Weekly Log 3-21-11 to 3-27-11

Monday: 7 miles - Rome Point trails with Brad.  Miserable weather day - snow and rain and 34 degrees.  I was glad to have someone run with me or I might not have done it.  We mixed things up and did the trails differently.  It was awesome to pass the time talking rather than focusing on the wet and cold.  After a while we were surprised that we had only been running for 18 minutes, so we must have been going pretty fast.  Brad and I briskly finished up four miles, and then I ran 3 more alone.  Total time: 50:42. 

Tuesday: 9 miles - Ryan Park trails alone.  I know science doesn't recommend this, but I wanted to run fast to prove to myself I'm getting faster.  Today was forecasted to be the best day of the week weatherwise, however I was disappointed that it was cloudy, windy, and only 45 degrees.  I stuck with shorts and a t-shirt, and added in a hat for good measure.  I felt like I was off to a good pace and I was pleased when I peeked at my watch.  My splits were looking good and I thought I had a shot at my PR if I could keep it up.  My mind wavered at times, but my body felt fine.  At the seven mile mark, I knew I should be able to beat my record, but I also knew I had to run a mile with the stiff headwind.  I was excited to finish up in 57:17 - a new PR by over a minute (previous best 58:25 on 10/4/10).  A nice confidence booster! 

Wednesday: 9 miles - Calf Pasture Point and Quonset Bike Path roads, trails, and beach alone.  A nice recovery run after my effort yesterday.  A few snowflakes mixed in, but the weather wasn't that bad (not much wind).  Total time: 1:12:09. 

Thursday: 8 miles - Rome Point trails with Brad.  The inch of snow disappeared and the trails weren't even that wet.  My legs felt tired, but Brad set a good pace (we made it to the point in 10 flat), and we kept it up for 4+ miles.  I went on alone and ran the beach.  The tide was the highest I've seen it, and I could only get so far.  I returned to the woods and finished up in 58:33. 

Friday: 13 miles - Wickford roads (3.25Mx2) alone to and from Rome Point trails (6.5M) with Dan.  I've been trying to get in a longer run, but haven't had the right opportunity.  Today I finally did and I had a really nice run.  I ran the roads to Rome Point where Dan met me and we did the trails together.  My pace on the roads was faster than I thought (my body was sore/tired from a fast week) so I decided to go with it.  Dan was encouraging me to keep it up as we sprinted through the woods.  I still felt good as I began the last 3.25 miles on roads.  I was anticipating my legs to get really sore on this stretch, but it never came.  I was able to go faster (sub 7's) and finished up in 1:31:05.  I'm pretty sure this is a PR for this course and increases my curiosity about how fast I could do a half marathon. 

Saturday: 0 - small window to get a short run in and the 19 degrees outside didn't motivate me.  All day fantasy baseball draft with the usual suspects. 

Sunday: 7 miles - Burlingame trails (with 1.5M of roads mixed in).  My plan was to get in a nice and easy 4 miles to get 50 for the week.  I found myself really enjoying some of the hidden, lonely trails and not worrying about my time.  To my surprise, I saw a runner approaching me in a place I never ever see anyone.  I realized that this runner was my dad!  We stopped and chatted and then I decided to turn around and run with him for a couple of miles.  Finally, I had to head home and picked my poison choice of hills to get there (trails vs. road).  A fantastic run and a new PR for miles in a week!  Total time: 52:44. 

Overall: A great week of running - 9 mile trail PR, 13 mile PR, and a weekly mileage PR.  My plan is to run the Chariho 5K next Sunday.  If I run it fast enough then I won't need to run another 5K this year.... 

Weekly Total: 53 miles
Last Week: 32 miles
Year to Date: 484 miles