End of June...and Off to Camp

I feel like I am always saying, and feeling, this, but seriously, where does the time go? And how it it the end of June already?!

Took a full rest day on Monday. Needed it. Got back out on Tuesday morning before heading into the office for a run down to the river and back. Nice, cool but rather humid morning with the sweet smell of milkweed in the air and the first trailside blueberries picked along the powerlines! (6.0 miles)

Wednesday, I got up and out for a road run around town. Nice out but I am definitely still tired. It does not help that work is a bit nuts right now. (8.0 miles)

This summer is the summer of three day work weeks, and I only regularly have a four day work week!😂😉😎 Seriously though, out of the 10 full weeks of summer, there are only 2 weeks where I'll be working all four days. Ha! We have lots of long weekend plans, and honestly it is sometimes easier to be able to work a few days each work vs. taking a full week off and then having to play serious catch uponce you get back into the office. Plus it works to break up the weeks for Sam too.

So with that being said, I was off of work on Thursday. Took Sam up to swim practice for 9:00 am and then got out for a walk. Gorgeous morning to get in a bit of movement! (2.1 miles walked)

Then it was on to get haircuts, get some errands done and start in on the camp packing! Packing all the items needed for two weeks away, even with two laundry days in between, into a big plastic bin takes a bit of work 😂

Friday morning, I got up and out on the powerlines a little after 6:30 am. Nice morning, with the exception of the swarming deer flies and it being incredibly muggy - finished so soggy! But on the plus side, saw one deer plus some lovely milkweed, spreading bogbane, whorled yellow loosestrife, partridge berry and a multitude of ripe blueberries. May have stopped for a few too many handfuls along the way 😉😋 (9.0 miles)

Later in the afternoon, we all headed over to Mom and Dad's for a walk downtown to get gelato and back. Definitely feels like summer - very warm indeed! - but the gelato was a nice treat! 😋🍨(2.6 miles walked)

Woke up at 5:00 am on Saturday to rain drops pitter pattering overhead on the skylights so wasn't in any rush to get out. Rained and sprinkled on and off until I finally headed out around 8:30. A bit of rain but mostly just incredibly heavy, humid and muggy with no air movement, meaning I was totally drenched right from the start. Took one of the closed trails out through the Cathance, which was way too overgrown to be enjoyable, and then lost my earbud in the rocks and leaves while I was swatting at the relentlessly annoying and everpresent deer flies en route to Head of Tides. By the time I got out to the edge of the water at 5 miles, I had pretty much had enough of the woods so headed back via the roads and powerlines, just as the sun came out and heated things up even more. Whew, roasty, although there was at least a bit of a breeze which was most welcome. Did see some nice patridge berry blooming in the woods, plus one deer, one osprey calling overhead and multiple towhees along with some nice cow vetch and swamp candles in bloom. But honestly, it was not a super fun run and I didn't even bother to go the extra 1/2 mile to make it an even 10. Just seemed like it wasn't worth the effort. Summer running is so fun 😩😂😖 Oh well, they can't all be the best run ever, and sometimes it is just a grind. (9.5 miles)

Thank goodness, the weather was a bit more pleasant on Sunday, or honestly I think I would have bagged the long run. Not as hot or humid, and a nice breeze, plus I stuck mostly to the roads to avoid the plague of the deer flies, so all of that meant a much more pleasant run. Still finished soaked, but hey, it is July! 😂 One deer, one groundhog, one killdeer and one osprey overhead, along with some lovely crown vetch and patridge berry blooming. Glad to have been able to get in the miles. (20.0 miles)

And then it was a short recovery before heading up to Winthrop to drop Sam at camp! I am going to miss her while she is gone for the next two weeks but I know she will be having a great time 😊

Capped off the day with a fun meet-up in Brunswick with Corie, Rob and the girls as they are traveling back through the area, A perfect evening for pizza and beer outside at Moderation! 🍻Mom and Dad joined us for a drink, and Rob even serenaded us with a few songs on his bagpipe in the parking lot in parting 😍

In larger news, none of your goddamn business indeed. 

And on the garden front, the beds out front are going great gusto and looking a bit jungle like, but the bee balm is in bloom as are the day lilies. Always so lovely! 😍

And because it's the end of another month, here's the running tally...

June wrap-up:
187.96 miles run
28.27 miles walked
5 full zero days

YTD:
1,041.8 miles run
148.04 miles walked
9.3 miles xc skied
26 full zero days