Monday, February 27, 2017

Weekly Log 20-Feb to 26-Feb-2017: Minks and Measuring

Transition week from snow to warmer weather.
From one season to the next:
Rinsed off the snowshoes and put them in the sun to dry,
while I assembled the new outdoor fireplace.

Monday:  7
Presidents' Day run with Tommy 5K and Riley.  Roads with a tinge of beach at low tide mixed in.

Tuesday:  5
Late afternoon run in the Barn.  When I ran here last week, it was on snowshoes, but they wouldn't have made much sense today with the trails almost completely bare to the ground. 

Getting out of my car on Palmer Neck Road about the start my run, a woman ran by me on the road and said "Really brave to be out here with bare legs.".  Really?  It's 42 degrees!  Looked up to see her wearing a hat under a hood, gloves, and a DOWN WINTER JACKET!  I don't wear a down jacket in runs at -5F, but to each his (or her) own.

Fun trail run.  First time in almost 2 weeks on bare trail.

Wednesday:  3
Course measuring for Back Road Ramble.  Had intended to wheel-measure both the short and long course, but after getting done with the short course, I realized a slow pace pushing a wheel would not combine well with impending darkness. 

Thursday:  6
Returned to B-game to wheel measure the long course, which unfortunately got denied, but the Y is working on that.  At one point, the wheel got jammed between a root and a rock, and I smashed my shin into it.  Man, did that hurt!  When finished, I ditched the wheel in the woods to pick up later and wanted to run the same route (Sammy C's) back, but ran out of time as I was already going to be late to work.  Don't you hate it when work gets in the way of a good run?
On Buckeye Brook Road, just before parking the car, I saw a strange looking
animal on the side of the road that at first I thought was a cat.  It stopped completely
and just looked at me, so I got out my cell phone to snap a pic, but was not quick
enough.  Fisher cat and mink came to mind and after researching on the 'net
and especially finding this pic, I'm very confident that mink it is!


Friday:  14
AM:  11-mile Richmond/Hopkinton loop from Arcadia Y.  Pastoral farms, horses, snow-covered fields, raging streams and rivers.  Beautiful and very quiet country run, as I ran for miles between seeing the occasional car.
PM:  3 miles.  Measuring new Stonington Cross-Country 5K course.  Just needs some minor tweaking so we can have same start/finish.

Saturday:  16
Second day of Richmond/Hopkinton hilly country roads (different start and loop).  Also the second consecutive day of overdressing, as it was in the low 60s (yes, it's Feb) and I should have worn a singlet instead of a long-sleeve shirt.
Challenging run with Tommy, with 2 x 3 mile intervals at MP.  Rolling hills took a lot out of me, but glad we got this one in.  I figured we ran average of about 7:05 and was pleasantly surprised to learn the pace was 6:42.

Sunday:  11
Fun group run of five.  Crutch was our guide in Pachaug, as I've only been in there once before.  Trails along rivers, good challenging climbs, and great views topped the day.  Very sore after yesterday's run, and I'm sure today's didn't help.  Looking forward to a zero tomorrow.
Technical single-track along a stream.

Crossover trail from Pachaug to Quinebaug.

Weekly Mileage:  63

Weekly Synopsis:  Great week!  High mileage, quality 16-mile MP workout on paces faster than I expected, and completed course planning for potentially three new courses at two upcoming events.  Next week will be less mileage, as I'll be running Ocean's Run Half on Sunday as a tune-up.

 

1 comment:

  1. Good luck at Ocean's! Nice week. A friend's son collects mink pelts so they are pretty plentiful around here, wouldn't be surprised if it was one.

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