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Tuesday, I met up with Amy G. for a morning run. It was supposed to be a rainy, but it turned out to be a decent morning if a bit raw and chilly for late April. The river was running insanely high with lots of flooding as we ran along the beginning of the bike path. So much water!! A good way to start the week and nice to catch up with Amy! (8.1 miles)

I skipped out on Wednesday morning because it was 40 degrees and rainy and honestly, that was just not enticing. Which meant another week of Danielle piling all the miles into one big block 😂😂 This week, that meant 50 miles in 4 days, complete with hills. I might not run high mileage but my style of running has to count for something!

So Thursday morning, it was off to Topsham Heights for some hillwork. Didn't feel the most energetic but I got it done with what I had! Pretty morning with the sun rising over the very overflowing Androscoggin! (8.0 miles)

It was nice to see the sun for a change, and Sam wanted to stop at DQ after I picked her up, so I told her that it was a yes as along as she went for a walk with me 😂 A win win! We went over to the Cathance so that we could walk down and see how the river was flowing. We ran into two guys who were carrying their kayaks down to run the river, so we watched them put in and quickly paddle away. The river was roaring so I'm sure they had a great ride! (1.0 miles walked)

😍😍

Ferns on the river's edge

Smile 😄

Friday morning, I headed over to Bradbury for  my long run. The plan was to get in some hills, so I started off with the Boundary, coming down via Northern Loop and Ski Trail. Then up Northern Loop, down the same way, repeating with Tote, Terrace, Summit, Switchback and South Ridge.

The trails were in pretty good shape, even if a bit soft and a bit uneven and awfully wet from all the rain and melting. I felt pretty strong, doing some hiking on the ups in preparation for Wapack and WS. Not the long sustained climbs I'll find in either race, but you work with what you've got!

After all my summit trips, I got back to the lot at 11.5 miles, where Anne N. met up with me for a nice run on the Scuffle course. Slippy, sloppy, a few ankle twists and one fall for Anne, but we had a great time chatting as we ran along and it was so nice to have some company in the middle of the run! Thanks Anne! Plus we saw the first spring wildflowers of the season with a small patch of trailing arbutus! Yay spring!!  🌸🌸

Back again at the lot at 17.5, where I inadvertently hit the pause button and then didn't realize it until I had made it back up the Boundary and was several feet down the Northern Loop when I glanced my watch and realized it was still saying 17.5 miles. D*mnation! There was nothing to do but retrace my steps and see what I had missed. 😅 Turns out it was a little over 2 miles, so there were still 3 miles remaining when I got back to the lot. So one more time back up South Ridge and then down Tote to finish up the morning. Bam, done! (24.0 miles)

Stopped on the way home to do a few errands and to pick up a cupcake, of course! 😋 Yum!

Then it was off to Woodside for the 4th grade Sculpture exhibit. These found object sculptures were inspired by Maine artist, Bernard Langlais. I so love this! Woodside is so lucky to have such a great art teacher. And it was such fun to see all the kids and their sculptures!

"Long Whiskers"

Saturday morning, it was raining and cold and windy. Blerg. I procrastinated for as long as I could and then headed out onto the roads into Brunswick so that I could meet up with Sam and Ryan over at Brunswick Landing to cheer Emily on in the Race the Runways half marathon. Turns out Blaine, Billy and Jasmine were there too, as well as another friend, so there were several friendly faces to cheer on! But first I had to get there. It would have been a fairly short run to go the straightest route there, so I meandered a bit, running through the Highlands and across the swinging bridge before I looped through town and got on the new bike path that they've opened up along the edge of the old base now that it's no longer a naval air station.

