This past Saturday, I convinced some of my friends to do a trial run (pun intended) of the Trails and Brews 5K. I dangled beer in front of them and they jumped at the chance. What we didn't realize is that it would be sleeting at the start. We had a couple of people skip the run because of the weather but they were all in for the beer. The weather actually turned out nicer than expected and the tree cover kept us dry from the sleet at the beginning. Estelle with Mountain Transportation provided our transportation to and from the trail heads. I call Estelle our Mountain Uber. She regularly takes us to and from our cabins to downtown Blue Ridge to enjoy dinner and drinks and keeps us off the roads. Back to the run, the trail starts fairly flat more or less and crosses a creek about half a mile in. After another half a mile, the hard work starts. I could hear some heavy breathing and realized it was me! As I tell everyone, on the uphills, you can't run any faster than you can hike. So...we hiked up an elevation gain of 700 feet for about a mile. It was tough but invigorating. The saving grace is the last mile is a slow downhill with some amazing views of the mountain ranges and Lake Blue Ridge. But the best reward was a ride back into town to Fannin Brewery for a few beers.    

Work hard to play hard! Stay tuned as we officially launch the guided Trails and Brews 5K run in April. And follow us on Facebook and Instagram @trailblazerrunning.

Running for Pleasure, Passion, and Purpose

-Michele