It's Fall But It Doesn't Quite Feel Like It!

Busy work week and in the office on Monday so no walking. 

But I did actually manage to get up and out on Tuesday morning, so we'll call it a small win 😉😆 Headed out at 5:45 with headlamp on and ran the cart paths. A nice cool morning with a pretty sky as the sun rose later in the run. Two deers seen. (6.0 miles)

It was a beautiful day and Sam went up to Rocky Ridge with Mom and Dad for some apple picking and to get a few gourds and pumpkins after she got home from school. Fun!

Wednesday morning dawned overcast and sticky, with absolutely no air movement. Headed out at 6:00 am once the sky lightened a bit. Ran the roads and finished soaked. Two eagles seen in the pine tree along Elm Street. (8.0 miles)

Thursday, Ryan and I took a break from the computer screens for a walk around the block before lunchtime. Always nice to get a bit of movement and a chance to chat in the midst of a work day! (1.7 miles walked)

Warm temps and very high humidity greeted me when I woke up on Friday. I headed out on the powerlines for a run after dropping Sam off at school and it felt like I was running through hot soup. Ugh. So sticky and soggy and muggy and gross. Isn't it supposed to be fall?! (10.1 miles)

Spent the rest of the day running around doing errands, getting the house cleaned and getting organized so that we could head up to Keri and Tyler's after Sam got home from school in advance of the Hidden Valley Race Through the Woods on Saturday. Enjoyed a yummy dinner and time spent chatting with them in the evening - always so fun!

Typically, Keri and I get up early and head over to HVNC in the darkness to do a course check before the runners start to check in, but with the forecasted rain and the fact that she is doing a 100 mile bike race next weekend, she decided it was best for her to skip the run this year. With that, we were able to sleep in a bit and all drive over together a little after 7:00, and I headed out on my own shortly after we arrived. Somehow we totally lucked out and had a nice weather window from early morning until late afternoon, so there was no pouring rain to contend with - woohoo! Definitely made the day more comfortable and much more fun!

While not as much fun as running with Keri, I enjoyed my solo tour of the course. As always, there is some rugged terrain to contend with, and as it was warm and muggy, and the course was pretty wet with some decent puddles and mud, so I got soaked anyway, even without the rain 😂 Saw one deer, two frogs, some pretty foliage starting to turn, and oh so many mushrooms! (12.6 miles)

After I finished up my run, I hung out at the finish line chatting with friends and cheering on the runners, and then once everyone had finished and things had been tidied up, a group of us headed over to TinTop Cider for a bit. Cool spot with a nice yard full of picnic tables and corn hole, yummy cider to drink, and the chance to relax and hang out and catch up. A great way to finish up the day! 

The rain started up again as we were driving home and it was still pouring when I woke up on Sunday. Honestly, I just was not enthused to go out for my long run in the rain, so I puttered around, relaxed, got some stuff done on the computer and waited until a little before 11:00 for the rains to stop and to head out. Of course, just because it wasn't raining didn't mean it wasn't wet! So many puddles. And still quite humid. Ran out on the powerlines and onto the Gone Fishing trails. By then, the skies were clear and it was getting warm out. Did a loop up over Mt. A on the way back and around the school complex before heading home. I *should* have kept going for another 5-7 miles but it was still a solid 3-day block of miles. (15.0 miles)

Love the asters at this time of year!

Later in the afternoon, Sam and I got out for a nice walk and talk around the block to wrap up the weekend. Turned into a really lovely afternoon! (1.7 miles walked)