Monday: 8 miles - Ryan Park trails alone. I was feeling pretty beat from Friday night's race. In particular my feet and lower legs were tired. I parked off of Lafayette Road and planned to run just the west side single track. When I began, I decided to run the easy flat rail bed to get my legs loosened up. It was extremely muggy out, and wet trees and shrubs sagged over the trail. I kept the pace easy, and the miles lower than normal. Total time: 1:02:00.
Tuesday: 11 miles - Big River trails solo. Today was gorgeous - 70 degrees, sunny, and low humidity. I had the opportunity to go a little longer today. My plan was a lollipop route from the Hopkins Hill lot. I wanted to be on the ridge between the ponds, so I ran that, following the half marathon course. My legs were feeling much better and my pace was decent. I continued along the course planning to go all the way to Greasy Joe's and then back down Foster's Folly before running the ridge back. As I approached the long switchback on Dead Shed I heard a loud noise in the direction I soon would be heading. It sounded like a shed collapsing or a tree falling. I stopped to listen. Silence. I got creeped out and turned around, running rather quickly now. I then crossed HH road and ran along the New London Turnpike for a while before hopping onto some familiar single track I hadn't run recently. One of my favorite hilly switchback trails is in bad shape. Lots of blowdowns has turned away the mtn bikes and nature is reclaiming the trail. It was still fun, but soon will probably be gone. Checking my watch, I decided I had time to go to the overlook. After stopping for a moment to take in the view, I heading back to my car, pushing the pace up the hill from the stream. Total time: 1:27:39.
Wednesday: 21.5 miles - three runs in celebration of National Running Day. Last year Galoob had an epic NRD, and I felt obligated to keep up the tradition. I woke up a little bit early, and after getting the kids lunches ready for school, I got in a short run on my home trails. 3x9 loops with 1xShumunkawall loop thrown in for fun. 3+ miles in 25:34. Beautiful morning. My second run was during my lunch. I decided to run what Mike and I did last year on this "holiday" - the Hilly Half Marathon. I parked at the park and ride on Rte 1A and then followed the route through Plum Beach, Snuff Mill/Gilbert Stuart, and then on to the Waldron neighborhood. I purposely was pushing the pace as we did last year. I did not look at my time or pace until I finished. I wanted it to be a surprise (and not effect me mentally during the run). I kept my effort on the uncomfortable side the entire time. I was nervous about blowing up on the GSR climb, but it went well. I was tiring by about mile 8, and anytime I was heading south, there was a stiff wind in my face. This was especially annoying on the wide open Rte 1A. It's also mostly uphill (including one good hill). The hardest part is dropping down Plum Point Road for the huge hill there knowing that you're less than a half mile from your car. I managed the hill (at one of my slowest times) and finished up pretty strong, albeit into the wind. Total time: 1:25:41 - 30 seconds faster than last year. I'll take it. Tough run. 925' of climbing. 6:36 overall pace.
My final run of the day was a pub run in Wakefield with Galoob and Gunshow. Mike and I headed out pretty late (8:40PM?) and wandered down to Phil's after stopping at the bike shop. The night seemed cool, but we were sweaty messes, so the upstairs outside deck was perfect. Gunshow joined us here and before I knew it, we were running on the pitch black bike path up to Rhody Joe's. The bar was busy and bright. I felt a little out of place in my stinky running clothes and sweaty face. We hung out there for a while before heading down the road for my first Bobby G's experience. It didn't disappoint. Ben was looking for more adventure, but Mike and I were done. We escorted him (running) to Fat Belly's, before running on the empty streets back to my car. I was sick of running at that point and National Running Day was coming to a close (about 12AM). About 5 and half miles of interrupted running. Total time: 46:14.
Thursday: 5.5 miles - Calf Pasture Point bike path, trail, and beach alone. Wow am I sore. National Running Day did me in. I haven't felt like this in quite some time, even after races. The weather was nice enough and looked terrible for Friday, so I headed out for an easy recovery run. I ran slowly out to the point and then decided to take off my shoes and run barefoot out and back on the beach (2.25 miles total). First I had to hide my freakishly bright orange shoes somewhere and then I continued my run. The barefoot beach run wasn't as romantic as it sounds since there are many "obstacles" (mostly broken shells) to negotiate and there was a screaming headwind on the way back. Still, I made the most of it, and didn't slice my toes on anything. Total time: 47:38.
Friday: 0 - I managed to put on my running clothes and drive over to Ryan Park. Then I sat in my car trying to convince myself to run a few miles in the steady rain. Couldn't do it.
Saturday: 15 miles - 2 runs. 8 miles on local roads in a short AM window. Easy pace, but pushed the hills at the end near my house. Total time: 54:45. Will upload GPS data later.
After an over scheduled day with kid activities, I was able to sneak in a second run while my son was at a birthday party. I had about an hour of running time to play with. I decided to run in Burlingame from Kings Factory Road. I headed up Sammy C's. even though the sun was out and drying up the roads, the woods were another story. With 4-5 inches of rain, water pooled in many places and some of the trails turned into streams. I bushwhacked around a new pond that took some time. My feet got wet anyway, so eventually I stopped trying to avoid the water. After completing Sammy C's, I did the north camp loop. Watchaug Pond was very high as there was hardly any beach exposed. I took Vin Gormley back to my car, then tacked on a half mile of roads to get a full hour, and also dry out my shoes a bit. Total time: 61 minutes.
Sunday: 10 miles - Browning & DuVal trails with connecting roads (paved and dirt) with Seth. Early start (6AM), but already very bright out. I was happy that I wouldn't be running alone as my motivation was waning with yesterday's double. Seth and I took the roads to Browning (about 2 miles). The trail was a little wet, but not too bad. Seth showed me a fun side trail that eventually connected with a neighborhood. After a brief paved section, we then ran on dirt roads that led to the far end of the DuVal Trail. More trail fun ensued before we ended back at the cars. Really nice run. My body is sore again, but it was a big week of miles. Registered for another Friday night race in Connecticut - the Niantic 10K on the 14th.
Weekly Total: 71 miles
Last Week: 54 miles
Year to Date: 1339 miles
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Monday, June 3, 2013
Twilight Trail Run 2013
I got back on the Friday night summer race horse this past weekend. Vowing never to run the Blessing of the Fleet 10 mile road race again, I ended up jumping in a 7.4 mile trail race in Bluff Point (Groton, CT) - the Twilight Trail Run. The competition looked legit, and from what I gathered from people who have run in Bluff Point, the course was flat and fast.
Race day was hot. Low 90's during the day. I was hoping it would be low 70's along the water and breezy, but when I arrived at 5PM it was high 80's with little wind to speak of. Yuck! I wondered how I would run in these conditions. I collected my bib, and not seeing any familiar faces, just kind of hung out in the shade until I was too antsy to stand still anymore. I then headed out on a warm up (what if you're already warm?). I ran the wide dirt/gravel path along the western shore. My body felt tense and nervous - not about racing but the heat. I needed to relax, so I pushed on a little further. I reached an opportune bathroom, and then headed back. I began to notice a breeze. There were more runners out warming up, so I tried to look calm and focused.
I returned to my car for water and to ditch my singlet and hat. I decided to carry my handheld in case there was no water on the course (I asked a few people who weren't sure). I returned to the start area and ran into Eric Wyzga. We chatted about the conditions (he talked me out of carrying the handheld), the course, and recent races. Besides being fun, it definitely distracted me from my nerves. The breeze seemed to pick up, and it felt a lot cooler now in the shade at least.
