Bad then Good

The only thing really hurting on me today was my left ankle.  A few weeks ago I bruised it against some ice when I post-holed and then yesterday I gave it a few good kicks with my other foot while running the Fat Ass.  It's a little swollen and fairly sore, but runnable.  I was going to try and get in 3 laps of the Winnick's Woods loop and Gnarls was going to join me for one of them.  I headed over and ran the first lap, slowly.  There was a lot of ice, but the screws held pretty well.  The ankle was bothering me and my legs did feel a bit tired.  I checked out a few offshoots of the trail as the tracks in the snow made them more apparent than usual and then headed back to the parking area.  As I waited for Gnarls to arrive, I decided I would just do two laps and call it a day (hmm, theme of my weekend) as I needed to get back home.  As my mojo was starting to nosedive, Gnarls showed up and we hit the trail.  I felt so much better on that second lap even though it was icy and slower going than usual.  We chatted away and caught up and I felt renewed.  The ankle even seemed warmed up and less bothersome.  I finished up with about 8.5 miles, a few miles short of my goal, but whatevs.  It was exactly what I needed.  Later on at the grocery story I ran into Jeremy, Alison, and Zak making my weekend complete with Monstery goodness!

Of Mockingbirds and Hovercraft

I don't like that I'm playing catchup with blog posting.  I'd like to post after each run like I used to...back in the Summer of Awesomeness *sigh*.  Not a big deal, but just makes me feel even more behind overall, I think.
At any rate....
Tuesday I ran Back Cove with Scout - we got in a nice 5.8 miles cruising around the dark and chatting as usual. 
Wednesday and Thursday were once again problematic with school, so Friday I headed out mid-day in 51 degree temps, in shorts, to run to the ocean.  I ran to Higgin's Beach and stopped briefly to watch the one or two surfers floating around in little-to-no-waves, but just having fun.  So many folks were walking their dogs and the dogs were having a blast.  There is nothing better than seeing a happy dog walking and running on a beach.  I ended up with a little over 7 miles and full of Spring.
Saturday was the 3rd Annual Mockingbird Lane February Fat Ass. Oh yeah!  What? It included helicopter rides after? Oh HELL yeah!  Pete came along (yay!) and we rolled up to Mockingbird Central with TMs milling about and hovering around the food table which was full of goodies beyond belief.  I was planning on 4-5 loops of the 5+ mile course.  Everyone set off on the first lap and I was swept up with the big dogs.  The conditions the first lap really sucked...crunchy post-holing, sketchy ice, and me going faster than I usually do.  I still had that same silly sensation of thinking I am going to be keeping up with Jeremy and Jamie, etc, because we are running together, then they pull away because they were just warming up. Duh.  Gets me every time.  By the end of the first lap I was in recovery-mode for going out too fast, grrr.  Back at the Aid Station Pete was suited up and ready to go - he did a lap with Rick, George, and Michael, with Scout and I not far behind.  I felt much more recovered on the second lap and the conditions were kind of improving as lots of feet tramped down the snow.  Scout and I then ran together for laps 3 and 4.  The loop wasn't an exact circle (it had some arms and legs to it) so we had plenty of chances to see other runners going by and cheer each other on as we passed.  At one point we saw Gnarls, Giant, and Crux cruising strong with huge smiles on their faces - they looked so badass running toward us through the open field - I flashed back to the 100MW and my surge of pride in my friends and especially my hero Gnarls who runs with the big dogs with ease.  Scout and I had called the 4th lap as our final.  We were already over our scheduled mileage for the day and the day was starting to wear on.  I kind of wanted to do another lap, but everyone was basically finishing up and it was getting late.  Next thing I knew, Jerry was firing up the little helicopter which meant the weather was good for chopper rides!  George was first and since he survived, I figured it was ok :)  Kate was next and then me.  I ran up to the helicopter MASH style and hopped in the little two-seater next to Jerry.  I put on the headset that lets you talk to each other, got the instructions about what to touch (the button on the floor that lets me talk in my headset) and what not to touch (everything else).  Up we went.  Floating and hovering, moving back and forth, then up and up to survey the lands and hopefully see folks finishing up their last lap.  The view was beautiful - the ocean, gentle mountains in the distance.  We looked all over for little runners below, but no luck.  As we came back toward the house and over the course, I could see tons of footprints in the snow making a path - it looked really cool.  We touched down ever so gently.  Next up was Ryan and then a whole string of other Monsters.  It was great!!!  We hung out a little while longer, then headed home, what a fantastic day of great friends, great food, and "family" time. 

