Bradbury Running

Today was the start of our mini-vacation. Hurray! Sam was up at 6:15, and we hung out and played and read books until around 7:15, when I realized I had yet to hear a peep out of Ryan. He was still dead asleep, but managed to get organized pretty quickly so that we could drop Sam off at daycare at her normal time of 8am. From there, we headed into Brunswick to the farmer's market on the green. It is always wonderful to wander around the market, talking to the friendly vendors, looking at the gorgeous and colorful bounty of fruits, vegetables and flowers on display and choosing some goodies to take home. We ended up with local corn, potatoes, blueberries, eggs, and a yummy chocolate zucchini cupcake and molasses cookie to share later. Then it was off to Bradbury for a run! What a treat to be able to run together. I felt a bit like a bad mom, bringing Sam at daycare on a day off, but she really does love it there and they love her, so we knew she was in good hands, and it was great to be able to spend some time just with Ryan, and especially to have a chance to get in a run with him!

We headed out onto the trails a little after 9am. It was a beautiful morning. Cool and crisp, with the sun shining, a breeze blowing and no humidity. There were only a few other cars in the parking lot, so the trails were quiet. We started with the Breaker course and ran the second loop, finishing down the Terrace Trail. We ran along at a comfortable pace, chatting away and enjoying the morning. It was good to have a chance to run part of the course - it is a tough one, that's for sure, but fun to run. I really need to work on my confidence and speed on the downhills though - Ryan really was able to gap me there - but I know I'm strong on the uphills. Hopefully I'll be able to run well next weekend! We finished off the loop in 51 minutes, made a quick stop at the car to refill our bottles, and then headed across the street to run a lap on the Scuffle course. The new bridges they put in on Fox East were pretty nice, and that section of the course is fun - too bad we had to detour around it last month, but oh well. I hit a patch along Ginn where my legs were feeling a bit dead, but I rebounded as we hit the downhill on the Snowmobile trail and otherwise, felt good throughout. As we got back to the parking lot, the Garmin was reading 10.82, so I ran back up the trail a bit to get a round 11.0 for the day. Final time 1:54.

Ryan wanted to get in a longer run, so he headed out for another loop on the Breaker, while I drove to Freeport and did some grocery shopping in preparation for tomorrow's trip to Baxter. It was great to have the chance to get over to Bradbury and run with Ryan, especially on such a perfect day! What a treat!

We came home, showered, ate and got a (tiny) bit of packing done before we headed to pick up Sam and take her to the doctor's. Her eczema has been getting a bit out of control, so I figured it was time to get it checked out. The doctor wasn't too concerned, but did prescribe a stronger hydrocortisone cream for the flair-ups. Hopefully it will help! And for the record, Sam is growing like crazy - she is now up to 17.0 lbs. Wow!

When we got home, Sam went down for a nap and Ryan and I ran around like crazy, packing and organizing. Sam didn't wake up from her nap until 5pm, and I was able to get dinner ready quickly enough that we were all able to eat together, which was so nice. Sam did great, eating not only her puree and Cheerios, but also some tiny pieces of roasted sweet potato and chicken off a fork for me! What a good girl! And speaking of dinnertime, here is a short little video of her from tonight. I think she's happy :-)

Quick Evening Run

I took the past two days off, as Ryan was up at work overnight and Sam has been feeling a bit under the weather with a summer cold meaning she was in bed early both evenings and a B.O.B. run was just not meant to be. So, this evening I was determined to get out. There was a gentle breeze blowing, and it was a beautiful evening to be out. Unfortunately, I didn't quite have the umph I would have liked, and cut the run short at 3 miles. Ah well. I'm not going to beat myself up (today, at least) for running 2 miles less than planned. I should still be able to finish off the week with some decent mileage, as Ryan and I are planning on a morning run at Bradbury tomorrow. I have to get in at least one lap on the Breaker course, after all! Then on Saturday, we'll head up to Baxter. It's unusual for me to have four days off in a row in the height of summer, so I'm definitely looking forward to these next few days :-)

Monday Evening Run

I normally have Mondays off, but this week I was scheduled to work today. It was a bit of a bummer to only have one day off and head back to work today, but the reward for working today is four days days off at the end of this week. Hurray! Friday, we'll send Sam to daycare for the morning, and Ryan and I will get a run in together and then get ourselves organized and packed up for our trip to Baxter State Park. We are renting a cabin on Kidney Pond, and will head up on Saturday morning for a long weekend. We're really looking forward to getting back up to Baxter - it is a wonderful place, and has a special place in our heart - and to sharing it with Sam.

