And Right Into December

I think I'll just skip the part where I say it was a busy week. That is pretty much the norm these days and I don't see it changing much! 😂😉

Monday was a rest day. Tuesday, I got out for an afternoon run on the cart paths. Chilly but nice out, although you can feel the early darkness looming on these short December days and I managed to just finish before the sun started setting around 4:00 pm. (5.0 miles) 

Did not manage to either get up early for a run on Wednesday nor sneak away from my computer during the workday, so instead, I joined Ryan for a late afternoon walk around 3:30 pm. (1.8 miles walked)

Then, miracle of all miracles, I actually did get out of bed and out the door at 5:30 on Thursday morning for a run around the Highland Green block. Dark and quiet, with a few Christmas lights up and one pair of eye peeking out at me from the edge of the woods. (5.0 miles)

As my run was in total darkness, there were no sunrise pics to be had, but I was at the dump dropping off recycling on my way home from work while a glorious sunset was happening, so there's that. Truly, the dump has an amazing sunset view 😂😍

Ryan dropped Sam at school on Friday so that I could get out around 7:00 for my run, and with the late sunrises these days the sun was still rising on the horizon. Very pretty, and a lovely morning to be out on the powerlines, even if my legs felt sluggish. (6.0 miles)

Then later in the morning, I met up with Val, Mindy, Keri and Keri's new dog, Moxie, at Brad for a walk. Moxie was very cute! Beautiful morning for a walk in the woods with friends, and so nice to catch up! (3.0 miles walked)

Saturday morning dawned dreary, damp and mild. I headed out for a run around the Heath a little after 8:00. Those rotten bog bridges were most definitely slick with green ice! (5.0 miles)

Then it was off to get a Christmas tree! I think my favorite thing about decorating is looking at all the ornaments. So many memories 😍 And with that, poof, it's Christmas! 💖🎄🎅

Helping 😸😹

😂😂😍😍

Lauren and Rohan came over for dinner and then the three girls went to see the high school play. She got to bed later than was ideal as she had to be up early this morning for her Y swim meet, with warm-ups starting at 8:00 am, but I know they had a good time and it is always important to spend time with friends too! 

One of the lovely things about this time of year is waking up early in the morning and turning on the lights to enjoy the tree as I sit on the couch and drink a cup of coffee and start the day. So nice.

The swim meet was actually being held at the Bowdoin pool, so after I dropped Sam off at 7:45am this morning, I headed out from there for a run through the Commons. Dreary, damp and overcast, but feeling warmer than I expected, so I was definitely a bit overdressed. Can't say I felt too peppy, which isn't too surprising considering it is only week 2 back to running after Rim to River, and I am adjusting to this new swim schedule too, which has all of us staying up later! 😴😴Sam has done a good job though. It is a lot but I know she is enjoying it. (6.5 miles)

After the run, I did a few errands and then after Ryan got in a run and we ate an early lunch, we headed over to the pool to watch the remainder of the meet, which gotten delayed and started an hour late. Mom and Dad were up in the stands and were there for all four of her events, but we saw the final three, and Sam did great! It is fun to watch her swim and the Bowdoin pool is a good pool to spectate at, with the stands straight on with all the lanes. But boy, are these Y swim meets long! LRSC is a huge team with 200 kids! Thankfully the HS meets are going to be much shorter. 😂😉

This week my stories were filled with everyone's Spotify 2023 top songs and artists. Apparently, I remain a Swiftie 😉😍

And because somehow another month has already passed, here is the November wrap-up:

November

Miles run: 145.75

Miles walked: 23.64

Miles XC skiied: 0

9 zero days

YTD

Miles run: 2,061.95

Miles walked: 178.34

Miles XC skiied: 18.1

66 zero days

Thanksgiving Week

I always feel like once we hit Halloween, time speeds up and poof, it's Thanksgiving, and then, aie, Christmas is literally just around the corner! And with us traveling this year down to WV for my race at the start of the month, it seems like that even moreso. But that being said, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, as the idea is literally to get together and eat and drink and enjoy 😊You won't hear any complaints about that from me!

Sam is going to be doing high school swimming this winter along with continuing to swim with LRSC up at the Y, and this week was the start of HS winter sports season, so it was a busy start to the week, capped off with some good family fun for Thanksgiving.

Monday was a busy work day with a late afternoon meeting for me, so Ryan took Sam up to the Y for early swim practice, and then I was on tap to get her to her first HS practice. As the team practices at the Bowdoin pool and shares pool time not only with the college team but the Brunswick and Freeport HS teams too, the practices are slightly erratic and are either scheduled for 7:00, 7:30 or 8:00 at night. This week it was 8:00 practice. This new schedule and juggling practices for both teams has the potential to be rough for all of us, I must admit, but we'll settle in and make it work!

