First Day of Spring

It's the first day of spring. I expected to wake up to birds singing, green grass and crocuses blooming! Instead, I awoke to 25 degrees and windy. All the puddles were frozen over, as was the snow on the powerlines and oddly enough, the sand. Definitely an interesting texture. Ah well. It was a nice run anyway, although fairly uneventful. As I wound my way back home, I did hear one woodpecker pecking away at a branch above, as well as the noisy gaggle of grackles that seems to have taken up residence in the neighborhood and what I think was either a House or Purple Finch (I'm not quite bird savvy enough to be able to easily tell the difference from a quick look and brief hearing of the song). It was singing away in the trees up near the visitor parking area. Cool.

Neal, Kendra, Doug and Lucy are coming into town tonight, so it should be a fun weekend!

Bare Ground! But Barely...

I went to the Commons for this morning's run. This was partly to mix things up and partly because I was hoping against hope that there would be some bare ground out there. Certain sections of the trail system get a fair amount of sun, so I figured if there was any chance of running on dirt/mud, it would be in the Commons. I was sad, although not totally unsurprised, to find that there was still a fair amount of snow out there. The main trails are pretty well packed, although there was an inch or two of loose granular on top to slosh around in. There is also a fair amount of ice. I did manage to find two short - very short, as in a few strides each - stretches of bare ground. It felt great to have my shoes land softly on the ground, instead of slip slide away in the snow, even if only for a few steps! As you can tell, spring is on my mind... I'd like to get a few runs in on the dirt before the Merrimack River 10 Miler, at least. Luckily, there are still a few weeks left between now and then, so I'll keep hoping :-)

Fries and Milkshakes

We had to go down to Portland today to do some errands, and decided to treat ourselves to lunch at Duckfat. This is not someplace we go very often for various reasons, but for some reason, while I was running on Sunday I found myself thinking about their fries. They are fried in duck fat, hence the restaurant name, and they are the best fries I've had anywhere. Not to mention, they make a killer milkshake. So, we splurged and got our week's worth of fat in one meal, and boy was it good! Honestly, I probably could have done without the panini and just eaten the fries (with a side of truffle ketchup for me and chili mayo for Snowman) and mocha milkshake. Yum! If you are ever in Portland and are craving some really good fries, check Duckfat out.

In an effort to combat this indulgent meal, Snowman and I headed out around 4:30 for a mellow run on the Highland Green route. It took me until then to finally not feel incredibly full :-) The snowmobile trails are definitely starting to lose their snow - it's incredible how much things have melted since I was out there Saturday, although there is still a ways to go. It was a nice late afternoon run, despite the headwind on the way back, and nice to have a running partner too!

Simpon's Point and Exercises

Back in 2005, after we got off the trail, I started running again right away, and developed some back and piriformis muscle pain. This was nothing that a little bit of PT and some good core exercises didn't cure. Unfortunately, I have been slacking off in doing those core exercises and it has come back to haunt me. My back has been sore again the past few days. Definitely feeling better today, after lots of stretching and some exercises, but I decided I didn't want to push it this morning with my run. That being said, I sent Snowman off to join up with the TMR gang for a long trail run at Bradbury, and I hit the roads. I figured a more even surface versus the undoubtedly uneven and softening snow on the snowmobile trails was probably the best option.

While I was sad to miss out on the chance to hang out and run with friends, I had a great run this morning. I felt good. It was gorgeous out. The roads were quiet. The sun was warm and there was no wind. Down at Simpson's Point the bay was opening up, with a few small ice floes floating on the shimmering waters. Ahhhh.... can't beat it.

Flora and fauna notes: The Pennelville fields are beginning to lose their snow as are patches near the pine trees along the roadsides. While nothing is budding yet, it feels like spring is really coming our way on a day like today! The birds apparently think so too. I saw four cardinals, as well as several chickadees, blue jays and my first red winged blackbird of the season. Funnily enough, he was perched up high on a pine tree next to a marshy spot, singing his heart out (perhaps trying to attract a mate?). Back at home, Ronnie was the first to spot a tiny little red breasted nuthatch that was creeping along our back fence.

