Fall

We are well into the heart of fall now. I think the leaves are falling a bit earlier than usual. At the WCAC championship last weekend, there were leaves coating the surface of the stream - something I have not seen before.

I always spend huge amounts of time on cross country in the fall. Often I spend more time planning practices or for weekend meets than prepping for my classes. Managing a team with 75 runners and 5 coaches is not an easy task.

A couple of weeks ago we had a free Saturday, so we went out to the Western Maryland Rail Trail to do some biking. It's a very scenic trail, running parallel to the C&O Canal and the Potomac River. We covered 45 miles, with Calista trailing along behind my bike in her "chariot" (it's a Burley trailer, actually).

We have one more free XC weekend, and then three straight championship races: MD/DC state (private schools), Jesuits, and then Nike SE Regionals. And maybe Nationals, if we run really well.

We also made it through Halloween without too much drama. Calista dressed up as a fairy for a local event - a parade for the kids, followed by trick-or-treating at local businesses. We did not go out house-to-house Sunday night - she was too tired for it to work!

Here are some more pics from our fall outings . .