Still riding the high from the Garmin Half Marathon in Toledo. Here is the Garmin Half Marathon race recap if you missed it! With the Columbus full marathon coming up in only 4 weeks (Oct 19), this was a top training week. My running mileage was 40 miles and I biked 22 miles. September and October are prime camping time and we were able to take a little getaway to Michigan’s Upper Penninsula. I was hoping there would be some fall leaf colors in the UP but it hasn’t really happened yet.
Mon – Rest day! My quads were sore after the Garmin half marathon! Otherwise I was feeling good, so that was a win. Alan and I celebrated our races at the usually place for lunch. Yay day drinking!
Tues – 5 easy miles, treadmill. My legs were only slightly sore today and I kept it easy on my treadmill watching TV.
Weds – 20 mile long run! Due to travel this week, today was the best day to knock out this long run before work. I thought it might rain for the majority of the run but no rain happened. Of course that meant high humidity, which wasn’t great, but this run turned out really well. I was able to get my last 3 miles at race pace – partially due to the fact I needed to get to work and miscalculated how long this run was going to take. haha! Well, motivation comes in all forms. No, this is not the aurora borealis in my picture – it’s the glow from a greenhouse many miles away!!
This run felt easy too because the first 10 miles were in the dark, making loops around my neighborhood. I got to see some fun Halloween lights at one house. Then I ditched my Noxgear vest and light and ran my usual route. Easy peasy because I only needed to run 5 miles out from my house and back! Heck, that’s a daily run!
Thurs – Rest day! Today is a travel day. We are camping! We packed up the camper and headed up North. For the first time ever, both cats joined us. We got some meds to make them calm and they slept for most of the 9 hour drive. Unfortunately it was foggy when we crossed the Mackinac Bridge.
Our campsite is beautiful and private!
Fri – 6 easy miles. It’s often a challenge to figure out where to run when on vacation. We are staying in the town of Christmas and the road right next to us is named Reindeer Run. Good news, it’s a very quiet road. Bad news, they just put dirt on top of the pavement! They were actually working on it as I ran.
We took a sunset cruise along the shore of Pictured Rocks. It was cold!! We did get to see a lot of pretty rock colors and formations.
Sat – 9.25 miles, intervals. This was supposed to be 10 miles with some intervals, but I only had time for 9.25 miles and the boredom of Reindeer Run was getting to me! Maybe it was more the dirt on the road, but I just couldn’t. We had plans to hop on the ferry to Grand Island, a small nearby island. There is a 20 mile mountain bike path around the island which takes you to some beautiful locations. The trail is rated as “Moderate/Strenuous” mostly for the uphill portions. We got to eat lunch on a beautiful beach.
Around 14 miles tragedy hit! Alan’s bike chain came off and then the derailleur broke off!! Not good at all. We still had 6.2 miles to get back to the ferry. The last ferry was at 4pm and Google Maps said we wouldn’t arrive until 4:30 if we walked. What to do??? Well, Alan managed to pull off the chain and he pushed it up the hills and rode it down. Phew!! We actually made it to the ferry with 30 mins to spare. Go us!
Sun – hiking around Pictured Rocks is on the agenda for today. With all of the recent activity we’ll see how far we go! The cats are getting along pretty well so far. I won’t say the forced togetherness has made them friends, but hey, it could happen!
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: Have you ever been to Pictured Rocks?
It’s our first time up here!
Q: Are you seeing any fall colors in your area?
Wow, glad you figured out a way to make the ferry! Sounds like you are having a great weekend.
LOL on picking up your pace to get to work!
It’s a bit early for fall colors here, and I haven’t even seen many fall decorations!
It did seem like impending doom and we were going to miss the ferry (to spend the night without a tent or food??), which seemed pretty early ending at 4pm. But in reality the island was only 1.5 miles from the shore so you’d think the crew might have waited around for another emergency trip to get us! Or maybe the Pictured Rocks cruise would stop and pick us up? LOL
I would have NO idea what to do if I had any kind of bike emergency like that! I often times go on long rides (20+) on my own, and I am grateful I’ve never had any issues. The UP is so beautiful! We made it up there a few times when we were living in Michigan.
The only thing I had with me was a tube, but I don’t think I even have the means to inflate it, so no, I’m not equipped for any emergencies either! Certainly not equipped to remove a bike chain. I’m not sure why I thought 20 miles on a mountain bike was no big deal, but oof, my butt was sore since I wasn’t wearing my padded bike shorts. It was 3+ hours of riding!
Oh my goodness! That’s very story is getting me so anxious. I can’t believe you made it! What a relief. Glad you’re feeling so good after such a good race! I know so many people who made it to Toledo for the race, too bad I wasn’t able to come!
You can always put the Garmin race on your calendar for next year! I’d definitely do it again. I saw that the marathoners got to go through the Toledo Zoo and several took pictures in front of the ape cage!
Wow, looks beautiful! I’ve never been to the UP, but my parents had a lake house in Door County, Wisconsin for many years, and we were right across Green Bay from the UP. The landscape is very similar in both places–every time I see photos of those limestone bluffs and formations, it makes me homesick! I hope you’re having a great time!
My family took many camping trips in this area when I was growing up. It’s a favorite of ours! Such a beautiful area.
Way to get that 20 miler in between the half and camping! Hope you have had a fun weekend of adventures
The camping trip has been quite lovely! I was hoping there would be more fall colors on our trip but the leaves just haven’t changed yet. The temperatures are really great though!
I’ve not been to pictured rocks, but it certainly looks pretty!. Go Alan on saving the day by taking his chain completely off the bike so you wouldn’t have to spend the night on the island!
Hope this has been a bonding experience for your cats!
Yes, thank God that Alan has bike skills and a tool to save the day! Hopefully he gets his bike repaired in a timely fashion so we can still enjoy mountain biking back home in the upcoming weeks. I think it’s just one part he needs to replace, and maybe a new chain.
Okay, there’s so much here. You BROUGHT YOUR CATS ON VACATION. And they’re getting along! Maybe they’re like “What the heck is happening… we need to stick together here.” And, you did your long run three days after your race, AND you’re having a camping adventure! The photos are beautiful. I missed your race recap but I’ll go back and read it.
Well, the cats are “sitting next to each other” but I wouldn’t say they are buddies. Luna still hisses and swats at Sam, but hey, they are coexisting! That’s the great thing about a half marathon, legs are feeling good after just a few days!
Wow. What a trip and you deserve a getaway after that marathon.
Never been but it looks beautiful.
It still feels like summer here but the leaves are falling fast and we see a little bit of color.
You brought your cats? My cats? Never.
The cats have been behaving well when we were all in the camper.. I’m not sure how they got along when we were gone for the day! I wish they did better in the truck. They aren’t the biggest fans of being in their carriers and driving!
I’ve never been to Michigan and the leaves here don’t change.
Your cats look like they were made for camping life. I love it.
I would have wept if my bike chain (and other parts) broke and we had a ferry to catch. I’m so glad you made it!
That foggy view is gorgeous, but I bet the clear view is lovely too!
The bike situation was a bit stressful when it happened. I immediately called the ferry to see what our options would be if we missed the boat (“call 911” ugh!). Thankfully Alan had one tool with him and could get the bike rolling without a chain. I would not have had a solution on my own!!