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One of the (frightening) joys of owning an antique house is that whenever you do work on it you’re never sure what you’ll find. Our exploration back in 2008 of the floor and walls when we were running ductwork for air conditioning was mostly innocuous with finds including very large beams, hidden shelves, and several hidden ceilings. Central Air Part 1 and Central Air Part 2.

This years task was to put on a new roof. The old one probably had another year or two of life left on the shingles, but all of the flashing on the skylights, chimneys, and roof vents was starting to go. Rather than pay someone to get up on the roof this year and pay them again next year we opted to have the work done all at once. It was unclear what shape the boards would be in once we got the shingles off and this is what it looked like once we did.

The front of the house appears to have original boards from 1712. Even if they aren’t original they are very old as they are hand planked. They are all 18 inch (or more) wide and run the entire length from peak to eaves. I shudder to think what wood like that would cost if you could even find it nowadays. While it was in pretty good shape the ends had started to rot and the roofers were worried about how the nails would hold. We ended up putting down a new layer of wood over the original roof.

The back of the house has wood that runs horizontally and is much newer than the front of the house. The neat thing is that while it is newer, it is still made up of individual planks from a pre-plywood era. Also, since they didn’t have plywood the entire roof is tongue and grooved in order to make a solid sheet. I was thankful that despite there being some valleys in back the underlying wood was good and did not need to be replaced. That large of area with that number of holes would have cost some major additional dollars.

Looking back at my attic photos from the AC installation, I noticed the roof boards from underneath look like the ones on the front of the house. The roofers solved this mystery when they pulled back one of the boards and noted an entire other roof (original wood plus really, really old shingles) under the planks in back. Whenever the newer planks were put on, the roofer decided to leave the previous layer of shingles on and just board over the top of it. This also explains why we had no major leaks in back despite the fact there were some obvious shingles missing. Apparently two roofs are better than one.

In the end the work went as expected with no major problems other than needing to put new wood up front. We have a new roof with 30 year architectural shingles and new flashing around all of the openings on the back of the house. It may not be the most glamorous repair to have to do, but it was still interesting to see what a 300 year old roof looked like.

Looking back at blog posts, it seems that I’m extremely traditional in doing yard work every Memorial Day weekend. Some years it’s been the first I can get out in the yard, but this year it felt very late due to our warm May weather. Indiana is still a few weeks ahead of us, but it seems more like late June than the very end of May for most of the plants in the area. Brian captured some highlights of the backyard in these photos.

It’s the season of purple in our yard! The herbal sage version of salvia is blooming its light lavender:

Meanwhile the volunteer violas are thriving in the same bed.

The bleeding hearts are fading but put in the perfect sized show this year – notable but not dominating.

And, we have a few new red entries this year. The strawberry patch I planted last year is bearing its first fruit.

I was pretty worried mid-May when the first sets of berries were viciously stolen by the resident backyard squirrel. I was even more worried when the best advice for preserving future berries seemed to be having Beej sit on the back porch swing with a shotgun, ready to send the squirrel to his demise. Luckily the squirrel seems to have ADD and only grabbed the first few and one half-eaten red strawberry since we’ve diligently been checking for new ripening berries every day.

The other happy surprise is red poppies! I planted three red poppies with the other perennials a few years back. One managed to survive, but has never bloomed… until this year.

And in fact, it has two blooms! I hope it will thrive and spread though I might have to give it a bit more room between the lamb’s ear that’s thriving, the lilac that’s putting on a lot of growth this year and the grass from the yard that continues to encroach on the flower bed.

The roses are harder to capture in photos because I’ve finally succeeded in training them onto the privacy fence. My hope was that we could share enjoyment of our blooms with the elder daycare center next door. It may take a bit of extra work to keep the church side of the yard clear, but so far the roses look very promising (albeit wild) in their foliage and blooms.

My Grandma Sommer passed away on May 20.

