Weekly Log 3-5-12 to 3-11-12

Monday: 9 miles - Saunderstown "Seven Sisters" alone.  I parked at the Rome Point lot and then ran the roads of Saunderstown hitting 7 significant hills along the way: Rte 1A (110'), Plum Point Rd (140'), Champlin Rd (130'), Cottrell Rd (100'), Plum Beach Rd (140'), Fleetwood Dr (140'), and Plum Point Rd (140') a second time. I was running rather easy and pushed the hills.  I haven't done this in a while, but I was really happy with how well I climbed.  The steep ones felt easier than in the past.  My overall pace was in the low 7:20's - actual mileage about 8.7 miles.  Total time: 1:04:26. 

Tuesday: 9+ miles - Ryan Park trails alone.  I was feeling good until the time it came to run - I started to feel sore from my hill workout yesterday.  I began by running the standard 5 mile woods section.  I couldn't get into a groove, and felt really sluggish.  I was debating stopping there, but once I hopped onto the new single track, I was rejuvenated with energy - both mental and physical.  I followed the new trail, including a section I didn't explore last week, and then continued on with my 3 mile outer loop.  I then did a small inner loop that included yet another new section of trail that is pretty intense.  By the time I was finished, I felt way better than when I began.  Total time: 1:11:42. 

Wednesday: 10 miles - Big River (Carr Pond) trails solo.  My plan was to do a 6x800 workout on the Quonset Bike Path, but I made the quick decision to head out to Big River once I went outside.  The wind on the water was outrageous.  It was warm, but sprinting into the wind didn't seem fun.  Plus doing a speed workout on slightly tired legs and a longish trail race on Sunday didn't seem like the best idea.  What did seem fun was to do my out-and-back course around Carr Pond.  It felt great to run in just a short-sleeved shirt.  I ran the mostly single track trails counterclockwise around the pond.  On the NW side, I like to stay on top of the ridge before turning around at a beaver dam.  I love the nonstop challenge of these trails.  My times were right on my harder efforts from last summer without trying too hard.  My only mistake was to wear my new Nike Free Runs on technical trails.  My feet slide around way too much, even though they fit tightly.  Total time: 1:12:56. 

Thursday: 6 miles - 2 x Old Mtn Trail 5K course with Jon Short.  We leisurely ran two laps of the 5K course, enjoying the varied terrain.  Warm and windy again.  We ran into Mike G and the SK parks director at the end of our run.  More trails coming soon??  Total time: 52 minutes. 

Friday: I hope to be disciplined enough to take a zero.  Update: 0 - but on a whim I went down to Wilson Park to shoot around - seemed more fun than walking or sitting in my car.  After a few minutes, I was asked to play 3 on 3 with college kids home on break.  Sure, why not.  It was an absolute blast and I didn't feel that rusty.  We played for about an hour and a half.  I think I just got the itch to start playing basketball again....

Saturday: 8+ miles - Carter Preserve with Muddy and Tom.  Slightly chilly (below freezing) early morning trail run today.  The muddy spots were all frozen which was a bonus.  We ran red to blue to yellow to the field loop before jumping on to the big hill on the power line.  We then backtracked on yellow to blue to red, finishing up in 65 minutes.  A nice easy run before the trail race tomorrow. 

Sunday: 10 miles - Spring Forward 1 Hr Trail Race - 8 completed miles (4 loops) in 54:20, 6th overall.  A brutal yet extremely fun race.  Separate write up to follow.  Busy day with cutting firewood/brush clearing in the early afternoon and 2+ hours of bass slapping at night. 

Overall: This was a really fun week.  After the hill workout on Monday, I spent the rest of the week in the woods, mixing it up from my usual locations.  Basketball on Friday was fantastic fun too. 

Weekly Total: 52 miles
Last Week: 60 miles
Year to Date: 550 miles