Monday, July 30, 2012

2012 Run with the Beavers 10 Mile Trail Race

While most local runners were doing the 10 mile Blessing of the Fleet race this past weekend, I traveled about as far as one can travel in Rhode Island (46 miles!), to try out the inaugural Run with the Beavers 10 Mile trail race.  Originally,  I was hoping that my club, WTAC, could challenge the NRA and TNT for the team title.  After it became apparent I wouldn't have any teammates joining me, I had the idea of forming a 3 man team with my brothers.  Greg had already expressed interest in doing the race and Glenn had been running this summer, so why not?  They both agreed, and Team Hammett Brothers was formed.  I couldn't wait for race day. 

Saturday morning arrived, and it was time for the long journey north.  My brothers, sister-in-law Jen, and I arrived about an hour before the race, some buzzing on coffee, others slightly car sick.  Greg was going to run the course loop (2 five mile loops), so Glenn and I embarked on a shorter warm up, after chatting with NRA members Mike, Aaron, and Ben (who ran 62 minutes at the Blessing the night before).  The trail was wide and soft - through mostly pines.  It was rolling as well.  We parted after a mile and I continued on the trail along a brook and then the pond.  It was more technical, but the footing still was pretty good.  I climbed a short steep hill that lead to a dirt/gravel road where I met up with Jen.  We jogged back to the starting line.  The hill on the way back was a pretty good one.  We realized that we had only run the end of the course, but I figured that it would be a fast race.  There was still 20 minutes to go, so we checked out the post-race swimming option.  Finally it was time to start. 

There was no big talk from the race director about the perils of running on trails, and the race began quickly.  After bumping elbows at the start, the field settled into single file, and I was in 5th place.  Greg, Mike, and Rob Hult steadily pulled away, but I was a couple of steps behind 4th place.  I wasn't sure if I was going too fast, as I didn't expect to be this far up (a lot of familiar faces at registration from other trail races).  I knew that Ben and Aaron were lurking somewhere behind me for sure.  The trail spilled out onto a wide gravel road with a decent hill.  Up ahead I watched Greg dart first into the woods.  This trail was a narrow twisty single track with plenty of roots and rocks to deal with.  This was nothing like what I had expected based on my warm up.  Again I wondered if I was working too hard, knowing that this type of terrain will quickly fatigue legs.  I now had 6th place on my heels - was it Ben?  Despite my worrying, I was gaining on 4th place, who then yelled to me to let him know if I wanted to pass.  Shortly after I did, and I couldn't tell if the guy behind me passed as well.  The trail got even more technical.  I came upon a steep descent with a sign stating "SLOW".  I obeyed, but feared that I was going too slow through this section.  Around a sharp corner was a wet area with a stick "bridge".  I tried to sprint through hoping to gain some distance, and after another hairpin turn, I could see that I had opened up a gap.  The technical trail continued until it ended on a gravel road.  It was downhill on the road until you crossed a small covered bridge, and then it slowly climbed for quite some time.  I felt pretty fast, and pushed up the hill.  The course briefly veered into the woods, before joining the gravel road again, and I was able to get a long look behind me.  Surprisingly, I couldn't see anybody.  What was going on?  I was excited and nervous at the same time.  I then reached the part of the course I had seen on my warm up.  The trail descended quickly to the shore of the pond.  Despite roots and rocks, the footing was soft.  Smile for the camera.  I then charged up the long hill.  It took the next downhill section to the start/finish area to recover. 

I finished lap 1, and I was told my time was 35:40.  I listened hard as began my second lap, hoping to hear the crowd cheer for whoever was behind me.  As the trail winds around a clearing, I did catch a glimpse of someone.  It didn't look like Ben or Aaron.  I was especially worried about Aaron, as he is known for his negative splits.  I ran on, up the gravel hill, and back on the long technical trail.  My speed probably was decreasing slightly, but I kept up my intensity.  I ran by the halfway water stop (now manned), and opened up on the descent to the bridge.  I glanced back as I climbed the hill, and could still see no one.  4th place seemed in the bag.  I was pumped.  I ran along the beaver pond and caught up to a couple of 1st lap runners on the long bridge.  I sprinted as it was the best place to pass, but paid for it.  My legs felt tense, and my pace dropped as I negotiated the trail along the brook.  My thoughts turned negative as I faced the large hill.  What if my legs cramped up?  But I kept moving along, and after reaching the summit, I relaxed mentally, and let it fly down to the finish line.  Final time: 1:12:07.  Results here

