Mid-Winter

Falling behind on the posting here... mostly because I am not on the personal computer much these days as it mostly spends its time in Sam's room where she watches her shows 😝😜😆

First off, Sam ended up getting swimmer of the meet from the meet on Friday, 1/23, for "enduring sickness, getting the 200 free state qualifying time and having a great 500" 😊💗 🎉 Way to go, Sam!

Work was busy, weather was cold and we had a big storm on Monday which meant another snowday for Sam and not great running for me. So, I started (and ended) the running week on Wednesday with a run after work on the bike path. I hadn't stretched, and apparently my left calf did not like the two days off followed by a late afternoon no-stretch run and got very irritated partway through the out and back run. Gah.  It was a nice afternoon and I was grateful for a safe place to run with all the snow, but it did not quite go as planned and I didn't run for the rest of the week. Sigh. (6.0 miles)

Took Thursday and Friday off from any activity.

Sam had an away swim meet up in Wicasset on Friday night, and then we had a quiet weekend which was lovely. Got some work and housework done on Saturday and then got out for an afternoon walk around the block with Ryan. Bright, sunny and chilly. Calf felt fine, but still a bit tight so taking it easy so I don’t really mess it up. (2.6 miles walked)

Another cold and windy walk on Sunday afternoon. Brrrr. (2.0 miles walked)

Ryan headed over to NH late on Sunday to ski with Kendra and Michael on Monday before heading to VT for a conference. With a bit of movement, a lot of stretching and some work on my left hamstring, things were feeling better by Monday. 

Tuesday was my birthday and I worked from home so that I could take a half day and frankly just not be in the office on my birthday 😆😉 Met up with Katrina for coffee and a work chat in the morning, got a few errands done, did some work and then decided to get in an afternoon run  once temps had warmed up. Almost felt balmy out at 30 degrees! 😂 Ran out into Highland Green. Left calf was fine but leg in general is a bit tight, will keep an eye on it. Nice afternoon to be out. (6.0 miles)

Mom wasn't feeling great, but Dad joined Sam and I for take-out sushi for a no-cook, no-mess birthday dinner 😊

Wednesday was busy at work, so ended up just getting in an after dinner walk. Headlamp and reflective vest necessary. Stuck to the most lit, least icy parts of the loop. (2.0 miles walked)

Thursday was the last high school home meet of the season, so I left work early to get the senior gifts organized and get over to Bowdoin so we could assemble the balloon arch (the things we do for these kids! 😆😆) before timing at the meet. I think the seniors really liked their gifts, and it's a fun tradition to celebrate the kids. Hard to believe that next year Sam will be in that group. Boy, does time fly. Sam had a great 100 fly, and a solid 500.

Friday was yet another cold winter day, so I got some work and errands done and then headed out around 3:30 for my run. It wasn't warm but it was at least in the double digits!! HA! Ran over in Highland Green. Finally back to clear pavement, and the calf felt good. (6.0 miles)

Ryan and I went out for a late birthday celebration at Enoteca that evening after he had a late west coast meeting, which was fun, and as Mom and Dad were there for an earlier dinner, they gave our secret away so everyone knew it was our birthdays! Had a yummy dinner and drinks - a treat as always! 😋 Meanwhile, Sam was out with the swim team for a team dinner at Buffalo Wildwings so it was a win win all around!

Cold with spitting snow all day long on Saturday, so I didn't get out until the afternoon. Yet another Highland Green Run. Messier roads than I expected and definitely not warm. (8.0 miles)

Went over to Mom and Dad's for dinner and birthday cake Saturday night. Yum!! 🎂

Too cold and windy to go out early this morning. See a theme here?! It certainly has been a "real" winter around here this year!! Did some work, some cleaning and some sitting on the couch reading and then finally headed out around 2:00 for a run. Decided to put my spikes in my pocket and headed out on the powerlines. Despite the snowmobile traffic, the snow was still a bit too soft to be great running (the snow just hasn't warmed up and transformed enough!), but it was nice to be in the woods. Looped around through the Gone Fishing trails and then took the roads back home. Legs were heavy but calf felt fine. (10.0 miles)

And with that, here are the stats from the first month of the year. 

