Busy Busy

Three evening work meetings, and a full day of socializing at the new building ribbon cutting. Needless to say, I am tired 😜😂

Monday was a zero day, with too much work and a 5:00 pm meeting. 

Tuesday was filled with just too much work, and then had a 5:30 meeting. Wanted to be like Gigi but knew I’d be better getting a bit of movement before snuggling under the covers 😹 so took a late night, headlamp walk around the school block. (2.0 miles walked)

Finally an early morning run on Wednesday, it's been a while 😂😂, but only because I knew I couldn't run after work as I was spending the day at the new building helping organize things and then had a 4:00 meeting. What is up with the timing on all of this?! 😝😜 Ran up through town and took a short detour out over the bridge to check out the sunrise. Cold, calm and bright. Nice color over at Androscoggin. (6.4 miles)

Cold and calm. Nice sunrise. Tired and a long work day to go with the ribbon cutting at the new building, but needed the run to start the day right 😴🤪 Ran out and back through Highland Green. (6.0 miles)

I don't talk too much about work, but proud to be part of the team who has been working on building a new emergency shelter building the past year+. It is not quite done yet but Thursday was the official ribbon cutting, and it was a great turn out. So amazing to see so many people supporting the new building, and I don't think I've given so many hugs in a long time. It was a joy to meet up with so many friends I've known and worked with over the past 12+ years and have them celebrate with us! 

It's going to continue to be a busy month+ as we move from our current locations into the new building, get all the systems going and train new staff, along with moving current clients in, all before Christmas, but Thursday was a great celebration! 

And it was a really long day for the introvert that I am, with 6+ hours of socializing and giving tours of the new building. I was wiped and was asleep by 8:00. I also only ate one sugar cookie between 10:00 and 6:00 so there's that... 😁😁😜😜

After a long work week, it was so great to be able to meet up with Mindy and Val at Pineland on Friday morning for a run with friends! I did end up doing some work later in the afternoon, but for a few hours of running and then chatting in the market while we ate our delicious bagels, it was nice to be focused on me and get away from work! It was fun to catch up, and it was a nice morning to be out on the trails in the woods! (5.5 miles)

Saturay, I got some work done early, dropped Sam at the Y to get the bus to her swim meet and then parked at the field house to run out through the Commons to the water in Pennelville. Nice balmy calm morning. Witch hazel in bloom in a number of spots and belted galloways out grazing in the Pennelville fields. Always love running out through these friends - so peaceful. Also 100s of white/light grey/brian moths flitting about in the woods. Weird. (9.1 miles)

Then after a quick shower and lunch, I headed over to Mom and Dad's to help prep for the Raymond Thanksgiving meal on Sunday while Ryan headed up to Boothbay to watch Sam's swim races and pick her up so she could get home a bit sooner and join us for dinner and pie making. Sam swam great, and had some solid races for the first race of the season! 

Swimming backstroke in the relay

Sunday morning, I headed out at 8:45 for a run on the cart paths and roads around town. Nice morning. (13.1 miles)

Then it was off to Mom and Dad's for an afternoon of family and feasting! 🥧🍗 There were 16 of us with Larry in town and Brianna, Miguel and adorable 18-month old Eleanor. It was a lovely afternoon and evening 💗 Happy Thanksgiving!

Classic November

This week was the start of the stretch of Ryan being away for 10 days for work. 

So with no one to rein me in 😂, even though Tuesday was a holiday and day off of work and school for Sam and I, I somehow I ended up spending most of the day work 😁😂 Sam and Abby had a sleepover so I hung out in the morning at home and then took them to Target, but then I just lost steam and ended up just taking a walk around the school block at 3:00 pm while it was spitting snow instead of going out for a run. Oh well. (2.5 miles walked)

Wednesday was a run through the cemeteries up in Bath during swim practice. Losing light fast. (6.0 miles)

Then Thursday was another swim practice run, this time up to the view along the Whiskeag and around. (6.0 miles)

Friday was another work and errand filled day, with a run out to the Heath around 2:45 pm. Very peak November dreariness, and feeling quite tired. (6.0 miles)

Saturday morning I met up with Emma in Portland to do a fun loop on the quiet roads and trails around their house. It was great to catch up, and fun to run somewhere different! (7.0 miles) Then after some work work and house work, Sam and I had dinner with Mom and Dad. 

Finished up the week with yet another afternoon run 😂 Didn't manage to get out until 1:00 on Sunday. Ran on the cart paths and down to the river. Classic damp, dreary, cold, overcast November. (10.0 miles)

Afternoon Running

It has been the week of afternoon runs. Work has been super busy and my brain just wants to get things done in the morning, which just means pushing the running later. And without a race in the near future, the running seems less urgent. It is still important but the push is not there. 