Greg and Mike were waiting at the finish line, and I was excited to find out who had won the race - which was Greg by a good margin.  As we chatted, it occurred to me that no one else had finished after me yet.  Three and half minutes went by before the 5th place finisher came in.  This made me feel really good about my run.  I felt that all my training - especially on twisty technical trails, and hills - had paid off.  The wait was then on for Glenn to finish.  Not knowing who was on a team or not (except the TNT guys all had jerseys), it seemed possible that Team Hammett Brothers could still win (found out later we were 2nd).  He crossed the line in 1:36.  We then walked down to the pond for refreshments and a swim.  After a while, we needed to get back on the road, so we tracked down the director, Bob Jackman, to say thank you.  It was a really great race.  The course was challenging, but runnable.  The venue was perfect - parking, bathrooms, swimming.  I hope to run this again next year with my brothers and take on NRA and TNT again.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Weekly Log 7-23-12 to 7-29/12

Monday: AM - 4 miles - Hilly Home Road Loop alone.  I haven't run this course in a long time.  It wasn't my plan when I headed out the door, but after running a good pace up the first hill from my house, I decided to do the loop and see what sort of time I could get.  I pushed Kings Factory Road pretty hard, and wasn't sure what I had left for the long gradual climb up Shumankanuc Hill Road.  I dug in and ran this hill about as hard as I could - 6:29 mile.  Total time on the 3.67 mile route was 23:24 (6:23 ave. pace).  My previous best was 23:43 back in April of 2011. 



PM - 7 miles - Ryan Park trails (6M) and road (1M) alone.  An easy recovery run in the afternoon.  Total time: 57:01. 

Tuesday: AM - 9 miles CHS track workout with Mike and Muddy.  After discussing the workout plan last night with Mike, I decided to do his plan of 1x1600/6x600 at goal 5K pace.  A thunderstorm moved through at about 5:30AM, but it did not bring more pleasant air, as it was really muggy out.  I began running laps as I waited for the others to join me, and ended up running 13 laps as a warm up.  After trying to figure out the 600 goal times in our heads, we began the 1600.  My plan was to run at 5:45/mile pace.  I didn't have my display set correctly on my watch, so I couldn't tell my splits as I ran.  I ended up right on target - 5:45.  This didn't feel that good - my legs weren't energetic and my stomach was growling.  This was frustrating as I fueled as I normally do.  After a recovery lap, we began the 600's.  My target time was 2:09.  Again, I couldn't tell my time as I did each interval, but I was super consistent:  2:06/2:07/2:06/2:07/2:06/2:06 (5:35-5:40 pace) 200 recovery.  I had trouble getting going on the middle two, so I kept my recoveries faster which helped on the last two (and they felt great).  Coold down consisted of a bunch more laps until I realized I need to go home.  I really enjoyed this workout.  PM - zero.  Really hot and humid.  Met the family at the beach after work. 

Wednesday: 7.5 miles - Rome Point trails and beach alone.  My legs are sore in places from the workout yesterday.  My plan on this dry sunny day was to just do an easy run.  Honestly, I wasn't really enjoying it until the end.  I'm kind of bored of the trails here.  Total time: 1:00. 

Thursday: Planned zero.  Resting up for the 10 mile trail race on Saturday. 

Friday: 7.5 miles - Ryan Park trails alone.  My legs had no residual soreness from the workout Tuesday.  I kept the pace easy again, but peppier than Wednesday.  It was extremely muggy out and hot.  Total time: 56:56.  Awesome evening with family and friends down in Galilee for my wife's birthday.  Did not run Blessing. 
Saturday: 13.5 miles - Run with the Beavers 10M Trail Race - 4th Overall.  Separate write up to follow. 




