Happy with 15

Fun with Mim

While Ryan was kicking butt at yesterday's Pisgah 50k, Sam and I went and spent a few hours in the afternoon with Kristen, Morgan, Caitlin, Susie, Lillie and Mim. Sam had fun playing with Morgan, and terrorizing Susie's cat, Elvis, not to mention chomping on Mim's necklace :-) I took the day off from running, so that meant today was the day for my long run. I was a bit unsure how it would go. I was really hoping my leg would hold up and I could get in 14 to 16 miles. 16 would be ideal, but I knew I would be happy (or at least reasonably so) with anything over 12. 

It was bright and sunny, and a bit breezy, as I headed out on the powerlines after Sam went down for her morning nap. A gorgeous fall day, perfect for running! The chickadees were calling from the bushes, and the goldenrod and purple asters swayed in the wind. I got in a bit more than 6 miles on the powerlines before heading onto the Mt. Ararat trails and over to the Cathance trail system. The red and yellow leaves of the turning swamp maples along the river reflected in the calm and shallow waters, and the sun sparkled off the rapids further along the trail. I saw a Kingfisher flying across the river, and passed two woman with their little kids, out enjoying the morning on the trails. I was feeling good, and was really pleased to not have any real pain in my left leg. I did have a few twinges here and there, and stopped a few times to stretch things out, which seemed to help. In the end, I turned into the driveway with the Garmin reading 15 miles and 2:21:05, and I was more than happy with that. I might be a bit behind on the marathon training, but a run like today's gives me hope that I can pull this whole Stonecat thing off! :-)

And on an unrelated note, here's a shot of the three little munchkins hanging out yesterday morning :-)

Whatcha doin?