Frosty

From 60 degrees on Friday to 25 this morning. November is a fickle month.  Met up with Amy at Pineland at 7:00 am. As we ran out through the field to hit the Oakhill trails, the clouds in the sky out over the Pineland equestrian center up on the hill were tinged in pink and the grasses were awash in what looked like a dusting of sugar - the frost was thick this morning for sure. Got in a nice 6 miles and felt good. Butt/hip was just about a non-issue. Finished up the morning with a cup of coffee, an oatmeal raisin cookie and more chatter ;) Always good to run with Amy.

Later, as the afternoon light dwindled and the brisk wind kicked up the leaves at our feet, Sam, Ryan and I walked across the street to the high school track, doing a few fartleks between trees here and there to warm up. We hopped the fence to the track and ran a lap and a half, finding a much better, open, exit point before running/walking our way back home. Ended up with about 1.5 miles. Only fair that Sam got in a bit of exercise today too!

Thanksgiving

Well, I'd say I managed to eat my share of pie the past few days ;) Luckily, the weather was nice and I also managed to get out and burn a few calories too. It's all about balance, people :)

Thanksgiving morning, I headed out to do a 6 to 8 mile loop, which turned into a 7-mile lollipop when I couldn't resist the lure of chalk arrows leading off into a wide path along the marsh. Chalk arrows = High school XC course, and since I'd just run by the Governors Academy, I figured what the heck. Got in a nice mile loop through the woods and along the athletic fields and then retraced my steps back to the house. I felt peppy and energetic but probably ran a bit too "fast" as my hip/butt is still tight. Still, a happy run and a good way to start off the day. Managed to get in another 1/2 mile after I returned too, as I got Sam out for a run around the Georgetown block.

Of course, the holidays wouldn't be complete without a few minor crises, but when the turkey went into the oven and the oven never got turned up, no problem! Eat dessert first :)

Yum! Apple pie :)

It all worked out fine, we had time for a walk outside with the kids and we had Thanksgiving dinner truly for dinner :) Perfect.

Drinking and walking ;)

Getting in a run

Cutie pie selfie :)

Friday, after pie for morning snack and a salad for lunch, Ryan, Sam and I headed over to the other Brad for a hike while Gavin took a nap. It was 60+ degrees and sunny. Felt like spring. We got in a nice hike on some trails we don't normally run on, and it was great to get out and stretch our legs for a few miles together. 

Bradley fields

Cutie kiddo

Up the hill

and down!

When we got home, I went out for a short 3 mile run around the block. I couldn't resist on such a nice day, but I was a bit low on energy and also way overdressed since I had only packed winter running gear ;) @ho would have thought it would be 60 degrees this year when last year we had snow!

All in all, a fun weekend with family complete with a good amount of food, drink, laughter and exercise. 

Pre-Thanksgiving Traditions

Thanksgiving with the Triffitts always includes pre-Thanksgiving prep the day before. The whole family chips in, and while it means a long, slightly chaotic afternoon in the kitchen, it is fun to all be together and makes getting everything done much easier. Thankfully Sam loves to cook and she had a lot of fun helping this year!

New apron!

Chef and sous chef, ready to cook!

Pumpkin pie making

Happy mixer :)

Rolling out the apple pie crust

Crust crimping is serious business.

Cranberry sauce cooking

Table setting

Homemade place cards ;)

"G" love

"S" love 

Mid-Morning Commons Run

Today was a half day of school for Sam, which means early release at 11:55 am. I am not quite sure why they couldn't have had a full day today, but hey, I'm not in charge of the school schedule so I just go with the flow. I *could* have gone into work for a few hours this morning but decided I would be better served by taking the morning off and getting a few things done in preparation for Thanksgiving. So, I dropped Sam off, did a bunch of errands and then decided to head to the Commons for my run before picking her up. It was brisk and blustery, but sunny, as I ran off through the woods around 10:00 am. I was happy to feel energetic, and while my right butt/hip was still tight, I felt like I had more umph today on the slight inclines, which was positive. I've been working hard on the leg and I think it is paying dividends. Since I was feeling good, I ran the full out and back for 5 miles at a mellow 10:00 pace. It was nice to be out in the daylight and I was happy to have had the chance to get in a run!

After lunch and several errands, I had hoped to go for a hike with Sam later in the afternoon but she wasn't having any of it. I asked several times but still got no for an answer, so I didn't push it. I feel it is a fine line of wanting to ensure she gets some exercise and time in nature and her feeling like doing so is a true chore. Her compromise was a run around the block, and I figured a 0.4 mile run was better than nothing so that is what we did. At least it got her out moving for a short bit :)

2 x 4

Yesterday afternoon, no one in the house wanted to take me up on the idea of hiking as a family, but I desperately needed to get out in the air and get some exercise so I went for a short run around the Heath instead. The right leg/butt/thigh is still not quite right but it is definitely better. Mostly it feels a bit like something is turned off back there - the power to push up the hills is not quite present. Odd. I will keep working on it and am definitely mindful that I need to be cautious. Nice to get out in the daylight and enjoy the quiet of the woods. Watched a pileated woodpecker pecking away at a downed tree behind Mt. A. Man, they are big birds!

