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My newest best investment; Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel water bottles to replace toxic plastic. No questionnable inner resine liner either.
For my family and myself, I got the 27 and 40 oz contenance bottles, and stainless steel caps too. Because we are worth it! 
The 1K Kids Fun Race:
A few Jumping Jacks to warm up...
A bit of stretching...
8:30 am - Ready, set... GO!!!
This time, Daddy Tricotine was running along.
What a smile on Baby Tricotine's little face!
Another big smile; Tricotine Junior about to pass the Finish Line!
On the way back, little BT was still excited!
My little Champions and their Medals! 
The 5K:
My 5K Race was lots of fun too. Can you tell? eh eh
Obviously, it was smiling day for the Tricotine Family!
I guess that is just what running in the sun does... 
09:30 am - The weather was beautiful. Perfect for a race, and everyone was very friendly. I think this was the most friendly of the 5K races I got to participate to so far!
Average temperature was 68.9 °F (high 71.6 °F) but it was just breezy enough to not cook under that sun.
I started the race at the back of the pack to be with a Mom I know from my son's school. She told me to go ahead, and I had to pass a some slower runners to finally reach people running at the same pace as me.
The first mile of the race was partially on a (narrow) trail and it was not easy to pass there. Besides, except for running on the beach at low tide (meaning hard wet sand) I had never run on a trail before. I tried not to slow down but it was not easy. Running in that dirt was exhausting and I was not the only one to struggle. Lots of people around me stopped and walked. Once, we got back on the pavement, I had better chances to get my way. But then I noticed the pain in one of my legs... Thankfully, the route was fairly flat overall and I was able to keep going without forcing too much: ascent grade 7.5% avg (22.4% max) descent grade -4.8% avg (-11.4% max)
My average pace was 8:35 min/mile - best 5:56 min/mile (7.2 mph avg - 10.1 mph max) and according to my heart rate monitor, my average Heart Rate was 92% (98% high) Yes, I pushed myself a bit despite the pain. Not enough for a sub-25 minutes though.
A video of the race - I am at 1:20 minutes -
My stride looks a bit funny because of the pain in my leg...
Anyway. My official time was 26:07 minutes (8:25 min/mile pace - 7.2 mph) but my moving time on the Garmin was 26:00 minutes (8:23 min/mile - 7.2 mph) - timer paused when I stopped for water. I had never run a 5K that had water stops, but it was a warm day, and a short drink was certainly very welcome between mile 1.8 and mile 1.9 and I haven't learned how to drink and run at the same time (yet)! LOL
So, it is clear that I am still too slow to win a trophy - not that I am "running" after one - but for reference, #1 female in my age group finished in 19:22 minutes - #2 in 19:33 minutes - #3 in 20:33 minutes. Yikes! I still have a long way to go, huh? For now, only my little family cheering for me is my reward. But isn't that the best price of all?
But I am pleased that I finished 102/466 overall – 12/36 in my age group.
Pre-Run fix: 1/2 plain bagel + Honey and Salt + a cup of Black Tea (run out of Decaf) + usual vitamins and supplements (Magnesium/Potassium) + 1 cup Kashi Go Lean + 1 cup sliced Strawberries + 1 cup Kefir.
After-run fix: Juice, fresh Bananas, Cream Cheese, Salted Peanuts and Cheese-filled Crackers were also available but I only got 1/4 orange and 1/4 mini plain bagel (shared with my kids) provided by the race organization, because I had brought my own post-run snacks: 1 mini box of raisins (.5 oz) that I had forgotten to eat before the race, 10 almonds and 1 Muncheeze (rice cheese stick).
The race was to benefit Maine Audubon, defending Maine's environment and wildlife.
Memorial Day race, The Snowy Egret 5K and 1K Kids Fun Run, to help preserve Scarborough Marsh which is a significant coastal wildlife habitat. My son just had a Field Trip to the Marsh with his school last week, so when I heard of the race I have decided to fit it into my schedule and to sign up for it. I love running for environmental good causes!
My little runner sure had fun jumping in the mud! 
It was my first time in a Marsh too and I was seduced by the wild beauty of the site.
We were lucky enough to see (far away) a Snowy Egret!
So, this morning after my long run, I went and picked up my package. No timing chip (we will have to detach the official finish tag out of our bib at the finish line) but a beautiful shirt, an Energy Bar and a Gu Sport Gel + a Pace Your Race chart by Runner's World. This is going to be my third 5K, and it is the first time I get goodies in a pre-race package! I like it!
Enjoy your long weekend and your Memorial Day celebration, everyone!
"Eeew... how weird!", I said the first time I saw these, but I was curious to try them anyway!
Fiddlehead Greens are a Maine delicacy that appears in the early spring during April and May. They aren't cultivated and are available only seasonally. In rural areas Fiddleheads are harvested by individuals in early spring. They are also available in the market for only a few weeks in springtime, and are fairly expensive.
Ostrich Fern Fiddlehead is traditionally served topped with butter in New England, Québec and Maritime Canada, but some people prefer Fiddleheads in salad with oil and vinegar. I haven't tried that yet. I had mines warm and served with Tofu, Japonica Black Rice and Lite Soy Sauce. Delicious!
Too bad the season is almost over...
IMPORTANT: The findings of an unidentified toxin in the Fiddleheads of the Ostrich Fern, suggest that they should be cooked thoroughly before eating. The cooking time recommended by health authorities is ten minutes if boiled and twenty if steamed.
Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiddlehead
http://www.umext.maine.edu/onlinepubs/htmpubs/4198.htm
http://www.wild-harvest.com/pages/fiddlehead.htm
My little bikers...
... retiring their tricycles without any regret!
Our little Dora!
My little ones and I at the starting line of the Kids Fun Run.
My little boy very focused on his running, and his little sister wanting to finish on her own: "no more holding hand, Mommy"!
And me, about to pass the finish line at the end of Kilometer 5. Those two ladies behind me obviously wanted a piece of Tricotine for Mother's Day brunch! LOL
Kids had lots of fun and us Moms did too!
We started with a ride in a hay trailed pulled by a tractor. Then, we visited farm animals: Piggies (my favorites), Charlie the horse, sheep freshly trimmed, Alpacas and Lamas, Chickens and Cows.
Kids got to pick freshly laid eggs and were amazed to see that they can come in different colors - even GREEN! Honestly, I have learned something too. I had never seen green eggs before! I was told that it is not the chicken nutrition that makes eggs different colors or sized, but the variety of chicken. Just like Red Robins lay tiny blue eggs, each chicken variety lay its own eggs, and since they have different varieties of chicken at the farm we visited, eggs were all differents. But only on the outside of course; the yolk is still yellow inside, and eggs all taste the same.
Then, after snack and story time, kids had a blast rolling down the hill.
It was a great trip!
