Weekly Log 12-17-12 to 12-23-12

Two weeks and a day left in 2012 and I'm still on target for my newish goal of 3000 miles.  Looking at the extended forecast on Sunday night was a little deflating.  It seems I'll be chasing miles in the wind and rain. Hopefully, it's not as bad as predicted. 

Monday: 9 miles - Quonset Bike Path (7M) and Calf Pasture Point beach and trail (2M) alone.  I felt surprisingly good on this run.  The weather was quite dreary (42 and light rain), so my pace was probably quicker just to stay warm and get it over with.  After a 7:26 first mile I then ran the next three in the high 6's and then 6:32 and 6:26 for miles 5 & 6.  I kept it snappy on the beach, despite the thick sand (it helped to have the wind at my back).  My last mile on pavement was 6:37.  Total time: 1:02:14. 




Tuesday: 9+ miles - Rome Point trails and beach alone.  This day looked like a washout, but it was just cloudy when I ran with occasional sunshine.  The temperature was warm and the wind wasn't bad.  My legs were finally feeling tired (two days removed from a race).  My goal was to keep it easy and only run for as long as I was having fun.  I did my new normal 3+ mile zigzag to the point and then ran the shoreline south.  The tide was high, and I had to turn around at the usually jumpable stream.  I ran the mile back along the water and then repeated my zigzag back to the car.  Total time: 1:09:59. 



Wednesday: 10 miles - Carolina trails with Muddy in the late afternoon.  I really wanted to get a workout in today, and finally went to Plan C to do it.  Plan A was early track with Mike, but he's been sick.  Plan B was to do intervals in Quonset, but the wind was howling, and I needed to find another plan.  I should also note that I was hoping to double today by joining some of the other WTAC guys for a 5PM Christmas lights run in Westerly.  Plan C was to contact Muddy to see if he was doing intervals and hope that I could take my break at work at the end of the day.  Three times was the charm, and we agreed to avoid the wind on a track by running hill repeats in the woods.  He has just the hill in Carolina Mgmt Area to use - it was measuring .25 miles on my GPS (of course this was in the woods so it may have been longer).  It climbed moderately at first, then easily, before a steepish finish.  The first one was the fastest, but still challenging for me.  We did six repeats, and I was huffing and puffing behind Muddy on each one.  Results: 1:29/1:34/1:35/1:34/1:35:137.  This workout was a blast and I enjoyed the dark and cool conditions.  It was hard to see the trail on the 2+ mile cooldown back to our cars.  Total time: 1:14:25. 



Thursday: 11 miles - Narragansett beaches, trails, and roads alone.  I was planning to run the usual 10 miles in Ryan Park when I received a text from Mike about checking out the Black Point trail conditions for the upcoming Resolution 5K.  This seemed like a fun assignment and I could easily add some miles by running to Pt. Judith or Galilee.  I parked at Black Point and ran the new trail loop down to the seashore.  I then ran the path along the coast.  It was in decent shape: 

 

I ran through the ruins and then hopped onto the beach.  The tide was really high so I knew it was going to be interesting.  Despite the water coming almost up to the pavilions at times, I had plenty of sand to work with.  I reached the end of the beach and then crossed over the field to Ocean Road.  I ran to Galilee and then jumped back onto the beach at Salty Brine.  I was now running into the wind and the sand was extremely soft.  The beach is a bit of mess here too.  I eventually made it to the far end of Roger Wheeler beach and then got back onto the road.  I debated running to Pt. Judith, but I was worried about the time and darkness, so I headed back.  I ran the beach again to Black Point and then circled around there a while more to get 11 miles for the day.  Total time: 1:20:46. 

Friday: 7 miles - Ryan Park trails alone.  Wow did the weather change quick.  It was raining all morning and into the early afternoon, very heavy at times.  I had mentally prepared myself for a zero, but when we closed the office early and it was time to go, the sun was peaking through the clouds and the screaming winds had diminished to a whisper.  I couldn't resist getting a run in.  I put on my old Inov8's that I use only for messy trail conditions.  The temperature was 53 degrees!  I ran down the rail bed, splashing most of the way.  The rest of the trails drain well.  I pushed the Strava segment called "Root Run", but it was for naught, since the GPS didn't line up correctly.  It worked my lungs hard though.  I finished up on the trails in and around the fields.  What a fun surprise run!  Total time: 52:12. 

Saturday: 14 miles - Woody Hill and Wahaneeta trails with Jeff, Muddy, Mike B, Tommy 5K, and Rhody Seth.  We met up in the dark at 6:30AM in the Benny's parking lot.  We then briefly ran S. Woody Hill Rd before hitting up the trails.  I'm a bit embarassed that I have never run here before, especially since it is so close to my house.  The feedback I had received in the past was that it was full of ATV trails and teeming with hunters in the fall and winter.  Jeff has been exploring in here recently, and also has been helping out the Westerly Land Trust with the new trails in their Wahaneeta preserve.  He was excited to take us on a tour this morning.  We made a large loop around Woody Hill.  Most of the trails are wide old roads.  The footing is easy enough that you don't have to concentrate too much and can enjoy your surroundings (once there was enough light to see!).  There was a cool pond in the middle and we had to cross a dyke/beaver dam.  We also hit some zero track - a trail(?) Jeff called the swamp trail.  He seemed to know where he was going so I guess it counts.  Soon we were in Wahaneeta, and Jeff showed us the various interesting geological and human features of the property.  We finished up on the road back to Benny's, where I caught up to Mike B. and then ran with him for a fast finish, including a good hill.  I love these long morning runs. Total time: 1:48:16. 



Later that morning I ran 1 mile (3 loops of our home trails) with my son (and daughter for half).  He had his fastest time despite some drama on the trails - all three of us fell at different points! 

Sunday: 9 miles - Charlestown hilly roads before sunrise alone.  Today was going to be a busy day, and any chance of running was going to have to be early.  I'm terrible at getting out the door for a solo run in the dark, but I pulled it off today.  I started at 6AM and used my headlamp for the first two miles.  I was a little creeped out running Buckeye Brook Rd in the dark, wondering what creatures were lurking.  When I reached Poquiant Brook, I turned off my light, and had enough natural light to see the road.  I was moving well, but never checked my watch.  I ran out to Rte 216 and then looped around Laurel and Klondike until heading home.  I felt good on all the climbs.  I was happy with the overall time of 1:02:04. 



Overall: Big week, getting to 70 miles.  Only 50 left to go for 3000. 

Weekly Total: 70 miles
Last Week: 52 miles
Year to Date: 2950 miles