Weekly Log 25-Jun-12 to 1-Jul-12

Monday:   0 miles

Tuesday:
6 miles.  Stonington Fun Runs, week 5.  Ran one lap warm-up solo, then ran the 2-lap course with Mike B in a leisurely conversational pace of 20:53.  Waited for Matthew to finish, then Mike and I had a cool-down lap before getting in line on the docks for drinks.  The RD said there were a record 160+ runners today!

During the run, Mike remembered and we reminisced about my first true love from high school days:  a 1974 Fiat Spider.  It broke down regularly, but it was a blast.  Some day when the kids are grown up, I hope to make the shift from station wagons back to convertible sports cars.

Wednesday:
0.5 miles.  Open ocean swim with Steve at 5:45AM in Misquamicut.  Mistake!  After I finally got into the cold water, Steve took off and was quickly out of sight.  To say that I'm not even in his league wouldn't do justice to the fact that he's a front of the pack swimmer and I'm a back of the packer.  At the agreed turn around time, I had so much trouble coming back swimming into the current and 4-5 foot swells, that it appeared I wasn't making progress at all and bailed to the shore and followed my natural inclination back to the Town Beach:  running.  I think gazelles just were not made for swimming.  Steve was gracious as always and offered constructive tips, but a very humbling experience for me.

Post fun run with Jana & Matthew

3 miles.  Westerly Fun Runs, week 3.  Results here.  18:24.  140 participants today!  Took off at a fast pace (5:39 first mile) with a guy (Khamis) that comes down once per year.  We passed Jonny at 1/4 mile and the pack thinned out quickly.  He was still hanging with me until the "hills" where I gazelled down Kathleen Drive and didn't hear him again.  I heard footsteps behind me several times on Crandall Ave and Atlantic Ave, and thought it was Khamis returning, but was pleasantly surprised at the finish to find it was Jonny just behind me.

Thursday:
23 miles.  5:15AM ride from home to Y, where I met up with and rode the rest of the way with Steve.  While Steve is a much faster cyclist than me, at least it's not double my speed as in swimming.  Rode out 91 to Bradford, 216 through Charlestown, 1 back to Shore Road and a Misquamicut tour.  Met up with Tom T (just back from a 188 mile Boston to P-town ride) and the three of us hammered it on Atlantic Ave at about 23mph (usually my tops here is 18-20mph).  [1:17]
11 miles.  Immediately after the bike, I went for a solo run out to Noyes Neck, through Weekapaug including the public access path Tom showed me, and then beach to Pleasant View, and home.  I was originally planning a shorter run, but running along the beach and drinking in the salt air and views are just heaven to me, so I kept it going. [1:25]
Now I've finished 3 hours of solid exercising, and come back home looking forward to a big breakfast.  Problem:  today is the one day of the year I'm fasting for annual physical and lab work.  I held out until 1PM, but it was painful with headaches.  I'm guessing most patients don't exercise hard for 3 hours before a doctor's appointment?

Friday:
8 miles.  Ninigret Park, Charlestown, 6:30AM with Tom.  Ran a 3-mile warm-up on trails, and then headed to the soccer fields for a workout, and measured out approximate courses.  Humid as hell.  Is hell humid or is it a dry heat? 
Ran 4x800:  [2:39, 2:40, 2:37, 2:38].
5 minute rest.  Tom had to remind me my break was up.
Ran 4x400:  [81, 80, 79, 78]
Jogged back to where we parked the car.  I came into this with soreness, doubts, etc., but those quickly went away and am glad I did it.

Saturday:
14 miles.  Trail and beach run with Tom and Mike B.  Starting from my house, and then trails in Westerly Land Trust properties of Mastuxet, Champlin, and Lewis Pond.  Deer flies were murder.  Mike was setting a quick pace of about 7:15 on the roads.  Trails right along Lewis Pond were pretty overgrown, but nice views.  Back roads to Weekapaug, where Tom was a savior leading us to a water fountain and hose at mile 10. 
Next on Weekapaug Sand Trail it was hard running in soft sand.  When we got out to Quonochontaug Breachway in Charlestown, we had a nice breeze which lasted for our run back on beach.  Once Weekapaug was at hand and both my shoes were wet, I sprinted through the waves chasing Tom down until we got back to the water fountain again.  The three of us got "chicked" on the short road to the car at Weekapaug Breachway; the runner was quite fit and it wasn't terrible to run behind her.

