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 50o 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.
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| Me trying to keep up with the other guys on uphill sections |
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.
Wednesday in the rain sounds like it was really fun.
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