Weekly Log 10-3-11 to 10-9-11

Monday: 9 miles - Rome Point trails alone.  It's beginning to feel like fall out there.  It's definitely darker in the woods now.  My pace was pretty snappy throughout.  Total time: 61:11. 

Tuesday: 9 miles - Ryan Park trails.  I ran the first three with Gip and then the last six solo.  We kept it easy, and then I picked it up a little bit.  Another really nice day.  Total time: 68:33. 

Wednesday: 10 miles - Quonset Bike Path workout with Calf Pasture Point roads and beach alone.  I was equipped with three plans for my workout today, but I was happy I got to do Plan A.  After yesterday's run I had some discomfort in my right calf, so I did a nice warm up to test it out.  It felt fine so at the far end of the bike path I began my workout: 1 x 3 miles.  Mapping it online, I had a very good landmark for 3 miles, but when I tried to extend it to 5K, there were no distinguishing features to utilize.  The reason I wanted to run this distance was to prove a point to myself.  The coolish weather would help with the time.  So, off I went.  I wasn't sure how hard I should be running, and I was nervous when I peaked at my watch after half a mile.  Getting to two miles was the hard part, and the last mile seemed easier mentally.  I ended up proving the point to myself, and finished the 3 miles in a satisfying 17:57 (5:59/6:02/5:56).  I then embarked on a nice slow cooldown, most of which was on the beach.  A tidal stream I jumped on the way out got significantly wider on my return and I got really wet.  Total time: 1:16:00. 

Thursday: 11 miles - Saunderstown hilly roads alone.  This was not planned, but due to construction at the Rome Point parking lot, I had to call an audible.  I began at the park and ride and did my usual course from the spring: Plum Point Rd, Gilbert Stuart Rd, and Snuff Mill Rd.  Then I did some extra weaving through the Plum Beach neighborhoods to get to 11 miles and 6 good climbs.  Total Time: 1:21:03.  My pace was faster than I anticipated, and I worked a lot harder than the easy run I planned.  The weather was so perfect that I wanted to keep running. 

Friday: 11 miles - Rome Point trails and beach solo.  For the second day in a row, I was actually cold running for the first 10 minutes.  Really quiet in the woods today.  I wasn't sure how I would feel today, but my legs felt fantastic.  After dealing with the high tide earlier in the week, it finally was manageable.  A few interesting shorebirds I couldn't identify.  I kept up the good pace for the rest of the run and finished up in 1:16:51. 

Saturday: 7 miles - Burlingame trails 5M and roads 2M.  I was able to get in a late afternoon run that I thought would be easy.  After a pretty peppy first mile to get to the trailhead, I decided to just run hard.  I passed a family of mtn bikers twice and one of the kids asked their dad if I was going to keep up that pace the whole time.  The answer was no.  I went even faster on the last mile.  Total time: 50:21.  In the morning, I had a great hike with my kids in the Grills Preserve.  The ambitious hike we had planned got even longer when I took a wrong turn.  My son thought I wasn't going the right way and I should have listened to him.  Not much complaining on the 3 mile hike. 

Sunday: 6 miles - Burlingame trails with Sarah.  This was a good training run for my wife for the Lil' Rhody Runaround.  I took her on my favorite mtn bike trail and then the loop around the old campground.  We finished through the north side by the beaver pond.  Nice and easy 64 minutes.  Fun afternoon spent at Misquamicut beach.  It felt like summer and the water was still warm enough to swim. 

Overall: A really great week of running and a fun long weekend. 

Weekly Total: 63 miles
Last Week: 47 miles
Year to Date: 1840 miles