Charlestown FOP 5K

This past Sunday I ran the Charlestown FOP 5K.  I was looking forward to this race for awhile, as it is a very flat PR course.  I wanted to see what sort of time I could put up.  Things looked a little bleaker on race day, when I was still battling a head cold, and the winds were already blowing from distant Hurricane Sandy.  I considered not even racing, but I knew my WTAC teammates would be there, and I had already told my neighbors (including the race director) that I was going.  I sucked it up, and got ready. 

Familiar faces galore at registration, and after getting my bib number, I headed out to run the course with Justin and Jeff.  The warm up revealed the following:  the wind was very strong and going to be a big factor, the course was different - only one lap on the bike loop, and my body didn't feel that great running.  We were running slowly (8 minute pace) and it still felt terrible.  I wasn't sure what I could expect when it was time to race. 

I lined up front next to perennial winner Will Sanders and some of my teammates.  I heard a guy in a Whirlaway singlet saying he was planning to run low 17's.  I decided to keep my eye on him.  Soon we were off.  Will went flying off the line and I settled into 2nd place initially, before the Whirlaway guy inched ahead of me.  I stayed with him for the first half mile, before making a move before a corner that he didn't match.  I could hear his loud breathing behind me for awhile.  I felt surprisingly good.  I didn't dare look at my watch, afraid I would see a way too ambitious pace that I couldn't keep up.  My watch beeped at 1 mile, but I still hadn't passed the course marker.  I still didn't look.  Eventually I passed the marked 1 mile and I heard the woman say either 5:15 or 5:50 - big range!  I assumed it was the lower number, considering I was in 2nd place, and ahead of Justin.  I really thought I might have gone out too fast, and was going to burn out.  Right before the turn back into Ninigret Park, I heard footsteps and quiet breathing.  Soon enough, Justin caught up to me.  I latched onto his shoulder briefly, but felt like I was working too hard, so I let him go.  He steadily increased his lead to a few seconds by the 2nd mile marker.  We then entered the bike loop and some of the strongest headwinds.  Justin was still pulling away and I looked back to see Jeff closing in.  I felt like I was giving it my all, and thought that it just wasn't my day.  I still tried to keep it up, and fight the winds.  Nearing the end of the loop, the wind was at its strongest.  I seemed to be closing Justin's gap a bit, and Jeff was still about the same distance behind me.  I looked at my watch and it was in the 16:20's with not much left to go.  Could I really break 17 today?  I began sprinting.  I passed the 3 mile mark.  Justin was getting closer and I sprinted as fast as I could through the shoot.  Official time: 17:21.  A big PR for sure, and a surprise time on a windy day.  Justin finished in 17:12.  Jeff was 4th in 17:38, followed by Jay S (18:05), and the Whirlaway guy in 18:17.  Mike B and Rhody Seth hustled in with PR's next.  Official Results here. 

Finishing up.  Photo courtesy of Jeff Walker. 

I joined the group of WTAC'ers headed out on a cool down.  It was nice to finally meet Mike C in person and chat about his trail 50K last week.  We headed up to the trails and ran out to Grassy Point and back.  Then it was awards time (cash prize!), before it was finally time to go. 

I finally got around to uploading my GPS data.  Here were my splits (more consistent than I thought):  5:33/5:42/5:39 and final .1 in 27 seconds! 

Recap of Recent Local 5K's

I was able to race two local 5K's the past two Sundays: Westerly Run for the Pumpkins and Charlestown FOP (aka Halloween Hot Pursuit).  These races couldn't be more different as far as course layout goes, but there were plenty of familiar faces at both. 

First off was the Westerly Run for the Pumpkins 5K (results here).  I won this race two years ago (huge surprise to me) and was second last year.  This year looked like at best another runner up finish since fellow teammate and training partner Chris Garvin was registered to run.  I wasn't sure if last year's winner (David Holgate) would be back to defend his title as well.  And what about Tommy FiveK? 

Because of busy family plans, I wasn't sure I could even do this race until a couple of days beforehand.  The morning of the race I was getting pumped up and had talked myself into the possibility of overtaking Garvin and the rest of the field on the steep hill during mile 2 and holding on for the win.  Chris had raced on Friday afternoon.  David had just beat me at the end of the Run4Kerri race this past August and 15 seconds at this race last year.  Surely I would be faster this year. 

I headed to the race with my family and met up with fellow WTAC'ers.  A few of us headed out for a warm up on the course, and it was as twisty and hilly as I had remembered.  The big climb is 98' and steep in spots and is totally out of character for a 5K road race (or pretty much any road race).  We were running out of time to do the entire course and I briefly panicked that I would get us lost trying to navigate the labyrinth of neighborhood roads back to the start.  We figured it out and had just a few minutes to spare. 

I lined up with Chris, Jeff, and many other WTAC teammates (great club turnout for this dual directed race, unfortunately not as many from the schools as previous two years).  My plan was to run the first mile fast (5:20), crank the hill, and then see what happens.  The weather was sunny, seasonable, and a bit windy.  I was ready to roll. 