A dip in the refreshing ocean, drinking cold water on ice, and catching up with Steve who was about to swim all made for a fun end to a challenging but enjoyable Saturday morning run.
Came home and signed up for Camire's, where pre-reg prices were still honored.
0.25 miles.  East Beach, Watch Hill.  Late afternoon swim past the Ocean House.  Tried but failed to get Matthew to swim with me, but he was a good sport for coming with me, so post-swim we dug holes in the sand instead.  It's all good fun.

Sunday:
4 miles with Matthew.  We had planned an LSD run, but the sun, heat, and humidity really got to him, so we bailed early.  Explained to him why we run at 6AM instead of 8:30AM; he agreed for next time.  Saw Clem running and who invited us to join him, Buddy, and the rest of the "other WTAC morning running crew" out to Watch Hill, but not today.
3 miles late afternoon solo beach run.  Family outing at the beach.  Discussed run logistics with Town Recreation Director for upcoming Stavros "On the Beach" Run, then ran from the town beach to Weekapaug Breachway.  Caught up with Mike B at Seaside, then came back just in time for thunderstorm warnings to put the kibosh on any more family beach fun as well as a planned evening bike ride.

Weekly totals:
Run:  49 miles
Bike:  23 miles
Swim:  0.75 miles

A really good week!  High mileage running, including 10+ on the beach, 2 fun runs, a speed workout with Tom, and a good long group run.  Also got in 2 swims and a killer fast bike workout for me.  I love the summer in coastal RI!

Weekly Log 18-Jun-12 to 24-Jun-12

Monday:  0

Much needed rest day.

Tuesday: 
5 miles.  Stonington Fun Runs, Week 3.  Warmed up with Matthew for one loop (1.55 miles), then decided not to go all out and instead ran the entire 5K together with Mike B.  Time was a more relaxed 20:30, still a good enough clip pushing at about 6:30 pace, but really enjoyable to be able to take in more of the beautiful ocean scenery in the Borough and talk.  Followed up with the usual drinks on the docks.

Wednesday:
3 miles.  Westerly Fun Runs, Week 2.  Results here.  18:40.  1st day of summer; 85 nasty degrees.  Tom took off and took a 1st in 17:23.  By mile 2, I could only see him on long stretches.  A teenage boy and son of a Chariho classmate of mine followed hard on my heels and paid for it in the end as he collapsed at the finish line.  He was fine afterwards, but pretty dehydrated.
Afterwards, due to the heat, a number of us went across the street to Pleasant View Inn for re-hydration.  After a couple of drinks, most were hydrated and went home, but feeling not quite sufficiently hydrated, I accepted Way's offer for "just one more" as about six of us went to Andrea's with a neat table ocean-side as Way led us through my introduction to "stubbies".  About 10:15PM, I was more than hydrated (the others weren't and stayed behind) and called it a night.

Thursday:
7 miles.  Salomon Spring Trail Running Series with Matthew.  Gorham, NH.  Results here.

Stream bed crossing

Found this trail series on the 'net, and figured we'd give it a try.  Two of us went outlet shopping, and the other two of sought our kicks on the trails.  It was 90+ degrees in North Conway at 6PM in a heat wave, but "only" 78 degrees up here at the base of the Mt Washington Auto Road, where this was held.

Along the trail

Matthew and I ran a warm-up on the more technical part of the cross, and then we were off.  It's an interesting staggered "start when you want" start to the course, with the timer there for a duration (3.5 hours) to start and top timing for each runner.  The first half is pretty dense forest with some hills and small stream crossings thrown in.  The second half was hotter with dirt roads in open meadows being exposed to the sun, and then some heat relief on the single-track sections.

