lake chatuge

i didn't do my long run this week. i don't have a great excuse -- it rained when i wanted to run and when it finally stopped i didn't feel like it anymore. i'm coddling myself by saying thursday's 12+mile interval workout is good enough.

josh and i went for a weekend getaway to the ridges resort on lake chatuge with plans of boating, horseback riding, wine tasting, hiking, and that long run of course.

however --
a) it rained/thunderstormed the entire time.
b) i forgot my wallet and therefore had no id to prove i was of legal boozing age.

i'd also managed to forget a book and the past 6-months of runner's world magazines that i haven't read yet, so we basically went out of town to watch tv.

michaelee's chocolate cafe

while it rained saturday morning, i got in 10-mins on the recumbent bike and 30-mins on the elliptical in the resort gym sauna. we lunched at michaelee's chocolate cafe in "town" and around 5pm the rain stopped briefly enough to squeeze in a short run along the lake before dinner.

we had dinner at the oaks (the restaurant at the resort) where the hostess was amazingly horrible.

pop quiz:
you are working the hostess stand at a restaurant. couple #1 has a 7:30 reservation and arrives at 7:30. couple #2 has an 8:00 reservation and arrives at 7:45. who do you seat when a table opens up at 8:00?
a) couple #2
b) couple #2; you are confused as to why this is even a multiple choice question

anyway, the hostess was not a reflection on the oaks restaurant as a whole. our server was great and the food was tasty.

the deluge resumed during dinner and we had to run back to the hotel while dodging lightning bolts. the rest of the weekend was pretty uneventful other than watching vcu upset kansas and kentucky take down unc. when we got back home sunday afternoon it was cloudy and chilly (where did you go 70 degree loveliness?) and i continued to cop out of my long run.

overall if you're looking for a weekend getaway, lake chatuge in hiawassee, ga (2-hrs from atlanta, 2-hrs from chattanooga) would be a good spot if the weather cooperates.

the sun pretended to make an appearance after we checked out

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psa: bq questionnaire
sean is a bq-hopeful looking for a little encouragement and advice. he's conducting a bq questionnaire and hoping to get input from runners who have qualified for boston. it's 10 questions and you can answer as brief or wordy as you want. if you're willing to give your $0.02, email him at "dearjtd@gmail.com".