Happy Easter!

Monday, the three of us got out for a late afternoon walk. It was beautiful and bright out, and we walked over to the small pond along the cart path along hole #1 for a golf ball collecting mission. He was happy to collect about a dozen golf balls and I was happy to see some wood frog eggs in the pond 😂 (2.5 miles walked)

I really should just stop setting my alarm for early Tuesday morning. So far this year, it is just not happening 😴😴 But the upside of not getting out in the morning darkness is that I got in my first run of the season in shorts when I got home from work 😂😂 Yes, truly, I do not like to run in shorts until it is at the very least 45 degrees!! Legs felt a bit clunky, but it was a nice afternoon for a cart path run. The peepers were calling in the Heath and two mourning cloak butterflies were flitting about atop Mt. A. 🦋(6.0 miles)

Wednesday, I headed out around 6:15 and while I didn't catch the sunrise over the Androscoggin, the clouds and color sure were pretty. Lots of people out walking and even a few runners. I guess everyone is coming out of hibernation now that it is nicer out and sunrise is getting earlier! (7.0 miles)

Friday was the start of school vacation, so my plan was to run and get a few things done around the house in the morning so that Sam and I could join my parents for a trip to Popham Beach after lunch. Headed out onto the powerlines around 7:30. A rather foggy start but once the sun broke through the clouds, it warmed up quickly. Trails are drying up nicely, and while it is still mostly brown in the woods, I did see some nice patches of bright skunk cabbage, catkins beginning to hang from branches and trailing arbutus in bloom in several spots. (9.0 miles)

Down at Popham in the early afternoon, the sun was bright but the wind was still pretty cold! And we were definitely not brave enough to wade through the one channel of water that was separating us from Fox Island 😉 Instead, we had a nice walk down the wide sandy beach, with one sand dollar and a number of sea gooseberries found on the sand, and several bald eagles and ospreys flying overhead. A beautiful day for a beach walk! (2.3 miles walked) 

Sea gooseberry

And of course, we stopped for ice cream at Fielder's Choice before heading back home! Yum! 😋🍦

A kind of dreary, kind of warm, definitely windy morning on Saturday. Ran the cart paths and down to the river and back. Ferns and false hellebore coming up along the riverbank and one great blue heron scared up along the Heath. Too cold for the peepers. (8.4 miles)

After lunch, Sam and I made the most of the rainy afternoon with some pretzel making! Yum! Always a fun treat 😊🥨

Up and out the door early on Easter Sunday to get in my long run. Cool and a bit damp. Did a nice loop around town with a mix of roads and trails. Legs definitely a bit tight by the end, gotta work on loosening up those hip flexors, but glad to be able to get in the miles. (14.5 miles)

Then it was home for a big yummy brunch of pancakes, bacon, tater tot casserole and fruit salad, and an easter egg hunt for Sam. No pictures, but we all enjoyed the food and had a few good laughs during the easter egg hunt. We only hid a few eggs but we definitely made Sam work to find them!

Later in the day, we headed over to Mom and Dad's for yet another easter egg hunt and then a walk down to the river, during which it snowed (!!) Silly Maine weather! (1.5 miles walked)

Snow!

Mom made carrot cake for dessert and she and Sam put the finishing touches on the decoration before dinner. So cute! And delish! The perfect way to wrap up a nice Easter!

I wrapped up the running week with this... it just seems so egregious... although at least to my credit, I did not go back out and log another 0.01 to make it a nice round 45...😂😂

And I have finally caught up to the goal mileage for the year... it sure has taken a while, but there is something satisfying about seeing "ahead of goal" instead of "behind," even if I know it is all rather arbitrary!