I ran close to the start/finish area and kept going to see if I could find the Neptune Woods trail system, which I knew must be nearby. Found it fairly easily even if it wasn't super well marked and added on a small twisty loop on the trails at the end before I finished up. Then I had to find the car in the sea of parking lots. It wasn't easy but I eventually meandered close enough that Ryan spotted me and I was able to get in and change and warm up. (9.0 miles)

There was some serious wind out in the open and with the drizzle and cool temps, brrr! The runners had their work cut out for them! Emily ran really strong, finishing 1st female with a great time, especially given that she was running along and with the wind! Woohoo! 👋👋

We chatted with everyone for a while and stayed through the awards and then headed downtown with Emily for coffee and donuts 😀🍩 And then since we were in town, we stopped in at Fleet Feet so Ryan could try on the new Nike shoes (they didn't have my size in the Wildhorse 5 😓😓 but they are ordering a pair for me!) and then onto lunch at Little Saigon. The rain had picked up again, so the warm soup was perfect! Yum!

This morning, my legs were feeling less than fresh 😂😉 but I headed out around 6:30 am so that Ryan could get over to Brad for his long run. Temps were in the high 30s so I was in hat and gloves again, but it was bright and sunny at least! I ran the cart paths and added on a loop out into the Cathance. Everything was saturated, the river was flooding its banks and both trail and cart paths were squishy and sloppy with the bog bridges being fairly deadly in their slick state. Added on a loop through the high school streets to finish up the run and the week. A few miles shy of the 60 mile mark I had originally hoped to hit, but I'm feeling pretty good with 58 and a solid block of miles! (9.0 miles)

Mist and water and sunlight 💗

And now it's time for a rest day tomorrow! 😆😃

Happy Easter!

Sunday morning, I snuck out before everyone was awake for a run. In the semi-darkness as I was getting myself ready, I noticed an odd shape in the blender on the counter. It was an Easter egg! 🐰 Saturday night, we had all taken 3 eggs to hide for Sam but I hadn't noticed where everyone had put them 😂😂

Had contemplated a road run but I couldn't resist the pull of the Cathance. Those trails just make me happy 💗 so that was where I headed. Another a foggy, misty morning with soft and squishy trails,  the roaring river and the peepers peeping in the Heath. 🐸 (6.3 miles)

Once Sam woke up, she did her egg hunt and looked through her easter baskets before we headed over to Mae's for brunch. Yum! It was delish! 

I had hoped we might be able to get out for a beach or woods walk after we ate, but it was pouring like crazy so instead we came home and had a lazy afternoon with a quick trip out back for a volcano experiment! I have to say, Mentos and Diet Coke really does make quite a splash! What fun!

To finish up the day, we had the very traditional Thai quinoa salad dinner followed up by the ever so traditional triple berry Easter pie baked by Sam and Neenie. 😉😋 Even if not your typical Easter dinner, I have to say both were quite good 😊

Recovery and Vacation Week Fun

A few other Traprock notes before I dive into this week's rather long post!

1. Forgot to mention that the race was the first time I had worn shorts this year! Yes, I'm a wimp and don't like to break out my shorts unless it's over 45 degrees, which honestly it just has not been any time in the past month or so during my runs, especially given that I tend to run early in the mornings and it has been d**n cold!

2. I put sunscreen on my face, but then sweated it all off, and also neglected to apply it to my arms and legs. With the trees bare of leaves and the warm sunshine shining down on me for 5+ hours, I most definitely got sunburnt. Oops! Silly Mainer! 😝

3. I had pretty solid energy the whole race. Ate 7 gels, one PayDay, several oreos, a few small handfuls of chips and probably a can of coke spread across 6 aid station stops.

4. No falls, no chafing, no blisters. The only thing that really took a beating was my quads, which were still feeling rather tender on Tuesday morning during my run.😮 Gotta work on strengthening them up a bit more before Western States!

5. Only photo so far that I can find of me in the race, coming down the steep incline into the finish!

So, with all that said... Sunday we had a big breakfast at Irene and Dana's and did a mini early Easter egg hung for Sam before heading back to Maine. Stairs were most definitely the enemy for the day, and if I'm being honest, pretty much all day on Monday too. Probably should have done a bit more active recovery with some walking both days but that didn't happen... Thankfully, Monday was a holiday for me which was a nice respite. Unfortunately it was a bit of a cold, dreary day, so instead of an outdoor exploration, we headed into Brunswick for candlepin bowling instead! Lots of fun 😀

Sam did all the math for the scoring!