Sunday: 11.5 miles - Burlingame trails alone in the afternoon.  Unexpected great run.  I left my house a little before 3PM feeling tired, but not sore from yesterday's race.  I began running the same course as last weekend.  I couldn't believe how strong I felt after about a mile.  I made quick work of Ledge Trail and then fought off the deer flies on the up and down North South Trail.  I ran down Buckeye Brook Rd and then jumped onto Vin Gormley Trail to Schoolhouse Pond Trail.  At the intersection with Sammy C's Trail, I decided to head south and make my run longer.  At the end of that trail, I headed back on Vin Gormley and then took the old trail back up to the bottom of Shumankanuc Hill Rd.  I pushed hard on this last hilly mile (6:22) as the rain began to fall.  Total time: 1:22:47. 




Overall: It felt tremendous to have such a strong race on Saturday.  My training this summer has paid off.  Can't sit back now with the Pisgah 50K looming.  More trails and hills! 

Weekly Total: 60 miles
Last Week: 62 miles
Year to Date: 1671 miles

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Weekly Log 7-16-12 to 7-22-12

Monday: 8.5 miles - Cuttyhunk & Fisherville trails with connecting dirt roads alone.  My plan on this hot day (really high 70+ dewpoint) was to stay close to my car and run about five miles in the woods.  I forgot a water bottle so I just had a mug of water I grabbed from my office sitting in my car.  I parked at Cuttyhunk looking to do a loop and then stop at my car for water, and then do another loop.  My legs felt great and I kept an easy pace.  I kept waiting for the heat, but by the time I reached Stony Lane, I was feeling so good I decided to press on to Fisherville.  After the long descent on the dirt road I did a long loop of trails on the south side.  Again, I was keeping the pace easy and not feeling hot.  I debated doing the north loop, but I didn't want to push my luck.  Instead I ran up the long hill on Pardon Joslin Rd, only feeling hot in the exposed spots at the top.  I then ran down Stony Lane to the end of the dirt road and then turned around and finished up on the trails through Cuttyhunk.  Total time: about 1:08.  Great run in the heat. 

Tuesday: 4+ miles - 8 x home trail loop + 3 x Shumunkawall trail before work.  It supposed to be another scorcher today, and I also may run the Nick Bottone Track Mile tonight, so I decided to get in an early workout and skip the normal midday run.  I repeated my workout from Sunday - one lap up the wall trail on my property and then 4 normal laps on my home trail.  After sucking wind at the top of the wall, my kids joined me for a while.  I enjoyed their company and enthusiasm, as well as the slow pace while I recovered.  After 4 laps I ran down the hill again and back up the wall (barely).  It takes about 2 laps to recover.  I then finished the 4 home laps and then ran the wall one more time, feeling a little better this time at the top.  Fun workout!  Outrageously sweaty afterwards.  Total time: 32:56.  PM - opted for joining my family and friends at the beach rather than the track mile. 

Wednesday: AM - 6 miles - hilly road out and back alone early.  I ran with my new Garmin 610.  The air was soupy (75 degrees, 71 dewpoint).  I ran a hilly out and back that I know the exact mileage markers (by car and online).  The GPS was right on for this road course.  Pretty hard effort, especially the mile uphill on Buckeye Brook Road (6:35) - maybe my fastest ever despite the weather.  Total time 41:00. 



PM - 0.  I headed out on my lunch break in the excessive heat to run a few slow miles in Rome Point  and perhaps swim.  I left a little before 2PM, and it was disgusting out - 98 degrees when I pulled into the parking lot (and 75 degree dew point!!).  I debated my sanity, and then opted to go get an iced coffee instead.  Driving around, it did get up to 100.  Proof: 



Thursday: 15.5 miles - Ryan Park trails (10M) with Wickford roads to/from (5.5M) alone.  I couldn't ask for better running weather in July.  Mid 70's and cloudy (some sun at the end), and lower humidity.  I had a quiet day at the office so I was looking to get a longer effort in today as my week has been rather weak.  What's interesting is how easy it is to run 7:10 - 7:15 pace on flat roads.  Then I enter the woods and the GPS starts struggling even though my pace feels the same and my effort felt harder.  The terrain is pretty easy so my miles should be close to the same pace as on the roads.  Anyway, I know this run is 15.5 miles and the Garmin got up to 14 miles.  Sort of close.  Quiet in the woods except for a couple of older love birds and their poodle that chased me (until I yelled at it).  Some deer flies and no snakes.  Today was a good day.  Total time: 1:49:13. 



