Morning Run

Although I had the best intentions of running bright and early before Sam woke up, it didn't happen. Surprise surprise :-) But honestly, Ryan should thank me. Otherwise he would have been up before 5:30am with Sam while I was out running! Instead, he slept while Sam and I got up for the day, and I ended up heading out for my run around 7:15. I decided to just run Highland Green, with a little added on to get my mileage to an even number for the week. The run was uneventful, but I did have a few good animal sightings - a brown hare hopped (bunny 'op 'op 'op!!) across my path near the ecology center, and I saw a Hairy Woodpecker pecking away at a dead tree in a marshy area plus a few Cedar Waxwings flitting over the powerlines. I felt pretty good, and although I was only out for 5.25 miles, I ended the run bathed in sweat - yet another humid August day. I am definitely looking forward to the crisp autumn days ahead!

Sam and Ryan surprised me up at work late in the afternoon, and Sam had fun entertaining the customers and racing around up and down the driveway out back before we headed across the street to Sarah's for pizza. It was a nice treat to be able to spend a little extra time with both of them on a Saturday!

Cart Path Run

Decided I'd chance it tonight and run the cart paths at Highland Green, figuring odds were good that I wouldn't see anyone out so close to sunset on the course. I headed out at 7:00pm on the nose, noting that although there was a good breeze, the air was feeling much warmer and heavier than last night. For quite a while it was just me out there. Oh, well, me and the little porcupine I scared along hole #4. I saw him digging away in the grasses, and said, "Hi porcupine."Why? Well, because I'm dorky like that :-) Anyway, I didn't expect any sort of response, and was more than surprised when he jumped. Literally. Luckily, he settled right back down to his snack in the grass. I later found out that I'd have needed to touch him to have him release any of his quills (thanks Val!), but at the time, I was more than happy to be a few feet away from him!

I did end up coming upon two twosomes playing on holes #8 and #9, out enjoying the beautiful summer evening just like I was, I guess! Ooops. They didn't seem to mind though, and I sped past as quickly as I could. Although I had started the run feeling less than spry, I finished things off at a good clip and was happy to get in another 6 evening miles.

Racing the Sun

Tonight I raced the sun to see who would get home first. I both won and lost. If we're talking about true sunset, which was at 7:41 today (according to wunderground.com), I lost. I didn't walk in the door until right at 8:00. But if we're talking civil twilight, which was at 8:12, I won, if only by a smidge and a bit of dim light still visible in the sky. Regardless, we are losing daylight fast here these days, and there aren't going to be too many more chance for an evening run done without a headlamp!

I headed out shortly after 7pm, my shadow long and straight in front of me as I ran down the powerlines away from the setting sun. There was a slight breeze, and while the air wasn't quite crisp, but it did hold hints of autumn. There were pockets in the dips along the trail that felt refreshingly cool. The brush along the trail hummed and buzzed with insects, and sparrows fluttered in and out. I noted the slim profile of a hawk, sitting on the powerlines, looking down intently into the grasses, hoping for a meal. The blackberries and blueberries, still abundant, were at peak sweetness, and despite the race against the sun, I couldn't help but stop for a few handfuls along the way. Out in the open, the evening light put forth a soft, golden glow, but the woods were darkening, the light flattening out the terrain ahead. On the return trip, with two miles to go, it was already night as I ran up the switchback through the woods to Rt. 24, but when I popped out atop the hill, I got a glimpse of the sunset ahead, ribbons of clouds backlit along the horizon, the sky shifting from blue to purple to pink and gold.

I finished up with 6 miles and a smile on my face. What a nice night to be out running!

