Monday: 8 miles - Ryan Park trails alone. My feet and lower ankles were tired and sore (probably from Friday's 13 and wearing Nike Free Runs exclusively now). I wanted to run in the woods and avoid the exposed field sections (see header picture) as much as possible because of the very strong NW wind, so I improvised the usual course a bit. I felt sleepy as I strolled the trails and wondered how low my heart rate might be. I felt really relaxed and enjoyed this run. Total time: 61:12.
Tuesday: 11 miles - Calf Pasture Point roads and beach 5M, 8x400 workout on Quonset Bike Path, with 2 mile cooldown on roads to Allen Harbor and back. I wasn't really sure if I would be doing a workout today, but I knew I wanted to do the full run on the beach in the glorious sun. Nothing out of the ordinary to report except more humans than normal out and about. As I was running this portion, I decided to try a 400 workout after a conversation I had with Glenn recently (and Greg has previously talked about this as well). Something to do with the science of running. Due to the strange layout of the bike path - 2.3 miles each way with .5 mile markers - I had to figure out where 400 meters might be. I decided to run 85 seconds and then jog to the next .5 mile mark. I can't say how accurate this was, but it felt right (my fast 800's are just over 2:50). Maybe I should call this workout 8x85 seconds. Total time: 1:22.
Wednesday: 0 - school meeting and then an afternoon/evening with the kids. Last night I had my first anxiety dream about running the race on Sunday. Four more nights to go! On a side note, I'm looking for someone to go see Face to Face with me. They're playing at Lupo's on 5/17. Unfortunately, it's a Tuesday night and the only people I know who like them live in NH.
Thursday: 9 miles - Ryan Park trails with Dan. Despite our late start, we still beat the raindrops (almost) and got in a nice run - not too fast and not too slow. The weather could have been better (46 at the start - 42 at the finish, windy, and damp). Maybe the weather will improve next month. Tomorrow, I'm hoping the rain will end early enough so that I can get in another nice run before Sunday's race. Total time: 65:59.
Friday: 0 - I could have done an easy run, but was not motivated thanks to the cold, damp, windy weather. I'm ready for spring. Nice long band practice at night - new songs for the next wedding gig.
Saturday: 5 miles - Burlingame trails and roads alone in the early morning. A nice easy run in the sunshine!
Sunday: 4 miles - Chariho 5K 19:30 PR by 3 seconds, but not what I was looking for - write up to follow.
Weekly Total: 37 miles
Last Week: 53 miles
Year to Date: 521 miles
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
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
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
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Weekly Log 3-14-11 to 3-20-11
Monday: 0 - sick, but first night of good sleep and no chills.
Tuesday: 0 - sick, but thinking about running and another good night.
Wednesday: 5 miles - Rome Point trails with Dan. I wasn't sure how I would feel doing this, but it went really well. We ran at a decent pace, and I didn't overdue the mileage. Total time: 39:38.
Thursday: 7 miles - Ryan Park trails with Dan. Warm day - 60 degrees - but not too crowded in the woods. Another good run. Wood frogs singing in the vernal pools. I felt like we were going 7:30ish pace, but was a little surprised that it ended up being 8 flat. I guess my body is still not 100% yet.
Friday: 11 miles - Burlingame trails (8M) and roads (3M) alone. I had to stay home in the morning for a washing machine delivery, and I was able to get in a fun run beforehand. My plan was to run mostly trails to Klondike Road and then turnaround, but I was feeling good and decided to keep going around the pond. It was a really nice morning and I didn't see any humans. I'm pretty sure I heard an osprey (first of season) calling, but I had to keep my eyes on the trail. I did flush a phoebe from its yearly nest on our front stoop when I got back to my house. Total time: 1:28.
Saturday: 0 - fun day with the kids and Glenn and Gina.
Sunday: 9 miles - Burlingame trails (6M) and roads (3M) with MC. I ran the roads down to Poquiant Brook where Glenn and Griffin were waiting for me. Chilly morning - 26 degrees - not exactly what I was looking for on the first day of spring! Glenn pushed the pace through the woods. He asked how I was feeling - I responded, "Great!", and then instantly tripped and fell. It was pretty funny. We stopped at the Perry Healey covered bridge and then worked our way back to Buckeye Brook Road. Glenn looked strong and we were going fast. I added some more trails on the way back to my house and even passed some friendly mtn bikers. Amazing. I was happy with the overall pace and effort - 65:18.
