Humph

Despite my trepidation about what I would find this morning, I figured I'd check out conditions. Went out at 6:05 am donning in my screwshoes and was happy to find it almost light enough even then to not need my headlamp. Hurray for more daylight! But given the ice, I kept the headlamp on as greater means to ensure I didn't bite the dust or break my a** out there ;) Trail conditions are a bit iffy to say the least. 

Ran up and over Mt A, trying to avoid the black ice on the uphill. The groomed trails have become widely variable, from nice firm snow to ice to bare ground. Ran holes 1 and 2 and then headed across to hole 9. No go there. Too unpacked. Back up to hole 3 and then across to the bottom of the Heath. Sketchy. Ran up along the Quarry and took the back dirt road in, which was partial ice and partial frozen, uneven mud. Took the high road on the powerlines for the final stretch as it was bare ground, and ended with a random 5.3 miles for the morning. 

So, let's be honest and say trail conditions kinda are really not the best right now. Plus, it is just not normal to have so little snow on the ground mid-February. Shoulder season shouldn't be here yet. I do hope we get more snow but I'd prefer it sooner than later. Am I asking too much?!? Ha! Can't change the weather, I know, but that doesn't mean I can't complain about it ;)

Hitting the pavement tomorrow for a long, hilly run. 

President's Day Half

We signed Sam up for vacation camp at Riverview this week, and then realized that both Ryan and I had today off. Well, what the heck? Might as well send her to camp and do something just the two of us, a chance which doesn't happen very often! Of course, what else to do but go for a long run and out to lunch? Sounds perfect to me!

I dropped Sam off around 8:45 and then the two of us eventually got ourselves out the door. Neither of us was rushing, as the thermometer was still reading below zero ;) We drove over to Brad and headed out onto the snowmobile trail in our microspikes. Temps were in the low single digits and it was a cold first mile, but I warmed up quickly. And man, between the fat bikes, the snowmobile groomer, skiers and the snowshoe race, things were packed pretty nicely for the first few miles. Once we reached the park boundary, things were a bit looser, but still in fine shape.

Out on the powerlines

Once out on the powerlines, with the wider trail, things were a bit more uneven and softer, and we were exposed to the wind. Conditions were decent though, although I thought the snow felt a bit funny underfoot, very styrofoamy if you will, with some soft spots and icy spots and bare spots too. The river was definitely frozen, but man, I really do not like crossing it.

I had been feeling good for the first 6 miles or so, but dragged a bit through the middle miles, and was especially unenthused out by the electrical transfer station, where the wind had done a number on things. I just let Ryan lead and kept on chugging. As neither of us was really up for a full Beautiful Loop, we kept to the left and turned off on the Connector to get back to the park. I really do love that stretch of trail, so beautiful. Fairly nicely packed too although a bit slower being singletrack.

Pretty trees, with snow frosting tucked along the branches

Happy to have been able to run all of the hills, with the one exception of the first section of Boundary Trail we hit once we reached the park. That stretch was a bit sketchy with icy rocks and definitely had to be hiked. Out along the back stretch of the Boundary we found a lifesize snowman. Very impressive! Although we can't take credit for his creation, we had to stop and take a photo :)

Snowman with a snowman

We ran up to the summit and then took the Switchback down, for a total of 13.2 miles. A good 2 1/2 hours out on the trails with Ryan!

Edna & Lucy's was closed, so we headed back to Brunswick and tried the new burrito place that went in when Flipside closed. Yum! Perfect post-lunch food. Then home to clean up and relax a bit before picking up the kiddo at camp. A pretty good vacation day if you ask me :)

Chillier

Lovely burst of arctic air the past two days. Woke up to 0 degrees yesterday, and while it warmed up throughout the day, the wind picked up too. Brrr. Sam and I went to swimming and Frosty's while Ryan was out marking the snowshoe course, then we met him over at Edna & Lucy's for lunch before heading home so I could get in my run. A trundling, windy, chilly, post-lunch lurch, would perhaps be more exact ;) I was layered up quite nicely so I actually ended up being pretty warm, though, honestly! The snowmobile trails had been churned by the machines and really weren't all that fun running, so I turned off at Highland Green Road and ran the main loop, with a short 1.1 mile Cathance loop thrown in the middle. Trails were pretty well packed, and pretty as always, down along the river. Got in 6.1 miles for the afternoon.

Later that evening, Sam helped me decorate the race prizes for Valentine's Day ;)

When I headed up for bed last night, the thermometer was already reading -3. Wowza! This morning, it read -9 and the "feel like" temp was something ridiculous like -32 due to the whipping wind in Pownal when Ryan arrived around 8:00 am to prep for the snowshoe race. Um, yeah. That is damn cold! Sam and I didn't get there until around 10:15, but after about 2 minutes of standing outside I was already cold despite 4 layers under my jacket and 3 under my snowpants. Luckily, Keri and Tyler had brought their two girls, so the three girls alternated playing in the snow and sitting in the warmth of Tyler's truck eating and playing, and I was able to sit in the car with Mindy and Val for a while too to keep warm. It worked out well for everyone, and there was no complaints about the weather from the kids, which might be more than you could say from the rest of us ;)

I was apparently so cold, I went up in smoke! ;) Ha!

