COLD!

The week started out normally enough, with a day off on Monday and then an afternoon Highland Green run on Tuesday. I am just coming to accept these afternoon Tuesday runs 😂 although hopefully once we get a bit more morning light in the spring and there isn't fear of black ice, I'll get back to some more morning running! Mostly clear pavement but still some patches of ice at the seams of the sidewalks, etc. Out and back since the back road isn't really usable right now. Windy! (6.1 miles)

Wednesday, I was working from home so I headed out mid-morning in between meetings and hit the powerlines. A nice bright crisp morning to be out, and while the powerlines could do with a bit more traffic and were on the soft side, it was doable. Didn't have a lot of time so kept it short and sweet. (6.0 miles)

Ryan was over in VT for work, so I took Sam to late swim and got in a walk on the indoor track. (2.2 miles walked)

Thursday ended up being a total day off from activity too, as Sam woke up not feeling great so stayed home from school and didn't go to swim where I had planned to walk, and I had to be in the office for both a 9:00 am and a 3:00 pm meeting. Ugh, Sam has been sick a lot this year. I really don't like keeping her out of school but sometimes it just seems like the best course of action. Thankfully this time around it seemed to just be most congestion and nothing more.

Friday was actually a day off from school due to a professional development day, which was nice for Sam as it meant another day to rest. But the talk of the day was the crazy cold front moving into all of New England on Friday. Even without any wind, temps were predicted to get down to close to -20, with temps dropping throughout the day. 

But no matter, it was my birthday and a Friday, so I had planned to meet up with Val and Anne for a run at Brad and so just bundled up with lots of extra layers! I started around 9:30 to get in a few extra miles, and as the sun was bright and I was protected in the woods, it didn't seem all that bad and honestly I was hot from the run up to the summit!

Got in 2 miles on the dot once I got back down to the lot to meet up with Val and Anne, and we headed out together for some miles over on the east side. The mountain bikers have been out in force, and with their grooming and all the traffic, the singletrack was pretty sweet! Best trail running of the winter for sure, and so nice to have a chance to be that crazy runner out in the cold weather with friends 😎😂😍 (2.0 solo + 6.0 for a total of 8.0)

They surprised me with delicious ricotta cookies that Anne picked up from Maple's as a birthday treat. I am so blessed to have such nice friends 💕 Of course, it was too cold to stand out in the parking lot this time around to eat our treats together but so sweet!! And yum, that was a delicious cookie too!

After lunch and a few errands, we headed over to Mom and Dad's for dinner and birthday cake. I am one lucky girl to not only have my parents nearby, but to have my mom bake my favorite cake for my birthday. Thanks Mom! 💖Can't believe I'm 48 but what can you do? Time just seems to fly on by, and I still feel young at heart!!😉😊😆

And yes, this was the temp when we left their house. BRRR!!!!! 💨💨😰😰

Needless to say, we dripped the faucets, opened the kitchen cabinets, and had the heater, our only source of heat in the whole house, cranked up as far as it would go, with a space heater going in the corner for a few hours before bed too just to keep the pipes as warm as possible. On nights like this, I am incredibly grateful to have a roof over my heat and the means to heat it. I know this is not a given, and while I know there were warming centers open in most towns to help those in need, it shouldn't have to be that way and that is a sad thought for a cold night. 

The wind howled all night, and the thermometer was still reading -14 in the morning. Thankfully, we did not have any frozen pipes and the house was toasty warm. Sam had an away swim meet, so I got her up to the bus and did a few errands around town. Temps slowly climbed but the wind was still whipping, and yup, it was cold out there 😉😆 Finally, after lunch, temps were reading above zero, so of course, I thought, well, it's warmed up, let's go for a run!! Never said I was sane 😜😜 It definitely felt colder than Friday but once again, I just bundled up and I was fine while I was moving. I drove over to the Gone Fishing trails, and was mostly protected from the wind and enjoyed the nice twisty singletrack that had been groomed and packed by bikers. Got some nice eyelash-sicles while I was out there too! And then I happily came home to eat leftover birthday cake 😋 (6.1 miles)

Thankfully, the forecast was right and the cold, while insanely intense, was fairly short-lived and by the time I got up this morning, it was in the high teens. Much more reasonable! I suited up and headed over to Brad for my long run. Couldn't resist taking advantage of the nice singletrack over there! Headed out a little after 8:00 am and looped around on the east side for a short bit before running up to the summit. Always a pretty view!

From there, I took Boundary down to the Connector, all of which had been packed and tracked, but definitely not as smoothly or with at much traffic as the east side. Some serious ice as I was climbing up towards the trail to Tryon, and while it wasn't nearly as easy or fast as the really packed east side singletrack, it was fun to just wander out into the woods and enjoy the quiet, calm morning. Still had a bit of time when I got back to the parking lot, so headed back across the street for a few more smooth east side miles before looping back to the lot to meet up with the TMR group. 

The lot, which had only had two cars in it when I headed out, was now packed to the gills with cars and bikers. It was like a convention or an event, but no, apparently it was just a regular Sunday. Wow. So.many.bikes. The TMR group was doing the Beautiful Loop, which of course, was appealing, but a 10:00 am start and knowing there was potential for some less than ideal conditions depending on snowmobile traffic, had caused me to decide on my own plan to start at 8:00 and then join up with them for whatever remaining miles I had left. Turns out, it worked out perfectly for me to join them out to the corn field and then turn back. The snowmobile trail seemed in better than it had on Friday and was actually pretty solid running, with some ice slicks in spots and a few wind-drifted stretches. It was fun to catch up with Manuela, Steve and Rick during the run, and although I was starting to get hungry in the final few miles, I felt pretty solid energy-wise which was great, as this was definitely the longest effort in a while! (16.0 miles)

Then home for more cake 😋😂, some house cleaning, a bit of relaxation and spaghetti pie for dinner. Yum!