A Run with Friends

I tend to do most of my running alone, simply due to time and schedule constraints. And I'm OK with that. I like to run alone, listening to the birds and enjoying the woods along the way. It gives me time to think things through, process ideas, and de-stress. However, it is always fun to run with friends! So, today, I met up with Valerie, Mindy and Dora for a run on the Fore River Sanctuary trails. I had never run there before; in fact, I don't think I've really run on any of the Portland trails except Eastern Prom and Bay Back, again due to time and scheduling. Which made this run even more of a treat. New trails! Time with friends! Hurray :-) We met at 11:30 at the entrance on Frost Street, and Valerie led us out onto the trails, which meandered around and through some pretty tidal marshes, up into the woods and by a great waterfall. It was a surprise to me to realize that amidst all the residential and commercial spaces right in Portland, there are some great trails. Yes, we didn't run long - getting in exactly 4.0 miles with a bit of meandering here and there - but still, it's always great to see trails tucked away amidst civilization. We kept the pace easy, making it the perfect recovery run after the Breaker. And it was fun to catch up as we ran along. The conversation continued after the run at Saigon, a funky little Vietnamese restaurant that Mindy recommended. It was just a tiny place, where the hostess was dressed to the nines, tacky art was on the walls and Christmas carols (Silent Night to be exact) played in the background, but the food was crisp and fresh and delicious. Oh, and spicy too!

I wish that these mid-week, mid-day runs could be the norm, instead of the exception, but I'm so glad it worked out today! Thanks ladies :-) And thanks again to my parents for watching Sam so I could go have a bit of fun.

An August Weekend

My parents have been in town this weekend, and you know what that means? Photos! :-)

Oh hi there!

Fun at the park

Morgan splashes in the wading pool at Deering Oaks

Fun with Bubbles after the Breaker

Sam tries out the shallow end of the wading pool

Tummy :-)

Farmer's Market blueberries

I think I'll have a few more...

Hmmm.... are there more blueberries in here?

Hi Neenie!

Shucking corn with Pip

I love corn!

Double fisting!

Playground fun

In the tunnel

On the slide

Wheee!

With Neenie at Bradbury

On the slide at Bradbury

Following in cousin Morgan's footsteps

Climbing

2011 Bradbury Mountain Breaker Race Report

I honestly wasn't sure what today's race held for me, given that I've been feeling pretty exhausted and in some sort of a little slump the past few weeks. But I spent a little time last night and this morning thinking over and over that I was going to run strong and have a good race, and what do you know? I did!

Sam and I met my parents, Kristen and Morgan at Bradbury around 8:30, and they took over Sam duties so that I could get in a trip to the bathroom and a quick mile warm-up. Then before I knew it, it was time to head to the start. As I neared the start, I noticed that Ryan was dressed to run and had a number on his singlet. That sneaky guy! Of course, after three months off and little training, he went out and had a great race. I guess he's well on his way back :-)

Anyway, once again, I lined up right near Julia and Jim, as I knew the three of us would be duking it out along the way. Once Ian gave the command, the group took off at a good clip. Jim snuck ahead, and Julia settled in somewhere behind me. I ran the first mile a bit fast, but knew I didn't want to get stuck behind too many people once we got out onto the Boundary trail. I settled into a good pace and felt good. Going down the South Ridge trail, Nate Pike passed me, but it's no secret that I'm not that great on technical downhills so I certainly lost ground to a fair number of people on the descent. As we ran up to the playground, I could hear Morgan and Kristen cheering, and got a nice boost seeing Sam in my mom's arms smiling at me.

Up up up!

As I passed the aid station, someone called out "second female!" Really?! Me?! Wow. Uh oh, now I felt a bit of pressure! I walked about 9/10ths of the Summit trail, but really, that was the plan. It's just too steep for me to run. Towards the top, my short little strides actually allowed me to overtake Nate Pike again, but he blew by me a little ways down the Tote Road. Oh well. I kept up a good pace, wanting to take advantage of this stretch of trail, but I didn't want to push it so much I didn't have anything left for lap #2! Somewhere along the Northern Loop, headed back up to the summit, I passed Jim, but he stuck with me, and, of course, passed me back about 1/2 way down the Switchback trail. Again, no surprise there!