Officially registered myself and my brothers for the Run with the Beavers 10M Trail Race coming up next Saturday (the 28th).  Watch out for team Hammett Brothers. 

Friday: AM - 7.3ish miles - DuVal Trail tempo run with Mike G, Ben, and Aaron.  We met up at 6AM.  I was super excited to do this run on one of my favorite trails.  The stated plan was to warm up at a decent pace on the west side and then run the east section at a fast pace out to Red House Road.  Recover, and then run the east section back hard, and finally cooling down on the west side.  My goal was to hold onto the King of the Mountain title....  Anyway, it was a cool dark morning with almost zero deer flies.  After a nice 21 minute warm up it was time to run hard.  I took off right away, not wanting to dilly dally.  I was in a good groove and felt fast.  After about a mile, I was beginning to hear somebody gaining on me which I assumed was Mike.  I pressed on, hammering the uphills and letting it fly on the downhills and flats.  It was Mike and we chatted a little until we reached the end.  We jogged around in circles waiting for Ben and Aaron and then headed back (I was short on time).  Mike began the steep long climb ahead of me and then quickly pulled away.  My legs didn't recover, and I just felt stuck in a slower gear than before.  I kept up a good effort the rest of the way, but it wasn't close to on the way out.  I met up with Mike on Gravelly Hill Road, and Ben soon joined us.  I needed to get home so I left the group and ran as fast as I could back to my car.  Total time: 53:47. 



PM - I planned to do an easy recovery run on the Quonset Bike Path that would get me to 12 miles for the day.  I was in slow recovery mode for a half mile or so, but then I began to feel pretty good.  My second mile was 7:05 and felt easy.  After two more fastish miles (7:07 each), I decided to hop onto the roads and run out to Mount View.  I wanted to take it down a notch and enjoy this section (7:15), but soon I was clipping off low 7's.  I ran the grid of streets in Mount View, scaring a doe and her two fawns (probably eating people's gardens) - they ran off through the neighborhood jumping over fences.  I then jumped onto the Calf Pasture Point road back to my car (6:50), tacking on some extra distance to get an even 18 for the day.  10.7 miles in 1:15:43 (7:06 pace overall). 

Saturday: 0 - first zero after running 121 miles in the previous 12 days.  Errands in the morning before meeting family at the beach and then lobsters at our house at night. 



Sunday: 10 miles - Burlingame trails in the afternoon alone.  Awesome weather today.  After spending the day mostly outside doing chores, I was able to get out on a run at about 2PM.  Mid 70's, dry, and a nice breeze.  My legs (especially my feet and ankles) felt sore in the beginning, and I chugged along at a slow pace before entering the woods off of Burdickville Rd.  After climbing Ledge Trail, my body loosened up, and I locked into a 7:40ish pace.  I really enjoyed the trails I took today, and picked it up especially on the climb by the beaver pond.  Back at my house, I added on the wall trail just for "fun", but I couldn't make it all the way up before switching to hiking.  Fun night afterward in downtown Wakefield: fish tacos, walk, playground, and blueberry ice cream.  Total time: 1:17. 



Overall: I'm really happy with my running this summer.  I'm finding ways to log miles despite the heat by getting in short runs early.  No track, but good tempo work.  Super excited for the 10 mile trail race next Saturday with my brothers.  Must taper a couple of days before.....

