Weekly Log 16-Jan-12 to 22-Jan-12

Monday:  9 miles
Total of 18 runners!  Muddy, Jonny, and I, and 15 NRA.  Biggest group I've run with.  Kudos to Mike G for putting this all together.  Tuckertown Park, SK, and trails south in SK Land Trust.  Pace started slow, then we broke up into smaller groups of varying paces.  Ran w/Aaron Rome for a while, whom I met at L'il Rhody 2010.  Aaron really pushed the pace and it felt good.  After a while, a smaller group of us (WTAC 3-some plus Glen Guillemette and Keven O'Neill, winner of our Clamdigger 2009 in 27:22) broke off again for the remainder of the run.  Jonny pushed the trails pretty hard and then on the roads Glen led with what was a fast pace for me of 6:49/mile. 
Felt guilty leaving before the others came back, but not as guilty as I felt leaving my two boys at home alone while indulging myself in running.  Lessened the guilt by taking them ice skating at the new Westerly Land Trust skating center.  After running 50 miles in 4 days and some hard skating this afternoon, my legs are feeling sore!

Tuesday:  0
Planned rest day.

Wednesday:  17 miles
Double workout.  Morning:  Slept in and went for a "late" run at 5:45AM.  Steve and Jeff D had just finished their run before I even started mine.  Left the Westerly Y, ran Boombridge Road into North Stonington, took Anthony Road to Ashaway, Laurel Road past Ashaway Line & Twine mills, then Potter Hill Road for the long climb back to Westerly.  Saw Larry running the same loop in opposite direction.  Westerly Town Forest tempted me, but will have to wait for another day.  Steady 7:34 pace overall.  Felt warm for much of course (45^o), but past open cow fields and places of headwind the 20mph wind was quite nippy.
Afternoon:   Brutal wind, temperatures dropped 15 degrees during the day down to freezing.  Joined late to a track workout at CHS with Muddy and Mike.  How late?  They were on their very last 200, so I joined them for that only, plus a cool-down w/Muddy.  Continued to do half their workout:  6x200.  Times all over the place, anywhere from 32 to 37 seconds.  I find I'm incompetent with timing these things and pushing the dang button at the start and stop line.  Shouldn't be that hard, right?  Scary since I regularly helped time WMS track events last spring, but then I didn't have to run AND push a button.  Geez.

Thursday:  0
Had it all figured out last night:  run at 4AM, swim at 5, catch the train at 6.    Got up this morning, the legs are super stiff and sore.  Might have overdone it yesterday with the double; actually felt much better last weekend the day after running 24 miles in a day.  Since I won't get home from work until 7 tonight, I think I've lost my window for any hope for a run today.

Friday:  3 miles
Slid on ice several times early in 4:30AM run on Misquamicut roads.  Had been expecting light snow overnight, but instead only got rain that had now frozen.  Decided to make the run very short and very slow.  Slid at one point for about five feet, but somehow didn't fall.  Had trouble getting traction on a slight uphill section.  The problem running in pitch dark is that I'm going along fine and then can't see the ice.  In retrospect, I should have gone to the Y treadmill that I've been avoiding this season thus far, but they don't open until 5 and I was already out.  Will have to learn about Jonny's Yaktrax and see whether they apply for icy roads as well, or just trails.

Saturday:  16 miles
First day of snow!  Pre-sunrise run with newest WTAC team member Tom on backroads of shoreline Westerly.  I passed on a long trail run with Muddy, Jonny, Mike as I don't feel I have the right equipment or trail fitness.  The snow cover on the roads was only 1-2", so it was good to get this run in before the forecast 6".  Ran through the short trails in Avondale Preserve, otherwise all roads.  First five miles were screaming fast for me, as all were sub-7 and it takes a little more effort for me to run in the snow.  Went from Avondale out to Watch Hill Lighthouse.  It was a neat contrast running along the ocean with the snow coming down and making fresh tracks in the snow.  Wound our way from Watch Hill through Misquamicut and to Weekapaug.  Avoided slushy Shore Road by running up hills on Moonlight.  My quads were burning going up the hills.  Tom said this was a good test for him for running Hyannis Half  next month.  I loved the run, but overall it was very fast for me.  Total time 1:53:24, overall pace 7:09/mile.  Time for some cross training with snow shoveling!

Sunday:  5 miles
1 mile on Misquamicut Beach, the rest on Misquamicut back roads.  Fun running in shorts in January snow.  Afternoon swam 500 yards at Y, then played with kids in the smaller pool.

Weekly total:  50 miles
Back to back 50 mile weeks, wow!  A little more sore and stiff this week than past, but nothing major and no injuries.  Time to think about and plan out spring races.