Catch Up

Tuesday, I took an intentional zero.

Wednesday, I worked a half day and then picked up Sam and we had a snow afternoon, so no running. Ryan did get out for a late afternoon snowshoe run, but I wasn't feeling that motivated ;)

Yesterday, I had to do something, so I was up and out at 6:00 am for a short 3-miler on the Patriot Commons loop. With the packed snow on the roads, it was good screwshoe running.

Today, it was bright and sunny, but I was feeling sort of tired. I decided early on this week that I'd take a bit of a down week. I ran 30+ miles each week in January, which I realize isn't a ton, but after two very light months of running in November and December, I don't want to go too crazy and jump the mileage up too much without giving my body a bit of a break every once in a while. I had originally planned on 14 miles today, but once I rethought things, decided on 10. I just wasn't sure where to go. In the end, I chose to park at Bowdoin and go out through the Commons to Simpson's Point, and then hit Rossmore, a road I haven't been on in a while, before returning, either via the Commons or roads, condition dependent.

Well, the Commons were lovely, with beautiful sparkly snow, but the conditions weren't great for running. Good for xc skiing or snowshoeing, sure, but not quite compacted enough due to the fluffy, sugary snow. The first two miles clocked in at 11:44 and 11:02, but once I hit the roads, the pace picked up, with the fastest mile of the run at 8:15. That's quite a spread, eh?! Ha. Pennelville is always peaceful and beautiful. Today the fields were cloaked in white and the sky was blue, very nice. Twas a bit windy, though, but I suppose we can't have it all. After a visit to the ocean at Simpson's Point, I wandered the roads out to Rossmore, which winds along the salt marshes, offering more lovely views. And in one of the fields, I saw a blue bird! Heard it singing, which led me to find it, flying across the road to an old apple tree. Made me smile :-)

Ended up with a good 10.25 miles on a Friday afternoon.

Also discovered today that the Maine Coast Marathon is sold out. I'm impressed! I really didn't think it would sell out so quickly. But honestly, I'm not all that disappointed. Ryan and I have been talking back and forth about my running, and while I had the idea in my head that I could work through my dislike for 'true training,' my heart hasn't really been in it, and honestly I haven't been doing any truly specific marathon training. I haven't given up on a road marathon PR yet, but I think I'm going to pass on it for this year. When I saw that the marathon was full, I wasn't all that upset, which I think gives me my true answer. So, I'm pondering ultra options. Ha. That was easy, and probably expected, wasn't it? I have the 6-hour Spring Thaw in March, and then am thinking about the Spring Classic 50k, and possibly even the TARC 50?! I hadn't been originally been thinking about a 50 this spring, but June 7 is practically summer, and I had initially been thinking the TARC race was going to be held at night like last year, which I wasn't interested in. But given that it starts at a reasonable hour of 7:00 am, I'm seriously thinking about it... The other possibility is the 50k at Pineland. Thoughts??