The start was delayed due to the monster turn out (360 racers I believe). I ditched my handheld at my car and lined up front at Way Hedding's (SNERRO & WTAC) direction next to Spy Barros and some other friendly fast guys. I saw a guy decked out in Sportiva gear and I assumed it was Eric Blake. Next thing I knew I heard the gun and we were off. I tried my hardest not to sprint off the line and I settled into a group of runners for the first half mile. Then Eric Blake dropped the hammer and two guys (including Spy) tried to chase. I was in fourth and kept my pace, knowing that I was already going fast enough (probably too fast). After a few turns, the three of them were out of sight, and I had company behind me. We made our way around the point. I didn't dare look at my watch, afraid of what my pace was. The course was marked with hanging pink ribbon at intersections, but my unfamiliarity led me to question each turn, as there were many. As the course veered back to the north, there were frequent short climbs. The guy on my shoulder was sticking to me and I got the feeling he was going to make a move soon. It was still early in the race, and I wasn't ready to commit to going any faster than I already was.
Near the 3 mile mark there was a water stop. The runner next to me got ahead, but grabbed a water. I followed his lead and took water to dump over my head. The course then descended on a trail that was more technical than I thought I'd encounter on the course. The runner was pulling ahead, clearly descending faster than me. I kept him in my sights, but he gapped me. I had to pay more attention to my footing. The trail eventually leveled off, but was still slightly technical. I couldn't hear anyone behind me, and I was only concerned with keeping up my pace and seeing if I could catch the guy ahead of me. At mile 4, the course headed east along a train track. The loose small stones were interesting to negotiate. The course was a bit confusing the next two miles as it crossed the tracks and was doubling back on itself. There were marshals stationed at key spots, so it was well marked, but like Big River, there are so many trails everywhere it's confusing. After spending time along the tracks and in the woods, the trail opened up into some large fields (Haley Farm). I could see the guy ahead of me again, and noticed him looking back. I hoped this was a good sign. I did not slow down.
I took water at the cone turnaround and knew that I had about two miles left. I poured the water over my head and was able to also drink a drop or two. My shorts were drenched, and when I glanced down, I realized they were sticking to me a little too well. I was slightly embarrassed, but what could I do? I was back in the woods, all alone, telling myself to keep it up. Then I reached the double back portion along the tracks, and was running directly into a stream of runners. I tried to not worry about my clingy shorts and focused on hammering. I kept glancing at my watch, only looking at the total distance, trying to garner how much was left. When I knew I was getting close, I picked up my pace some more, and also got a few more glimpses of the guy ahead of me. I could hear the loudspeaker at the finish before I could see it, but waited for my final sprint upon eye contact.
My official time was 46:18 - 6:15 pace and 5th place overall. The next finisher was a minute and a half behind me. I was immediately pleased with my effort and happy I didn't overheat (it never was close to being an issue). I grabbed a water and then was greeted by the 4th place runner - Todd Bennett. We began chatting and then did a cool down loop through some single track together. It turns out that we have finished right next to each other in a couple of other races - Li'l Rhody Runaround and Pisgah 23K. I'm sure we'll cross paths again sometime soon. Unfortunately I had to leave to pick up my son, so I didn't get to chat longer or see the awards.
Overall, it was a great experience. The course was much more interesting than I thought. I'd love to go back and explore. I'm still not sure if I had more left in the tank as I recovered pretty quickly after finishing. I don't think it would have made a difference in my finishing place however. I can't wait to come back next year!!
Results here
Race day was hot. Low 90's during the day. I was hoping it would be low 70's along the water and breezy, but when I arrived at 5PM it was high 80's with little wind to speak of. Yuck! I wondered how I would run in these conditions. I collected my bib, and not seeing any familiar faces, just kind of hung out in the shade until I was too antsy to stand still anymore. I then headed out on a warm up (what if you're already warm?). I ran the wide dirt/gravel path along the western shore. My body felt tense and nervous - not about racing but the heat. I needed to relax, so I pushed on a little further. I reached an opportune bathroom, and then headed back. I began to notice a breeze. There were more runners out warming up, so I tried to look calm and focused.
I returned to my car for water and to ditch my singlet and hat. I decided to carry my handheld in case there was no water on the course (I asked a few people who weren't sure). I returned to the start area and ran into Eric Wyzga. We chatted about the conditions (he talked me out of carrying the handheld), the course, and recent races. Besides being fun, it definitely distracted me from my nerves. The breeze seemed to pick up, and it felt a lot cooler now in the shade at least.
The start was delayed due to the monster turn out (360 racers I believe). I ditched my handheld at my car and lined up front at Way Hedding's (SNERRO & WTAC) direction next to Spy Barros and some other friendly fast guys. I saw a guy decked out in Sportiva gear and I assumed it was Eric Blake. Next thing I knew I heard the gun and we were off. I tried my hardest not to sprint off the line and I settled into a group of runners for the first half mile. Then Eric Blake dropped the hammer and two guys (including Spy) tried to chase. I was in fourth and kept my pace, knowing that I was already going fast enough (probably too fast). After a few turns, the three of them were out of sight, and I had company behind me. We made our way around the point. I didn't dare look at my watch, afraid of what my pace was. The course was marked with hanging pink ribbon at intersections, but my unfamiliarity led me to question each turn, as there were many. As the course veered back to the north, there were frequent short climbs. The guy on my shoulder was sticking to me and I got the feeling he was going to make a move soon. It was still early in the race, and I wasn't ready to commit to going any faster than I already was.
Near the 3 mile mark there was a water stop. The runner next to me got ahead, but grabbed a water. I followed his lead and took water to dump over my head. The course then descended on a trail that was more technical than I thought I'd encounter on the course. The runner was pulling ahead, clearly descending faster than me. I kept him in my sights, but he gapped me. I had to pay more attention to my footing. The trail eventually leveled off, but was still slightly technical. I couldn't hear anyone behind me, and I was only concerned with keeping up my pace and seeing if I could catch the guy ahead of me. At mile 4, the course headed east along a train track. The loose small stones were interesting to negotiate. The course was a bit confusing the next two miles as it crossed the tracks and was doubling back on itself. There were marshals stationed at key spots, so it was well marked, but like Big River, there are so many trails everywhere it's confusing. After spending time along the tracks and in the woods, the trail opened up into some large fields (Haley Farm). I could see the guy ahead of me again, and noticed him looking back. I hoped this was a good sign. I did not slow down.
I took water at the cone turnaround and knew that I had about two miles left. I poured the water over my head and was able to also drink a drop or two. My shorts were drenched, and when I glanced down, I realized they were sticking to me a little too well. I was slightly embarrassed, but what could I do? I was back in the woods, all alone, telling myself to keep it up. Then I reached the double back portion along the tracks, and was running directly into a stream of runners. I tried to not worry about my clingy shorts and focused on hammering. I kept glancing at my watch, only looking at the total distance, trying to garner how much was left. When I knew I was getting close, I picked up my pace some more, and also got a few more glimpses of the guy ahead of me. I could hear the loudspeaker at the finish before I could see it, but waited for my final sprint upon eye contact.
My official time was 46:18 - 6:15 pace and 5th place overall. The next finisher was a minute and a half behind me. I was immediately pleased with my effort and happy I didn't overheat (it never was close to being an issue). I grabbed a water and then was greeted by the 4th place runner - Todd Bennett. We began chatting and then did a cool down loop through some single track together. It turns out that we have finished right next to each other in a couple of other races - Li'l Rhody Runaround and Pisgah 23K. I'm sure we'll cross paths again sometime soon. Unfortunately I had to leave to pick up my son, so I didn't get to chat longer or see the awards.
Overall, it was a great experience. The course was much more interesting than I thought. I'd love to go back and explore. I'm still not sure if I had more left in the tank as I recovered pretty quickly after finishing. I don't think it would have made a difference in my finishing place however. I can't wait to come back next year!!