Overall: I was happy to get 32 miles in despite getting over a bad virus. Back to normal for the upcoming week.
Weekly Total: 32 miles
Last Week: 32 miles
Year to Date: 431 miles
Tuesday: 0 - sick, but thinking about running and another good night.
Wednesday: 5 miles - Rome Point trails with Dan. I wasn't sure how I would feel doing this, but it went really well. We ran at a decent pace, and I didn't overdue the mileage. Total time: 39:38.
Thursday: 7 miles - Ryan Park trails with Dan. Warm day - 60 degrees - but not too crowded in the woods. Another good run. Wood frogs singing in the vernal pools. I felt like we were going 7:30ish pace, but was a little surprised that it ended up being 8 flat. I guess my body is still not 100% yet.
Friday: 11 miles - Burlingame trails (8M) and roads (3M) alone. I had to stay home in the morning for a washing machine delivery, and I was able to get in a fun run beforehand. My plan was to run mostly trails to Klondike Road and then turnaround, but I was feeling good and decided to keep going around the pond. It was a really nice morning and I didn't see any humans. I'm pretty sure I heard an osprey (first of season) calling, but I had to keep my eyes on the trail. I did flush a phoebe from its yearly nest on our front stoop when I got back to my house. Total time: 1:28.
Saturday: 0 - fun day with the kids and Glenn and Gina.
Sunday: 9 miles - Burlingame trails (6M) and roads (3M) with MC. I ran the roads down to Poquiant Brook where Glenn and Griffin were waiting for me. Chilly morning - 26 degrees - not exactly what I was looking for on the first day of spring! Glenn pushed the pace through the woods. He asked how I was feeling - I responded, "Great!", and then instantly tripped and fell. It was pretty funny. We stopped at the Perry Healey covered bridge and then worked our way back to Buckeye Brook Road. Glenn looked strong and we were going fast. I added some more trails on the way back to my house and even passed some friendly mtn bikers. Amazing. I was happy with the overall pace and effort - 65:18.
Overall: I was happy to get 32 miles in despite getting over a bad virus. Back to normal for the upcoming week.
Weekly Total: 32 miles
Last Week: 32 miles
Year to Date: 431 miles
Monday, March 7, 2011
Weekly Log 3-7-11 to 3-13-11
I feel the anxiety of a big show coming up on Saturday, so running will be an important distraction! I should be able to get 40+ the next five days. If interested, check out my band.
Monday: 9 miles - Ryan Park trails with Dan. Completely clear trails now, and pretty fast conditions - just some muddy spots. I thought today was going to be in the high 40's and didn't pack appropriately for the dropping temps and stiff breeze. At least I had my non running hat and gloves with me, so I was okay. We had a solid run, each taking turns leading. The highlight was Dan almost stepping on a woodcock - it was really close! I felt funny trying to explain what a woodcock was and it's unique mating behavior to someone who doesn't know anything about birds. Total time: 66:27.
Tuesday: 9 miles - Saunderstown roads with Dan. The plan was an easy run and we executed it for once. Quiet roads, 3 hills (including the Gilbert Stuart monster), and even a short trail exploration of new state land. Total time: 70:09.
Wednesday: 9 miles - (1xmile/1x800 w/.5 recovery)x2 Workout on Quonset Bike Path with Calf Pasture Point warm up and cool down. Third week in a row to get some speed work in, and it was a good one today. I thought about doing a 3xmile, but the layout of the bike path would make the middle mile have an awkward turnaround so I opted for the mile/800 double. I guessed I would be about 6:00/2:55 and was pretty right on: 6:01/2:52 5:59/2:54 - total time: 66 minutes. The first mile felt long, and I was nervous running it. The 800's and the 2nd mile felt really good. One thing I'm noticing is how quickly my body recovers after each sprint. Maybe I'm not getting faster, but I'm getting stronger. Question about warm up/cool downs - what is recommended? Usually mine are equidistant (2+ miles each), but today I went long on the warm up (3.5 miles) and short on the cool down (1 mile) and liked it better.
Thursday: 5 miles - Ryan Park trails with Dan. Horrible run. I had a very stressful day at work and felt like I was getting sick, but I wanted to get in a short run. I could tell right away this wasn't a great idea, and I let Dan go on ahead.
Friday: 0 - sick - tried to take it easy for my show tomorrow night. Chills, muscle aches, and fever during the afternoon and night.
Saturday: 0 - resting during the day, and hope to feel okay at night during the show.
Sunday: 0 - still sick - this is one nasty virus!
