I’m feeling really antsy with tapering. Most races other than marathons, it’s always been like, no stress about my performance because I don’t really taper for them — they’re just steps along to the marathon.
But here it is, the end of another season and the pressure is on and all I have to do is sit on my bum and eat spaghetti. And worry about my plans after October 14.
Tony and Scoop and I went on a two hikes this weekend, something we rarely ever do, but as I didn’t have to run 50-million hours, we had plenty of time to do it. First we went to Thorncrag in Auburn.
Tony, looking for frogs.
Scoop did not actually come on this trip because, sadly, the Stanton Bird Club banned dogs there a few years ago. Which is why we hadn’t been there in awhile.
My secret motivation to go hiking there on Saturday was to determine if it was good running terrain. I’ve decided maybe, but not until after the marathons, because it’s very technical and I don’t want to fall and hurt something so close to the big day.
The trails are also pretty short — we went to the farthest part of the reserve and round-trip, it’s only about 3 miles. I did see some runners there while were there.
Sunday we went to the Androscoggin Riverlands State Park in Turner.
(Side note: I just started re-listening to The Handmaid’s Tale and this picture reminds me of this line:
“Not so her eyes, which were the flat hostile blue of a midsummer sky in bright sunlight, a blue that shuts you out.”
It was that kind of end-of-summer day, so bright and glaring that you couldn’t look straight at it.)
We didn’t see another soul on the trails at all through our 6-mile hike in and out of the park. There was one fisherman off on the distance on the river. We let Scoop run off-lead and he had a great time. He even voluntarily went into the water at one point.
It was a flat hike but we kept the pace moving. There weren’t many beautiful vistas but the solitude was nice. I want to go back and try the other trails.
I would run at this park but I would not feel comfortable doing it alone. Such is the way it is, the best most shaded trails are the least safe to use alone. Luckily the days where I need a cool shaded trail for a hot mid-day run are over until next summer.
My lovely weekend forecast is now looking … less lovely.
It went from chance of rain 0 percent to chance of rain 30 percent. This is why we shouldn’t look at 10-day forecasts, people.