January:
140.19 miles run
6.72 miles walked
0.00 miles xc skiied
4x weights

YTD:
140.19 miles run
6.72 miles walked
0.00 miles xc skiied
4x weights

Mid-January

Monday was a holiday and a day off of work for Sam and I. A few more inches of  snow fell overnight into the morning hours, with soft snow showers all day long. Got some ready, work and house stuff done, and finally headed out around 2:00 pm for a run. Didn't want to waste the day, although my stomach was feeling a bit off, so just took it easy and ran out through Highland Green with my spikes in my pocked and down into the Cathance. Multiple people out snowshoeing and trails were reasonably packed. Lovely out there with the snow covered trees. Saw a beaver in the water carrying a branch but he skittered off before I could get a photo. (6.0 miles)

Wednesday was an after dinner walk in the dark around the school block. Cold but not as chilly as it was at 6:00 am! (2.09 miles walked)

A few inches of snow overnight, and Thursday was a run on the slippy, sloppy, snowy streets in the dark at 5:40 am. (6.0 miles)

Friday was an afternoon run on the Gone Fishing and snowmobile trails from the dump. Trails had been groomed and packed by fat bikes or snowmobiles, but still just a bit soft so it was a bit of extra effort. Still quite nice out! (6.0 miles)

Frigid temps overnight and into the day on Saturday. Went to the farmer's market and got some house and work stuff done in the hopes that temps would rise a bit by the afternoon. Ended up with more miles than degrees 😂🤪 (8 vs 9)! Had on all the layers and honestly, not terrible unless I was running into the wind and then it definitely felt cold. Just ran out in Highland Green to keep it simple. (9.0 miles)

No reprieve from the cold on Sunday. Once again stayed in during the morning hours and got some work done in the hopes of a bit of a warm up, which didn't really happen. Was still only 5 degrees when I went out at 1:15 pm. Thankfully there was no wind, but still felt just plain cold. Despite the layers, or maybe because of them, my legs just did not want to move 🤪 Ran roads around town, and finished up just before the snow started to fall. (6.0 miles)

Highland Green Running

It's been a snowy and icy January so far, so there has been a lot of Highland Green running! It's boring as hell but it's a safe and accessible place to run post-snowstorms, and for the past two weeks all of my running has pretty much been confined to Highland Green. Aie, I really need to get out more! 😜

Monday the 5th was back to work and school and a regular schedule for us all after a few holiday weeks with a lot going on. Tuesday, I got up early and then just read my book on the couch instead of running or working 🤪 Seemed a good idea with an inch of snow on the ground from overnight, so decided to just run in the afternoon around Highland Green. Warmish and overcast. (6.0 miles)

Thursday was another afternoon Highland Green run. Lovely and warm enough for no gloves and mostly just wet pavement with only a few ice slicks. (6.0 miles)

Friday, I waited until it wasn’t an ice slick out there, and got some work and errands done early… then was just squeezing it in before heading down to Sam’s swim meet in Cape Elizabeth 🤪😂🤷‍♀️ (6.0 miles)

Along with a lot of Highland Green running, most of my running these first few weeks of January have been afternoon miles. Kept with the theme on Saturday after getting some work, errands and home stuff done in the morning... Balmy with a lot of puddles. Also the back road is not ideal. (8.0 miles)

Sunday, I strayed from a staight-up Highland Green route and went out along the Connector path and up to Homeplace, but back through Highland Green. A mixed bag of wet pavement, slick icy connector path and snowy, icy slippery backroad. Overcast and damp. (10.0 miles)

This past week, Ryan was away from Monday through Thursday in Utah working and skiing. Looks lovely, doesn't it? 

Meanwhile, more snow and ice and Highland Green running over here. And of course Sam got a cold. Oh the glamour! 😂 

Tuesday was yet another afternoon Highland Green run. Nice out. (6.0 miles)

Work continues to be quite busy, and overwhelmed me again on Wednesday so an after dinner headlamp walk it was. Dark and rainy. (2.0 miles)

And then since I didn't have the option to do an afternoon run on Thursday and I'd already squanded two days of running in the week, I was out the door in the foggy, misty, rainy darkness at 5:30 am on Thursday running through Highland Green. (6.0 miles)

Then after work it was over to Bowdoin for Sam's high school swim meet. Despite being sick, she did swam very solid, and someone dug up a photo of her and three of her teammates from an LRSC meet when she must have been 7 or 8 years old. So cute, and I love that they all still swim together both at the Y and on the high school team! 💗

Friday I had a massage with Lauren at 8:30 am and I knew I should get in my run before hand, so I headed out as the sky was lightening at 6:50 am, and decided to wander around with my spikes on. Conditions ok but a bit too much hard ice for my liking. Cold, overcast and windy, with no real sunrise. (6.0 miles)

More snow Friday night, and enough that the spikes were on the whole way during my afternoon Saturday run. Nothing was plowed down to pavement so it didn’t matter. Very flat light and just enough ice under the few inches of snow that it was a bit sketchy, but pretty out there! Ran on the snowy roads, the cart paths and down into the Cathance. (8.3 miles)

Wrapped up the week with yet another Highland Green afternoon run on Sunday, and made a commitment to NOT run all the miles through there next week! 😂😂 (10.0 miles)

Happy New Year!