Overall: The week started nicely and I thought that I might get in 50+ miles, but then I caught the office virus. As of Monday night, I haven't started my nightly chills and low fever, so maybe I'm making progress. Running will hopefully resume soon. At least the show on Saturday went well, and I was excited to still be able to sing this song.
Weekly Total: 32 miles
Last Week: 40 miles
Year to Date: 399 miles
Monday: 9 miles - Ryan Park trails with Dan. Completely clear trails now, and pretty fast conditions - just some muddy spots. I thought today was going to be in the high 40's and didn't pack appropriately for the dropping temps and stiff breeze. At least I had my non running hat and gloves with me, so I was okay. We had a solid run, each taking turns leading. The highlight was Dan almost stepping on a woodcock - it was really close! I felt funny trying to explain what a woodcock was and it's unique mating behavior to someone who doesn't know anything about birds. Total time: 66:27.
Tuesday: 9 miles - Saunderstown roads with Dan. The plan was an easy run and we executed it for once. Quiet roads, 3 hills (including the Gilbert Stuart monster), and even a short trail exploration of new state land. Total time: 70:09.
Wednesday: 9 miles - (1xmile/1x800 w/.5 recovery)x2 Workout on Quonset Bike Path with Calf Pasture Point warm up and cool down. Third week in a row to get some speed work in, and it was a good one today. I thought about doing a 3xmile, but the layout of the bike path would make the middle mile have an awkward turnaround so I opted for the mile/800 double. I guessed I would be about 6:00/2:55 and was pretty right on: 6:01/2:52 5:59/2:54 - total time: 66 minutes. The first mile felt long, and I was nervous running it. The 800's and the 2nd mile felt really good. One thing I'm noticing is how quickly my body recovers after each sprint. Maybe I'm not getting faster, but I'm getting stronger. Question about warm up/cool downs - what is recommended? Usually mine are equidistant (2+ miles each), but today I went long on the warm up (3.5 miles) and short on the cool down (1 mile) and liked it better.
Thursday: 5 miles - Ryan Park trails with Dan. Horrible run. I had a very stressful day at work and felt like I was getting sick, but I wanted to get in a short run. I could tell right away this wasn't a great idea, and I let Dan go on ahead.
Friday: 0 - sick - tried to take it easy for my show tomorrow night. Chills, muscle aches, and fever during the afternoon and night.
Saturday: 0 - resting during the day, and hope to feel okay at night during the show.
Sunday: 0 - still sick - this is one nasty virus!
Overall: The week started nicely and I thought that I might get in 50+ miles, but then I caught the office virus. As of Monday night, I haven't started my nightly chills and low fever, so maybe I'm making progress. Running will hopefully resume soon. At least the show on Saturday went well, and I was excited to still be able to sing this song.
Weekly Total: 32 miles
Last Week: 40 miles
Year to Date: 399 miles
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Weekly Log 2-28-11 to 3-6-11
Monday: 4 miles - Rome Point trails with Dan. It was looking like a zero weatherwise, but the rain stopped and the winds died down, so Dan and I snuck in a quick wet and muddy run. Unfortunately, parts of the trail were sheets of ice and we were unprepared (no Yaktrax). So, the run consisted of running, sliding/sloshing, walking, and cursing. The yellow dot hill trail was mostly clear so we sprinted up and down it two times for a nice hill workout. This made it all worth it. Total time about 28 minutes.
Tuesday: 9 miles - Ryan Park trails alone. Dan talked me into trying the trails here again, but then his schedule didn't allow him to run. I headed out by myself and this time wore the Yaktrax. The field section was still snowy and icy, but my footing was good. The wood trails had a lot of clear spots and a couple of new blowdowns. The first half of the run I was not that into it, but I really felt good the last few miles. Total time: 1:09:09.
Wednesday: 9 miles - 6x800 workout on Quonset Bike Path with Calf Pasture Point warm up and cool down alone. I was excited to get in a workout today. I figured the bike path would be almost clear of snow and that was true. The 1st and 6th 800 were about 1/3rd snow covered and thus slower. There was a small patch of snow that slowed me down a second or two on the 3rd and 4th. Strong headwind at times heading out, nice tailwind on the return efforts. The results: 3:09/2:57/3:01/2:54/2:52/3:11 - total time: 66 minutes.