Another Five

Got out this morning for another 5-miler. It was bright and sunny. I headed back into Highland Green, and couldn't help looking longingly at the Cathance River trails that intersected the road. They appear to not be very well used in the winter and aren't packed down at all - so it was with regret that I simply continued on the loop instead of heading out into the woods. Soon enough, though! The birds were making a racket - a number of juncos and my first spotting of a goldfinch in a while, along with the requisite blue jays, mourning doves and crows. Nice morning to be out.

We're missing a TMR jaunt down to the Inov-8 warehouse in MA today. Bummer! Sounds like a good deal on shoes and the chance to try on all sorts of styles. Ah well, maybe next time. Of course, I did just buy a new pair of Inov-8s in preparation for the spring so I don't really need more... Ah, who am I kidding? I can always use new gear! :-)

I Am So Over You, Winter!

I know it is bad form for a skier, and the wife of someone who works in the ski industry, to say she is over winter. I do love winter. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else but New England, where we have four seasons (or maybe five, if you count "Mud") and where I can get out on my xc skis and glide through the woods, enjoying the crisp air and bountiful snow. But, winter in Maine is long. By mid-March, I am ready. I am ready to run through the mud and on the dirt in the woods. I am ready to head out the door in the morning without being bundled up. I am ready for short sleeve running! Yes, it is early still. There is likely another month until we have consistently warm weather and the snow has melted. But I can dream, can't I? Spring, do you hear me? I am ready! Come on up!

I got out for a run across the street this morning. It was chilly. Luckily, this meant the snowmobile trails were frozen and I did not sink in. The sun was shining and the birds were singing. I heard a Downy Woodpecker calling and pecking away on a birch tree. Pretty uneventful, but nice to get out.

Snowy Bradbury

We stopped for sushi last night on the way home from Ski to the Clouds up at Great Glen (no, I did not race, but had fun helping out and cheering for everyone. BTW, our friend Nate did awesome and finished 9th. Woohoo!). Yes, sushi in Bethel, ME. Despite Snowman being skeptical of Amy's recommendation, it really was quite tasty and we had a fun dinner with Amy and Brian. As I am not a true sushi fan, I stuck with the veggie options, and got a veggie roll and a tempura (read fried) tofu roll. The tofu roll was so good going down, but this morning I was not too happy. Ugh.

Nonetheless, between the two of us we had enough motivation to get out for our planned 12 mile run. We headed over to Bradbury, hoping that the lower temps overnight had hardened up the snowmobile trails. As we pulled into the empty lot, it started to snow. Guess we should have motivated a bit earlier! Also, it seemed quite cold, or at least a lot colder than at our house. We quickly added layers and headed out. We were pleased to find the snowmobile trails in good shape and pretty solid considering the warm weekend temps. We ran along, taking it easy, until the end of the field at four miles, where we turned around. Let me tell you, the smell of the manure in that field was overwhelming. Wow! And not in a good way...

The plan was to run 8 on the snowmobile trails and then do one loop of the upcoming Fat Ass course. However, my stomach was starting to seriously rebel and I ended up only making it 0.5 miles up the Northern Loop trail before I turned around and let Snowman finish out the rest of the loop himself. My "long" runs seem to be stuck at 9 or 10 miles recently, so I'm a bit bummed to not have gotten in the full 12 miles, but oh well. There will be other days to run long.

By the time I got back to the parking lot, the snow was coming down pretty hard, so I quickly changed and got in the car to wait for his return. He came back with some great iced over eyebrows and eyelashes. Wish I had gotten a photo! The funny thing was that here in Topsham no snow had fallen at all. Weird...