I’m thankful that she didn’t suffer a long illness, and that she was able to live independently in her own apartment until she suffered a heart attack in early May. I’m thankful for all the school programs, recitals, cross country and track meets, concerts and church programs that Grandma attended. I always knew she was proud of me and that she accepted me and loved me unconditionally. For example, I think she was the most excited and unphased of anyone when Brian and I announced in her living room that we were going to get married.

I enjoyed getting her cards and letters, which she thoughtfully selected and wrote frequently, and I enjoyed writing back. She would often include clippings about topics related to my life and interests; she enjoyed getting maps and pictures from places I’d been. I feel we parted on solid communication terms – I’d just sent her a newsy letter before vacation, and she had posted our postcard from NOLA on the top of her bookshelf. It was nice to phone sometimes, but Grandma’s hearing was going so the calls were short, plus a letter could be read and re-read several times.

Everyone who knew Grandma must have noticed how much she read – even as a little girl! Here’s a photo of Grandma with her older brother, we figure around 1924.

She read newspapers, magazines and books – primarily modern works that kept her up to date on the world. She told me recently that there were too many real people and interesting events for her to spend time on fiction. I just started re-reading Notes from a Soujourner on the way back from the funeral, a special book she gave me, and it definitely reminds me of how she thinks about faith and life and the way paths cross and how sometimes even new places remind us of familiar things.

Grandma was actually a pretty humorous person – sometimes on purpose and sometimes not! For instance, she knew she couldn’t be having a heart attack (despite the obvious symptoms) because she didn’t have heart trouble. We joked that she was always so frugal – perhaps she couldn’t bear paying the cost of care herself when Medicare stopped covering hospice after two weeks. Our family was militant with two ongoing pranks at her house. The first was to turn the toilet paper so it was rolling the opposite way. It was a small thing, but she always noticed after our visit that we’d turned it around. Except once, I think Dad turned it then I went and unknowingly turned it back! After that we had to coordinate better. The other prank was about flipping the bird. Grandma had a terrarium scene with a little feathered bird in it. One day while walking by, I couldn’t resist the urge to turn the bird upside down with his little feet in the air. Well, I don’t know how long it was until Grandma noticed, but when she did she called and told us woefully that the bird had died. Until Grandma retired that terrarium, I think the poor bird died every time I visited. It was just a matter of when she’d notice, and if she’d say anything. Grandma loved a pun or word puzzle or cartoon or funny story too.

One really special memory that my brother and I share is an Easter when Grandma and Grandpa lived in Indy. They hid our easter baskets and ran string from them to the front door. The Easter Bunny left us a note – and of course white footprints (made of flour) – to tell us to follow the string to find our baskets. We zigged and zagged all over the condo until we found them. It was really cool. We also had some fun times decorating pumpkins for Halloween one year – I’m sure there’s a Polaroid to scan later that captures those.

Grandma did a lot of sewing. She didn’t make clothes, but she definitely specialized in “taking a tuck” so the clothes would fit. Grandma, Mom and I played a game for birthdays and Christmas – Susan had a twin. Conveniently, Susan’s twin was the same size as Susan, so of course she could stand-in to fit the clothes, allowing Grandma to take a tuck at the waist or hem the pants to make sure they fit. [Yes, even as a child I had trouble finding clothes that fit! I was spoiled to have a family tailor!] Occasionally Susan’s twin would even help pick out something that Susan would enjoy. That way Susan was always surprised by well-fitting clothes that were just her style and color, and all ready on her Birthday or Christmas!

Grandma liked to take us on special trips. We went to the Neil Armstrong museum, the AF museum in Dayton, the Children’s Museum and Zoo. We also had a special treat when we visited – dipping a toothpick in peanut butter then assembling a slice of banana and a piece of Honecomb cereal into one perfect little sweet crunchy bite of snack. Of course we also ate plenty of Dairy Queen soft serve too. No wonder we often took a walk after dinner.

