Snow, Rain and Isolation

Let's face it, the start of the week, spent in the remaining few days of isolation, pretty much sucked. Although, thankfully, I did not feel badly.

I finished watching Ted Lasso. Moved on to Lessons in Chemistry.

Work has been crazy busy with end of the month, quarter and year stuff, not to mention a whole lot of January deadlines for grant reports, etc, and on Monday, I had five Zoom meetings. But, with nothing else to do, I at least got a lot of work done...

I missed getting out to enjoy the snow that fell on Sunday.

I missed Sam's winter chorus concert on Tuesday night.

Sigh.

But grateful that Ryan was able to take videos of the songs Sam sang during the concert and that Mom took some photos for me.

Finally, on Wednesday I was able to leave the loft. Hurray! And Sam continued to test negative, so we'll give thanks for small miracles.

Of course, Wednesday was a sh*tshow in terms of weather. Crazy winds. Rain melting away all the snow. Serious flooding. Not sure who can believe global warming and climate change is not a real thing anymore... Rains finally stopped mid-afternoon and I decided to get out for a slow walk around the school block to get some fresh air. Nice to get out of the house! Felt OK, mostly just a bit sniffly. (1.7 miles walked)

Thursday, I went back to the office. Masked, of course. It was a busy day and I ran out of time and energy to do anything active. 

Friday, I was feeling mostly decent, and decided I would get in a run. Had to go into the office for a short bit in the morning and then headed over to Pennelville. A nice, bright, sunny morning and even though I was a bit creaky and tired, and was blowing a whole lot of snot rockets 😂😂, it was great to be out in the sunshine and get down to the ocean. (6.0 miles)

While I was out at the ocean, Ryan was skiing up at Black Mountain and enjoying the snow up there.

Then after some errands and getting dinner ready, it was off to Bowdoin for Sam's Mt. A swim meet. It has been a lot of fun this season watching her swim and improve her times and strength, and enjoy contributing to the team and having that comeraderie💗 She swam well with PRs in both the 500 and 200 free and solid relay times.

Saturday was another crappy weather day with more rain and flooding. Sam had a LRSC swim meet so after a quiet morning and a quick trip to the farmer's market, I took her up to the Y to catch the bus. Then it was home to get a few things done around the house before I finally headed out for a run around 2:30 once the rain stopped. By then, temps had climbed up into the high 40s and I was totally overdressed 😅even with the wind. Ran out and back on Highland Green Road. Didn't feel great, but then again, this weather is less than inspiring. Still, hoping I can salvage this crappy start to the running year by getting back to some consistency after this Covid interruption so out I went anyway. (6.0 miles)

Sunday was bright and sunny, but very windy. I headed out around 10:30 for a run on the powerlines. This was not the wisest choice - so much ice and so many semi frozen puddles 😂 - but I didn’t want to deal with a windy road run 🫣🤪 Felt meh 🤷‍♀️(8.0 miles)

While this Covid thing has been incredibly annoying and certainly interruptive, I am grateful that neither of us got truly truly sick. And even better is that Sam managed to avoid it. Still, I would be even more grateful to be able to get back into a normal swing of things. Between the holidays and Covid, it seems like things have been slightly chaotic for a while now! 😜

Gigi checking out my new shoes - the Pegasus Trail 4 - haven't worn them yet but looking forward to trying them out!

And Ronnie is most pleased with the new catnip banana 😹😹

Happy New Year?? 😷😷

Well, we started the new year off with a bang.... been a bit of a rough week here, to say the least...

With Sam at Lauren's and Ryan still sleeping, I headed out first thing on Monday morning, January 1st, to get some errands done, and then headed over to Brad to meet up with Val and Anne for a run. It was fun to ring in the new year with a run with friends and, as always, so good to catch up! We ran the east side, as the lot was pretty full when we arrived at 10:30, with lots of people apparently taking advantage of the holiday and the decent weather to get out and walk their dogs and take the kids on a hike and/or to the playground. We only saw one other person on the east side. A bit of tiptoeing here and there due to ice, but trails were in reasonably good shape, although it was weird to be running on bare ground on January 1! No pictures because we were too busy chatting 😂(6.0 miles)

Sam arrived just around when I got home after a fun overnight in Old Orchard Beach with Lauren and Rohan, and as Ryan was not feeling great when I got home, so I told him he should take a Covid test, just in case. He was mumbling about it being a worthless idea, it was just a cold, and them boom, yup, he tested positive for Covid! 😷😨😩😟😖😕After almost four years of avoiding it, somehow he managed to get it. AIE! So it was right upstairs into the loft for him, and masks on for all of us, keeping ourselves as separated as we could, with bedroom doors closed and me moving myself to sleep downstairs on the couch. Sigh. Sam and I tested after Ryan did, and we were negative. And so the paranoia and waiting and worrying began...

