Weekly Log 7-25-11 to 7-31-11

Monday: 9 miles - Burlingame trails with Greg.  It was much cooler today, but I would guess by the soupiness that the dew point was high.  We ran in the morning and did a pretty fun loop.  We ran with hats and shirts to keep the deer fly damage down.  Total time: 66 minutes. 

Tuesday: 17 miles.  7 miles AM - Burlingame trails with Greg, Pard, and Joe.  We met up at 7AM at the brook, and then ran around the old campground nice and easy.  It was fun chatting with our cousin from Georgia.  Greg and I picked it up for the last two miles back to my house.  Total time: 54 minutes.  10 miles PM - Rome Point trails and beach alone.  This run gave me the confidence that I will be at full strength on Friday for the Blessing of the Fleet.  I was a little over 7 minute pace the first 5 or 6 miles, and then picked it up to finish under 7 minute pace overall - 68:38.  The weather was decent - not too hot, windy, but muggy.  I felt like I wasn't overdoing it.  We'll see what Friday brings. 

Wednesday: 7 miles - Ryan Park trails alone.  I went old school and parked at the top of the fields.  I debated doing 9 miles, but my legs seemed to think 7 was adequate.  No sense of having tired legs for the race.  Lot's of colors in the fields.  Great day.  Total time: 55 minutes. 

Thursday: 7 miles - Rome Point trails solo.  Another nice summer day for running.  I wish it would be this dry for tomorrow's race.  At least it looks like it will be cloudy.  Total time: 52:30. 

Friday: Blessing of the Fleet 10M Race - 65:59 - 5 minute PR - write up to follow (total miles 11)

Saturday: 6 miles - Shumunkanuc Hill roads and trails alone.  Despite racing the previous night, I was really itching to run again today.  I ran in the middle of the afternoon heat (88 degrees) and loved it, although my legs were tired.  48 minutes.  Nice hike afterwards with my family in the Carter Preserve.  My son loves to hike, and didn't complain once during the 2+ mile loop.  I had the honor of giving my daughter a shoulder ride for all but .1 miles of it. 
Sunday: 8 miles - Shumunkanuc Hill roads and Vin Gormley trail alone.  Another nice day, I got this run in fairly early.  The deer flies were still thick in the woods, so I'm glad I wore a shirt.  I started slow, but finished at a quick pace.  64 minutes.  Awesome swim later in the day with my family in Watch Hill. 

Overall: New weekly mileage PR.  I just have the urge to run everyday when the weather is nice.  I was happy with my race, but not thrilled with my time.  I'm planning for a long training run next Saturday in Burlingame if anyone is interested in joining me for all or part of it. 
 
Weekly Total: 65 miles
Last Week: 19 miles
Year to Date: 1357 miles

Weekly Log 7-18-11 to 7-24-11

Monday: 0 - sick and/or anxious

Tuesday: 0 - see above

Wednesday: 0 - see above, but tried to run

Thursday: 5 miles - Rome Point trails alone.  I decided to try and run again today and this time it worked.  It was a hot day (88 and crazy humid) so I didn't want to try to do too much.  I ran down to the point in 10:45.  Then I weaved around my favorite single track trails until I reached the bay.  The tide was just right for swimming, but I got as wet as one could without getting my shorts wet.  I ran back through some more fun single track for a total of 42 minutes.  This was a mental relief. 

Friday: 0 - the only good time to run today would have been at 4AM.  Temperature maxed out at 103 where I work, but only mid 90's at home. 

Saturday: 10 miles - Shumunkanuc Hill roads and Vin Gormley trail alone.  I left my house pretty early (6:38AM) to run 10 miles and feel like a runner again.  I was a little disappointed with my 2 mile split (15:00), because it felt like I was working harder than that, but decided to chalk it up to the high humidity and the unusual time for me.  The deer flies were thick in the woods.  I wished I had remembered to wear my glasses.  I turned around after 5 miles (best guess by time).  I was feeling great out there.  As I ran the trail I was envisioning a situation where Muddy and I were teaming up in the Lil Rhody Runaround tearing up the course.  I even ran into a pleasant mtn biker.  Back on the road, I was ready to climb the hill.  The first mile, all uphill, I did in 7:30 (I ran down it in 7:28 earlier).  The last up and down mile I completed in 7:18 and was a disgusting sweaty mess when I went back inside my house.  Total time: 75:18. 