I followed closely behind Chris for the first 1/4 mile out of the park and into the neighborhood.  He then pulled away and I couldn't match his speed.  The wind was annoying the first mile and I was disappointed with my split (5:29).  Chris's lead steadily grew and I knew that Jeff was probably lurking on the steep descent leading to the climb.  My attitude was sort of bad at this point.  I ran the hill pretty hard.  Whatever ground I made up on Chris wasn't significant enough to make a difference and I still had a bad attitude.  I tried to keep pushing especially since Jeff wasn't too far behind the last time I checked.  Mile 2 was 6:00.  Ugh!  Was I even going to match my time from last year (18:00)?  I pressed on the best I could.  My watch was showing a faster pace during the third mile.  This helped my mind.  I could still see Chris far in front of me, but he wasn't increasing his lead anymore.  Finally, the course leveled off and then dropped back to the park (mile 3 split 5:41).  I glanced at my watch and knew I was going to be sub 18.  I sprinted through the shoot (4:43 pace for final .1) in 17:45.  15 seconds faster than last year (and equaled David's winning time).  Chris unbelievably snuck in under 17 minutes in 16:59.  That's very fast for this slow course.  Jeff also PR'd.  The post race gathering was warm and fun as usual. 

Next up was the Charlestown FOP race in Ninigret Park (results here).  This was my fourth year in a row doing this race.  It is a PR course and I was hoping for one this year, hopefully just under 17 minutes.  I had handicapped my race by running very hard workouts during the week, but an easy Friday and Saturday of running had them feeling good on race day.  The weather was again seasonable and sunny.  There was wind (as usual this close to the ocean). 

I arrived an hour early and met up with many WTAC teammates including Jeff, Mike B & C, Seth, and Tommy FiveK.  We had a big group on a warm up run that included most of the course.  Time was running short again so I hightailed back to my car for final prep.  I then ran a few strides waiting for the race to begin.  I was hoping for third place (cash prize) as Will Sanders was in attendance and I can't hang with FiveK in his signature distance.  There is always the potential for other fast dudes showing up for the race.  I was anxious for the start. 

It was quite the show off the line.  Will Sanders hammered immediately with a sweatshirt/pants guy trying to keep up.  There were others sprinting off the line as well.  After 100 meters the chaos quieted down and I found myself in third place, closely following FiveK.  As we made a 180 turn the wind was now screaming in our faces.  I tried to pick up the intensity, but was losing ground on FiveK (expected) and hearing close footsteps behind me.  I kept checking my pace on my watch to make sure I was where I wanted to be, which I was until near the end of the first mile.  I didn't recognize the breathing/foot strikes of my chaser so I assumed it was Jay Seekell and not Jeff.  Turns out it was both of them plus Seth.  I reached the first mile in an announced 5:30 (5:34 on my watch).  Not fast enough, but mostly into the wind, so hopefully things would balance out later.  The second mile has a few more turns back into the open park and I was now running alone.  I couldn't hear anyone behind me and FiveK had a decent lead in front of me.  I tried hard to not have a mile 2 let down.  I didn't see my split (5:38 on my watch).  The last mile is mostly on an open bike loop.  The first 1/4 mile was into the wind.  I really tried to bear down here.  My pace was okay coming out of it and I now had the wind at my back for the duration.  I was still very alone, and battling myself mentally.  When to push harder?  Can I push harder?  I exited the bike loop and was getting close to the finish.  I passed Chris Garvin (spectating) and he told me I could still go sub 17.  I wasn't so sure glancing at my watch (mile 3 split 5:28).  Once I got a visual of the finish line I hammered it home.  I was running extremely hard, but it was too much too late, and I crossed the line in 17:04 (4:21 pace for the final .1).  A two second PR, but a few seconds short of 16:59.  Oh well.  It was a good race considering my week of running and not having anyone pushing me the final two miles.  My splits were very consistent which was encouraging. 

It was more exciting to watch the rest of my teammates (and other familiar local faces) finish up their races.  Jeff in 4th and a new PR, Seth in a huge PR and sub 18, Matthew sub 19, Shara for the win, Mike C PR?, and on and on.  We had another big group on our cool down out to Grassy Point.  Thanks Jeff for scaring us (hid in the bushes on our way back and jumped out at us).  Screamed like a girl.  Fun atmosphere post race. 

Photo by Jana Walker

Charlestown FOP 5K 2011

Sunday was the rescheduled Charlestown FOP 5K in Ninigret Park.  Usually taking place in August, I welcomed the cool air of November.  I was excited to run a flat course, and see where all my training this fall had gotten me.  My stated goal was to run in the 18:30's, but I was gunning for something even faster than that.  I knew that the race always attracted some fast runners, and that my winter running partners, Justin and Jeff, would be there. 

The weather was terrific.  A little warmer than forecasted, it was 57 degrees by 8:30AM.  The wind was not as strong as anticipated, but still noticeable.  I grabbed my bib, found Justin, and did a warm up.  We noticed that the course was not the same.  Instead of running a lap of the bike loop at the beginning and again at the end of the race, the course now began on the roads and then finished with two laps of the bike loop before spilling back out onto the road.  We wandered back to the starting area where we met up with Jeff.  We decided to run a little more as we had five minutes to the start time.  Justin and Jeff pointed out two really fast guys shooting for the course record and the extra winnings that came with it.  I still lined up front and waited for the gun. 