As I was working and Sam was up early, I didn't have a chance to get out and enjoy the cool temps (only 65 degrees!) this morning, but I did manage to sneak out tonight after Sam went to bed. I did the short Highland Green loop, and although it wasn't quite as cool as this morning, it was a pleasant evening, and nice to get out and loosen up the legs and enjoy a few ripe and sweet blackberries along the way.

Beautiful Sunday

Sam had a bit of a rough night last night. I don't know if it's finally teething or that she has picked up another cold at daycare, but she is stuffed up and kept waking up crying. She didn't even really want to eat, she was just unhappy. Poor baby. I had hoped she might sleep in to make up for the extra night wakings, but no such luck. So, at 5:45, we were up and downstairs playing. Luckily, once she got up she was happy! She is moving around like crazy - no, not crawling - but rolling, spinning, pivoting, making circles. She can get almost anywhere she wants to go with this, but I know she's trying to crawl. She gets up on all fours and sort of shimmies forward an inch or two before falling back on her tummy. She just doesn't appear to have put all the pieces together and realized she needs to move her arms too! Oh well. She'll get it...eventually :-)

Since she was up so early, she went down for a nap around 8:00. I scrambled around, getting myself organized and out the door for my run, and finally left at 8:30. After the rain last night, it was a bit cooler out, but still humid. It was warm in the sun on the powerlines, but felt nice and cool in the shade of the trees and down by the river along the Cathance trails. I did almost the same "loop" as last week's long run, but added another mile on the powerlines before heading back to the Cathance trails. There were a lot of puddles in the ruts along the powerlines, and there was just no way to avoid them all, so I splashed right through. My feet were soaked by mile #1, and stayed that way for the rest of the run. Unlike last week, I was feeling pretty good from the start. Tired, yes, but solid. I kept up a good pace for the first 7.5 miles, but things slowed down once I got on the twisty turny Cathance trails. All the rocks and roots were slippery, and there was a fair amount of water to run through. The grassy sections seemed even more overgrown, as all the tall grasses were leaning into the trail after the heavy rains. I scared a little frog off one of the bridges over an overflow stream along the river, and caught sight of my Towhee friends, as well as a Cardinal and a pair of Goldfinch sitting on a goldenrod branch. The river was chocolate-brown, and someone at some point must have lost contact with their raft while playing in the currents, as I came upon a big yellow and blue inflatable raft up on the side of the trail near the rapids. A funny sight in the woods :-) The run felt good, and I had the trails all to myself on a beautiful morning. I got in 12.1 miles in 1:54:14, and came home sweaty, mud splattered and happy.

After a quick shower, we headed down to Freeport to meet up with Kristen and Morgan for lunch and a walk on the trails at Wolfe's Neck State Park. We sat at one of the picnic tables under the Pavilion and ate, then hit the trails, wandering through the woods and down along the rocks. We spotted two osprey, and lots of mushrooms in the woods. Sam chatted the whole way, and Morgan did a good job running up and down the trail and splashing in the puddles! Lots of fun :-)

Loving her sippy cup!

Kristen and Morgan on the rocks

On the trail

I love this backpack!

Osprey on the nest!

Morgan wanders the shoreline

Good form!

22

Alternate title #1: "Fitting It In." Alternate title #2: "Mommy Guilt."

I think these themes are going to come up often in my posts, so you'll have to bear with me. I want to run. I need to run. Seriously, I need to run or my head might explode. Just ask Ryan. I want to run long, to run strong, to race well and spend time with my friends on the trails. I want to run more than 22 miles a week, which is the number I've been stuck on for the past three weeks. Yes, 22 is better than 21, than 20 and so on, but it is not quite where I want to be. But I can't give myself over to running completely right now. I also want and need to spend time with Sam. She is growing up so fast. I don't want to miss it all! I'd also like to have some time to spend with Ryan. And with the kitties. I don't want to work, but I need to work. I don't necessarily want to pay bills, or clean the house or the bathroom, or do the dishes or go grocery shopping and run errands, but all these things also need to be done. How often they are done is another story however :-) Of course, Ryan does some of these things too, and more, so I'm not totally going it alone here. But I am finding it hard to fit it all in. And do it all well.

