Weekend Fun

This weekend was chock full of activity! The weather was perfect, Sam ran her first race and did awesome, we hiked, we went to the beach, Morgan and Kristen camped with us on Saturday night which was really cool, we roasted marshmallows, stayed up too late and just plain had a lot of fun. Wish we could do this every day!

Here are some of the highlights from the weekend, in no particular order:

Beautiful day 

Sam and I on the rocks at dusk

Playground fun

Family portrait

A walk in the woods

Puffy clouds

Sam on the beach

Bobolink

Sam and Daddy

The cousins

Having fun

Blue sky, yellow buttercups, white clouds

Marshmallows, yum!

Cutie pie

Yummy smores! ;)

Fire!

At the shore

So happy to be hanging out together

The girls

Roasting marshmallows

New sleeping bag!

Gorgeous sunset

Us

Glorious colors

Sam's First Race

Sam has been talking about running in a kid's race for a while now, and I finally found one that sounded like it would fit the bill. The Close to the Coast 5k & 10k in Winslow Memorial Park had a free 1k kid's run on Saturday morning. We would be in Wolfe's Neck camping anyway, so it sounded perfect. Turns out the whole morning was a big festival with a bounce house, music, BBQ, etc, so it turned out even better than we could have hoped.

Sam headed straight to the bounce house when we arrived, the perfect diversion as the kids race was delayed and started a bit late.

We had her all dressed up her special running outfit - her "fast" new sneakers, new running shorts, and of course, what else but a TMR singlet? Is she adorable, or what? :-)

And after a pre-race snack (yes, those are energy chews... What? She loves them!), and a pre-race photo...

...she was off!

Video of Sam rockin' the race

She did great! Really, she did. For a small four-year old who certainly isn't the fastest runner, she didn't get frustrated when she wasn't in the front of the pack, she just started running and kept on trucking. And although she took off with the other kids like a rocket at the beginning and slowed on the little hill in the middle of the course, she never stopped running and was very focused the whole way. It was so cute. And boy was she proud of herself when she was done! She didn't take off that medal all day :-) Way to go Sam! We are so proud of you!

Post-race, we listened to some music, Sam got a snowcone and we enjoyed the pretty views from the park.

It was the perfect introduction to racing and a great morning!

Wolfe's Neck Run

This whole weekend deserves a separate post, as does Sam's 1k kid's race on Saturday, so for now, just a short post about this morning's run. I am not even sure I know when I headed out exactly, just that it was morning and I was fueled up (or weighed down) by the delicious camp stove cooked pancakes, bacon and a leftover chocolate glazed donut from Frosty's that I'd just eaten. Yum :-)

I ran out on the dirt road and crossed the inlet. The smell of the white tea roses filled the air. The Bobolinks and swallows flitted about above the butter-cupped lined fields. Beyond the waving grasses, the ocean shimmered in the sunlight. I thought about this place with which I've had an association almost 20 years long. Years ago the cross country team came to Wolfe's Neck for flow miles, up and down the dirt road, through the campground, right past where we were camped, and out into the park. I have memories of running these roads with my teammates, of posing for photos at the inlet with the ocean in the background. Back then, it was just a cool place to run, but now, years later, having wandered the mountains of New England, hiked in Tahoe and Yosemite, skiied in Telluride, I know that although this small stretch of land between Wolfe's Neck State Park, the farm and the campground may not be majestic in the traditional sense of the word, there is a special magic in this little corner of the world.

I love being able to share this place with Sam, as she points out the clovers and buttercups in the fields, as she calls out the bird songs - the chickadee, the phoebe, the red-winged blackbird - which she knows by heart, to see her delight in feeding grass to the goats and lambs, to be spectator as she clammers around the rocky shoreline, collecting treasures for her nature bags and beach buckets. To smile as she talks about the night filled with stars and the "sunset beach," reading stories with her in the tent at the end of a day outside, watching her hum at the periwinkles and navigate the rocks and roots of the trails through the woods. All of this brings new meaning, and love for, to this place.

With all my wandering thoughts, I easily get in 5 miles on the roads and trails and I finish, refreshed and happy. A wonderful way to finish up a fun long weekend!

Morning

The morning sun warms my back as the cool breeze hits my face. The dirt is soft beneath my feet. The towhee flits about, calling, as birds unseen rustle in the trail-side brush. The sweet smell of the wispy hay-scented ferns fills the air, bringing a smile to my face and memories of hiking along fern-lined trails on the AT to mind. The wildflowers of spring are gone, the last remaining white petals on the bunchberry beginning to brown. In their place are the showy colors of summer - deep pink sheep laurel, yellow indian paint brush, the rich purple of the swamp iris. The blackberry brambles flower, hinting at the bounty to come. Three miles on a sunny summer morning in Maine.