Good Recovery

I wanted to make sure I got in my recovery run today, so I braved the sub-zero temps and got in a nice 8 miles before volunteering at the snowshoe race this morning.  It was calm and quiet early morning run.  Good for reflecting and a little bit of meditation.

At the Brad things were buzzing and I helped set up.  It's always kind of a family reunion as familiar faces show up, teammates I don't see regularly appear, and the general excitement of a race day.  Scout and I were timing and with only 45 racers, it made for an easy job - my favorite volunteering job.  Even though I say I don't like to race, sometimes I wish I participated.  I just get too worked up and critical of myself to enjoy it.  Part of me wishes I could just get over myself and be part of the team. 

A lot of great performances were had by the Trail Monsters and they all make it look easy.  Ok, except maybe Jeff who does makes it look easy, but also makes it certain he leaves nothing on the course with some spectacular grunts as he comes down the finish.

The Beautiful Loop was Beautiful

The weather is making no sense this year.  I think that's why Scout and I figured we'd give the Beautiful Loop a go today to get in 16 miles.  The conditions were the best they've been all season.  I think it might have something to do with more snowmobile traffic, but there really isn't a rhyme or reason to it.  We started out with Andy and Mike, but after a few miles we stopped for a bathroom break and sent them ahead.  The trail was firm and there were patches of ice beneath the snow, but nothing screw shoes couldn't handle.  Even the River was frozen - it made no sense with the temps we've had lately.  It was a relief to just be able to cruise along and not be crunching through water patches and postholes.  In fact, I only got one foot partially wet by stepping in the wrong place (that I could have avoided) and it warmed up quickly since we could keep on moving.  We decided to see where our mileage was at the school and then decide Lunchbreak Hill and Northern Loop down or if we should do the "old" ending of the BL.  We opted for Lunchbreak (which also was free of freezing cold water spots as in previous runs) and spent a moment on the summit looking out at the gray skies.  Down the Northern Loop and back to the parking lot we still needed almost a half a mile to reach our goal, so we headed over to the east side trails a tiny bit and then turned around.  Great conversation, great food at E&L's, and the conditions allowed us a bit of a quicker pace.  Not quite sure if I'm ready for the sub-freezing temps for tomorrow's snowshoe race, but I don't think I have a choice in the matter!

Ten and a Half

Fridays have been slipping away from me lately.  It's my day off from work and school and comes after a full day of classes and travel to Boston on Thursdays.  Today I wanted to be out the door and running relatively early before I got caught up doing other things.  I decided to just hit the road out to Prout's Neck and back. The shoulders on Blackpoint are wide and for most of the route, there is a soft shoulder next to the road to run on.  I felt a little sluggish and just plugged along, wanting to get the miles in and just enjoy the nice weather.  I came across this little guy as I was almost to the turnaround at Prout's Neck. 

He was just hanging out on a branch by himself and from certain angles it almost looked like he was suspended there amid the brush.  He looked peaceful, but lonely.  Strangely, I found out after my run that a friend of mine from high school had passed away this morning after a bit of a rough life.   I wonder sometimes about these things.

My mind was wandering and my feet were moving along.  I looked up and saw another runner coming toward me, arms raised (cheering)..huh? Jeremy!! The Scarborough Division was out and we stopped for a moment to catch up.  So great seeing him out there, he was headed to Prout's Neck as well.  Very cool seeing him and gave me a great boost for the rest of the trip home.  I got in 10.5 miles and even had a nice nap later in the day (I must have been channeling Jamie).