Grandma had spectacular patio gardens in the summer. I didn’t realize until starting to write this that my standard flower boxes of red geraniums and dusty miller reflect Grandma’s favorite color scheme for her flower boxes. In the winter, she was an avid basketball fan. Indiana High School ball, Big Ten ball, especially IU basketball – if there was a game, it was on the TV, and she knew all the players and coaches.

Brian and I will always measure our marriage against Grandma and Grandpa’s. Who lives long enough and stays married for 71 years? I can’t image how hard it was for her to be separated from Grandpa – they complemented each other. They spent so much of their lives taking care of one another, listening, talking through things, experiencing life together. Despite how much I’ll miss her, I have to smile knowing that Grandma is back with Grandpa after nearly two years of separation.

Grandma’s mom enjoyed butterflies. We were musing about how it all started, but my Grandma took it to a whole new level. She had suncatchers, pillows, notepaper, stickers, cards, etc. If you could get it with a butterfly, we pretty much did. It was so fitting then, that as we held the short graveside service, a butterfly was flitting about around the casket, as if to say “It’s ok, look, now I’m free!” as her parting words to us.

Week ending 5/9:
Brian’s Week 14 update. Swim: 7200m Bike: 47mi Run: 23mi. Highlights: First 3km swim workout and ran a 10k at 7:50 pace midweek. Lowlights: Nothing major. Great week after having a down week previously. Only 6 weeks until the race.

Susan: This was a taper week, so I did an easy 5 miles on Wednesday with Brian and an easy loop at work with Blumstein and Hone, then the race as previously posted (now with results)! 42.8 miles

Week ending 5/16:
Brian: 5 weeks til race update. Swim: 2200m. Bike: 64mi. Run: 19mi. Highlights: First open water swim of season and my surfer buddy assures me I am *MUCH* faster than last year. Also rode 1 loop of bike race course with Susan (28 miles). Lowlight: Daytime Sox game and late night celebration afterwards caused an unplanned rest day (not so bad for a lowlight). Feeling very positive about my condition only 5 weeks out.

Susan: Went for a 5 miler with Brian to loosen up my legs on Sunday. I started pretty rough, but indeed I did feel better by the middle, but was glad not to go any further. I didn’t have anything special planned for recovery week except get caught up at work. I was glad Hone called me to get out on Thursday for a quick loop (8:15 pace). Beej and I did another section of the Bay Circuit Trail on Saturday, just under 10 miles, starting at Hood Pond in Ipswich and going west to Rowley, Georgetown, Boxford and back through Topsfield. Sunday I got in my first bike ride in more than a year. I think I need some adjustments to the seat position before my next long ride – ow.

I have lots of thoughts about running my first ultra (a race longer than a marathon) today. Here are a few:

I met all my goals and I definitely feel that I vindicated myself from October’s marathon.
1. Finish!
2. Don’t Bonk
2a. Eat.
2b. Stay hydrated.
2c. Learn to pace myself – it’s ok to walk!
2d. Dress for the weather
3. Have fun
4. get a sense of what ultras are about and who runs them

I was really surprised how much fun it was. The course was beautiful. The upside of the rain was the low-hanging clouds over the Green Mountains, which we viewed in spectacular fashion from several points on the trail. People were good humored about the weather because there was nothing to be done about it. Around 4 hours into the race while transiting a particularly wet muddy section, the guy ahead of me said sarcastically AW, NOW MY FEET ARE WET! (of course we’d all had wet feet for at least 2 hours). There were also comment like “nice weather we’re having” and “pleasant day, isn’t it.” Whoops and hollers when the rain poured even harder could be heard in the woods to show the clouds we could handle it. Overall people offered encouragement and were very courteous. Last but certainly not least, the race director and volunteers were supportive, encouraging and helpful. I felt like the race director was my own personal cheering section. At mile 20 he said, “See, piece of cake! You’re almost done!” To which I replied, “A very soggy cake, but yay!” All in all it was a really fun day.

