Catching Up: 11-10-14 to 11-23-14

Here's what I've been up to the last two weeks:

Monday 11/10: 17 miles - long run with Muddy.  I took a vacation day to make a 4 day weekend and I was able to meet up in the morning with Muddy, who was also off today.  We parked at the new lot on Rte 3 in Hopkinton at the Canonchet Brook Preserve.  We ran the trails in here and then connected to Canonchet Rd at Long Pond via the Narragansett Trail.  We then ran roads for a few miles.  Luckily my trail shoes (Terra Kiger 2.0's) do well on pavement.  Muddy needed to gobble up some more town roads, and we found some cool places.  I enjoyed the nice level dirt roads in particular (Grassy Pond and Kenny Hill).  The roads back were torture.  I was extremely fatigued and could only think about my solo lunch field trip to Taco Bell I was planning (hey, it's my day off).  Muddy was dropping low 7's, and the roads were not flat.  I was almost bonking when we veered off Canonchet Rd onto Lawton Foster North.  Another steep hill awaited us, but then the footing got softer.  We finished on the trails back to our cars.  Then fun didn't stop there as Muddy had a dog tied to his truck and we waited for animal control to come get it.  Weird!  Total time: 2:10.  1,103' elevation gain. 

Tuesday 11/11: 0 - Veterans' Day.  My body was tired, but it was my returning cold that kept me from doing a short run in the morning before heading out with the family for the day. 

Wednesday 11/12: 10 miles - Ryan Park trails alone.  Decent run, decent pace.  Total time: 1:13:27. 

Thursday 11/13: 9 miles - Calf Pasture Point alone.  3 loops.  Total time: 1:09:47. 

Friday 11/14: 5+ miles - Ryan Park trails alone.  Easy peasy.  Tapering for LRR.  38:17. 

Saturday 11/15: 0 - busy day with the kids and then family and friends in the evening. 

Sunday 11/16: 13 miles - Li'l Rhody Runaround 8M Trail Race

Weekly Total: 54 miles
Last Week: 54 miles
Year to Date: 2,904 miles
November Total: 124 miles

Monday 11/17: 0 - earned rest day after monster race the day before. 

Tuesday 11/18: 11 miles - EG/NK road loop alone.  Testing new shoes - Saucony Kinvara 5's.  I needed to find a new shoe since Nike has messed around too much with my beloved Free Runs.  I can't find the 3.0 model that I like anymore on the internet (they stopped making them 2 years ago).  They don't have a Free Run model that I like as much.  Running Warehouse compared the Kinvara 5's to the Free 3.0's so I thought I would give them a shot.  Similar weight and the same heel drop.  The Kinvara's feel pretty good.  Not quite the same, but I can envision being very happy with them.  I ran a road loop that included a couple of miles of hills.  490' of climbing.  Total time: 1:15:31 (6:52).

Wednesday 11/19: 13 miles - scouting the Nooseneck 18K course alone.  I parked south of the course on Sunderland Road and connected with the race course at the intersection with Pardon Joslin Rd.  It was a chilly late fall day perfect for running.  The roads were mostly empty of cars and included many hills.  The start/finish area is a particular steep one.  It was also interesting to see new trails (to me) off of this road (technically still Big River).  The best part of the race is that it includes Pardon Joslin Rd - my favorite spot for dirt hill repeats.  I hammered home the hill and then had another 3/4 mile to reach my car.  I really want to do this race, but being the day after Christmas, it is not likely, but I'm working on it!  Total time: 1:28:10 (6:47) with 844' of climbing. 

Thursday 11/20: 8 miles - Ryan Park trails alone.  Not inspired to run today.  Total time: 1:04:38. 

Friday 11/21: 10 miles - Rome Point coastline and trails alone.  I noticed from my office window that the tide seemed really low in Wickford.  I checked the tide charts and sure enough there was a negative tide happening (-.2').  I decided to quickly head down to Rome Point and see how far south I could get.  It was a very cold day - mid 30's and a screaming NW wind.  The way out was fun.  I had the place to myself and the tide was even lower than I hoped (wind direction?).  I made it as far as ever, and debated trying my luck to go farther.  Getting my feet or possible entire lower body wet, didn't seem like a good idea today so I turned around.  The run back into the wind was brutal.  It has to be good training for something.  Once I reached the trails, I spent some time hitting up my favorites.  Total time: 1:17:04. 

Saturday 11/22: 18 miles - Arcadia/Pachaug trail loop with Muddy, Galoob, Gazelle, and Jackman.  This was a really awesome adventure with a fast crew.  I was a little scared at being able to keep up after logging too many miles the previous four days.  The pace was what I thought - spicy, but I did a good job keeping up until the last few miles.  I didn't slow down, everyone else seemed to go faster.  I was excited to explore the Deep Pond area.  The trails to/from were awesome and I can't figure out why I never made it here before.  I need to come back with the family.  Good hills and rugged terrain throughout this run.  Total time: 2:20 with 948' of climbing. 

Sunday 11/23: 10+ miles - Burlingame campground trails alone.  I ran longer than I planned.  I parked at the picnic area and then ran to the Kimball/Kettle Pond trails.  My legs were doing okay, although the thick leaf cover was tough.  I then connected to the Brrr-lingame trail course.  I picked these trails today because of the mostly smooth footing.  Thanks to mtn bikes, the leaf cover wasn't too bad either.  I felt peppy making my way around the loop.  I even stayed on course through the campground (which isn't easy).  I then was fatiguing, but had more on my agenda.  I ran through the campground to the west end of the Burlingame/Kettle Pond trail connector.  There is a nice kiosk here showing the trails.  However, I got confused due to scorched earth (recent bulldozer activity) and ended up not on the trail.  No bid deal - I'll just bushwhack over to where the trail should be.  Problem - it took way longer to connect.  My body was getting scratched up.  I finally reached not the trail I thought I was aiming for, but I at least knew where I was.  Checking my watch, I was already going longer than I anticipated and I still was almost two miles from my car.  Plus I wanted to run out to the Kettle Pond lookout tower.  I ditched that plan and just made my way back.  Sanctuary Road feels so long when you are tired and hungry.  Total time: 1:23:04. 

Weekly Total: 70 miles
Last Week: 54 miles
Year to Date: 2,974 miles
November Total: 194 miles