Mid-October

Friday morning I got out under dreary, overcast skies to enjoy a meander out through the Cathance to Head of Tides. The bog bridges were treacherous and the trails leaf-covered, so it was slow going, but that was OK as that was what I was going for anyway! Lots of mushrooms, some pretty foliage and numerous stops to enjoy the golds, greens and reds of the season. Legs felt decent although most definitely tired by the time I finished. (12.0 miles)

Cloudy sky reflected

Gold glow

Mushrooms forest

I followed up the run with a much-needed massage from Lauren - ahh! - and a delicious lunch at Union Street Bakery, - yum!- and then it was on tackling the to-do list for the rest of the afternoon!

Sam had a playdate with one of her friends that turned into a sleepover, so Ryan and I enjoyed a quiet evening on the couch, eating soup and watching Into the Wild. Very well-done movie, beautifully filmed, but boy was I crying by the end!

Saturday morning I headed out before the rain began, and enjoyed a lovely meander along the powerlines. It was a stop and eat the late season raspberries and admire all the other fall berries and colors en-route kind of run. Gray skies once again, but there was more than enough color in and amongst the underbrush to make up for it.

Yum!

I don't think I've ever noticed a late season round of blooms on the blueberry bushes before. All white blooms set against magenta leaves. Gorgeous. 

Black chokeberry (I think)

Winterberries popping

Upon my return, the rain started and continued into early afternoon, leaving the day feeling raw and damp. The Coastal Running League Championship at Twin Brook was later in the afternoon, so we all bundled up in many layers and set up with the rain still falling. Thankfully after the walk-through of the course, the skies did begin to clear. The fields were a bit muddy, the skies overcast and the air cool, perfect for XC!

Sam had been feeling a bit meh about the whole thing, but she did a good job of getting her mind into the swing of things and we were proud to see her come out of the woods and pick off a few girls ahead of her in the final stretch through the fields. 💗 A great way to wrap up the fall XC season!

Teammates :)

Representing Topsham in the 3/4 mile!

Strong push to the finish!

I had thoughts of getting out of bed super early this morning to get in a run before Ryan left at 5:15 am to catch the start of Big Brad, but instead I ended up sleeping until 7:15 so I guess I needed the sleep more than the run! I feel a bit disappointed about how this week shaped up running-wise, as I only got in three runs and 23 miles. But in looking back through my training log, I've only had one other 20 mile week this year so far (plus one zero week after Laurel), with all others in the mid-30s or higher, so I guess I can admit that this low mileage week is OK from that standpoint as well as it just being a busy week atop also being a recovery week from Farm to Farm. In any event, onward and upward and looking forward to cheering on friends and helping runners for the day over at Ryan's aid station!