In the mornings, I can't always manage to get up and out for my run before Sam wakes up for the day. And once she's awake, although Ryan offers to watch her, I want to spend time with her before I drop her off at daycare. I have so few hours with her during the week, I hate to miss out on any of them because I want to run. I hate to be that selfish. Of course, I want to spend time with her but I still find myself doing the dishes or making coffee or cleaning the litter box when I should be on the floor playing with her or reading her a book. At night, I want to get home from work to be with her, but I also want to start dinner so Ryan isn't doing it all. I want to be able to play with her, but on the other hand, if I'm hoping to run after she goes to bed, part of me wants her to go to sleep easily and on time, so I can sneak out before it gets dark. I want her to sleep through the night but I know once she does I will miss those times, with her in my arms, her warm body next to mine, her tiny hand resting on my chest, or pulling my hair or reaching up to touch my face. There is no right answer here, and while I know there is really no way to truly do it all, that doesn't stop me from wanting to.

These were the thoughts swirling around in my head tonight as I ran the short Highland Green loop at 7pm after Sam fell asleep. Before I left the room, I looked down on her splayed out on her stomach in the crib, her hand touching her little ladybug blanket, her face calm and peaceful. So cute. I leave Ryan in charge of dinner, having chopped the carrots and potatoes for roasting this morning, and picked up the corn at the farmer's market yesterday before work. I run across the street onto the powerlines, stopping to pick a few ripe blackberries. I run to escape the thoughts in my head. I wish I had more time. I probably should run more. How will we fit it all in tomorrow?

I take a deep breathe. I am out running on a beautiful summer night. I am blessed to be able to do so. For a moment, at least, I am content.

(Edited to add: Ryan indicated that he feels this post makes it sound like I am upset with my life. That I am miserable. That was not my intent. I am not upset with my life. I am far from miserable. I have a beautiful, happy little daughter who makes me smile. I have a wonderful husband who supports my running and puts up with my craziness. I live in a beautiful place. I am a runner. A hiker. I am happy. Sometimes, I just think too much :-) )

Beautiful Morning

I almost went for a run last night, but just didn't quite have the energy to get out the door. In the end, I think I'm glad I didn't, as I would have gotten stuck out in the crazy rain/thunder/lightening storm that went through right as we were sitting down to dinner. Man was it dark out there! And it was only 7pm! While I certainly wouldn't have been hot during the run, I think it would have been too much, so perhaps it all worked out for the best.

Since I missed last night's run, I got up and out the door at 5:30am this morning. It was a beautiful morning - 65 degrees, and that nice, crisp feeling after a good storm has gone through in the air. The skies were bright and clear, without the haze they've held almost constantly for the past 3 weeks. I hit the powerlines for the 5 mile Homeplace loop, enjoyed a few blackberries along the way, stomped through a few puddles, saw two of my Towhee friends and no deer flies (hurray!), and was treated to a rainbow as I ran back up the final hill towards Mt. Ararat. How's that for a reward for getting out early?! :-)

Hot and Humid

OK, so it's summer. I realize it is supposed to be hot. But man, usually we will get a break in the heat at some point after a spell of warm weather, and so far, it hasn't happened yet this year! Not to mention the humidity. And the deer flies. Give me winter! I am dreaming of snow. In fact, on my run today as my face felt like it was burning up, I would have given almost anything to jump in a nice fluffy snowbank! I know we tend to think the grass is always greener. In winter it's too cold. In summer it's too hot. Yup, us humans are a complaining bunch. Or at least I am, when it comes to the weather :-) But anyway... onto the running.

