Happy new running year! Looks like we're in for some real winter conditions this year. Last year was so mild and snowless that I never had to worry about where and how far I could run on a given day. This week reminds me of years past. I love running in the cold, and snow is okay for a while. It's hard to get in the same mileage. For example, today (Thursday) I'm wondering if I'll be snowshoeing for 5 miles, or Yaktrax-ing it for 7 or 8 miles. Any other time of the year I would be banging out 10 without hesitation. Snow is slow. And tiring. Anyway, I'm sort of looking forward to racing the Resolution Beach and Trail 5K on Sunday. Last year I had a poor showing that I carried over mentally to a few more races. I should be much faster and stronger this year, but memories of 2012, especially the first mile or so watching so many people pass me, still linger. More importantly, it's time for the WTAC to beat the Turtles again.
Monday: 6 miles - Charlestown hilly roads alone. This was the run that got me over 3000 for the year. I wasn't trying to go fast, but my overall 7:15 pace is pretty peppy on this hilly course. Total time: 43:33.
Tuesday: 6 miles - Charlestown roads alone. Less hills, but still hilly. A nice start to 2013. Again, faster than expected. Total time: 41:19 (6:52 pace).
Wednesday: 10 miles - Quonset speedwork alone. Despite it being 30 degrees, it felt much colder when I ran. It was overcast with a decent NW wind. I wanted to do intervals so I went to my favorite open stretch of road in Quonset to run them. I programmed 10x300 into my watch (with 300 recoveries). I wanted to run shorter stuff, and I had run enough 200's and 400's recently, so I went with 300. I like this distance and run them like long 200's. I thought 10 repeats would be challenging, and it was! The last two hurt. The road was cleared of snow, but the shoulders weren't as wide as normal. Also, there was a lot truck traffic while I ran, which was annoying. I ran a 3 mile warm up and a 3+ mile cool down. Honestly, I could have just gone with 1 mile for each with the elements. The results of 10x300:
54/56/57/56 (into the wind), 53/56/55/56 (with the wind), 56/57 (into the wind)
I'm happy with the workout. I thought I would be about 55. I'd rather be on the track! Total time: 1:07:57.
Thursday: 9.5 miles - Ryan Park snowy trails alone. As I stated above, I was debating what the conditions in the park would be like. At the parking lot, it looked like there was enough activity to warrant the use of just the Yaktrax. As I began my run, I was not happy with the uneven footing on the packed trail through the field. Then I noticed that no one had blazed a trail out to the Rte 4 path. I definitely could have worn snowshoes. So I decided to stay on the main paths and eventually I got into a nice rhythm, and my footfalls were fine. I was moving pretty well too. When I reached the athletic fields I had to either step into deep snowshoe tracks or just blast through the 5 or 6 inches of powder. I was beginning to work up a sweat too, despite the 25 degree and windy day. After making it around the pond, I decided to do another shorter loop since I was feeling good and the trails were packed nicely here. On the return, I broke through the virgin snow on the Rte 4 trail (someone had to do it). I'm thinking that I might need to snowshoe here tomorrow. Great run today though. Total time: 1:10:55.
Friday: 9.5 miles - Ryan Park snowshoe run alone. I was having a moral dilemma about today's run: do a fun snowshoe run in the woods versus put up more miles on a boring road run (I'm currently caught up in a January miles challenge on Strava that alot of fellow runners are involved in). I decided to compromise by running about six miles on snowshoes (that's fairly long) and then running a few miles on roads. This didn't happen either, as I spent 1 hour and 20 minutes on snowshoes today. After some initial frustration with the snowshoes (getting them to stay on correctly and feel comfortable), I soon got into a good groove. The snow was really nice ( a few inches of powder, but starting to get soft in the 36 degree weather). I did the Rte 4/power line loop four times. It just felt good. I then added on some more trails through and around the fields as I wasn't ready to stop. Awesome run!
Saturday: 5 miles - Charlestown roads alone. I ran later in the morning from my house. I headed south for 2.5 miles and then turned around. My pace was too fast, but it felt good. I wasn't feeling sore from the long snowshoe run yesterday. I probably shouldn't have been looking at my watch. Total time: 33:43.
Sunday: 10 miles - Resolution Beach & Trail 5K. 5th overall, 19:04. WTAC 2nd place to the Turtles again. Fun times. Decent race. Separate write up to follow.
Overall: It felt like a light week, but I ran everyday, got a speed workout in, a team race, and a long snowshoe run in. Should be less snow and more miles next week.
Weekly Total: 56 miles
Last Week: 48 miles
Year to Date: 50 miles
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