No Waxwings Today

This morning was a "juggle" morning. Get a run in. Let Ryan get his medium-long run in. Get ready for work, eat breakfast and hang with Sam. Get to work on time :-) I had plans to get up at 5:30, but when the alarm went off, Ryan hit snooze and both of us went back to sleep until 6:00 when Sam woke up. I fed her and got her back to sleep, then quickly dressed and was out the door by 6:30. The thermometer read 3.3 degrees. Luckily it wasn't windy, or it would have been pretty brutal out there. As it was, it was pretty darn cold! I had on all my reflective gear - Nathan vest, snap bands on my ankles and a red LED blinking light on my back, along with my headlamp - although in the end, I probably didn't need any of it - and my Sugio hoodie pulled up over my hat, along with my warm Craft jacket and warmest running gloves and pants. I never really did warm up, and when I finished the run, my legs were bright red! Guess I could have used another layer...

As I ran down the high school road, a brilliant orange filled the horizon line, seeping into the deep blue above. With the sky lightening, there was more than enough light to run without a headlamp. For the sake of safety, simplicity and time, I decided to just do 3 loops on the high school road as I had done on Thursday. What a difference a few days make! The roads were totally clear of snow and ice. No waxwings sung in the trees, and I didn't see any roosting either. I guess they've migrated away to the next feeding ground. The funny thing is that my time for the 4.5 miles was almost exactly the same as on Thursday. Interesting. I guess changing from running in screw shoes through the packed snow and slush to running extra early on a super cold  morning evened things out.

I got home in time to get a quick shower in before Ryan headed out for his 11 mile run. Sam and I ate breakfast and played while he was gone, and he got back with enough time to get himself showered up before I headed out the door for work. I'd say we juggled well this morning :-)

Snowshoe Run!

Last night, Ryan suggested that we fit me into one of the Dion snowshoe pairs he has on loan from Bob for the upcoming Bradbury Snowshoe Series so that I could take them out this morning for a run. Bob had told him I was more than welcome to try the shoes out while Ryan had them, which was really nice of him. Thanks Bob! So, this morning, after I dropped Sam off, I came home, got suited up for a run and took off running through the complex with snowshoes in hand.

Although I've done a fair amount of snowshoeing in the past, it's all been snowshoe hiking, not snowshoe running. And it's been in my Tubbs. So the Dion snowshoes, and the whole snowshoe running thing, are new to me. When I got to the high school road, I veered off onto the sidewalk where the snowmobiles start their path onto the powerlines. There, I stopped and put on the snowshoes. I had to crank the straps literally all the way to get a tight fit, but it worked. Guess I have small feet! Ha :-) Then off I went.

Although a number of snowmobiles had been out, the snow is still pretty soft and uneven. I felt a bit clunky starting out, but the slim contour of the Dion shoe makes them relatively easy to run in, and they are pretty light. I ran the snowmobile trail until I got to Ryan's tracks from yesterday. He had packed out a loop through the woods, so I didn't have to do all the hard work of trail breaking, which was nice. It was still hard work though! Once on Ryan's trail, the snow was light and fluffy underfoot, and in keeping within the trough he'd created, I kept kicking myself. Ouch. I ran a few loops and then wandered on the snowmobile trail until I was out of time. I ended up running 3 miles in 35:31, although I was only in the snowshoes for 2.3 miles. It wasn't a speedy run, but it was a fun change of pace, and a good workout!

Snow and Waxwings Galore

Next year, when Sam is a bit older and steadier on her feet, we'll get out and play in the snow during a big snowstorm like yesterday's, which dumped approx. 12" of beautiful, white fluffy snow on us. But, this year, as she toddles and waddles and lurches unsteadily through the house, concentrating hard on walking, a snow day is better spent inside. So, yesterday, as the snow piled up and the winds whipped outside, the two of us played and walked and read, and not to mention, distracted poor Ryan while he worked :-)

Ryan was nice enough to do all the shoveling and car moving, so this morning when I dropped Sam off at daycare was the first time I'd been outside to revel in all the snow. Wow! It sure looks like winter now! Although I was tempted to load up my skis and head to the Commons to tromp through the woods, or put on my snowshoes and go wallow in the snow across the street, I really didn't have the time before work. I figured I could get in 30 minutes of running. So, I settled for running 3 loops of the high school road to get in 4.5 miles. It ended up taking me 37:25, but that's OK, I don't need much time to primp in front of the bathroom mirror anyway :-)

The run wasn't as much fun as skiing or snowshoeing, but I really needed to get the mileage in anyway, so you do what you have to do. I know that this winter, I'll be running more than skiing, simply because the logistics of running are so much simpler and because I definitely need to get in the miles going into the Gator Trail 50k if the race is going to be a pleasant experience :-) So as I ran the loop, I envisioned it a shorter, colder version of the Gator Trail course. The footing went from small sections of straight pavement to slippery packed snow to slush to churned up snow and slush and back again. Substitute packed dirt for the pavement, sand for the churned up snow and slush, and roots for the slippery packed snow, and it's probably a pretty good simulation.