Results here
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Weekly Log 5-27-13 to 6-2-13
Finally I get to race again. It's been too long. Friday night I'm officially registered for the Twilight Trail Run (7.4M) at Bluff Point in Groton, CT. It appears to be a flat and fast course. Weather may be a factor, but at least I'm acclimated to the heat at this point. Should be fun! Saturday, Mike C. is hosting a free trail race on the Narragansett Trail. I'd love to race that one too, but I'll have the kids that day. I plan to bring them there to hike/cheer. Sunday is the 2nd Arcadia Back Road Ramble which I don't think is in the cards for me unfortunately.
Monday: 9 miles - CHS track workout solo. Busy day that began in NH. I did a family canoe paddle on Highland Lake in the morning followed by a midday family hike up Bald Mountain in Antrim. Proud of the kids completing the 2.5 mile hike with 900' of elevation gain. Great views from a couple of ledgy overlooks. Sunny and beautiful weather. After driving home, ice cream for dinner, and unpacking, I had the chance to go out for a run. I decided to head over to the nearby CHS track and run some 2's, 3's, and 4's. I'm not sure why I decided on this, but I came up with the following plan that I was able to stick to: 2x200, 3x300, 4x400, 3x300, 2x200 with full recoveries. As usual, I felt like the workout was going to be too hard to complete after a couple of intervals, and then felt good by the end. Consistent splits: 34/35/55/55/55/77/76/76/76/55/55/55/35/34. There was some wind, but the temperature in the fading light was in the 50's. No one else around. 2 mile warm up and almost 2 mile cool down. Total time: 1:01:28.
Tuesday: 8 miles - Saunderstown road loop with some easy trails mixed in. I parked at Rome Point and ran north on Rte 1A. I then ducked into the Plum Point neighborhood which meant a decent hill climb back to 1A. My pace was purposely easy and I wasn't looking to push any hills today. I then headed down Snuff Mill Rd to Gilbert Stuart (avoided the spur to the hill), back to 1A. I then ran a few side roads before entering Rome Point trails. I stuck to the main wide paths back to my car for a full GPS 8 miles. Total time: 1:00:56.
Wednesday: 9 miles - Calf Pasture Point loops alone. I was looking for easy miles again, but didn't want roads. I ended up running 3 loops (2.2 GPS miles) around Calf Pasture Point that includes beach, trail, and bike path. I really enjoyed this run today. It was getting warm and muggy, but the breeze kept things pleasant. There was a ton of nature out and about today including a large snapping turtle laying eggs on the edge of the trail, fiddler crabs in the mud near the point, horseshoe crabs, snowy egrets, orioles, unidentifiable sparrows, and other commons. Total time: 1:13:02.
Thursday: 7+ miles - Rome Point trails and beach alone. I was debating taking a zero because of lingering soreness from the track on Monday, but my legs felt much better today. I parked at Rome Point and ran the trails for a couple of miles nice and easy. I was sweating more than usual, but felt fine in the heat (90 degrees in the sun but much cooler in the woods and along the water). The tide was super high, so I could only go so far which was fine with me. I was able to mix up the route enough to make it feel somewhat fresh. Total time: 1:00:52. Race tomorrow!
Friday: 12 miles - Twilight Trail 7.4M Run in Bluff Point, Groton, CT. 5th overall - 46:18. Really fun race. Pretty happy with my performance. Enjoyed the course - more trail racing than I thought - similar pace as Li'l Rhody. Separate write up to follow.
Saturday: 1.5 miles - Narragansett Trail 5K with my kids. We headed out to Mike C's trail race on this hot morning. I wasn't sure what the three of us would end up doing. After Mike gave us racing bibs, we decided to start the race with everyone and see how far we would make it. My kids both ran quite a bit of the first half of the race. It was hilly and technical, and really fun. The walking breaks increased as time went on, and we turned around at about the halfway point. This was a fun event and my kids loved cooling off in the Wyassup Lake post race.
Sunday: 7.5 miles - Burlingame trails with Chris G. I noticed a couple of weeks ago that Chris was back to running as he was gobbling up a bunch of my Strava KOM's. I met him this morning at the Schoolhouse Pond parking lot so that I could show him some of the more interesting trails in Burlingame. It was muggy and my legs felt sort of blah, but having company passed the time quickly. I did end up going to the Backroad Ramble later in the morning with my family, but my wife ran and I spectated. The weather was really nice, and we lingered at the pond post race for a long time. It was fun watching my WTAC teammates race and catching up with them.
Overall: busy hot week. The trail race was awesome.
Weekly Total: 54 miles
Last Week: 62 miles
Year to Date: 1268 miles
Monday: 9 miles - CHS track workout solo. Busy day that began in NH. I did a family canoe paddle on Highland Lake in the morning followed by a midday family hike up Bald Mountain in Antrim. Proud of the kids completing the 2.5 mile hike with 900' of elevation gain. Great views from a couple of ledgy overlooks. Sunny and beautiful weather. After driving home, ice cream for dinner, and unpacking, I had the chance to go out for a run. I decided to head over to the nearby CHS track and run some 2's, 3's, and 4's. I'm not sure why I decided on this, but I came up with the following plan that I was able to stick to: 2x200, 3x300, 4x400, 3x300, 2x200 with full recoveries. As usual, I felt like the workout was going to be too hard to complete after a couple of intervals, and then felt good by the end. Consistent splits: 34/35/55/55/55/77/76/76/76/55/55/55/35/34. There was some wind, but the temperature in the fading light was in the 50's. No one else around. 2 mile warm up and almost 2 mile cool down. Total time: 1:01:28.
Tuesday: 8 miles - Saunderstown road loop with some easy trails mixed in. I parked at Rome Point and ran north on Rte 1A. I then ducked into the Plum Point neighborhood which meant a decent hill climb back to 1A. My pace was purposely easy and I wasn't looking to push any hills today. I then headed down Snuff Mill Rd to Gilbert Stuart (avoided the spur to the hill), back to 1A. I then ran a few side roads before entering Rome Point trails. I stuck to the main wide paths back to my car for a full GPS 8 miles. Total time: 1:00:56.
Wednesday: 9 miles - Calf Pasture Point loops alone. I was looking for easy miles again, but didn't want roads. I ended up running 3 loops (2.2 GPS miles) around Calf Pasture Point that includes beach, trail, and bike path. I really enjoyed this run today. It was getting warm and muggy, but the breeze kept things pleasant. There was a ton of nature out and about today including a large snapping turtle laying eggs on the edge of the trail, fiddler crabs in the mud near the point, horseshoe crabs, snowy egrets, orioles, unidentifiable sparrows, and other commons. Total time: 1:13:02.
Thursday: 7+ miles - Rome Point trails and beach alone. I was debating taking a zero because of lingering soreness from the track on Monday, but my legs felt much better today. I parked at Rome Point and ran the trails for a couple of miles nice and easy. I was sweating more than usual, but felt fine in the heat (90 degrees in the sun but much cooler in the woods and along the water). The tide was super high, so I could only go so far which was fine with me. I was able to mix up the route enough to make it feel somewhat fresh. Total time: 1:00:52. Race tomorrow!
Friday: 12 miles - Twilight Trail 7.4M Run in Bluff Point, Groton, CT. 5th overall - 46:18. Really fun race. Pretty happy with my performance. Enjoyed the course - more trail racing than I thought - similar pace as Li'l Rhody. Separate write up to follow.
Saturday: 1.5 miles - Narragansett Trail 5K with my kids. We headed out to Mike C's trail race on this hot morning. I wasn't sure what the three of us would end up doing. After Mike gave us racing bibs, we decided to start the race with everyone and see how far we would make it. My kids both ran quite a bit of the first half of the race. It was hilly and technical, and really fun. The walking breaks increased as time went on, and we turned around at about the halfway point. This was a fun event and my kids loved cooling off in the Wyassup Lake post race.