Weekly Total: 62 miles
Last Week: 69 miles
Year to Date: 1611 miles

Monday, July 9, 2012

Weekly Log 7-9-12 to 7-15-12

Monday: AM 4.5 miles - 12 x home trail loop alone.  I was looking to get a quick run in early to help calm the nerves (getting the kids out the door for their first ever summer camp).  I immediately noticed how cool and dry the air felt.  I wasn't trying to go too hard, but I was moving pretty well and eventually got really sweaty.  I tripped for the first time here and executed a nice roll on the ground.  Total time: 32:10. 
                PM 9.5 miles - Cuttyhunk and Fisherville trails with connecting dirt roads (Stony Lane & Pardon Joslin Road) alone.  Great run in the dry heat of the day.  I ran with my phone to map the course and go for the uphill record on the long dirt road climb.  I can't stand how off the GPS is (averaging 9+ minute pace - feels like 7:30 at the slowest to me).  Deer flies were not an issue out there.  Either were hillbillies.  I was thankful for the conveniently located portapotty before I had to run hard up the hill.  Total time: 1:13:xx. 



Tuesday: 9 miles - Big River exploratory trail run alone.  I was lacking motivation today.  My body was sore and tired and I couldn't think of a run that seemed appealing.  Finally I decided to go exploring.  I printed out the confusing mtn biking map of Big River and drove to the Hopkins Hill parking area near Carr Pond.  Instead of running around the pond, I crossed the road and headed west.  As usual, there were many more intersections than the map showed, but I knew I was heading in the right general direction.  My plan was to stay on the souther border until I hit the New London Turnpike.  Then I would explore the single track between this road and the souther border, slowly heading back to the east.  Well, after I crossed the paved road to the gravel pit, I began to get sort of lost.  I was on trails that were wide at times, but they did not look heavily used.  Eventually, I ran by a clearing with a small pond and then a Nature Conservancy sign.  Huh?  The lane then ended at a gait and a sketchy property.  Turning around, I was clearly on a Nature Conservancy property, but which one?  This is what I could find online.  I retraced my steps to the last intersection and then tried the other trail.  This trail began wide, was sort of fun at times, and then got very narrow before I stopped in back of somebody's house.  I backtracked again, and then took the next new trail I found.  This trail had some mtn bike tracks on it and I felt confident I was back relatively on track.  I climbed a hill and then the trail got really narrow and soon petered out.  When I turned around, there was another Nature Conservancy trail marker in the middle of nowhere.  I ran back pretty far this time and found a major looking new trail to try.   I was now watching my GPS map on my phone so I could see where I was going and where I had been.  What's funny is that I hadn't been within the Big River border in some time.  I took this wide lane heading north.  The terrain was pretty fun.  At one point I stopped to take a steep trail off to the west.  I climbed it and then followed it down the other side until the trail was fully overgrown.  I backtracked up and over the hill and then followed the wider lane I had been on until I saw the New London Turnpike.  I found a side trail and followed that for a long time all the way back to the paved gravel pit road.  I crossed and then began exploring the single track.  The mtn bike trails here are a blast.  I would definitely run in this section again.  I did have one dead end at a beaver pond.  I slowly made my way east until finally rejoining the main trail right before Hopkins Hill Road and my car.  Total time: 69 minutes.  Here's the Strava map: 


Wednesday: AM 5 miles - hilly roads out and back alone.  I had the idea last night to get up and do this run today, and I was able to wake up and get out the door before I second guessed myself. My plan was to get an early 5 miles in this morning, and then do the Westerly Fun Run tonight.  I picked Burdickville Road for the hills.   I carried my iphone, and was impressed with the GPS accuracy on the road.  My lower legs were tight to start, and my first mostly downhill mile was 7:20.  The second mile is mostly downhill as well with one steep climb at the end.  I didn't feel that I was going very hard, but it was a 6:47 mile.  I reached Rte 91 and headed north for a half a mile.  I passed a cyclist fixing a tire who looked sort of familiar.  Again, I wasn't working hard, but on this flat mile I ran 6:33.  Mile 4 is a fast downhill followed by a long gradual climb.  I wasn't sure how fast I was going, but very surprised by the 6:13.  Now I was beginning the big ascent up Shumunkanuc Hill.  I was working hard and hoped that this would be a KOM situation on Strava.  I kept up the effort once the terrain leveled off and had a fast downhill finish by my house - 6:22 mile.  Total time: 33:19. 


            PM - missed planned Fun Run. 

