Last Week of Summer

Yes, I know technically it is summer until September 21, but school starts up next week so this week certainly feels like the last week of summer! 

Monday was a full day off from running, and I wasn't super enthused to bound of out bed on Tuesday morning, so in the end, I just got in a later afternoon solo walk across the street on the roads after dropping Sam off for a sleepover at Abby's. Warm and sticky out. (2.0 miles walked)

The warmth and stickiness continued the rest of the week. Ugh. I really could do with less humidity, but I was at least glad that this was a down week in terms of running so I'd get at least a bit of a break from the nastiness. 

Headed out around 6:15 on Wednesday for a run down to the river and back. Soggy, sticky, misty, heavy, and definitely still felt summerlike in that regard, although the viburnum berries are turning a lovely blush color and the air has that smell of the turning of the season. (6.0 miles)

Mom and Dad picked Sam up for lunch and an ice cream at Fielder's Choice and then I joined them for  dinner after I got home from the office. Sam was pretty much wiped out from the sleepover, so it was an early night!

Thursday was a final summer day off for me, but since I'm keeping it mellow this week and didn't have any long miles to run, I just headed out around 6:45 across the street for a run on the powerlines. Cool but insanely humid, and many dew-covered spiderwebs glimmering in the early light. (6.0 miles)

Anne came over later in the morning to hang out and then after lunch, the three of us walked down to DQ for an ice cream cone. Definitely hot. (2.0 miles walked)

Woke up to rain on Friday morning, and it was still sprinkling when I headed out from the field house into the Commons around 7:30. Cooler, muggy and overcast. Hit some of the side trails before looping back. Woods were green and damp. (7.25 miles)

Continuing the sweet treat theme for the week, we headed over to Mom and Dad's after lunch to walk downtown for a gelato. The sun came out and things heated up quickly. We were all sweaty by the time we climbed back up the hill on the way back! (2.2 miles walked)

Then Sam and I had Thai take-out for dinner. Yum! All in all a successful solo week at home with the kiddo, and although we didn't end up taking on any adventues with just the two of us together, I think Sam had some fun in her last week of summer! 😎

Ryan got in sometime in the middle of the night from his week of traveling, and as Sam was getting picked up for a beach day with her friend Lauren and I knew I'd have to ensure she was up and out of bed, I didn't rush out for an early morning run, knowing there wasn't going to be much on tap for the day once she headed out. It was nice to have a relaxed morning, and I realized that I was pretty tired from the week, despite fewer miles and Sam being a really good kiddo while Ryan was away. 

I finally headed out around 10:00 for a run on the powerlines. Cooler but still humid enough that I finished the run soaked. The blackberries and blueberries are waning now, but I still managed to find a few sweet handfuls to eat. Also saw two ladies on horseback, one deer and one very friendly kitty near Topsham Crossing. (10.0 miles)

She wanted all the pets!😍

Turtlehead along the powerline streambed

We spent the rest of the day on the couch watching way more episodes of Ted Lasso than I care to admit 😂 I'm not really a TV person, although I do enjoy a lot of the Food Network shows and the Great British Baking Show, and am very particular about what I want to sit down and watch, so it's kind of a miracle that we found a series that I actually am enjoying watching. We're a little late to the game, but Ryan got an Apple TV subscription (for a few months at least) when he got his new phone the other month, so we decided we'd try it since so many people talk about Ted Lasso! So far it is just the kind of series that I like - funny but not too raunchy, heartwarming, good characters, enjoyable storyline, no violence or weapons, no gore, and of course there has to be at least a bit of swearing 😂 What can I say, I have very specific requests when it comes to TV I want to invest my time in! 

Sam had a fun day at the beach up at Range Pond and they even saw some little baby snapping turtles coming out of their nest and making their way to the water. How cool!

