Weekly Log 27-Feb-12 to 4-Mar-12

Monday:  0
Usual Monday rest day for me.

Tuesday:  7 miles
Avondale Preserve and No Bottom Pond.  Sunset run that ended in the dark.

Wednesday:  18 miles
Great solo run.  Misquamicut to Bradford to Charlestown and back.  With the new company I keep, I've been running a lot of trails, which I love, but I wanted to check my road fitness level.  Clear and 31^o.  By the time I reached the bucolic farms on Dunn's Corner-Bradford Road, the sun was up and warmed me.  Followed 91 past Bradford Preserve, and then climbed up Woody Hill Road.  The hill is only about 2/10 mile long, but I was huffing and puffing due to the steep incline.  Reminded me of Jonny dragging us up Shannock Hill a couple months back.
Turned on to 216 for a brief section, then decided to hit Buckeye Brook Road for another section of hill climbing.  I know I was getting into Hammett territory (not sure if you need some kind of special permit or something), and I was figuring the hills around here are perhaps what enables Jonny to attack uphills so aggressively.  Turned onto Charles and then a nice downhill section on Klondike, which downhill is my cup of tea.  Hit my mile split for mile 10 at 6:40!  Whoa, Nellie, slow it down, it's a long way back to Westerly.  Many trails beckoned me on Klondike, but not for today.  After Klondike, Route 1 back to Westerly and Shore Road.  I'm not a fan of running Route 1 by any means, but along this stretch of Charlestown, there are so many side spurs and jug-handles for me to run that it didn't bother me.  When I hit the Westerly line, I picked it up to finish each of the last consecutive 5 miles at sub-7 pace. 
Final tallies:  18.08 miles, 2:06:51, average pace 7:01!
This was the longest road run I've done since Hartford Marathon last fall, and I'm thrilled with my fitness level today, especially for an old geezer pushing 50!  Signed up for Cox Marathon, went out for a sushi lunch (with my wife and Mom) and I've got the following U2 lyrics in my head:
It's a beautiful day
Don't let it get away
You're on the road
But you've got no destination ...

Thursday:  11 miles
SK.  Wet mud fest.  Ran with Muddy, Jonny, Mike G, and Mike's friend Ben.  Started at Tri-Ponds trails in Peace Dale.  Ran trails I had never been on, plus part of South County Bike Path, to Curtis Corner Middle School where the final trail series will be held.  Ran one warmup on the course, followed by 4x1 mile intervals, with about 1/4 mile recovery.  Starts off on athletic field, which was completely soaked today, and then goes through trails with plenty of hills, and at least for today, plenty of mud.  Splits:  6:50, 6:45, 6:48, 7:02.  By the 3rd mile, I was starting to fall apart.  I had nothing left for the 4th one, and by then my lunch enchiladas were coming back up and my rubbery legs gave out completely on a slippery bridge and I went down.
I would have never made it to the 4th mile if it weren't for the group camaderie.  My legs are completely trashed this evening between yesterday's and today's run.  Will either take a zero tomorrow or just jog 2-3 before Saturday's long run.

Friday:  0
Legs trashed after two consecutive hard days of running.  Need a day off.

Saturday:  16 miles
Another fun long run with fellow WTAC'ers Tom, Jonny, Muddy.  6AM start from Westerly Y in what was supposed to be heavy rain and 20 mph wind, but the rain stopped overnight and there was no wind.  Warm in mid-40s.  Downtown then through Pawcatuck, neighborhoods out to Greenhaven and down to Barn Island for about 5 miles of trails.  The trails were wet and muddy, but nowhere near as much as either I expected or as we experienced in SK on Thursday.  Stonington roads back to Westerly. 
Car beeped at us on our way back, which turned out to be Tom McCoy, 2:52 marathoner, SHS running coach, pioneer of WTAC 37 years ago, and namesake of our WTAC summer runs.  Called him afterwards to catch up; hard to believe we'll be starting up fun runs in just 3 months.

Sunday:  5 miles
Hare Hop 3-Miler.  See separate race write-up.

Weekly miles:  57
Assessment:  Had a blast running this week, but the latter part of the week I feel I ran too hard and too fast to sustain on a regular basis.  Still nursing the shin splits which are better but still haven't gone completely away.  Will try to press for a lower mileage and less workouts next week.