First Two Weeks of January

It's been good to get back into the normal routine after the craziness of the holidays.  My plan was to step my mileage back up while continuing to mix in speed, hills, and long runs.  Even though it has finally gotten colder (which I don't mind at all), it has remained snow free.  Scary hunting seasons are over, so I can comfortably run everywhere.  Work has been very busy, so sometimes I can't venture too far for my lunch runs. 

Monday 1/4: 10 miles - Ryan Park trails.  Crazy first day back to work, but I was able to focus and organize.  Treated myself to a later than normal run.  Cold and flurries.  Total time: 1:18:55. 

Tuesday 1/5: 8.5 miles - Exeter dirt roads/roads/trails with Galoob.  We met up at the intersection of the dirt NLT and Rte 102.  It was surprising to see a coating of snow on the roads "up" here.  Footing was a bit of an issue on the trails.  We hit some good hills, explored a bit, and even got lost.  Total time: 1:06:11 with 740' of climbing. 

Wednesday 1/6: 10.5 miles - Saunderstown mix.  Began from the Rome Pt parking lot and ran roads (Gilbert Stuart, up Snuff Mill, around Plum Beach neighborhood).  I didn't feel like figuring out where else to go on roads so I jumped onto the beach and ran to the Rome Pt trails.  Fun mix and I managed 606' of climbing in 1:16:03. 

Thursday 1/7: 15 miles - double.  First light run from the house.  I ran roads for a while but the woods looked too inviting.  Fun stuff.  41:05 with 328' of climbing in 5.5 miles, but my watch stopped recording me before I got back to my house.  My afternoon run was at Calf Pasture Point.  My plan was to do a solo speed workout on the bike path, but increasing the mileage, back to work, back to school, has left me rather exhausted.  Instead I enjoyed the bright winter sun and calm winds.  I mixed in 5 miles of beach, 2 miles of trails, and 2.5 miles of bike path in 1:12:44. 

Friday 1/8: 11 miles - double.  First light run from the house.  My idea was an easy workout of sorts, by doing a few repeats of one of the many nearby road climbs.  I chose Burdickville Rd.  It climbs 150' in .6 miles.  I did three repeats: the first two at a steady pace and third at a faster pace.  Turned out I just bested my CR without meaning to (averaged 6:21 pace!!).  5 miles in 34:54 with 485' of climbing.  At lunch I met up with Sandals at his house in Saunderstown.  We ran his trails back into the new TNC land along the Narrow River headwaters.  It was good to catch up and get a tour.  6 miles in 48:21. 

Saturday 1/9: 17 miles - Burlingame trail long run/workout solo.  I really wanted to get a long run in this weekend, but free time was going to be an issue.  I had to do it today and early.  I ran 5 miles easy in 38:18, then ran the Vin Gormley Trail at a comfortably hard pace (from the north camp area clockwise).  This went pretty well.  It took a while to get in a groove, but then felt fast for the full duration.  Total time was 51:46.  I then did another 4 miles easy (struggling) mostly in north Burlingame in 30:32.  Total time was 2:00:37.  My GPS watch completely lost me and I don't have elevation data.  Overall, felt good about this run. 

Sunday 1/10: 0 - total crap weather day.  Went to the movies for the first time in 12+ years.  Saw the new Star Wars with the family in 3D.  I was skeptical but ended up really enjoying it.  After the movie we went home and spent some time wandering around in the woods behind our house. 

Weekly Total: 72 miles

Monday 1/11: 14 miles - double.  First light spin around the hilly block.  4 miles in 29:14 with 326' of climbing.  Afternoon run in Big River.  Really fun loop of techy trails and some hills (Carr Pond area).  10 miles in 1:17:55 with 586' of climbing. 

Tuesday 1/12: 15 miles - double.  First light run mostly on trails from my house.  Loving early morning trails!  5+ miles in 40:14 with 374' of climbing.  Afternoon run in Ryan Park.  I spent more time wandering around the east side than the west.  Pretty good pace at times.  10 miles in 1:15:41. 

Wednesday 1/13: 10.5 miles - URI indoor track with Galoob.  Finally, the weather was terrible enough to renew my alumni membership.  I met Mike for his prescribed workout of 6x1000 @T with 200 recoveries, 5 minute rest, then two miles with alternating 200's @ 3K and then fast float.  This was high volume, but not high speed.  Perfect for me!  I ran the 1000's a bit spicy: 3:30/3:34/3:35/3:36/3:35/3:34 - target was 3:40.  These felt smooth.  The two mile block of 200's went really well too.  I did the 3K pace 200's @ 38 seconds each and kept the floats to 48 seconds (6:26 pace).  Consistent splits throughout.  Total running time of 1:08:34. 

Thursday 1/14: 10.5 miles - solo hilly road loop.  Not very inspired today, but decided to just run roads with hills.  I ran from the Cuttyhunk parking lot and did the loop of roads that includes Hopkins Hill, Henry Brown, Falcon Ridge, Widow Sweets, and my favorite dirt road - Pardon Joslin.  I felt sluggish (expected), but was surprised at my pace when I finally took a peek.  Total time: 1:14:31 with 661' of climbing.  Note that I rode my dad's bike around Ninigret in the frigid morning conditions measuring the Charlestown Chili 5K course with a bike computer.  8 miles.  Frozen fingers. 

Friday 1/15: 9 miles - Great Swamp trails alone.  First I rode my dad's bike on the SC bike path to check the bike computer's calibration.  It was measuring miles consistently at 1.02.  I need to go back and fiddle with the course one more time factoring in this .02/mile error.  I then ran after locking the bike away in my car.  I believe this is called a brick.  I first did some exploring, following single and double track trails and even power lines in the fringes of Great Swamp.  Finally, I figured out where I was and then ran a loop around the dyke.  I was not feeling very peppy, and remembered that I've never had a good run here for some reason.  Finished up on dirt roads back to the bike path and my car.  Total time: 1:11:17. 

Saturday 1/16: 18 miles - Daniels marathon workout with Muddy.  I joined him for a few of these Boston training runs last year and was "happy" to do this one today.  The plan was 2E-2x2T(2 min. rest)-60 min. E-2T-2E.  We figured out a relatively flat place to run, that also allowed for some of the hour easy to be on trails (DuVal).  I was nervous about the 2 mile T blocks on my tired legs.  Everything ended up going pretty well, the best part being the time on the trails (obviously).  11:38/11:30 and then 11:38 for the 2T's.  Total time was 2:03:45. 

Sunday 1/17: 0 - traveling to MA in the late afternoon and my wife had a run scheduled at 8:30.  I thought about squeezing in 3 miles to get to 80 for the week, but decided I didn't really care.  Cross trained with stacking wood. 

Weekly Total: 77 miles
Year to Date: 174 miles
January to Date: 174 miles