Slept in on Tuesday and then got up and out early on Wednesday for a run through the Cathance. Even at 5:40 am, it was muggy but at least there were no deer flies. Did see a snowshoe hare, but otherwise, all was quiet, even the river, which is running quite low right now. The woods are in that mid-summer green tunnel phase, with no colorful wildflowers, but out along the powerlines, the milkweed is blooming and smells so sweet.
Got in a nice 6.6 miles for the day, and then all hell broke loose with Sam whining and crying and being a general pain in the a** as I tried to get out of the house early for my Dr. Jamie appointment before work. Sigh. I figured this was going to be a rough week with her starting camp after two schedule-free week with Neenie and Pip, but really, that was not the way I wanted to start the day.
Felt tired yesterday morning and *almost* bagged on the hill repeats I had planned, but decided they'd be worth doing regardless. I've done this workout 4x now, and according to Strava, yesterday's was the fastest average pace, but it's still only 8:55 overall. Ha! Did note on the pace/elevation chart that I managed to eke out sub-6:00 pace 2x during the run, which sure sounds cool, even if it was probably only for like 1 second each time right near the end of the Suicide Hill downhill ;) In any event, I know the hills are good for me, and doing the workout this way seems to be more palatable/work better for me than doing your typical hill repeats, so I'll take what I can get and hope it is a useful addition to my training "plan." 4.3 miles for the day.
This morning, I let Sam sleep in a bit and then after dropping her off at Y camp, I headed out onto the Whiskeag Trail for some miles. It was a mellow meander, with lots of stops to take photos and take in the views. The air was muggy but cool, with a nice breeze and I saw no one else on the trails. I took a few of the offshoots to take in the views, and then once at Thorne Head, took the Narrows Trail around along the river before heading back. Saw and heard osprey calling above, a few crows chasing an immature Eagle, goldfinch flitting amongst the field grasses, a Downy Woodpecker out in Sewall Woods, and enjoyed a few blueberries along the way. The river in spots was filled with water lilies, the fields were lined with thistle and beach roses. This is a gem of a trail. While it's fairly flat with only a few minor ups and downs, it is rugged and rooty but a really nice way to get in some miles. Ended up with 11 happy miles.
Blueberries along the powerlines on the "high" bike route
Thistle lined trail
Low tide view
Whiskeag selfie ;)
River vista
Hmm, this is safe, right?!
Water lily lined river
Milk weed
Partridge Berry flowering
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