I found myself sprinting off the line and settling into 3rd place (1st and 2nd were quickly out of sight).  I could hear plenty of footsteps behind me and I knew that I would at least be seeing Justin soon.  I knew my first mile would be fast, and I wanted to just go with it.  My speed workouts would hopefully give me the strength to carry it through the last two.  The first mile winds through the park on twisty roads.  Since I couldn't see the leaders, I used my best judgement on finding the shortest lines on the turns.  At about 3/4 of mile in, Justin moved by me.  I initially decided to stay right with him, but I wasn't comfortable at his pace, and he looked strong.  Then another runner caught up to me.  We passed through the 1st mile in 5:41.  Too fast to keep up, but I was happy with how easy it felt. 

The second mile is always my slowest.  At least I had company to keep me honest.  The runner at my side moved ahead a couple of times, but I wouldn't let him get away.  As we neared the entrance to the bike loop I surged through the headwind, and put some distance between us.  The wind was an issue, but I'm very used to it running near the water, so I didn't let it bother me mentally.  I could still see Justin in front of me, but by now he had 20+ seconds on me.  Finally, the wind was at my back as I passed the 2nd mile marker in 11:50.  I was a little concerned about my second mile.  I was still on pace for a PR and my goal, but I didn't like it took me over six minutes, even though over half of it was into the wind. 

Beginning mile 3, the wind was still at my back, and I tried to quicken my pace.  I felt strong (thanks to my workouts), and was feeling confident.  As the bike loop turned into the wind again, I also had to now deal with other runners entering the loop on their first lap.  Despite the traffic, I was able to run the tangents and lines I wanted for the most part.  I was thankful to once again get the wind off my face and onto my back.  I knew I was getting close to the finish, but I wasn't sure how far down the road the finish line was.  I didn't even think to look for the 3rd mile marker, but had my sights on the finish.  I noticed my wife, kids, and dad cheering me on, and put together a finishing kick.  I couldn't believe the time on the clock as I crossed the line.  18:08, good for 4th place and a 52 second 5K PR. 

I met up with Justin, who was third in a PR time of 17:33, and Jeff (6th place, 18:33).  We chatted about our races, and then I was congratulated by my family.  After a few minutes, I began getting cold, so we went inside the Frosty Drew Nature Center, where the registration, food, and facilities were.  Eventually, my kids wanted to go back to the playground, so Justin and I ran a cooldown through the park as we waited for the awards ceremony. 

Overall, I was thrilled with this race.  I can't believe I ran 5:51 mile pace for 5K.  I knew I could get under 6 minute pace, but this was a surprise.  I think that I could have run even harder, especially if I had company the last mile, and gotten under 18 minutes.  Before this race, I wouldn't have thought that was possible.  Now I can't wait to run another 5K. 

Results

On the bike loop:

Justin looking strong, but distracted?

Finishing up

Weekly Log 10-21-13 to 10-27-13

I officially registered for the Charlestown FOP 5K in Ninigret this Sunday.  I wasn't sure if I would definitely be around or not.  This is a PR course, and hopefully I can knock a few more seconds off of mine and sneak under 17 minutes.  My mind waivers if I'm in shape to do this or not.  I probably should taper for this race, but I'm not going to compromise my training for upcoming goal races - Li'l Rhody Runaround and Christmas 10K.  We'll see what happens. 

Monday: 10 miles - Ryan Park trails with Dan.  I haven't run with Dan in a long time, but he was my main training partner for the first two years I seriously got into running.  This run brought the memories right back - he would push the pace faster than what I wanted to go, I would eventually get used to it and maintain it for the duration while he hung back.  Every run was done rather fast, and is opposite of the way I train now.  It made me think I really lollygag some of my easy trail runs.  Anyway, I followed him around the park for the first 4 miles or so, roughly following the Belleville Pond 10K course.  He told me to take over the lead after we stopped for some horses.  We finished up the run back at our cars (52 minutes), and I decided to run a couple of more miles, completing another loop around the pond.  Fun day. 



Tuesday: 10 miles - Big River trails alone.  I was inspired to do a long trail tempo today after yesterday's run and checking out the competition on Strava.  I decided to run the loop of Lego to Dead Shed to Pump House and back.  GPS measures it at about 6 miles, but definitely seems like 7.  Right away my legs felt tired so I opted for a short warm up that seemed to do the trick (about 1.5 miles).  The weather was sunny and warm (70 degrees) and I wondered if I would get hot wearing my required orange shirt.  I picked up my pace and began the loop.  I was running hard, but at a pace I thought (hoped) I could manage to maintain.  I was sporting my new glasses, but moving so fast on the leaf covered trails it was still a bit of an adventure.  I made it through the first half of Lego in about 14 minutes an knew that I was doing well.  What surprised me was my split at the end of 2nd half of Lego (PR!) and I still felt great.  I continued to push myself down Dead Shed.  I wasn't tired yet.  Unfortunately I didn't look at my watch and GPS didn't match the segment, so I didn't get my split for this trail (but likely a PR too).  I finally was experiencing some fatigue on the Pump House trail on the early twisty part, but I knew the end was near.  I turned it up some more on the straight Strava segment at the end (another PR) and continued to motor back up the New London Turnpike.  I completed the loop in 43:47 - a 5 minute PR and CR.  I then did another 1.5 mile cooldown.  This was a really good workout and a confidence boost for upcoming trail races. 