I didn't rush out on this morning for my run either, finally heading out a little before 8:30. With No Business coming up in what is now feeling like a ridiculously short time (October 14!!), and recognizing that I need to put in a little more effort to get some hills in, I had decided I'd start this week with a bit of hillwork for the next six weeks. Hey, better some than none! Of course, I waited until the last day of the week to get in the hills, but what can I say? That just seems to be my style to a certain degree. So off I headed into Topsham Heights for some hills. Need to work on the route a bit to get in more vert, but it was enough for today given that this is a down week and I wasn't looking to totally exhaust myself in the process. I did stop coming out of Oak Hill for a blackberry stop. Just can't resist those berries! Cooler with temps in the low 60s but with the dewpoint of about the same, I was soaked by the time I finished. 💦Humidity, you can go away now! (7.0 miles)

Hoping this down week will do the trick and I'll be able to crank up the mileage again the next two weeks with the UXBBA on the schedule the day of the Bruiser as a big effort.  

Mid-August

Monday was a work at home day, although my coworkers were really slacking off on the job 😹Dragged Sam off her bed around 4:00 pm for a walk around the block. She didn't want to go, but she was chatty once we got moving 😊 (1.7 miles walked0

Tuesday I was up and out early for a run on the powerlines. Nice morning with some lovely low mist over the greenery. Asters blooming, eight deer and lots of blackberries. (10.0 miles)

Wednesday morning was a road run with a few cart paths at the end. Definitely dragging a bit. Overcast and muggy. One blueberry and one blackberry stop. (10.0 miles)

Took Thursday as a rest day because I needed it. Was back out Friday morning early before we headed to NH. Pretty morning with some lovely light. Four deer and one turkey seen. Ran the cart paths plus a loop down to the river and back. (10.0 miles)

Then it was over to Chalk Pond for the weekend for our annual Bowdoin get-together. After we had lunch, the three of us took the dogs for a walk around the pond with Neal. (1.2 miles walked)

Later in the evening after everyone had arrived and we had dinner up on the deck, we sat down at the pond as the light turned and enjoyed time around the fire together. 

Got up early on Saturday morning to get in some miles. Ran up through the Stoney Brook Wildlife Sanctuary to Baker Hill, where there are some amazing views looking out over the lake and to Sunapee Mountain. Also, very hilly!

Looped on the roads down to Bloggett Landing and enjoyed running along the lake. Those houses there, while stacked right on top of each other, sure do have a nice view! 

Scooted this guy off the edge of the pavement

Then it was around and up on the roads to the trail up Sunset Hill. Definitely feeling a bit low energy but just took it easy and tried to enjoy being out there. Dropped down the backside of Sunset Hill and ran up along a very long VT 100-esque road to connect up with the Fisher Field Trail which dropped me back down to Chalk Pond. Fisher Field Trail was pretty janky with a lot of sidehill and loose stuff, which meant it was really slow going. Took one fall out there too, despite being cautious. Had to do a bit extra on the roads to get to 15, but was happy to get the miles in. And definitely some good hill work! (15.0 miles)

Ran right into the pond after my run - very refreshing! - and then later, we all got in for some water fun! Ryan and Neal floated while Sam, Vicky, Michael and I swam out to the island and over to the dock where Annalee, Matt and Graham were in the water at the neighborhood beach and back, which according to my watch was 600 yds. Who knows, but it sure felt like a lot of work 😂 Once we got back, Sam and Ryan took out the kayaks and the paddleboards and more floats came out. It was the perfect day for being in and on the water!

We did some relaxing and of course eating and drinking and chatting and laughing and catching up on the deck later in the afternoon. Graham really enjoyed his watermelon 😂🍉He was a cutie, although we did remark that we were glad to not have a 1 1/2 year old 😉

Speaking of Sam, she got a lot of dog time, and although she initially whined a bit about having to hang out with the adults all weekend, on the way home she did say she had fun 😎 It was a great weekend and always is so good to catch up with everyone 😍

Sunday morning, Ryan headed to the airport for his work trip in Michigan and Sam and I headed home. I ended up consciously deciding not to get up early to run before we left, which meant I had to head out later in the afternoon in the heat.  A slightly questionable decision, but despite the heat and time of day, I felt reasonably decent, and although I did run out of water and was quite hot and sweaty, I managed to stick it out and get in the miles to finish up my intended 3-day 40 mile block and 60 miles for the week, so I was pretty happy with that! Also, it is most definitely flat around home 😂😂(15.0 miles)

Normal?