FiveK and the Walkers leading the way
Start of race high 5's
End of race high 5's
Overall: busy hot week. The trail race was awesome.
Weekly Total: 54 miles
Last Week: 62 miles
Year to Date: 1268 miles
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Weekly Log 5-20-13 to 5-26-13
No big plans for the upcoming week, but with travel on the upcoming long weekend, I'll probably have lower mileage. I plan to sprinkle in some trail speedwork during the week, possibly the longish Browing Trail segment that my KOM time was recently obliterated by a local runner. I'm not sure I can match it, but it will be a good hard effort (GPS 2.8 miles - feels like long 5K). Kind of excited about this as well.
Monday: 10 miles - Ryan Park trails alone. Muggy and hot (80 degrees) during my run. My body isn't adjusted quite yet to these summer conditions, but I felt pretty good most of the run, just a little flat. I began at the athletic fields and worked my way over to the west side. I decided to pick up the pace on a couple of segments. First, on the Middle Trail, I felt like I was flying and thought I would better my CR, but alas it wasn't to be. I started too slow I guess. I regrouped and a few minutes later I was attacking the long railbed segment (.9M GPS). My turnover felt good, and I was relaxed, but fast. The result was 4:56 (5:38 pace). Sweet! I had trouble recovering from this effort with the heat, and searched out the flattest, easiest trails back to my car. Total time: 1:13:51.
Tuesday: 10 miles - Rome Point trails and beach alone. It was hotter than yesterday (85 degrees) and my legs felt fatigued. My plan was to wander on the trails for a while, then run up and down on the beach, then wander trails some more. I was hot on the trails, especially climbing the hill. The beach was unforgiving with all the rocks and thick sand, and I didn't go as far south as I planned. I compensated by returning via the roads. Total time: 1:20:21.
Wednesday: 8+ miles - Big River trails solo. Trail workout Wednesday. My plan was to head down to SK and run the Browning Trail, but I think I'll put that off to Friday. Instead, I headed to Big River and parked at my new favorite spot - Greasy Joe's. I decided to do a 2 mile-ish warm up by heading down Foster's Folly and connecting back to the start via some non-descript trails and the New London Turnpike. I ran past the start of the segment I planned to run as a the workout (Lego East to West) to make sure GPS lined up correctly. I then jumped into the workout. I was moving fast, but I wanted to run a pace I could maintain for the duration (which I guessed would be about 25 minutes). The segment is almost 4 miles of twisty smooth single track (GPS measures 3.1M but is way short). Despite the cooler temperature (75 degrees) and clouds, it felt really muggy. This wasn't going to be easy. The trail continuously turns back on itself, and it's hard to know how far you've gone. Once I crossed the wide dirt road I knew that I only had about 10 minutes left, but with more elevation change. At the top of the hill near the mannequin I noticed someone off to the side of the trail lying down. I thought she might be hurt until I realized there was a man underneath her and they seemed to know eachother pretty well. I don't know if they noticed me sprint by. Anyway, I was beginning to tire as the terrain became more technical. I'm sure I was slowing down a tad. I finished up and took a brief break. I could tell from my watch that I ran a little over 25 minutes. I debated which way to go back, feeling pretty tired. I headed back on the NLT before turning off and reconnecting with Lego safely past the mannequin couple. Total time: 1:05:57. I was annoyed when I uploaded the data and noticed that GPS didn't match up with the Lego segment. I tried uploading it a different way, but same result. Stupid space watch....
Thursday: 10 miles - NK roads and bike path alone. I was busy at work and didn't think much about today's run. Easy miles seemed like the way to go, so I parked at the Rte 1 end of the Quonset Bike Path and planned to run an out and back (flat, no traffic). The problem with roads is that I enjoy seeing my GPS pace on them (unlike trails) and it's hard to keep things that easy. So I guess I would call my run a moderate effort - not hard, but I was working a bit (sweating up a storm with the wind at my back on the early miles and battling the wind the last three miles into the wind). The result was an unplanned progression: 7:12/6:59/6:44/6:48(only "hill")/6:44/6:38/6:36/6:23/6:21/6:18 Total time: 1:07:02. These occasional road runs make me feel better about my training, and now I can return to the woods.
Friday: 14 miles - Ryan Park trails alone. Awesome run today in the muggy, drab weather. I sprinted the five Strava segments and recovered for a mile or so between each. Can't wait to upload my data, but I won't be able to until Tuesday (left my data stick at work). I felt fast out there. Total time about 1:43, with 4.5 miles of speedwork. To be continued.
The results are in! New CR's on three segments - Rte 4 loop, rail run (up), and middle trail. Still can't touch Jackman's CR on the roots run (I think he took a shortcut through the pond!). 3rd fastest effort on the longer rail run (down). Total time: 1:43:28.
Saturday: 5 miles - White Horse Ledge & Echo Lake trails alone. Family trip to North Conway. After a long drive and nice hike around Echo Lake State Park, I was able to slip out for a short run. My plan was to run on top of the towering White Horse Ledge -great views from the house we were staying at. Unfortunately, it was ridiculously steep, and I had to do a lot of power hiking. I also ran into one dead end, and out of time to get to the highest ledge lookout. I did get some great views and satisfaction out of this run. Total time: 51:11.
White Horse Ledge from house
Echo Lake with White Horse in the background
View from White Horse - Cranmore in distance
Sunday: 5 miles - North Conway roads alone in the morning. This was just a hazy morning shake out on flat roads. My goal was to run White Horse again (using different trails), but I just wasn't feeling it when I woke up. Instead I ran an out and back on roads, and felt like I was working too hard for a slow pace. Total time: 37:05. We spent the rest of the day at Storyland and I had a blast going on rides with the kids - especially the water ones even though it was cold and windy. We then drove to my parent's place in Stoddard, NH, and took the scenic way - through the Presidentials. New snow on the ground up there!
Overall: A really fun week spent mostly on trails and pushing myself.
Weekly Total: 62 miles
Last Week: 73 miles
Year to Date: 1224 miles
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Weekly Log 5-13-13 to 5-19-13
My legs are feeling pretty heavy beginning this week. I'll keep the intensity a little low until they feel stronger - hopefully on Wednesday. I'd like to do some sort of workout that day. My other idea for the week is to do a long run on Friday. Technically it's national bike to work day, but I'd rather run (although there was a run to work day back in April - who knew?). I've been plotting my route, which may be more fun than actually running it. I've got a 23ish mile course that utilizes a few non-paved roads: a powerline near my house, two dirt roads in Exeter, a couple of trails in Exeter, Ryan Park trails in NK, and a hidden rail bed trail in NK. I minimized the time spent on busier roads to just a mile plus on Rte 138 and Rte 2 each (I was able to skip Rte 91). I'm still working on the logistics, but hopefully putting this up on the blog will force me to see it through.
Monday: 10 miles - NK roads alone. Tired legs and I was just looking for a flat and easy run. I mixed it up by exploring neighborhood side roads off of Fletcher Road rather than the usual courses. It was rather chilly with the temperature in the 50's and windy. Total time: 1:13:18.
