A more positive and engaged week for me.
To keep myself motivated, I've started to put together a list of tentative races for this year. Like Crutch, I will keep and intersperse my "standard races" (e.g. Blessing, Block), but otherwise, it looks like my year is roughly shaping up with a tilt towards the following breakdown:
Monday: 0
Tuesday: 5
White Rock / North End. 10 x (60 seconds on, 30 off). First few felt easy, but by the 7th or 8th felt I hadn't caught my breath when it was time to take off again.
Wednesday: 5
Needham, MA. Sloppy mess with ice, mud, melting snow, and slush. Opted for roads. The only time I saw another runner, we were both sliding on ice covering a dirt road. They can't all be good runs!
Thursday: 5
Back in the woods. Single-track from Wahaneeta with a loop into Woody Hill. What a great feeling, especially after yesterday's slop run dodging cars and slush. As I came back into Wahaneeta, heard someone in the distance yelling something unintelligible. I also couldn't ascertain the distance or direction, and just hoped someone wasn't yelling for help as I stopped briefly and then trucked on.
Finished up just as it was getting dark. Started the car and saw something small and orange go by in the headlights. A fox? Got out to check. It turned around and is headed back my way. A dog. A small orange dog. Ran right up to me. Very active and happy little dog. Not little like a rat-dog, but maybe just a little smaller than Gus. Now it's running circles in the dirt parking lot, occasionally coming back to see me. Is it lost? Does it know how to get home? I check for a dog tag, hoping for a phone number I can call. Nada. When I re-open my car door, he looks like he's going to jump in. I'm guessing now that the previous yelling was calling the dog, and I'd be happy to bring him home, but again I don't know what direction the yelling was coming from. I trying yelling myself. The dog took off into the woods. Nope, it's back with a stick in his mouth. He wants me to play fetch! Just as I'm hoping he'll throw the stick and I can run after it, an SUV comes down the adjoining dirt road. I run through the brush to get out to the road and the driver sees me and stops. I ask him if he's looking for a dog, and he smiles and says, "Yes, but you can take him home with you if you'd like!". While I don't know him personally, I know who the man is and I'm relieved that the dog and owner are reunited. He thanks me and says he sees me in the trails often, and we share a laugh recounting the time I scared the heck out of him last summer in Wahaneeta.
It is only after he leaves that I remember learning from the WLT that just less than a month ago he had the tragedy of losing his daughter. Instead of a scary dog and irresponsible owner story that I occasionally write, this one had a happy ending.
Friday: 5
Back to the trails. Woody north this time. As with yesterday's run and Woody Hill runs in general, I never see a single soul during my run. Just love it here.
Saturday: 12
Group trail run at Burlingame with Jonathan and Jonny. When I got an e-mail from Jonathan, I didn't think I would be able to make this one as Matthew had an all-day meet in Providence. There was an open mile in the meet, and I actually contemplated that until I realized the open mile was at 9:30am and Matthew's first event at 1:30pm. Too much sitting around, as I'd be here all afternoon. How out of character would that be for me to run an indoor track mile? I've never set foot on an indoor track before. Matthew lowered his mile PR to a 4:29.
Anyhow, the run was fun. When isn't it fun to get into the woods for a trail run? Ran 3+ miles on my own going up to the tower in Kettle Pond and back via the campground. From there, met up with the Jonathans and we ran the length of Sammy C's CCW. What a great trail; so much fun playing on the rocks. Ran west incorporating VG and some twisty NEMBA fun on "Lenny's Lane". A good run.
Sunday: 5
After a group run in Arcadia fell apart, just couldn't get it together to figure out what I wanted to do. By the time Tommy texted me about a trail run in Champlin (yes, you heard that right), I had already showered and just eaten breakfast and started a project. Ended up running in Hopkinton Grills with Matthew, before the three of us went to see "Patriots Day". Watching the movie about Boston Marathon 2013, the last year I ran it. Watching and reliving the chaos, murder, and terrorism that ensued that day and week just left me angry. I will take some solace the same day that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev suffers the same fate as Timothy McVeigh.
Weekly mileage: 38.
Weekly synopsis: Mileage was pretty pathetic and uninspiring. A paltry and meager five five-milers, plus a 12-mile fun trail run. This isn't going to get me to a spring marathon. On the other hand, I've snapped out of my torpor, the group runs are motivating, and tomorrow is a new week.
