Blue Planet Run - Mission Accomplished (sort of)

I've been meaning to post this since Sunday, but you know how it goes. The prospect of blogging everything that happened seems overwhelming, even though it was only two days! So I'll just cut to the chase: I "ran" the 5-mile course in 90 minutes exactly. That's only an 18-minute mile, which is barely walking speed. But the hills, my friend, the hills! The biggest one was right at the beginning, and it drained me. And there were like 14 more after that! We're not talking slight inclines, either. They were steep! At one point it was more like climbing than walking. You had to grab on to trees to pull yourself up one of the hills and keep from falling. I did a lot of walking, a little jogging (down the hills!), and took a couple of 30-second breaks to catch my breath. It was quite enjoyable on the flat parts. Very beautiful scenery. I was passed a few times by other participants, but otherwise I had the trail all to myself.

(one of the hills)

(lake along trail)

(starting line)

I really, really intended to do the trail twice, because I met my fundraising goal, but there was just no way. My lungs were screaming, my legs were dysfunctional, and I was wiped. Our whole team was in awe of the people who did the 24-hour relay, and especially the solo runners who ran for 24 hours straight! That is just superhuman.

There was a local Black Mountain restaurant called Green Light Cafe onsite providing food. Their spinach lasagne was delicious, and their fresh squeezed lemonade was fantastic. We were provided tickets when we checked in Friday night, so food was included in our registration price--nice!

It only rained a little bit on Saturday. Certainly not a downpour or thunderstorm. Thankfully the severe weather dissipated and was not an issue.

The cabin we stayed in was super nice. Not luxurious, but more than adequate. Hardwood floors throughout. Comfy (if small) beds. Great water pressure in the shower. The front yard was ginormous, perfect for playing frisbee.








Saturday evening we cooked out, burgers and hot dogs for all. We even made s'mores. Later we played Cranium (more fun when there's not so much arguing about rules) and then Catch Phrase (super fun!!). Sunday we went out to brunch and drove home.

Some in our group are already talking about next year...I have mixed feelings about that. I think once on that trail is probably enough for my lifetime! Now, if they decide to open the waterslide for us, maybe I'll reconsider...