Yesterday, I got up and out early for a 3 miler before we headed south to spend the day with Ryan's parents and grandparents. I stopped along the Highland Green Road to pick some of the wonderfully sweet ripe raspberries, and could have stayed there all day. Yum! Other than that, the run was uneventful, and it was nice to have gotten out at the start of the day. We had a nice visit with the family, and Sam entertained us all afternoon with her antics :-)

Four generations

We were a tired bunch by the time we got home, and were all in bed pretty early. Unfortunately Sam was up a number of times last night, but at least she slept in a bit until 7:15. Ahhh... The only downside was that the late wake-up meant that her nap was later, so I didn't get out the door for my run until after 10am. By which point, it was hot. And, you guessed, it, humid! Luckily, there was some breeze to be had, which saved me. Otherwise, I think I might have melted out there. The plan was to run 10 to 12 miles, so I headed out on the powerlines to run the Homeplace loop, and then to the Mt. Ararat trails to connect up with the Cathance trails. I was tempted to bail when I got back to Mt. Ararat - I was just so hot already - but I told myself to just keep going and see how it was once I got into the woods. With a bit of shade, and the breeze, I felt a bit better, but I certainly wasn't feeling all that peppy. While I was running, I kept thinking of Ryan mentioning that Valerie refuses to run a fall marathon, just so she doesn't have to train long through the height of the summer heat. Smart lady! But the training has to be done, and I was happy to finish with what seemed a respectable 1:44:22 for my 11.0miles. And who knows, maybe it won't be quite so hot for the next long run? We can dream, can't we.... :-)

Early Morning and Late Evening

Wednesday morning, as I fed Sam at 5:45am, I listened to the rain falling. I was tempted to go back to bed, but knew what I really needed to do was get up and go out for a run. Although I had put Sam back to bed, I figured she would likely be up again soon, so decided I would just run a quick 3 miles to ensure I was back home before she awaoke. With slightly cooler temps and the falling rain, the deer flies were kept at bay, which was a nice change of pace, and I splashed through the puddles enjoying the early morning quiet. In the end, I could have run longer, as Sam ended up sleeping until 7:45 and I had to wake her up to take her to daycare!

Yesterday, I didn't quite manage the same feat, and stayed in bed in the morning, so I threw on my running clothes after I had put Sam to bed and was out the door at 7:00pm. One of the hardest things for me right now is getting my mid-week runs to be a bit longer as I attempt to up my mileage. The long run, no problem. It's just one day of the week and I can plan for it. The other days, I am scrambling to fit my runs in around my work, Ryan's travels to NH for work, and Sam's nursing and sleep schedule, which is erratic to say the least, so getting in the medium length runs is tough. The reality is that 5 miles is still a pretty short run in the scheme of marathon/ultra training, but it's better than 3, so 5 is what I set out to do last night.

Although it was still incredibly humid (when will it end?!), it was only in the low 70s, the skies were overcast and there was a nice breeze blowing as I headed out on the powerlines. I ran the Homeplace "loop," stopping once to pick a few of the first of this season's ripe blackberries along the lines. Yum! In another week or so, the now green and reddish berries will be ripe, and the brambles are simply laden with them this year, so I'll have to schedule in some time to get out and pick some of them to bring home to enjoy! The deer flies were out, but nothing like what Ryan was describing from his morning run at Bradbury, thank goodness! I ran the route pretty quickly (for me) as what I really wanted was to get home and sit down and eat dinner with Ryan. Despite the late hour, the run felt good.

After a night of little sleep - when I did finally get to bed I couldn't sleep, the result of the late run and dinner followed by racing around trying to do household chores before bedtime - I did not want to roll out of bed when the alarm went off at 5:00am. But I have to work today, and Ryan wanted to run this morning too, so it was early or nothing. There was a layer of low lying fog above the athletic fields, and the rising sun was casting an orange glow across it - beautiful! A Broad-winged Hawk sat quietly on the telephone wire, watching me run by. I was feeling a bit creaky and only managed 3 slow miles but was glad I had gotten up and out. The only way to get in the miles is to actually get out the door!

9 Months and 5 Miles

Sam is now 9 months old, which is hard to believe! Who would have thought 9 months could go by so quickly, and how much one little being could change in that amount of time? Sam is a happy bundle of energy, and we've been having lots of fun with her. When she's excited to see us, we get the whole body smile. She waves hi and bye. She can clap. She laughs and squeals and blows raspberries. She will, on occasion, give me adorable open-mouthed kisses. She loves her kitty cats, and will pull on their tails, feet and anything else she can get her hands on if they get too close. She can sit like a champ, rolls all over the place, and is definitely going to crawl soon - she's getting up regularly on all fours and rocking back and forth - so close!