The highlight of the run, which frankly wasn't all that exciting, was noting a flock of 30+ Cedar Waxwings by the front of the high school. The first time I ran by, I heard their chirps, but couldn't pinpoint where the calls were coming from. The second time around, I made a point to really look around, instead of trying to keep my head down in the wind, and I realized there was a good grouping of the birds high up in the branches of a big birch tree on the pond side of the front parking lot. I stopped to watch them for a minute. They are beautiful birds and looking up, the tree seemed alive with color as they flitted about - the gorgeous buttery yellow of their bellies and the warm reddish brown tones of their wings/head a wonderful contrast to the blue skies. and their melodious chirps and calls. On the third loop, I realized they were flying to and from the birch tree to two fruit trees planted in the school's courtyard. Neat!

Meadow Cross Loop

We only worked a half day up at the gallery today, so I was done at 2pm. After a few errands, I was dressed and out the door by 2:50. I had 8 miles penciled in for tomorrow, but with the snowstorm we're supposed to get, I figured if I wanted to get the miles in, I had better go today. I typically don't run long on the roads from home, but Ryan had an 8-mile loop mapped out, one that I have actually driven many times in the past year when trying to put Sam for a nap. The route goes up Rt. 201 for a bit and then turns onto Meadow Cross Road, wandering through the countryside and eventually connecting up to Rt. 196. Then it is back on Rt. 196 to Rt. 201. The section along Meadow Cross is actually quite scenic, with nice and rolling terrain, through open fields and past a few farms. Nothing too tough, but there are enough little dips and hills to keep you working. However, the last 2 miles along 196 were pretty brutal. Yes, the shoulder is really wide, but it was almost 4:00 in the afternoon by the time I reached that section, and there was a constant stream of traffic, not to mention this stretch was in my face the whole way. I had to run past both the on and off ramps to 295, and run the busy stretch from the Topsham Mall back up to Rt. 201. I was not pleased on this stretch, but it did make me pick up the pace a bit in those final miles, that's for sure :-) I finished the 8.0 miles in 1:05:48. I was trying to run a decent but measured effort, and I succeeded for the most part, I think, with my slowest mile being my first (8:35) and the fastest being miles 3, 7 and 8 (8:05s). Pretty happy with that.

And with that run done, bring on the snow! It would be nice to get some skiing in this weekend for sure!

Sam at 15 Months

Sam had her 15 month appointment this morning. She is weighing in at 19 lbs 7 oz and is now 28 3/4" long. This puts her in the 5th percentile for weight and the 10th for height. Her head circumference remained the same at 17 1/2", which is the 10th percentile. We have definitely noticed since she started walking that her little legs and arms have thinned out, so we weren't super surprised to learn that she hadn't gained much weight since her last appointment, but yes indeed, she is tiny! :-) We're currently taking bets as to whether or not she'll ever reach 5 feet tall. I'm still holding out hope, but Ryan thinks she might be in the booster seat forever!

This is a really fun age. Sam is changing and growing and learning daily. She has a number of words that she uses frequently, "Hi," "Bye bye", "Hi G(igi)", "Bye Dado," "Daddy," "Mama," "Nite Nite," "Dank u (thank you)," "Hi there," "Ball," "nano (banana)," "Baby," "uh oh!," as well a lot of animal sounds, such as "Moo," "Wad Wad (waddle waddle)" for penguin, "Oh Oh" (for monkey), "Woof woof," "meow," "roar" (for tiger and/or lion). She knows and uses the signs for "more," "please," "hat," "eat/hungry" and "all done," and she will point at herself and then at something she wants to let us know she is interested in a particular item. She also knows how to say "no" and will shake her head, "no no no." It's actually quite cute :-) She waves hi and bye, and blows kisses, which is totally adorable, making the "Mmmwwwaaa" sound when she does so. She gives hugs while patting our backs, and loves to share, although she often takes what she was sharing right back :-) She loves to read her books, "talk" on the phone, can turn the cable box and the lights on and off, and is interested in anything with buttons. She is definitely getting more coordinated and can put the easier shapes, like the circle, square and triangle, back into the shape sorter, and build towers with her Mega Blocks. She understands simple directions and knows what we are asking of her and can follow through most of the time.

