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Down to the last two big weeks before the taper for Pinhoti. Holy crap!!! Time sure does fly when you're having fun, or trying to train for an upcoming 100! 😂😁😃

Monday, I slept. (There was 0.8 miles of running in the evening with Sam's XC team, but that was more of a shuffle.)

Tuesday, I was up and out at 5:20 am, long before it was light, for a tour of the cart paths and a run down to the river and back. It was a cold morning, only 40 degrees - brrr! - so it was tights and gloves for me! Scared up quite a few deer in the woods along the Heath and thoroughly enjoyed the morning light show as the sun rose. (8 miles)

Morning light on the Heath

Never tire of watching the sun rise on my early morning runs

Wednesday, up and out in the dark again, this time for some hill work on Mt. A. Nothing super speedy but an attempt at steady on the ups and quicker on the downs. 12 times up and down - 6 on Suicide; 6 on Chicken. Watched the fiery sunrise through the trees. (7 miles)

#hillsforbreakfast

Wednesday afternoon was Sam's 3rd XC meet of the season. She may be the smallest of the 3/4 milers, is probably the youngest by about a year, and has most definitely been finishing in the back of the pack but but she is a tough one :)

Stridin' to the finish line

Thursday I just plain and simple did not want to get up in the morning. Three mornings in a row of 4:00 am-ish wake-ups is tough, so I slept instead. Of course, then I was kicking myself, so I decided I'd run after Sam's XC practice, which today was the traditional end of the season run to Dairy Queen. Thankfully, Ryan was on board with the plan and understands the need to juggle training with sleep and all the other things we have going on in life. I am a lucky lady. So, Sam and I ran with the team to DQ, enjoyed a tasty frozen treat together and then Ryan took Sam home while I ran home the long way via the cart paths and powerlines. Saw six deer and one fox along the cart paths. It was a lovely, quiet evening, with fall foliage beginning to show and that soft evening light as the sun set. I was able to run most of my miles without a headlamp, as I was out in the open, but finally had to acquiesce at mile 6. Not my typical run for the day but it worked :) (0.9 miles to DQ + 7 miles)

DQ with my girl

Evening light over the Heath

Fall colors, evening light

Friday morning, I headed up to Riverlands for a run. Michael Wade had posted on FB that he was planning to make the journey over and I figured why not? I left the house when Ryan and Sam did, so was able to take my time and get in a few extra miles before the group arrived. I decided to check out some of the singletrack near the start of the ATV/snowmobile trail and I was not disappointed. Homestead and Porcupine were fun twisty singletrack with some beautiful views of the river and a lot of fun!

Pretty morning light

River reflections

A bit of fall foliage

Peaceful

Leaf-littered singletrack

I didn't want to go too far so when I popped back out on the ATV trail and saw that I still had some time, I did a little extra out and back before returning to the lot. Of course, as I was running back down the trail, it started to rain. Huh?!? So much for that beautiful sky along the river! But at least it wasn't hot ;)

At the lot, I found Michael, along with his friend, Jess, and her friends Chris and Sean. Val drove in at the last minute, and we didn't linger much longer before taking off up the trail as the rain was coming down fairly heavily. Val guided us through the first few miles of sweet singletrack before turning around to meet up with Xar, and luckily, Michael and I both had a sense of where the course went, although there were a few intersections where we had to stop to ponder things a bit. I'd say the singletrack is the best part of the course. The rest, while still lovely and with some nice views out into red maple-ringed swamps and down onto the river, is a wide ATV/snowmobile trail with a lot of loose rock and sand and it is surprisingly tough running. Still, it is always nice to run someplace different, and it was great to have company! We ran together some, ran in different groups some, had some good laughs and chats, and got to know each other and catch up a bit as we trundled along. The pace was fairly mellow with some walking of the steeper pitches and some quick paced sections where the trail was smooth and flat. The rain stopped maybe 8 miles in and the sun came out, but the humid air remained and I was pretty well soaked by the end. Still, it was a good day for a long run and I was happy to have been able to join in with this random group and get in my miles! I think we were all feeling it at the end, but it was fun :) (24.0 miles)

Crazy runners ;)

Saturday morning, I waited until it was light to set out. I missed the sunrise but it was still a lovely morning. Ran out through the Cathance to Head of Tides. The trails were quiet, except for me scaring up a number of ducks along the river. My legs felt fairly decent but overall I was just plain tired, so I took it easy and just focused on enjoying the morning, stopping multiple times to take in the views of the foliage reflecting in the water. Oh so gorgeous. Fall and spring rival each other for my favorite season - brilliant colors and cool temps versus emerging wildflowers and greening landscapes. Hard to decide, so I just enjoy them both in the moment ;) (12.1 miles)

Morning reflections

The Heath never fails to disappoint

Brilliant colors

Fall along the river

Super happy to have finished up the week with 60.1 miles, but glad for a day off tomorrow! Now I just hope I have enough energy for tonight's birthday sleepover 😄😁😂