Tricia on Track

Such a great way to start the day! Despite the early wake up call, a sunrise paddle is my absolute favorite. It gives you all the feels!!! This morning we were rewarded with an incredible number of dolphins out in the James. It was impossible to get a good video or photo, but I posted a few in my story. finally got her wish!!!

What a beautiful night for the Billsburg Paddle Club!! The James was super calm!!

Virginia state park #18!! Completed a trail run/hike on the Beaver Pond Loop Trail (5ish miles) at Occoneechee SP. I kinda wish I had stuck with my original plan of hitting the Panhandle Trail because it looked more like what I love (single-track). I was easily swayed by the park ranger to try Beaver Pond instead (due to potential flooding on lower sections of Panhandle). For those that are curious, Beaver Pond included about 2.5 miles of gravel/rock road (or what I like to call ankle breakers) and then 2.5ish miles of dirt/some roots but wide enough for a 4-wheeler. Also included a variety of fungi and at least 20 spider webs to the face. 🤣🤣 Enjoyed it but kept thinking about the other trail (that I could see driving in).

P.S. if you think you should do something before you head out on an adventure (I don’t know, like maybe change your insulin pump infusion site), then definitely listen to intuition and do that thing!! Had I done this, I could have tackled another 5 miles on the fun-looking Panhandle instead of letting type 1 diabetes change my plans!

Just say yes and go for it! I try to remind myself of the reasons why I need to go, and this is definitely one of them!!

Found the light…. It can be exhausting when your brain is constantly telling you why you “shouldn’t” do the things you want and need to do. You have to fight back and/or ignore it and just do the thing.

Off the water and into the woods to finish the Happy 100 Trail Challenge - Summer. My planned hike quickly turned into a trail cleanup on Freedom E. It was quite messy out there so picked up what I could. You’re welcome mountain bikers!! Pushing myself to run/hike another 40 trail miles by the end of the month to stay focused for a big goal at the end of September!!! Thanks for the motivation ! Looking forward to the Fall challenge!

Hey look, the water is PaddleFit perfect today!!

Dance dance dance

Felt cute, definitely leaving this one here. I’ve been seriously contemplating trying the dating apps again so I had to take a normal photo instead of just me sweating in the woods or on a paddleboard with my hair in a ponytail. I dunno… it just seems like a lot of work and I’ve been going about this on my own for soooooooooooo long. It would be nice to find that special someone who could tell me if that’s a tick or a mosquito bite in the middle of my back though. 🤷‍♀️🤣🤣

Every day is cat day!! They definitely use the yoga mat way more than I do. 🤣🤣

Just another pic of me out here sweating on the trail.

PaddleFit became a bit of an adventure to find calmer waters this morning. Gordon Creek was the answer!! Thanks for joining me !! We paddled, we sprinted, we worked out, we caught up, and we enjoyed the gorgeous scenery.

Made it back to the car right as the storm hit Freedom. That was a close one… why do I wait until the very last minute to do everything?????? That’s a rhetorical question… I know exactly why I’m like this 🧐😩🙄

PaddleFit looked a little different this morning! Thanks to Sandy and Anna for joining me in a challenging sunrise workout!!

Hey look, we actually paddled together… very, very slowly. 🤣🤣

I don’t know… seemed like a good idea to double up today. 🤷‍♀️ Thanks for the (torture) session ! Honestly, I loved Happy Cat Hike Club - a hike through the woods + some strength/balance training to finish strong!!

Morning miles = morning smiles! I did not want to get up and go, but I threw on my running clothes and did it anyways. It’s so easy to bail on yourself, but much harder when you know that others are waiting for you!

Check another VA state park off the list! Covered almost 7 miles at Lake Anna State Park according to Strava. A good combo of trail running and hiking mostly in the woods, with maybe a half mile under a power line. Covered Sawtooth to Glenora to Big Woods to Turkey Run (stopped by car for mid-adventure cantaloupe - bonus) to Mill Pond to Pigeon Run to Sawtooth. Yea, I kinda wished I could have paddled as well but I didn’t know if it was allowed or not (some sort of algal bloom issue - although people were swimming at the beach area). Trails were pretty easy to follow but be aware that the new VA state park blaze markers have not been installed here yet and most signs are fairly weathered.

Thanks for handling the photo today (forgot my phone on shore - oops!). PaddleFit conditions were perfect, and we definitely put the paddle in PaddleFit!! Perfect way to start the day.

I don’t know why I made this choice this evening - I guess I like to torture myself after not getting out since Monday. 🤷‍♀️ But hey, I survived!

It’s officially official: Paddle Round the Island returns in 2025! We’ve had to shift the date a bit later in June due to the tides and a conflict on June 7, but hey, gives you more time to train!! Mark your calendars and stay tuned for updates as we get closer to 2025.

I think it’s a bit damp out here, no?

Just a little PSA for all of my paddle friends - ALWAYS give your board a wiggle to confirm that your straps are pulled tight and locked in place. It’s something we all worry about happening, and after 10 years it finally happened to me. Yes my board was strapped down but I neglected to pull it tight - I got distracted and skipped that final step of locking things down TIGHT. Ten minutes later I turn onto the main road and gas it and my board slides off the top of the car (the straps stayed in place but were too loose), turns nose up, and stops rolling in the middle of the road - on the yellow lines. Thank the universe that no one was immediately behind me, that no one was hurt by this. I also am super grateful to the truck that came up on it and stopped with his flashers until I could get it out of the road. I figured it was toast. Apparantly makes an extremely durable board! I still don’t know how it survived with minor damage. Having the UV cover on there definitely helped. Super big shoutout to for fixing up the damage at an extremely reasonable price, including the mystery crack I already had on the top. TRIPLE CHECK YOUR BOARDS my friends!!! Always give that nose or tail hanging off the back a good shake to check before getting into your vehicle.

A new paddle spot with and a new trail explored. Definitely a great morning at . My brain was overwhelmed with joy to experience new places!!!

Quick walk before the storm. Yes, a ginger cake was most definitely involved.

A few morning miles before the air turns to boiling. Appreciated the company AND the breeze at the start! Thanks for organizing it .sunshine !

Too crazy for PaddleFit, so I guess a short walk in the heat will have to do.

Yep! That about sums it up! Thanks for the fun pic .

Go when you can! Especially if you slept through the actual plan.

At least the views make up for the excessive amount of sweating.