Weekly Log 7-22-13 to 7-28-13

Sort of an uneventful week of running.  My legs were heavy due to the high mileage without rest.  No Fun Run on Wednesday to celebrate my mom's birthday.  No Blessing of the Fleet race on Friday to celebrate my wife's birthday (not that I wanted to run it anyway).  No interesting runs planned for the weekend (just playing it by ear).  Ho hum. 

Monday:  8 miles - Ryan Park trails alone.  This was just an easy recovery run on the normal trails.  Originally, it was going to be cooler and drier today, but instead it was the same old same old.  Total time: 1:015:22. 

Tuesday: 15 miles in two runs.  In the morning, I met up at the CCMS track for the weekly group workout.  It ended up just being me and Nate today.  The weather was overcast (with some light rain) and about 75 degrees.  We did a two mile warm up and then decided to do a few longer intervals at goal 5K race pace - 3x1000.  My legs were feeling a bit sleepy, but I was happy with my times and consistency: 3:26/3:25/3:25 (a tad faster than goal 5K pace).  We talked about throwing in some shorter intervals at the end, but we both were satisfied with just the 1000's.  Two mile cool down. 

In the afternoon I headed out for a recovery run.  For some reason I settled on running roads in Saunderstown, thinking it wasn't too hot out, and I was sort of sick of Ryan Park and Rome Point.  I did park at Rome Point and then headed up the hill on 1A.  My legs felt pretty terrible and by the time I was one mile in, I was a sweaty mess.  It was really muggy and the sun was hot when I wasn't in the shade.  I trudged along, climbing the Cottrell Rd hill and then finally feeling better on the long gradual descent down Snuff Mill Road.  No deer flies today - thanks Seth for taking care of them for me last week.  I then detoured down Gilbert Stuart Rd to Camp Nokewa and ran a couple of miles of trails.  A dog playfully began chasing me near the pond, so I threw in a hill sprint to lose it.  I liked this "loop", but it's not for the summer. 



Wednesday: 9 miles - Quonset Bike Path and Calf Pasture Point alone.  I set my alarm so that I could do a double today, but I wasn't interested when it went off.  Instead I just ran on my break.  I decided to do the bike path and beach since it was drier today and cloudy.  I was a little shocked to find out that the temperature was 88 degrees when I ran.  My legs felt pretty terrible the first two miles, and I didn't dare look at my watch.  I enjoyed the scenery and quietness though. 



Thursday: 9 miles - hilly road loop from my house at 5:45AM.  I was able to wake up early for a run this morning and was greeted by 60 degrees and low humidity.  I was actually chilly the first half mile!  My course was down Burdickville Rd to Rte 91 to Rte 216 and back up Buckeye Brook Rd.  It began sprinkling a couple of miles in, and then it turned into a steady rain near the end.  My legs had more life in them today and the miles went by easily.  I tried not to look at my watch, but I was curious how much a difference the cool temperature was having on my pace.  I pushed it pretty hard up the mile plus climb near the end and the final up and down mile to my house. 



Friday: 9 miles - Ryan Park trails alone.  I was all over the map on ideas for running today.  First off, I wasn't sure I would even be able to (busy day before/after work).  Then I mapped out some options for a 10 mile time trial run in honor of my friends running the Blessing of the Fleet at night.  I wasn't feeling like I had that in me, so then I thought I would do a few fast trail segments in Ryan Park.  What I ended up doing was just keeping the effort mellow for nine miles.  I did mix up my course enough to make it feel fresh.  You probably can't tell from the map. 



Saturday: 4+ miles - Carter Preserve trails with my wife.  It was her birthday today and I got her a bunch of new running gear.  Instead of a nice breakfast out (no kids), she opted for a trail run.  We parked at the Rte 112 lot and ran a loop of the the red/blue/yellow trails.  We then picked up breakfast in our smelly running clothes at the Charlestown Bakery. 



Sunday: 19+ miles - Burlingame long trail run/workout solo.  My legs were feeling rejuvenated after a couple of easy days in a row.  I came up with my idea for this run late on Saturday night.  I have been having a dilemma about which Pisgah Mountain Trail Race to do this September - 23K or 50K.  I was going to give the 50K a go again after running a fast 23K last year, but then I had an epiphany after dropping out of the TARC 50K - I didn't want to run 50K's anymore.  Not too long after, I began thinking that I would give the Pisgah 50K one more shot.  But I've recently realized that despite all of my training, I'm not getting in the long runs that I need for this type of race.  So I've been thinking about the 23K again, and if it is possible to finish in under 1:40.  Last year I ran super hard and was thrilled to get 1:44 (previous best was 1:58 in 2010).  Is it even possible to clip off another 4+ minutes?  Anyway, so this is what I was thinking about Saturday night when I came up with my plan for today's run.  I wanted to run 2.5 hours (I've been running 2 on recent long runs) and incorporate a long tempo somewhere in the middle.  I ended up running in Burlingame from my house for about an hour.  I briefly stopped to drink water and eat half of a granola bar, and then ditched my pack and ran the Li'l Rhody Runaround course (8 miles) hard.  I was hoping to be around 55 minutes (a pace I would need to maintain at Pisgah 23K for my goal time).  My pace felt fast throughout the 8 miles and I wondered if I might finish in the low 50's.  I ended up running 53:45.  My effort probably was at  51/52 minutes, but the muggy conditions slowed me down.  I stopped to drink water and then headed home the scenic way (Schoolhouse Pond/Sammy C's trails).  My pace was very slow on the way back and my body was pretty beat, but I've felt a lot worse.  I was really happy with this run and it was good training for the 23K (and leaves the door open for the 50K). 




Weekly Total: 73 miles
Last Week: 80 miles
Year to Date: 1807 miles