She can walk on her own, but still prefers to run around holding onto one of our fingers. It's much faster :-) She can stand herself up and start walking, stop and bend to pick something, anything, up off the floor, and then stand back up and keep going. She likes to groove to music and "dance." She's still a social butterfly, waving and smiling at people in stores and restaurants, and is a little chatterbox, talking and babbling and cooing and oohing when she's happy and contented. She is such a happy baby - smiling and grinning and goofing and smirking and making funny faces at us. She'll eat a lot when she's hungry, and is a definite carboholic! Pity the piece of protein or stray vegetable that should dare get on her tray :-)  She loves Gigi and Ronnie, and pats the bed to "call" them up next to her, like I do to Ronnie. She follows Gigi around, patting and grabbing and trying to hug her. She will "throw" balls and napkins to Gigi and follow her around trying to give her a ball or a piece of food. They're going to be a pair of trouble-makers when Sam gets a little older :-) Ha!

And to prove what a goof she is, here you go!

Silly girl (Don't you love the hair and the goofy sunglasses?)

Windy and Creaky 5

This morning we went out to Jimmy K's in Georgetown for breakfast. Not quite Broadway Deli, but pretty tasty :-) And Sam about ate her weight in pancakes! She was not messing around. Not to mention that she was charming the patrons left and right. She is one social girl, she is.

When we got back to Irene and Dana's, I put Sam down for a nap. And then we sat on the couch, chatting and drinking coffee, and watching the wind picking up the sugary 2" of snow that fell overnight and swirling it up into the sky. My stomach was full of pancakes and eggs. My legs were feeling creaky. Wouldn't it be so much nicer to just sit here on the couch? But, Irene and Dana offered to keep watch over Sam while we went out for a run together, and well, these days we just can't turn down an offer like that. So, out the door we went. It wasn't super cold out, but it sure was windy. And I sure was feeling creaky and not super energetic. We plodded along the roads, griping and chatting, and I can't say it was the most enjoyable run ever. But, it was good to get out and get the blood flowing through my legs after yesterday's run. And it was nice to have another chance to run with Ryan. And, wouldn't you know, once we stopped and stretched and gotten back into the warm house, I sure did feel happy we had gotten out for a run :-)

18 at the GAC Fat Ass

With my work schedule and now with Sam, all major weekend events need to be thought out and prepared for months in advance. So we decided months ago that we would head south this weekend to run in the GAC Fat Ass. We ran it in 2009 with a big group of Trail Monsters, and it was lots of fun. This year, there wasn't quite as strong a showing of Trail Monsters, maybe in part due to the weather reports of a major storm which never materialized, but it was still a good time.

Ryan's parents live about 15 minutes away from Bradley Palmer, where the Fat Ass is held, so we drove down last night after work. They happily agreed to hang out with the kiddo while we ran, and we were able to sleep in a bit (although unintentionally, as Sam went back to sleep after waking up at 6am to eat, and didn't wake up for the day until 7:25!), and still make it to the start on time. Jamie and Kate pulled into the parking lot soon after us, and although Erik and Kevin were there, unfortunately we never saw them. However, there were more than enough other runners out to join in on the fun. The lot was overflowing, and it was a good crowd at the start! We took off right at 9am, and I got a bit lost in the crowd, trailing behind Ryan and Jamie for a bit until things opened up on the flats and I could catch back up. They seemed to be running at a pace I could hold, so I thought I'd hang onto them for as long as I could. We ended up staying together through lap #2 (12 miles), which was great. We were in the midst of a small group of runners here and there, but mostly it was just the three of us chugging along together.

The conditions were pretty decent, mostly packed snow and ice with a few short sections of powdery snow and a few stretches of bare ground mixed in. The screw shoes did their job, grabbing well the whole way, and although things were a bit uneven, it wasn't tough running. And with the mix of fields and wood roads, plus a fun stretch of twisty, hilly single track, the loop was a nice one. In fact, the miles just clicked on by as we chatted and laughed, and enjoyed the course. It is amazing how easily and happily runs can go when you're sharing the miles with friends!