Despite the temps, 52 hardy souls ran the race, and Ryan came in 3rd overall and looked good doing it. Way to go, Snowman! In his element, I guess :) Sam and I boogied out of there as soon as awards were done and although I warmed up slightly in Edna & Lucy's, I kept on the majority of my layers! Brrr. I did manage to haul myself out for a run around 3:00 pm once we got home, but funny enough, no one else was in the Cathance lot when I pulled in, even though it had warmed up to "feels like 1 degree"! ;)

Since I was running all trails, I decided to test out my new Hillsound Free Step 6 microspikes. Despite being an XS, they don't quite hit the heel of my shoe so there was a bit of clanging as that portion shifted around as I ran along, but were otherwise quite comfortable and stayed on well. And, I must say, they certainly did offer more traction than the screwshoes, and any slipping that did occur was mainly when I slipped off the side of the narrow packed singletrack and/or hit an uneven spot. I ran around the Heath first and then out on the Barnes Leap trail and along the river. The first two miles were nicely packed but farther out in the system, it was a bit more uneven and sugary, making the final two miles a bit slower going. Still, a lovely, snowy, chilly afternoon four mile jaunt.

We capped off the day with dinner out. A fine evening with my big and little love :)

Chilly

This has been one odd winter. Or maybe it is just that it has been inconsistent. Needless to say, the cold spell we are currently having seems extra chilly after the long stretches of warm winter weather we've had recently. Brr! Only 3 degrees when I headed out, and that was at 9:00 am after dropping Sam off at school. Easy day to run more miles than degrees, at least ;)

I had a laundry list of things on my to do list and was volunteering in Sam's classroom this afternoon, so in my mind, it made more sense to stick around here and run, versus driving over to the Brad, so I decided I would try for a little "speed" and run roads today. I parked over on Pennelville Road and headed out from there, enjoying the crisp cold air, the brilliant sunlight, the sparkling ocean views and the bright white snow cover along the fields. The roads were quiet with little traffic and in surprisingly decent shape. I was able to run comfortably without my screwshoes; there was only one stretch of road in the shade with a bit of snow/ice coverage, otherwise I had good bare pavement to run on. The early miles went by easily at a solid clip, and then I had to focus a bit to stay there, but it felt good. Finished up with 10 miles in 1:26:59 for 8:40 pace, and happy with that.

Rough

A rough start to the week here. A sick kiddo in Monday and a two-hour snow delay on Tuesday meant a few half days at work, and the ensuing coughing overnight meant little sleep, and therefore no getting up in the early morning hours to run. Sigh.

Thankfully Sam is on the mend and we were all able to get some sleep last night, and I finally got up and out for a run after there days off. I headed out around 5:50 am out in the powerlines. The snowmobile club had rolled the trails out to Homeplace; the snow was still pretty soft but if I ran right down the middle where things were the most packed, it was decent. Out on the back of the loop, the trail was packed by a machine or two but not rolled. 

The woods began to lighten as I ran back along Lover's Lane and I was able to turn off my headlamp. After cresting the hill by Rt 24 and the rest of the way home, I was able to see the sun rise. Truly beautiful, especially as the sun crested the horizon and began to cast a soft pastel glow on the white snow. 

Got in a lovely 7 miles for the morning at a mellow pace and very happy to have gotten out!

Slow but Beautiful Cathance

After yesterday's snowshoe tromp out in the Cathance with Ryan and Sam, I knew exactly where I was headed this morning. It was just so beautiful out there. Beautiful this morning too, but much softer and slower than I had been anticipating, and I managed to slip off one of the bog bridges and jam up my left ankle. All the slipping and sliding around in the soft snow left it feeling a bit wobbly. Glad to have a Dr. Jamie appointment this week.

But really, hard to complain, as I had the trails to myself out there this morning, the sun was shining, the trees were still snow covered and the river was roaring. Got in 7.2 miles to round out the week at 36.1 miles, and am certainly happy with that.

Ocean and River

Intended to get up and out early this morning for my run, but Sam had other plans and she woke up before I headed out the door. Which led to me hanging out with her and making pancakes and bacon while Ryan slept. So when Amy said, hey, let me know if you want to run, I like, well, if you want to come up here, I'm game! So instead, I got in a lovely road run out through the quiet roads of Pennelville with Amy mid-morning today. It was a windy but beautiful blue sky day, with the sun shining and the trees covered with snow. We ran down to Simpson's Point and took in the ocean view before looping back around to the car for a good 5.5 mile run. Perfect!

