Brief Reprieve

We had a brief reprieve from the regular madness this week, with Wednesday's swim meet cancelled due to weather, no Mt. A. practice on Thursday and Friday, and a weekend that was blissfully clear of any activities. We didn't want the meet to get cancelled but the break was kind of nice!

A few inches of snow overnight on Monday meant a sloppy morning run out in Highland Green on Tuesday morning. Could have used screwshoes. (6.0 miles)

Then it poured all day on Wednesday with high winds. Ugh, so nasty. So it was an indoor track walk during swim practice kind of day. There was no need to be out running in that crap. (2.1 miles walked)

Things were flooded out back on Thursday morning but we did have this adorable little visitor 😍

And even more exciting, Sam got her braces off on Thursday morning! Her smile says it all. So exciting 😎😍

Thursday's run was a 3:00 pm wander on the cart paths and roads. Pretty afternoon light. (6.0 miles)

Friday, I was up and out early for a run as I had a massage with Lauren at 9:30 am. Pretty sky. (7.2 miles)

Had a quiet morning on Saturday and didn't head out until around 10:00 am. Ran out into the Cathance for a slow meander on the trails. River was roaring! Lots of hoar frost and ice slicks but a nice bright crisp morning in the woods. Plus ice pancakes 🥞😊 (9.0 miles)

I see a big smiling frog face 🐸

New steps!

Sam and Ryan got some Christmas shopping done and some driving practice in, and then Sam headed over to Kylee's later in the afternoon for a sleepover. Ryan and I were going to be ambitious and go out to dinner but in the end, we settled for take-out poke bowls and 4 episodes of Only Murders in the Building 😂😂

This morning, I decided to wait a bit to head out in the hopes that temps would warm up from 11 degrees! Headed out around 9:00 up and over Mt. A. and along the Heath before heading out on the powerlines for the rest of the miles. Bright, brisk and calm. Two bluebirds seen and some adorable possum prints in the sand along the powerlines. (12.0 miles)

And while the running goal of 2,000 is obviously not happening this year, I am happy to have gotten in a 40 mile week and we’ll see what I can do over the next few weeks. Going to be less than 1,600 miles though. 🤷‍♀️ But I’m still working on hitting 300 walking miles this year and have a bit of work to do 😂 so headed out around 3:00 for a mellow walk around the school block. (2.1 miles walked) 

And just for fun, a few cute cat photos 😻

Early December

Another busy week! Or maybe I should just stop saying that and it should be assumed 😂😜

Didn't manage to get out the door early on Tuesday morning for a run but left work in time to get out for a few afternoon miles around the Highland Green loop. Overcast. (6.0 miles)

Somehow I also just did not get out the door on Wednesday morning and by the afternoon, I honestly did not have the energy. But despite the chilly temps, it was nice out so I took a walk instead. (2.6 miles walked)

Really should have gotten in that run on Wednesday morning, as Thursday dawned cold and rainy. But I headed out anyway into the early morning darkness at 5:20 am. One deer seen. (6.0 miles)

Everything froze up overnight, and all surfaces had an icy sheen on Friday morning with a little bit of snow having fallen as well so I chose to get my errands and work completed in the morning and headed out for my run around 1:45 pm. Brisk and bright. Ran the cart paths and down to the river. (8.0 miles)

Friday night was Sam's first high school swim meet of the 2024/25 season.  Irene and Dana came up for the meet so Sam had her full fan club there 😊 She swam the 200 free, 500 free and was part of the 400 free relay, and came away with a PR in the 500 and an unofficial PR in the 100, so a solid night! Fun to see her on deck with her friends and cheering on her teammates 💗

Saturday, I headed out a little after 7:00 am intending to run the powerlines, but things were a bit too icy, so I headed back over to the cart paths and roads to finish up the run. Was hoping to see a sunrise but it was too overcast for that. (9.6 miles)

Then it was on to the farmer's market and to get donuts, where I ran into Vicky, Mike and Laurie, who were in town for a track reunion event - so fun to see them even if just briefly! - before we headed up to Bath for yet another swim meet! Since we were up there early getting Sam there for warm-ups, Ryan and I headed out for a brisk and bright walk around town before settling in at the Y for another 3 hours. Ah, the joys! (2.4 miles walked)

Sam once again had her full fan club there to cheer her on, and despite swimming in events that are not her favorite (200 IM, 100 fly, 100 breast), she swam quite well with 2 PRs. 