Tuesday: 10 miles - Wickford roads (4M) and Ryan Park trails (6M) alone. I wanted to check out a couple of ideas I had for the possible run to work on Friday. Mike G had scolded me a long time ago for not knowing about the old rail trail that I could more directly connect to Ryan Park. I ran from the office and found the trail, which was pretty cool. There are side trails running in both directions into the woods, but I didn't explore them today, not that they can go very far. I popped out onto Rte 1 and then crossed into another neighborhood to gain direct access to Ryan. Mission accomplished, and I was in the park in under 2 miles. My energy was pretty low going into the run and my legs were still fatigued, so I stuck with the wider flat paths. First I headed directly to the Lafayette parking lot (about 3.25 miles) to again check the distance. I then ran through the field to Oak Hill Rd, but decided the trails were more fun than heading back on the roads (duh! - not sure why I even considered it). At this point, my energy improved and I was feeling great. The sun was pushing through the clouds and warming things up. I continued with my easy pace (7:30ish), mixing things up a little on the way back, but still sticking to the easier terrain. I then ran different roads back to the office (the usual way). Total time: 1:14:36.
Wednesday: 10 miles - 13x200 workout on roads with fast recoveries alone. Another workout that totals 5K and that I stole from KT on Strava. I programmed the workout into my watch and headed to Quonset. The wind was pretty strong out of the SW, so I ran accordingly. After a 2.5 mile warm up heading west on the bike path (18:48), I then began the intervals along the nearby flat open roads. My watch doesn't show lap time, so my only clue is the lap pace it shows. I was not on target for most of them, but there is definitely a lag with the GPS, and when I uploaded the data my paces were faster than what I thought. I was hoping to average 35 and 49 for the recoveries. I was able to be faster on most of the intervals and my average recovery was 50, although I was anywhere from 47-53 (they were slower near the end). The total 5K time ended up being 17:31 - to borrow a phrase from Mac the Knight - Boom! Pumped about this workout. I know it was wind aided, but it was GPS hampered, and on roads not the track. Results: 32/34/35/34/33/32/34/33/33/33/35/35/35
I ran a rather long cool down by circling Calf Pasture Point at a very slow pace (especially on the beach). My watch won't show total distance if I'm running a workout, so I was trying to guess how far I need to go to get 10 miles. I only ran 9.7 but was too tired to run another .3. Total time: 1:11:37.
Thursday: 8 miles - Big River trails solo. Eighty degrees and sunny today. I parked at Greasy Joe's and ran a nice easy loop. My right leg (hamstring) is particularly sore post workout, but nothing I'm worried about. The woods were quiet except for the deer I scared up (I was scared too when I heard a loud snort before ID'ing what creature made the noise). At the end I ran into another runner and we chatted for a while. Total time: 1:07:11. Still planning on running to work in the morning. Might be a sufferfest on tired legs or just slow. We'll see.
Friday: 23+ miles - Run to Work. Mostly paved roads, but with some dirt roads and trails mixed in. Scenic route on a picture perfect morning. I was worried about the lingering soreness in my legs, but by the time I was 16 miles in, I started to feel pretty darn good. Total time: 2:57. GPS 23.2 miles. Tempted to call it more.
Saturday: 0 - too busy and resting made sense.
Sunday: 12 miles - Burlingame north trails alone in the early afternoon. A little exploration and some good hills. I left right after lunch as I knew it was going to rain soon. I began by running Burdickville Road down to parking lot near the train tracks. I ran the two trails in this section of Burlingame and also ran up a couple of the powerline hills (osprey nests on/near both). I then ran back up the road and entered the usual "north" side of the state park. My plan was to run the River Trail hill and Ledge Trail. I did both at a good pace, but it felt pretty easy. I kept my pace aggressive for the duration of the fun, first on the wide double track to Buckeye Brook Rd, and then again on the single track. I was happy to get a hilly run in, and happy that they didn't feel hard today. Total time: 1:29:22.
Overall: Great week with the hard speed workout Wed, long run Fri, and hilly run Sun. I even took a day off. I'm itching to race....
Weekly Total: 73 miles
Last Week: 60 miles
Year to Date: 1162 miles
Monday: 10 miles - NK roads alone. Tired legs and I was just looking for a flat and easy run. I mixed it up by exploring neighborhood side roads off of Fletcher Road rather than the usual courses. It was rather chilly with the temperature in the 50's and windy. Total time: 1:13:18.
Tuesday: 10 miles - Wickford roads (4M) and Ryan Park trails (6M) alone. I wanted to check out a couple of ideas I had for the possible run to work on Friday. Mike G had scolded me a long time ago for not knowing about the old rail trail that I could more directly connect to Ryan Park. I ran from the office and found the trail, which was pretty cool. There are side trails running in both directions into the woods, but I didn't explore them today, not that they can go very far. I popped out onto Rte 1 and then crossed into another neighborhood to gain direct access to Ryan. Mission accomplished, and I was in the park in under 2 miles. My energy was pretty low going into the run and my legs were still fatigued, so I stuck with the wider flat paths. First I headed directly to the Lafayette parking lot (about 3.25 miles) to again check the distance. I then ran through the field to Oak Hill Rd, but decided the trails were more fun than heading back on the roads (duh! - not sure why I even considered it). At this point, my energy improved and I was feeling great. The sun was pushing through the clouds and warming things up. I continued with my easy pace (7:30ish), mixing things up a little on the way back, but still sticking to the easier terrain. I then ran different roads back to the office (the usual way). Total time: 1:14:36.
Wednesday: 10 miles - 13x200 workout on roads with fast recoveries alone. Another workout that totals 5K and that I stole from KT on Strava. I programmed the workout into my watch and headed to Quonset. The wind was pretty strong out of the SW, so I ran accordingly. After a 2.5 mile warm up heading west on the bike path (18:48), I then began the intervals along the nearby flat open roads. My watch doesn't show lap time, so my only clue is the lap pace it shows. I was not on target for most of them, but there is definitely a lag with the GPS, and when I uploaded the data my paces were faster than what I thought. I was hoping to average 35 and 49 for the recoveries. I was able to be faster on most of the intervals and my average recovery was 50, although I was anywhere from 47-53 (they were slower near the end). The total 5K time ended up being 17:31 - to borrow a phrase from Mac the Knight - Boom! Pumped about this workout. I know it was wind aided, but it was GPS hampered, and on roads not the track. Results: 32/34/35/34/33/32/34/33/33/33/35/35/35
I ran a rather long cool down by circling Calf Pasture Point at a very slow pace (especially on the beach). My watch won't show total distance if I'm running a workout, so I was trying to guess how far I need to go to get 10 miles. I only ran 9.7 but was too tired to run another .3. Total time: 1:11:37.
Thursday: 8 miles - Big River trails solo. Eighty degrees and sunny today. I parked at Greasy Joe's and ran a nice easy loop. My right leg (hamstring) is particularly sore post workout, but nothing I'm worried about. The woods were quiet except for the deer I scared up (I was scared too when I heard a loud snort before ID'ing what creature made the noise). At the end I ran into another runner and we chatted for a while. Total time: 1:07:11. Still planning on running to work in the morning. Might be a sufferfest on tired legs or just slow. We'll see.
Friday: 23+ miles - Run to Work. Mostly paved roads, but with some dirt roads and trails mixed in. Scenic route on a picture perfect morning. I was worried about the lingering soreness in my legs, but by the time I was 16 miles in, I started to feel pretty darn good. Total time: 2:57. GPS 23.2 miles. Tempted to call it more.
Powerline near my house
Overlook on North Road in Shannock
Sugar Maple tunnel on Beaver River Rd
Richmond International Airport
dirt roads of Exeter
Saturday: 0 - too busy and resting made sense.
Sunday: 12 miles - Burlingame north trails alone in the early afternoon. A little exploration and some good hills. I left right after lunch as I knew it was going to rain soon. I began by running Burdickville Road down to parking lot near the train tracks. I ran the two trails in this section of Burlingame and also ran up a couple of the powerline hills (osprey nests on/near both). I then ran back up the road and entered the usual "north" side of the state park. My plan was to run the River Trail hill and Ledge Trail. I did both at a good pace, but it felt pretty easy. I kept my pace aggressive for the duration of the fun, first on the wide double track to Buckeye Brook Rd, and then again on the single track. I was happy to get a hilly run in, and happy that they didn't feel hard today. Total time: 1:29:22.