Still, by the last mile of the second lap, I was starting to feel a bit tired, and decided I would let Ryan and Jamie go on ahead. I probably could have hung on, but I figured I might be a bit happier if I could just do the last lap at my own pace, especially since this would be my longest run in this training cycle yet, and with my cold earlier this week it hadn't exactly been an ideal week of training. In the end, I was only a few minutes behind them, but it was just enough that they were out of sight. It had gotten pretty quiet out there, but I did catch up with two guys who we had passed earlier on, and ran with them for most of the rest of the loop. The last loop was slower by a few minutes, but overall, I felt pretty good.

The snow was falling as I finished up my last loop - 3:05 for 18.0 miles (including all bathroom and aid station stops) - and stopped at the aid station to chat with Kate and grab a few goodies from the abundant table of treats to eat. Jamie and Ryan had gone on to finish up their planned mileage for the day - 20 for Jamie and 26.2 for Ryan - nice job guys! - and although I probably could have gone on, I really was more than happy to stop and was thrilled to get in 18 solid miles for the day. It was a great morning out on the trails! Thanks to the GAC crew for hosting such a fun event!

Flora and fauna notes: The park had a suet feeder which was host to a big group of chickadees, juncoes, sparrows, a pair of cardinals, white breasted nuthatches, titmice, a Downy Woodpecker and a Red-Bellied Woodpecker (cool! haven't seen one of those before!). We also saw a Barred Owl fly over us as we ran along through one of the fields. Neat!

Midweek Five

I hit the roads this morning for 5 miles on the Highland Green loop. It was chilly, but nice and sunny, with no breeze. I opted to go out on the Connector, but on the return, I decided to chance the powerlines. It's only a short 1/2 mile stretch between the high school road and the Highland Green road, so it couldn't be that bad. And lo and behold, the trail was a perfect running surface. Solid and packed by a few snowmobiles with great grip. I wasn't wearing my screw shoes but I really didn't need them. If the rest of the lines were in the same shape, it would have been a great run. Who knows if that was a case, but as it was, what I did run was a nice little stretch and a good chance of pace from both the runs and the icy unevenness of the trails in the Commons.

Taking three days off at the beginning of the week to get rid of this cold was worth it, as I am feeling 99% over it, but it means this week hasn't quite gone as planned running-wise. Oh well. I suppose I have to factor in the unexpected, especially these days. Still, I'm hoping to end the week with a bang, getting in some good miles at the GAC Fat Ass on Saturday. The weather and trail conditions might make things interesting, but my plan is to get in 3 6-mile loops. We'll see how it goes, but it should be fun!

Busy Busy

We're getting to that time of year when the gallery gets quiet, so I had an extra day off today. I felt ever so slightly guilty about putting Sam into daycare today when I could have her home with me, but that guilt was assuaged by my wonderful friends who pointed out a myriad of reasons that I shouldn't feel that way. I will undoubtedly keep her out a few days here and there in the next few months, but honestly, I have a laundry list of things I want/need to do around the house that are pretty much impossible to do with Sam around. When I'm home with her, pretty much all I can get done is play :-) Which isn't bad, but you know what I mean...

So, this morning, after dropping Sam off at daycare, I came home, threw the sheets into the wash, cleaned up the kitchen, and then donned my screw shoes and headed over to the Commons for a run. I haven't run since Saturday in an attempt to get rid of the cold I picked up from either Sam or Ryan over the weekend, and although I didn't feel 100%, I was ready to move! With the warm weather over the weekend, and the heavy traffic the Commons gets, the surface had been packed very unevenly to either straight ice, or a very slick hard snow. Not exactly a fast running surface (at least for me) and it was the slowest 5 miles I've run in a long while. But, it was a beautiful morning, I had the day off and I was out for a run in the woods. I can't complain too much now, can I?! :-)

The rest of the day was spent scrubbing the shower to within an inch of its life, doing more laundry, going through Sam's closet and organizing/packing up old clothes/putting together a pile for donation, cleaning the house, doing the recycling, going grocery shopping and getting dinner ready before picking Sam up a bit early for some extra playtime at home. All in all a productive day, and I'm happy to be sitting on the couch relaxing a bit right now!