Tuesday was a day off of school for Sam as they use the high school for voting, so while I still had to go into the office, I took advantage of the fact that there is no school today to run in the daylight before heading to vote and then going into the office. Breezy and bright. Headed out around 7:30 for a run along the edge of the Heath. (6.0 miles)

Wednesday was a 6:30 am walk around the block. A nice, calm, cool morning. (2.0 miles) Then after work and swim, we headed over to Mom and Dad's to celebrate Dad's 81st birthday with Thai food and pumpkin pie! Yum! 💗🎂

Thursday, I got out for a run during swim practice. Super windy so I just looped through the cemeteries in an attempt to stay out of the worst of it. (6.0 miles)

Another afternoon run after work and errands kinda took over earlier in the day on Friday. But making good use of swim practice time at least! Nice out. Ran down to the road crossing along the Whiskeag and then looped around in the cemetery. (6.0 miles)

Ryan was over at Chalk Pond for the weekend, so Saturday was a quiet morning at home. And a lazy morning + too much time working + a necessary trip to Target with Sam for ornaments for her Christmas tree 😂🎄= yet another afternoon run. Ran out on the cart paths and down to the river. Dragging a bit. Also quite warm, which was a bit weird. Three deer seen. (9.0 miles)

Sunday dawned grey and dreary. I ended up futzing around at home, doing some cleaning and spending too muh time on the computer working, and then decided to eat lunch and wait for Ryan to get home before I headed out for my run, so it was another 1:00 pm run. Grey and damp with two deer seen. (11.1 miles)

Still working towards my 2,000 mile running goal for the year, but haven't been quite as consistent as I would have liked with keeping the mileage at 40 mpw, so I'm definitely going to have to focus. As of tomorrow, I have 53 days to run 357.4 miles. That averages 6.75 miles per day, but I only run 5 days a week so I'm going to have to ramp it up a bit. I was feeling a bit dreary about this today, but Ryan showed me the math and he's right, it's doable. I also totally recognize that this is a completely arbitrary goal but I really want to get back there after my off year due to my silly injury last year, and be in a good spot to go for another 100 mile race in 2026. Can't give up on the goal just yet! 

Bar Harbor Fun

Started the week off with a walk on Tuesday afternoon. Nice out and one very tree still glowing very brightly with brilliant red foliage. (2.0 miles walked)

Wednesday was an afternoon river and back run. Nice and bright out. (7.0 miles)

Thursday was a drizzly afternoon run on the roads and cart paths. (6.1 miles)

Friday was a late morning run around the Heath. Windy but bright. Also two separate praying mantis rescues off the pavement! Tired. (6.0 miles)

The rest of the morning and early afternoon was a mix of trying to get some work done, and crossing things off my to-do list before Ryan and I headed up to Bar Harbor for a belated anniversary weekend. We finally headed out a little before 2:00 pm, arriving in time to quickly check into the hotel and get in a walk on the Shore Path before dinner. Blustery with nice late afternoon light. (1.5 miles walked)

We headed across the street to Peekytoes Provisions for dinner where I had a delicious crab cake "burger." Yum! 

I got up early on Saturday and headed out around 6:45 just as the sky was lightening. Ran along the Shore Path and then up to the Duck Pond Road before heading out on the carriage roads to loop around Witch Hole Pond. The wind was whipping and it was seriously breezy and definitely not warm. Stopped to take too many pictures but it was lovely out. The reds of the blueberry bush leaves were really popping. Two deer and a gaggle of at least a dozen turkeys. Only two other people seen. (10.0 miles)

Met Ryan across the street at a little cafe for breakfast sandwiches for breakfast and then we headed over to Norumbega for a hike. Headed out around 10:30. Definitely a breeze but bright and sunshiney, and we pretty much stayed out of the wind on the ridge. No other people seen at all, but lots of bright red blueberry bushes. Even after all these years coming here (probably 30! 🫣), we hiked a trail we’d never been on before - the golf course trail - which made for a nice slightly longer loop, and then we added a bit across the road along Upper Hadlock Pond too. Nice to be out on the trails with Ryan. And always nice to be up here. It’s a special place 💗 (4.2 miles walked)

We went back into town to grab sandwiches for lunch and then decided it was too early to head back to the hotel room, so we parked out at Sieur du Mont and hiked out on the Jessup Path, through the meadow and then up to the Tarn and back. It was a nice mellow walk. Another section of new to us trail too, Jessup Path out to the Tarn, and back on Wild Garden Trail. Love the grassy meadow out there, and a great soundtrack today of the leaves rustling in the wind. (2.2 miles walked)

We had a bit of time to just relax back at the hotel - I read my book and Ryan watched TV - before our dinner reservation at Havana. We had an amazing meal, and as I had made the reservation on line and they asked if it was a special occassion, I said Anniversary and they were very lovely about it, even making our dessert extra fancy! 🍷🍸

Daylight savings so I was able to get out for a run earlier on Sunday. Headed out at 6:15 to run out along the Shore Path and then up through town to the Great Meadow Trail along the golf course, along the Strathenden Path (both new to me) to the tarn. Ran back along Jessup Path and then up in the roads to the short Compass Harbor trail (also never gone this one) and back. Cold, breezy and bright. Tired, but nice to get out. (9.2 miles)

We walked up to the Early Bite for breakfast, then back to the hotel to pack up. Before we left the island, we headed out to Great Head for a short hike. I was feeling a bit cranky as I was quite tired but it was a nice walk before we hit the road to head home. And lovely views as always. (1.5 miles)

All in all, a very lovely weekend up in Bar Harbor and nice to spend it with Ryan! 💖

While we were gone, Sam hung out with Mom and Dad, made pumpkin cupcakes and was featured in the weekly high school newsletter 😊

And to wrap up last month:

October:
165.70 miles run
13.48 miles walked
0.00 miles xc skiied
0x weights

YTD:
1,585.13 miles run
183.54 miles walked
3.34 miles xc skiied
31x weights