Ascutney 2019

Purple Trillium on the mountain

We finally landed a sunny Saturday -- the first since March 16th, (I'm not kidding on the stat! It was reported by a newscaster) -- so Mike and I drove up to Ascutney to open up the cottage for the season. We had a great and productive day cleaning and sorting and sprucing up. My cousin Rich and his wife Becky also came up for the afternoon and Rich installed the water. Mike managed to attract 2 ticks within an hour of each other -- or perhaps he got them at the same time. Hard to know. He's now being called a "tick magnet", which amuses my pun-happy husband in crazy way. Lol.

The wet, rainy Spring brought more than ticks -- it brought mud. The road through the lower pasture that leads to the cottage was pretty dicey to drive through, and we risked getting the car stuck each time we passed through it, so when Mike and I woke up to a gray and damp day on Sunday, we closed up the cottage for the weekend rather than return after breakfast. We then headed out to the Windsor Diner and went straight to the main mountain entrance for a hike afterwards.

Arriving at the main gate at Ascutney State Park, we discovered the main access road was closed to cars, (until Memorial Day weekend), so we parked off the road and climbed under the gate to head to the Futures Trail.

For some reason, looking at the sign, neither one of us noted that the Futures Trail was TO THE LEFT. We both went straight. Lol. We hiked for an hour up the mountain, not really on a trail but seeing imaginary trails through the woods, following haphazard lines for a mile before calling it a day and turning back. In all, it was only two miles roundtrip and not exactly what I needed for training, but it was fun. A great day for a hike.

Next time, we'll take the actual trail.

The Futures Trail. GO LEFT.

The sounds of the stream lead us back

April went too fast. April dragged on.

First mile in new Hokas at Ferry Field, Univ. of Michigan

Hard to believe it’s already May and we’re just eight weeks away from Alaska 2019. The time is passing too quickly and I’m getting a little anxious about my training. The weather this spring has been miserably wet and cold and not at all friendly for hiking. My ambitious plan to open up the cottage early and spend some time up north was overly ambitious. Vermont was still getting snow in mid-April.

As much as it flew, April also dragged at times, with those cold, rainy, gray days making my commitment to 30 Days of Biking almost tortuous. I was happy to do it for Will, who enjoys seeing my daily photos from the road, but I’m so glad to have that challenge behind me.

Another year, done! Will is home for the summer.

I took a break from training to head out to Michigan to get Will for the summer, (a three day road trip), and now it’s back to training! I’m starting to semi-enjoy running and have hit the five mile mark on each of my long runs the last two weeks, which I never thought possible. Following my training plan, I’ll be increasing that mileage by +1 mile weekly between now and June 16. I’m still ridiculously slow but my main focus is on endurance. I may not get a chance to improve my speed over the next 8 weeks, but I’ll work on that after Alaska.

I’m afraid May might pass quicker than April.

30 Days of Biking, Final Days (Year 6)

April 29, Blue skies ahead, clouds behind me.

April 30, 40 degrees and rain. An unceremonious end.

Year Six, 30 Days of Biking, done and dusted. April is a long, cold, wet, cruel month — it has the promise of Spring with the remnants of Winter. Biking every day, often in inclement weather, often felt tedious.

I want to say I’m officially done with this yearly challenge, but I suspect I’ll get drawn in again 11 months from now.

30 Days of Biking, Week 4 (Year 6)

April 22, stopping by the pier while errandonneering

April 23, Delivering flowers to my sister

April 24, plans to run went awry when I forgot a bike lock

April 25,  Who lives here? Hobbit, Elf or Troll

April 26, Early rise and shine before the rain

April 27, Back alley in The Point neighborhood

April 28, Ride-Run, Take 2. I remembered a lock.

The Errandonee Final Days

Errandonnee #7. “You carried what?” Pastries.

The final days of The Errandonnee were cold and rainy, but with determination to finish the challenge, I continued on. I banged out four errands by bike on rainy Earth Day, which was rather symbolic as I’d have normally driven by car given the weather.

Errandonnee 7: April 21. To the bakery to get pastries for Easter. (4 miles) Category: Baked goods. "You carried what?" 

Errandonnee 8 & 9: April 22. To the Post Office and Town Hall. (2 miles) Category: Personal Business (Mailed a package at the post office and completed an absentee ballot application for Will at town hall.)

Errandonnee 10: April 22: To the vet to pick up allergy meds for Rigby Category: Non-Store (5 miles) (During my ride: Stopped by Swampscott Pier to take a photo for 30 Days of Biking.)

Errandonnee 11: April 22: Trip to the market to pick up limes and scallions for dinner. Pad thai is on the menu. Category: Store (1 mile) (Observed on my ride: Ran into my dad.)