This morning, I met up with Amy for an early morning run at Pineland. The field grasses were frosty underfoot and the sky was a pale greyish blue. Very pretty. We headed out through the fields to the yurt, and saw two flocks of turkeys - one group of 12, and the other close to 30! Wow. No wonder we find a lot of turkey feathers out there! We got in a mellow 4 miles, walking the uphills and chatting away as we ran, then we followed it up with coffee and baked goods. Yum :) The rest of the day was spent rather lazily reading, playing games and watching football so I was happy to have gotten out early!

River Walk

I have been stretching and rolling and researching good strengthening exercises and stretches for the piriformis and the hip adductors and doing this crazy thing called neural flossing, which sounds incredibly bizarre, but really seems to be working. I guess this is the wake-up call that I really do need to incorporate a bit more strength work into my running routine. Happily, the hip is feeling much improved and so much looser!

I've taken the past few days off as promised, but did get out for a nice walk/skip/run this afternoon with Sam. After raining like crazy through the night and morning, the skies finally cleared around lunchtime, and temps were hovering right around 50. I volunteered in Sam's classroom in the afternoon and when school was over we drove over to the Cathance. Sam was less than enthused to head out, but once we did, she started to skip and run and enjoy herself. We only went the short 0.7 mile lolypop down to the river and back, but it is always nice to be out in the woods on a warm afternoon, and after we were done, she did admit that she had fun out there :) I hope we can continue to enjoy nature and exercise together - I really love the chance to share both with her!

The river was roaring!

Happy girls out in the woods

Kicking it in on the home stretch ;)

Pain in the A**

Headed out this morning for a short run around the block. I was treated with a lovely glowing light on the horizon as I ran up along the quarry ridge, and spent a 1/2 mile running with one of the women who I often see running out along the Highland Green Road. I caught up to her and we started chatting. Always nice to meet another friendly runner. Got in four miles, but it was not the nice, relaxing run I was hoping for. My right hip/butt was extremely tight, and thinking further about how the tightness is radiating/feeling, I'm sure it's my piriformis, which I've had issues with before. I will be taking the rest of the week off to stretch and roll and work on my leg. I am not happy with this at all, but I know taking the time off now is better than really injuring something and having to take time off later in the game.

Sunday Funday

Joined in on David's 6-hour Back Cove Fun Run this morning around Back Cove. This fatass style run is a fundraiser for Preble Street - everyone brings food for the food pantry - and does as many loops as they want around the 3.5 mile loop. I knew I wasn't going to be up for much, but wanted to be able to participate and support David in this event. A good group of Trail Monsters and others gathered early on a cold, windy November morning, dropping off food and chatting until the crowd headed off a little after 8:00 am.

Back Cove Fun

I waited for Amy to arrive and then we took off, chatting away as we ran. We got in two solid loops for a total of 7.1 miles and called it good. I was happy with that, and happier that my right hip/butt felt better than Friday. A Dr. Jamie visit plus a lot of home stretching and rolling certainly helped.

After chatting for a bit with friends, I headed home to hang up the gorgeous wreath that Amy made us. Isn't it beautiful?! I love it. Thank you, Amy.

Winterberry and turkey feathers

Later in the afternoon, Ryan, Sam and I headed over to the Cathance for a nice two mile hike along the river. Hiking with Sam takes a while, but it is fun to explore the woods with her and always good to get outside together.

Very colorful today

On the bogbridges

Looking at the river flowing

Cathance roaring

That is one big stump

Stump jumping

Little brown mushroom (a Galerina praticola?)

Goofiness on the trail

Grrr ;)

Rattlesnake plantain

Christmas fern, moss and another galerina-type mushroom(?)

Wood pine

A fun, active day for sure!

Mild

After Tuesday's frosty run, the past few mornings have seemed awfully mild in comparison. Got out yesterday morning and ran the cart paths in reverse, just to change it up. Beautiful sky as the sun began to color the clouds midway through the run. As I finished up on hole #1, the glowing orange orb was just peeking out above the tops of the trees. A good 6 miles for the morning.

I must admit that this morning's run didn't feel as quite good. My legs were really tight, particularly my hips. Very glad I am heading to see Dr. Jamie this afternoon as I feel like my body is just still a bit out of whack after the 100 and needs a bit of readjusting to get back on track. Ah well. Although I feel the push to get back to running some higher mileage, I know that what I really need to do is make sure I am good and recovered so I am still intending to keep my mileage low through the end of the month. The leaf-covered trails and the bog bridges were also very slick this morning after yesterday's rain, so it was a slow one down to the river and back, but with yet again another beautiful November sky.

Running with Sam

Cross county was a wonderful way to add some exercise to Sam's routine this fall, and we missed it once practices stopped. The xc season made us realize that we should be better about making sure Sam gets in some exercise at least a few times during the week as well as on the weekends. It is what we want for ourselves, and we want to give her the same opportunity. She might say she is tired, but as a growing kid, she has a crazy amount of energy and movement is always a good thing. She only has gym once during the week at school, and yes, there is recess but only once a day. If it's nice out, she will play outside at her after-school care program, but with shorter days and less light, that time is dwindling.