Wednesday: 8 miles - Rome Point trails alone.  Today felt like a late fall/early winter day.  It was gray and cold.  The trails were covered with dry brown leaves (except for trails that "the raker" had recently visited).  The woods were quiet except for the occasional flock of mixed winter birds (chickadees, titmice, juncos, etc.).  I was overdressed, and warmed up rather quickly.  My legs seemed okay at first, but felt tired for most of the run.  There's a new fun little trail on the north side of the park.  Good stuff.  Okay run. 



Thursday: 18 miles on two runs.  Today was an epic workout in the pitch dark.  The ambitious plan was another MacMillan 10K workout: 1 x 2 mile/5 min rest/4 x 1 mile w/ 3-4 minute rests all run at goal 10K pace.  That's 6 miles of speed work and I just ran a hard 7 mile trail tempo two days ago.  I wasn't sure if I could complete the workout or nail the target pace (5:40).  I had a restless sleep, and finally got out of bed at 4:50AM.  We needed to start the workout early so that Mike and myself could leave at 7.  I hit the road and arrived just behind Nate.  It was chilly (38 degrees) and going to be dark for another hour plus.  I dressed appropriately and decided to wear my shoes (Nike 3.0's) that I would be racing the Christmas 10K in (and maybe Li'l Rhody).  I wandered over to the track and began running while Nate stretched.  A couple of laps in Nate and Chris G joined me.  A few more laps and then Mike showed up.  We eventually stopped and I realized I ran almost a 3 mile warm up - oops, too long!  Without much delay we walked up to the start line and began the 2 mile interval.  Chris is racing this weekend and decided to run with/pace me.  This is super helpful as he had an old school watch and could check our splits.  It was so dark, it seemed like we were the only two on the track.  We were 2-3 seconds slow on the 2nd lap and it felt like we couldn't catch up, but I ended up with a 11:19 (11:20 target).  We ran two laps for a recovery and then began the 4 x mile repeats.  Honestly I thought we would do 3 of them, as none of us have been doing close to 6 miles of speedwork.  Chris again was going to run with me, but I was feeling great and stayed in front of him and did the math in my head each lap to ensure I wasn't going too slow.  After 3, Chris and Nate were stopping, but Mike was game for one more.  Fatigue was setting in, but I still felt pretty smooth on the last one.  Huge confidence boost.  I don't know if I can run 5:40 pace for a 10K, but I should have no problems PR'ing.  Results: 11:19/5:36/5:37/5:33/5:32 Boom! 

I was feeling pretty beat when the time for my early afternoon recovery came around, but the weather looked nice (sunny), so I tried to make the best of it.  I decided to stay close and just run the west side of Ryan Park.  My form felt ragged at first, but things got easier after a while.  I was moving slow and it was cold when facing the wind.  I mixed up the course as I went which took away some of the monotony.  I smashed my foot on a root and fell 4+ miles in.  I wished I had my trail shoes on!  I tacked on a mile across the road in Feuer Park before weaving my way back to my car.  Big day.  I need to make sure I replace my depleted chromium levels tonight. 




Friday: 9 miles - 3 x Calf Pasture Point loop (beach, trail, and bike path) alone.  This run turned out way better than I thought.  I had a bad attitude since my legs were tired, it was windy, cloudy, and cold.  Nothing seemed appealing to me as far as where to run, so I ventured over to the bike path since it is flat and scenic.  When I reached the beach, I was afraid the tide was too high for me to make it by the tidal stream, but it is currently dried up, so that wasn't a problem.  The sand wasn't as firm as I'd like and the wind was in my face for the southern half of the shoreline.  But I found myself enjoying the run more and more as I went.  After two laps,  I decided to run one more but in the opposite direction.  The wind situation was better at first, but then screaming in my face on the north end.  Oh well.  My legs felt pretty strong coming off the big workout yesterday. 




Saturday: 3 miles - 9 x home trail loops in the mid afternoon.  I wasn't feeling an early morning run in the dark and cold so I ran the only chance I had which was at my house during the kids' screen time.  I was glad I did get to shake the legs out.  Total time: 22:47 (7:32/7:40/7:35). 

Sunday: 8 miles - Charlestown FOP 5K - 17:04, 3rd overall, 2 second PR.  I needed to start my sprint a little earlier or just run a little tougher.  Still a decent effort since I was running alone and it was windy.  Separate write up to follow.  My splits according to Strava: 5:34/5:38/5:28/.1 in 4:21 pace.  Happy with the consistency. 




Overall: 3 speed workouts and decent mileage.  I hope to keep plugging away like this until Li'l Rhody week. 

Weekly Total: 66 miles
Last Week: 72 miles
Year to Date: 2668 miles

Charlestown Police FOP 5K 2010

I am what I am. 