Errandonnee 12: April 23: Delivered flowers to my sister for her birthday. Only one got a little crushed. Category: Wild Card (5 miles)

Errands 8-11, Post office, town hall, vet and market

Delivering flowers to my sister. Alas, she wasn't home.

12 for 12 on this Spring’s Errandonne. I believe I met the category requirements. I certainly overshot the mileage. (All rides, of course, recorded on Strava).

Mission Accomplished.

30 Days of Biking, Week 3 (Year 6)

April 15, Patriots Day. Started rainy, ended mixed.

April 16, Strong winds today! Salem was as far as I got.

April 17, The Forsythia has sprung!

April 18, A swing though Old Town while running errands

April 19, Lynn Woods on a somewhat dry day.

April 20, Another rainy day on the coast. The view of
Swampscott from Red Rock

April 21, Marblehead through the fog

Vacation Week Errandonee

Errandonnee #3 to the pet shop to get Rigby some treats

It’s been a challenge riding daily for 30 Days of Biking while also training for Alaska. My legs often feel like lead the day after a run and it takes a lot of energy to gear up for a ride. I added The Errandonee into the mix to spice things up, giving me a purpose for some of my low-key rides. It may be a challenge I can’t finish.

It's Vacation Week! To date, I’ve completed the following tasks for The Errandonee. (Categories noted.) I don’t know if I’ll get all 12 by Tuesday, April 23, but we’ll see.

Errandonnee 1: April 12. Ride to the school to drop something off at the front office. (7 miles)  Category: School. (Observed on my ride: Boston Tow Boat dragging one of the SHS sailing team boats capsized during the week.)

Errandonnee 2: April 13. Plum Island Ride to the ice cream shop for an iced coffee. (1 mile) Category: Non-store. (Seen on my ride: Herons on the salt water marshes.)

Errandonnee 3: April 14: Pet shop to pick up treats for the dog and pharmacy for various items. Category: Store (10 miles) (Note: Took a detour to the pier to check the harbor.)

Errandonnee 4: April 15: Taco Ride with Chip. Category: Social (5 miles) (Noted on my ride: That my son has ordered the same burrito for the last three years.)

Errandonnee 5: April 18: Ride to CVS to pick up Cadbury mini eggs to replace the bag I ate. Category: You carried what? (5 miles)  (Noted: Took a ride through the neighborhood I grew up in. Looks the same.)

Errandonnee 6: April 20: Ride along the coast to map the route for my five mile run on Sunday. Category: Personal Care (10 miles) (Observed on my ride: A pretty rough surf caused by a coastal storm offshore.)

Errandonnee #4, Taco Ride with Chip

Errandonnee #5, replacing the mini eggs I ate.

30 Days of Biking, Week 2 (Year 6)

April 8, Rainy days and Mondays. Taking a break from the rain.

April 9, Killed 2 birds with one stone by riding the Nahant

Beach Walkway to figure out the turnaround point for

my 3 mile run. #didntreallykillanybirds

April 10, 42 degrees, 18mph winds. This seal is not named Andre

April 11, Support Your Sistas

Day 12, 30 Days of Biking included
Errand #1 of The Errandonnee

April 13, Plum Island

April 14, Quick stop at the pier while running errands

Four mile run, CHECK! Plus Errandonnee 2 and 3

Tortoise and the Hare 10K. I completed 4 miles of my training plan

It was a busy weekend with the Tortoise and the Hare 10K on Saturday morning with the girls. My training plan had my long run at 4 miles this week, so I didnt complete the full 10K, but had a great time meeting up with Alison (bib #1), Jaclyn (2), Amy (3), Jennifer (4), and Lila (15! Cover the 1!) -- I was bib #6.

After the race, I headed over to Plum Island with my mountain bike to ride some flat roads and sand. It was a gorgeous day! As I was heading back to the car, I passed a cute ice cream shop, and as I continued on, realized they might have iced coffee. Rather than stop at a Dunks on the way home, I turned around and headed back to the shop. I wonder if it would count as an Errandonnee ride? Maybe? I'm saying YES! Errandonnee #2.

Sunday, was definitely an Errandonneuring day. I was feeling tired from Saturday, but still rode ten miles around town with stops at the pharmacy for some items, (including a Kit Kat for Chip), and the pet shop to pick up some treats for Rigby, (who we adopted TEN YEARS AGO this month!) I had a full backpack headed home for Errandonnee #3.

Errandonnee #2, Mission: Iced Coffee

The challenge within a challenge

Day 12, 30 Days of Biking included
Errand #1 of The Errandonnee

With quite a lot on my plate already — training for a half marathon and several charity rides, swimming on Tuesday nights, and doing anything and everything I can to prep for Alaska — I’ve been squeezing in small rides to fulfill Year 6 of 30 Days of Biking. I hadn’t planned to participate this year, but it just didn’t seem like April without forcing myself to get out on a bike every day.

