Weekly Log 18-Sep to 24-Sep-2017: PA & Indian Summer

Really unhappy with Tropical Storm Jose for
trashing our sunflowers. Salvaged what I could.

Monday:  0
Feeling tight with unusual soreness lately.  After 30 consecutive days of running, opted to take a day off.

Tuesday:  6
Sammy C's in the early morning dark and rain.

Wednesday:  6
Noanet Woodlands, Dover, MA.  Rainy and muddy. 

Mud!

Thursday:  7
Valley Forge National Historical Park, PA.  Flew down the night before for a day of business meetings.  Got out the door about 6:30am (sunrise at 6:45 here), and ran a little bit of road before reaching a bike path that brought me into Valley Forge Park, where from there ran gravel roads and dirt trails.  Took a CR!  It was on a 1.2 mile twisty dirt single-track section.  Ran past centuries old barns and buildings that were encampments from the Revolutionary War.  Slowed my run time every time I stopped to read historical markers, but well worth it.  Just wished I had brought a headlamp and headed out earlier.  If I'm ever back here for business, I'll try to finagle in an extra afternoon or morning of running.

After losing so many CRs this year, was happy to handily take a CR.  Questionable spelling.
Flat, but at least moderately twisty.  Typically, the longer the segment, the better I do relative to others.

Interesting name of a place I ran by en route to the trails.
Marketing faux pas, or marketing genius for a discount store?

Along the Schuylkill River

Pawling Farm, site of the 1777-78 Continental Army encampment

Friday:  6
Bradford Preserve and Woody Hill.  More jogging than running, but that's because it also entailed picking up sticks from Tropical Storm Jose, using a chainsaw, pulling a wagon full of tools, etc.  Also "built" a rock bypass trail to deal with a small but vocal minority of people who didn't like the rock you go up and over on the Hansel & Gretel trail.

Extended the rock section



Saturday:  10Group training run on Pumpkins 8K course.  Was hoping to get a bigger crowd to come out, but 4 is what we got so we went with it.  Mark Burbelo and Mikey went down on the trails, but I think both were fine.  It was helpful getting feedback from Mikey on what parts of trail were confusing to follow.  Looking forward to race day.

Sunday:  17
Longest run since my Newport Marathon back in April.  Started at Burlingame campground entrance, and made a long, meandering CCW loop (in order to get roads out of the way first) around Watchaug Pond, and tacked on a 3-mile loop in northern Burlingame.  Poor decision not to carry or set out water.  78 degrees and parched at end.  Otherwise, very glad I got this one in.
Saw 3 runners, 3 cyclists, and 7 hikers along the way.

Weekly mileage:  51

Weekly synopsis:   Pretty good week overall.  Low mileage early in the week and with business travels, but made the best of it.  A 17-mile trail run to end the week was great.

Weekly highlight:  Running in Valley Forge National Historical Park.