Monday: 11 miles on two runs. First, I awoke early to get my run in for the day before my wife had to go into work. I parked at the Burlingame picnic area at sunrise (just after 7AM). I ran down Sanctuary Rd and then did the usual campground bypass trails. Once I reached the VG Trail, I decided to try my luck at finding the bits of single track through the campground, which was easier than other times I've tried. I finished up trying to connect from the SE edge of the campground via old Kimball trails which I did, but got confused and torn up by briers. Finish back on Sanctuary Rd and then along the pond between the boat launch and beach. 8 miles in 64 minutes. Later in the morning my daughter wanted to go bike riding so I loaded up the kids' bikes and headed to Ninigret. We did two loops: first the proposed bike path that I've been working on (as a member of the Town of Charlestown Ad Hoc Bicycle Pathway Committee) and then another loop that would be better, but probably cost prohibitive. 3 miles in 28 minutes.
Tuesday: 0 - I forget why I didn't run, but it wasn't because I didn't want to.
Wednesday: 10 miles on two runs. In the morning I had plans to meet the RD for the upcoming Charlestown Chili 5K to go over my proposed course in Ninigret. I wanted to grab more miles so I got there an hour early and ran the course a couple of times. The first I did nice and easy, but even with tired legs (from Sunday's track workout?) I managed 6:56 average pace on the course. I then jogged some trails back and forth from a strategically placed bathroom. I then ran the course again, this time hard. A tired time trial I guess. I didn't feel particularly fast, but I managed a 17:43 which I was happy with. I still need to measure the course with a bike. My watch shows zero elevation gain. And with the numerous turns, you never are going to be stuck in a headwind for long (hopefully never, but I need to be realistic) or get bored (or discouraged) with long straightaways. I like it. Definitely a PR course, and I plan to measure using USATF guidelines to ensure accuracy. See you January 23rd!! Later in the day I talked the kids into biking again at Ninigret. I ran as they biked on some of the fun eastern edge trails. 3 more miles for the day.
Thursday: 7 miles - Westbrook Maine roads. Last day of the year. We got packed and out of the house relatively early and began our trek north. Once we arrived I was super antsy, and finally was told to go for a run. I didn't need to do anything fast and I'd rather just get in 10 fun miles, but the conditions up there were terrible for running: 6" of snow on the trails and new enough that they weren't "groomed", and icy sidewalks/narrow shoulders. Plus it was getting dark at 2:30PM! There are also so many segments right out my friends' door that I couldn't resist. I ran faster than I thought to a 5K Strava segment loop and then ran even faster on the loop. I was glad I was running fast because it just felt dangerous even being out there. I turned it up to 10 on a hill climb which is also a Strava segment that I lost the CR to last summer to another vacationer. I almost puked at the top (Mexican food and margarita for lunch), but regrouped and finished the 5K segment and added on more because I wasn't sure where it ended. I stopped my watch at 4.2 miles with a 6:03 average pace. My third day of speedwork in the span of 5 days. Definitely not smart and probably not good for Sunday's race, but whatever. It seems to be how I get my running fix when I can't do the mileage (and hills) that I'm used to. I then cooled down on a quieter side street before making the trek back up to the house. Happy New Year!
Friday: 10 miles - Portland Maine roads and icy trails alone. I drove into Portland the next morning with the idea of running the paved trail around Back Cove and then connecting up to the Macworth Island trail and back. Unfortunately, the Back Cove trail was not plowed and just icy uneven packed snow. I did have on my grippiest trail shoes, so I just went with my plan. The scenery was awesome. The streets were messy too with icy sidewalks or unshoveled snow which forced me into traffic. But it was worth it. The cold air and amazing views were great. Total time: 1:15:06.
View of Back Cove
Back Cove Trail conditions
Mackworth Island from Rte 1 bridge
view from Macworth Island trail
Saturday: 7 miles on two runs. Busy day shuttling the kids around to separate events. I ended up taking my son mtn biking in Burlingame in the afternoon while I ran alongside of him. He did great on a pretty technical trail (out and back from Buckeye Brook Rd south). 3 miles. I then dropped him off at home and did a run around the block. 4 hilly miles in 29:12.
Sunday: 8 miles - Resolution Beach & Trail 5K. 5th overall, 18:21. Another good race. Separate write up to follow.
Overall: It wasn't easy, but I ended up salvaging a decent week. I'm looking forward to getting back to normal running next week.
Weekly Total: 53 miles
Last Week: 54 miles
2015 Total: 3,476 miles
December Total: 253 miles
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