Week in Review: 9-8-14 to 9-14-14

I somehow managed 70 miles this week without a true long run (which I intended).  Lingering leg fatigue Wed-Sun.  I need to monitor it and taper appropriately for the Pisgah race next Sunday (9/21). 

Monday: 8.5 miles - 1 hour mix of bike path, roads, and trails with Galoob in SK.  Nice weather (not hot anymore) on a shorter than normal lunch run.  We hit up trails in TriPond Park, Curtis Corner, and Potter Woods. 

Tuesday: 10 miles - NK/EG road loop alone.  This was an interesting run.  I parked at a park on Frenchtown Rd that I've noticed before on previous runs.  I had mapped out a loop that was flat or downhill for 8 miles with 2 miles of climbing.  I kept the pace easy, but with the terrain I was moving in the 6:40's to 6:50's.  Roads are so weird.  I did pick up my effort on the long climb (250') up Stony Lane, but I wasn't killing myself.  I ended up running the 10 miles in 1:08:37 (6:51 ave pace) with 450' of elevation gain. 

Wednesday: 9+ miles AM - CCMS track workout with Jeff and Galoob.  Mike wanted to do the Yasso 800's marathon workout.  I was familiar with it (10 reps of 800 at min:sec = marathon hour:min).  I decided to use my I pace for the 800's, and I thought the workout would be rather easy since I was used to running I paced 1200's.  Wrong!  The morning of I felt fine as I warmed up with Jeff and Mike.  As soon as we began the 800's though, my legs felt flat.  I was hitting my target time, but I was working too hard too soon.  I prepared myself mentally to just shoot for 8 reps instead of 10.  This helped me get through it, and I think it was the right call based on how I was feeling.  Results: 2:39/2:41/2:39/2:39/2:40/2:39/2:40/2:39 (target 2:40).    

                     6.5 miles PM - Rome Point trails and beach alone.  Oddly empty today.  The tide was rather low and I enjoyed my southern journey along the shoreline.  Total time: 53:38. 

Thursday: 8 miles - 2 road hills alone.  I parked in EG at a park and ride on Rte 2.  I decided to do any out-and-back that would incorporate two long climbs - South Rd and Stony Ln.  My legs were tired, and I kept the pace easy.  I didn't realize there was a Strava segment on South Rd - I might need to come back on a better day.  Total time: 59:59 with 548' of elevation gain. 

Friday: 5 miles in the early afternoon - Calf Pasture Point shakeout.  The plan was to race tonight (Stavros 3M beach run in Misquamicut).  I ran the bike path out to the trail and then did an out-and-back along the beach.  Right away my legs were feeling sore, and the very easy pace was not making them feel better as I had hoped.  I wasn't sure what sort of time I'd be capable of at the race, but I was still looking forward to it.  Total time: 35:57. 

           0 miles in the evening.  I opted out of the race.  I talked myself out of it based how my legs were feeling.  Also my family was having too much fun with neighbors after school and were not going to be joining me at the beach.  I made the call to join them. 

Saturday: 10 miles - Westerly downtown hills alone.  This was a good run.  I had to bring my kids to karate makeup camp at 8am.  They were going to be there for about an hour and a half to two hours.  I decided I could run from there and periodically check in to make sure they were okay (most parents didn't stay).  I checked Strava and saw a bunch of hill segments right near where I would be.  I decided to go up and down each nearby hilly road (looked like 7 of them).  I wanted to work the downs as much as the ups, but it didn't quite work out that way.  I pretty much hammered the ups and tried to run the downs and flat in betweens at a fast pace.  I ran Oak St (Rte 91), Narragansett Ave (didn't match Strava segment?), skipped Park Ave since there was active construction/road blocked, Granite Street (Rte 1) and then stopped in at the karate studio.  Back out and ran John St, School St, and Cross St.  This was exhausting!  I ended up doing 6 roughly half mile to 3/4 mile uphill sprints.  Total elevation gain: 709' with a 6:46 overall average pace. 

Sunday: 13+ miles - Burlingame trails and roads alone.  My window to run was be home by 8:30.  I set my alarm for 5am, and hoped to be out the door by 5:30 to get in a 2.5-3 hour long run in.  It's really dark at 5am, and I just shut off my alarm and went back to sleep.  I woke up at 6:15 and got out the door at 6:45.  I was now feeling rushed.  My legs still felt tired.  The woods were really wet after finally getting rain the night before.  I ran down Shumankanuc Hill Rd to Buckeye Brook Rd.  I decided to jump into the woods on the Vin Gormley Trail after crossing Poquiant Brook.  After staying off trails recently because of bees, I was really enjoying running on them again.  I figured with the chilly temperature (50), I'd be okay.  I was cruising along nicely.   It's hard to know how fast I was really going, but I felt good about it.  I knew there was work done near the covered bridge, but I was surprised how many new bridges there were.  I'm not sure how I feel about this - I understand both sides of the argument.  The end result is less technical rock gardens and roots to negotiate.  I opted to take the long way around the campground, thinking I had enough time.  I even skipped the added trails along the ridge, but still felt rushed by the time I exited the woods onto Sanctuary Road.  And my stomach wasn't feeling great.  But wait - an open bathroom at the picnic area!  I then had to motor back on the roads.  I really wanted to take Sammy C's.  I ran these miles in the 6:40's.  Total time: 1hr 34min. 

Weekly Total: 70 miles
Last Week: 80 miles
Year to Date: 2,378 miles
September Total: 150 miles