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! 😆😃
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