Our fridge houses a "chore" chart for her, which allows her to see what we are expecting of her each day and to get her involved in the daily household chores; it also enables us to put exercise on the schedule as an expected activity. She is swimming on both Wednesday and Saturday now, and typically we'll get out at least once over the weekend for a hike or walk. This leaves us with one or two other days where I try to get out with her after school/work. We recently purchased a new reflective vest for ourselves, ours being a hold-over from our Bowdoin XC days (!!), and got one for her too (pink, of course ;) ) so that we could get out in the dark and still be safe running or walking around the neighborhood at this time of year. Today, we decided to do one loop around the block, which is about 0.4 miles. We donned our reflective gear and our headlamps and set off. Sam kept up a decent pace and we only walked a few steps at the top of the hill near the stop sign, and we had fun talking about food (Ha! Such a runner already ;) ) as we ran.

Although our walks/runs/hikes are short mid-week and it is an effort to get her out the door some days, it is really wonderful to be able to spend time running, walking and hiking with her on a regular basis!


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Got out this morning for six miles on the cart paths. Everything was covered in frost, and even the sky seemed white. Very pretty. Very quiet too, with the exception of my feet crunching on the thin layer of hoar frost building up in the packed sand. Felt good.

Pineland with Amy

Met up with Amy yesterday morning for a nice, mellow run around Oak Hill. Temps were a bit more seasonable and the trails were quiet at 7:00 am. We chatted the run away and kicked up the fallen leaves as we ran by. The sun shone bright and low through the bare branches of the now leafless trees. Got in a good 4 miles and then went and chatted some more at the market over coffee and a bagel. Always good to run with Amy, and a great way to start off Sunday!! :)

Running, Pie and the Brad

Started the day off with a short three mile run on the powerlines. Didn't quite get up and out early enough for more miles, but that's ok, I'm keeping mileage low so it isn't a big deal. Actually felt pretty good out there, so I'll call it a win. Maybe I am on my way back to feeling "normal" again? Hopefully so.

Needed to get back early so Ryan could get over to Woodside for the 5k Pie Run. Sam had swimming at 10:00 so we decided it wouldn't be ideal for her to run, so we just went to spectate and cheer. Oh, and eat pie at the pie breakfast after the race too ;) Delish! Ryan had a pretty good race for not doing any speedwork, coming in 5th in 19:00 on the dot. Some pretty fast dudes out there today to race against for sure! As he says, his cherry picking skills are awful, as he probably would have had the leading time on any other year. Ha ;) Figures... But anyway, a good cause and a good workout.

Running for pie ;)

After swimming and lunch, Sam was still bouncing off the walls so we decided a hike at Bradbury would be a good way to work off some of that excess kiddo energy ;) It was yet another warm November day as we set off to hike up the summit. We took the long way down, hiking the Boundary Trail around the perimeter of the park, for a nice 2.3 mile adventure out in the woods to cap off the day.

Up to the quarry

Switchback

Off the summit

Coming down Boundary

New boundary section

Stump

Serious, goofy and happy ;)

A Bit of Catchup

The intent to run has been there this week but it hasn't always panned out ;) Tuesday, I just never got up early enough which meant I really wanted to be sure I dragged myself out of bed on Wednesday. Unfortunately, I had to be to work early so I didn't have a ton of time. Still, I managed to get up and out and run 4 miles around the neighborhood. Nothing special but at least I got up and out. Wednesday evening, I was exhausted and asleep before 9:00 pm. I didn't wake up until 4:00 am, which for me is practically a miracle! But did I get out for a run? Nah... oops...still feeling a bit less motivation than normal for sure.

This morning, I knew I had a long laundry list of things to do before I headed over to Woodside at 2:00 pm to volunteer in Sam's classroom so I decided to get in a run before Sam woke up so as to free up the rest of the morning. It was warm out - 50 degrees! - but very foggy and misty. I headed out at 6:00 am and while it should have been light enough to see without a headlamp, I needed one to cut through the semi-darkness brought on by the overcast and fog. I had to tiptoe a bit along the singletrack out in the woods and along the river, as the trails are covered with a thick and rather slippery layer of golden beech leaves. Got in a solid 8 miles, but in one of my slowest times along the route this year. Legs still recovering? Indeed.

After Sam and I left school, we did a few errands then went over to the Cathance for a short late afternoon hike/walk/run down to the river. We had the trails to ourselves and enjoyed kicking up the leaves and listening to the roaring river on a nice little 20 minute outing on a warm November afternoon. We would have stayed out longer but were running out of light! Ah, these daylight savings days... Regardless, always good to be out in the woods with the kiddo!

Wearing our reflective gear to make up for the fact that we didn't have on hunter's orange 

(even though no hunting is allowed in the Cathance anyway)

Late fall trail

Kicking up leaves

Cutie pie

Roaring river

Running

Late afternoon light

November sky