Overall: Great week with the hard speed workout Wed, long run Fri, and hilly run Sun. I even took a day off. I'm itching to race....
Weekly Total: 73 miles
Last Week: 60 miles
Year to Date: 1162 miles
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Weekly Log 5-6-13 to 5-12-13
Monday: 8 miles - Calf Pasture Point bike path, beach, and trail alone. I originally headed out here for a flat recovery run, but instead I was doing some potential course measuring for a theoretical race for my wife's library. The location seems to work well and is in the same section of town as the library. The idea is to have a run and walk option. First I measured the run course that I thought was 4 miles, and GPS had it right at 4. The plan is for a lollipop course that utilizes the bike path (2M), wide trail (.75M) and beach (1.25M). It's flat and very scenic. Then I ran again to measure the walk option which I thought would be 2.5 miles (out and back on bike path to the beach), but it came out a little long. I doubt any walkers really care about the accuracy, so it should be fine. I continued to run to get in an even 8 miles for the day. What surprises me is how easy high 6's pace on pavement is.
Tuesday: 10 miles - Saunderstown hilly roads alone. It was nice to get this sort of training run in. I parked at Rome Point, but instead of hitting up the trails, I jumped onto the road. My legs were feeling pretty good, and I tried to keep a nice pace as I warmed up to the first hill - Gilbert Stuart Road. I picked up my pace as I neared the start of the Strava segment. I was able to climb quickly and not feel totally terrible. A quick glance at my watch near the top and I thought I might have just set the record (owned by Galoob). I then turned around and headed back down the hill and soon enough I was beginning the slow and steady climb from the brook to the top of Snuff Mill Road. Even though this is the easiest grade by far of any of the climbs I'd be doing, the length makes it almost harder. Once at the top, I then zigzagged around the Plum Beach neighborhood hitting the climbs on Cottrell and Plum Beach. My last climb is the second hardest (to Gilbert Stuart) on Plum Point Road - some really steep sections. I could feel the fatigue setting in. I picked up the pace on my last mile (mostly downhill) to my car. Total time: 1:07:11 (6:41 pace) 950' of elevation gain.
Wednesday: 8 miles - Ryan Park trails with my boss. We haven't run together in a long time, so it was good to get to do this today. The weather cooperated - it did rain for part of the run, but it was so humid anyway it actually felt good. We ran the trail on the west side of park, hitting a few newer ones that he hadn't been on yet. After 4.5+ miles, he headed back and I ran a few more easy miles. Total time: 1:04:58.
Thursday: 10+ miles - NK roads (6M) and Rome Point trails (4M) solo. I wasn't sure where to run today, and if the weather was going to hold up. I ended up deciding on a pretty fun course that allowed me to run two very different 1 mile loop intervals. I parked at Rome Point with the idea of doing the Waldron Rd 1 mile loop, but instead of heading directly there on roads, I ran the wider trails of the park, and then hopped onto Terre Mar Road. It was muggy, and lightly sprinkling, but there were bits of blue sky too. I just didn't want to get stuck in a thunderstorm. I can deal with everything else. My energy was a bit low thanks to soda with lunch (which was not healthy as well). I was thinking my planned mile interval was going to be disappointing and painful. I ran an extra mile of backroads (along the bay), hoping to feel better, which did indeed happen. I then ran the Waldren loop hard. My GPS pace was way off most of the time(probably due to thick tree cover). My pace was still showing over 6 minutes at the half way point, but this was not at all accurate, or I was in really bad shape! Finally, near the end, my watch was showing 5:20's and under 5:10 by the very end. It was a good effort and I hoped I would be happy with the time when I uploaded it, which I was - 5:18. My pace dropped for a while as I recovered. I made my way back towards the trails, but did explore a side road I had never been on before. Back in the woods, I again stayed on the wider trails, first heading out to the point, and then working my way back to the parking lot. I had the idea of doing the yellow dot loop as another mile interval. It measures .9 miles on GPS, but definitely feels like a true mile. It's a fun loop, technical in places with a 75' climb mixed in near the end. My fastest time was 6:05 (done twice). This time I felt fast, but I didn't feel like I was working crazy hard. I was super focused on my footing and avoided smashing my ankle on the stonewall crossing. The loop felt good, but I had no idea how I did. Again I was pleased to see it was 5:37 - way faster than previous efforts, but didn't feel that hard. I jogged the main path back to my car to finish up in 1:13:13.
Friday: 13 miles - Ryan Park trails alone. This was a nice relaxed run in the warm weather. Sometimes I feel rushed to get sections of these longer non-loop runs out of the way, but I was able to not force it today. It was kind of hot out (high 70's), but my body seems to be adjusting well as I was never really hot. Plenty of shade now with the trees just about fully leafed out, but I did notice the GPS beeping miles off later than normal. Lots of bird activity that included many singing orioles and great crested flycatchers. I forgot to mention I saw a woodcock on the trail out here on Wednesday. Sometimes I'm curious how much I would actually see if I wasn't running. I thought I was going to go the entire run without encountering humans, but I eventually passed two horses on the rail bed - they were friendly and told me I didn' t need to stop "jogging". Thanks for the compliment? My legs felt pretty good throughout, but were carrying some heaviness from yesterday's miles in them. Total time: 1:42:31. We'll see how my legs are feeling on the track tomorrow morning.
Saturday: 8+ miles - CHS track workout with Muddy at 7AM. I was excited to have some company on the track this morning, and even more excited when Muddy was expecting to do the Aussie Quarters workout. This was my third time doing it, so mentally the workout seems manageable now. My problem is that I might not be working hard enough on the 400's and running the fast recoveries too fast. Not sure. Awesome workout nonetheless. Results: 83/82/81/82/80/80/79/80 with average 48 for 200 recoveries = 18:04 5K.
There was a decent south wind which made things interesting, and it was rather muggy.
Sunday: 3 miles - 9xhome trail loops alone at 8PM. Happy Mother's Day! Busy day spent mostly in Newport at Sachuest (no Fuller sightings). After the kids went to bed, I was checking out the day's activity on Strava and suddenly had the urge to run. Honestly I was content to zero today, and my upper legs are pretty sore from yesterday's track workout and just alot of recent running. But the power of social media had me putting on my shoes and running in the fading light. After almost tripping on the first lap, I was able to nimbly navigate the twisty trail even as it was getting very dark out. It was really quiet out except for the frogs down in the valley and the weather was perfect. Total time: 23:41.
Overall: Fun week with some more intense efforts. No big plans for the upcoming week. My wife did point out that next Friday was Bike to Work Day. Why not run to work? It's only 22 miles....
Weekly Total: 60 miles
Last Week: 74 miles
Year to Date: 1089 miles
Tuesday: 10 miles - Saunderstown hilly roads alone. It was nice to get this sort of training run in. I parked at Rome Point, but instead of hitting up the trails, I jumped onto the road. My legs were feeling pretty good, and I tried to keep a nice pace as I warmed up to the first hill - Gilbert Stuart Road. I picked up my pace as I neared the start of the Strava segment. I was able to climb quickly and not feel totally terrible. A quick glance at my watch near the top and I thought I might have just set the record (owned by Galoob). I then turned around and headed back down the hill and soon enough I was beginning the slow and steady climb from the brook to the top of Snuff Mill Road. Even though this is the easiest grade by far of any of the climbs I'd be doing, the length makes it almost harder. Once at the top, I then zigzagged around the Plum Beach neighborhood hitting the climbs on Cottrell and Plum Beach. My last climb is the second hardest (to Gilbert Stuart) on Plum Point Road - some really steep sections. I could feel the fatigue setting in. I picked up the pace on my last mile (mostly downhill) to my car. Total time: 1:07:11 (6:41 pace) 950' of elevation gain.