Sunday: 4 miles - Shumunkanuc Hill roads and trails alone.  This run was cut short due to thunder and deer flies.  I hate running in this soup! 

Weekly Total: 19 miles
Last Week: 43 miles
Year to Date: 1292 miles

Blah

I tried running today for the first time in five days.  I could tell right away my body wasn't ready for it.  It's been a vicious cycle of worrying about my kids being sick last week, which turned to a lot of anxiety, which lead to me getting sick, which lead to more anxiety.  Now, I think I'm pretty much over the virus, but this process has brought back some anxiety issues I haven't dealt with in seven years.  I need to run.  It is the best medicine! 

Weekly Log 7-11-11 to 7-17-11

Monday: 8 miles - Big River trails alone.  I needed to drop paperwork off at the car dealership in Warwick, so I decided to run a few miles in Big River.  It was 94 degrees in the asphalt jungle, but much more bearable in the deciduous one.  I tried to keep it easy and planned on water or swim breaks.  I felt fine, but did stop after a half hour to check out a possible swimming hole.  I tried to go back a slightly different way, and of course got confused/lost.  Total time: 61:09. 

Tuesday: 0 - running was going to be tough today because of obligations and the weather made it easier to take a day of rest.  Might be a lower mileage week. 

Wednesday: 12 miles total.  8 miles - Rome Point trails alone.  My plan was to run as slow as possible to save myself for the 5K run for fun at night.  I executed this plan well (67:45), and in the process encountered lots of wildlife (deer on the trail I think I could have touched, barred owl, Cooper's (?) hawk flying ahead of me in the cedar grove, and a red fox).  At night, Westerly Run For Fun 5K with Pard and Jon with Kid's Race warm up with Jackson and Ellie.  My kids really enjoyed running this race, and I'm glad my parents helped make it work.  My 5K plan was to go sub 19 minutes - 18:59 would suffice.  I was hoping Muddy would be there to help pace me.  Instead I followed a few fast college kids the first mile (5:55).  They pulled away, and then Jeff Walker caught up to me.  Muddy told me to stay with him, as he probably would be running at my goal pace.  I opened up a nice little gap on the only hill on the course, but he soon was back by my side.  I felt like I was running pretty hard, and was feeling hot after two miles.  I didn't like running the long straight road toward the beach, but Jeff encouraged me to keep going.  I knew the finish was getting close.  Rounding the last corner, I had the urge to sprint which felt good.  I finished in 19:13, a 17 second PR.  I wasn't thrilled with the time, but I think that I ran a better 5K than usual.  It was hot and humid too.  I'm sure I would be under 19 in cooler weather.  I chatted with my family and Jon for a while afterwards until the ominous clouds rolled in.  A fun day of running. 

Thursday: 13 miles - Saunderstown hilly roads alone.  I'm not going to lie, it was a chasing miles day.  My legs felt dead from yesterday.  The downhills were terrible.  Using the internet, I devised a new way to do this run, but it turned out that the internet was wrong.  So, I did alot more running in the Plum Beach neighborhood than I had planned.  I debated going up Gilbert Stuart Road, but I didn't mind the climb.  Finally, after running for 75 minutes, my legs felt fine, so I tacked on the Plum Point steep hill at the end.  Total time: 1:39:44. 

Friday: 10 miles - Rome Point trails (and beach) with Muddy.  We both had tired legs, so we took it relatively easy, and Muddy was able to take in the sights.  Nothing out of the ordinary to report, but I'm glad he got to check this place out.  Total time: 74:30ish. 

Saturday: 0 - this was going to be a zero for an out of town get together.  I ended up catching my kids' latest virus - high fever, body aches.   Awesome. 

Sunday: 0 - still sick, but feeling better as the day went on. 