Thursday: 9 miles - Rome Point trails 7M and beach 2M solo. I still have a big smile on my face about this one. I hit the trails later than usual (3PM) and in the unusual (for March) temperature of 30 degrees. My body was kind of sore from the workout the day before and I wasn't expecting too much from this run. I found the conditions to be fantastic - for the first time I was trail running again - with only a few icy spots. I was not working hard, but was surprised by the 9 flat minutes it took me to get to the end of the point. I cruised around the trails and the beach and couldn't stop thinking about how winter running was now over. I was enjoying the payoff of my hard work of running in the snow or doing hilly runs on the road for the last two months. To top it off, I ran into a barred owl near the powerline trail. It flew into a nearby tree and sat and watched me for a minute. I did my best barred owl call - who cooks for you, who cooks for you alllll - but it didn't seem impressed. Eventually it flew off, but it was a great encounter. My total time was 60:41. The last 3 times I ran the exact same course I did it in 70:40, 71:00, 74:48.
Friday: 9 miles - Rome Point trails 7M and beach 2M with Dan. We considered Ryan Park, but we knew the conditions would be better at Rome Point. I let Dan set the pace, and as usual he made me work hard for the first 3.5 miles, and then the beach slowed him down a bit. A strong headwind and no firm sand made the push to the bridge challenging. It felt great to turn around. We picked it back up on the hill, sprinted through the cedars, and made it back to the parking lot in 63:58. This effort felt harder to me than yesterday.
Saturday: 0 - fun day with the kids including 3 hrs outside. Sore from previous few days.
Sunday: 0 - family swim in the morning, family hike to the beaver pond in the afternoon.
Overall: Another normal week of 5 runs on my lunch break and hitting 40 miles. I'm happy with the efforts and look forward to clear trails!
Weekly Total: 40 miles
Last Week: 46 miles
Year to Date: 367 miles
Tuesday: 9 miles - Ryan Park trails alone. Dan talked me into trying the trails here again, but then his schedule didn't allow him to run. I headed out by myself and this time wore the Yaktrax. The field section was still snowy and icy, but my footing was good. The wood trails had a lot of clear spots and a couple of new blowdowns. The first half of the run I was not that into it, but I really felt good the last few miles. Total time: 1:09:09.
Wednesday: 9 miles - 6x800 workout on Quonset Bike Path with Calf Pasture Point warm up and cool down alone. I was excited to get in a workout today. I figured the bike path would be almost clear of snow and that was true. The 1st and 6th 800 were about 1/3rd snow covered and thus slower. There was a small patch of snow that slowed me down a second or two on the 3rd and 4th. Strong headwind at times heading out, nice tailwind on the return efforts. The results: 3:09/2:57/3:01/2:54/2:52/3:11 - total time: 66 minutes.
Thursday: 9 miles - Rome Point trails 7M and beach 2M solo. I still have a big smile on my face about this one. I hit the trails later than usual (3PM) and in the unusual (for March) temperature of 30 degrees. My body was kind of sore from the workout the day before and I wasn't expecting too much from this run. I found the conditions to be fantastic - for the first time I was trail running again - with only a few icy spots. I was not working hard, but was surprised by the 9 flat minutes it took me to get to the end of the point. I cruised around the trails and the beach and couldn't stop thinking about how winter running was now over. I was enjoying the payoff of my hard work of running in the snow or doing hilly runs on the road for the last two months. To top it off, I ran into a barred owl near the powerline trail. It flew into a nearby tree and sat and watched me for a minute. I did my best barred owl call - who cooks for you, who cooks for you alllll - but it didn't seem impressed. Eventually it flew off, but it was a great encounter. My total time was 60:41. The last 3 times I ran the exact same course I did it in 70:40, 71:00, 74:48.
Friday: 9 miles - Rome Point trails 7M and beach 2M with Dan. We considered Ryan Park, but we knew the conditions would be better at Rome Point. I let Dan set the pace, and as usual he made me work hard for the first 3.5 miles, and then the beach slowed him down a bit. A strong headwind and no firm sand made the push to the bridge challenging. It felt great to turn around. We picked it back up on the hill, sprinted through the cedars, and made it back to the parking lot in 63:58. This effort felt harder to me than yesterday.
Saturday: 0 - fun day with the kids including 3 hrs outside. Sore from previous few days.
Sunday: 0 - family swim in the morning, family hike to the beaver pond in the afternoon.
Overall: Another normal week of 5 runs on my lunch break and hitting 40 miles. I'm happy with the efforts and look forward to clear trails!
Weekly Total: 40 miles
Last Week: 46 miles
Year to Date: 367 miles
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