Yesterday I woke up sore from thirty brutal minutes spent with my trainer Wednesday afternoon. I’d planned to get my Couch to 5K run in before leaving for Kentucky, but between my sore butt and legs and a desire to get on the road early, I decided to postpone the run.

I ate my usual breakfast of Greek Yogurt and berries.  Having packed everything but my toothbrush and deodorant the night before, I left the house at exactly eight o’clock–thirty minutes later than I’d hoped, but still plenty early. My GPS said I would arrive in Lexington at two-twenty-six p.m. I popped the first of twelve disks into the CD player to listen to John Grisham’s “The Confession” and headed out.

Within minutes of leaving the house, I realized the GPS intended to route me through Atlanta. Hell no. Morning traffic would easily add an hour or two to the six-and-a-half hours projected by the GPS.  So I ignored the directions and headed up Highway 441. For the first hour, the robotic female voice continually announced “recalculating route”.

Having consumed several cups of coffee before leaving the house, I found it necessary to stop at the Chick-Fil-A in Commerce. I picked up a large unsweet tea for the drive. Since I was there, I went ahead and got a breakfast burrito with sausage. At the last second, I added a spicy chicken biscuit to my order. Yeah…I’m on vacation.

As I crossed the Georgia line into North Carolina, it seemed I and the GPS were finally on the same page. Then I made an early turn. You know how it is–the GPS says “turn here” but it really means the next turn. I followed the prompts to get back on track, but instead of Highway 441 (my goal), I ended up on Highway 28.  The GPS indicated I’d arrive in Lexington at three-thirty, an hour later than my original ETA.

For the next two hours, I traveled between twenty and forty miles per hour on tiny little two-lane mountain roads through towns I’d never heard of before. At one point, a big truck coming from the opposite direction blocked the road. The driver yelled at me to get the hell off the road or the semi behind him would knock me over the side.  He pointed toward a little ledge behind me. I backed up and pulled as far off the road as I could. Within seconds the semi appeared, straddling the yellow line with an obviously terrified driver behind the wheel. The line-up behind him extended for about a mile, making me glad we were going in opposite directions.

I wouldn’t have minded the detour through the mountains so much if it hadn’t been pouring down rain. Driving required my full attention. The road was too curvy to look away for even a second.  I had several close calls and was grateful to have had brand new tires put on my candy-apple-red PT Cruiser convertible the day before.  Eventually the GPS got me to Highway 129 and just south of Knoxville, onto I-75. Despite my slow speed, I was still on track to hit Lexington at three-thirty.

Rather than going straight to my hotel, I’d planned to have dinner at a dear friend’s house.  To get there, I had to go through horse farms. I forget until I see them just how beautiful the scenery is around Lexington.  When I arrived at my destination (at exactly four o’clock), the soreness I’d felt before hitting the road had turned into something resembling paralysis. I was so stiff I could hardly move! I shuffled into her house and plopped down into a comfy chair.

She had consulted me about the menu and was preparing a healthy chicken stir-fry with tons of vegetables.  The second she got up to start dinner, her power went out for the first time in something like two years. More than an hour later, with the power still out, we decided to go out to eat instead. We talked about our options and decided on Tolly Ho.

As we left the house, the power came back on. We all agreed it was too late and continued with our plans to hit Tolly Ho.  At the Ho, I ordered a Tolly Ho (their special hamburger with tons of a mayo-based special sauce), crinkle-cut french fries, and because I’m on vacation, a vanilla milkshake.  My friend apologized profusely for the way things turned out. I assured her things worked out for the best. I can eat healthy every day. Eating at Tolly Ho was an unexpected treat.

After dinner at Tolly Ho, I went to the hotel to check in. They had fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies at the front desk. Of course I had to have one. When I arrived in my lovely room (a two-room suite with a full kitchen, fireplace, and jacuzzi tub), I noticed a bag of microwave popcorn with the packages of coffee. Great idea! I ate the whole bag.

This morning I went to the exercise room at the hotel. They had a treadmill so I did my Couch to 5K run. Hopefully that will offset some of the over-eating I did yesterday.  Considering I’m only twenty-four hours into my vacation from a healthy lifestyle, I’m proud of myself for making the effort. Every little bit helps, because I’ll probably keep over-eating until I get back to Georgia and…

My Glass House