Hot to Cool

Way way way too hot on Monday and Tuesday for early June in Maine. High 80s with low air quality and so much humidity. Ugh! There was no running or walking, it was so hot Ryan had to abandon his loft office space, and we even picked Sam up at school instead of having her walk home. Such gross weather!

Our office assistant for the afternoon 😹

Wednesday was warm, but not quite so hot, and I knew if I was going to get in even a slightly decent week of running, I needed to get out for a few miles. Ran the powerlines. High 60s and 99% humidity, and the air was thick, literally, and also figuratively - with the smells of the blooming viburnum hay scented ferns. Saw one deer, one towhee, three goldfinch and several catbirds. The pink sheep laurel is out in full force and the marsh iris were poking out in the wet spots from amongst the green grasses. So pretty. Have really come to love running these powerlines. It is cool to run them in all seasons and watch the changes and shifts in flora and fauna. (6.1 miles)

Overnight, cooler, drier air moved in and it was lovely to have a run where I did not finish up completely soaked! Ran the cart paths. Flushed up on Northern Flicker and saw several crows chasing a hawk. Sheep laurel is in full bloom and the milkweed flowers are starting to show. (6.0 miles)

After work and school, we headed over to Mom and Dad's for takeout and cake to celebrate Mom's 75th birthday! So fun to be able to celebrate in person with her 💗 Happy Birthday, Mom! We love you!

Woke up on Friday feeling kind of frazzled and out of sorts. Put in my ear bud (just the one), and headed out on the powerlines for what was intended to be a nice, mellow 10 miles in advance of my weekend 22 miler. Things started out benignly enough, but 6 miles into the run, I was minding my own business and going down an incline on one of the Gone Fishing mountain bike trails, and my toe caught the edge of a snag or nub or something, and I went down fast and hard. Sat on the ground for a bit gathering myself back together and assessing. Covered in dirt, with some nicely scraped up legs, but thankfully nothing more major. Still, I haven't take a big fall out on the trails in a really long time 😱 Ouch! 

Rinsed off my arm and hands in the transfer station pond, but wasn't sure the polleny water was a good idea for the leg scrapes so left them as is and just continued on. Things started to really sting in the final few miles, but I got in the miles and then headed right into the shower to clean things off, which, let me tell you, did NOT feel good. Yow! (10.5 miles)

Then, with my wounds covered in a thick layer of neosporin, I got the regular day off errands completed - farmer's market, grocery store, Target, pet store - and cleaned the house. Then finally, I took a second shower as I knew I needed to clean my legs more thoroughly if I could handle it, as there was still a fair amount dirt embedded in the scrapes. Once again, ouch! But they looked better. Still, really kinda painful, I must admit. 

Didn't sleep well as I kept waking up every time I rolled over and the scrapes rubbed against the sheets, so decided I would give myself a bit of grace and run shorter on Saturday instead of trying to get out for the long run. Hopefully by Sunday, things will feel a bit better. Another fairly cool morning, but this time I stuck to the roads, just in case 😉😂 Left side was feeling a bit beat up and the scraped areas a bit tender, but otherwise OK and running felt fine once I loosened up. (8.0 miles)

Looking better?! Or at least less dirty!! 

It was such a lovely day, with moderate temps and a nice breeze, and after lunch we headed out to Hamilton Audubon Sanctuary for a walk. This was one of our pandemic finds and it was lovely to go back and explore the preserve again. Beautiful ocean views with some interesting forest and nice walking. Despite being what we considered a perfect Saturday afternoon, the trails were quiet and we only saw one family out there during our walk. (2.5 miles walked)

Must have been the spot of an old homestead - the rhodies were huge and so pretty!

Turquoise waters

Sunday morning, I was up and out around 7:00 am for my long run. Meandered around the Topsham trails, hitting the Highlands Trail, the Cathance, powerlines and Gone Fishing. Nice morning with a good breeze, but it was definitely warmer than I expected and I ran out of water 16 miles in. You'd think I'd know better than that by now! 😂💦 Cut it short by a few miles from my plan, but I was most certainly was feeling the miles by the time I finished, but happy to have gotten 20 in. Another 50 mile week in the books. (20.0 miles)

Snowshoe hare headed into the Cathance

So many fragrant viburnum blooming along the powerlines!

Came home and had a piece of leftover birthday cake with my protein shake, because, why not!? I mean, this photos just screams recovery, right? 😉😋 And then we finished up the day with a late afternoon walk around the block. Warm, but good to get out and shake the legs out after the morning's run. (1.7 miles walked)