By the time we got home at 4:30 pm, both Sam and I were exhausted, so Ryan was the only one to meet up with Vicky, Mike, Laurie and Tony for a drink later in the evening.

Snow started up overnight and I woke up on Sunday to everything blanketed in a few inches of white. I chose to not head out in the snow for a run, and honestly it was kind of nice to sit on the couch and relax a bit, and not have to jump right on the computer for work as soon as I got downstairs or rush out to run. But that did mean putting off the run until the afternoon as Sam and I were Christmas shopping for the day! Finally got out the door around 3:00 and ran into Highland Green and down to the river. The woods looked pretty blanketed in snow and the snow was perfectly sticky. Ran out of light though, oops! (6.4 miles)

Happy Thanksgiving and Now It's Christmas!

Another busy week, complete with new doors and windows installed at the house (hurray!), family fun down in MA for Thanksgiving, some time off from school and work and some decent, if tired, running too.

Monday, our sliding door was replaced and the original intent was for them to return on Tuesday to finish up the front door and replace all the windwos, but it poured all day long meaning that the install was pushed off until Wednesday. With the nasty weather, I didn't get in a run, but did want to get in some movement, so took a walk on the indoor track during swim practice. (2.1 miles walked)

Wednesday, I got out around 7:15 am to get my run done before the windows/door crew arrived and so that I could move on with the rest of the to-do list. A thin sheen of ice atop all paved surfaces made for a few interesting slips. Otherwise, a pretty if slightly damp feeling morning. Three deer seen. (7.0 miles)

The rest of the day was a mix of cooking and baking on my own in prep for Thanksgiving, getting a few errands done, doing laundry, trying to stay out of the way of the work crew, and then hurridly cleaning and packing once the doors and windows were done so that we could head south to MA in time for dinner. A bit of a whirlwind day but we made it!

Thursday brought with it more rain, so I was not super inspired but got it done. Soggy plodding miles before a day of eating and drinking. Gobble gobble! 🦃🦃(8.0 miles)

Then it was onto cooking, puzzling, some good eating and drinking, and maybe a slight bit of chaos, plus a few forced grandkid photos! 😂A fun Thanksgiving day!

Friday morning, I headed over to Vineyard Hill and Bradley Palmer for a trail run. Nice crisp bright morning. (10.0 miles)

Then after lunch, we got Irene and Dana's tree up and decorated before moving onto more leftovers and more games! 🎄🎄🎄

Did not sleep well at all Friday night, so I chose a bit more sleep over getting up early to get in a run before we headed home. So instead of a tired morning run, I had a tired afternoon run looping around Highalnd Green 😆 (6.0 miles)

After my run, I dropped Sam and Anne off at the movies to see Moana 2 and of course they ended up in the arcade after for some video driving fun 

Sunday, I got in a few nice miles on the powerlines. Bright sun and crispy crunchy underfoot. (7.0 miles)

Then it was off to sit in on one of Sam's final drives before she gets her permit! She did a great job, and I only felt anxious a few times in the back seat 😂😱😬

Once the drive was done and we had some lunch, it was off to get a Christmas tree, and with that, poof! It's Christmas! 🎄💗

Can't believe that this week wraps up November and we are now on to December!

Hre is the monthly wrap-up:

November:
163.34 run miles
17.66 walk miles
0.0 XC miles

YTD:
1,376.4 run miles

274.8 walk miles
0.0 XC miles