The Trans WNC route is 314 miles long with 35,458 feet of elevation as it traverses from Damascus Virginia along the Blue Ridge Mountains until the Georgia state line. This route is a suggested 5 day trip but my goal was to see how fast I could cover the route going light and on minimal sleep. It amused me how long it took to pack so little items for the trip.
Read all about Steven’s second-place finish at the Pisgah 36 Race. The Pisgah 36 is a single-sport (MTB) Adventure Race. There are six separate stages, each starting and finishing at Lower Cove Creek Campground – Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina. Each stage has its own unique format and will each take 4 to 6 hours to complete.
The Wim Hof Fundamentals Workshop has definitely given me a new perspective as a personal trainer, coach and fitness professional about the effects of cold submersion techniques. I plan on adding the breathing and plunge into my regimen once a week throughout this winter to see how my body feels over the next few months.
Moving our bodies with strength and mobility to complete races, obstacles, and fun adventures is something that is hard work for. Training movement patterns, body systems, and muscles all in the hope that our bodies will adapt and become the machine to accomplish the goals of our minds. But what about recovery? How does this play a part in the training that we put ourselves through?
Earlier this year I had the pleasure of linking up with another bikepack racer, Jonathan Mingle Speed of Greenville, SC frequents Pisgah National Forest for training miles. Since our adventure at the Marji Gesick we have gotten a few training rides in together and I have started working with Jonathan remotely through our online training portal to help him build up his strength, stability and mobility. For his last race of the year Jonathan had signed up for CFITT(Cross Florida Time Trial) riding from Florida's east coast to the Gulf.
It was Friday night, the eve of my departure from an incredible week of rock climbing and trail running adventures in Utah. As my friend and I lounged in her Ogden living room, we mused about plans for one last adventure before I was to fly back east to North Carolina. “What about Pfiefferhorn?” she asked.
Every year I pick a top adventure goal, 2019’s adventure was the Marji Gesick 200 mile edition. The Marji Gesick 100 is the original “dumb idea” that has now added a 200 mile out and back option “dumber idea”. Touted as the hardest 100 mile mountain bike race in the country has now doubled the fun factor with the Out-and-Back option so I had to see what all the hype was about.
It’s finally Thursday night, this has become the night in the saddle that I currently look forward to the most. My friend Chris usually comes over to the McHone household in East Asheville so we can get some extra miles in on our way to meet up with the Asheville Mountain Haulers on the corner of Emma and Craven.
Father's Day is tomorrow, Shona has given me a go to take on whatever size adventure feels right. The first adventure that came to mind was a self supported road ride from Asheville, NC to Boone, NC. I have been dreaming about this route for a while, now was my chance to find out what the experience would be like.
What I call fun often gets referred to as crazy. I ride my mountain bike hundreds of miles into remote areas with all of the supplies that I need to survive sometimes for multiple days without resupply. These self supported missions take me deep into remote places it would take weeks to navigate by foot but by bike I can cover 200 miles in 24hrs. Sometimes I ride into the night and if the moon is right I ride through to the sunrise.
Sometimes no matter how many people I talk to or how much research i've done before an adventure I still don't quit know what I've gotten myself into until it begins. The AZTR was an adventure that I had been doing research, prepping and training for for months. I got on the plane feeling like I was ready to take on the trail ahead of me but that all changed the night before the race at the Mexico border.