She does not yet have any teeth. Green beans are her favorite food (who would have thought?!), and she is getting to be pretty good with the Cheerios we put on her tray. Her hand/eye coordination is solid, and her pincer grip well developed. She loves her sippy cup, and protests when we take it away.

She can sit contentedly playing independently with her toys for long stretches but also loves to bounce in her bouncer. I try to read to her every day and she loves her books, although I think she likes to eat them more than she likes looking through them with me :-) She is not yet sleeping through the night, but she's a tiny little munchkin so I'm not cutting her off from her middle of the night feedings just yet.

We had her 9 month appointment this afternoon, and Sam is weighing in at a whopping 16 lbs. 13 oz., and is measuring 25.5". This puts her in the 10th percentile for weight and 5th for height, so she isn't exactly a big girl, but she is gaining weight on a good curve, and certainly has the appropriate baby thunder thighs and buddha belly. They just happen to be smaller than they might be on a larger baby :-) And like the doctor said, she certainly is cute!

Happy baby

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I snuck in a run on the 5-mile Homeplace loop this morning while Sam took her nap. It was warm out, but there was a good breeze which kept the deer flies to a minimum. I felt pretty good, although tired. My left ankle was a bit sore, but otherwise, nothing hurt. I wore my pink road shoes in the hopes of getting them a bit dirty, but man, they still look pretty bright!

Bradbury Scuffle Race Report

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Sunday's 6-mile Scuffle race. I missed the inaugural race in 2008 due to work. Last year I was pregnant and didn't run. I certainly haven't been training for a short race. In fact, I haven't run a short race since the 2008 Thanksgiving Feaster Five. I definitely haven't been doing any speed work, and June wasn't a stellar training month. After running the course a few weeks ago, and saying I was hoping to run 55 minutes or so, I'll admit that my quiet hope was really to run under 9:00 pace. I thought I just might be able to pull that off if all went my way on race day, and in my mind having a good race at the Scuffle, while not redemption for my DNF at Pineland, would at least let me feel like all was not lost, and allow me to feel OK with my running again.

The morning dawned overcast and muggy, despite the rain the night before. Irene and Dana came over to watch Sam for us while we ran, and I headed out around 7:45am, stopping in Freeport to pick up Meghan at their hotel. Ryan and I both really appreciated his parent's help this weekend! Without it, both of us racing would never have worked, and it was great for Sam to be able to spend more time with them too! Thanks guys! We were also super excited that Meghan and Chris had decided to come up to visit as well, and that Meghan was game for her first trail race ever!

After a few words from Ian at the start, including a tribute to his friend Chris which made me tear up, we were off. The start was a quick one, downhill on the Knight Woods trail. I tried to maintain a reasonable pace, which was hard with people zooming by me on all sides. I ended up running along next to Chuck, in his blue plaid kilt, who was running easy in preparation for next week's VT100 race. We chatted a bit as we turned onto the Snowmobile Trail, passing a number of people who had gone out a bit too fast on the initial downhill. As we turned onto the singletrack, I got into line behind Chuck and a few others and we wound our way through the woods. We eventually caught up to Jim, and our train snaked its way along, over roots, rocks and bridges. Chuck yelled back encouragement, telling me to keep up, while Jim yelled back that he liked it better last year when I was fat and slow! :-) Ha! I kept up at the back of the train, passing a few people along the way as we made our way up Ginn to the aid station at the Snowmobile trail junction.

There, Chuck took off, while I stopped to get a drink of water, and Jim stopped to chat for a few seconds with Dora. At this point, I knew there was only a little over 2 miles to go on a wider, less technical trail, so I vowed to pick up the pace as much as I could. Jim trailed along behind me as we ran up the Snowmobile trail, calling me out for going around the big puddle, but I managed to pull away, at least for a while, until he caught me towards the end of the big downhill on the Snowmobile trail. D**n downhills! They are just not my friend. Ah well. Jim didn't get too far away though, and I caught him as we made our way up the final hill. I called out to him to come along, telling him I was sure he could out-sprint me, but he called back that he'd run for 3 hours yesterday, so I said OK, and took off. I worked pretty hard on the uphill as I really didn't want him to catch back up :-) and managed to cross the line in 50:04 (43/147). I was pretty spent, but felt really good about how the race had gone. I think I surprised Ryan a bit, finishing as I did - I know he had faith in me to run well, but perhaps not that much faith :-) Anyway, I'll take it!