Alternative PBR

Yesterday on the drive home from Brunswick, I passed Back Cove as the sun was setting.  I have never been a huge fan of Back Cove, but I can't say why, I really don't know.  However, I've been having a difficult time motivating lately to get out for runs during the week and for some reason Back Cove looked appealing for a few runs this week.  Instead of the PBR, I thought I'd hit BC on my way home today.  It worked out for Scout, too, so we met up at 5:30 to hit the loop.  When I left the office, it was around 40 degrees - yikes, I might not even need my hat, gloves or jacket.  Val even emailed me on my way there commenting that she was going to roast, it seemed so warm out.  But when we got there, the wind had picked up and we were both glad we had dressed for cooler weather.  We hit the trail and my mojo seeped back in as we talked and cruised around Back Cove.  The full moon was stunning and we appreciated the beautiful glow over the water.  In the time that we had, we got in about 6.3 miles which was perfect.  My weekday mojo still feels a little shaky, but it's gaining strength the more sunlight we have.  I'm going to hit the Cove again tomorrow on my way home for 2 loops.  Wondering how the Beautiful Loop will be on Saturday, I'm guessing not so great after the warm weather we've been having.  Might be an Animal Loop + Lunchbreak Hill kind of day.         

Night, Road, and Scoutland

Catching up on a few posts.  Tuesday I did the PBR with Ian, Jet, and Kip.  It was Jet's birthday and I think she was pretty excited about it (hard to imagine her not being excited about anything).  Ian ran in snowshoes, which was perfect for me as his easy snowshoe run allowed me to run along in screwshoes without slowing him down too much (I hope).  I'm still a bit skeeved by running in the dark and I'm still trying to get used to running at night after a day of work, but I got 5.3 on the books.  Weds and Thursdays were busts.  I need to figure out something better for Wednesday runs - hopefully being able to hook up with Danielle or Ryan for a late afternoon run will work out occasionally.  Friday, I actually hit the roads around home for about 6.7 miles.  
The biggie was today.  Scout and I planned to attempt to connect the trails from her house to the Triffitt's in Topsham.  On my way up to Lisbon, I saw a few snow flakes, then a big squall came through and soon the roads were covered.  By the time I got to Scoutland, the roads were a bit slippery, but Rick said it was supposed to blow through (and it did).  We suited up and headed out.  The plan was to run as close as we could get to the Triffitt's and then Rick would pick us up (loved the point to point idea, it was a nice change).  Val had a good idea of how the trails would link up and where we needed to head and we set out.  She showed me where she and Xar had gone and some of her usual running routes.  Soon we were to the place where she hadn't get pursued, but where she thought we could link up to powerlines that led to Topshizzle.  From here, we adventured.  I can't remember the exact order of things, but they involved the following:

• Snomo trails
• Powerline trails
• A farm with pretty horses and a semi-concerned looking dog that let us pass
• An old Mainer with several friendly dogs 
• A crazy-ass dog that started following us down a road and wouldn't go home and insisted on running into traffic
• Calling the cops (see crazy-ass dog above)
• Calling the dog's owners (see above)
• Waiting while the dog's owner came to pick it up
• Trying not to be judgmental about the dog's owner who had full leg tats and a shirt with a giant picture of Johnny Cash flipping the bird
• Running through a field through a huge Hillybilly Hideout compound
• Crawling through barbed wire
• A river crossing
• Post-holing in a foot of snow for a few miles (?) 
• Mouse tracks
• Thorns
• Finally reaching the powerlines we had lost after making a semi-wrong turn on the snomo trail
• Running powerlines and tiptoeing over snow covered ice
• Running up powerline hills, hoping to reach the top and a road, only to be greeted with a vast view of more powerlines ahead with no turnoff in sight
• Seeing a sign with an arrow on the snomo trail that said "Topsham: Fuel, Food, Mall"
• Following said signs
• And following
• Domino fall, collapse, and laughter after we both went through a soft spot on the trail
• Reaching our destination which was (as Scout described) "A farm with a pony and funny-looking cows"
• Cheering for ourselves
• Running back on the road toward where Rick would pick us up.
• Getting in 18 badass miles with Scout (who can sniff out directions better than anyone)