I was carrying my handheld, meaning I didn't need to stop at the aid station in the start/finish area, and so I passed Jim once again. We stuck together for a bit, and he was keeping tabs of Julia, not far behind us, until he faded back just a bit, and I was alone. I feared they would both catch me as I ran down South Ridge for the second time around, but somehow I stayed just far enough ahead. Another round of cheering at the playground followed by the slow grind to the Summit. I didn't quite rebound into running as quickly once I hit the top this time around, but I knew second place was mine to lose now, so I told myself it was only two miles, and I ran as fast as my little legs would carry me down and around the Tote Road. I passed a few guys along the way, and just kept the momentum going back up to the Terrace Trail. I told Ryan he wouldn't have recognized me the way I flew (in my mind anyway!) down the Terrace Trail, running scared, not wanting to be passed in the last stretch. I ran for all I was worth back to the finish area, and managed to eke out a 13 second PR, finishing in 1:23:51, and good enough for second female. Cool! Who would have thought it?! Thanks to Jim and Julia for keeping me running scared, and giving me the push I needed to keep the pace up!!

Results

Many thanks, as usual, to Ian, Ryan and all the volunteers for once again putting on an awesome race!  That is one tough course, but it always great to race with friends! And of course, we couldn't have done it without my parents for watching Sam. Thank you! Sam, needless to say, had a great time playing while we were racing!

Bubbles!

Sam and Neenie

Whee!

Following cousin Morgan down the slide

Climbing

Quick

Things were a bit chaotic this morning from 6:30 am when Sam woke up until 7:30 am when Ryan scooted out the door to meet up with Ian to mark the Breaker course. In between, I got out for a quick 3 mile run, got showered, Ryan got breakfast made for himself and Sam, clothes were changed, hats put on, and all sorts of other stuff. A while later, Sam and I drove south to meet up with my mom and dad, who were kind enough to agree to hang out with Sam for the morning while I worked and Ryan ran/course marked. Sam was so excited to see them, and was perhaps equally excited to know that she was going to be able to see Bobby, my sister's cat :-)

Speaking of cats, Gigi got lots of hugs this morning from Sam. Sam lays her head on Gigi's body, listening to her purr, over and over, until Gigi can't take it any more and either moves away or gives Sam a little swat or light nip. This morning's episode ended with a small nip to the arm, after Sam moved from hugging to tugging. Oh well. The hugs were good at least!

A Tumble

It felt a bit like a Saturday this morning, as we didn't have to rush off to daycare, and I was able to get in a bit of a longer run this morning than I normally could otherwise. I headed out around 7:20 down the powerlines. The sky was blue, the thermometer was only reading 59 degrees (!!) when I left the house and the air had that ever-so-slight edge of crispness to it that makes me happy. I ran along enjoying all the colors along the trail, from the blue of the remaining blueberries to the deep dark purples of the blackberries, the yellow of the goldenrod and the light purple of the asters to the airy Queen Anne's lace, the deep pink thistle to the white berries on the large bushes that will gradually turn a rosy pink and then a deep blacky purple in late fall. I followed a doe and a fawn for a while along the trail, the two of them bounding along gracefully away from me, until they finally veered off into the deep foliage. I also saw an Indigo Bunting, singing atop a bush in a clearing just past Rt. 24. Cool!

I definitely felt better than I did earlier this week, but still feel I am battling a sort of deep-seated exhaustion. I don't think I'm running too much - I'll likely only hit 32 miles this week - but I am sure that life's stresses and a bit of sleep deprivation are taking a toll. Ah well, running is a good answer to stress, and who needs sleep, anyway?! :-)

Right around mile 5, as I was pondering the world around me on a flat stretch of sandy trail, my foot caught the edge of a root and I went down. Hard. I left two huge divots from my knees in the sand, and rolled onto my back. I lay there stunned for a minute, and stood up, covered in sand, to brush off my hands and continue on the final mile to home. When I came in the door, Sam said "Oh man! Mama tumu (tumble)!" :-)

Hat and Mat

I snuck in a quick 3 mile run this morning after dropping Sam off at daycare and getting up to work on time. I was in such a rush to get out the door that I didn't even run back upstairs to get my hat. I used to always run without a hat, but now I can't imagine why! The sweat was dripping right down into my eyes this morning, and the deerflies were buzzing right at my scalp. And while Ryan may laugh at how my blue hat coordinates with my blue shirts and blue Inov-8s, I much prefer to look the coordinated dorky runner than be blinded by my own sweat or bit in the head by deerflies. Back to the hat tomorrow!

