Another Fun Day

Another lovely day in vacation paradise ;) OK, well, I might have been a bit cranky on our run this morning but that doesn't mean it still wasn't nice to be able to run with Ryan, only that I was feeling like going slowly and I know my slow is his way slow... and these things have a tendency to amplify in my brain and make me feel badly. In any event, we ended up with a nice 4.5 mile run along the berm and through the neighborhood, accompanied by the strong morning sun and even stronger winds. How is it possible it was windy on almost the entire route?!?!

The rest of the day was spent doing the following...

Spent much of the day immersed in my book - The Art Forger. 

A good, fun, read. 

Golf practice

The family that golfs together...

Helping Neenie plant flowers

Neenie's helper

Feels like summer! Let's run through the water!

Fun with the hose

While Sam was helping Neenie outside, I spent some time wandering around the yard, seeing what I could see...

Lots of Green anoles around. This one was shedding its skin - very interesting.

Another tree frog! 

Eastern Swallowtail on pink Creeping Flox

Mama bluebird on her nest 

Ahhh, vacation!

River Landing Fun

Well, we were all up around 6:30 this morning, so sleeping in didn't quite work out as hoped, but regardless, it was yet another lovely southern vacation day :)

Ryan and I got out for a big loop around the neighborhood while Sam hung out with Neenie and Pip this morning. It was 47 degrees out with a rather stiff breeze, so we both wore our arm sleeves and felt cold at first. Luckily, the sun down here is stronger, and it definitely warmed up during the hour+ we were out there, so by the end, I had rolled down my sleeves and was feeling quite comfortable. As you might guess, it is flat as a pancake around here. We ran mostly on the pavement, with only a short stretch of trail down by the river lodge, and a stretch of a few miles on packed crushed gravel along the berm. Ryan let me set the pace but I still felt the need to keep the legs churning at a slightly faster rate than I normally would since he was with me. We had a nice time running together, chatting away as we ran along. We saw five deer bounding across the golf course, saw a number of turtles and one cormorant in tone of the ponds and had a cool view of three cormorants hanging out in a tree along the edge of another pond later in the run. Got in 9 miles at 8:30 pace, so definitely a quick run by my standards, but felt good.

The rest of the day was spent wandering around outside enjoying the birds, the flowers and the local fauna flitting about around the yard, followed up by a trip to the pool and dinner up at the club. Another fun vacation day!

Whatcha doin'?

American Green Tree Frog, hanging out

Gold spots 

And gold eye lids

The green anoles were also out enjoying the sun

Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly

Sam helping Neenie with the watering

Watering the plants

Love the bight colors in my mom's garden!

Snapping turtle out in the brush along the golf course

Heron in the pond

Getting ready to swim!

Goggles on

Backstroke!

A serious game face ;)

All dressed up for dinner

;)

Mommy and Sammy selfie

Sam being goofy

Sam, Neenie and Pip

Running along the pond after dinner

River Landing selfie

Vacation!

I don't have an umbrella drink in hand, but we're definitely on vacation :) We don't call my parent's house "the resort" for nothing! We got picked up at the airport, complete with a present in the car for Sam, taken to a nearby park for a picnic lunch and rides on the carousel, chauffeured home, got a ride in the new golf cart, played some yard golf out back and didn't have to lift a finger for dinner or clean-up. I'll take it :) We sure are lucky! Thanks, Mom and Dad!

It has been a long day but Sam was a great traveler and for that we are eternally grateful. Time for what will hopefully be a long and restful sleep tonight and then up for some fun, adventure, relaxation and a little running tomorrow! Ah, vacation is good :)

Riding the carousel all by herself! Three times ;)

Follow the leader

Fun at Pullen Park

Sam and Daddy

In bloom

Rose

Backyard golf practice

Mini golfer ;)

Out for a ride in the new golf cart with Pip

Early Morning

Two final early morning runs before we head south tomorrow. Looking forward to some warm, sunny weather, some good old relaxation and a fun race to finish up with at the end of vacation!

Wednesday morning dawned cool but not cold, with thin layers of ice atop the puddles, crunchy sand beneath my feet and a beautiful sunrise through the still bare trees. Ran a loop of the cart paths and felt good. 6 miles is a lovely way to start a day :)

This morning, I headed down to the river, enjoying 5 miles on the trails on a crisp, clear morning and yet another sunrise to kick off the day.