The HS team is pretty small but Sam was definitely holding her own and looking strong out in the pool. Both Ryan and I had a chance to chat with the head coach a bit on Monday and Tuesday while we were there watching practice and waiting for Sam, and he seems super nice and very supportive. We are excited for her to swim for her school, and think it is going to be a great experience!

Tuesday, I took Sam up to the Y for early swim and got in a run during practice. Ran up the road and looped through the cemetary. Definitely not feeling peppy but nice to get out. (4.0 miles)

Woke up to rain on Wednesday and while I had hoped to run, I am just not in the spot where I need to run in the cold rain, so I opted for a short walk around the dump ponds after I dropped off the recycling instead. And 20 minutes was more than enough. Definitely not the nicest morning! (1.2 miles walked)

After getting a few things done at home and the car packed up, we headed south. We arrived in time for lunch and all the Thanksgiving prep! As you can see, it's very serious business 😂 Everyone pitched in and we got things all set and ready to go.

On Thursday, I headed out for a morning run before we had to move back into the kitchen for day-of- Thanksgiving prep. It was windy in all directions, how is it possible!? Felt ok if a bit overdressed and a bit ragged in those final miles. Obviously still recovering, but happy to get out through the marshes. Always pretty. (7.0 miles)

As always, enjoyed a lovely day with the family, full of laughter, a bit of chaos, and lots of yummy food and drink! Happy Thanksgiving! 

A nice bright, brisky morning on Friday for another road run. This time, fueled by pie, or maybe weighed down by it? 🤪😂🥧(6.1 miles)

After lunch, we helped bring the tree up from the basement and the kids got to work decorating it. Always fun! 😊🎄💗

Then, in an effort to get out some more of the boy's energy, we headed out for a late afternoon walk. Not sure anything would be successful in that regard. Their energy is amazing 😂 (1.7 miles walked)

We headed home mid-morning on Saturday, stopping in Portland for poke bowls at Big Fin Poke on the way. Yum! Then, after getting things put away and the laundry going, Ryan and I headed across the street for a walk, just for some movement. Nice and sunny if a bit chilly. (1.7 miles walked)

Anne and Abby came over for a short visit later in the afternoon, and then we settled in on the couch for some leftovers and to catch up on the Great British Baking show! We always love our time at the holidays with everyone, but it is nice to get home.

Sunday morning I was up early to get some chores done around the house and the grocery shopping completed, finally heading out around 10:00 for my run. Another bright, crisp morning. Ran down to the river and back. A few foamy ice pancakes on the river already and a thin sheen of ice on the Heath. (6.0 miles)

Later in the afternoon, we headed over to Mom and Dad's to help them put up and decorate the tree and have an early dinner. So much decorating this weekend! 😊🎄

Recovery Week #2

This was not exactly a restful week, with a lot going on at work and extra hours worked, along with colonoscopy prep and a colonoscopy on Friday, but it is what it is! At least all of that kept me from getting back to running too early 😂😂

On Tuesday, I took Sam to swim and got in a walk around the Bath block. Nice afternoon to breathe a little fresh air and try to destress a bit. (1.7 miles walked)

Wednesday, I snuck in a short walk around the school block at home in the late afternoon before my 4:00 meeting, just to get in a bit of movement for the day. (1.5 miles walked)

Thursday was colonoscopy prep day, and honestly, the worst was that I am not a very good hungry person! I managed to work a full day at home and that kept me occupied and distracted, but by the evening I was just so hungry and the liquid calories were just not cutting it, and I therefore wasn't feeling so great. Of course, the effects of the prep were not ideal either, but oh well. 

The procedure went fine on Friday morning and as soon as we got home, Ryan went out to get us breakfast sandwiches, which I inhaled 😆 Once I had some food in my system, I started to come back to life, and after a few hours of resting, I did rally and get out to go grocery shopping, do some errands, and then make dinner while Sam and Ryan were up at the Y for swim practice.  

Woke up to rain on Saturday. Headed out in the morning to get some more errands done and then got Sam up to the Y to get on the bus for her first swim meet of the season. She had a great meet with a PR in both the 200 free and 100 fly and a solid 100 back to finish up the meet. While she was at the meet, Ryan and I headed over to Mom and Dad's to help with Thanksgiving dinner #1 prep, which they were hosting on Sunday at their house. We spent several hours chopping and roasting and prepping before I headed back up to the Y to get Sam around 5:00 pm.