Yesterday morning I ran a local 5K.  With a 9am start, the weather was dry and not too hot (about 70 degrees).  I was hoping to meet up with Justin or possibly my father at the race when I arrived, but didn't see them.  I checked in, and headed out for a short warm up.  My body was feeling pretty good after being sore the previous two days from bodyboarding Thursday night.  My goal, as usual, was to be sub 20 minutes.  I felt this was the race that I would attain it.  Despite being a small race, there seemed to be some good runners in attendance, and I hoped that I would be pushed to keep up my pace throughout.  I lined up behind some guys in jerseys, Chad Greene, and a few others.  At the gun, I felt nice and loose.  I wanted to utilize my fast start, and then just hang on for the last two miles.  Right away, people were passing me, until about a half mile in.  No one else passed me the entire rest of the way.  Chad was still not too far ahead at the 1 mile mark - 6:19.  I was feeling pretty confident.  I had to work harder to keep up my pace, but I was now catching and passing people.  The course was flat, but twisty, which kept it interesting.  The only problem was that it was fully exposed to the sun, and I was feeling hot.  Mile 2 was not marked or manned as Mile 1 was.  I was a little annoyed at this, as I had no idea if I was still on pace, but I felt good about passing two more people.  My pace was even for the finish - I wasn't sure if my body was capable of sprinting.  I also had a mental let down, as I could tell I would not break twenty minutes.  I felt a little bummed about this, as I thought I ran a strong race, but I guess I am what I am.  The results:

CHARLESTOWN POLICE DEPARTMENT 5K ROAD RACE
Sunday, August 29, 2010 Charlestown, RI

Place Div/Tot No. Name Ag S City St Time Pace
1 1/30 109 LONERGAN ERIC 24 M N KINGSTOWN RI 15:58 5:09
2 2/30 101 AHNRUD GREG 23 M CHEPACHET RI 16:40 5:22
3 1/14 49 Marsella Michael 15 M Hope Valley RI 16:53 5:27
4 3/30 39 Holgate David 24 M N Providence RI 17:41 5:42
5 4/30 121 DANIELS MICHAEL 31 M W WARWICK RI 18:05 5:50
6 5/30 1 SEEKELL JASON 33 M CHARLESTOWN RI 18:16 5:53
7 1/15 91 CASPERSON THOMAS 45 M CRANSTON RI 18:20 5:55
8 2/15 75 Schaad Dave 48 M E Greenwich RI 18:30 5:58
9 6/30 37 Greene Chad 34 M S Attleboro MA 18:35 5:59
10 7/30 78 THIBODEAU MICHAEL 39 M E GREENWICH RI 18:56 6:06

16 11/30 160 HAMMETT JONATHAN 35 M CHARLESTOWN RI 20:12 6:31

Weekly Log 11-7-11 to 11-13-11

Monday: 13 miles - Saunderstown hilly roads (10.2 miles) and Camp Nokewa trails (3+ miles) alone.  My plan was for 11 miles.  I parked at Rome Point and ran north up Rte 1A and then up and down the Plum Point and Plum Beach neighborhood roads.  I then ran down Snuff Mill Rd and up and down the Gilbert Stuart Rd hill.  I took a detour into Camp Nokewa.  I noticed more signage for this now state-owned property, so I thought I would wander around for a better look.  I spent quite some time checking all the side trails and main path.  I think I could string together a 2 mile loop.  I was in there for a little over 24 minutes.  Back on the road, I finished up my run back to my car.  The total time was 1:40:23.  A little longer than planned.  The road section was 10.2 miles which I average 7:27 minute miles.  Just for fun I tallied up the elevation gain on this run using a topo map and came up with 930 feet.  Not too shabby for southern RI. 

Tuesday: 6 miles - Rome Point trails and beach with Tom.  This was a great little run.  Gorgeous weather (almost 70 degrees, bright sun, no wind).  This was a tempo-ish effort, with certain stretches run pretty hard.  We did a little exploring that was interesting.  Got some additional hill work out of it.  We flushed a barred owl and got a great look at it flying through the woods.  Total time: 45:48. 

Wednesday: 11 miles - Quonset Bike Path workout with Calf Pasture Point warm up (1.5M) and cool down (5M) alone.  Despite my tired body from the hills two days prior, mentally I was excited to do my normal reverse ladder workout - 2 mile/1 mile/800/400.  The one difference today was that I opted for a tighter pair of Free Runs, and I was pleased with the results.  The 2 mile is the time I am the most focused on.  I checked my watch every half mile.  Today my times at the splits were 2:54, 5:51, 8:50, and 11:43.  I put in a great effort and was rewarded with a significant PR by 7 seconds.  I was wiped out after completing it, and wondered if I should even bother finishing my workout.  I did finish.  My times were not great, but decent enough based on how tired I was - 5:54, 2:56, 80.  The 400 time was an estimate as I was interrupted by a dog in my lane.  I stopped at my car for water and an email check, and then headed out on the relaxing portion of my run.  Lot's of people out today on yet another spectacular fall day.  Total time:1:23:05. 

Thursday: 0 - dreary and then heavy rains cancelled my planned short easy recovery run. 

