In any event, Sam was at Riverview this week for camp. She really had a fun time and they did a whole bunch of fun stuff! Snowtubing on Monday, lots of crafts and legos and martial arts, and visiting the fire department on Wednesday. So she's been happy and busy and that is good for all of us!
Monday was a holiday for me, so after dropping Sam off at camp, I met up with Emily over at Bradbury for a run. That made three of four runs in a row at Bradbury and with friends too! Yay running! Conditions were great, and it was nice to catch up with Emily! It's been too long. (8.7 miles)
Tuesday was a scheduled day off from running and also a snowy, rainy day. That morphed into Wednesday off too, as it was cold and sketchy out there and I decided I just didn't want to 😉😆
Thursday, I got out into the darkness but since I started at 5:45, I was treated to a whole lot of light. So wonderful to be gaining light this time of year! I love it especially for these early morning runs. Cold, but calm and clear, with a beautiful sunrise. Ran the powerlines and looped around Highland Green, adding on a short loop along the river. Screwshoes were necessary for the powerlines, the back road and the Cathance, but definitely overkill on the clear sidewalks. (6.0 miles)
I was really just not feeling it on Friday morning. Sometimes the mind just does not want to get on the same page as the numbers written in the training plan for the day. I tried get myself into the right mindset, but it simply wasn't happening. I know that it can be beneficial to suck it up and get out and run when and if you don't want to. Obviously, running ultras means that not all training runs are fun and games, and that you have to expect discomfort and a mind that is rebelling occasionally both in races and training runs. But I certainly have learned that for myself, if I am hemming and hawing and really not wanting to do my long run, I am better off accepting that and seeing if I can switch up my schedule so that I can just go on a shorter fun run versus either pushing myself to get in the miles, or more likely just crapping out partway and then really feeling badly about it. Thankfully Ryan is well versed in this aspect of my running and my psyche, knowing full well I do not adhere to a strict training plan anyway, 😉😅 and always encourages me to do what will make me happiest on these types of days. I'm grateful for that support and the fact that I can most often swap days around and make adjustments to my intended running plan for the week.
Because the bottom line is that running, for me, is all about happiness. Both mentally and physically. I want to be able to run consistently and with longevity and the way to ensure that happens is to run happy. Yes, sometimes you have to do those runs you aren't psyched about but I want most of my runs to make me smile in some way, to give me peace and joy. And so I swapped my scheduled Friday 20 miles for Sunday's 6 miler, and it was so lovely to be out in the woods, enjoying the sunshine and the trails. Ran some of the Chase and Calderwood trails out between Flying Point and Pleasant, and had a great time. The trails were in decent shape, and it really is a neat area to run through. Beautiful forest. The perfect thing for a cold Friday morning to bring me happiness 💗 (6.0 miles)
Saturday was the annual Mockingbird Lane fatass, always a fun time. Originally Ryan was planning to go and run long and I was to be on swim meet duty, but with him taking a bit of time off to heal up, I was able to get over there for some miles before driving up to the meet to see Sam swim. It was great to see so many friends, and with the route being an out and back with a few little add-ons there were numerous chances to see everyone as we all ran along. It was a bright and beautiful, if chilly morning, but things warmed up quickly. Snow conditions were variable, with a lot of loose snow to slip and slide around in. Had fun running with and around Emily, Emma, Chad, Sean, Peter, Sam and others, but it certainly wasn't easy running and more power to those that ran long - I was more than happy to stop early! 😉 (9.3 miles)
Spent a bit of time after I finished running chatting with people and still made it up to Bath in plenty of time. Sam ended up with PRs in all her events - a great way to finish up the regular season!
So, that left the 20 miles for this morning. Nothing like procrastinating and leaving things to the last day of the week so that you just have to DO IT! 😁😆 But I knew I could get it done, and it was a beautiful morning for a road meander down to the ocean and back. After a few days of variable snow conditions, it was rather nice to just put on my shoes and go and not have to pay attention to every footfall. Of course, the final four miles coming back through town featured a lot of tiptoeing over and around melting ice on the sidewalks, but the rest of the run was easy mentally from that standpoint! Just put in the earbuds and listened to my podcasts and enjoyed the sunshine and the ocean views. Running down to Simpson's Point is always good for the soul. Can hardly believe I've been running some of these roads since 1993. Lots of memories out there. Also saw one bluebird - always a treat! Certainly wasn't a super fast road run, as I didn't feel super peppy on day 4 in a row of running and my stomach was a bit wonky, but overall decent, and glad to get in the miles! Another solid week done. (20.1 miles)
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