Anyway, last spring a 5k and 10 mile run was hosted to raise money for the Cove. Hubby and I and a good friend ran the 5k. It was a gorgeous run then too. That was a one time only event so of course we wanted to take part.
Since then we have decided to train for a half marathon. So, my long runs on Saturday's are now 10 milers. About a month ago hubby and I decided instead of going out for a fancy dinner to celebrate our birthdays we would instead go for our long weekend run together and have breakfast afterwards. Where else is there more beautiful run around these parts than Cades Cove??? So, hubby arranged for an overnite for the kids at his parents. Friday night we had a chicken and pasta dinner at home, ran some errands and made it home in time to be in bed at a decent hour.
We were up bright (or still dark!!) and early, dressed and drove up to the Cove. The plan was to get there before the gates opened and get our run over with before car traffic rolled in. We had been told (and I read online) that the gates opened at 10 so we assumed if we got there by 8 we would miss most cars as we would be done by 10. However, when we got there at 8:15 there wer already cars rolling in. No big deal really. We knew the road was wide enough and the cars would drive slow enough that we wouldn't be in harm's way.
The weather was perfect...just a bit chilly starting out but after about a mile we were both warmed up. And luckily my Garmin held signal the entire run so I was able to keep up with our running stats. This was a training run for us so time really was not an issue for this run. I did not have my mind set on a pace for the run or even a time I had hoped to get finished in. We just really wanted to enjoy the scenery and time together. I am not much a talker when I run and when hubby and I run together we both have at least one earbud in so we can hear our music of choice. We would chat it up when we needed to and that was nice. He led some, I led some and there were parts of the run we ran side by side. I love that.
At the 5 mile (or a little beyond) mark we stopped to hit up the potties and munch on some beans to fuel the remaining 5 miles. I had hubby snap some pictures while we were munching. We could have gotten some great pics if we either one had felt like taking a real camera but since we didn't hubby's iPhone would have to work. Here are the 3 shots we got...
After pics we were back on our way. The back half of the course was a bit more hilly than the first half and our pace slowed a little, which was fine by me. I really wasn't in a hurry. Even once we got closer to 10 miles I didn't really have it in me to burst through to the end like I normally do. I am certain it was the hill's fault for that! At 10 miles I looked down at Garmin to see 1:53:01. Not bad at all considering the hilly course, water hazards, animal crossings and such! lol I think if we had continued running to the car we would have been very close to 11 miles but neither of us really had the umph (is that a real word?? lol) to get our run on beyond the 10. We were both VERY ready for breakfast at this point.
I packed us each a pbj to munch on the way to breakfast. Yes, a pre-breakfast snack! It's not just a hop, skip, jump from the Cove to town. It was almost an hour drive so we each ate half a sandwich on the way. Then we had breakfast at a little buffet. Yep, buffet. And it was yummy! Bacon, eggs, grits, biscuits, gravy... and lots of fruit. I had grapefruit with mine. Delish.
Overall it was a perfect way to celebrate my (and his) birthday with my best friend. Thank you for a great day!
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