Adding to that quest, I’ve opted in for The Errandonnee as well — 12 errands in 12 Days (minimum total, 30 miles), from April 12-23. It’s a challenge within a challenge!

Like the Coffeeneurring challenge I love so well, The Errandonnee has a few rules. For example, your 12 rides must cover seven of nine categories; Arts & Entertainment, Store, Non-Store, Personal Care, Personal Business, You Carried What?, Work/Volunteer/School, Wild Card etc.; You can’t repeat a category more than twice; and you must document it in some way.

Today I kicked off the challenge by including an errand to the school! Chip left a check at home for his Track team fundraiser, so I opted to ride to the school and drop it off! On the way home, I stopped by the beach to watch a few folks hauling out the turtled sailboats the SHS sail team capsized this week. (Lol. I know Chip misses sailing, but I’m so glad he’s running track.)

Tough luck in the harbor this week for SHS Sail

The family that runs together (sort of)

Chip and his buddy Michael at a recent meet. Go Blue!

I'm chuckling a little that we all seem to be on a running kick here in the Cronin household. In addition to my half marathon training to prep for Alaska in June, Mike has begun his own half marathon training as well, waking at 4:45 a.m. twice a week to get in a run before heading to work. (Longer runs on the weekend). It's still ridiculously cold (and dark) at that hour in April, so he's been working out on the treadmill for now, planning to move outdoors when the weather improves.

Chip is running distance events on the high school track team this Spring, (opting not to sail this year). He's building on the success he had last Fall in cross country, and is running the one or two mile events on the track. He and Mike just purchased new track-specific racing spikes for his events. My pre-conceived notion that track was going to be the least expensive sport of the several he's been involved in has been proven wrong. Running shoes, running-specific insoles, track spikes, and team gear has come damn near close to lacrosse as far as expenses go. (Ka-ching).

I ran the Andrea Carey Memorial 5k run on Sunday and got my best time in a 5k(!), but not my best time in a 3-mile, which actually happened yesterday! Wahoo! I also rode in the rain for 30 Days of Biking and had an hour-long swim session last night, so I'm pretty beat today.

I mean, totally wiped out.

Wiped. Out.

Just a friendly reminder

30 Days of Biking, Week 1 (Year 6)

April 1: I said last year was my last year,
but that was last year.

April 2: Dawn patrol. Quick to catch the sunrise.

April 3: Life’s short, cake first.

April 4: Go Blue! Catching Chip's first track meet of the season

April 5: Still Winter. Cold cold day on the trails

April 6: Saturday ramble, gorgeous sunshine

April 7: Early ride before the Andrea Carey 5K Memorial run

C’mon, Spring! April arrives.

Bike, run, and now swim. March ends.

March went out like a lamb, with temperatures in the low 60s on Saturday, so I turned the heat off in the house — only to then turn around and fire it back up again this week when temps dropped back into the 20s. Hahahahaha. I was so optimistic!

April is going to be a busy month! For some unknown reason I decided to once again participate in the 30 Days of Biking challenge for another year, (number six), despite saying last year I was “retiring”. With so much on my plate, many of the rides will have to be short ones as I don’t want to overtrain, but I hope to get out on the bike every day this month. (We’ll see how that goes.)

My four weeks of base work towards half marathon training wrapped up and segued into the Hal Higdon plan this week. I ran three miles yesterday after a short bike ride to the beach, and then had a swim lesson at 7pm. This morning I’m feeling muscles I didn’t know I had.

We have twelve weeks to go before Julia tackles the Alaskaman XTri. It's still possible she may find a seasoned support runner for the Mt. Alyeska leg, but I'm still training for it just in case.

I got this.

Keep on running. And riding.

Spring has arrived!

Training for AK2019, (“Alaska 2019”), continues as I’m slowly increasing my base miles this month. I ran a partial 5K for St Patrick’s Day by running the first two miles laid out in my training plan, and then walk/running the remaining mile. I completed the race (which measured 3 miles, not 5k) in 41 minutes. Not very fast, (13:06/mile pace), but probably better than a few of my previous efforts. I have another 5k coming up in 2 weeks. Hopefully I’ll see some imporovement!

The weather was surprisingly mild last week, so I took the bike off the trainer and hit the road. It felt good to ride outside, although the streets are a mess of potholes, sand and debris from the winter. March is usually a time to protect the trails by staying off them as they dry out from the winter, so I tend to ride my road bike more often than the MTB. I occasionally see mountain bikers posting their rides on Strava in areas I’m sure aren’t ready for riding, and it irritates me to think of the damage they are causing. They should know better.

New workout routines are being introduced soon. It’s going to be hard getting out of bed in the mornings. Hopefully it will pay off in June!

An earlier rise and grind starts soon.