Full results here.

As usual, Ian, with the help of all the volunteers and with Ryan at his side as his new assistant, did a wonderful job with the race. The course was well-marked, the awards were many and the t-shirts a great design. Thanks guys! There was a big turn-out, with 147 finishers, and lots of fast types to stack the field. All our Trail Monster friends had great races, and everyone I talked to had fun, including Meghan, and our friend Scot, who was running the race despite never having run more than 5.5 miles! Woohoo! They both had smiles on their faces at the finish, so we'll call it a success :-)

Pink

I have never been a fan of the color pink. When we found out we were having a girl, I vowed that she would not be dressed all in pink. Well, guess what? If you have a child, and she is a girl, you will have to put her in pink clothes! Almost everything we have gotten for Sam in terms of clothing has some pink in it. There is no way around it. So, I have just shrugged my shoulders and surrendered to the pink. But that does not apply to me! Pink? On me? No way! So when I opened the box of new Asics Gel Nimbus that I had bought at Maine Running Company the other week, without trying them on or even looking in the box, because I know they fit, and realized that this pair had hot pink highlights, I almost died.



Oh man! I was going to be wearing these! And they are bright pink! Why, oh why, do shoe companies assume I want to wear pink shoes? Am I the only one that would be happier with blue? Or yellow? Or orange? I am going to have to run these shoes through some serious mud to cover up the pink.... Too bad it has been hot and dry, and the route I ran this morning didn't take me through any big muddle puddles! I did however, stop to pick a few beautifully ripe pink raspberries :-)

Lilies Galore

Wood lily (photo taken on the AT in 2005)

I was up to feed Sam at 3:30 this morning, so I figured that should mean she would (although nothing is guaranteed when it comes to her and sleep!) sleep through until at least 6:30. In the end she didn't wake up until 7:10! Hurray for extra morning time :-) But just in case, I was up and out the door at 5:20 for my run this morning. The skies were overcast and moody looking - I kept waiting for the heavens to open up on me as I ran along but they never did. Temps were in the low 70s and with the breeze blowing, it was relatively comfortable out, although muggy. I ran the powerlines out to the church, which I haven't done in a while, and had a nice run.

Saw plenty of catbirds, a few goldfinch, sparrows and robins, and heard the towhees and phoebes but didn't see them. With all the summer greenery, it is much harder at this time of year to actually spot the birds out there! I made one quick stop to eat a few ripe raspberries at the edge of the trail, but otherwise kept moving. The deer flies weren't bad, but I didn't want to give them the chance to catch up with me :-)

However, the highlight of the run was the multitude of wood lilies that I saw near the end of the powerlines. Wow! On this grey morning, their deep orange flowers really stood out in the grassy expanses along the trail. I have never seen so many of them like this. How wonderful!

Finally

Finally got out for a run after two days off. As I think I've mentioned before, I have been struggling a bit to fit my running in, as Sam's morning schedule is still slightly sporadic, and I hate to give up what little time I have with her and run while she is awake. But this morning, I knew I wanted to get a run in no matter what. So, I got up with Sam when she woke up at 6:30, fed her and hung out with her for a 1/2 hour, then handed her off to Ryan for some Daddy time, and headed out the door for a quick run. I got in 3.5 miles on a mix of trails, dirt roads, a bit of pavement and the powerlines. On the dirt roads and powerlines, I had some pesky company - the deer flies were brutal, and a big horde of them followed me for a good part of the run. I tried to pick up the pace in the hopes of outrunning them, but to no avail. As a friend said, either they're getting faster or I'm getting slower, but whichever it is, there is no escaping them at this time of year :-) As I headed back home on the powerlines, I noticed that the deep orange wood lilies are blooming - I spotted six in total. Beautiful!