Here are a few Sam photos from the past few days:

Hugs for Gigi

Sam is really into Gigi at the moment. And Gigi just can't seem to stay away. Which means there is a lot of chasing Gigi around, squealing for Gigi, grabbing Gigi's hair and trying to hug her. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't :-)

And just here is Sam, dressed in a cute outfit from her Auntie Meg, happily playing with some of her new Christmas toys:

All smiles

Dinner Entertainment

Ryan took this short video at dinner tonight.  Yup, Sam is one funny character, and life is certainly not boring these days with her walking, talking and smiling her impish little smile, especially when she is headed exactly where we didn't want her to go :-)

*Edited to add that you need to be logged into Facebook to view the video. Unfortunately, Ryan can't download the original off his IPhone and when we share it from Facebook it requires a log-in to view the video. Sorry to all who don't have Facebook!

Happy New Year!

As expected, I was in bed way before midnight. And no alcohol consumed last night either. Yup, we're just a bunch of party animals here :-) Ah well. I've never thought too much of New Year's Eve as a holiday, although I do like waking up to a whole new year, bright and untarnished, full of promise. Plus there's nothing like a blank training log to look at and dream about filling with all sorts of great runs and adventures :-)

So far, I've managed to avoid getting sick, so mid-morning, while Ryan rested and Sam took her nap, I headed out for a short 3 mile run. In shorts. In 51 degree weather. On January 1st! Crazy!

I was definitely feeling the effects of yesterday's pace and distance. My legs did not want to move, and everything felt stiff. I ran the flattest route around, two laps around the high school road, and it was a bit of a struggle. But I am glad I did, as it did work to loosened things up a bit.

It was such a beautiful day that we didn't want to waste the rest of it hanging out inside, so after Sam woke up from her nap, we loaded her, the baby backpack and our snowshoes in the car and headed over to Bradbury. Ryan was happy for a chance to move a bit, since he hasn't really run this week, and he was also interested in checking out some of the singletrack to be featured in his upcoming snowshoe race series.

The park lot was packed with cars. I guess others had the same idea! In fact, the car we parked next to belonged to an old high school friend of mine! Wow. How random is that?! Turns out, she, her partner and their 4 1/2 month old baby girl live in South Portland. It really is a small world. After chatting for a bit, we headed out onto the trails. The singletrack on Krista's Trail was really nice snowshoeing, as it wasn't as well -packed or traveled as the rest of the main trails, and we saw lots of deer tracks and deer beds as we shoed along the winding trail through the trees. Sam seemed to really enjoy herself and chattered away in the backpack the whole time. From the Tote Road, we headed up towards the summit on the Bluff Trail and then down along the Switchback. It was fun tromping through the woods on such a nice (if tropical) afternoon!

Deer beds 

Through the woods

Happy snowshoers

2010 Draws to a Close

I finished off 2010 with a 14.5 mile road run this afternoon while Sam napped. The 0.5 miles was added so that the year's mileage would be an even 1100.00 :-) Couldn't go out with any sort of fraction when I was so close to a nice even number! It was a beautiful day. There wasn't much of a breeze and it was warm and bright. I ran the same route Ryan ran the other week, along Foreside Road and back on Route 24. Families were out in force on the sled hill along Foreside Road, enjoying the weather and the now-melting snow. The road wanders along the farmlands above the river, and the first 8 miles of the run were either flat or downhill. The running felt good and easy. As I climbed the first hill on the road up to Rt. 24, I knew I was in for a bit more rolling terrain on the return. Rt. 24 was busy with traffic, and the wind was in my face. I took an Espresso gel around mile 10 in the hopes that it would help power me up the hills and through the wind. I was definitely feeling the miles (my most since Stonecat!) by the time I turned up the final hill along the route through the fairgrounds, but overall, it was a good run and a good way to end the year! Finished up in 2:02:18, so certainly faster than I would have hoped, which was a nice surprise.

With Ryan sick (again), we opted to stay home tonight instead of hanging out with Nate and Shannon, enjoying an early dinner of Indian food with Sam before putting her to bed. We're now relaxing on the couch, and somehow I'm sure I'll be in bed way before the ball drops tonight! :-)

And with that, Happy New Year everyone! May 2011 bring us all much happiness, laughter and many fun adventures!

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2010 numbers:

Total running miles - 1100.00
Total running days - 199
Total walk days - 16

Considering I spent about three months babying my left knee/calf and didn't do much running during that time, I'm pretty happy with the numbers, and certainly consider 2010 was a good running year. Not the most mileage ever, but a solid year with some great races during the Bradbury series, and my first trail marathon at Stonecat in November. Definitely not bad, and hopefully a good base for even more running in 2011!