To keep myself motivated, I've started to put together a list of tentative races for this year. Like Crutch, I will keep and intersperse my "standard races" (e.g. Blessing, Block), but otherwise, it looks like my year is roughly shaping up with a tilt towards the following breakdown:
- Spring: Road marathon(s) and prep
- Summer: Mountain races, triathlons, and hopefully a destination race
- Fall: Trails
Monday: 0
Tuesday: 5
White Rock / North End. 10 x (60 seconds on, 30 off). First few felt easy, but by the 7th or 8th felt I hadn't caught my breath when it was time to take off again.
Wednesday: 5
Needham, MA. Sloppy mess with ice, mud, melting snow, and slush. Opted for roads. The only time I saw another runner, we were both sliding on ice covering a dirt road. They can't all be good runs!
Thursday: 5
Back in the woods. Single-track from Wahaneeta with a loop into Woody Hill. What a great feeling, especially after yesterday's slop run dodging cars and slush. As I came back into Wahaneeta, heard someone in the distance yelling something unintelligible. I also couldn't ascertain the distance or direction, and just hoped someone wasn't yelling for help as I stopped briefly and then trucked on.
Finished up just as it was getting dark. Started the car and saw something small and orange go by in the headlights. A fox? Got out to check. It turned around and is headed back my way. A dog. A small orange dog. Ran right up to me. Very active and happy little dog. Not little like a rat-dog, but maybe just a little smaller than Gus. Now it's running circles in the dirt parking lot, occasionally coming back to see me. Is it lost? Does it know how to get home? I check for a dog tag, hoping for a phone number I can call. Nada. When I re-open my car door, he looks like he's going to jump in. I'm guessing now that the previous yelling was calling the dog, and I'd be happy to bring him home, but again I don't know what direction the yelling was coming from. I trying yelling myself. The dog took off into the woods. Nope, it's back with a stick in his mouth. He wants me to play fetch! Just as I'm hoping he'll throw the stick and I can run after it, an SUV comes down the adjoining dirt road. I run through the brush to get out to the road and the driver sees me and stops. I ask him if he's looking for a dog, and he smiles and says, "Yes, but you can take him home with you if you'd like!". While I don't know him personally, I know who the man is and I'm relieved that the dog and owner are reunited. He thanks me and says he sees me in the trails often, and we share a laugh recounting the time I scared the heck out of him last summer in Wahaneeta.
 |
| Our fetch game is interrupted as the dog's owner arrives |
It is only after he leaves that I remember learning from the WLT that just less than a month ago he had the tragedy of losing his daughter. Instead of a scary dog and irresponsible owner story that I occasionally write, this one had a happy ending.
Friday: 5
Back to the trails. Woody north this time. As with yesterday's run and Woody Hill runs in general, I never see a single soul during my run. Just love it here.
Saturday: 12
Group trail run at Burlingame with Jonathan and Jonny. When I got an e-mail from Jonathan, I didn't think I would be able to make this one as Matthew had an all-day meet in Providence. There was an open mile in the meet, and I actually contemplated that until I realized the open mile was at 9:30am and Matthew's first event at 1:30pm. Too much sitting around, as I'd be here all afternoon. How out of character would that be for me to run an indoor track mile? I've never set foot on an indoor track before. Matthew lowered his mile PR to a 4:29.
Anyhow, the run was fun. When isn't it fun to get into the woods for a trail run? Ran 3+ miles on my own going up to the tower in Kettle Pond and back via the campground. From there, met up with the Jonathans and we ran the length of Sammy C's CCW. What a great trail; so much fun playing on the rocks. Ran west incorporating VG and some twisty NEMBA fun on "Lenny's Lane". A good run.
Sunday: 5
After a group run in Arcadia fell apart, just couldn't get it together to figure out what I wanted to do. By the time Tommy texted me about a trail run in Champlin (yes, you heard that right), I had already showered and just eaten breakfast and started a project. Ended up running in Hopkinton Grills with Matthew, before the three of us went to see "Patriots Day". Watching the movie about Boston Marathon 2013, the last year I ran it. Watching and reliving the chaos, murder, and terrorism that ensued that day and week just left me angry. I will take some solace the same day that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev suffers the same fate as Timothy McVeigh.
Weekly mileage: 38.
Weekly synopsis: Mileage was pretty pathetic and uninspiring. A paltry and meager five five-milers, plus a 12-mile fun trail run. This isn't going to get me to a spring marathon. On the other hand, I've snapped out of my torpor, the group runs are motivating, and tomorrow is a new week.
Awww a good dog adventure. I do have to be better about getting the tags moved on to our guys harnesses, thanks for the reminder. Glad owner and dog were reunited. It is scary when they run off.
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