Bounce Bounce Bounce

The temperature hit 92 degrees here today. That is just too hot. However, I wasn't out running/hiking the Baldface loop like Ryan, Chuck, Jamie, Jim and Erik, so I at least stayed cool inside! Sam and I had a fun day together while Daddy was out torturing himself in the woods with the guys and had a nice road trip to Gorham to visit with Kristen, Rob and Morgan for a few hours this afternoon. I should have gone running after Sam went to bed tonight, but was feeling tired and hungry and unmotivated to go out and run in the 80+ degree heat at 7pm. So instead of reading a running recap, you can watch Sam jump around in her bouncer like a maniac instead :-) Such fun!!

Hot Hot Hot

The "plan" called for me to run 9 miles this morning. Sam woke up at 6:15 to eat, but very nicely went back to bed for an hour. I took this hour to do a few things around the house while it was still quiet, and to sit for a minute or two with my coffee at the computer before she woke back up. Ryan took first shift running today, so Sam and I hung out while he was gone and I attempted to get her to eat breakfast. She appears to take after her dad in that she is just not a breakfast eater. She didn't like the asparagus I'd steamed and pureed up; she didn't want the sweet potatoes; she managed a few bites of the pears, but was happiest when I gave up and put all that aside, giving her her sippy cup of water and some Cheerios to chomp on. She is getting quite good at picking the Cheerios up and actually getting them into her mouth to chew on :-) It's cute to watch!

Sam went down for her nap at 9:50, so it was 10:00 before I headed out the door for my run. The thermometer was reading in the mid-70s and it was sunny, but at least there was a breeze. I decided to try out Ryan's new hand-held, which holds 22 oz, today. My fuel belt is getting old, is stretched out a bit, and at the moment, it's just a little too big for me, so things bounce around a bit more than I'd like, and my hand-held only holds 10 oz. I figured on this warm morning, having 22 oz. of fluids would be a good thing. My assessment after running for 1:18:32 is that that bottle is a bit too heavy for me to want to hold in my hand for that long, but I managed to drink all my Gatorade regardless!

In the shade of the woods, down by the river, with a gentle breeze blowing, it was quite comfortable out. Sure, I was sweating, but it wasn't all that bad. However, in the sun, on the open grassy paths, alone except for the deer flies buzzing my head and shoulders, it was, well, hot. Still, I had a great run and felt really good. I ended up taking one wrong turn on the route, and wound up with 8.25 miles, but on such a warm day, I wasn't going to run around the neighborhood aimlessly for 0.75 miles just to get to 9. I'll try to add on a bit tomorrow to make up for it, but was happy with my time and effort for the miles I did get in. This was the first time in a little while that nothing has hurt, not my left ankle, my hip, nothing. Hurray! Perhaps having a down month has come to some good in the end.

Flora and fauna notes: Saw a small groundhog foraging along the side of the trail down by the river. I stopped to look at him for a while, and he just looked right back. Cute. Noticed that the bunchberries are starting to sport their bunches of red berries, and stopped to eat a few yummy red raspberries in the open grassy sections heading down to the Ravine Trail.

Outside our front door, the lilies are sporting their beautiful buttery yellow flowers, and where they removed the large evergreen tree, a little field of violets has taken up residence. It's very cheerful!

Lilies

In Sam news, she has been having fun the past few days blowing raspberries and waving "hi" and "bye." I love it! :-)

Short and Sweet

When time is short, and let's face it, it often is these days, I head for the loop named the "Suck Loop" by Ryan. It really isn't that bad, but it certainly isn't the most exciting loop around. It's mostly road, with one section on the powerlines and one section through the woods between Highland Green and the high school fields. I can run it in under 25:00, and I'd say it's just slightly shy (like 0.05 shy) of 3 miles.

Both Friday and today, I was out running on this loop. Friday morning I snuck my run in while Sam slept and arrived home just in time to lift her out of the crib when she woke up at 6:45am. This morning I didn't quite get out of bed bright and early, so I headed out at 7:30am. I was feeling guilty about going out this morning, as Ryan has been on daddy duty these past two days, due to daycare being closed and me working, but he convinced me I should go out anyway, and I appreciated that he did. I really need to get some momentum back running-wise, and get the mileage up again. With that in mind, I'm looking forward to a nice 9-mile run on the Cathance trails tomorrow during Sam's morning nap!

Swinging!

Sam swinging at daycare yesterday!