End of January

Monday night was an indoor track walk during Sam's swim practice. It seems the early January rush of New Year's resolutions has died down; there was no one else on the track for the majority of my walk and it was quiet. Well, except for the buzzer from the basketball games going on below. (2.27 miles walked)

Several inches of fluffy snow fell overnight and it seemed unwise to head out in the morning given all the ice I knew likely existed below that pristine surface! And so it was that Tuesday was another afternoon Highland Green run. Quite pleasant with clear roads, blue skies and moderate temps, even if the legs did feel a bit heavy. (6.0 miles)

Wednesday morning, I headed out just as it was getting light. I ran a rather random route through Highland Green enjoying the pretty sunrise, the crescent moon above and the cotton candy pink sky. A bit hard to move with a lot of layers, some slick icy spots and the cold, but glad to have gotten out. Finished up all frosted over, only 2 degrees and "feels like" -5! Brrr. (6.1 miles)

By Thursday, we knew there was a good potential for a large snow storm coming through on Saturday, so I had pondered getting out for a run after work so that Saturday I could sit inside all day and watch the snow fall, but honestly I just did not have the mental energy to actually follow through. Ryan did, however, suggest we get out for a walk, and it was nice to get in a bit of movement and air and chat as we walked. (1.7 miles walked)

Had to get on a work call at 10:00 on Friday morning, so I headed over to Brunswick a little after 7:00 to get in my run before getting on the computer. Parked over at Pennellville and enjoyed a nice run out along Maquoit Bay and down to Simpson's Point. Overcast and calm. Sightings included a pileated woodpecker, two bluebirds, hooded mergansers and what I think was a coyote pouncing on something in the Crystal Spring Farm fields. Neat. (10.75 miles)

Coyote (?) in the field

Hooded mergansers (females) playing in the tidal river along Rossmore

Simpsons Point 

Woke up on Saturday morning, looked out the window and was like, great, it's not snowing yet - I'll be able to get in some miles before the storm really starts 😂 Never said I wasn't a crazy runner 😉 Cold, blustery and spitting snow as I headed out a bit before 7:00. Ran over to Highland Green and then put on my spikes to run up and back on the back dirt road and then returned home via the powerlines. Back road and powerlines both very icy but a nice change from the more typical out and back on the pavement that I've been doing. Finished up just a wee bit frosted! ❄(6.5 miles)

Then it was time to settle in on the couch with a warm cup of coffee and to make some Pumpkin Streusel Superhero muffins. Yum!

Snow continued to fall through the day and overnight, and we woke up to about a foot of fluffy new snow on Sunday morning. Hard to tell exactly with all the drifting that occurred due to the strong winds, but certainly a good amount of snow! After a leisurely few hours on the couch finishing up my book and getting some shoveling done, I finally headed out for my run around 10:30. Bright blue sky, cold and windy. Wore my screwshoes and they worked pretty well on the roads, which were mostly hard packed snow with some slush and some clear stretches. Back road and powerlines had not yet had any traffic. Hopefully the snowmobilers will get out and pack down the powerlines soon! (6.1 miles)

Then, after lunch, we headed over to Mere Creek. A beautiful afternoon for a xc ski along the Kate Furbish trail. A lot of other people obviously had had the same idea, as the parking lot was full, the trail was quite well tracked leaving deep ski track troughs, and we even ran into Jeremy, who we hadn't seen in ages, along with Kristen, Phil and Cooper! Still cold but lovely to get out and enjoy the nice new snow! (1.9 miles xc skiied)

Wrapped up the weekend with pizza and games at Mom and Dad's house. Yum!

Weather Woes

A few hours of snow in the early morning hours and then pouring rain until mid-afternoon on Monday. So much for a good holiday day to get outside and do something fun. Ugh! Total nastiness and definitely an inside day. Ryan worked all day, I worked a few hours, and then Sam and I did stuff around the house, including going through our clothes to separate out what needed to be donated to Goodwill. Good to get somethings done, but I would much preferred to get in a nice morning trail run and a family walk in the afternoon. Ah well.

Of course, it then immediately got super cold overnight and all the slushy mush turned to solid ice. Add in a really strong wind, and double ugh. I was not risking it on Tuesday morning, so instead I started work early and then left work with time enough to get out at 3:00 for a road run. Headed over to Highland Green, but honestly, it was still fairly sketchy out there with all the ice and wow, I was almost blown over a few times by some serious wind gusts. Yay running?!? (6.0 miles)

The discontent over the weather continued on Wednesday and I honestly just could not motivate to get out in the morning. I was at least able to sneak in a walk around the block after lunch just to get outside. As long as I avoided the sidewalks, there was plenty of traction. (2.0 miles walked)

Which meant that there was no avoiding the early morning run on Thursday 😂😬 And miracle of all miracles, I actually did get up and out by 5:30 am! Ha! Ran up and back on Highland Green. It was a little over freezing, practically balmy! Wore my trail shoes thinking the roads would be slick in those temps, but traction was fine. (6.0 miles)

Still a few festive lights up!