Later this afternoon, after Ryan had gotten in his snowshoe run and Sam and I went to do the recycling and to battle the crowds at Target, the three of us got out for a snowshoe hike down along the Cathance. The trails had been really packed out by the time we arrived around 3:30. I guess everyone else wanted to get out and enjoy the snow and sunshine! We went a slightly different route than we might normally take, enjoying the late afternoon light shining through the birch groves, the roar of the river, the snow-covered trees, and marveled at how amazing it was to have snow on the ground but also so much open water. Still, incredibly beautiful out there. We got in a nice hour-long/1.1 miles hike and then headed off to meet up with Kristen, Phil, Anne and Thistle for sushi and gelato. Life is good ;)

Snow Day

Today's snow day brought to you by sticker making, bird feeder painting and a whole lot of Wild Kratz....

From 50 degrees yesterday to a snow day today. Crazy! But that's Maine for ya... Snow, snow and more snow...

Donuts, Deer and a Day Off

Original plans called for meeting up with Amy yesterday for a birthday run and lunch out. With the weather, we decided to move the celebration to today, which actually worked out quite well, as combined with my regular Friday off it meant a four-day weekend. Can't complain about that! We met up this morning out at Lawrence Road after I dropped Sam off at school, and got ready to run. Of course, we had to eat our donuts first ;)

Pre-run donuts

With all the rain from yesterday combined with temps in the low mid-40s, we figured the best bet was to stick to the roads today. Thankfully, these back roads are quiet and not well-traveled, and I was surprised to find that after the first few paved road miles, we would end up running on nice packed dirt roads for the remainder of the out and back. We also found some good hills, some lovely field and marsh vistas, complete with low mist rising from the dwindling snowpack, and had a grand old time enjoying the run and each other's company as we chatted away. Always fun to run with Amy!

Mist rising

Fun running

Love the design of queen anne's lace in winter

Back roads

Of course, we also found a deer leg, yup, just the leg, in the middle of the road, with no evidence of the rest of the body to be found. Bizarre. You just never know what you'll find out there. Also a wooly bear. On February 4th. Moving around and unfrozen. This has been one odd winter.

Deer leg.

Wooly bear!

We got in a good 14 miles on this spring-like morning, and followed up the run with lunch at Edna & Lucy's, which, for me, also included a delicious, decadent chocolate cupcake. Yum! 

Incredibly lucky to be able to spend the morning running and playing with my good friend! Thanks, Amy! :) A perfect birthday celebration!

41, You've Got Nothing On Me

41. A weird age. Not a big one like last year. Just any other day, really. I don't feel old. Well, ok, sometimes ;) But don't quote me on that!

Honestly, it was a regular day today. No special dinner, no donuts or ice cream. Gasp, I know! Just work and swim lessons for Sam, which meant a 4.1 mile treadmill run for me ;)

Of course, the best thing about birthdays these days is hearing from family and friends, which I had plenty of! Love that! Oh and this gem from Sam ;) 

But, don't worry, I'm not completely ignoring my birthday. Honest. I'm taking a day off tomorrow to run with Amy and have lunch out, and am following it up with my regular three day weekend. I'd say that's a pretty good way to celebrate! Oh, and there just might be a few donuts to eat tomorrow pre-run :) 

River and Back with John

Got in a nice early morning run with John today. We couldn't decide which would be better, Cathance or snowmobile trails, so I asked Sam. She said Cathance, so that is where we went ;) Variable conditions out there for sure, with everything from packed snow to ice to bare ground to open water, but it was doable. Of course, John just ran right over everything while I timidly picked my way across the ice, etc, ha! We had a great time catching up as we ran, and caught the beginning of the sunrise, which was partially hidden beneath the heavy overcast. A nice 5.2 to start the day.

2016 Goals: Gratitude - January

I've never been big on resolutions but I do like to set goals and having things to work toward. And while I certainly have running goals for 2016, one of the other things I am hoping to focus on this year is gratitude.

I have the bad habit of thinking woulda coulda shoulda, of looking ahead and behind, of not always appreciating what I have and how good I have it. There will never be enough money or vacation time and there will always be a house to clean, laundry to do and little daily annoyances. But I am incredibly lucky and need to do a better job of remembering that and appreciating the joy around me, whether it be from something small or big.

I saw something in Facebook around the holidays about making note of one good thing/thing that made you happy/grateful/thankful/smile every day and writing it down, with the idea of looking back at the end of 12 months and remembering how great the year truly was, and I really like the idea.  I'm not saying this means I will always be joyful or grateful, but it does mean I am going to make a conscious effort every day to note something that has made me happy/grateful/thankful. I won't be putting my notes in a jar, but the practice of gratitude and appreciation speaks to me, and is something I plan to work in this year.  My plan is to do monthly compilations, with notes typed out daily. And since this blog is essentially my journal of running, life and kiddo stuff, here is the first installment: my gratitude list for January. I must say, there was a lot of fun and happiness this past month!

