Spring has sprung...but I still ain't feeling it

Old white pines in Miller's Head Peace Park

It's been six weeks since my last running-related post. There's a reason for that. My preparation for this year's Cabot Trail Relay hasn't gone well. I trained consistently through March despite lousy weather and a hectic schedule but it didn't have the desired effect. Maybe I wasn't getting enough rests between workouts, or maybe menopause was having a bigger impact than I realized, or maybe I just don't want to run the race badly enough. Whatever...last weekend I finally decided to give it a pass and let someone else tackle the damned mountain this year.

Of course, that doesn't mean I won't be running a race or two this spring/summer. I've no intention of letting all that hard work go to waste. I ran 17k on Monday, for goodness sake! Husband and I had already been chatting about a half marathon in Quebec City in August, but it would be fun to do another one or two before then. And of course I'm still pondering a last full marathon (my 10th) sometime this fall. Stay tuned!

In other news, work hasn't been going especially well lately either. The short version is I'm a "silly servant" and an election call is expected to come any minute. 'Nuff said. I'll just be glad when it's over so my colleagues and I can get back to accomplishing something once and awhile.

On the upside, we're getting a kick out of Jackie Blue, our new puppy, who's coming along nicely. I confess I was worried I would quickly lose patience with her, but it's hard to be annoyed with such an adorable critter. Even Nemmie the cat's being slowly won over. The amazing thing is how quickly Jackie's grown. Seriously, compare these two pictures taken just three weeks apart!

The weather on the weekend was warmer than expected so we spent much of it outside - walking at Peace Park and Risser's Beach, hanging out on our back deck, and wandering around our the yard making plans for this year's garden.

There aren't many flowers in our yard yet - but it won't be long until the shrubs are doing their thing. In the meantime, I have to be content with the odd crocus bravely fighting its way through fallen leaves.

So that's the news from our wee corner of the world. Hope spring has sprung where you are!

Happy running and writing!