I was very pleased with my pacing. I accepted that everyone walks, and especially on the first lap if someone ahead of me was walking up a steep incline, I walked too. I found some good pacers on the first downhill to keep me from going too hard and burning out my quads. My left shin was still a bit tender on the downhills by the end, but nothing a little stride adjustment and stretching didn’t remedy.

I made myself follow the eating and drinking plan of 20oz water or heed and a bar of gel every 5 miles, plus I grabbed whatever snacks looked good at the aid stations. I got chicken broth when I was cold, some potato chips when my legs felt tight, and trail mix or cookies or graham crackers for good measure. I also made use of the portajohns at the aid stations, which were a welcome luxury for a trail run.

I also felt prepared with my gear. The trail run I did a few weeks ago was the perfect training for today. Not only was it good to test out my shoes and new fuel (honey!) and carrying water (go for the hand-held not the camelback) but also the weather was identical, so I wore basically the same thing + gloves and felt good the whole time. I was warm enough when it was wet and it dried out enough to be pleasant when the rain subsided.

I’ve alluded to the weather – it was really challenging even by veteran ultrarunner standards. It started pouring around 3am, the race started in drizzle at 6am, then it rained harder after an hour, and went back and forth between mist and downpour most of the morning. Think about what a hillside trail would look like after almost 12 hours of raining and 100 people doing 10-mile laps on it. We had some spectacular mud pits and streams. It was definitely an additional challenge on top of the length of the race: mentally to stay positive, physically to stay warm and to keep solid footing without falling or straining a tired muscle on a mud slide. I kinda wish I had a finish photo – I was smiling, I booked it up the last hill to the finish, and I was caked in mud.

Here are my watch splits:
First 5 miles (up) 1:03:30
Next 10 miles (down and up) in 2:18:51, total 3:22:21
Next 10 miles (down and up) in 2:26:34, total 5:48:56
Took a wrong turn and got lost for 51:05, total 6:40:00
Final 5 miles (down) 1:15:55, official finish in 7:55:56
The official results are posted here.

As you can see on website we ran a 10 mile loop, starting mostly climbing with an aid station at about 5 miles (maybe 4.8?), another mile of climb after that, then mostly downhill the second half. I definitely had to slow down later in the race due to footing, but I felt very strong throughout, and definitely felt better on the last 5+ than I did in the middle.

Things I learned:
– My brain doesn’t work as well after 25 miles, even if I’m feeling strong physically. I took a wrong turn coming out on top of the hill which resulted in a 50min loss of time and energy and extra miles. I started feeling a little concerned in the woods when I yelled out for another runner and didn’t get an answer. I did ok, and I recovered a positive outlook once I got going again, but coming up on the 5mile aid station again definitely took a bit out of me at the time.
– Vaseline on my lips and nose prior to the race was a good idea to prevent chapping from the rain and sniffles.
– Tape on my foot calluses wasn’t a bad idea, even though they came off in the mud and wet sometime during the second lap.
– I can see the benefit of having a crew. By the time I used the portajohn, refilled my water, got rid of empty wrappers, ate/drank, refilled my foodstuffs and checked in every 10 miles, it was hard to remember to hit the splits on my watch. It was also a little bit tempting to stay near the fire and chit-chat while “making sure I didn’t forget anything” rather than moving on.
– People *are* Born to Run!

Thinking about what’s next: I don’t have any desire to go 100 miles. I would definitely plan to do another 30miler/50K with Beej, and I would consider a 50 miler at some point. I’m very excited about keeping up my fitness and running the Whites and more of the Green Mountains this summer!

It already felt like vacation when we met up with Dan at Logan for our direct JetBlue flight on Wednesday April 21. We exchanged tales of packing, looked at the weather forecast, and boarded the plane eagerly anticipating our immersion in good food, good music, hospitality and warm humid weather.