Frosting

No, I didn't eat any frosting this morning, although I did bring the chocolate-covered Oreos I got in my stocking into work with me today :-) After tomorrow, I am off the Christmas cookies and sweets, and getting back to the veggies and fruit. Although I'm not really worried about gaining weight (in fact, maybe I should gain some), I really have to stop the downward slide towards the sweets! Aie...

But back to the frosting... while I was running, slipping, sinking and slogging through the Commons on my run this morning, I couldn't help but notice that the snow sitting on the evergreen branches looked like frosting. Very pretty! Buoyed by the beauty of the woods on a bright sunny day, I ran along, trying not to notice the very slow pace showing on the Garmin. I had hoped to get in at least 3.75 miles, but I simply ran out of time, and had to stop at 3.25 so that I could get to work on time. But really, that was OK with me, as it was tough going out there, and I was tired. Sam decided it would be fun to scream her lungs out at 5:45 am this morning, and simply would not go back to bed. I don't know what it was. Do they have dreams or nightmares at her age? Whatever it was, I hope she got it out of her system. I'd like to sleep a little more tomorrow morning!


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Here are a few photos from our visit with Kristen, Caitlin and Morgan on Sunday afternoon. Sam had lots of fun playing with her cousins!

Hugs for cousin Morgan

The girls

After the Snow

Yesterday was spent inside, playing with Sam, watching the snow pile up outside and the wind howl through the trees. I'll admit that I didn't even feel badly about taking the day off. I just wasn't enthused to go out and run in those conditions, so we enjoyed playing with all of Sam's cool (and noisy) new Christmas presents, and reading books, and walking around the house. In the past week or so, Sam has definitely progressed to being truly able to walk on her own, which is very exciting for us (and for my back!)! She can stand herself up, steady herself and walk a ways to one of us, or pivot off of whatever piece of furniture she is holding onto and take a few toddling steps, although honestly, she still prefers the comfort of holding onto one of our finger's and running across the room with us in tow, knowing we won't let her fall. But it's nice to know she can do it on her own if she wants to :-)

After a zero day spent entirely indoors yesterday, I knew I had to get out there this morning. This was reinforced by the fact that I took a look at my running log last night, and realized that I am almost to 1,100 miles this year, and would hit if it I ran 23 more miles in 2010. Cool. While 1,100 is not nearly as many as a lot of our runner friend's will run this year, and not quite as many miles as I ran in 2008 (1,112) (*before Sam), it is way more than I ran in 2009 (675.5) when pregnant and during the first few months of Sam's life, and is certainly a respectable number for this working mom and one that makes me feel like I am truly a runner again!

I made a dent in the 23 mile deficit with this morning's 5.25 mile run. After dropping Sam off at daycare, I put on my screw shoes and headed across the street. I wasn't feeling so ambitious that I wanted to take on a trail run through 12 inches of fluffy, untouched and unpacked snow on the powerlines, so I headed down the Connector and into Highland Green for a road run. The shoulder of the Connector was messy and the Highland Green Road wasn't much better, but the screw shoes gripped through the slush and packed snow and I was still able to run at a decent pace, despite the rather strong wind that swirled around and seemed to grab at me no matter which direction the road turned.

I'm planning on a long run of 14 miles on Friday, which leaves me with 3.75 miles to run tomorrow to reach an even 1,100 for the year. Perfect. And although today's road run wasn't a bad one, I think I'll be taking to the woods instead!

Waiting for the Snow

Ryan and I left Sam with Grammie and Grampie this morning and headed out onto the same route I ran on Christmas Eve. This time I wore the Garmin so that we could check out the actual distance of the loop. Turns out it was 4.9 miles, meaning I was still running pretty quickly on Friday. What got into me, I don't know :-) We added on the final 0.1 miles to get an even 5.0 this morning, finishing up in 41:00. It was fun to get in a run with Ryan - gotta take advantage of grandparent time when we can ;-)

When we left at 10am, the first of the snow was flying in Georgetown, but by the time we hit the Newburyport exit off the highway, the sky had cleared. We stopped in Gorham, and spent the afternoon at  Kristen's house. Sam and Morgan chased each other around the kitchen, and Sam tried to give Bobby (the cat) hugs. Morgan rode her bike around the room, and Sam played with Morgan's Barbie plane. We ate cookies and drank coffee, and Dad and Ryan sat on the couch and watched football. It was a fun, if noisy, afternoon :-) We finally left at 3:30, and no snow had fallen.

But now, as we sit on the couch, drinking our wine and relaxing, the snow is definitely coming down outside. Bring it on! Forecasts are calling for 12" to 18" - finally!