Thursday: 15 miles - Ryan Park trails (10M) and Wickford roads (5M) to and from alone.  I wanted to get some longer runs under my belt and had the opportunity today.  The weather wasn't too bad, but hot in the sun.  My legs felt tight and I knew right away I was in for a tough day.  But I also knew that this would be good training for the upcoming 50K, so I had a good attitude.  I tracked my run with my phone for the first five miles, but had to shut it down with my battery running low.  I was running high 7's on the road, and I didn't feel great.  Anyway, I continued onto my favorite single track/powerline trails.  The deer flies were a nuisance in only a couple of spots, and the sun was hot when I was exposed.  I pushed on and then hit the roads.  Besides being thirsty and hot, my legs felt a little better than when I started, and I was definitely moving faster.  Total time: approx. 1:50.  Side note: I will soon be joining the dark side.  I redeemed cash back points on my credit card that I've been compiling for quite some time for a Garmin Forerunner 610.  I will still rant about it's inaccuracy on trails, and will continue to disagree with it's mileage, but I will enjoy it's other features.  I know this makes me a hypocrite. 

Friday:  7 miles - Rome Point trails and beach alone.  Nothing exciting about this run, but my legs feel pretty good and it wasn't too hot.  Total time: 57:47. 




Saturday: 15+ miles - Burlingame trails with Muddy and Jeff.  6AM start from my house.  This was a nice relaxing long run with the original 3 members of the weekend WTAC crew.  We ran the short stretch of road to the Burlingame entrance off of Burdickville Road.  Jeff and I wore hats and shirts to keep the deer flies at bay.  Muddy wore his shirt on his head, and was attracting the most flies for sure.  The woods were dark, and it was raining at times, but not reaching the ground.  We zigzagged the north side trails avoiding only the swampy river trail.  We got to run up Ledge Trail.  We crossed Buckeye Brook Road and then did Sammy C's.  The new bridge is much appreciated.  We then hopped onto the Vin Gormley Trail heading back to the NW, and then picked up Schoolhouse Pond Trail.  At one point I fell which was my first time in front of Jeff and lead to some heckling.  Jeff left us at the split with the secret trail as he wanted to ONLY run 10-12 miles and bike 25 miles the day before his triathalon.  My lower legs began to feel heavy at this point, probably from the high humidity and all the miles this week.  We reached the VG Trail again, and then looped around the old north camp.  We decided to cross Buckeye Brook Rd at the red gait, and just head back to my house the most direct way (by the beaver pond).  We tacked on a lap of my home trail loop and then I showed him the new trail I've been working on.  It's straight up 100' on my property.  I've run it before, but it's miserable, and I've never had a specific route up.  A couple of nights ago, I worked on a trail.  Muddy and I tested it out, but I had to resort to hiking - it's so steep and my legs were toast.  Great way to end a great run though.  Total time: 2:03:xx. 

Sunday: 4+ miles - 8 x home trail loop plus 3 x Charlestown Walking Boss (Shumunkawall?) alone in the AM.  This was just a quick workout on fatigued legs before traveling up to Cambridge for the day.  I first ran the wall and was able to "run" the entire way up.  I then ran 4 laps of my home trail and then climbed the wall.  Repeat and finish.  I was able to run the wall without walking all three times.  This is going to be stellar Pisgah Ridge and Reservoir Rd training!  Total time: 33:37. 

Weekly Total: 69 miles
Last Week: 46 miles
Year to Date: 1549 miles

7/6/12 DuVal Trail Run



I gave in to peer pressure and uploaded this run last week onto Strava.  Hey Mike, look who's KOM on the DuVal Trail....

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Weekly Log 7-2-12 to 7-8-12

Monday: 0 - charter fishing trip with my dad and brothers, Muddy, and Chris.  Caught some good sized stripers.  Great day out on the water. 

sunrise

my dad

Greg

Muddy and Glenn

Tuesday: 4.5 miles AM - 12 x home trail loop alone.  I woke up feeling pretty anxious today.  I decided to get a quick run in to relax.  I worked hard in the early morning humidity.  Total time approx. 35 minutes. 
               10 miles PM - Ryan Park trails with Boj.  I found out Boj was in RI, and on a whim I texted him to see if he wanted to run with me today.  We met up at the athletic fields at 1PM.  Warm, but not too humid.  We ran through the woods and then jumped onto the newer trails around the fields.  I knew he would appreciate the cool single track here.  We stopped briefly for a decent sized milk snake lying across the trail.  The pace was easy at first, and slowly got faster.  It was good to catch up and run again with That Guy Boj.  Total time: 76 minutes. 