Just to be safe, I decided I would work remotely for the week so as not to potentially infect my coworkers, and just be masked all day long. Oh the joys. Sam and I tested Tuesday morning, and were negative again, so she went to school, her orthodontist appointment and practice as usual. Due to the ortho appointment, it was late swim for the day, so I hit the track for a walk. The Y was definitely crowded, guess it’s a new year! (2.0 miles walked)

Still negative Wednesday for Sam and I, and Ryan was feeling a bit better, but work is super busy right now with end of the month, quarter, and year stuff, I was feeling stressed, and I just did not have the energy or bandwidth to run. Thankfully Sam only has Y practice this week as the Bowdoin pool is closed, which is good as I think double practices might have put me over the edge... 😜😜

Got out Thursday morning after dropping Sam at school and ran down to the river and back. Overcast morning with spitting snow. Still stressed but still testing negative, and glad to get out. (6.0 miles)

Ryan was finally freed from isolation on Friday and was feeling markedly better. Hurray! On our side, Sam and I were still testing negative, but I had started feeling a bit of a scratchy throat later on Thursday, and was keeping my fingers crossed that it was from sleeping pretty much right in front of the heater all week and did not mean that I was getting sick... 

Got out for a run on the powerlines after dropping Sam at school. Cold, bright and ankle-busting. (8.0 miles)

After lunch, I headed out to get a few errands checked off the to-do list, picked up Sam from school and then we headed to Bowdoin for her Mt. A swim meet. Ryan and I both wore our masks. It was good to see my parents even if just for a bit, and Sam swam solidly. One of the swim parents behind us said, "That Samantha is a pretty good little swimmer," to which the other responded, "Little being the operative word." Indeed! 😂When I told Ryan and Sam later, they both got a kick out of it. She does look quite small next to the rest of the team, but part of it is just her build and part of it is that she is a freshman and almost everyone else on the team is a junior or senior. Though she be but little, she is fierce! 😍

Unfortunately, that scratchy throat turned more into a cough and some sniffles later in the evening, and yup, you guessed it, on Saturday morning when I woke up, my Covid test was positive. 😨😩😟😖😕 Can we just say, DAMN!?!? Nothing more to say than this just really sucks. So with that, I traded places with Ryan and moved myself up into the loft to isolate. Sam tested negative, so finger crossed!

I have never been a good person to just sit around so honestly, this isolation thing is just no fun. It drives me nuts to not be able to do anything. Especially since I don't particularly feel that sick. The scratchy throat went away by mid-morning on Saturday, with just some sniffles and a bit of a cough remaining. But I sit up here still... sigh. What a way to kick off the new year!

2023 Year-End Wrap Up

Finished up the year with a road run aroun d the Georgetown block on Sunday morning. Always enjoy running out through the marshes. Nice morning and glad to get out and have it not be rainy, but definitely feeling the week of holiday cheer 😜!!! (8.6 miles)

Then after packing up and saying our goodbyes, we headed for Old Orchard Beach, where we dropped Sam off to hang out with Lauren and Rohan for the night before making our way home. After getting the laundry started, things put away and having lunch, we headed out for an afternoon walk. Ryan was not feeling the best, so he was not entirely thrilled that I was dragging him out to finish up my 2023 walking miles, but it was nice to get out and move the legs a bit before spending the rest of the day on the couch 😉😊(3.5 miles walked)

I picked up noodles for us for dinner and we watched the remaining episodes in season 1 of Ted Lasso (again) before I headed to bed around 9:30. Happy New Year indeed! I see no reason to stay up until midnight 😉😆

The morning's run brought my run mileage to a solid 2,204 miles for the year, while the afternoon walk put me right at my 200 mile walk goal. Happy to hit both goals, and to get over 2,200 run miles again this year. I recognize that these goals are completely arbitrary and that I am privileged to be able to not only set them but achieven them. In the end the numbers don't matter, but it is fun for me to set a challenge and work to achieve it. As always, I am grateful that my body and legs allow me to continue to get out and explore on my two feet and spend time out in nature. I know it is not a given. 