Friday: 16 miles - Burlingame trails with Muddy and Jeff.  We were able to schedule our weekend long run on the holiday as we are all running a 5K on Sunday.  A little chilly at the start (6:30) due to the strong winds, especially near the pond.  The trails were leaf covered and the bridges and rocks were a little slippery.  My legs are still tired from Wednesday's workout and I didn't feel as peppy as last week.  We did the same route, but somehow avoided the hunters this time.  These two hour runs breeze by with company.  Total time: 2:04.  My family then spent the day hiking/exploring in Tiverton, RI.  So far away in Rhode Islander terms (over an hour), but well worth the trip.  Separate blog entry to follow. 

Saturday: 0

Sunday: 7 miles - Charlestown FOP 5K - 18:08 4th overall.  52 second PR.  Separate write up to follow. 

Weekly Total: 53 miles
Last Week: 64 miles
Year to Date: 2129 miles

Weekly Log 10-14-13 to 10-20-13

This week should be a fairly normal training week for me.  The weekend is still a bit up in the air as the kids have early soccer games on Saturday and then we are heading up to Boston.  I might get to race the Run for the Pumpkins 5K in Westerly on Sunday morning.  It's a tough course with a 100' climb mixed in.  I kind of like it.  We'll see. 

Monday: 4.5 miles - Carter Preserve trail loop with my wife in the morning.  Very chilly start - 38 degrees.  We ran the normal loop a little faster than we did back in the summer. 



In the afternoon we took the kids to a local corn maze and I decided to record it on GPS. 

Tuesday: 10 miles - Gilbert Stuart Road hill repeats alone.  My legs (hamstrings in particular) were sore for some reason, but I decided to stick with my plan of hills.  Repeating the baddest hill around rather than the usual round of Saunderstown hills was the more appealing option.  The weather was sunny and mid 60's.  The foliage is about at its peak right now and I enjoyed my views (when I wasn't climbing) on this pleasant quiet road.  My plan was 4 or 5 repeats, going a mile each way.  After 3, I decided 5 would be attainable.  I kept my pace consistent and climbed under control.  Each repeat got faster which I was pleased about.  Results (mile up/mile down) (7:39/7:08)(7:22/7:09)((7:21/7:01)(7:12/6:59)(7:05/6:37).  Each mile up has about 225' of climbing. 



Wednesday: 10.5 miles - Ryan Park trails alone.  I kept the pace brisk throughout the entire run.  I felt a bit rushed for some reason.  The day was fantastic for running.  I ended up going longer than I planned and I was tempted to call it 11 miles. 



Thursday: 8 miles - early morning track with Galoob, Nate, and Brian.  Another dark run on the track until near the end.  A new guy, Brian, joined us and I had no idea what he looked like the first 45 minutes.  This was the 2nd week of the MacMillan 10K workout plan.  10-12 400's @ 5K pace with 200 recoveries.  My target was 80.  It took a couple of reps to get consistent.  Results: 78/82/80/79/79/79/79/80/77/78/77/75.  Pretty good workout.  My legs were rather lifeless thanks to the previous two days, so it was nice to nail the workout. 

8 miles in the afternoon - Rome Point trails and beach solo.  Warm, humid, and cloudy.  My legs felt good and since the tide was low, I was able to run the shoreline south pretty far.  I love these double days! 



Friday: 17 miles - North Kingstown roads (3 miles dirt) alone.  Pushing the boundaries of a lunch break, I got in a rather long run this afternoon.  I decided to run from the office and chase quantity of miles versus driving to Big River for quality.  I have to say I didn't love being on the roads.  At least the GPS is accurate.  I knew I was in for some sort of sufferfest thanks to the double yesterday (including speed work).  I figured the lovely autumn day would make up for some of the pain, which was sort of true.  I was a bit impatient watching the miles tick off my watch.  During mile 8, my glasses fell off my head when I was wiping the sweat out of my eyes with my shirt, so I did the rest of the run without them, which included some easy wide trails in Ryan Park.  The positives were that the last miles felt the same as the rest of them.  My pace was okay - I was running on the uncomfortable/comfortable threshold throughout.  I didn't bring water or fuel and didn't need it.  The weather was fantastic.  The run was drama-free.  The negatives were the roads, tired legs, and a wind that always felt in my face. 



Saturday: 8 miles - local roads in the early AM alone.  Busy day on tap and my window to run was going to be before the sun rose.  I was out the door at 6.  It was very dark except for the full moon.  I enjoyed watching it as I ran my loop.  It was interesting (and a little annoying) to see how many cars were out on the road at this hour on a Saturday.  I was also surprised (pleasantly) to still see the full moon in the sky after I thought it was supposed to set. 



Sunday: 6 miles - Westerly Run for the Pumpkins 5K, 2nd place - 17:45.  Separate write up with the Charlestown FOP race to follow. 




Overall: High volume and intensity week.  I'll take it. 

Weekly Total: 72 miles
Last Week: 51 miles
Year to Date: 2602 miles

Weekly Log 10-15-12 to 10-21-12

Monday:  10 miles - Ryan Park trails alone.  My legs felt fine after the long trail run the day before, but I was experiencing some soreness on the inside of my left foot.  It loosened up enough after a few miles.  I parked off of Lafayette Rd, and ran the "woods" 5 miles.  I then ran the "fields" trails.  Despite the planned easy day, I did decide to run the Rte 4/power line segment hard, and I was able to lower my best time.  I ran the last mile + really easy back to my car.  Total time: 1:09:21. 