Overall:  I think I had a good delta for only four days of running.  I'm so used to running six days a week now that this week felt lackluster.  Next week looks really hot, but I'll try to get 50 in. 

Weekly Total: 43 miles
Last Week: 56 miles
Year to Date: 1273 miles

Weekly Log 7-4-11 to 7-10-11

Monday: 9 miles trails

Tuesday: 8 miles trails

Wednesday: 8 miles trails

Thursday: 12 miles - Ryan Park trails alone.  Another hot day - 86 degrees, but noticeably muggier.  My plan was to run 10 miles in the shade (2 x woods).  After a mile I felt hot and a little weird, but I soon was feeling really good and tacked on the fields before stopping at my car after 7 miles for water.  I also was cooling off in the large stream near the parking lot.  As I was running the last five miles in the woods, I couldn't stop thinking about how I wanted to sit and soak in the stream when I finished.  Alas, upon reaching the stream at the end of the run, I was not going to have the place to myself - there was a guy letting his two large dogs swim.  I tried to squeeze in upstream above the murkiness, but the dogs came over to me and shook themselves off.  It was kind of annoying, so I took that as a cue to leave.  Total time: 1:32:44. 

Friday: 10 miles - Big River trails with Muddy Puddin.  We met up Friday afternoon to do the out and back course around Carr Pond.  No sun or heat, but man the air was soupy.  We ran with water as there were no Keenyans with us to talk us out of it.  The trails were a little slick, but we spent the time chatting away, so I don't remember the running part.  We kept up the conversation in the parking lot on my favorite topic, but I needed to go buy a new car!  Total time: 1:16:36. 

Saturday: 6 miles - Shumunkanuc Hill roads with Sarah.  My wife biked while I ran before we had to pick up the kids from their sleepover.  I had to run faster than I really wanted to, but this was a really fun run.  She would wait for me on the downhills, and I did my best to push her on the climbs.  Extremely muggy out.  Total time: 42 minutes and change. 

Sunday: 3 miles - Watch Hill roads with Brett.  This was actually two runs.  We dropped our families off at the beach and then parked our cars at a friend's house and ran back to the beach.  This was fun and the post run ocean swim was fantastic.  The run back in the middle of the day with a wet bathing suit was pretty miserable.  Oh well.  Great day at the beach. 

Weekly Total: 56 miles
Last Week: 55 miles
Year to Date: 1230 miles

More Good than Bad

It's been an interesting week so far.  Monday, I woke up early prepared to get a good run in before the heat and the holiday festivities.  I was out the door at 7AM, ready to knock out 9 miles.  The first up and down mile was on the road, and I ran it in 6:45.  I then entered the woods and ran my favorite Burlingame trails determined to keep up the pace.  All was well until I entered the old camp area on the pond.  I was wondering if the illegal campers my brothers and I observed on Saturday (and the same people on the holiday weekend last year) were still there.  Well, before I could reach their tents, I was chased down by their pitbull/mixed breed dog.  I sternly shouted at this mutt to stop and go back.  Then as I turned the corner I had to practically step on four tents right on the trail.  I heard a woman praise the dog.  I wanted to shout at them that I was calling the DEM, but I held my tongue.  Heading away from the pond, I startled a creature that sounded pretty big, but not a deer.  As I continued on, I thought I heard the creature moving through the woods behind me.  Yikes.  This made me go faster, and run to the more heavily used Vin Gormley Trail, rather than the desolate mtn. biking ones.  Things had calmed down, and I reached the road portion over Poquiant Brook.  I re-entered the woods, and on a rather smooth section of trail I tripped.  As I fell I decided to roll on my back as I was going to land on rocks and roots.  I hit pretty hard, but rolled right back up to my feet and kept running.  I was in pain.  Then I was greeted by unleashed growling dogs.  I couldn't pretend to be pleasant to the owners, especially when one of the dogs chased after me when I resumed running.  I was pissed and mumbled something that made me feel better, but hopefully not loud enough for the people to hear.  They knew I was angry though.  I completed a little loop of trails and then opted to stay on the roads up Shumunkanuc Hill rather than run into more trouble in the woods.  At least I would get a good hill workout, and maintained 7 minute pace for the two miles of hills.  I finished up the "9" miles in 64:44, and was annoyed that I probably ran more than that.  Later in the day, my family hiked with my parents through Ninigret for a picnic.  The kids had fun splashing around in the water and Pard and I saw a spotted sandpiper, willet, osprey with striped bass, and other common birds.  It is a good year for milkweed. 

