Debt Owed

Finished up last week with a 15 miler in Keene with my fellow owls, to give me 95 miles for the week. Very cool. We ran what was once called the Abenaki Run. Great conversations with all in the group and it was exciting to hear how well they are all racing. Tradition.
This week brought highs and lows for feeling good while running but def had solid efforts.

Tuesday - 4 x Hartley Hill (little over a mile up) with Najem. Last week I felt awesome, but this week I was a little sluggish. I attribute it to the fact that last week I was on vacation and this week I was back at school. The good things was the further into the repeats the better I was feeling. Once again we just ran regular effort up the hill for the first three then on the lat one picked it up slightly all the while feeling good. A solid 14 in the bag!

Wednesday - the weather was unreal and I was fresh out of a staff meeting, so I was in desperate need of some nature. I decided to nail the 14 mile Grafton power lines loop (which includes the infamous Satan's Grin hill). My goal was to go slow and just cover the distance, and that is exactly what I did. I wore my Highgear watch and my pace was slow early, but by the end I was in the low 7's/high 6 minute pace and that felt comfortable.
To run that pace on the hills and power lines, one would have to sell their soul to one of two people: the devil or me. I dobt need Strava to tell me who owns the FKT or who the King of the Mountains are; its cussing ME!

Thursday - today was a total nature run, tons of animals were out and about. I parked up on Ledge Rd and hustled the Lost Trail. About 10 minutes in my girl Lena goes ape cuss wild. She caught up to me with a face quilled up with 6-7 long quills. They came out real easy. Twenty minutes later, she is at it again, but this time the porcupine was cussin with her and not going up a tree. It was a decent size quiller and left about 5 tiny quills in her mouth... The fastest way back to the truck was to keep going. She seems fine, so I wasn't too worried. Twenty minutes after that we come up on a beaver pond and what looks like a beaver swimming in it. It wasn't, it was a good sized raccoon. Mama usually just chases them off the porch with a broom, but since this one was swimming, ain't no time for brooms.
Ellie and Lena were in that water like there was a fire. I didn't want my girls to kill this raccoon and I didn't want that raccoon to drown my girls, but it was straight out of a movie. The raccoon was scratching, biting and clawing and my girls were biting back. While my girls where paddling after it, the would push the raccoons head under water and it would swim (ver well too) and come up and start thrashing again.
During the malay, I yelling like a fool and I'd get one to listen before it turned into a wrestling tag team match. I finally get both by me and the raccoon swam under a rock and poked just it's nose out of the water to breath. Raccoons are def one smart animal.
Lena took a bite in the lip and a scratch across the face, Ellie was untouched (she's gnarly) and the raccoon had a good gash under one eye.
Great 10 miles with high excitement. I def don't lead a boring life...

Friday - after yesterday's Wild America run, I decided to chilled behind my place today on a mellow 9 miler on the white dot trail finishing down the switchbacks. The trails have some wet sections but overall they are in great condition.

Saturday - today is the day before the Muddy Moose 14 mile race so I wanted to keep it lighter than usual. I'm feeling the week and yesterday was a day I should have raced. Yesterday I felt amazing, and today I did everything to finish 7 miles atop Putney Mtn, great sign for tomorrow. Cuss.
I don't like the idea of losing let alone the idea of getting my cuss handed to me either, but I am remembering that it is for the greater cause. Tomorrow means nothing except for tomorrow and will be a solid race effort, quality race field and quality miles. I'm exiting to race and start racing more to get my sword sharp on both ends (mentally and physically). I recognize I'm not where I want to be but I'm thankful for where I am in my training and thankful I can be running. I can see where I want to be which is the first time in a long time.
Here comes some races, they may be ugly, but they will be fun...