Yesterday, Sam slept for the first time on a mat on the floor at daycare instead of in the pack n' play, and took a decent nap too. Hurray! Of course, when Ryan commented on this, Miss Sherry said, with a smile on her face, "I think it's just a fluke!" Gotta love that they know our child as well as we do :-) I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but Ryan is convinced there won't be a nap at all today. We shall see.

Sam at 22 Months: Fun with Words

Last night, in preparation for my parent's visit this weekend, during which they are going to be watching Sam for us on Friday because daycare is closed, I wrote them an email, trying to explain to them all the funny little things Sam is saying these days. Her vocabulary has expanded immensely in the past month, and it is so much fun to listen to her talk.Of course, she has her own little language to a certain extent, so a "Sam dictionary" is necessary for some things!

Here are a few of the cute phrases she is saying these days:

a-whaattee?! = what is it? (Said over and over and over to everything in sight :-))

it tol = it's cold! (Said while clenching her little fists up and scrunching up her face. Adorable!)

it bit = it fits

tuk voom = truck vroom!

eepy = sleepy (ie. "mama sleepy" when seeing me yawn)

rayrees (or something of that ilk) = raisins

baby atch = baby watch (ie. when we are eating, baby (her lovey) will "sit" on the table and watch us eat, so as not to get dirty/wet)

mama eat ee! = mama eat it!

mere = come here (ie. mama mere!)

miny or mindy = windy

after a sneeze, she will say "bess you"

tovuh = yogurt (ie. if you ask her if she wants yogurt to eat, she will probably say "two tovuh" meaning she would like two yogurts. We try to discourage this if we can, and just give her one yogurt! Of course, denied two yogurts, she usually will ask for two spoons instead)

pretty = either hairties or blankets (ie. "mama blue pretty" means mama's blue hairtie, but "two pretties" means she wants two blankies for nap time.)

ronnie bear =  This is as it sounds, and means she sees the teddy bear from her crib that Ronnie likes to steal! :-)

mama unin! yeah mama! = "Mama is going running! Yeah mama!" This is just incredibly adorable to hear when I am headed out the door for a run. Makes me smile every time :-)

She is like a little sponge, and often surprises us by parroting back something we just said. This will certainly come back to haunt us soon, I am sure, but in the meantime, she continues to astound us with her language.

~
I got in a quick 3 miler this morning. I was tired. The run was uneventful. But I got out there, and am hoping to feel better after a rest day tomorrow. Oh yeah, and maybe little miss vocabulary will let me sleep tonight too! That would help :-)

12 Miles at Bradbury

Ryan and I decided to take advantage of the fact that Sam was going into daycare today (because the center is closed on Friday, we switched her day off this week), and go for a run at Bradbury together! Hurray! This hasn't happened in ages. I had planned to get in a longish run of around 16 miles, so Ryan was going to tag along for 8 to 10 miles and get in a long run himself. Although I was looking forward to running with Ryan, I was feeling exhausted before we even started. I didn't have any energy going in, and I never found my mojo along the way. I had really been hoping for a solid run that would help me feel like signing up for Pisgah was a good idea. Instead, I suffered through 12 soggy, humid, heavy miles, at a pace that got slower and slower, and more painful and more painful, as the miles went on. Ryan, ever the good hubby and running partner, stuck with me, and helped keep me going, but by the final few miles he took off on his own, and I just slogged on through the remaining steps, waiting for the run to be over. On top of feeling sleep deprived right from the get-go, the humidity just seemed to suck the life out of me today. It certainly wasn't one of my best days out on the trail, and definitely wasn't the run I was hoping for, to say the least.

We started off by running the Bruiser, minus the Island and O trails. My Garmin was reading around 8.25 miles when we got back to the parking lot, and while part of me wanted to stop right there, I also wanted to at least get in a double digit run. Ryan suggested running the Squall course, which goes on some fun singletrack we don't run very often before looping around on the Boundary trail. I added on a quarter mile to round the mileage at the end, unwilling to admit defeat before I saw 12.0 on the Garmin. It wasn't pretty, but I was out on my feet for 2:16:00, and I suppose that counts for something. Hoping for a bit more umph tomorrow!!