Tuesday was hot.  I was super busy at work and not really into the idea of running.  My body was sore from either the run yesterday or carrying my daughter on my shoulders.  I finally had to leave my desk and decided to give running a shot.  I went to Rome Point as I can stay in the shade almost the entire time, and I would have places to cool off in the bay if needed.  The temperature was 90 degrees.  As I ran though, I felt pretty good.  Tight, but that was it.  I reached the point in just under 10 minutes, so I knew I was doing okay.  I kept up this pace, stopping only once at 27 minutes to cool off a little, but finished my newish 8 mile course in 59:17.  I was pleased to have a decent run in those conditions. 

On Wednesday, I returned to Rome Point.  It was another hot day - 88 degrees and the weatherman told me it was humid.  Ho hum.   My plan was to run fastish for 3 miles or so.  I reached the point in under 9 minutes without overdoing it.  I decided to keep it up until I reached the bay.  I hit the beach at 24:16 - almost 3 minutes fater than yesterday.  I stopped briefly to get wet, and then ran on, even faster.  By the time I finished, I was cruising, despite the heat, and feeling great.  My time was 52:16 - 6:30 pace  and I believe it - 7 minutes faster than yesterday.  

Weekly Log 6-28-11 to 7-3-11

Monday: 19 miles - Reverse Arcadia Loop with Boj.  Total time: 2:32. 

Tuesday: 8 miles - Rome Point trails alone.  I wasn't too motivated to run after yesterday's epic adventure, but I eventually enjoyed cruising around the bay today.  Total time: 59:24. 

Wednesday: 10 miles -  Big River trails alone.  I thought it would be fun to do something different.  I decided to do the Big River trails around Carr Pond, but instead of running a loop, I would run for 5 miles and then turn around and run them the other way.  It was a hot day - low 80's and humid.  Instantly I was pleased with my decision.  I forgot how fun and challenging the single track trails are to run.  Lots of up and down terrain too.  I was pushing it pretty hard.  I came to a natural stopping point at about 36 minutes and turned around there.  The trails are so numerous and confusing in this area (a ridge between two ponds), I was happy that I made the correct turns.  I passed a group of teenagers and thought that I must have looked ridiculous to them - a disgustingly sweaty man sprinting through the woods - and I was waiting for them to shout something at me.  After 8 miles, the tricky footing was beginning to wear me out mentally.  I made one last charge up the long hill to my car and finished up in 72 minutes. 

Thursday: 7 miles - Ryan Park with coworker.  Another warm day, but my body is well adapted to the conditions.  We took it slow for the 5 miles through the woods.  This was one of those runs where when you think back to it, you don't remember even running sections of it.  I finished up the last two miles alone in the fields.  Total time: 55:30. 

Friday: 0 - fishing with my dad, brothers, brother in law, and Muddy Puddin.  See other post for video and pics. 

Saturday: 11 miles - Burlingame trails with Glenn and Greg.  A really great run in the morning before my brothers headed back to NH.  We ran from my parents house up to the old camp, looped up to the mtn bike trails to Sammy C's, then ran back mostly on the Vin Gormley Trail.  The pace was easy for the most part, but the technical trails were tiring after a while.  The three of us have never done a run together this long before!  Total time: 1:26:24. 

Sunday: 0

Weekly Total: 55 miles
Last Week: 53 miles
Year to Date: 1174 miles

South County Cross Training

Greg, Glenn, and Muddy somewhere off of Block Island:

The dress code called for running shirts only.

Greg with the lunker of the day at that point.  

 Pard reeled in the biggest right at the end. 

Greg's fish from video above: