Tuesday morning, I headed out with my spikes in hand and ran out along the powerlines to do the loop along Lover's Lane. The trail was pretty soft for the first (and last) two miles, but once I crossed Rt. 24, the ribbon packed by the snowmobiles and the bike groomer was much firmer and it was decent running, if a bit icy. No sunrise as the clouds were heavy. (7.0 miles)
Should have gotten out Wednesday morning but I didn't, so it was up and out into the dark, rainy and windy morning on Thursday for a very soggy road run around town. (6.0 miles)
The rain put a big dent in the snowpack 😩 and the wind was whipping all day, enough to knock out power at work for a few hours mid-morning. The winds brought in the cold air and didn't abate until sometime overnight on Friday, so on Friday morning, it was not only still windy but cold enough that all the water that had fallen in Thursday's storm had frozen solid.
Despite knowing the trails would be icy, I figured I would be happier out in the woods protected from the strong winds, so I headed out across the golf course and into the Cathance. I didn't go too far out in the system due to conditions and then added on a few miles along the powerlines, where conditions were variable, to say the least. Spikes were absolutely necessary, and even so, it was slow moving and rather rough going due to all the ice, and 10 miles of that stuff was more than enough. However, it was a bright and sunshine-y morning at least, and pretty as always out in the woods! (10.1 miles)
Of course, stopping early on Friday meant that I was giving myself a very finite window to fit in my long run. It would have to be done very early on Saturday morning before we headed up to Orono for the Maine Y State meet or not at all. Wasn't quite sure I was going to get up and out in time to get it done 😁😂 but thankfully I was able to pull it off! Stuck to roads due to the time constraints, and enjoyed the cold but calm morning, the rising light along the Androscoggin and the fact that the pavement was almost completely clear of ice! Started at 5:30 and headed out through the in-town neighborhoods, hitting the path along the Androscoggin and the bike path as the sky was lightening. Stopped to swap out my headlamp for my earbuds at mile 5 at the start of the bike path, but the buds must be dying as the audio kept stopping. I finally just took them out and spent the rest of the run in my own head 😉 Not always the best idea. Ha! Had to get a bit creative to get in the miles, as I hadn't wanted to go too far out and run out of time, so was only at mile 16 when I got back closer to home. Looped around the neighborhood this way and that and finished up with 20 miles on the dot and in time to get showered and for us to head out the door at 9:30! (20.0 miles)
Spent the rest of the afternoon driving and sitting and watching Sam and her team swim. It's a bit chaotic at the state meet with so many people and it's always impressive to watch these kids handle it all like champs! Proud of Sam for her dedication and love of swimming, and know we are so lucky for her to be on such a great team. The coaches are truly amazing. It's been a good season, and Sam has gotten much stronger this year! Even better, LRSC won the Y State meet for the 30th year in a row! WOW! Seriously impressive.
It was a long day and we were all exhausted by the time we got home. Sam was so tired, she couldn't even finish all her sushi! Early to bed for everyone. 😴😴
Wrapping up the weekend was the last snowshoe race of the season today. Not a whole lot of usable snow out in the park, but Ryan managed to come up with a course, albeit a short one. It was cold and bright on Sunday morning and although I probably really had time to get out before he left at 7:00, I was happier staying in bed for a bit longer instead! 😉
Sam and I headed over around 9:30 and then after the typical morning chatting with friends and serving up soup, we headed to Maine Beer for pizza. Then once again, it was another Sunday afternoon run with a stomach full of pizza and tired legs from standing around in the cold all day. 😂 Good ultra training at least 😉 Ran around the neighborhood on the roads from home, and definitely was not feeling exactly peppy but I got it done! Quite windy in the final two miles. (7.4 miles)
That wrapped up another (just over) 50 mile week. Could I, should I be running more? Sure. There's always more that can be done. But I'll take this as some fairly solid mid-winter running. Onward!
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