Highland Green Running

It's been a snowy and icy January so far, so there has been a lot of Highland Green running! It's boring as hell but it's a safe and accessible place to run post-snowstorms, and for the past two weeks all of my running has pretty much been confined to Highland Green. Aie, I really need to get out more! 😜

Monday the 5th was back to work and school and a regular schedule for us all after a few holiday weeks with a lot going on. Tuesday, I got up early and then just read my book on the couch instead of running or working 🤪 Seemed a good idea with an inch of snow on the ground from overnight, so decided to just run in the afternoon around Highland Green. Warmish and overcast. (6.0 miles)

Thursday was another afternoon Highland Green run. Lovely and warm enough for no gloves and mostly just wet pavement with only a few ice slicks. (6.0 miles)

Friday, I waited until it wasn’t an ice slick out there, and got some work and errands done early… then was just squeezing it in before heading down to Sam’s swim meet in Cape Elizabeth 🤪😂🤷‍♀️ (6.0 miles)

Along with a lot of Highland Green running, most of my running these first few weeks of January have been afternoon miles. Kept with the theme on Saturday after getting some work, errands and home stuff done in the morning... Balmy with a lot of puddles. Also the back road is not ideal. (8.0 miles)

Sunday, I strayed from a staight-up Highland Green route and went out along the Connector path and up to Homeplace, but back through Highland Green. A mixed bag of wet pavement, slick icy connector path and snowy, icy slippery backroad. Overcast and damp. (10.0 miles)

This past week, Ryan was away from Monday through Thursday in Utah working and skiing. Looks lovely, doesn't it? 

Meanwhile, more snow and ice and Highland Green running over here. And of course Sam got a cold. Oh the glamour! 😂 

Tuesday was yet another afternoon Highland Green run. Nice out. (6.0 miles)

Work continues to be quite busy, and overwhelmed me again on Wednesday so an after dinner headlamp walk it was. Dark and rainy. (2.0 miles)

And then since I didn't have the option to do an afternoon run on Thursday and I'd already squanded two days of running in the week, I was out the door in the foggy, misty, rainy darkness at 5:30 am on Thursday running through Highland Green. (6.0 miles)

Then after work it was over to Bowdoin for Sam's high school swim meet. Despite being sick, she did swam very solid, and someone dug up a photo of her and three of her teammates from an LRSC meet when she must have been 7 or 8 years old. So cute, and I love that they all still swim together both at the Y and on the high school team! 💗

Friday I had a massage with Lauren at 8:30 am and I knew I should get in my run before hand, so I headed out as the sky was lightening at 6:50 am, and decided to wander around with my spikes on. Conditions ok but a bit too much hard ice for my liking. Cold, overcast and windy, with no real sunrise. (6.0 miles)

More snow Friday night, and enough that the spikes were on the whole way during my afternoon Saturday run. Nothing was plowed down to pavement so it didn’t matter. Very flat light and just enough ice under the few inches of snow that it was a bit sketchy, but pretty out there! Ran on the snowy roads, the cart paths and down into the Cathance. (8.3 miles)

Wrapped up the week with yet another Highland Green afternoon run on Sunday, and made a commitment to NOT run all the miles through there next week! 😂😂 (10.0 miles)

Happy New Year!

It was a quick trip down south as we headed home early on Monday so that Ryan could get home in time for a 10:00 meeting, but as always good to see everyone! 💗 

I spent the rest of the day working and getting stuff done around the house, and then it was back into the office on Tuesday. Came home early enough that Ryan and I squeezed in a walk around the school block before darkness fell. Sidewalks were very sketchy! (2.59 miles walked)

Wednesday was New Year's Eve. Headed into work early and then came home to get in a run around 2:30 through Highland Green. Didn’t hit my goal of 2,000 miles and while I realize it is an arbitrary goal, I was definitely beating myself up about it slightly, but with no race and other things taking my energy this year (work 🤪), it is what it is. Still grateful for the miles I did hit - 1,883 - and looking forward to what 2026 brings. (6.3 miles)

Then because I really am slightly crazy, once I got home from my run, I changed and headed back out for a short mile walk around the neighborhood to get my walking miles to a nice even 210. (0.9 miles walked)

And with that, it was a wrap on 2025! 

Of course, as always, the year is not just about the miles. No year is perfect, and there were the inevitable lows, and on my end, probably a bit too much work, but overall, there were a lot of highlights in 2025. We went to France! Sam got her license! Dad turned 80, Ryan and I turned 50, Sam turned 16. Went down to Texas for Morgan's graduation. Saw the extended Raymond clan for Nancy's memorial service as well as at the holidays. Sam, Ryan and I took a fun spring trip to Boston, I got in some running with friends (but not enough), and we had some good times both on and off the trails with friends and family. Grateful as always for this life I get to live and those I am living it with 💗

Looking back on my goals for 2025, I'd say I give myself a B.