Rainy Sunday

We started the day off with breakfast at our favorite breakfast spot, Broadway Deli. It seemed a good thing to do on a rainy Sunday, and who doesn't like pancakes?! (Or in Ryan's case, eggs.) Our next stop was Petco, during which Sam was a pro at driving the small shopping cart around, and had a blast loading her cart up full of all sorts of cat food for Ronnie and Gigi. I am not sure how much food she thought they needed! :-) Needless to say, I put a lot of those cans back!

Fun shopping

During Sam's nap, I headed out for my run in what was a light mist. Pretty much as soon as I left the complex, the light mist turned to a downpour. Well, that slightly damp shirt I started out in didn't matter much after a few minutes, at least :-) I ran the Highland Green loop, and was happy to have the middle three miles (the ones all on the roads) came in under 8:00/mile. I'll take it!

We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening hanging out with Nate, Shannon, Finley and Charlotte. The kids had a blast playing together, and it was nice for us adults to catch up. It seems like it's been ages! Shannon made a delicious sweet potato/lentil stew, and we finished off the meal with brownies and ice cream. Sam fully approved of the new Ben & Jerry's flavor I picked up - Boston Cream Pie. Yum :-) 

All in all, a pretty good way to spend a rainy Sunday, for sure!!

Morning Five

I was in bed and asleep by 9pm last night. After a night of little sleep on Thursday night, thanks to a skunk spraying right outside our house, which literally stunk up our house and woke me out of a dead sleep, and a long day at work hanging a new show yesterday, I was beat. I was literally aching all over from tiredness. I had planned to run last night, but it just wasn't in the cards. A bit of relaxation and an early bedtime were probably the best thing I could do for myself, and after a decent night's sleep, I woke up this morning feeling much better. Sam and I hung out for a while and then around 7:30, I headed out for a 5 mile run on the Homeplace loop before work. It wasn't all that warm out, but man, was it humid! I was soaked by the end. In fact when I came in the door, Sam said, "Mama hot! Mama [s]sweaty!" Very true, honey, very true :-)

No Stonecat for me

We had a great time in Baxter but I am totally bummed that I came home to find out that Stonecat was already full! Race registration opened on the 1st, and while I thought the races would fill fast, I had no idea that by Wednesday afternoon, both the marathon and 50 miler would be full! Whoa. It figures that registration would open during the only four days of the year that we were totally cut off from internet access or phone service. Stinky... A lot of our friends got into Stonecat, and I am totally psyched for them! I just wish I could join them :-)

This puts a serious kink in my fall racing plans, and well, it looks like I can erase the training plan which led up to November 6th! :-) Needless to say, I spent a lot of yesterday, in between working, pondering what to do next. MDI is full too, so that is out, and unfortunately, due to scheduling conflicts, I am not available the weekend of October 1/2 or October 15/16, so no Maine Marathon (or any of the other road marathons happening that weekend), Pennelville 50k or Bimblers Bluff 50k. There is one option out there that looks like it would work - Pisgah 50k - but it is on September 18th, which is only 6 weeks away! The more I think about it, the more I think I'll be signing myself up for it anyway, but it will certainly mean that I really have to ramp up the training during the next four weeks, which would leave me with a two week taper. A 12 mile race thrown into that taper period is OK, right?! :-)

I got in a nice 5.25 miler on the powerlines last night after Sam went to bed. I felt tired, and my legs felt a bit tight, but it was nice to get out. It was humid, but there were some delicious blackberries to be eaten along the trail, and I scared up a few deer in the brush. A family was out picking blueberries near the end of the powerlines, enjoying their own evening, and I wished I had had time to stop and pick a big bucket full myself! Instead, I headed home to eat dinner with Ryan - turkey burgers, potatoes and corn, all expertly cooked by the best hubby in the world :-) Perfect.

Baxter State Park 2011

We just got back from a great four-day trip to Baxter. Vacation with a toddler is tough, there is no way around it, and we are tired, but we had lots of fun, and Sam had a blast. We arrived around 3pm on Sunday, and spent the afternoon settling into Spruce Haven, our little cabin on Kidney Pond.