After settling in at the Hotel Monteleone we ventured out onto Bourbon Street for food, landing at La Bayou for Boudin Balls (balls of sausage and rice, breaded and fried), Sweet Potato Stout and Muffalettas and Po Boys. We wandered over to Lafayette Square for people watching and the free concert, then decided to go to d.b.a to see the Tin Men, but ended up seeing the Mirlitones (same Washboard Chaz and Alex McMurray, swap out tuba for 2nd guitar). They are always enjoyable and humorous, and d.b.a. as advertised has an extensive drink selection and is a very cozy music club. We stopped by Clover Grill – they love to fry and it shows! – so Brian could grab a late night bite, and Dan and I could hydrate and steal some tots.

The next morning Brian and I ran through the Garden District, noting that we were *not* in Boston any more – much more humid and about 30 degrees warmer, but we were rewarded with smells of star jasmine in many yards. We were in the mood for healthy food, so we had a late breakfast at Le Cafe at the hotel. Brian had muesli while I had a big plate of fruit and yogurt. We figured no matter what happened the rest of the day, we had a good start: sleep, exercise and healthy food. We relaxed by the rooftop pool for a while, catching some sun and reading. When John arrived we met him and Dan at Lucy’s (sat at the table with the red and white umbrella, you can see in the photo) to relax in the sunshine. Later when Craig and Dina arrived we took them out for a walk on Bourbon Street, including hurricanes at Pat O’Brien’s (gotta see the flaming fountain) and a stop at Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop, ending up seeing Big Sam’s Funky Nation at Maisson for an Earth Fest show. I didn’t make it past the break – Big Sam was fun and energetic, but by 1am I was nearly sleep walking home. Better to save the late night for Friday.

Friday dawned with the forecast of 30% chance of showers for the first day of Jazz Fest. We started the day again with a run, this time up Esplanade and back, followed again by our healthy breakfast/brunch. We were ready to set out for the Fest just after noon. Seeing the 80% likelihood of showers forecast for Saturday, we opted to leave our ponchos in the room and just plan to duck into a tent during the passing shower for Friday. The day looked promising… until we set up our chairs at the Fais Do Do stage and Anders Osborne came on… and then it started raining… and then it poured. After about 20 mins, I was ready to head to drier ground, particularly since the seat of my chair channeled all the rain into a puddle under my derrière. As we had done in 2007, we sought refuge in the Gospel Tent. Alas, this was no passing shower, and we opted to stick around for about 3 hours, until we were reasonably dry and the major bands of rain subsided and, frankly, nature called quite loudly. By then Nate and Dan also ventured out from their cover, so we grabbed some food and caught the end of George Clinton together. I made a bee line for the Crawfish Monica and some Rosemint Tea, two favorites from last year. Brian and I opted for Lionel Richie, and we were not disappointed. Time has been kind to him, both in his appearance and his voice, and he was clearly loving the audience for sticking it out through the rain and the mud. I think I enjoyed it all the more because it was a multi-generational audience; middle-aged women who had swooned over the Commodores dancing and singing just as energetically as their daughters and nieces who loved Lionel’s 80s music. He covered the spectrum, from Hello to Brick House to Dancing on the Ceiling. It was a fantastic end to an otherwise rough start to the fest. After cleaning up back at the room, we ate dinner at Royal House nearby. We sensed a trend, having had La Bayou twice and thinking this place had the same owners, but they were all good so I don’t feel too bad about lacking variety. Then it was time to head to House of Blues for Trombone Shorty. This was an AMAZING show. Trombone Shorty is not only a talented musician (he played several instruments during the course of the show, and seemed just as impressive on the trumpet as he was on his signature trombone) but also a gifted band leader. The band consisted of two singers, guitar, bass, two saxes, keys, drumset, brass, and conga/auxiliary percussion – plus of course Trombone Shorty. He conducted and cued to keep them all together, building up energy playing all together at times and opening it up for a jam session at others. They played from 11:30 til 2am, non stop, just switching out who was playing for breaks. Did I say it was amazing?! Check out the music sample and videos on his web site.