Back to frigid temps by Friday morning, and even starting at 10:30, it was a "feels like" temp of -6! Brrr! But enjoyed the bright sunshine and the company of Anne and Val for a nice tour of Bradbury east side trails. Trails had been groomed by the bikers, meaning a lot of it was nice packed snow, with some ice of course, but way better than any of the trails look around home! Always good to chat and get in some miles with friends 😊 (7.1 miles)

The cold continued overnight and into Saturday morning, so I decided to stick to the roads as it meant I could head out later and still get back in time to get Sam up to the Y for her swim meet. Thankfully not windy and sunny and bright, but still a "feels like" temp of -7. The edges of the roads were fine but man, the sidewalks are rather deadly right now. Definitely not ideal. (8.1 miles)

Sam had a great meet. She is really getting so much stronger and it has been fun to watch! Still, we both admit that we are more than happy to watch via the livestream due to spectator restrictions. Honestly, just so much nicer than sitting in the hot, loud pool area for hours on end!

This morning, I decided to check out the Cathance and see how the river and trails were looking. There were some really nice stretches of packed snow but there was also a lot of bare ground, fairly runnable ice, and then some really slick newer ice that was most sketchy. The river was pretty though with all the ice formations. (8.0 miles)

Couldn't get closer due to the ice slicks but ice pancakes! 

Yes, that is the trail...😱

After lunch, Sam and I headed over to Fielder's Choice for a mid-January ice cream! Yum! I mean, it was in the 20s, perfect ice cream weather, right?! 😂 

Then I dropped her off at Anne's for some outside play and time spent down exploring along the frozen stream at the edge of their yard, and headed out for a walk to wrap up the weekend. Figured I might as well get out and enjoy the relatively warm weather and late afternoon sunshine, and work towards my goal of 2-3 weekly walks. (2.0 miles walked)

Meanwhile, Gigi was comfy cozy hiding under our covers 😻

Forget Those Early Morning Runs

Failed fairly spectacularly at the early morning runs this week. As in, early morning runs = none, zero, zilch, nada. Some of the Trail Monsters are doing a run 3 miles every day of January in the dark hours of the night/early morning, but frankly, I just don't need that kind of pressure. Although perhaps I could use a bit of that motivation! HA! Ah well. Still managed to get in some running this week, just not quite so early 😉😂

Monday was the now typical late afternoon walk on the indoor track during Sam's swim practice. I'd prefer to walk outside, but it is nice to have the track as an option, especially with the cold, ice and darkness of the winter months. (2.25 miles walked)

Tuesday was the coldest day of the winter so far, with whipping winds and negative "feels like" temps. A good day to stay inside. Then I sat in on a Planning Board meeting for approval of our new building for work, which went until 10:00 pm. Needless to say, I did not get up and out on Wednesday morning for a run. 😴😴 However, as I was working from home, I took advantage of a window in my calendar to get out at 11:00 am for a run on the powerlines. Icy, uneven and crunchy underfoot and most definitely rather slow going, but glad to be able to get out. It had "warmed up" into the teens but was still windy so I was wearing a lot of layers, meaning I was comfortable in the wind and overdressed while protected on the trails in the woods. Gotta love winter running! (6.6 miles)

Looking at the thermometer on Thursday morning, it was reading 23 degrees - downright balmy compared to Tuesday! - but that did not mean I got out the door into the darkness. Sigh. Like I said, serious early morning run issues going on here. Instead, I sat in the quiet and did a bit of work early so that I could get in a run in the daylight after I dropped Sam at school and before I headed into the office. Was glad to be able to run the roads with no serious ice to contend with. Makes it much easier! Just an easy and fairly boring run up and back on Highland Green Road. (6.0 miles)

A fair amount on the to-do list on Friday, and ended up deciding to run on the roads as I knew it would be a bit quicker and easier. Headed out after dropping Sam at school. Overcast and high 20s. Sidewalks were a lot icier than I would have liked, which meant that it wasn't the most comfortable run. Ah well. Did enjoy seeing a group of about 2 dozen common mergansers swimming below the dam as I was crossing over the green bridge. Neat. (7.0 miles)