A normal week of work, a return to more normal summer temperatures, a normal weekend - at least in that we weren't traveling! Or maybe it's not normal at all 😂 But whatever it was, it was at least a bit less hot!

Monday, Sam was lucky enough to join Mom and Dad for a trip out to Potts Point for a walk and ice cream. Sounded pretty good on yet another hot day! 

Late, it was a solo afternoon walk around the block for me, as Ryan was on a call and Sam had just gotten home. Toasty! (1.7 miles walked)

Tuesday, I got out around 5:45 am for a run on the cart paths. Cooler but still humid and very overcast. One great blue heron, one hawk and one handful of blackberries. (7.0 miles)

The skies cleared enough later in the morning that Sam and Anne got in a fun beach trip with Mom and Dad, and Sam got yet another ice cream. She is living the life 😊

I wasn't feeling great on Wednesday so I took the day off from running. Thankfully after a decent sleep, I woke up feeling better on Thursday and I headed out around 5:30. Decided to do a run across the two bridges so I could check out the sky. Glorious 😍 Also found a lovely patch of blackberries headed up the hill towards Mom and Dad's on the way home through the Topsham neighborhoods. Yum. (9.0 miles)

Another gorgeous morning on Friday. Up early for a run out on the powerlines. Low ground fog, lovely early light, lots of berries, vibrunum berries just beginning to show a hint of blush color, 9 deer and a lot of sweat despite cooler temps. Still very humid. (10.0 miles)

Then it was home to shower and eat and get in a quick trip to the farmer's market before taking Sam, Lily and Lauren down to the mall for the day. Am I a good mom or what?! I am not a shopper and I do not like the mall, but the three of them have been talking about going down there all summer, so I figured I'd try to make it happen as I knew they would have fun. They were very cute together and had a great time, but it was a long day between all the driving with one girl living in Harpswell and the other in Bowdoinham and whew, all that sensory and people overload in the mall itself was tiring! I did actually go out and take a walk on the Maine Mall "Wellness Trail," which was really just a bad sidewalk that went along the far edges of the parking lot. Not the most scenic, that's for sure. (1.4 miles walked)

So cute 😎

The Breaker was on Sunday, so Saturday was the day for the long run! Thankfully, the weather has moderated and it was a lovely cool morning, although still fairly humid. I set off at 6:30 am and wandered around on the roads and trails around town. Two fawns, one red eft and too many berry stops later, I got through my miles and felt reasonably decent, although probably too many photo, berry and pee stops enroute 😂 (22.0 miles)

💕

Then after a bit of lounging around and reading on the couch in the afternoon, Mom and Dad, plus Michael and Vicky, who were up to run the Breaker, came over for pizza and a whole lot of laughs. I didn't get to bed until late but it was a lot of fun. 😊

Up early this morning and headed to Brad to get in some miles before meeting up with Emily at 7:30 to get in one loop on the course as a course check. Another beautifully cool and bright morning. Ran up to the summit and looped around for a few miles before returning to the lot to pick up Emily. It was fun to catch up as we ran along, Definitely feeling the week's miles and not super peppy, but overall, didn't feel bad considering I was finishing up 51 miles in 4 days! A few miles short of my 60 mile goal for the week, but I'll take it. (10.0 miles)

Then it was a quick change and to the field to help set up the food table and do some work at the finish line. Fun as always to catch up with friends and cheer on the runners, but even though it was probably the best weather in the Breaker's history, I was still glad to not be racing 😂😂

And for your enjoyment, a few Gigi photos to finsh up the weekly update 😻😻