What's Next?: Weekend Running and Funning

Sunday, October 2, 2016

Weekend Running and Funning

Oh, I know that 'funning' isn't a word but it makes for a catchier title, or at least a rhyming one ;)

My weekend starts on Friday, for which I am ever thankful, so we'll start there. I had had intentions of getting up extra early and driving up to Camden for a big park loop, but honestly, I was tired, I didn't want to drive 3 hours (there and back) and have the whole day gone, and I wasn't convinced I was going to enjoy pushing myself on those trails to get in 20 miles. Silly, maybe, but it is where I was. So instead I slept in, sent Ryan off to work at regular time, spent some time dusting and cleaning the bathrooms while Sam ate breakfast and got Sam off to school before I headed over to Bradbury for my run.

I saw Tami, Mindy and Valerie's cars in the lot, but knowing they had started about 1:20 before me, I wasn't sure if I'd run into them. I set out onto the east side around 9:30 am, running the 5 mile BBU loop and then continued on the course across the street. I was feeling surprisingly decent and decided I would try to keep up a solid pace and not make too many stops along the way. Well, I did stop to pee, and to let two women out on the connector collect their dog who was barking wilding at me, and to give a mountain biker directions, as well as to stop and watch a wooly bear on the trail down near the school, but I kept moving as well as I could.

Love these little guys!

I was happy to get back to the car in under 3:00 hours for the full 15+ mile loop, and took a slightly longer stop there to refill my bladder, drop off trash and eat a Snickers ;) Having started at 9:20, it was lunchtime and I was hungry for more than just the gels in my pack.

Then it was back off onto the east side to run the 5 mile loop again, and I finished up the 20 miles in under 4 hours. It was a beautiful morning to be out running - cool and crisp, with the fall colors beginning to show themselves in the maples along the route - and I felt good and happy with how it all turned out. Always a nice way to end a run! Even better, Ryan met up with me for a yummy lunch at Edna & Lucy's before I headed home to clean the house and get some errands done. Hurray!

As is typical after my long run, I didn't sleep well Friday night so it was rough getting up with my 5:00 am alarm on Saturday. Ok, truth be told, I didn't get up until my second alarm, the 5:10 am one ;) I started out at 6:10 am in the dark, my legs feeling rather clunky. As it was overcast, light filtered into the woods much later than it might have on a sunny day, so it was a slow start on the leaf covered, rooty trails. My intent was to run out to Head of Tides and back, but I got rather wary when I started to hear gunshots further out. Unsure of whether it was open hunting season on anything, I decided to turn around and just make a wander out of it. The downside is that I needed to get in 4.5 miles and the most direct route back home was about 2.25 ;) I had a bit of an internal debate regarding cutting the run short, as I was feeling rather blah but my desire to get in a solid back-to-back two days won out and I continued on. I ran back along the Heath and then ran the remaining cart paths to the back dirt road, taking the long way back and tacking on a bit in the neighborhood to round things out at the end. A rather dreary morning for 10 early morning miles, but as usual the Cathance was beautiful and offered up some lovely views along with one deer sighting.

Leaves turning along the Cathance. The river is as low as I've ever seen it though.

Love the white cotton sedge set against the turning colors of the Heath

Today, we headed up to Hidden Valley Nature Center for the Run Through the Woods. Ryan was running the half and Sam was running the kid's obstacle course, so I decided the best course of action in terms of actually completing today's miles was to get up way before the crack of dawn and head out. Oh, a 4:10 am alarm is much worse than a 5:10 am alarm ;) But I got up and out. Into the rain and fog and darkness. Of course, I chose to bring Ryan's headlamp thinking it would provide more light than my dinky Petzl, but in fact, his needed batteries so it was a bit of a slow go out there ;) Ah well, 6 miles done before 6:00 am to wrap up a 50(.1) mile week. I'll take it.

Then it was off to Jefferson as the sky lightened and the rain stopped. Ryan had a great run in the half and Sam had a blast playing with the kids and running the obstacle course/kids run that included a pumpkin carry for a 1/4 mile! She is now good and tired out ;) Of course, we finished up the day with friends at Oxbow before heading home. A good day for sure!