Finished, and was surprised that the timer/race director explained that I just broke the course record by 21 seconds!  (In fairness, there is a new course every year, but still worked for me.  If I knew that, I would have pushed harder.)  They asked me to come back next week for the series finale and awards, but unfortunately this is not closer.

Chez Walker for the next few days

Friday:
6 miles.  White Lake State Park, Tamworth, NH.  Matthew woke me up at 5:30AM and asked if we can go for a short run.  Well, OK, if you twist my arm.  We ran 3 miles mostly on trails with a neat loop around the lake, plus Black Spruce Trail and Pitch Pine Trail.  I asked him to lead, but he was soon onto me that I put him up to it to clear out the cobwebs.
After 3 miles, returned to campsite, and he asked if he could ride his mountain bike and I could run alongside.  On flats and uphills I did fine; on downhills I felt like Aunt Edna's dog tied to the back of the car trying to keep up in Chevy Chase's vacation (fortunately with a different ending than the dog).


I do not have the agility
my boys have here



Barefoot jumping rocks in
White Mountain National Forest

0.5 miles.  White Lake.  Mark tried to keep us on course, as Matthew and I swam 1/4 mile out and back.  Wiped me out!

Saturday:
4 miles.  Mix of trails and roads on an early morning run with Matthew.  Incorporated a drink break at DD into the run; I guess NH runs on DD also.

HIKE 6 miles.  Elevation gain 2,568'.  Mount Kearsage North.


Family at summit



View from summit




We holed up here during rainstorm;
last remaining firetower in White
Mountain National Forest

 

0.25 miles. 1/4 mile afternoon swim after hike.



Day's end:  fire back at campsite
















Sunday:
8 mile evening run with Matthew.  Mix of roads and beach back in Misquamicut.  Another new distance PR for Matthew.  Ran in the dark along the waves before returning home.  Once we got in the neighborhood; he had enough kick for a sprint home where I on the other hand am still wiped out from the hike, mostly the downhill on the quads.

Weekly totals:
Run: 33 miles
Swim: 0.75 miles

Hit the millenium mileage mark this week, and am on track for 2,000 miles this year, which I'm certain will be the most miles I've ever run in a year.  Lot of good father-son run time this week, and all around good time away with the family.

Summer Solstice Trail Run

Sunday, June 17, 2012
Got up early and headed out to Gay City looking for some action.
Wait a minute ...  let me try that one again:
Got up early and headed out to Gay City State Park looking for some trail-running action at the Summer Solstice 5.5 Mile Trail Run being held there.

Results here.  6th overall out of 207.  6:44 pace.
The first 0.4 miles were uphill on asphalt; not what I was looking for.  The legs were feeling a bit wobbly from running 15 miles fairly hard in Arcadia just 24 hours earlier and 8 miles with Tom the day before that.
The rest of the course did not disappoint.  Entered the trail just behind Helmet, who for some reason was wearing a bicycle helmet.  Did he realize he had it on?  Just ahead of us, a guy branched off the trail and took a bypass which we could see in the distance would cut a huge amount off our course.  Some guys yelled at him; I was upset too but just tried to let go of "Rosie Ruiz".


Part of the trail

When the trail widened to double track, I passed Helmet and about 3 other guys, when all of a sudden I heard a guy who repeatedly sounded like a cat trying to hack up a furball.  It sounded disgusting and I was thrilled when I passed Furball and put him out of earshot.  Next a guy in his early 30s with black knee high socks, "Socks", flew past a bunch of us on the left.
The trail meandered with a number of switchbacks and uphill climbs, before a long downhill section on a dried up stream bed of rocks.  I put it in gazelle mode and look who's around the corner:  Socks and Rosie Ruiz.  See you later, I'll take it from here, boys!
A bridge across a river and a long uphill climb through rocks brought me to mile 4, by which time my legs were toast.  I passed a few more through mud crossings and for the last mile I could hear someone right on me.  Finally as we came towards the end of the trail, "Lanky", a 6-foot plus giant, flew past me.  The trail finished and there was about 0.2 miles to go, downhill on asphalt the whole way.  I set Lanky in my sights and picked up the pace and caught him.  Uh oh, he looked at me and pumped it up a gear and ran side-by-side with the finish in sight now.  Sorry, Lanky, but as Jonny aptly put it regarding downhills, this is prime gazelle habitat, as I found yet another gear and picked it up past him sprinting through the finish.

