Down from the mountain

Dad and I ran the "Downhill at Dawn" half marathon today. It started at Ridgecrest Conference Center and ended at First Baptist Church in Old Fort, NC. I had looked forward to this race for the past two months - I would visualize running in the mountains when I'd do my training runs.

It was such a special retreat and bonding experience with my Dad. He is a wonderful encourager. He has quite a gift for conversation, and we bonded in a new way during this trip. We snacked on combos and milky ways on the trip up. We shared a delicious pizza last night, and topped it off with huge ice cream cones. We rocked on "rocking chair ridge" back at the conference center, and walked on the nature trail a little bit, and visited the day camp area where Greg and I worked the summer we got engaged.


The race itself was primarily downhill. It started at 6:00 a.m. and the temp was about 60 degrees. Here we are before the race, after a nice cup of coffee:


As we turned the first corner, we saw a beautiful sunrise over the mountain ridges. My favorite stretch of the race was a gravel trail that looped down the mountain. It was so peaceful back there, and the only sound was the leaves blowing in the breeze. We ran under a train trestle and alongside a mountain stream. I felt good for about the first 8 miles, and then a side stitch kicked in and I started feeling the downhill motion in my knees. Having Dad as my running buddy kept me going! Here we are at the finish:


Being at Ridgecrest is always a trip down memory lane. It rejuvenates me. Spending time with Dad was especially refreshing. I am so thankful for the unique opportunity I have to share a hobby with my father. He is an inspiration to me, and always reminds me (even without saying it) to take one day at a time.