Early Week Running

Early this week it was one of those yucky summer weeks. Foggy and muggy and soggy and super humid, with some annoying deer flies thrown in for good measure. BLAH! Not my favorite running weather, for sure!

Monday I headed out at 6:00 am. It was 68 degrees and must have been about 110% humidity out there. Heavy as all get out, and foggy too. Ran the cart paths. Didn't look at my watch, just ran. Stopped to pick a few raspberries and blueberries along the way  as the seasons are way to short to pass them by! Scared up a deer munching in the blueberry bushes along the powerlines as I was headed home - she seemed to be enjoying the berries too ;)

Yesterday I waited until it was getting light - right around 5:05 am - to head out, but I was essentially running in a thick, low cloud. The air was so thick that it was misting on me, and the fog was so heavy that it was actually too dark to see on the singletrack initially, so I ran up and over Mt. A. via the paved road and then ran a bit of the cart paths before heading into the woods. I was really distracted by the weather and the damn deerflies that were bothering me, plus I had to veer off course to hit a port-a-potty part way through, and I really can't say that I enjoyed the run. So after doing the Ravine Loop, I headed back along the Cathance trails to the Heath and then ran the back roads and powerlines home, managing to eke out 10 incredibly soggy miles. I did see a Northern Flicker up on the back Mt. A. road, though, so that was cool.

Today, I thankfully redeemed myself and the weather did too. It was nice and cool this morning, with sunny skies and not a drop of fog in sight ;) I headed out around 5:10 am and ran three miles doing laps up and around and over and down Mt. A. before continuing out onto the powerlines to run the Lover's Lane/dump loop. The Mt. A miles weren't hill repeats exactly, but I think I did go up Mt. A six times so there was a bit of hill work anyway and I wasn't nearly as grumpy about it as I probably would have been had I told myself I was going out to do hill repeats ;0

I felt good out on the powerlines, enjoying a few blueberries, raspberries AND blackberries along the way - yum! Also saw a deer with two fawn, such a fun sighting! Got in another 10 miles, and although I still finished drenched in sweat, I was really happy to feel much better during and about those miles than yesterday.

Tomorrow is a rest day, followed up with what will hopefully be a good but big mileage weekend (or Friday and Saturday in my case). Hopefully this nicer weather will hold!