A Visit to Mount Felix

I took the day off from work and spent an enjoyable day with the family. I also got in a short run this morning. My IT band is still sore, but it is getting better. Just need to continue the stretch, ice, rest regimen.

This afternoon we stopped by the Mount Felix Vineyard & Winery, a vineyard located about four-and-a-half miles from our home.

Our intent, with two kids in tow, was to only stop long enough for a quick look and pick up a bottle or two of wine. However, owners Pete and Mary Ianniello are wonderful hosts and entertained Braedon with kite flying and the use of their children’s play fort. The wines are fantastic, and we brought home two bottles; a dry red for me, and a sweet white for my wife. We are big fans of food and drink, and try to buy our food and drink from local sources as often as possible. Finding gems like the Mount Felix Vineyard continues to make buying local a real treat.

We saw this speed limit sign on the way into the vineyard, and I just love unusual road signs.

Go Huskies!

My left leg is still slightly sore, but I feel it is getting better. If this continues, perhaps as soon as Friday, I’ll try some easy running. Work has kept be busy this week, and tomorrow will be another busy day. I got home almost two hours later than normal tonight. My wife greeted me at the door, then left for a run/walk with Joe Louis, while I stayed home with the boys; one sleeping, and one screaming. The highlight of my day was an email from my wife with this picture attached.


Brenden is wearing a Michigan Tech Huskies shirt. Michigan Tech, which is located on a peninsula on Lake Superior and is a dumping ground for lake effect snow, is where I went to college. My wife is from the Virginia Beach area, and although we lived in Michigan while I attended MTU, the snow in our town on Lake Michigan was nothing but a dusting compared to that of MTU. The one and only time my wife visited MTU was for my graduation. It was May 10. It snowed. Ice still covered vast portions Lake Superior. She was not impressed, and that, in part, is why we now reside in balmy Maryland.

Ouch

My left IT band is still causing soreness after only a mile or so of running, so I will be taking the next several days off. This changes my goals for next month’s Delaware Marathon. I was never anticipating running a personal record at Delaware, but I was planning to run strong and run faster during the second half of the race. How strong I am able to run remains to be seen and my biggest goal is now to complete the race so that I can again donate my finisher’s medal to Medals4Mettle.

Aside from the mental blues, one of the challenges of adjusting to less running is to recognize when I should be full. My eyes and stomach are telling me to eat as if I were still running thirty-five miles a week, while actually running less than ten miles the past couple of weeks means I’m gaining weight. Not too much, but a little. I guess I’m just storing up some extra energy for when I’m really able to run a long, long way.

Not running over the weekend has given me more time to pay attention (or cross-train) to the needed yard work. I mowed the lawn yesterday for the first time this year. We also enjoyed a visit from a Red-bellied Woodpecker.