Cade's Cove is about one and a half hours from our cabin. I'd read some really great things about running there, and since I had to do a long run today, I figured it'd be a great place to go. But I'm on fucking VACATION, so I just wasn't "feeling" it. But since my brother woke up early to go with me, I didn't want to let him down.
My parents decided that they wanted to go too, just to sight-see. We arrived at Cade's Cove at around 8:45. Brian and I started running the 11-mile loop. The first mile was great.
Then I started running into hills... and I am NOT a hill-runner! I avoid hills like the plague. But let's face it, I'm in Tennessee. So I was okay with the hills, and then came the WIND. It was about a 40 mph head wind and at times, I felt like I was running in place. My hat blew off my head a few times and I had to chase it down. It was a CRUEL wind!
I had read that the loop was closed to traffic on Wednesdays and Saturdays before 10:00 AM, so that runners and bikers could go without worry of getting hit by a car. When we got there, we discovered that it doesn't actually start until MAY, so we still had to worry about traffic. My parents ended up driving up a couple of miles ahead of us, and then when we reached them, we had a drink of water and kept running. Kind of like leap-frog.
A gorgeous view at 3.5 miles in... the pic doesn't do it justice |
Running just before mile 7 |
We decided to call it quits during the pouring rain at mile 7 |
It was a GORGEOUS run at times, and I loved the view. I just wish the weather had been better, but I still enjoyed the run!
Turns out that later that day, Tennessee was hit with a lot of devastating tornadoes! We finished up just in time.
I think they call that "perseverance" -- way to be :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like the wind, rain, and hills made up for the miles you missed! Way to go girl!
ReplyDeleteI love Cade's Cove! I was in Knoxville for business for 6 weeks in August/September and every weekend, I went hiking in Cade's Cove, Abrams falls! It's gorgeous there!
ReplyDeleteSo neat to read this post and see that you are in the same place that I live! It's been a nice reminder that I live in one of the most beautiful places!
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