Lots to little: Volume to Recovery

These last two weeks have been about as opposite as they could be. The first was a volume week that ended up being about 22 hours in total followed by this week, full-on recovery at it's best.

A group shot from the MWSC Maine Team Camp at Sugarloaf earlier in July. Great group that put together a great week of productive training sessions. 

Our volume week was pretty uneventful to start but we finished it out with a team trip to Kamouraska, Quebec for a little change of scenery. We camped two nights right on the St. Lawrence Seaway, ate sea weeds and smoked fish, wading along the shore while the tide was out, went for an exploratory run on some local trails, took a scenic 5 hour road bike ride, and (some of us) went rock climbing. I just watched due to almost total exhaustion but I'm hoping to go back at some point and give it a try. If you haven't already been and you're one for gorgeous country scenery and outdoor activity, Kamouraska is a place to add to your bucket list. The area is littered with monadnocks surrounded by farm land and quaint little French-Canadian villages over looking the Seaway. Aside from road biking, trail running/hiking, and rock climbing, there's also great kayaking to be had and the towns boast awesome little shops and art galleries.

Kamouraska is where the red drop is, north-east of Quebec City and about an hour and a half from Fort Kent (at right where the 161 highway marker sits on the Maine/Canada border). 

My recovery week was pretty low key, highlighted by a post-birthday massage (if you ever need a massage and live near or travel to the Presque Isle/Caribou area, go to Leslie Smith…she's awesome), and a trip to Edmunston for some single-track mountain biking. Unfortunately the single track trails don't lend themselves to photo taking while in the saddle (they're a little too technical for me to risk the one-handed maneuvering) so I have no pictures to share from that adventure. The folks in Edmunston have been adding new trails since I've last been there so it was a fun exercise in being lost and not really caring. Lots of raspberries trail side and a good workout to practice staying fairly focused for an extended period of time. 

In other news, I'm older again and got a sweet new camera for my birthday. It's the perfect replacement for my old one (which had spots on the lens that showed when I used any amount of zoom). This one is even smaller (think really small) and will be a perfect addition to my training from now on, not to mention that it has a million features, which I'm still exploring. Some of these photos were taken with my new toy:

On our first afternoon in Kamouraska we explored the shoreline while the tide was out. Unknowingly, we took the difficult route to the water's edge, dodging all these stinky little bogs on our way. 

Brian modeling the kelp scarf that Kelsey just gifted him. 

Toes in the….muck? Might look gross but it felt pretty cool. 

Birthday morning breakfast with my family, via travel mug. 

Saw this fancy rig in our campground. 

Riding along the river. Photo courtesy of my teammate Mikaela.

Our road riding crew at the end of an old ferry pier on the river. Yes, Nick was being a bit of a creeper. 

Seth during a break at the top of a ridge…I guess I still have a little learning to do as far as the panorama function goes on my camera. I think that block box at the right means I didn't move fast enough? Or far enough? 

Fields of canola right along the river in full bloom. 

The gang setting up to climb some rocks on our "off day". Mikaela and I spent much of the morning and early afternoon exploring easier terrain, perfecting our sports bra tan lines, and eating more than our fair share of wild blueberries. 

Kelsey making an attempt at a chosen route. 

Our campground right on the river's edge. 

Looking down toward Kamouraska from the monadnocks where the rock climbing was to be had. 

This monadnock was home to SEBKA, the campground we stayed at. Our site was on the far side right on the river. 

Looking north-east away from Kamouraska….more fields and river. 

Eva in her favorite window spot. Life as a cat does seem rough….eat, sleep and play (at 5 am when Seth and I are still trying to sleep). 

One of the 4-wheeling trails that I've been running on quite a bit this summer. The dry weather (until yesterday) was leaving the trails pretty dusty, especially when you're on foot getting passed by a whole group of ATVs. Hopefully the rain we're getting today will help with that in the coming week. 

One of my favorite view points to run to in Fort Kent. 

Another pretty trail in Fort Kent…so green and peaceful even though it's right in the middle of town. 

And raspberries….best trail-side snack there is. 

Big trucks along one of my running routes….

Love the fields up here…so green and pretty! 

 What's  next? This coming weekend Kelsey, Mikaela and I are hoping to gather a team of 6 for the Nordic Heritage Trail Festival so we can participate in the 6 hour trail running relay race. After that we have the second MWSC Maine Team Camp in Presque Isle before I head down to Vermont for trials and a camp with the National Team later in August. Oh, and LOTS of crocheting….I got an order for 26 hats! Time to get busy!

Stay tuned for photos and stories...