Another seriously cold day on Saturday, with no need to rush out in the morning when the "feels like" temps were in the negative teens. Instead, a few quiet hours downstairs before the rest of the house woke up and a trip to the farmer's market were in order before I finally willed myself to gear up for a run. Having given in to the weather on Tuesday, I knew I wanted to get out, so the question was just how many layers and where to go to make it as pleasant as possible given the conditions. It was bright and sunshiney, and temps had "warmed up" into the low single digits by mid-morning, but the wind was still whipping. I decided to take Ryan's advice and drove over to the Gone Fishing trails, knowing they were likely almost entirely a ribbon on hard ice but at least I'd be protected from the wind. Also adjusted my expectations and set the bar for 6 miles instead of the longer run I had originally planned for. I was bundled up with four layers on top with double pants, hood up, heaviest hat, buff and my Craft gloves with the built-in windproof mitts, and honestly once I got moving, I was warm enough, except in the final half mile where I was a bit more exposed to the wind and at which point I'd be out for just over an hour. Funnily enough, I had the trails to myself. Not sure why no one else was out?! Ha! 😂 Ended up with a few more miles than degrees, and then was more than happy to spend the rest of the day inside! (6.2 miles)

Still cold Sunday morning, but not nearly as windy, which meant the feels like temp by the time I headed out at 9:00 am was only -2! Totally warm, right? But at least better than yesterday's -14! 😂 Ran roads around town but made the bad call to connect up with Highland Green via the back dirt road. Definitely would not recommend without traction. Oops. Pace slowed quite a lot in that 1 mile plus. Nice and bright and sunshiney. (10.0 miles)

Temps continued to warm throughout the day so mid-afternoon, we piled into the car and headed over to the Cathance for a walk along the river. It was still chilly, especially in the shade, but lovely out in the woods, with some really neat ice formations along the river. Also had a great sighting of a mink running across the frozen river! Nice to get in some family time outside together to wrap up the weekend💗(2.2 miles walked)

Mink!

So much ice!

Starting Off the New Year

It was a super busy work week and at the start of the week, I felt like I was still getting my energy back after the holidays. Not to mention we are 22 months into a pandemic and the newest Omicron variant is making me feel rather anxious.

The combination of the above, plus the fact that between running and walking, last week's mileage amounted to almost 50 miles, meant I made the conscious decision to take a step back this week and give my body, and mind, a bit of a rest on the running front. There are a lot more days to get in the miles!

Apparently, though, everyone else set their New Year's resolutions and were jumping right in, as the track, the weight room, and the Y in general, were packed on Monday afternoon! I tried to just stay in my lane and ignore everyone else wandering around the track, but it was not the most relaxing walk. (2.2 miles walked)

Tuesday, I (surprise surprise) ended up just running in the late afternoon as I could not get myself out of bed into the morning darkness. Cold out, but the roads were clear. Out and back on Highland Green Road. (6.0 miles)

I was working from home on Wednesday, so took advantage of that and got out in the daylight after dropping Sam off at school for late start. Put on my spikes and ran down to the river. Conditions were variable but not horrible. Had a cool pileated woodpecker sighting and the ice along the river's edge is looking lovely. Downside of the run was that the rain started in the last 2 miles - 33 degree and rain is not the most pleasant. Brrr. (6.0 miles)

Woke up on Thursday morning to everything covered with a thin veneer of ice. Definitely a good day for a day off. Cool pattern on the car windshield though!

I got out of bed just before the phone rang on Friday morning, with the automated message alerting me that there was no school. Snow day! ❆ Had a leisurely breakfast and then did some arm weights and my stretching/core routine before venturing out around 7:15 with my spikes in my pocket once the sky had lightened a bit. A light snow was falling.

Turned off the road onto the powerlines but the thin veneer of snow atop the ice underneath was rather treacherous so I decided to head down to the river thinking I'd be a bit more protected in the woods, and I know those trails well enough to know where I need to take it easy and where I might need to bushwhack to avoid the ice! 

Very pretty with the new snow, at least when the snow wasn't blowing in my face, and most definitely slightly sketchy and slow going. Didn't even add on extra at the end to get to a round 8.0 as it was only getting worse out there and I didn't want to be on the roads. Still, glad to be able to get in some miles and always fun to get out and play in the snow 😊 (7.65 miles)

Saturday was a good but very long day. Started off with a lovely glow in the sky on my early morning run on the Highland Green loop, and ended with a very similar beautiful glowing sunset seen along the back roads and highway on the way home from Blue Hill. Such a pretty winter day, and so neat to be out to see both the sunrise and sunset. That certainly doesn't happen very often!

