did a mini workout while the Captain hit the batting cages and read his book.

The real adventure started on Tuesday morning. The Captain and I had a ton of different ideas about what we wanted to do for vacation, but after much deliberation, we decided to stay local. So to make things fun, we decided to rent a sweet ride, 2011 Camaro Convertible, for a few days. Driving is way more fun in a convertible. At least that is what the Captain told me. I was too much of a scaredy cat to drive. WAY too much power for me. Once we picked up the car, we headed south to Williamsburg, and spent the day at Water Country USA. If you haven't been there, it is a lot of fun! The Captain and I had a blast. It was a great way for both of us to have fun, get some sun and be active at the same time. From Water Country, we drove to our hotel in Hampton, VA. Hampton is right in the middle of Virginia Beach and Williamsburg- which we thought was a great choice, because we hadn't decided what we were going to do on Wednesday.

After a quick dinner at the hotel, we decided to jump back in the car and drive down to the beach. Great idea! We got to the beach just after dark, and were able to walk on the beach and boardwalk before heading back to the hotel.

The next morning, we decided that we wanted to drive to the Natural Bridge and then head to Skyline Drive. For those of you who our not really familiar with Virginia, these places are not very close together. :) But luckily we had the convertible! The Natural Bridge was amazing. I have never seen anything quite like it. The pictures do not do it justice!

After the Natural Bridge, we decided that we were going to drive up to Skyline Drive and drive as far as we could before we got tired. We ended up driving the entire way! It was a little foggy, but we had a great time. We stopped at 15+ overlooks and just enjoyed the scenery. Skyline Drive ends in Front Royal, VA, so we decided to head home Wednesday night. The Captain and I ended up driving close to 800 miles in 36 hours!! Thursday and Friday turned into lazy recovery days. We squeezed so much into Tuesday and Wednesday, that we were both perfectly happy with lounging around and running errands.

Saturday is when things started to ramp back up though. The Captain had a 7 am hockey game, and I had a 70 mile team ride in Easton, MD. The Captain and his team kicked butt and won their game in a shoot out. And I am happy to report that my 70 mile ride went awesome! Yay for great rides and distance PRS!

Immediately after my ride, I headed for one of my favorite places on Earth, West Virginia! I wanted to make sure I was able to spend one last weekend with my family before IM training takes over my weekends. I always enjoy going home. My grandparents are as spunky as ever, and Mom and Fuzzy are also doing great. Fuzzy was even kind enough to get up at 6:30 am Sunday morning and ride his bike with me, while I did my 10 mile run.

After my run, Fuzzy made a delicious brunch, and then I headed back to DC. The Captain and I spent our last few hours of vacation making a yummy dinner and relaxing. We even made a late night run to the grocery store to get cookie dough for an after dinner snack. What an awesome way to end my vacation! :)