Sam had a blast!

Tuesday morning, despite the fact that my quads were still feeling tender when I got out of bed, I headed out for a short run. It was windy and overcast and the trail sections that I ran were still pretty sloppy and icy, but it was nice to move a bit, even if it was a rather tired shuffle 😆 Looped up Canam, through the woods, along hole #3 and the bottom of the Heath before returning via Highland Green Road and the powerlines. Scared up my first Great Blue Heron of the season along the Heath! (4.0 miles)

While Ryan and I were at work for the day, Mom, Dad and Sam braved the ever-increasing wind and headed out to Wolfe's Neck Farm for to check out the new lambs and the ocean view.

Then they came home and made a delicious strawberry rhubarb pie for us to enjoy! Yum! 🍓

Fancy!

The finished product! So yummy! And such a cute chef 😍

By the time I tiptoed quietly downstairs on Wednesday morning, my quads were feeling pretty decent. Headed out as the sky was lightening and ran down to the river and back. It was a very slippy, sloppy, muddy, wet, icy run on the trails and I was surprised by just how much solid ice is still down along the river in the short stretch that I ran. Wow. And the river was roaring! Saw a Belted Kingfisher flying over the Heath and one deer in the woods. (5.2 miles)

Once again, Ryan and I went off to work and Sam, Mom and Dad headed out for an adventure! It was such a nice day with the sun shining and warmer temps, so they did what any Maine kid wants to do in April, and went to the beach 😂😃 along with doing a bit of exploring at Fort Prebble and Spring Point Light. Fun!

Sea glass and shell collecting

Rock scrambling

Eider ducks

Walking out to the lighthouse

Sam, are you happy to be at the beach?! 😎

Sam had a sleepover with one of her little friends Wednesday night, so after dinner and finishing off the pie, Ryan and I made Mom and Dad sit through a few of Billy Yang's Western States videos 😂 so they'd have a chance to see what they (and I!) were getting into. Hopefully we didn't scare them too much though with talk to blown quads and ruined feet 😉 ... this is nothing like those overpasses in Florida...

Thursday was a rest day, and a quiet day on the home front too. Friday I got up and snuck out of the house before everyone woke up for a run. Drove over to Bowdoin and ran out through the Commons and Coleman Farm. A misty foggy morning, complete with ocean views, phoebe and warbler sightings, birds calling and only a few very avoidable patches of ice along the trails! Lovely! Legs felt good too, so that was nice. (10.0 miles)

Sam had yet another sleepover on Friday night but I wanted to get her outside for a bit anyway so in the late afternoon, we went for a walk down along the paved path along the Androscoggin and checked out the swinging bridge. The water was rolling and roiling and circling and spinning. Pretty cool. Sam and I got in a few sprints along the way too 😂 (1.27 miles walked)

After we dropped Sam off, we headed to Moderation for a beer where we met up with Ryan and then onto Frontier for dinner. Yum! Fun to get out with Mom and Dad 😃

Meanwhile, Sam was having her own fun evening with her friends!

Velcro jumping!

Habachi!

This morning, as much as I tried to sleep in, it was just not happening, so I got up and leisurely made my way out the door for my run. It was misty and foggy and drizzling ever so slightly as I made my way out onto the cart paths and then out onto the Cathance trails. I was surprised to find that most of the ice I had seen out on the trails on Wednesday had mostly disappeared. Things were pretty sloppy and soft with all the bog bridges and roots very slippery from the rain. Took it nice and easy, with some walking tiptoeing across the remaining ice patches and across the bog bridges, and of course some photo stops! Lots and lots of water flowing in the river right now! Great blue heron seen flying over the Heath and peepers peeping!! 💖🐸 (8.1 miles)