Tuesday: AM 7.5 miles - 6AM track workout at Curtis Corner Middle with Mike G, Ben, Mark, and Elise. I woke up at 5AM, drove to the local D&D for a bagel sandwich and coffee and then drove to SK for an early morning group workout. I wasn't sure if I'd know anyone besides Mike. I got there a little early and began warming up on the track. Mike showed up with Ben and then Elise and Mark joined us. After my 2 mile warm up, we figured out what we'd be doing: 4x400 8x200 4x400. My goal was to be a tick under 80 on the 400's and 37-38 for the 200's. Results: 78/78/79/79 35/35/35/35/35/34/35/33 80/77/77/77. Very pleased - faster than I planned. The last 400's were challenging. Thanks to Mark for running these with me (Mike and Ben had to leave early). My form felt good throughout and I worked hard without tweaking anything. It was also pretty humid out, which usually has a slowing effect on me. Cool down with Mark and Elise and then returned to my car and went to work early.
PM 9.5 miles - Ryan Park trails alone. More miles than I thought on my recovery run this afternoon. My legs aren't sore (yet) and the miles ticked away easily. After the easy 5 miles at about 7:30 pace, I continued on to the field trails, cutting off about a half a mile to avoid some thick grass to run through (okay - mostly to eliminate the .5 mile on my running log). Wildlife sightings - 1 scared deer, and one scary, very large black rat snake under foot. Total time: 1:10:52.
Wednesday: 7 miles - Summer Solstice sunrise run with Mike, Muddy, and Ben. Got up at 4:15AM and drove to Narragansett to meet up with some fellow pagan runners. We waited at the seawall for the 5:12AM sunrise (obscured by clouds) and then we ran the town beach out and back, crossed the road, and then ran the Canonchet Farm trail. My legs were sore and tired. We made a loop of fields and some roads to get back to the beach. We then ran out and back again. Most of the beach I ran barefoot which felt fantastic, and I could get wet if I wanted. Despite the early start, it was already getting hot and humid. After 6.5 miles we finished the run and then jumped in the ocean. We enjoyed the fun-sized waves perfect for bodysurfing before calling it a day at 6:25AM. The rest of the morning and afternoon seemed to pass slowly. At night I brought my kids down to the Westerly Run for Fun. I misjudged how long it would take to get out of the house and drive down there, so we were rushed to get signed in before the kid's race began. Thanks to my dad for helping out, we made the start in time. He ran with my son and I ran with my daughter. My son seemed to enjoy the run and I noticed him sprint the finish with all of the parents and other runners cheering the kids on there. My daughter didn't seem that thrilled with the run, but she ran it. I was prepared to run the 5K, but I didn't have time to find someone to watch the kids, so I hung out with them and watched instead. Kind of a bummer, but my legs were trashed, and I'm not sure if it would have done any good to run hard on them. It was nice to see the huge WTAC turnout, and talk with fellow runners. After, I took the kids to the beach and we spent the entire time in the water, leaving only because it was getting late. At night it was time for a little solstice fire.
Thursday: 0 - woke up tired and more sore. A/C broken at work, so I sweated it out (high 80's in my office). High 90's outside when I left for home, with a high of 99 when I drove through Wakefield. Only 90 at my house though. I had the plan to run a few miles after the kids went to bed. I was all set and out the door when I realized I was still sore and it was getting dark. Grabbing 3 or 4 miles didn't make sense, but I feel lazy!
Friday: 10 miles - Rome Point trails and beach alone. 91 degrees and muggy when I began this run. I ran my old course for the most part, stopping every 15 or 20 minutes to cool off in the bay. I only felt hot in a couple of spots. Playing it safe, I ran on the slow side. I was itching to run and happy I could pull it off. Total time: 1:18.
Saturday: 0 - beach with friends from Maine, then dinner with local friends.
Sunday: 18 miles - Weekapaug-Misquamicut-Watch Hill roads, beach, and trail loop with Tom. Great early morning run. I met Tom at his house and then we parked down near the sand trail in Weekapaug. After a quick debate about carrying - stashing water (opted not to) we began our run on a really nice morning - sunny and 60 degrees. We ran along the water, briefly ran on Fenway Beach, crossed the bridge, and then it was back on the beach for the next few miles - Weekapaug Breachway to the wall in Watch Hill. The tide was low, and there was firm sand to run on. We were chatting away and the time passed really quickly. I did notice a lot of piping plovers - didn't keep count. We then ran the road out to the Watch Hill Light and back before running through the quiet side roads of Watch Hill. Eventually we reached the main road and then took a right on Shore Road. At the 1:24 mark, we jumped into Champlain Glacier Park. Our pace dropped noticeably, which was a relief to my tired hamstrings (still sore from Tuesday's workout??). We made a large loop on the trails, trying not to pay attention to the smells from the donut factory. I was pretty thirsty at this point, but still sweating. Back on Shore Road, the pace picked back up, and it felt hot in the sun. I tried to remember how long Shore Road was, so I wouldn't anticipate turning off of it too soon. It didn't work, but my legs began feeling better, and despite a dry mouth, finished strong. Total time: 2:13:21. Tom packed cold water which was almost as delicious as the clear ocean water we swam in post run. I mapped the course online, but based on the time we were in Champlain I think the total mileage was closer to 18 miles.
Overall: Interesting week. Great workout, but no normal weekday runs. Awesome long run on Sunday.
Weekly Total: 58 miles
Last Week: 64 miles
Year to Date: 1376 miles
Nice job on the progressive splits, hopefully we can keep to a weekly track session.( It's Mark, not Matt.)
ReplyDeleteThanks and thanks. I'll update the name - my excuse was that I was tired when he told me it...
ReplyDeleteNice double. You're a beast! The only lurking predator out there was you. The animals all fear the world's greatest ultra endurance predator.
ReplyDelete