Week of 6/14/10

An active week, but not a lot of running miles. 
Monday and Tuesday, I joined my coworkers for basketball.  This has been a tradition since I started working there in 1997.  As the years go by, there are fewer days that we can get enough people to play, and it has definitely had an impact on me running more.  Given the choice of sport, I will always choose basketball.  It's funny how running can make you worse at it.  I felt slow (quickness-wise), unable to jump very high, and uncoordinated dribbling.  I had more energy than the others, but that's nothing new for me.  It was a lot of fun though.  It's a great summertime activtiy, especially on really hot days I'd rather not run. 
Thursday, Dan and I were able to sneek in a long run at work.  We ran from the office and took the roads to Rome Point.  Then we did my 6.5 mile zigzag loop of trails and returned on the roads back to work for a total of 13 miles.  We took it easy on the roads as it was a warm day and we wanted to pace ourselves.  It felt so much cooler in the woods, and I was surprised at our time for this section - 50 minutes.  The run back on the road felt tiring, but I was very happy with an overal time of 1:40 for the run. 
The next day, another hot one, I decided to head to Big River for a relaxing trail run.  I purposely kept it slow, and really enjoyed myself.  I was sweating alot, but never felt hot.  I even was able to complete the loop without getting lost.  I think I have finally figured it out! 
Finally, on Sunday, my family and I hiked the mile down to Watchaug Pond for a swim.  The little beach was in good shape, and we had it all to ourselves.  I pushed the kids uphill in the double stroller on the way back to the car.  Then  I went for a meandering trail run back to my house.  I took a couple of trails I hadn't been on in years.  There are a couple of daunting hills that I really had no problems with.  I can't say the same for the deer flies.  It was too hot to outrun them today!