Today's sunrise

Sunday Run and Hike

Got up and out this morning around 7:00 am for a short shake-out run. It was bright and sunny but cold and windy as I headed out through the woods and along hole #3. A thin layer of ice sat atop the shallow waters in the Heath and the hoar frost had popped back up again along the trail. I kept the pace nice and easy and was happy that, although tired, my legs really didn't feel stiff or creaky at all. Finished up with a mellow 5 miles to bring the week's mileage up to 45+. Bring on the taper!

When I got back, Ryan headed over to Bradbury for his run and after a few rounds of Sushi Go, Sam and I headed that way too. We checked out the TMR trail maintenance work - looks great! - and then hiked up the Terrace Trail thinking we would likely see Ryan as he headed down to the lot, and yup, about halfway up, there he was. Sam and I continued up to the summit and chatted for a bit with the Hawk Watch watcher before descending via the Bluff Trail/Northern Loop/Ski Trail. A good 1.9 miles with the kiddo, mostly hiking but with some sprinting between waterbars thrown in ;) Always good to spend time outside with Sam!

 

Bradbury 20

Last long run before the Grayson Highlands 50k this morning. Decided I was going to just do my own thing this time around and not join up with anyone for the run. Saw John and Damon in the parking lot when I arrived, but sent them off and headed out myself about 5 minutes later. It was chilly, with the ground semi-frozen in the wet/muddy spots, but luckily no ice. It was also very sunny, which was lovely, although honestly in a few spots, with the sun shining so brightly through the leafless trees, it was hard to see!

Granite, blue sky and pines

Ran up to the summit and then headed down the Boundary to the break in the rockwall to run Lunchbreak, then back up again. Took Tote down and did Krista's before heading back up to the summit. Took the Bluff trail back to Northern Loop - a lovely little stretch of trail - and back to the lot. Crossed paths with lots of other Monsters between 7:00 and a little after 8:00 am - Jim G and friend, Sean, John B, and saw Ian, Jet and two others heading off down the Tote as I was about to turn onto the Ski Trail. A nice morning to be out, for sure!

Back at the lot, I crossed the road and ran the Scuffle. Saw two mountain bikers but otherwise the trails were quiet.

I stopped at the car to refill my water and get some more food, and then headed back up the summit. This time around, the trails were a bit busier, with a lot of people out enjoying the good weather. I ran a similar loop as I had the first time around, adding on in a few spots here and there. Down by the gravel pit, I ran into a big Trail Monster trail maintenance group, who I knew were out working on the trails this morning - very impressive and great to see so many people out! I stopped a few times to chat, and then, when I realized, I was going to be a bit short on mileage, did a few loops through the parking lot and on the first stretch of trail to get to 20 ;)

Legs were a bit tired, but I am happy with how I felt today and glad to have gotten in one more solid run before the taper. Not quite sure what to expect at Grayson but know it will mean running through a beautiful area and am looking forward to it!

Rainy

Thursday morning, I thought I had dodged the rain, but nope, it started up again shortly after I headed out at 6:00 am. It was a wet, windy, misty, dreary 5 miles on the cart paths, but at least I escaped the worst of it. The day was rife with major rain and major wind. Of course, Ryan went out and ran in it after work anyway ;) Ha.

Keri texted me this morning and said, "Gonna be a muddy one!" Actually, since we ran on the Cathance trails, it was more like a slippery one, as the slick, wet roots and bog bridges were way worse than the wet, muddy spots. It was fun to show Keri the Cathance - the river was roaring and the sun even came out, warming us up enough to shed our long sleeves and allowing us to hear the peepers out in a few of the ponds and bogs. A lovely 9.2 miles to start my day and great to have company along the way!

Happy runners along the river

500

When I looked at Strava this afternoon, I realized I hit 500 miles for the year during this morning's run. A little off 2,000 mile pace for the year considering it's already a few days into April, but still, not bad!

