Monday: 7m easy 9:00/pace
Tuesday: 2 x 3 @ 95#, 105# Push Jerks, 4 x 12 @ 115# Back Squats + 6m easy 8:36/pace
Wednesday: 6 x 6 deadlift + 5.1m easy 9:30/pace 

Life is crazy busy right now. I’ve been traveling around, spending time with some very important people and making time for a few things that I’ve pushed aside, like painting and practicing piano. The blogging might be sparse these days, but it’s all for making room for creativity and recovery. My workouts are sort of killing me right now even though i’m not training for anything specific, other than getting strong and running long of course! I kinda love it, kinda hate it, probably gonna ramble on a future blog about it 😉

My trip out to Asheville, NC was short, sweet and needed! I wanted to hike and visit a few breweries while in town. My mom (Linda) and I stopped first thing at Sierra Nevada! Travel tip: if you fly into Asheville, Sierra Nevada Brewery is less than a 5 minute drive away!

And it’s huge…

with tons of beers on tap…

great food! (Below is Pigs Cheek Flatbread and Veggie Flatbread)

I flew in later in the evening, so after our dinner and beer tasting we pretty much got settled in mom’s apartment and went to sleep. So did her little girl Maggie, who looks like an Ewok. 

She’s a sweetheart and we took her for walks around her usual lake loop in Black Mountain, NC the next morning before heading out for, what else? Coffee…

The Dripolator has been a long time favorite since I was in 8th grade! I lived in Black Mountain for a short period of time, but my mom and sister have lived there longer so i visited often. It’s still and always will be one of my favorite places to trek back to.

I ordered a Cubano (frothed half n half, sugar & sea salt). I’ve started adding sea salt to my coffee on a regular basis when it’s available, it’s pretty incredible. And for the amount of water loss I’ve had “heat training” this summer, i can use the extra sodium right? lol

Mom caught me pouring a 2nd cup of coffee that morning. Need to hire her to full time to blog, cause I need to start double fisting java.

Is it me or is it kinda funny to do selfies with your parents?

Finally we were caffeinated enough to drive north on the Blue Ridge Parkway and find some hiking and views to take pictures of…

My mom pointed out how our hands are doing the same thing… apples don’t fall far.

And we drove up to Mount Mitchell, took pictures at the summit then found a nearby trail to hike. It was such a beautiful day!

and onto the hike!

It’s alright here I guess…

Next up we went to downtown Asheville and stopped at Lexington Glassworks. It’s an amazing glass blowing studio where you can watch the artists work and they’ll talk about the process to the crowd. There were a ton of cool things for sale….and they had a bar serving beer while you hang out. <–that seemed dangerous but the space is huge, so i guess the chances that you’ll bump into stuff and have to buy it is slim? Maybe? Haha

Then we were onto Wicked Weed Brewery!

I ordered a cucumber beer, super refreshing on a warm day after hiking. Travel Tip: Wicked Weed does not do sampler flights on weekends!

But I was happy with the beer and the chocolate porter I got for dessert!

Lunch was the bison buger & sweet potato fries. Literally my favorite burger/fry combo.

We spent lots of time shopping, checking out local art, drinking coffee, and walking the dog around the lake…

The next morning we headed to Oskar Blues Brewery, which had a huge outdoor patio to listen to live music, play corn hole (or bags depending on what part of the country you’re from), a food truck and an outdoor bar. We spent a few hours here because the weather was incredible and apparently I need to be outside a minimum of 2-5 hours a day haha.

Stairway to Beer Heaven. 

We had the salmon sandwich and fries- soooo good!

We did so much walking I didn’t even feel the need to go for a run or workout. Ok, i mean, i squeezed in all my workouts in before I left but you know what I mean. I love being active while on vacation!

Asheville was so much fun and hanging out with my mom was perfect. I can’t wait to go back and hit up some more breweries and hikes!

Last Week

Monday: 6m easy 8:32/pace
Tuesday: 7m intervals 10 x 400s (6:15p)
Wednesday: Crossfit, 5m easy 9:25/pace
Thursday: 10m long 9:36/pace
Friday: 1.5hr conditioning
Saturday: 1 hr upper body (Bench press)
Sunday: Rest/ 3m easy walk

Total Miles: 28

What’s your favorite repeat getaway city?

Summer vacation plans?