Weekly Log 2-4-13 to 2-10-13

Late post this week thanks to a very busy week at work.  At least we have today (Friday) off for the blizzard.  I began the week really focused on easy runs looking to keep my legs fresh for Sunday's 10 mile tail race.  I bought new shoes over the weekend and ran with them Monday - Thursday.  They are New Balance Minimus Ionix 3090 - super light, but have a stiffer feel then Nike Free Runs and the bottom have a "cleat" feel to them.  I liked them in the store, but wasn't sure if I made a mistake when I laced them up before the first run.  I barely noticed them when running (which is a good sign).  They have alot better traction than the Free Runs on trails.  They're kind of "clackity" on pavement - still comfortable, but they seem better suited for trails (I'm not sure if that was NB's intention). 

Anyway, as the week went on, it became apparent the race (in its current form) may be in jeopardy.  Mike seems determined to put on some sort of event, so I'm prepared to race.  Kind of have a little cold going (just started Thursday night) which is annoying.

Monday: 10 miles - Ryan Park trails alone.  I wasn't super motivated the day after the Super 5K and it was chillier than I thought (because of a strong wind).  However, after slogging a couple of miles, I perked up, and was happy to complete the normal 10 mile circuit.  My pace was peppier than I thought too.  Total time: 1:12:07. 

Tuesday: 10.5 miles - SK trails, bike path, and roads with Galoob and Gunshow.  We received a coating of snow in the morning, and I wasn't surprised to get the text from Mike wanting to run in the snow.  I met up with the guys at the Tri Pond Park trails.  We ran trails on both sides of the bike path, before continuing west to the Teft Hill trails.  After some elevation gain, we ran some neighborhood roads, taking some short SKLT side trails along the way.  We then ran through Potter Woods, before making our way back.  We ran most of the Spring Forward course and more Tri Pond trails.  Good fun in the snow.  Total time: 1:19:33. 




 Wednesday: 7.5 miles - Ryan Park trails with 2 miles of roads mixed in alone.  I wanted to rest my body today and I had to run an errand, so I could only do a few miles at the nearby Ryan.  I took it easy, and spent my time watching my watch.  I was able to see what sections of trail the GPS loses contact.  It does a pretty good job, but there are spots that the pace just drops off the map.  At the halfway point, I hopped onto the road and did an out and back.  I then completed the "woods" course before tacking on some more single track just for fun.  Total time: 55:42. 

Thursday: 9 miles - Calf Pasture Point loops alone.  I again wasn't planning anything too exciting today, but I was happy with what I ended up doing.  I ran the Quonset bike path to the Calf Pasture Point loop segment I created.  I run the loop in whatever direction the wind will be at my back on the beach.  Today, with the NE wind, I ran clockwise.  It was a little chilly into the wind on the trail and bike path, but on the beach it was sunny and warm.  I had the idea of three loops if I could tolerate the repetitiveness, which I did.  I ran each one faster.  I was surprised by my pace on the last one, as the beach can be slow, and I wasn't working very hard (moderate?).  Total time: 1:03:10.  3 loops results (2.2 miles each):  17:00 (7:42 pace)/16:01 (7:16 pace)/14:44 (6:41 pace). 



Friday: 8 miles - Burlingame trails from my house alone.  I ran in the early snow at 8AM.  I had trouble sleeping dealing with a minor head cold, but my body felt normal, so I ran when I could.  The snow began at a moderate level right away, and with the wind it made visibility a challenge.  I wore a brimmed running hat (under a winter one) to keep the snow off my glasses, but it didn't work.  I had to carry them.  But the run itself was really fun.  Easy pace in the lonely expanse of Burlingame north.  My stated 5 mile run kept getting longer.  I tacked on some home trails to get to 8 for the day.  Total time: 1:06:11. 




Saturday: 5 miles - Burlingame snowshoe run with Galoob and Gunshow.  Lots of shoveling the two feet(ish) of snow in the morning.  Our road hadn't been plowed in over 12 hours and I was assuming tomorrow's trail race would be called off.  Not so fast!  Mike contacted me about joining him and Ben to go check out the course.  If the entrance and parking area were plowed the race would be on.  I debated the sanity of running through deep snow in the woods in the late afternoon, but it seemed like too much of an adventure not to do it.  The guys picked me up at my house and we were able to make it to the campground entrance.  It was plowed!  We then decided to mark the course by simply laying down tracks with snowshoes.  The snow had pinned down many trees to the ground, and it took us some time just to find the trail entrance.  Once on the trail, we basically had to lay tracks down based on memory, since so many trees were in the way and there was little evidence of where the trail would be under the snow.  The going was slow.  We tried running exclusively at first, but that quickly fizzled to walking the uphills.  That deteriorated to running occasionally as the going was slow and energy-draining.  The woods looked spectacular, especially in the fading light.  I was getting a tad nervous with the dropping temperatures and wind, and how slow our progress was going.  Mike had to alter the course through the campground and eventually we made it back to the plowed camp road.  We had already been out there an hour, and darkness was upon us.  We skipped the last section of trail and ran the road back to the car.  Total time: 1:09:46. 

Sunday: 7 miles - Brrr-lingame Snowy Sufferfest (5 Mile Trail Race) - 2nd place snowshoes division, 3rd overall (Sandals won wearing only socks).  Separate write up to follow. 

Weekly Total: 57 miles
Last Week: 61 miles
Year to Date: 361 miles