Then Fest Day 2 began, with a stellar lineup from start to finish. We checked the weather, brought our blanket, chairs and ponchos, and got set up in time to see the Tin Men open at the Acura stage. Brian held down the blanket all day while Dan and I and the rest of us tagged in and out. I mostly alternated between Acura stage and Gentilly stage, at opposite ends of the fairground, but they afforded opportunities to sample many of the foods and bring some back for Brian. I grabbed some collard greens with beans and rice, Brian had sausage bread, and I also had a Cochon de Lait (pulled pork sandwich with mayo that simply melts in your mouth!) later in the day. I followed up Tin Men with Bonerama, Cowboy Mouth (the name of the band is COW-BOY-MOUTH!) with a punk-strawberry-shortcake-looking guitarist, Better than Ezra with Bonerama playing along and finally Simon and Garfunkel. We opted for S&G realizing it was likely to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience at this point, and sadly we were correct. Some thought Garfunkel’s mike had issues – I just think that he voice isn’t there any more. The audience was clearly supportive and memories associated with many of the songs seemed palpable in the air, but it was a bit sad as well, compared to the tight harmonies of days gone by. Simon took over for a while, making good use of the backup band to pick up the tempo and showcase his african drum influenced solo work, before they closed out together. Brian and I saw the long cab line and decided we’d walk home, an enjoyable tour through neighborhoods off Esplanade that we made in under an hour. We had dinner with Craig and Dina at Remoulade, then wandered Bourbon Street. Brian broke his pledge by having both a beverage from Mango Mango and a Lucky Dog, which both seem to be available at every corner, but survived relatively unscathed. He may have even won a bit of Craig’s admiration.

Sunday, the sunny day! We again ventured out for a run, this time a circuitous route through the French Quarter, along the waterfront, back up through the warehouse district, back to the hotel. New Orleans was really connecting together for me, finally. It was warmer but the humidity had passed, making it a very comfortable day. We enjoyed Theresa Andersson, great voice and talented, though I found it a little distracting to have her hop all over the stage as she played her own backups that replayed them back over her singing, making her an exotic one-woman show through fancy footwork. Her Swedish fans were right up front. Then we wandered a bit, saw part of the Free Agents Brass Band en route to Shawn Colvin, a huge favorite of ours. We’d seen her at Tupelo earlier this year, but it was nice to see a more informal show with a bigger crowd. Then we caught part of Darius Rucker (formerly Hootie of Blowfish fame), which we really liked! His voice lends itself well to Country, and it was a fun show. We had to cut it short, though, to make our fancy dinner at Herbsaint. Mmmmmmmm. I had been excited about this dinner all week, and it surely did not disappoint. We learned that when the waiter suggests fries, you should get them. They were amazing! We completely enjoyed the experience, from Brian’s Gumbo and my crawfish special to the duck (I love duck!) and fontina/ham special with the recommended wine, to our banana brown butter tart for dessert. We highly recommend this spot for excellent service and food – it felt world class.

Monday, and it was time to pack up and get ready to leave. How fast 5 days goes, even with a slow pace! For our last NOLA meal we made it a big one – Breakfast at Brennan’s. It was an event. We did the prix fixe menu, consisting of 3 courses. Brian had strawberries and cream while I had a baked apple with cream. It was like having dessert first! Then since I’m not a fan of eggs, I did the Shrimp Sardu while Brian opted for the much lighter Eggs Hussarde. Who knew that creamed spinach, artichokes, fried shrimp and Hollandaise go so well together? He finished with the pecan pie with homemade ice cream – many raves – while I had the cheesecake with strawberries. This meal easily lasted us until we landed in Boston, no lunch required. We said goodbye to Craig, Dina, Raf and Karen, met up with Dan and Nate, and headed to the airport, wishing that we could stay through the second weekend of Jazz Fest.