Had to get out early in the morning as Sam had a swim meet up in Blue Hill. First time out in the early morning all week. Ha! Wore screwshoes and they worked well on the messy roads, and to keep me upright on the back dirt road, which was essentially a solid sheet of ice covered with a thin layer of packed plowed snow. It was a double pants kind of morning - feels like -1 according to the Strava weather app - brrr! - but I was quite comfortable once I got moving. A very crisp clear morning with a pretty sky. If I had been on the powerlines, I would have undoubtedly had an amazing view of the actual sunrise, but on the roads, I could just see the glow on the horizon looking lovely as I ran along. (6.0 miles)

Then it was into the car and off to Blue Hill. We could have put her on the bus to the meet, but had originally planned to stay overnight so that we could make a weekend of it and get in some fun in Acadia on Sunday before heading home. However, the forecast for crappy/iffy weather on Sunday made us decide in the end to just do the trip as a day trip. It meant a lot of driving, but thankfully the majority of the roads were in good shape, and I wasn't the one driving. Ha! Many thanks to Ryan for shouldering the load on that one!!

Unfortunately, no spectators were allowed at the meet due to Covid, but I had done some poking around to see if Ryan and I could get out for a bit of a walk or hike nearby so that we weren't just sitting in the car for 3 1/2 hours! Turns out, Blue Hill Heritage Trust maintains a lot of small preserves near the Y, so after stopping in town at Sandy's Cafe for lunch, we headed to the trailhead of the Peter's Brook Trail just outside of town. 

We sat in the sun in the car in the parking lot, looking out at Peter's Cove and watching all the ducks milling around (surprised to also see one loon too -cool!) as we ate our most delicious egg sandwiches, and then briefly checked out the beach before we donned our spikes and headed into the woods. 

Lots of ice pancakes stranded on the beach

The trail appeared to be an old woods road, rising up the hill alongside Peter's Brook. The sun was shining and it was very pretty with the snow-covered trees and the babbling brook. We walked the 1/2 mile up to the waterfall and then continued a short way further to the junction with a connector to the adjacent Penny's Preserve trails. As we had service so that we could keep watch on the live stream and not miss Sam's events and hadn't been out for too long, we decided to make a loop of it and continue on to the as of yet untracked Penny's Preserve West Side trail to the Quarry Loop.

Heart in the snow

The woods were seriously just so gorgeous. It was the picture perfect day to be out in the woods. The trail wandered along through the woods, eventually taking us to the edge of a deep wide quarry, where we stopped in the sun to marvel at the large blocks of stone below and watch Sam's first event, the 50 free, where she won her heat and got a PR! Woohoo! Then we continued on through the woods back down to the road, where we had a short road walk to get back to the car. All in all, a truly lovely exploration, and really nice to get out in the woods with Ryan💗(2.0 miles walked)

Edge of the quarry

Just so pretty! 😍

We had gotten several fresh homemade cinnamon sugar donuts along with our sandwiches at Sandy's and left them in the sun on the dashboard in the car while we were out walking. The car smelled wonderful when we returned, and the donuts (they even came with the donut hole!) were delish! A great post-walk treat.

We watched Sam's 100 free from the Y parking lot and then headed over to the Blue Hill Co-op to check it out before her final relay event. She had a great meet and some really strong swims. These past few months, she has really improved in strength and with her technique. It has been fun to watch, and I love seeing how proud she is of her improvement. 

By the time the meet finished up, it was 4:00 and we headed home, marveling at the clear sky and glorious sunset as we drove the back roads to hit the highway. Even an hour later, there was still a beautiful glow on the horizon as we headed south. 

I didn't rush out on Sunday morning, as the wind was whipping and we didn't have anything on the calendar for the day except dinner later in the evening with Mom and Dad, and possibly some xc skiing if the weather forecast was wrong and it didn't rain. I finally headed out around 8:45. A mix of roads and trails out and into Highland Green in the cold rain and sleet, which started about 1 minute into the run. 😂 Wore my screwshoes, which were overkill on the majority of the pavement but necessary for the trails and back road. The Cathance trails were actually fairly packed out, which was nice. Took the trail back through the woods in the final mile or so, just to be a bit more protected from the wind and rain. (6.6 miles)

It did indeed continue to be relatively nasty for the rest of the day, so it was a quiet afternoon, although Sam and I did tackle putting up the LED lights that she had gotten for Christmas. They are pretty fun!