Tuesday: 11 miles - Saunderstown hilly roads with Nokewa trails mixed in alone.  A very windy day.  If work wasn' t so busy, I would have run at Big River today.  Instead, I ran some hills at a good clip (all about 6:50 pace) and spent some time roaming around trails.  The first 4 miles I ran negative splits (even with 2 good climbs) - 6:50/6:40/6:31/6:18, before running 6:47 (includes Gilbert Stuart Rd climb).  I had one more fastish mile in 6:28, before GPS lost me in the woods.  I was able to find some obscure, thorny side trails, and also ran into a woman on a horse with a loose pony following behind.  I was having a lot of fun exploring.  Unfortunately, it was all uphill back to my car.  Total time: 1:17:48. 



Wednesday: 9 miles - Quonset speedwork solo.  I had two goals for today's intervals: get in a nice tune up for 2 upcoming road 5K's and run on a straight, flat, wide open section of road for more accurate GPS times.  Mission accomplished.  I programmed in the workout onto my watch: 1 mile (@ ambitious 5K goal pace (800 recovery) then 4x400 at 10-15 seconds faster pace (200 recovery).  My three mile warm up around Allen's Harbor was snappy (7:01 pace).  I then began the mile on Davisville Road.  My watch was showing low 5:30 pace throughout, and the mile passed rather easily.  I then backtracked half a mile to begin the 400's.  These felt really smooth and fast - way better than last week.  My watch was showing about 5:10 pace for all four, even the one I ran into the wind (rather light).  I then cooled down by running out to Rte 1 and then hopping onto the bike path.  After my body recovered, I was again running sub 7 miles (overall 3 mile cool down pace was 7:08).  Total time: 1:01:26 (6:47 pace).  The interval results had to wait until I uploaded the data onto my computer: 5:30/76/76/77/76 (the 400's were within .7 seconds of eachother and were run between 5:05 - 5:08 pace).  I am very happy.  I hope this bodes well for the fast approaching races. 




Thursday: 14 miles - Big River trails alone.  A nice planned long run in the beautiful weather.  My legs were tired today, but I still enjoyed myself.  I wanted to do a big loop of trails I've figured out so far.  Once I began, it became obvious that with all the fallen leaves and pine needles I was going to have trouble navigating the unmarked trails.  I made my way around Carr Pond to the ridge, before missing the turn for Foster's Folly, despite trying my best to find it.  I reached the New London Turnpike and then ran west to the creepy trails.  I eventually crossed the turnpike again and headed south on Dead Shed, falling at the exact spot of the dead shed.  I wasn't hurt, but worried about body fatigue.  I pressed on across Hopkins Hill Rd at Tarbox Pond and ran some trails on the west side of the road.  I forgot how hilly it is, which was not what my legs wanted to do.  I gutted it out, and even extended my run by a few minutes to get to a more reasonable time for 14 miles (based on my effort).  Total time: 1:47:14. 





Friday: 6+ miles - Old Mountain Trail 5K course x 2 alone.  Nothing was sounding appealing today, but I wanted to do something.  I finally settled on running the Old Mtn course since I hadn't run it since the spring and the race is coming up in December.  My legs were extremely tight when I began.  I felt terribly slow on the technical stuff, but it was meant to be an easy day, so I was okay with it.  I nimbly followed the course, fighting through a couple of overgrown spots, but mostly the trails were in good shape.  Despite my slow pace, I was sweating like a pig on this muggy gray day.  By the end of the first lap, my body loosened up, and I enjoyed the second lap much more.  My pace was better, and I didn't hesitate on the tricky parts.  26:39 for the first lap and 23:13 on the second.  Last year's race  I ran in 20:36.  Total time: 49:20. 





Saturday: 0 - 8AM soccer, corn maze, dinner and bonfire with friends cross training. 

Sunday: 7 miles - Westerly Run for the Pumpkins 5K - 2nd overall, 18:00.  Super happy about this race (hilly course).  Separate write up to follow. 

Overall:  Fun week with a great race.  I just wish I could have done a group run on Saturday early.  This coming week may be shorter on miles due to work, but I'm hoping for a really fast 5K PR at the Charlestown FOP race on Sunday (completely flat course). 


Weekly Total: 57 miles
Last Week: 65 miles
Year to Date: 2402 miles

Weekly Log 10-22-12 to 10-28-12

Monday:  10 miles - Ryan Park trails alone.  I was feeling good the day after the Pumpkins 5K.  I headed out to Ryan for the usual 10 miler, but in a different order to keep it somewhat fresh.  It was much warmer than I thought, since I was cold in my office with a strong wind coming off the water.  The warm air made the wind tolerable.  There are so many leaves on the ground it's amazing there still plenty of leaves on the trees.  My pace was decent throughout, although I was getting a little tired near the end.  A few pleasant humans out on the trails today.  Total time: 1:12:18. 