• Continue to stay healthy, happy and reasonably sane. Sane is depatable 😉 but I stayed healthy and there was a lot to be happy about.
• Time with Ryan and Sam, including some outdoor adventures together. With swimming, work and other things going on, our outdoor adventures were mainly in France, but we did get in a trip to Boston together, and Sam and I spent a lot of time together in the car as we got in her driving hours!
• Time together with my parents, Irene and Dana, and the rest of the family. Always happy to be able to accomplish this!
• Enjoy a special trip to Paris together! We are headed there in late July/August with my parents, and then Sam, Ryan and I are going on to Chamonix for a few extra days. So excited!😍😍 Such a special trip!
• More time with friends, both on the run and elsewhere. I didn't get in a lot of Friday runs with the ladies, but did manage to run and catch up with friends throughout the year, and we managed to coordinate dinner and time with Neal, Kendra, Vicky, Michael, Nate and Shannon outside of our regular Chalk Pond summer weekend, which was nice!
• 2,000+ miles run. Nope, this did not happen. 
• 200 miles walking/hiking. Check.
• Get back to strength work, and hopefully hill work too once I choose a 2025 race. Only partially managed to make this happen and definitely wasn't consistent with the strength work.
• Run an ultra! Nope, this did not happen. 
• Read 75 books. Check. Managed to read 86 books!

For 2026, many of my goals remain the same -

• More time with family and friends
• 2000 miles run
• 200 miles walked
• Really and truly run an ultra after two years away
• Read 75 books 
• And, in general, enjoy life!

Cheers to another year of miles, smiles and all the in betweens 💖💗

Kicked off the new year with a late afternoon run on the powerlines. So glad I put my spikes in my pocket! Haven’t been on the trails in a bit. Had fun. Trails had been rolled and then some fat bikes had been on the trail too so fairly solid surface. Cold and windy but nice to be out! (6.0 miles)

Saturday, I hit the farmer's market, got some work done and took down the Christmas tree. Always a sad state of affairs, but it needed to be done. Headed out around 1:30 for another run on the powerlines and out towards the dump. Gone Fishing trails were great, no ice. Rest icy in spots but still pretty decent. Ran into Ryan on the way back and enjoyed his component for the final 1.5 miles. Nice to see him out in the trails 😊 (8.4 miles)

Cold and spitting snow on Sunday morning, so lazed around for a bit, got some work, cleaning and baking done and then finally headed out in the afternoon once the sun had come out and headed over to Highland Green. (8.0 miles)

Merry Christmas! 🎄

Out on Tuesday for an early morning run over the Androscoggin before heading into work for the day. Cold and calm, with a nice sunrise. (6.5 miles) 

There was a big snowstorm overnight on Tuesday into Wednesday morning, and we woke up to 16" of fresh fluffy snow! WOW! That is a lot of snow. Wanted to run but it really wasn't the best out there and I didn't want to be stupid. Instead got some work done, did some prep for Christmas and then ran out to the store before we headed over to Mom and Dad's for the afternoon. Mom, Sam and I decorated cookies and Sam and Mom put together the gingerbread house while Ryan helped Dad set up their new laptop, and then we enjoyed our traditional Christmas Eve dinner of Indian food and gingerbread cake. It might be an odd combo but it sure is delish!

Christmas morning, I was up early to enjoy my breakfast by the Christmas tree and then headed out once the sky started to lighten at 7:00. It was a snowy, sloppy, messy screw shoe run on the Highland Green roads before everyone woke up. Definitely not ideal conditions, but the snow was still all stuck to the trees and was very pretty! (6.5 miles)

Then it was onto the present opening and breakfast! Gigi enjoyed all the paper and even found her own present under the tree 😹

Around 1:30, we headed down to Portland to Tom and Sarah's for Christmas dinner. Irene and Dad met up there as did Theresa, Dave, Susie, John, Alan, and Sarah's friends Brianna, Miguel, little Eleanor and friend Gabe. It was a full house! No photos but it was fun to catch up with everyone, and dance with Eleanor (to ABBA no less - very Christmasy! 😂), and of course, Tom's lasagna, all the appetizers and desserts were delish! I am so grateful to be able to spend the holidays with so much family - we really are lucky! 💗

Then it was home to watch Home Alone on the couch and try not to fall asleep 😉😆 A fun but full Christmas day! 

Spent Friday morning getting some errands and work done, along with doing a bit of organizing around the house after Christmas Day and then headed out around 2:00 for a run through Highland Green. Still quite messy from the snowstorm. And cold out. Brrr. (7.0 miles)

But the real excitement of the day was that we picked up the car for Sam! She is very excited. It is not new but it is in good shape and now we don't have to juggle cars between the three of us!

Saturday morning dawned cold, very cold, and I decided not to run feels like -8 degrees and waited until the afteroon, at which point we were down at Irene and Dana's for Christmas #2. Ran the roads around their house. Much warmer this afternoon although in the shade still chilly with the melt becoming a bit slippery! (8.1 miles)

Sunday morning was filled with gifts and relaxing, and then I headed out around 1:00 pm for a break from the chaos for a run 😂😜 before Christmas dinner.  Nice to be out on a nice afternoon. (10.0 miles)