Weekly Log 25-Feb to 3-Mar-2013

Monday:  0
Rest day.

Tuesday:  5
Evening easy pace blustery run to and onto the beach and back.

Wednesday:  10
3:30AM.  Alarm went off.  Punched snooze a couple of times, but still managed to get out the door before 4AM into the pitch dark, pouring rain, 39 degrees, with 25 mph wind - isn't that the kind of rain soaked run in winter that Mike B lives for?  Ran first few miles into the headwind (brutal!) on Shore Road, before turning onto Noyes Neck into Weekapaug.  Running with the tailwind along the ocean was better, until I stepped into ankle-deep flooded Atlantic Ave at Misquamicut Beach.  Turned onto my road to finish, and got spooked by something big moving in the dark - turned out to be three deer.
Unfortunately, I have to work up in Beantown all five weekdays this week, so I had to adjust my running schedule even a tad earlier and pounded out the miles while you younger cats were still drooling and catching Zzzzs.  [1:10:xx, avg pace 6:52]

Thursday:  7
Ran through the Moonlight and Urso hills - a couple of quick 60' hill climbs, as the sun went down.  Ran rolling hills back.  Ended the month of February with 170 miles, a far cry from Mike G's 303, but meeting my own goals.

Friday:  0
Traded in the running shoes for ice skates today, as I went as Jana's guest to Free Skating Night for YMCA Staff. Short skate, but fun exercise!  Despite the preponderance of teens there, they had plenty of "old goat" music.

Ice skating downtown Westerly

Saturday:  6
Morning run with FiveK near Charlestown Beach.  Good run and conversation as usual on roads I hadn't been on since I lived in this area over a decade ago.  Characters encountered not nearly bizarre as last weekend's run; today's was a runner wearing jeans.

Sunday:  27
RI Sea to Summit.  Apponaug Cove in Warwick to Jerimoth Hill in Foster.  Longest run of my life. Left the house at 4:45AM to work with Mike to set up a car drop and also break point.

Inauspicious start at a parking lot in Apponaug:
7 of us ran (l-r Ben, Dave P, Bob J, Jonny, Mike G, Justin)

Apponaug Cove, Warwick:  sea level
(photo courtesy Mike G)

About 5 miles into run in West Warwick

Countryside in Scituate about 10 miles in
(note uphills are a common theme on this run!)

Water, Gatorade, GU, and snack stop I had set up:
About Mile 14, Tunk Hill Road, Scituate

 About Mile 19, we turned onto Ponagansett Road.  The dirt road for the next few miles was a welcome relief.

812' from sea to summit, but total of 1,981' elevation climbs during run
Last four miles were nearly continuously uphill

Here we go climbing again - Dave P, me, and Ben nearest in photo.
Dirt roads in Foster were a welcome relief. (photo Mike G)

Final section of road before trail turnoff for Jerimoth Hill
(I'm passing sign on left side of road - photo by Mike)

Almost there!  Left Route 101 for the short Jerimoth Hill Trail
to the summit.  Look how much snow cover is still left here on March 3rd!

Made it!!!  RI's highest point.

Muddy and Mike at summit cairns

Jerimoth Hill:  the gang all made it
(photo courtesy Mike G)

We left Jerimoth Hill, where it was near freezing point with very light snow, and Mike drove us back to Warwick, where it was in the low 40s and partly sunny!  It was really funny to see everyone climb out of Mike's van 1/2 hour later all contorted, walking awkwardly, and groaning.

A really tough and long run that I'm not ashamed say I was getting sore and slower on the last 5 miles or so, but overall glad I did and had a good group to converse with and pull each other along.  Not the type of thing I'd want to do every weekend for sure, but a fun and truly epic group run.

Weekly mileage log:  55
February totals:  170

Week in review:
Clearly the highlight was today's Sea to Summit Run.  Never done anything like it.  A distant second to that was having the wherewithal to get out super early in lousy weather to get some miles in.  A busy work schedule kept some miles down, but I still got in 55 for the week.
Next week I'll taper down a bit for the Ocean's Run Half, but then I expect to ratchet it up again for the two subsequent weeks before then reducing for Big River and Boston.