Tuesday: 14 miles - Narrow River/Bonnet Shore roads solo.  I was looking to mix up the normal hilly roads routine.  I wanted less hills, and a change of scenery.  I opted to start from the park off of 1A in Bonnet and run a loop around the Narrow River.  I decided to explore Walmsley Avenue, since I had never been down there.  I thought it would be fun to run out to the URI Boathouse and then run up the dirt road hill to Rte 138.  The road was really nice - half paved, lot's of colors in the woods, and incredible houses.  After the climb up the road from the boathouse, I backtracked to Middlebridge Road, and then ran south along the west side of the river.  This section of road is flat, and has more car traffic than you might think.  I eventually reached the intersection with Torry Road - a planned detour to run the steep hill up to Rte 138.  The hill is really steep for a while, and then continues to gradually climb for longer than it appears.  I've thought about running this hill for a long time (I know that sounds crazy, but true), so I was glad to finally do it.  I turned around, descended the hill, and continued south on Middlebridge Road.  I crossed the river taking in the fine views at about the half way point.  The next few miles were not fun.  Running north on Rte 1A was a drag - a ton of traffic, avoiding turning vehicles, just blah.  Right after the 10 mile mark, I turned right to run around Bonnet Shores.  I haven't run here in a long time.  I did this loop a few times when I lived nearby right after college.  It was quiet for the most part, and I was enjoying my run again.  I purposely avoided checking my watch, but I was wondering if I was going at a good clip because of how tired my legs were feeling.  I flushed an unidentifiable sandpiper twice along the marsh.  Great views of Dutch Island from the bluffs.  I had thought about running the coastline up to the URI Bay Campus, but the tide was high, and it didn't look runnable.  Mike G probably would disagree with me!  I stayed on the main road back out to Rte 1A.  I then turned right, ran north, and then turned left into the park, waiting to hit 14 miles on the button.  Total time: 1:40:00.  Average pace 7:08.  Another nice fall run. 




Wednesday: 9.5 miles - Quonset roads w/ 1xmile/4x400 workout.  A repeat of last week's workout, except that I changed up the warm up route a little bit.  My warm up pace wasn't as snappy, but I was happy that my legs didn't feel that bad after the longer road run yesterday.  The intervals all felt relatively smooth and fast.  My cool down was uneventful.  The weather was a typical late fall day: overcast, coolish (55 degrees), with a light NE wind.  Very pleasant running weather.  As usual, I had no idea of my interval times until I uploaded the data on my computer.  My 400's were not as consistent this week, although they all felt about the same.  Results: 5:26/77/75/78/76.  Total time: 1:04:29. 

Thursday: 9.5 miles - Big River trails at night with Bob J and Scott M.  I originally thought this day would be a zero becuase I needed to be at a conference all day for work, and I wasn't motivated to get out before sunrise for a run.  I then got an email regarding a run in Big River at 5:30PM, and I decided to join.  I met up with Bob and Scott at the Hopkins Hill parking lot and we headed out on the trails at a good pace.  For the first half hour there was adequate light, but eventually we had to turn on our headlamps.  We ran mostly familiar trails to me, but they all seemed strange in the dark.  We opted to cross the beaver dam which was a little interesting.  We reached the parking lot after 50 minutes, and decided to head out for more.  We ran the main trail out to the Cardi road/New London Turnpike.  We stopped briefly when we scared up a beaver at the beaver pond along the road.  We watched it swim around with our headlamps, as more headlamps approached us from down the road.  We began running again and were complimented on our pace by the mtn bikers who eventually caught up to us.   We then hopped back into the woods back to the parking lot.  No falls for anyone.  This was my first headlamp run and I really liked it.  Also, Big River was full of mtn bikers riding in the dark.  A group of 15-20 emerged in the parking lot when we were leaving.  Total time: 1:12:36. 




Friday: 9 miles - Big River trails alone.  I intended on parking at the Cuttyhunk Preserve and then wandering around some trails and dirt roads, but everytime I drive by that parking lot there are always sketchy people hanging out in cars.  Not sure what the deal is.  I continued on and parked at Big River feeling rather uninspired after a fun run last night.  My body felt great, and I was just looking for some easy interesting miles.  Right away, however, my body felt blah, and I lacked energy.  I ran through the blahs for a few miles, feeling really sluggish.  It felt oddly warm and muggy, so that might have been part of the issue.  I eventually stumbled upon a fun new singletrack trail that led me to "The Overlook" territory.  I ran down a wide path looking for a side trail that might bring me to the summit.  I never found one, and I eventually realized I was on a trail I had found a few months back - Sawmill Trail.  I turned around, and again looked for side trails up the hill.  I made it out to the Cardi road, and then went south and picked up the singletrack I know will definitely get me to the top.  I reached the overlook and took a break, taking in the fine views.  I then tried a different way down (toy elephant on a tree) that led me back to the singletrack I took up.  I wandered a little bit getting back to my car before finishing up in 1:14:44. 




Saturday: 0 - planned.  Busy day with the kids.  Also dealt with an annoying head cold all day. 

Sunday: 8 miles - Charlestown FOP 5K - 17:21 (PR!!), 3rd Overall.  Fun day with WTAC crew despite the wind.  Separate write to follow eventually. 

Weekly Total: 60 miles
Last Week: 57 miles
Year to Date: 2462 miles