We were on vacation last week (post to follow) so we’ll wrap up April a bit off-cycle.

Brian:
April training totals: (swim 11,900m) (bike 182.6mi) (run: 64.9mi) (hike 3 hrs). Vacation to NOLA cut into my training numbers although I still managed to run 15 miles on vacation. Only 7 weeks left until the race. I’ve started to get nervous thinking about it. I’m in the best cardio shape of my life, but I’ve never tried to race for 5.5 hours before.

Susan: Just shy of 100 miles this month! 97.75mi, using conservative estimates for my four hikes/trail runs. I was particularly motivated by running with others and good weather. Beej and I had three really nice runs in New Orleans – one our to the Garden district, one on Esplanade, and one along the waterfront and back through neighborhoods. I really enjoyed getting a feel for the different parts of the city and seeing how they connected. My race event is a week from today! I too am nervous but also excited.

Brian:
Week 11 training update! Swim: 1750m. Bike: 119.2mi. Run: 10mi. Highlight: New swim PR for 100m, first 100 mile bike week since 1999, awesome 10mi run with Su today. Lowlight: Continued lack of motivation to start my workouts. This week: Recovery and vacation!

Sunday – Huge swim progress. Swam 6×100 speed sets today all faster than my previous best 100 time. 1:33 to 1:38/100 vs. 1:42 previous record.

Thursday – Nice 23 mile ride through Byfield, Rowley, and Newbury, but even with 8 years in this house I still get lost on some of the curvy back country roads. I also found a very pretty road that I should never bike on again because for several months of the year it appears to be part of the marsh. Welcome to New England!

Susan:
Decided to focus on work the week before vacation, so only got in a Thursday run during the week, but it was speedy! With my longer Saturday run and Sunday 10 miles with Beej, I still made it to over 5 hours of running. I definitely need to do more hills.

Please indulge a more detailed description of the 3- hour trail run in the rain with Bill and Scott. I’ve enjoyed working and running with Bill and was looking forward to a longer run at trail pace. Scott has done several Ultra races and had plenty of good stories and advice. Bill and he were good-natured and well-paced company through swamp, mud, and navigation challenges we encountered. I now feel ready for May.

We did part of the Bay Circuit Trail, starting at the “P” on Linebrook Road we ran south through Willowdale State Forest to Bradley Palmer State Park. We crossed the footbridge and decided to do a little hill work on our way to the contact station and out to the road. At this point we were already thankful for maps! We headed up Highland Road to Appleton Farms. This began the wet sloggy part of the run, over the pasture and then up Pigeon Hill. The monuments were a bit eerie in the grey and rain, so if anyone wants to shoot a horror film, we have some ideas. We continued on to the Pingree Reservation. You should note at this point the amount of wetlands in the area – we had several slogs through grassy muddy marsh, so perhaps a drier day would be better. There were horse jumps along part of the trail to keep things interesting. At this point we turned around and headed back northwest, taking a straight line through Bradley Palmer and back up to the car at Willowdale.

Brian:
Week 10 tri training update. Swim: 4950m. Bike: 20.7 mi. Run: 17.3 mi. Hiking: 3 hours. Highlights: Fast 7+ mile run, great swims, first hike of the season. Lowlights: Still struggling with motivation. Looking forward to this upcoming week — 7.5 hours of biking planned!

Susan:
What week is it? Got in an 8 mile run on Monday at the Minuteman and a 6+ mile run on Thursday before tackling the Welch/Dickey trail hiking with Steve and Beej on Sunday. Good glute workout!

Susan:
It was a light week in terms of days running – only 3 – but got in a long 21 mile run Saturday, starting with Beej at Maudslay and then tagging on another loop. I bought new Asics trail shoes and did my first run in them. I’ve also got new Innov8 shoes to try out.