Summer Solstice finish

My division award

Post-finish, had a Long Trail "Blackbeary Wheat", which was nice as it was ice cold as opposed to the warm water.  Caught up with the two people I knew, including Hartford Marathon Foundation executive director Beth who was discussing Surftown with me.

Weekly Log 11-Jun-12 to 17-Jun-12

Monday:
7+ miles.  Monday is usually my day of rest, but I was pleasantly surprised when I came home from work and learned that both of my sons wanted to go out running with me.  Mark picked for us to run quiet salt pond-side roads in Misquamicut.  We were coming back near home at 3 miles, but Matthew, fresh off his Back Road Ramble trail success from yesterday, wanted to keep going and asked if we could go into the Champlin trails.  The switch to trails felt really good on the feet, as something in my left arch was bothering me.  He and I romped through different trails he picked, and by the time we got home after 7, that night's rotisserie chicken dinner never tasted so good.

Tuesday:
5 miles.  Stonington Fun Runs, week 3.  Like last week, pushed reasonably hard, but not all out.  5K time:  18:51 [6:12, 6:05, 5:56].  Negative splits!
Finished my run and then ran back on the course to see how Matthew was doing, who was smartly taking it easier the day before his Hershey meet, and then continued to find and run Jana in, who was completing her first 5K ever!
Post-run, had a drink on the docks with newest WTAC member Mike B.  Usually the WTAC application process is long and drawn out and involves extensive background checks.  However, since Mike has a similar pedigree of being a Chariho grad and also being an old man trying to re-claim his youth through running, we felt bad for him and were able to expedite the process.  As just last year he said he didn't run our Clamdigger because "5 miles is longer than he runs", we gave him an initiation test by dragging him out with the guys recently at 6AM for a 17 mile run including woods, trails declines and inclines though mud, over rocks and a stream crossing, and even a speed session mid-run that Tom threw in just before a hill climb up Potter Hill.  He passed!

Wednesday:
10+ mile solo barefoot beach run in the rain. 
Somehow I got an invitation from swim gods and tri elites Steve & Larry to join them for an ocean swim, with instructions to meet at Weekapaug Breachway at 5:45 and be ready to enter the water at 6 sharp.  I showed up and didn't see them.  I'll text Steve and let him know I'm here.  Maybe they parked in one of the many Weekapaug underground garages.  No, I think they were probably in the Weekapaug North Parking Lot, way out in section G-14, you know where you have to take the parking lot shuttle bus back to the beach.  Yeah, that must be the delay.
6AM arrives.  No show.  One more text and then as long as I'm here, I might as well run.  It's raining pretty good and by the time I reach the Town Beach (1.5 miles), my shirt is plastered to me, so I take it off and throw it on a lifeguard chair, and keep going.  Went past the Pleasant View, and feeling good, I run all the way out to Watch Hill.
Mile 5.1 - East Beach, Watch Hill.  I stop and linger waist deep in the water.  It feels good but it's raining harder now, and I've got another 5 miles to go, so I head back.  Had fun with my run in the rain all the way back to Weekapaug, then jumped in the ocean and bobbed around for a while.
Minor blood blister only.  I'm not any more prepared for my tris next month, but I do think I'm ready now for the Stavros On the Beach Run - the only race each year I run barefoot.
Text from Steve later indicated we both thought each other would bow out in the rain, and he was at Weekapaug also and left 3 minutes before I arrived.  Too bad.
4 miles.  Misquamicut Fun Runs, week 1.  Results here.  18:18 - I think the fastest run I've ever run since we switched to a 5K course.
Spent many hours the past week preparing for setting this up, new course markers, added mile markers, e-mails, internet, printing waivers, local media, coordinating with other volunteers Steve, John, and Tommy, etc., and then the rainy weather added more setup work in setting up 2 canopies.  Was somehow nervous, but I think everything went off without a hitch except one young girl and her mother went off course.  Fortunately, they were fine with it and said they'd be back.  I can't put a marker at every single turn on this twisty course, although there are painted arrows on the road at every turn.
WHS star Riyan really pushed the pace hard the first mile, and I struggled to stay with him.  I couldn't believe when we crossed 1 mile at 5:33!  This was not sustainable, nor smart for me.  His father yelled for him to stay with me.  Fortunately, early in the 2nd mile he lost steam and I easily passed him.  Once I could no longer hear his footsteps, I think I consciously slowed down as I battled the mightly hills on the course (they are massive, right?).  Mile 2 was a much slower 5:57, and I picked up the pace for a lonely 3rd mile along Crandall and Atlantic for a 5:44 pace. 