Out at 6:00 am with no need for a headlamp. Hurray! But it appears we are back to "winter" for a few days here, with a dusting of snow on the ground, cold temps, iced over puddles and a whole lot of hoar frost popping back up out on the trails. April is a fickle month, yes, but these swings in temperature are tough to take, and even tougher on the flora and fauna, I imagine. Hopefully everything will make it through OK but I guess only time will tell.

Ran up over Mt. A. and along hole #3, watching the horizon begin to glow through the trees. Very pretty sunrise this morning.

Ran out along the Cathance for a lovely, if chilly, 6.5 miles. Always a good way to start the day.

Back to Sleep

Thankfully, Sam did great at the sleepover at Anne's on Friday night and there were no middle of the night calls to come pick her up :) I got up early to get in a run, heading out when it got light at 6:30 for a 5+ mile run down to the river and back. It was warm and almost clammy feeling out. Lots of moisture in the air, that's for sure, and slick roots and bog bridges to go with it. Lots of birdsong too, although the woods are still not yet quite looking spring-like.

Ryan headed out for his long run, and I picked up Sam around 8:15 and we went to get donuts before heading to swimming. Ryan got in an awesome 23 mile run at the Brad while Sam and I shopped for snazzy new sneakers for her, did our weekly Target run and went out to lunch, just the two of us. We finished off the day with dinner at Nate, Shannon and family's house, and Sam had a lot of fun playing with their new little kitten! So cute! Needless to say, Sam had had her share of excitement over the past 24 hours and fell asleep the minute her head hit the pillow :)

I fully intended to get up and go over to the Brad for a long run this morning, but even though I got up, got dressed and had breakfast, what I ended up doing was not going out the door at 6:30 am, but getting back into bed! I was stressed, exhausted and feeling seriously underwhelmed by the prospect of my run, and apparently, I must have needed a quiet morning, as I fell asleep for 2+ more hours! I felt so much better when I woke up and was glad I listened to my body and decided on rest vs. miles. So, it was a lazy morning at our house, with everyone sleeping until around 8:45. It was actually really kind of nice, as it's not the sort of thing we do often. Ryan made pancakes and we played a few games, and then it was time for Sam to head off to her friend's birthday party. Since Ryan was already planning on going with her, I took advantage of that and decided I would go out for a short run in the Cathance. The wind was whipping around like crazy but I was mostly protected down in the woods. I ran from the ecology center along the river and out to the Blueberry Trail, then headed back and finished up with a loop on the Heath Trail for exactly 6 miles. Perfect.

And hopefully this means I'll be ready to roll next Saturday to get in a final long run before Grayson Highlands! Hard to believe it's April and the 50k is around the corner!

Friday

Warm out this morning but windy, overcast and misty. I was feeling a bit dreary, so decided I would keep my run mellow and hope that heading out to one of my favorite places would help lift my mood. I started from the field house lot at Bowdoin and ran out through the Commons to Coleman Farm. The woods are still very much in early spring mode, with browns and greys reigning, and the fields were shrouded in mist, enhancing the muted morning palette.

Misty morning fields

Muted ocean view

The only hint of color was in the patches of daffodils coming up along the edge of the pond beyond the Coleman Farm farmhouse. Hopefully they will survive the freeze this weekend.

Spring, encased

I kept the pace mellow, just meandering along. Lots of birdsong, and saw a redwinged blackbird, an eastern meadowlark, a pair of wood duck taking off from one of the ponds, and a belted kingfisher. 

As I was running a field loop to finish up my 10 miles, I was thinking about how I hadn't seen anyone out on the trails this morning, which is very unusual. And then I looked up, and who did I see running toward me but Nate. Ha :) We stopped to chat briefly before we each continued on our merry ways.

Not sure the run helped lift my mood, but it was nice to be out and I really do always enjoy that particular route. After the run it was home to do some cleaning and then off to volunteer in Sam's classroom for the afternoon. This morning, she told me Fridays were always fun because I come into her class. So cute :)

But the thing she was excited about most today is that it is a movie night at school! And then she gets to have a sleepover at Anne's for the night! OK, so this is exciting for all of us!! Her first sleepover! We'll see how it goes, but for now, we're calling it a win! She gets a fun Friday night and we do too! Dinner out and watching the Barkley movie together. Yup, that's about as exciting as we get ;)

Cheers!