December wrap-up:

144.89 miles run
21.55 miles walked
6 zero days

2023 Totals:
2,204.0 miles run
200.0 miles walked
18.1 miles xc skied
293 days active

But of course, running is just part of the picture, and while there are always challenges and grief and things that are not highlights in every year, it's fun, and one of my favorite traditions, to look back on the pictures and posts and reflect on the highlights of the year. 2023 was a busy year, with Sam graduating from middle school and transitioning to high school, Ryan returning to work travel, a lot of swimming, our trip to WV for Rim to River 100, a few good camping and hiking adventures, fun with family and friends, Taylor Swift concert in the rain💃, and some fun time spent together 💗

A few of the highlights:

 

Looking back at my goals and hopes for 2023, I'd say I did a pretty good job meeting them and enjoying them:

✔Stay healthy, happy and reasonably sane. All of this is relative of course! 😆😆
✔Time spent with Ryan and Sam. Ryan spent some time injured this year and with a teenager who is much more interested in spending time either in her room or with her friends, we didn't get in quite as adventures together, but we still had some good times outside together with lots of hiking during our Baxter and Acadia trips plus a weekend up at Great Glen to xc ski in February as highlights. Sam and I also had an amazing Taylor Swift concert adventure with Anne in May, which was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience! Sam also went on the Freedom tour in April down to DC, NY and Philadelphia for her own adventure!
✔Time with my parents. Once again, not quite as many walks with Mom and Dad as during the pandemic but we still saw them almost every week and are so grateful they are now close by so we can spend time with them!
✔Visits with Irene, Dana and the rest of the family throughout the year. We were able to coordinate a trip to MA in August to spend time with Irene, Dana, Meg, Chris and the boys as well as see them over the holidays, which was fun!

✔More time with friends, both on the run and elsewhere. Definitely need to do more of this, but did enjoy some good Friday runs and walks with Val, Mindy, Anne and Keri, met up with Emily multiple times, joined Emma on some long walks, and got in a fun run with Vicky and Laurie in August at Chalk Pond. 

✔Some running/hiking adventures. Ran a lot from home this year once again, but also had some fun solo run/hikes up in Baxter and Acadia, joined friends at Riverlands for Val's birthday, had a rainy run up Pleasant and a few excursions on the West Side Trail with Emily this summer, got in a fun loop over in Sunapee while visiting at Neal & Kendra's, and ran at Bradley Palmer and Vineyard Hill down in Massachusetts. I got up to Camden a few times but did not get back to the Pemi as I had hoped, so I'll put that on my 2024 list.

✔2,000+ miles run. Managed to exceed this goal and get up to 2,204 miles for the year. Proud of my consistency and to be able to run over 2,000 miles for the 7th year in a row.

✔200 miles walking/hiking. I had originally set this goal as 250 walking miles but it became apparent early on that that would not happen so I modified it to 200 miles. I wish I had managed to get in more walking/hiking miles this year but am glad to have been able to reach 200. Definitely something I plan to continue and a nice additional movement goal! 
✔A 100 mile race run. Rim to River was a fun race. Grateful to have been able to get buckle #6 this year and enjoy the beauty of the trails down in West Virginia.
✔50 books read. Managed to read 87 books, although many of them were quick and easy mystery reads this year. I have always loved reading and it is a nice change from scrolling on the phone all the time.

So what's next for 2024? 

I realize I never followed up on my early December post to say I did not get into Western States - no surprise there! There was a huge field in the lottery! - and that I signed myself up for Twisted Branch 100k in August. It's a race that has been on my radar for a few years now and I am excited for us to spend a few days up in the Finger Lakes and to explore a new area. I'm still pondering what else I might want to add to my race calendar for 2024.

Overall, my hopes and goals for the new year remain reasonably similar to those in the past as my intent is to keep myself motivated with these goals but truly to keep it all in perspective, stop and smell the hay scented ferns and move the red efts off the pavement, explore as much as possible and spend time with the people I love:

Continue to stay healthy, happy and reasonably sane.
Time with Ryan and Sam, including some outdoor adventures together.
Time together with my parents.
Visits with Irene, Dana and the rest of the family throughout the year. Hopefully we will get to see Kristen and Morgan in 2024.
More time with friends, both on the run and elsewhere. Hoping to get together with Corie and Kris this year for a girls weekend again!

Go on some running/hiking adventures. Get back to the Pemi and do more running up at Ragged and Camden.

2,000+ miles run. with a goal of 2,200.
200 miles walking/hiking.

Be able to race the final 20 miles of Twisted Branch 100k.

Strength work 2x a week plus hill/speed work 1x a week during training. I let these things slack in 2023, and want to work this stuff back into the routine in 2024.
60 books read.

Looking forward to a 2024 filled with more miles, time spent with family and friends, and fun on the roads and trails 💗

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Running Log Files:
2023 - 2,204.00

2022 - 2,157.00
2021 - 2,200.00
2020 - 2,200.00
2019 - 2,116.00
2018 - 2,112.00
2017 - 2,002.00
2016 - 1,900.00
2015 - 1,963.60
2014 - 1,702.00
2013 - 1,557.75
2012 - 1,400.00
2011 - 1,375.00
2010 - 1,100.00
2009 - 675.50 *pregnant/Sam born
2008 - 1,112.00

Walk/Hike Log Files:
2023- 200.00

2022 - 270.00
2021 - 332.00
2020 - 362.00
*still need to search down the stats for these in-between years
2009 - 104.50