Thursday
Me feet and calves are screaming at me today, so I think today be a day off.

Friday:
8+ miles.  4:30AM run with Tom from his house down to Weekapaug and then on the beach headed west.  Ran to Misquamicut State Beach, then Atlantic/Weekapaug/Shore back.  The time flew by chatting on this cool 50^o morning run.  Checked splits later; we ran about 7:30s on the beach and 6:50s on the roads last few miles.  Great start to the day and weekend.
9 miles.  Misquamicut/Weekapaug loop with Matthew on his first ride on his first ever road bike.  Evening ride; worked with him on the mechanics of shifting both derailleurs, trying to get him used to his bike especially before Crabman next month.

Saturday:
15 miles.  Arcadia Management Area with Mike Galoob, Jonny, and Muddy.  I have lived in RI all my life (save 1 year away in Maine), and my family has been in RI since 1690, so with that background I'm a little bit embarassed to say I had not been in this treasure trove before.

Me trying to keep up with the
other guys on uphill sections

Very hilly (see approximate elevation profile from Mike G above) and the most challenging trail run I've ever done, but with awesome sights and varied terrain.  The uphills were hard for me and I lagged behind the others, but on the downhills I had just had a blast with letting loose at breakneck speed.  During one particularly long downhill over rocks and roots, I took off and near sprinted the whole thing with Mike just behind me.  The closest analogy I can give is skiing at your highest speed down a mountain on the ragged edge of control; one slip with the edges or cross of tips and you're done.  What an adrenaline rush!
Finished up in 1 hour 56 minutes.  Thanks to all for a blast of a run, but especially to Jonny for the ride and convincing me that this would be worthwhile and not the Bataan Death March that I wrongly feared.

Sunday:
8 miles.  Summer Solstice Trail Run.  See separate write-up shortly.

Weekly totals:
Run:  57 miles
Bike:  9 miles
Swim:  0 - plans fell through; gotta get out there on my own at least

Huge running mileage week, with just loving all of the runs:
7 miler with Matthew, local Fun Run series, 10 mile barefoot beach, very early morning beach run with Tom, Arcadia was unreal, and finished the week with the most technical trail race I've ever done.

YMCA Back Road Ramble "5K"

Sunday, June 10, 2012
Camp Watchaug, Charlestown, RI
Results here.  3rd overall out of 96.  20:17.  1st in age group.
It was a good day for the Walkers.  We had just hustled in from URI, where my oldest son Mark took a 1st in the Super Kids Tri (scroll to bottom).  He had a tough time in T1 and was behind coming out of T2 onto the run, but had made up enough ground that you could tell it was all going to unfold in the run, which he dominated.



Back Road Ramble:  start

  It was about 80^o in Charlestown when we arrived (1PM start).  Went on a warm-up with Jonny, a mud-spattered and eventual winner Mike Galoob just off the mountain bike, and Matthew.  Matthew and I ran about half the course and then came back.  I knew during the short jog it was going to be a tough hot day that I wasn't acclimated for.  (Yes, this is the start of my excuses J)
Mile 1:  Stayed in the shade as long as I could, until SNERRO called us out in the sun to start the race.  The first mile cuts from Watchaug quickly to the Burlingame Picnic Area parking lot and then follows Li'l Rhody course down Sanctuary Road and onto the short trail to the camping area.  I followed just behind Jonny (as I did most of the course) and somehow ran a 5:49 first mile. 
Mile 2:  Hot, twisted, and confusing mile.  Ran directly under the sun across the Burlingame fields and part of a paved road before hitting a shady area.  Trail markers and course marshals were way too few, and trail marker arrows hard to read.  A course marshall we had passed yelled repeatedly "Turn right!" and I looked up and saw a faint right turn marker on a tree.  Jonny had gone straight ahead of me (missing the right turn), so I yelled to him, and he turned and came back.  We ran most of the next mile together, helping each other trying to guess where to go and decipher the few signs we saw.  When we came out by the finish of the Brrr-lingame 15K, neither of us had any idea which way to go, and I think we got lucky with Jonny's instinct as we could see a marshall then in the distance.  Slow mile of 6:33.