Soggy

Despite a beautiful day yesterday, I did not get out for a run. OK, really I did not get up for a run. So, today, I was going no matter what the weather. Luckily, although the skies were overcast when I awoke, it was not precipitating and was "warm" at 35 degrees. I headed across the street to run the 5 mile Highland Green loop. The snowmobile trails on the powerlines were pretty soft. I was not getting a lot of traction, even with my Inov-8s, so it was slow going. As I ran along, the wind picked up and a light rain started to fall, turning a bit later to snow, then back to rain again. But it felt like spring and I even had to take my jacket off! I was able to pick up the pace a bit once I hit the road, but of course, on the way back, things slowed down again on the snow.

According to the Garmin, the loop is not quite as long as we thought it was, measuring 4.75m, so I took a quick tour through the neighborhood next to our condo complex to get the mileage up to 5.12m. I mean, 5 miles should be 5 miles :-)

Windy

Have we suddenly been transported back to January? Lots of snow on the ground, and the thermometer was reading 0 degrees this morning! Brrrr. Luckily, it warmed up some by the time I got out for my run, although it was quite windy. I headed out to do the Middle Bay loop. I seemed to be running into the wind the whole way around....I am convinced there is some sort of weird wind pattern around Brunswick that requires the wind to always be in a runner's face. I mean, shouldn't I get a tail wind at some point?

Despite the wind, it was a nice morning to be out, and the shoulders on the roads were much clearer than anticipated meaning I didn't have to do too much car dodging, which is always nice! A good 6 miler for the day.

Beautiful Day for a Ski!

After yesterday's 9" of fluffy powder, what could be better than a nice ski at Pinelands? Although we awoke to cloudy skies, as the day went on, things cleared and we were treated to beautiful blue skies and bright sunshine. Shannon, little Finley and I headed over after lunch for a nice tour around Oak Hill. The contrast of the fresh white snow against the blue sky was just gorgeous. We could see Mt. Washington, the mountain's white flanks shimmering in the distance. Wish I hadn't forgotten the camera! Although the snow was soft, it was perfect for classic skiing. Very forgiving. A bit slow perhaps, but how can I complain when I had a chance to get out and enjoy the woods on an afternoon like today?!

Snowy Run

Although glued to the couch all morning, being lazy and watching the flakes fall from the sky, we finally motivated for a run around 3:30 pm. We headed to the Commons. Snowman announced that he wanted to do 5, while I was content with 3, so we looped around in the Commons together and then he ran an additional 2 miles toward home before I picked him up. It actually was quite nice out, with snow falling in the quiet woods. We did come across two overly ambitious xc skiers, enjoying the inch of freshies atop the packed ice, and Snowman asked them, "now, who's crazier? us or you?" Good question!

My ankles were feeling a bit tired, but despite that it was good to get out for a short run and happily, my back felt great!

Trail Monster Fat Ass

We awoke this morning to the sound of freezing rain pelting down on the skylights. Snowman was none too happy. This morning was the Trail Monsters Fat Ass race/run, starting at Chuck's house. Despite the weather, we had already said we would be there, and we didn't want to be the wimps of the group, so off we went.

There was a good crew assembled - Ian, Emma, Jamie, Stephen, Jim, Mindy, Dora, Floyd, George, Blaine, Dave, Matt, Alan and Chuck. Katy, her mom, Brooke the dog and all their cats were manning the aid station (their house) for the race, which was very nice! The route took us out onto some snowmobile trails and into the trail system at Hedgehog Mountain in a 5 mile loop. Everyone ran varying distances, with Ian, Floyd and Alan completing the full 50k, and Stephen running 13 miles to the race and finishing off a few laps to get 50k as well. Way to go guys!



Despite the early morning weather conditions, the day turned into a nice one with bright blue skies.



We headed out in one big group for the first loop, as we wound through the field and woods. The fields had some nice big puddles along the snowmobile trail, so on the way back, we took a "short cut" on the opposite side of the field. Not so much! There was much postholing, cursing and laughter.



