Now What? 11-16-15 to 11-22-15

The week after Li'l Rhody is always a bit of a downer since I put so much emphasis on it, and it more or less marks the end of my racing year.  This year, my body didn't feel too bad after the race.  The weather was also super nice, so I didn't rest up as much as I should have. 

Monday: 3 miles - Whale Rock Trail and coastline hike/rock hop. My favorite taper or recovery spot.  Nature Conservancy trail down to the rugged coast south of Bonnet Shores, north of the Narrow River.  Bright sun and relatively warm.  I almost ran today, but stuck to my plan.  I hopped my way down to the big rocks at the Narrow River mouth and then back tracked.  61 minutes. 

Tuesday: 11 miles - Big River trails alone.  Nice day but gray.  I had a rough outline of my itinerary today: Slalom - Allen's Ave - Dumbo - Sawmill - Steeple Chase.  I parked at Tarbox Pond to avoid a steep downhill start.  I did stick to my plan.  I got a little lost on Allen's Avenue (really a bunch of trails) due to thick leaf cover and not a lot of use.  Steeple Chase was a new trail to me - not very exciting, but I need to learn them all.  I did a bunch of strides the last mile and a half.  Total time: 1:25:03.  600' of climbing but it probably was more.  Seemed like it. 

Wednesday: 12.5 miles - 3 x Fish Hill Rd workout.  I've been eyeing this workout for the last few weeks, but it required the right circumstances to come together.  This happened today.  Fish Hill Road (paved) climbs about 350' over 1.8 miles.  There is a dip in the middle so it feels like two hills.  My plan was to just go run up and down the road three times at a normal pace.  After the first one I noticed my pace was relatively spicy, so I kept it up.  On the second one I actually ran into someone I knew out pushing his daughter in a stroller.  I knew he lived nearby, but it was quite the coincidence to meet up during my workout.  I stopped and chatted for a few minutes.  Third one felt fantastic.  I averaged 6:47 pace (6:37 GAP) for the run and gained 1,332' of elevation.  I loved this run!  I decided to cool down on a double track trail in an obscure section of Big River. 

Thursday: 10.5 miles - abandoned campground trails and hilly roads alone.  I parked at Camp Nokewa and did my usual loop in there before heading up and over the big Gilbert Stuart Rd hill.  I then headed east up Snuff Mill Rd and into the Plum Beach neighborhood for another hill.  I then ran south on Rte 1A and then entered new Nature Conservancy land on the Narrow River.  So much protected land!  A little spooky to be in there by myself.  I had run back here one other time with Sandals a couple of years ago, and some places looked familiar.  I found the double track that dumps out at the bottom of Snuff Mill.  I ran another loop in Camp Nokewa, but was wary of the hunters (bow only - but I could see them out there in the open woods on their stands).  Total time: 1:20:20 with another 910' of elevation gain.  Here's a map of the protected land in the area:

Friday: 11 miles - Ryan Park trails alone.  I thought I might do speedwork, but my body is telling me no.  I listened.  Instead I parked at Ryan and just planned to zigzag my way around the park.  Gorgeous weather and blinding sun with all the leaves down.  I had to wear sunglasses the entire time and even then I had trouble with the low sun angle.  I did mix in some strides on the rail bed near the end, but my body really wasn't moving all that fast.  Total time: 1:29:23. 

Saturday: 8.5 miles - Barn Island group trail run in the early AM.  10 of us showed up to run with Mike B.  A fun romp in the crisp air spent catching up with other running friends.  Total time: 1:11:39. 

Sunday: 4.5 miles - Pachaug-Nehantic trail loop hike with my son.  Boys day out.  My wife was with my daughter at horseback riding lessons and I gave my son 3 options: mtn bike, run, hike.  He wanted to hike and wanted to explore in Pachaug.  This seemed like a good choice since there is no hunting on Sunday in CT.  He came up with a loop that I was familiar with running.  We parked at Green Fall Pond and hiked counter clockwise: Pachaug Trail to Nehantic-Pachaug Crossover to Nehantic Trail.  It was wet and occasionally rained on us.  This was a great loop - only part of the Nehantic Trail is rather boring.  Total time: 2:07.  I had planned to run today in Carter Preserve, but after we got home from the hike the rain increased in intensity and the wood stove was cranking.  I got my outside fix so I bagged it. 

Weekly Total: 61 miles
Last Week: 51 miles
Year to Date: 3150 miles
November to Date: 204 miles