Slight uphill to the finish; nothing left

Mile 3:  By the time we left the campground again to run Li'l Rhody mile 1 in reverse, now at last I was familiar with the course again.  Jonny picked it up a little, but I was done physically and mentally and didn't chase.  Out on Sanctuary Road, I heard my Garmin chirp the end of Mile 3, and while GPS can be off in the woods, there was actually very little single-track or elevation change on this course and I'm thinking something is wrong with the course distance.  6:18.
Finish:  I'm still following behind Jonny, but between the heat, trail turn confusion, and now long course, I've lost any desire to push a hard finish.  I actually slow down to finish the last section at a 6:28 pace.
Next after me in 4th is Mike B finishing I believe his ever trail race, followed in 5th by the Rhody Seth, whom I finally just met, and 6th place is Matthew having run an awesome run beating out mostly older kids to take 1st place in his age group.


Getting age group award (gift certificate to Breachway Grill)



This race needs far more trail markers and preferably a change to a morning start (both feedback I gave in a positive manner to YMCA CEO and VP, while offering to help in trail marking next year), but otherwise a nice addition to the local race lineup.

Weekly Log 4-Jun-12 to 10-Jun-12

Monday:  0
Planned rest day after a thorough running weekend.

Tuesday:
4 miles.  Stonington Fun Run week 2.  Like last week, I pushed myself comfortably hard, but not all out.  Finished the 5K in 18:57.  First mile slower at 6:12, followed by 6:04 and 6:02.  One of JP's college running buddies dropped back and ran with me.  Personally, I find it hard to carry on a conversation at 6:02 pace! 

Wednesday:
8+ miles.  Misty Morning Misquamicut Meander.  Roads and sand.  Ran 1st mile with Jana, then we split ways on different routes.  7:30ish pace on roads, slower on beach.  I saw a fox on the beach today (not the bikini-clad type of fox, but rather the 4-legged variety).  Pretty cool.  It stood its ground and just looked at me, like, yeah, I'm not scared of you.

Thursday:  0

Friday:
17 miles.  Rode out River Road, Pawcatuck, to the end.  Nice and quiet along the river, saw 5 runners out.  Greenhaven out to Wequetequock, and Route 1 back.
3+ miles.  Late afternoon run with boys in Champlin Glacier Park.

Saturday: 
17 miles.  6AM bike with Mike B, who had already put in half a dozen miles before arriving at my house.  Road out to Watch Hill Lighthouse, then along the coast through Misquamicut and down into Weekapaug before coming back Shore Road.
4+ miles.  Continued with Mike to make this a brick.  Ran through Champlin, and then Tom Harvey to Shore loop back.  By the end of the run climbing a local hill I could really feel it on my legs and lungs.  I've got to do more of these bricks before my first tri in just 5 weeks now.

Sunday:
5 miles.  YMCA Back Road Ramble 5K.  See separate write-up.

Weekly totals:
Run:  24 miles
Bike:  34 miles
Swim:  0

Went from one of my heaviest run weeks last week (58) to one of my lightest this week (24).  Obviously not having a long run this week factored into it.  Between busy summer weekends kicking in, not able to run long Saturday runs with the guys the next couple of weekends, having fun running short local races, and starting to ramp up the bike, I'm going to have to figure out how to get the runs in also, because I want to maintain close to 40 on average and not drop back to my pre-2012 summer average of about 25 miles per week.