Wednesday: 8 miles - Ryan Park trails with my boss. We haven't run together in a long time, so it was good to get to do this today. The weather cooperated - it did rain for part of the run, but it was so humid anyway it actually felt good. We ran the trail on the west side of park, hitting a few newer ones that he hadn't been on yet. After 4.5+ miles, he headed back and I ran a few more easy miles. Total time: 1:04:58.
Thursday: 10+ miles - NK roads (6M) and Rome Point trails (4M) solo. I wasn't sure where to run today, and if the weather was going to hold up. I ended up deciding on a pretty fun course that allowed me to run two very different 1 mile loop intervals. I parked at Rome Point with the idea of doing the Waldron Rd 1 mile loop, but instead of heading directly there on roads, I ran the wider trails of the park, and then hopped onto Terre Mar Road. It was muggy, and lightly sprinkling, but there were bits of blue sky too. I just didn't want to get stuck in a thunderstorm. I can deal with everything else. My energy was a bit low thanks to soda with lunch (which was not healthy as well). I was thinking my planned mile interval was going to be disappointing and painful. I ran an extra mile of backroads (along the bay), hoping to feel better, which did indeed happen. I then ran the Waldren loop hard. My GPS pace was way off most of the time(probably due to thick tree cover). My pace was still showing over 6 minutes at the half way point, but this was not at all accurate, or I was in really bad shape! Finally, near the end, my watch was showing 5:20's and under 5:10 by the very end. It was a good effort and I hoped I would be happy with the time when I uploaded it, which I was - 5:18. My pace dropped for a while as I recovered. I made my way back towards the trails, but did explore a side road I had never been on before. Back in the woods, I again stayed on the wider trails, first heading out to the point, and then working my way back to the parking lot. I had the idea of doing the yellow dot loop as another mile interval. It measures .9 miles on GPS, but definitely feels like a true mile. It's a fun loop, technical in places with a 75' climb mixed in near the end. My fastest time was 6:05 (done twice). This time I felt fast, but I didn't feel like I was working crazy hard. I was super focused on my footing and avoided smashing my ankle on the stonewall crossing. The loop felt good, but I had no idea how I did. Again I was pleased to see it was 5:37 - way faster than previous efforts, but didn't feel that hard. I jogged the main path back to my car to finish up in 1:13:13.
Friday: 13 miles - Ryan Park trails alone. This was a nice relaxed run in the warm weather. Sometimes I feel rushed to get sections of these longer non-loop runs out of the way, but I was able to not force it today. It was kind of hot out (high 70's), but my body seems to be adjusting well as I was never really hot. Plenty of shade now with the trees just about fully leafed out, but I did notice the GPS beeping miles off later than normal. Lots of bird activity that included many singing orioles and great crested flycatchers. I forgot to mention I saw a woodcock on the trail out here on Wednesday. Sometimes I'm curious how much I would actually see if I wasn't running. I thought I was going to go the entire run without encountering humans, but I eventually passed two horses on the rail bed - they were friendly and told me I didn' t need to stop "jogging". Thanks for the compliment? My legs felt pretty good throughout, but were carrying some heaviness from yesterday's miles in them. Total time: 1:42:31. We'll see how my legs are feeling on the track tomorrow morning.
Saturday: 8+ miles - CHS track workout with Muddy at 7AM. I was excited to have some company on the track this morning, and even more excited when Muddy was expecting to do the Aussie Quarters workout. This was my third time doing it, so mentally the workout seems manageable now. My problem is that I might not be working hard enough on the 400's and running the fast recoveries too fast. Not sure. Awesome workout nonetheless. Results: 83/82/81/82/80/80/79/80 with average 48 for 200 recoveries = 18:04 5K.
There was a decent south wind which made things interesting, and it was rather muggy.
Sunday: 3 miles - 9xhome trail loops alone at 8PM. Happy Mother's Day! Busy day spent mostly in Newport at Sachuest (no Fuller sightings). After the kids went to bed, I was checking out the day's activity on Strava and suddenly had the urge to run. Honestly I was content to zero today, and my upper legs are pretty sore from yesterday's track workout and just alot of recent running. But the power of social media had me putting on my shoes and running in the fading light. After almost tripping on the first lap, I was able to nimbly navigate the twisty trail even as it was getting very dark out. It was really quiet out except for the frogs down in the valley and the weather was perfect. Total time: 23:41.
Overall: Fun week with some more intense efforts. No big plans for the upcoming week. My wife did point out that next Friday was Bike to Work Day. Why not run to work? It's only 22 miles....
Weekly Total: 60 miles
Last Week: 74 miles
Year to Date: 1089 miles
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Weekly Log 4-29-13 to 5-5-13
Beginning the week, my body was in great shape considering the trail 40K on Saturday. Have I ever mentioned I love trails? I never have any long term soreness from them. I do have a nice purple and black bruise on the left side of my lower abs from falling on the root during the race, but the good news is that my disgusting shin/ankle (smashed 4 weeks ago on a stonewall) is looking almost normal. The weather could probably be described as perfect, so I have to go run it every day. No real goals for training. Maybe this will be a so so week of recovery and then start pushing the limits next week? Maybe sneek into a race on the weekend or do a group trail run? Not sure, but it'll be fun.
Monday: 9 miles - Big River trails alone. I parked at Greasy Joe's and ran all of Lego over to Dead Shed. I saw online there was a huge Earth Day clean up here, and the efforts were notable, including the car remains and legos (both gone). The vacuum was still around as was the creepy mannequin however. My legs only felt slightly fatigued, mostly in the beginning, and most of the run was at a good trail pace (what GPS frustratingly shows as mid 9's!!). If I was on roads, I'm sure it would be 7 flat, so I'll compromise and call it 8. Anyway, after Dead Shed, I missed my turn, but found a cool twisty hilly mtn bike trail that led me down to Tarbox Pond. I then followed the shoreline to the beaver dam crossing. It looked passable, so I went for it. Kept my feet dry and then ran some other trails until I randomly met up with the Ridge Trail. I finished my loop by connecting to Foster's Folly. On this final trail I heard something/someone knocking over a tree nearby that reminded me of that silly bigfoot show on Animal Planet. Clearly they would think it was a bigfoot telling me to get out of its territory. I obliged by picking up my pace. Total time: 1:12:12.
Tuesday: 8.5 miles - Big River trails solo. Another sunny mid 60's day that needed to be spent in the woods. I decided to head back to Big River, but this time park at the Hopkins Hill lot. I had a plan of running a loop on both sides of this road, trying to avoid any duplication from yesterday's run. I kept changing my mind as I went, and ran some new trails along the way. Again my pace felt quick, until tiring at the end. I got confused on the trails between Hopkins Hill Rd and the Cardi road, but I still managed to not repeat any sections and still find my way out. There are lots of steep hills in this spot. Total time: 1:06:17.
Wednesday: 8 miles - Quonset Bike Path workout alone. I was feeling good enough to give the Aussie Quarters workout another try. This time I would be on the bike path instead of the track. I assumed that it would be hard to duplicate my overall 5K time (17:58) from the track, especially considering the bike path is not flat, and has a couple of GPS interference spots due to tree cover. But the point is to get a good workout in. As soon as I drove there my plan changed. The wind was whipping from the SSE, so I decided to run from east to west, rather than the planned west to east. After an almost two mile warm up I began the workout (programmed into my watch). Results:
44/79/47/81/47/83/49/80/49/82/49/82/51/80/52/85/47 = 18:13 5K
Notes: I didn't think I would finish the workout. I wanted to quit after the 6th 400. My target times were 81 and 48, so I did a pretty good job overall, but it was my recoveries that needed to be faster. I think this translates to a similar effort that I did on the track. Total time: 53:25.
