Still riding that high from my latest marathon (read the recap here if you missed it —> Glass City Marathon 2025). I’ve run a few marathons in the last 5 years that have ended with a similar finish time, but with disappointment that I didn’t reach a faster goal time. But for this race, I just had a goal of a “strong race”. My previous two marathons were not great – I had to walk half way through the race due to pain and lack of fitness. Looking back at Glass City this year, I have only good memories of all the miles. What a confidence boost that was! And extra bonus, according to Garmin my average heart rate was 135, which is great for me! With that, it was now recovery time.
It was a busy week following the marathon at my house. We moved our son back home from college. No kidding, my car did not have room for one more thing. Thankfully we were able to disassemble a shelf and take it along, so everything came home from his college dorm room. We will need a U-Haul next time!
Then our daughter started moving her stuff back home too. My house is now overflowing with kids, love, and a lot of stuff (and let’s be honest, and some tension as we all fit back into the groove of living under one roof. LOL!). And then, it was time for our family vacation!
We went on a camping trip to West Virginia. Our first stop was Shenandoah National Park. This wasn’t even on my radar until I learned it was 2 hours from our campsite. We only spent the day there but we did go on a few hikes.
Our campsite was near Seneca Rocks. It was a very quiet campground! My son brought along a slack line. I gave it try – and made it two steps! I know, that doesn’t sound like much, but it sure felt like a big accomplishment!
Seneca Rocks is a rock formation which juts out of the valley. We hiked up a trail which took us to the top. It was quite the sight up there and you could turn your head and see the other side of the valley from the pointed top rock.
We also toured Seneca Caverns. I did get a bit claustrophobic on a previous trip to Mammoth Caves, but no issue in Seneca Caverns. We got to see a cute bat too.
The next half of our trip was near the New River Gorge National Park. Highlights of this area was the beautiful views from hiking trails and of course the bridge.
We went on the Bridge Walk which was a walk *underneath* the bridge on a 24 inch wide walkway. At the highest point we were 851 feet above the water. We dangled our feet above the river! No worries, we were attached to a harness. This was actually kind of like being on a ski chair lift. We’ve been on some pretty high ones – and some without seat restraints!
We saw some beautiful waterfalls, and some high overlooks. Good stuff!
We also went on a historical coal mine tour. Very interesting, and we had a very entertaining tour guide. The harsh working conditions of the early mining towns was quite eye opening. What a hard life those workers and families had.
Fun times in the historical mining town 😆
Finally, it was time to return home. Sigh! We enjoyed our family time in the new camper. I will start out my Mother’s Day with a run. The time off has been good for me! Happy Mother’s Day to all of the Moms out there!!
Need some more inspiration? I’m linking up with Deborah at Confessions of a Mother Runner and Kim from Running on the Fly for their Weekly Run Down. Check out all of the fun blogs there!
Q: In West Virginia we got “senior” tickets at two places. They used 55 and older for “senior” pricing! Is that common near you?
I think it’s at least 60 in my area, not 55+. It was a nice surprise!
That camping trip looks amazing.
I’ve seen senior pricing anywhere from 50 to 65,
Glad your marathon went so well. Another?
Yes! I think my 20th marathon will be in Columbus Ohio, which is where I ran my first marathon! My husband is already signed up, so I’ll be there. Might as well 😉
What a great trip! The bridge walk looks fun (though maybe a bit scary). Great pics! I’m a little jealous (just a little, LOL) at your having the kids back home for a few months 😉
We are still finding our groove at home, and figuring out where to put all of the stuff! but yes, so nice to have them back home for a bit.
This post made me so happy! I went to New River Gorge last fall and I’ve been hearing a lot about Seneca Rocks. It’s no secret that I’ll be going back to NRG as soon as I can fit it in. I want to do the bridge walk and explore Thurmond, and I know that there is a ton more hiking to get into.
Thurmond was the one place we didn’t get to. It was our last stop and my kids told me they were “all history-ed out”. haha!
What a great trip! I haven’t done much exploring in the eastern part of the country–these NPs are on my list!
Happy Mother’s Day! I’m sure it feels great to have all your birds back in the nest! I miss that!
We did discuss the eastern parks vs the biggies out west. Rocky Mountains and Tetons will always be my favorite parks. I like the Great Smoky Mountains the best so far in the east.
Lisa, that sounds like a fabulous trip! I’ve been to Shenandoah a few times because it’s pretty close to us (less than two hours). In fact, I met Judy from Chocolate Runs Judy there for a hike down to Dark Hallow Falls a few years ago. We’ve never been to New River Gorge and it’s on our bucket list. I’m impressed that you did the bridge walk. I’m not sure I could do that, but maybe the harness would give me enough confidence. We’re going to Glacier in July. I need to dig back through your old blog posts to read about your trip there. 🙂
I’m jealous you’re going to Glacier! We need to go back there because some of the park was closed when we visited (early season). It was so beautiful there!!
What a fun trip! I love how adventurous you all are! So glad that you are feeling so good about your marathon. You work so hard and you should really be proud of all you accomplish
It was a confidence boost for sure! Our trip was fun. It’s going to be an adjustment getting back to the real world here at home. But, more camping trips are on the schedule!
Happy Mother’s Day! And what a fun trip! We finally booked our summer vacation (a short one), and I am excited to explore somewhere new for us as well!
It must be so nice to have everyone home, even if it might be a little crowded!
It is odd to take a family trip so early in the season. My son starts his internship this week and my daughter is taking a summer class, so that’s when we could all take a trip together. I hope to squeeze something in later this summer too, but nothing is planned yet.
That looks like such a fun trip! What a nice activity after the marathon. The views from Shenandoah are spectacular!
The bridge walk looks insane, I’d never have the courage to walk there. Well done all of you. It sounds so nice and cosy when you say your house is overflowing with kids and love!
It was a great way to recover from the race. I ended up taking 2 full weeks off, and my body was thankful for it! I think it’s going to take another full week to put all of the stuff from the kids away and I finally finished up all of the laundry. Phew!
Oh, that looks so beautiful!!! What a lovely family trip. And- I know what you mean about a “little bit” of tension when both kids come back home. In our case, my daughter gets really annoyed when my son is home because she’s used to having a lot of space for herself. Probably a great idea to get right out for a camping trip.
I just read your race recap- I can’t believe I missed it! GREAT job!
Oh yes, Sydney takes up so much more space (mostly in the bathroom!) than Zach. So many hair and facial products! It is great to have the house full of sound again, even if it is for some bickering too 😉
Very glad the marathon gave you such a boost, that’s lovely to read. And a super trip though I didn’t like the high bits you shared!!