Monday, May 27, 2019

Memorial Day Run & Hike

A day off with no real plans meant I could sleep in a bit and not rush out at the crack of dawn for my run. It was nice to start the day off slowly without an alarm and have breakfast and coffee before doing my stretching and rolling and heading out the door. Still got out before 8:00 am though, so really wasn't being too lazy 😉

I've got two big weeks of training left before I start to taper for Western States, which is just plain crazy, but time flies when you're having fun! I figured I'd kick the week off with a nice 10 miler since I had the time, which meant the total for the past 5 days would be 53 miles with 60 over the past 7 days, but that's good training too, so off I went! I headed out into the Cathance, stopping at the overlook at the back of the Heath to enjoy the expanse of rhodora blooming amidst the swampy moss and grasses. Lovely. Lots to see and enjoy all along the run with things starting to bloom. Legs felt fine, but my nose and eyes were running the entire time much to my annoyance. Gotta love those allergies! Saw one turkey and heard lots of bird calls. (10.0 miles)



Painted trillium

Fringed polygala

Starflower


Rhodora 

After a bit of relaxation and a bit of drama from Sam who did NOT want to go for a walk, we finally cajoled her out of the house and headed up to Thorne Head for a late morning walk. It was a bit buggy but the trails in this little gem of a preserve are beautiful and I love the views along the river. Luckily, once we started walking, Sam ended up having a good time, throwing debris on the trail down into the river and enjoying counting the ladyslippers with me. I could do without the pre-teen drama though 🙅 Sigh. (1.4 miles walked)

52 ladyslippers counted

Fringed polygala

Wintergreen berries were everywhere and they were pretty big! 

Kennebec view

Convergence of the Kennebec and the Whiskeag

Big stick toss!

Climbing up the stone steps

View from the top of the steps out over the river

From there, we headed to Mae's for brunch/lunch. Yum! And now we are back home relaxing. Ahhh, a good day off indeed and a good way to wrap up a fun weekend!

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