Thursday: 7.5 miles - Rome Point trails and beach alone. Another really nice day. I felt a little flat energywise today, and my legs were tired. I still enjoyed my run, zigzagging trails at first, and then doing an abbreviated out and back on the beach. Tough conditions with a super high tide (thick sand) and a strong south wind. Total time: 1:00:04.
Friday: 13 miles - Ryan Park trails solo. I had the opportunity to run for a little longer than normal and I thought about running to Ryan from the office, but the roads ultimately proved too unappealing. Instead I parked at the upper Oak Hill Rd lot and ran up and down the west side trails until connecting over to the east side via the rail bed trail. I then reconnected to the west side and ran around there a little longer before finishing up in 1:37:37. It was almost chilly running into the wind, and hot with it at your back. My legs were a bit tired, but overall it was a good run.
Saturday: 16 miles - Burlingame trail loop alone from my house. 6AM start and it was chilly, so i wore two layers up top and my hat. I brought my handheld, but ditched it after a mile, not enjoying the extra weight. I entered the park at the bottom of Shumankanuc Hill Rd and picked up Sammy C's trail heading CCW. I then continued on Vin Gormley until reaching the campground. I kept running into deer on this stretch. Next was my long trail loop around the campground. Being on top of the moraine, I was feeling the warm sun. My legs began to tire about the time I reached Sanctuary Rd (with a new layer of dirt). I was able to ignore the fatigue for the rest of the way. Back in the woods, I followed Sammy C's back to my water bottle and then hoofed the last mile on the hilly road back to my house. Total time: 2:07. Lots of singing birds in the woods including a wood thrush and numerous ovenbirds. The trails were in great shape. Great run!
Sunday: 12 miles - Grills Preserve trails with Muddy. Really fun morning stroll, exploring new trails and connecting to familiar ones. We lingered at a couple of spectacular overlooks, and took some time figuring out how to cross the swamp/Tomaquag Brook, but the pace was decent most of the time. The new silver dot trail is really fun - steep hills, rocks, and twists, all in a place a used to play (MC's backyard) when I was a kid. Who knew I'd be running back there 25 years later? Total time: 1:38:15.
Overall: Decent recovery week! I guess I was feeling pretty good after the TARC debacle. The weather has been so awesome I can't not run. I ran some longer runs that I wasn't expecting. I'm hoping to ramp up the intensity of some of my runs next week.
Weekly Total: 74 miles
Last Week: 45 miles
Year to Date: 1029 miles
Monday: 9 miles - Big River trails alone. I parked at Greasy Joe's and ran all of Lego over to Dead Shed. I saw online there was a huge Earth Day clean up here, and the efforts were notable, including the car remains and legos (both gone). The vacuum was still around as was the creepy mannequin however. My legs only felt slightly fatigued, mostly in the beginning, and most of the run was at a good trail pace (what GPS frustratingly shows as mid 9's!!). If I was on roads, I'm sure it would be 7 flat, so I'll compromise and call it 8. Anyway, after Dead Shed, I missed my turn, but found a cool twisty hilly mtn bike trail that led me down to Tarbox Pond. I then followed the shoreline to the beaver dam crossing. It looked passable, so I went for it. Kept my feet dry and then ran some other trails until I randomly met up with the Ridge Trail. I finished my loop by connecting to Foster's Folly. On this final trail I heard something/someone knocking over a tree nearby that reminded me of that silly bigfoot show on Animal Planet. Clearly they would think it was a bigfoot telling me to get out of its territory. I obliged by picking up my pace. Total time: 1:12:12.
Tuesday: 8.5 miles - Big River trails solo. Another sunny mid 60's day that needed to be spent in the woods. I decided to head back to Big River, but this time park at the Hopkins Hill lot. I had a plan of running a loop on both sides of this road, trying to avoid any duplication from yesterday's run. I kept changing my mind as I went, and ran some new trails along the way. Again my pace felt quick, until tiring at the end. I got confused on the trails between Hopkins Hill Rd and the Cardi road, but I still managed to not repeat any sections and still find my way out. There are lots of steep hills in this spot. Total time: 1:06:17.
Wednesday: 8 miles - Quonset Bike Path workout alone. I was feeling good enough to give the Aussie Quarters workout another try. This time I would be on the bike path instead of the track. I assumed that it would be hard to duplicate my overall 5K time (17:58) from the track, especially considering the bike path is not flat, and has a couple of GPS interference spots due to tree cover. But the point is to get a good workout in. As soon as I drove there my plan changed. The wind was whipping from the SSE, so I decided to run from east to west, rather than the planned west to east. After an almost two mile warm up I began the workout (programmed into my watch). Results:
44/79/47/81/47/83/49/80/49/82/49/82/51/80/52/85/47 = 18:13 5K
Notes: I didn't think I would finish the workout. I wanted to quit after the 6th 400. My target times were 81 and 48, so I did a pretty good job overall, but it was my recoveries that needed to be faster. I think this translates to a similar effort that I did on the track. Total time: 53:25.
Thursday: 7.5 miles - Rome Point trails and beach alone. Another really nice day. I felt a little flat energywise today, and my legs were tired. I still enjoyed my run, zigzagging trails at first, and then doing an abbreviated out and back on the beach. Tough conditions with a super high tide (thick sand) and a strong south wind. Total time: 1:00:04.
Friday: 13 miles - Ryan Park trails solo. I had the opportunity to run for a little longer than normal and I thought about running to Ryan from the office, but the roads ultimately proved too unappealing. Instead I parked at the upper Oak Hill Rd lot and ran up and down the west side trails until connecting over to the east side via the rail bed trail. I then reconnected to the west side and ran around there a little longer before finishing up in 1:37:37. It was almost chilly running into the wind, and hot with it at your back. My legs were a bit tired, but overall it was a good run.
Saturday: 16 miles - Burlingame trail loop alone from my house. 6AM start and it was chilly, so i wore two layers up top and my hat. I brought my handheld, but ditched it after a mile, not enjoying the extra weight. I entered the park at the bottom of Shumankanuc Hill Rd and picked up Sammy C's trail heading CCW. I then continued on Vin Gormley until reaching the campground. I kept running into deer on this stretch. Next was my long trail loop around the campground. Being on top of the moraine, I was feeling the warm sun. My legs began to tire about the time I reached Sanctuary Rd (with a new layer of dirt). I was able to ignore the fatigue for the rest of the way. Back in the woods, I followed Sammy C's back to my water bottle and then hoofed the last mile on the hilly road back to my house. Total time: 2:07. Lots of singing birds in the woods including a wood thrush and numerous ovenbirds. The trails were in great shape. Great run!
Sunday: 12 miles - Grills Preserve trails with Muddy. Really fun morning stroll, exploring new trails and connecting to familiar ones. We lingered at a couple of spectacular overlooks, and took some time figuring out how to cross the swamp/Tomaquag Brook, but the pace was decent most of the time. The new silver dot trail is really fun - steep hills, rocks, and twists, all in a place a used to play (MC's backyard) when I was a kid. Who knew I'd be running back there 25 years later? Total time: 1:38:15.
Overall: Decent recovery week! I guess I was feeling pretty good after the TARC debacle. The weather has been so awesome I can't not run. I ran some longer runs that I wasn't expecting. I'm hoping to ramp up the intensity of some of my runs next week.
Weekly Total: 74 miles
Last Week: 45 miles
Year to Date: 1029 miles
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