1/1/16 - Grateful to be able to share a run on the icy trails at the other Brad with Ryan. We don't get to run together often, so it's always nice when we get the chance! Great way to kick off the new year.

1/2/16 - Thankful to spend time with family and to see these two cuties laughing and playing together. 

1/3/16 - Birds chirping, pretty marsh, pretty sky. Enjoyed the peace and solitude out on my run this morning. 

1/4/15 - This. 

1/5/16 - Indoor recess for two days meant a bit of fresh air was needed, so Sam and I went for a headlamp walk around the block tonight after I picked her up at after school care. She held my hand the whole way.

1/6/16 - Grateful to have a job with flexibility enough to leave at 3:00 on a Wednesday to take Sam to swim lessons.

1/7/16 - Headed out at 6:00 am for a run on a crisp, clear morning. Treated to the incredible sight of the crescent moon flanked by the brightly shining Venus and Mars. Gorgeous.

1/8/16 - Green hills, blue electric sky.

1/9/16 - Every day is better if it involves a Frosty's donut and a cup of coffee. Enough said. Plus 7 hours of solid sleep last night, which is huge for me. 

1/10/16 - Glad to have a good friend to meet up with on a dreary, rainy, misty, foggy Sunday morning to hold me accountable to my 12 miles on a day it would have been easier to stay inside. Thanks, Amy! 

1/11/16 - More late afternoon light means time for weekday outdoor adventures! Checked out the Labrynth in the Woods with Sam today after her dentist appointment. Fun in the woods is always good. 

1/12/16 - Snow falling in the darkness. As Sam says, "it is so beautiful."

1/13/16 - Thankful to be able to access plowed, quiet streets for an early morning run after a snowfall.

1/14/16 - Oh happy day! Today, I finally finished entering the last of the 200+ end of the year donations and printing out the corresponding thank you letters that I've been working on at work. Only took two weeks!! Hurray. 

1/15/16 - Lovely, snowy daylight run along the Cathance. River was roaring!

1/16/16 - Excited Sam was so excited by her new skis that we just had to get out to try them out after today's storm :)

1/17/16 - Peaceful, solitary, beautiful, tough, frosty snowshoe run at the Brad this morning followed up with an afternoon snowshoe hike with Sam out in the Cathance. Always good to get out and play in the snow :)

1/18/16 - A vacation day spent with friends is always fun! Spent many hours hanging out with Will and Amy. The kids played really well together, and Amy and I trekked around the yard in our snowshoes ;)

1/19/16 - On cold, windy days like today, I am incredibly thankful that I can crank up my heat without wondering if I have enough fuel left in the tank. Many of the clients we work with do not have that luxury, and in these cold months I am always reminded of how lucky I am to have a warm, cozy home.

1/20/16 - Beautiful pre-dawn snowshoe run this morning down to the river and back. Thankful I hauled myself out of bed and out the door :)

1/21/16 - Tonight, while trying to get Sam ready to sleep, she got the hiccups. So after the lights were turned out and I sang her a few songs, I thought I'd yell a big silly "Boo" to try and startle the hiccups away. Of course, all that happened was she said, "Was that a big sneeze?" and then Ryan came running in from the bathroom wondering what the hell had just happened, and Sam said, "It wasn't me! It was Mommy!" and the two of us started laughing hysterically. Well, so much for getting calm before bedtime but it's always good to get in a big belly laugh for the day ;)

1/22/16 - Great 10 miles on the snowmobile trails at the Brad with Maureen today. Felt strong and happy, which is how all runs should be :)

1/23/16 - Love being cuddled up on the couch with a tired girl, reading books to her before bedtime. 

1/24/16 - Always good to spend the morning outside in the sun and snow with friends! TMR snowshoe race season kick-off today, and if you're not racing, volunteering is a fun alternative :) 

1/25/16 - Still light in the sky at 5:00 pm! 

1/26/16 - Beautiful sky and packed singletrack on this morning's run! 

1/27/16 - Love getting into bed and having Gigi jump up and give me nose kisses before settling in by my side, purring contentedly.

1/28/16 - "Easy peasy," said Sam tonight as she finished up her math homework. So glad that she loves school, enjoys doing her work and that homework is not a struggle to get through every night!

1/29/16 - Grateful to be able to spend a few hours a month volunteering in Sam's classroom. So neat to be able to get a glimpse into her day, get to know her peers and teacher, and watch her learn.

1/30/16 - Just plain enjoyed the whole day, complete with a happy kid, a good afternoon run down to the river and good energy all around.

1/31/16 - An early morning trail run with a good friend, always a great way to start a day!