Wednesday: 0 - I planned on running the Camire's race, but I couldn't fit it in with our travel plans to Cambridge for the day.  I was a little bummed to see so many familiar names on the results page - would have been a fun one. 

Thursday: 4.5 miles AM - 12 x home trail loop alone.  I carried my iphone to time myself (still watchless).  I decided to double again, since it should be kind of hot again today and I don't think doing 13-15 miles in the midday heat is a good idea (as opposed to the 10 I'm planning).  This is a very good workout.  Total time: 31:15. 
                 10 miles - Big River trails alone.  This is a repeat of last week's run.  I ran pretty hard today.  I never got hot, but just a little tired at times.  The trails were in fantastic shape.  Total time about 73 minutes. 

Friday: 12.5 miles - DuVal Trail tempo run with surrounding dirt roads recovery alone.  I missed the early group run today, so I had to run hard solo this afternoon.  I parked at the burial ground in Perryville in the mid afternoon heat.  I ran just with shorts, my brightly colored Free Runs, handheld, and iphone (as a watch and mapmaking machine).  My plan was to run the twisty hilly trail hard out to Red House Rd, slowly jog around the dirt roads as a recovery, and then run hard back to my car.  I executed this well, but it was challenging.  I began heading north through the burial ground and stayed straight at the 4 way intersection.  My legs felt a bit fatigued from yesterday and I was worried that it was more humid and hot than I anticipated.  I didn't have a good feeling about the run.  Anyway, I did this new trail that loops north and west and then connected with the western edge trail that heads back to the parking lot.  I then went north again on the old main trail and stayed on that until the end.  I was working hard, but I wasn't sure if I was going as fast I had hoped.  I was really tiring and happy to finish the trail in 33:00.  I'm not sure of the distance - close to 5 miles, maybe 4.75.  My shorts were drenched with sweat at this point.  I began jogging down Red House Rd towards Rte 110.  I was going slow enough for the deer flies to pester me, but at least I was feeling energetic again.  I was now going at a slow comfortable pace that I felt like I could maintain forever no matter the weather.  I ran  back towards the trail and then continued on the road south to a No Trespassing sign.  I turned around and followed the old dirt road through the SKLT property heading north.  I decided to explore, and continue north to a dirt road I remembered from a map.  This took longer than I expected, but was a pleasant trail.  I then headed east on the dirt road, only getting slightly nervous passing a sketchy house with "Beware of Dog" signs.  I made it back to the trail and it was time to get back to work (total recovery 24:41 - 3 miles).  I sprinted up the long first hill, feeling rejuvenated.  I kept up the hard effort, even catching a glimpse of 6:32 pace on my stupid GPS app (usually read 10-13 minutes pace).  I kept up this really fast effort until crossing Gravelly Hill Rd, then I started to struggle.  I managed to maintain the effort, but I was dying to finish, which was appropriately through the graveyard.  The return trail split was 33:08.  Total time: 1:29:49.  I'm really happy with this run, and was super excited the rest of the day. 

Saturday: 4.5 miles  - 12 x home trail loop alone in the early AM.  I woke up early enough to get a quick run in before the getting ready/packing up stage for our weekend trip to NH.  My legs were tight at the start, but loosened up quickly.  Easier pace than Thursday, but still moving swiftly.  Total time: 33:35.  Family evening hike up Pitcher Mountain.  Lot's of blueberries. 







Sunday: 0 - didn't get out the door early enough in NH to run.  We did an early AM family paddle on Highland Lake.  I talked to an ultra trail runner guy at the community pool and he gave me some ideas for running routes there.  Hot afternoon hike with Glenn and Gina to check out the crayfish in a nearby stream. 




Overall: light week of running (really only 3 days).  I'm finding that doubles are a good option on these hot and busy summer days. 


Weekly Total: 46 miles
Last Week: 58 miles
Year to date: 1480 miles