Spruce Haven

Sunset view from the cabin

We stayed in the cabin next door last year, and liked it so much we decided to come back this year :-) Kidney Pond was the perfect place for Sam. A big open field to run around in, a few bat/ball toys, a big library, a small beach with canoes. What made it even better for Sam was that a small family of Canada geese had made the field their home the day before we arrived. She could not get enough of them! "More duck!" "Duck[s] [are in the] water!" "Duck HONK!" We spent a lot of time watching those geese :-)

Hugs for Mama while geese watching

Monday morning came early, after a bit of a restless night of sleeping for all of us, but it turned out to be a great day. I had wanted to get in one long run while we were in the park, and when I looked at the map, one stretch jumped out at me: the AT from Daicey Pond down to Abol Bridge. So we hatched a plan. I would leave in the morning from Kidney Pond, run on the road to Daicey Pond, head out south on the AT. At the kiosk near Abol Bridge, I would take what looked like a short trail that would connect me to Abol Beach, a small little beach that we had visited while I was pregnant, and which seemed like it would be perfect for Sam. Ryan and Sam would meet me there. I had a few misgivings about heading off into the woods on my own. I remembered the stretch of trail as being very mellow and I knew it would be runnable, but I also knew there were a few stream crossings, and well, I would be on my own. The first 2.75 miles on the road, I was feeling a bit jittery and jumpy, unsure if this was a good idea, but after I got on the trail, I settled in and enjoyed myself. The trail was as I had remembered - idyllic.

Perfect for trail running!

Along the trail

River view

There were some great runnable stretches, a few technical stretches of rocks and roots, three stream crossings, all of which I took with care and which weren't a problem at all, and long stretches along the river's edge, run in the dappled sunlight. I didn't see anyone on the trail until I got close to Abol Bridge, and I reveled in the quiet. It was the perfect trail run. At the kiosk, I took the Abol Pond Trail, which ran along an old road bed for the first 3/4 of a mile, and then on some windy, little used singletrack for the rest of the way, the trail lined with waist-high ferns.

I popped out right where I thought and hoped I would, down near the beach. My Garmin read 11.06 and 2:07:42. Faster than I had expected, and a bit shorter than I had hoped, but, all in all, perfect! I even beat Ryan and Sam there! They arrived a few minutes later, and we had a grand old time. We had the beach to ourselves, and played in the water until naptime.

Sam walking along the beach

"Whati?!" (Who knows what she was pointing at :-))

Fun in the water

Tuesday was a bit overcast, and threatening rain, but we decided to chance it and headed out for a short hike from the cabin to Rocky and Little Rocky Ponds. Aside from the bugs, it was perfect! Probably 2 1/2 miles through some beautiful woods, the ground literally carpeted in thick green moss.

Headed out to the ponds

Sam and Daddo stop for a blueberry break

The views of Doubletop were spectacular. 

There were tons of blueberries, and we must have spent 15 minutes or more stopped, picking and eating them. Sam kept demanding, "More, Mama! More blue!" She loved them.

Blueberries!

Sam even picked a few herself :-)

We made it back just in time to watch the heavens open up during our lunch of mac n' cheese. There was nothing to do but relax while Sam slept and the rain fell. Oh well, except suit up and go for a run :-) Which I did once the rain had abated a bit. A nice 5.75 miles along the roads up to the dock at Daicey Pond. With the mountains clouded over, I noticed the flowers along the roadside. Lots of Joe Pye weed, daisies, goldenrod and fireweed. Beautiful. We spent the rest of the afternoon in and around the cabin, dodging rain showers between trips to watch the ducks and visits to the library.

This morning we were once again up early, and once we got the car packed up, we headed out with the plan to drive to Katahdin Stream campground, and take a short hike out to Grassy Pond.

At Grassy Pond

Through the woods

We were probably only out for a mile or so, but it was nice to get in one last walk in the woods before heading south. We finished off our trip with an obligatory, and tasty, stop at the AT Cafe. Yum!

Here are our PHOTOS from the trip.