By this morning, I decided I had waited long enough to run again. I mean, 13 days off is pretty good, right?! 😆😉 So I headed out a little before 8:00 am for a short run up through Highland Green, along the bottom of the Heath and around. Definitely creaky overall and hips were a bit tight but nice to be out! Bright, crisp, frosty morning. Someone else had been out along the Heath before I got there - busy beaver! 💖 (4.5 miles)

Then around noon, it was back over to Mom and Dad's for Thanksgiving #1! Theresa, Dave, Sarah, Susie and Sarah's friends Miguel and Brianna joined us and we had a nice aftternoon enjoying a delicious Thanksgiving dinner together and it was great to catch up with everyone!

Sam taking a break from all the adult chit chat 😉

Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃🍻

Rim to River Recovery Week #1

Monday was not an ideal recovery day. We were up and out of the cabin at 7:00 am to start the long trek back north. The plan was to stop overnight in CT, but we were moving along fairly well and traffic was reasonably light, especially down south, with only the Merritt Parkway being backed up, so in the end, when Ryan suggested that it might be better to just rip the bandaid off and get the final stretch over with, we were in agreement. It would end up meaning a really long day in the car as we didn't get home until 10:00 pm but it did mean we had the full day on Tuesday at home, and in the end it was totally worth it. 

Despite all the sitting and time in the car on Monday, which my legs were not happy about at all, I woke up and was moving around pretty easily on Tuesday without a lot of soreness, which was pretty great. I was, of course, still pretty fatigued overall though! The day went by quickly with some work to be done done, a few loads of laundry completed, all the race gear unpacked, cleaned and put away, with a bit of sitting on the couch and working on my race report until it was time to head over to school to pick Sam up for swim. It was a nice afternoon, so I decided on a short walk around the swim block. Took it easy and it felt good to get in a bit of movement. (1.4 miles walked)

Oh yes, and I also signed myself up for the Western States lottery 😂 I know it is a really long shot, as there have been a record number of entrants so far, but I have tickets so I figure I might as well throw my name in the ring! I mean, why not?!

Wednesday was a long day at work as I had a lot to catch up on. I thought about taking a walk when I got home, but decided against it as I was feeling pretty tired. And I was extremely grateful Mom had left a chicken pot pie in the freezer for dinner for us - it was so nice to not have to cook! Thanks, Mom 💗

I had originally intended to get out for a walk after work on Thursday, but as it was a damp, raw day with spitting rain and hail, it was just not the kind of weather I want to walk in unless I have to, and since these next two weeks are recovery, there was just no need!  

Friday, I got some work done early, hit the farmers market for some produce and eggs, and then headed over to Pineland to meet up with Val and Anne for a walk. Overcast and chilly but we warmed up as we walked along and chatted away. Then we sat and drank coffee and enjoyed the brown butter pumpkin muffins that Anne had baked and brought to share. Yum! Always nice to catch up with friends 💕(3.0 miles walked)

Saturday, Ryan and I headed out after lunch to the Cathance for a walk. Blustery and leafy but bright and sunshiney. Definitely feeling like November with the shift in weather. I don't think we'll be having too many warm days going forward for a while. I was happy to get out, but we may have taken the short way back on some closed trails though, as I am still just a bit tired overall and was not wanting to walk too far 😉😆 Always nice to get out in the woods for a walk with Ryan.💕(2.8 miles walked)

Then, as Sam was at a sleepover at Lauren's, we enjoyed a yummy dinner and drinks at Enoteca Athena. Always a treat! 

Cheers!

And onto dessert drinks 😉😋😊

As I was headed down to Harpswell to pick Sam up at Lauren's at 11:00 today, I figured I'd leave early and get in a walk while I was headed that way. I always love the chance to get out to the ocean. Ryan, being the non-morning person that he is, decided not to join me 😉Kristen called me a few minutes before I turned into the parking lot, so I ended up talking with her the whole walk. A nice crisp bright morning for a walk on the Skofield Shores trails to wrap up recovery week #1. (1.4 miles walked)

Such a pretty view

Love the pop of color from all the winterberry at this time of year 😍

I've got a busy work week coming up along with a colonoscopy on Friday - my first, which I am very much not looking forward to 😱😫but which I know is important. The plan is for another week of recovery and no running, which honestly fits in pretty well with what is on the schedule. 

Although I have of course been a bit fatigued overall, I am buoyed by the fact that my legs have been feeling decent this week, and so far recovery seems to coming along nicely! I have a feeling I will be more than ready to head back out for a run early in the week of Thanksgiving!