Monday: 9 miles - North Kingstown roads and bike path alone. I wasn't feeling the effects of my track work the day before, and watching the marathon on my computer in the morning had me actually looking forward to running some roads. I waited until Jeff's final time was posted before heading out (way to go Gazelle!). I parked at the bike path, but mostly I was running a familiar loop of roads in the Quidnessett/Potowomut neighborhoods. The sun was out and I felt comfortable in just shorts and a t-shirt. I made sure to not look at my watch, but my pace felt quick and easy. I did pick it up on the final mile +, but it was more to get out of the headwind and finish. I was pleased to see my overall pace since I was running at a normal effort. Total time: 1:00:02.
Tuesday: 0 - busy day at work and I had to run an errand on my break. I still considered getting in a short run, but it didn't seem worth it. My legs (now sore) could use a break, and I don't need to chase miles this week.
Wednesday: 6 miles - CHS early morning track workout alone. After not running yesterday, and having a busy day working at the office and home, I decided I would get up early and hit the track since school is out this week. I was looking for short intervals and figured 12x200 with full rest would be fun and not too taxing. The weather was warm and a bit muggy when I began at 6AM. After a two mile warm up, I began the 200's. They were great - my form seemed good and I felt fast again. I was worried that I was running them too hard, and I was prepared to cut down on the reps if I needed to - no need to injure myself now. I debated splitting up the workout with a couple of slow laps in the middle, but I was able to continue and finish as originally planned. I even mustered up my fastest split on the final 200. This was an exciting and encouraging workout!
Results: 34.7/36.0/34.8/35.2/34.4/34.5/35.0/35.0/34.4/34.0/34.5/33.5 Total time: 42:15
7 miles - Ryan Park trails alone. This was a nice easy cruise in the sunny 70 degree weather. I was going to run shirtless, but it felt a bit breezy, so I put a shirt on before heading out. By the time I was on the powerline with the wind at my back, I was sweating up a storm so off went the shirt again. I was able to wind around the west side trails, feeling good the first 4 or 5 miles. My legs were beginning to hurt the last two (thanks to the morning's workout). I saw another guy out running the trails. He looked pretty fast, but he skipped the steep hill on the Rte 4 trail. That's a sin in my book. Total time: 56:14.
Thursday: 3 miles - 9xhome trail loops alone. This was the start of a short vacation and I snuck this run in before breakfast. Legs are tired from the track, but these tight twisty trail loops are excellent conditioning for trail racing. Chilly, but bright sun on top of the ledge. Total time: 22:42. Drove to NH with a stop in Worcester at the Ecotarium.
Wind tunnel
Friday: 6 miles - Stoddard, NH dirt roads alone. A quick cruise around the hilly roads near my parents' house. Still some snow in spots, but it is definitely mud season up there. Total time: 44:48. 
Saturday: 7 miles - Stoddard, NH dirt roads with my wife (4 miles) and then some trail exploration by myself. We tackled a good size hill to start and then ran along the flatter lakeside road. After 42 minutes, I continued on up the hill and found a wide trail (old road?) that continued to climb. It was really wet and squishy, but the sun was out, and I was enjoying myself - not worrying about the animals I may encounter in this wilderness. I ran until the trail began descending and was getting pretty hard to follow. When I got back to the house, I was told I just missed a huge black bear in the yard. Yikes! Total time: 1:09.
After lunch, we headed home, but stopped at the nearby Harris Center for a hike first.
Sunday: 12 miles - 2 x Burlingame Campground trail loops alone. I parked at the picnic area and ran towards the campground. I then jumped onto the NWR trails that connect to the campground single track. I was moving pretty fast, not that I could tell from GPS. It was chilly so I wore gloves and a hat - something I didn't plan on having to do anymore. I maintained my pace on both laps - about 5.5 miles (5.05 on GPS). Total time: 1:28:49. Fun run! Later in the day, my family joined my in-laws in cleaning up the trails and parking areas around Browning Mill Pond. This was part of a large clean up project by the Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Assn, and we were the only people signed up for this spot. I have to say it was really fun and kind of addictive searching for hard to notice garbage (mostly beer cans and fishing line/equipment). The kids did a great job, and it made me wish I had done something like this before.
Overall: a fun little week. Next week is TARC!
Weekly Total: 50 miles
Last Week: 56 miles
Year to Date: 910 miles
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