It was a quick trip down south as we headed home early on Monday so that Ryan could get home in time for a 10:00 meeting, but as always good to see everyone! 💗 

I spent the rest of the day working and getting stuff done around the house, and then it was back into the office on Tuesday. Came home early enough that Ryan and I squeezed in a walk around the school block before darkness fell. Sidewalks were very sketchy! (2.59 miles walked)

Wednesday was New Year's Eve. Headed into work early and then came home to get in a run around 2:30 through Highland Green. Didn’t hit my goal of 2,000 miles and while I realize it is an arbitrary goal, I was definitely beating myself up about it slightly, but with no race and other things taking my energy this year (work 🤪), it is what it is. Still grateful for the miles I did hit - 1,883 - and looking forward to what 2026 brings. (6.3 miles)

Then because I really am slightly crazy, once I got home from my run, I changed and headed back out for a short mile walk around the neighborhood to get my walking miles to a nice even 210. (0.9 miles walked)

And with that, it was a wrap on 2025! 

Of course, as always, the year is not just about the miles. No year is perfect, and there were the inevitable lows, and on my end, probably a bit too much work, but overall, there were a lot of highlights in 2025. We went to France! Sam got her license! Dad turned 80, Ryan and I turned 50, Sam turned 16. Went down to Texas for Morgan's graduation. Saw the extended Raymond clan for Nancy's memorial service as well as at the holidays. Sam, Ryan and I took a fun spring trip to Boston, I got in some running with friends (but not enough), and we had some good times both on and off the trails with friends and family. Grateful as always for this life I get to live and those I am living it with 💗

Looking back on my goals for 2025, I'd say I give myself a B.

• Continue to stay healthy, happy and reasonably sane. Sane is depatable 😉 but I stayed healthy and there was a lot to be happy about.
• Time with Ryan and Sam, including some outdoor adventures together. With swimming, work and other things going on, our outdoor adventures were mainly in France, but we did get in a trip to Boston together, and Sam and I spent a lot of time together in the car as we got in her driving hours!
• Time together with my parents, Irene and Dana, and the rest of the family. Always happy to be able to accomplish this!
• Enjoy a special trip to Paris together! We are headed there in late July/August with my parents, and then Sam, Ryan and I are going on to Chamonix for a few extra days. So excited!😍😍 Such a special trip!
• More time with friends, both on the run and elsewhere. I didn't get in a lot of Friday runs with the ladies, but did manage to run and catch up with friends throughout the year, and we managed to coordinate dinner and time with Neal, Kendra, Vicky, Michael, Nate and Shannon outside of our regular Chalk Pond summer weekend, which was nice!
• 2,000+ miles run. Nope, this did not happen. 
• 200 miles walking/hiking. Check.
• Get back to strength work, and hopefully hill work too once I choose a 2025 race. Only partially managed to make this happen and definitely wasn't consistent with the strength work.
• Run an ultra! Nope, this did not happen. 
• Read 75 books. Check. Managed to read 86 books!

For 2026, many of my goals remain the same -

• More time with family and friends
• 2000 miles run
• 200 miles walked
• Really and truly run an ultra after two years away
• Read 75 books 
• And, in general, enjoy life!

Cheers to another year of miles, smiles and all the in betweens 💖💗

Kicked off the new year with a late afternoon run on the powerlines. So glad I put my spikes in my pocket! Haven’t been on the trails in a bit. Had fun. Trails had been rolled and then some fat bikes had been on the trail too so fairly solid surface. Cold and windy but nice to be out! (6.0 miles)

Saturday, I hit the farmer's market, got some work done and took down the Christmas tree. Always a sad state of affairs, but it needed to be done. Headed out around 1:30 for another run on the powerlines and out towards the dump. Gone Fishing trails were great, no ice. Rest icy in spots but still pretty decent. Ran into Ryan on the way back and enjoyed his component for the final 1.5 miles. Nice to see him out in the trails 😊 (8.4 miles)

Cold and spitting snow on Sunday morning, so lazed around for a bit, got some work, cleaning and baking done and then finally headed out in the afternoon once the sun had come out and headed over to Highland Green. (8.0 miles)