My desire to get out and chase miles everyday has been waning as the days get colder and darker. Maybe it is still a Li'l Rhody hangover. I eclipsed the 3000 mile mark for the third consective year during this week. Honestly, I don't see how I've run that many as I feel like I've been running a little less this year (I know that sounds crazy).
Monday: 10+ miles - "Boring Loop in Dullsville" solo. That was my Strava title. I just wasn't into running today and had a bad attitude. I did manage to rally and come up with a new loop that began from the Cuttyhunk Preserve parking lot. I ran a mile plus of trails and then ran east on the messy Stony Lane. I stayed on Stony Lane once it became paved and then looped back to my car on roads: Narrow Lane, South Road, Shippee Road, Frenchtown Rd, Bates Trail, and then back on Hopkins Hill Road. I was annoyed with my watch as it seemed rather slow on the roads for my effort. Total time: 1:15:18 with 446' of climbing.
Tuesday: 10++ miles - EG/WG roads alone. Another new loop, this time from the basketball courts on Frenchtown Road. My motivation was Strava segments, which helped me start out at a spicy pace. I ran east to Tillinghast Road and then ventured north. This was more hilly than I anticipated, but I was more concerned with not getting run over by a Mercedes or a lawn service truck. I then turned west onto Middle Road and was getting antsy for the first Segment to begin. I knew it started somewhere after the stream crossing. I turned up the pace knowing that Jackman had averaged 6:30 pace on this 3/4 mile hill climb. It was hard, but at the end of the road I figured I had nailed it. I so wanted to rest, but the next segment began immediately. It was on Carr Pond Rd from Middle Rd to Division St. I thought it was an easy downhill mile, but the road gradually climbed for the first half. I was hurting as I struggled to maintain a peppy pace. Finally I reached the screaming descent and knew I had taken the segment. I turned west onto Division St briefly before diving into the woods in Big River on the New London Turnpike. My goal was to keep up the peppy effort for the duration of my run. I ran the dirt turnpike to Hopkins Hill Rd and turned south. There is a sneaky steep little hill before a very steep and curvy descent to Tarbox Pond. I then had to make the big climb back up Hopkins Hill. There is a Strava segment that Garvin made untouchable, but I still pushed myself nonetheless. I eventually crested the hill and could relax on the 2+ miles left back to my car (via Bates Trail and Frenchtown Rd). Total time for the 10.2 miles was 1:06:08 (6:29) with 571' of climbing.
Wednesday: 7+ miles - XC workout with Galoob. We met up at Tuckertown Park in the pitch black. The weather today was going to be nasty, but we only dealt with sprinkles. Mike had mapped out a roughly 1/2 mile loop (more like two really long straightaways with short turns between them) on level soccer fields. Without headlamps, it was hard to see where we were running, but managed to figure out the landmarks to use for our lap (it was measuring .53 miles on GPS). After two miles of warming up with strides we changed into our spikes and got to work. 6 x 800+ with 400 rest. Results: 2:54/2:58/3:00/2:59/2:58/2:57 (GPS average pace was 5:33 - 5:44). I was happy with this. Total time: 52 minutes. Somewhere during the last two intervals I surpassed the 3000 mile mark for the year!
Thursday: 12 miles - Run to Thanksgiving Dinner. I ran from my house on roads to my in-laws. I've done this a couple of other times. The route is not fun, but the reward is good food and drink. I used the Strava app on my phone and had no idea what my pace was. I didn't feel great, but the pace seemed okay. I was surprised to see my time of 1:20:17 (6:45) when I was done.
Friday: 10 miles - Beach and road run with Muddy, Gazelle, and Seth. We met up at the bakery and then ran down to the Charlestown Breachway. We then ran east on the beach out to Moonstone Beach Rd (Seth left us at Green Hill). It was low tide which was good, but there were tough rock sections in Green Hill and Moonstone. Fun conversation throughout the run and at the bakery afterward. Total time: 1:16:01.
Saturday: 0 - We ended up driving to Stoddard NH in the early morning rather than on Friday afternoon. It was ridiculously snowy and cold up there (at least 12" of snow, icy roads, high temp of 27). I couldn't talk Glenn into a short run and I wasn't motivated to go out on my own. At least I strapped my snowshoes on and played in the snow with my kids for an hour.
Sunday: 10 miles - Stoddard NH icy dirt roads with my wife and then solo. I was happy to have company to get me out in the winter wonderland (I'm totally not ready for snow running conditions). My wife and I ran together for an hour and then she talked me into going back out for a few faster miles. It was an easy sell. I ran a hillier route, and wished I had better traction. So much warmer later in the day back in RI with no snow. Total time: 1:29 with 850' of elevation gain.
Overall: Decent week that would have been good if I didn't zero on Saturday. I want to continue to train hard for the winter trail race series, but I'm worried about my usual December slack off.
Weekly Total: 59 miles
Last Week: 70 miles
Year to Date: 3033 miles
November Total: 253 miles
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