Heath Loop

Up and out this morning for a jaunt around the Heath. It's amazing how light it is out at 5:45 am at this time of year. Definitely summer. The air was rather heavy this morning, and with no wind, when I stopped for a brief potty break, the mosquitos descended upon me in a thick swarm. Yikes! Things are lush and green, and the grasses are beginning to overtake the bog bridges. Kept the pace mellow for the 4 mile loop and just enjoyed being out in the woods.

After a half day at work, I did some errands and things around the house and then headed south to see Dr. Jamie. Nothing is hurting, but I do have a few tight spots. Figured it would be good to get them worked out before the running picks up again.

We're headed off for a long weekend of camping tomorrow. Looks like the weather is going to pretty nice, so we are all looking forward to it!

What's Next?

As the blog title implies, I don't like to sit idle for too long. I may have only run once since TARC but I'll be out there again tomorrow morning, and while I love to run just for the sake of running, I also like to have a plan and a goal to work towards.

Not to mention, this is hysterical, and oh so true...

...which is why I find myself doing this...

... and of course wandering around ultrasignup.com pondering other fall options :-)

First Run Back

I originally told Ryan I was planning to take two weeks off after TARC, but you know, we all have to eat our words sometimes :-) Plus, after a few days of having incredibly painful quads and hobbling around, the legs came around fairly quickly and the exhaustion wore off.  So, this morning, I got up and headed out the door a few minutes before 6am for a short 3 mile run around the block. And I have to say, things felt pretty good. A bit of rust, and a definite bit of 'still tired' in the legs, but nothing hurt and I was happy to be out. The deep pink swamp laurel is blooming along the powerlines, and the blackberry brambles are covered with white flowers. Saw a pair of gray catbirds among the grasses and a hawk sitting on the telephone wire, serenely surveying the brush below.

Father's Day Hike at the Brad

Sam was super psyched to try out her cute little pink Camelbak hydration pack, so we took it over to the Brad this morning for a hike. It was a gorgeous day, clear and dry and sunny. A lot of people had the same idea as we did, but the trails never seemed too crowded. I wore my Garmin, well, because I'm dorky like that ;), and we ended up with a nice 1.45 mile hike. Of course, that hike took a total of 1:35, with a moving time of 58:00, but hey, it was fun and Sam did great. Always good to be out on the trails all together!

Matching pigtails :)

Family portrait on the trail

Running up the Bluff Trail

Viewpoint

Snacktime!

Enjoying the view with Daddy

Happy Father's Day, Ryan! We love you!

Happy Father's Day

Sam has always loved the men in her life. From Ryan and Pippi to Grampie and Bampie, she has a sweet spot for these guys. And it makes me love them all even more as I watch their relationships with her grow. Happy Father's Day to all the best guys in my life! I sure am one lucky girl, and so is Sam, to know you and love you.

Happenings

Last night, for the very first time, Sam went to sleep without me, Ryan or my parents putting her to bed. 100 Head Heart Feet was playing at Frontier, and there was no way we were going to miss it. So, I nervously asked our favorite babysitter Jessi if she would watch Sam for the evening. Sam seemed relatively non-plussed about the whole thing, and in fact, it sounds like bedtime was no issue at all. I am so happy! And it was great to get out, enjoy dinner at Frontier and watch the movie. The crew did a great job. The film was awesome, and it was a lot of fun to see Ryan, Zak, Lenka, Ian, Emma, Sarah and others up on the big screen :-)

100: Head/Heart/Feet - Official Trailer - (2013) from Hammer & Saw Films on Vimeo.

This morning, after enjoying pretzels at the farmer's market and feeding Zippy, John's cat, we headed to the bike path. Ryan was going to get in a run and Sam wanted to ride her bike. She did really well, making it 1.5 miles - her longest ride yet! Of course, we did have to stop a few times for snack breaks, but hey, she's only 4, so I'll cut her some slack, and honestly, when she was riding fast I literally had to run to keep up! She is getting strong!

Happy biker

This gorgeous plant lined the edges of the woods along the bike path. 

I'm thinking phlox but am not sure?

Swallowtail butterfly

Headed back 

Running and biking

A Few Photos

There were several photographers out on the TARC course and they did a good job getting photos of all the runners. Here are a few good ones from the weekend:

See? Proof that I really was having fun out there, even if suffering :-)

Thanks to TomTom for the photos!

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Today, I took Sam and Anne to the Woodside Field Day. They invited the pre-K kids to come and be a 'team.' It was pretty hysterical and definitely chaotic, but Sam had a blast. Anne might have been a bit more overwhelmed by it all, but in fairness to her, it was during naptime and she still sleeps at daycare, so she was a bit tired out. I am really glad I was able to take them!

Ball toss

Sponge relay

I'm lovin' it!

Throw the soggy ball in the colander

Sam, Anne and Abby - Building Block girls

After field day, we went to refuel at Gelato Fiasco and then the girls came back and played 'princess' up in Sam's room the rest of the afternoon :-)

Hungry bunnies

Best buds