Despite that one stretch, conditions were better than I had originally expected, and the trails around Hedgehog Mountain were really nice. Not to mention adding a good hill climb in the middle of the loop. Needless, to say the overall pace wasn't quick, but it was fine for the conditions.

After the first loop, the group split up a bit and I headed out with Matt, Dora and Mindy at the back of the pack for the second time around. We had fun chatting along the way. I really wanted to do a third loop, but figured it would be wiser to take it easy and not push it with my back. Although I have to say, it felt so much better after the 10 miles than before, and seems to now be feeling pretty normal.

Snowman, Mindy and Dora did a third loop, and upon their return, we enjoyed sitting in the sun in Chuck and Katy's house, eating donuts, cookies, Pringles, soup and chatting as people came in and out on additional loops. It was a fun time, and a good run!

More photos of the day here.

Oh My Aching Back!

My back was killing me yesterday. Ugh. Very tight. I figured I would get up and get in a short, slow run this morning in the hopes that getting some blood flowing through the muscles would do me some good. I headed to the bike path for 3 miles. Not much of excitement. My back was still twinging a bit, but felt a bit better. It was warm out at 7am - 35 degrees! Wow. Felt like spring.

I'm hoping some good stretching, massaging and a few heat packs will do away with the aches today. And could someone call in the gods to freeze up the snowmobile trails around Chuck's house for tomorrow's Fat Ass?! Otherwise, we're going to be running in mush, like Snowman did yesterday...

Back to the Bike Path

I took yesterday as a rest day, and spent time doing errands, etc, as well as going to the Bowdoin Art Museum. However, although the museum has a nice collection, I was disappointed to see that the main exhibit downstairs was what I felt to be a rather uninspiring photography exhibit. I really wish they would showcase their Rockwell Kents, Winslow Homers and Maurice Prendergast works. Those are what I want to see. They did have up a nice Marsden Hartley and a few John Sloan works, but still. Ah well. Maybe next time.

This morning I headed to the bike path. I was unsure what I wanted to do mileage-wise, so the bike path offered some options. In the end, I was feeling good and the sun was shining, so I went the full 5.3 miles. There were a number of mallards swimming in the open waters along the river's edge, as well as what I assume was the same cardinal singing near the bridge that I saw last week, and the typical large group of robins. A good run and nice to be out.

Freeing the Trees (or What a Difference a Day Makes!)

We awoke to about 8" of fresh, heavy snow. It looked gorgeous all stuck to the trees, but was so dense it wasn't even falling off the branches in the wind. After a lazy morning, we decided to head to Bradbury for an afternoon adventure. We got geared up, packed our backcountry skis and boots in the car and headed out. Hadn't used the boots in a while - they were a bit dusty :-)

We weren't the only ones wanting to get out and play in the snow - there were several cars in the parking lot, and one happy dude had just returned from skinning up and teleing down from the summit. As we were looking for a more mellow afternoon, we decided to head across the street to ski on some of the east side single track.



With the dense snow and lots of drooping trees, the pace wasn't fast, but it was a fun jaunt in the woods. We headed out on Lanzo, ducking under branches and doing a bit of gliding with a lot of snowshoeing on big skis :-) Somewhere along Ragan, we lost the trail, so we turned around. Instead of backtracking the whole way back, we headed up on the old road up to the Snowmobile Trail.



Snowman had to work pretty hard on the old road to break trail, but we finally crested the hill at the junction with the Snowmobile Trail. What a difference a day makes!



There had been no traffic and the trail was mostly obscured by drooping trees. We spent a fair amount of time trying to free the poor, delicate saplings from the snow so we could continue on our way, or ducking through the ones we couldn't free up. While we didn't get in too many miles (a grand total of 3.18 in our 1:38 out and about), it was a fun adventure and a nice way to explore the park!