November? Really, it's November already? I know it's trite to say "Where did the time go?", but it seemed Halloween jumped upon me and now Christmas is next month? When does time slow down? When I retire? Or when I'm too old to enjoy life?
Anyhow, one full week post Bimbler's Bluff I'm recovered now, but am absent any specific goals. You can see my scant race schedule for the remainder of the year here. I think what will help next is to plan out a major race for the spring so that I can start to plan for training soon.
Monday: 5
In the aftermath of a strong wind (gusts up to 67mph in Westerly) and rain storm, I ran down to the ocean to witness nature's wrath. The hum of generators was pervasive throughout Misquamicut, I saw several downed limbs and power lines, and the ocean was churning.
Tuesday: 0
Halloween, one of my favorite holidays, but one that I was poorly prepared for. Being away much of the month of October, combined with a strong wind storm, I had set up the yard more sparsely than usual. Helped the Westerly Land Trust in the morning by painting blazes on a new "white" trail at Grills. In the evening, spent three hours outside in front of a bonfire in my driveway, as I have the past few Halloweens. Several trick-or-treaters and their parents lingered for a while, and a neighbor brought over beers (Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale) to enjoy over fireside conversations for a while. It was good catching up with him.
Wednesday: 7
Blue Heron Trail, Dedham, MA. First time here in a while.
Thursday: 8
Took advantage of a doctor's appointment in Wakefield to run somewhere different. At first, I thought of running near home, then showering at home, and going to the doctor's. Boring. Wrong approach.
Leveraged the reciprocal privileges of the Y and checked in at the South County Y and then ran a mix of roads and the South County Bike Path. I had not been on the bike path long when I saw two cyclists approaching in the distance, and one said loudly "Who the HELL is that?". Mike Galoob in the flesh, as he was riding with his daughter to school. Chatted for a bit before continuing on.
Ran an average pace of 6:48, with three miles in the 6:30s. I needed for that confidence, and need to have more mid-week speedy runs.
Friday: 5
Second day of road runs. Ran from Westerly Town Beach, using the Clamdigger course, except ran on the beach on the way back. Being 70 degrees on a bizarrely warm November day, I submerged myself in the ocean at the end of my run.
Saturday: 7
Burlingame campground trails and NST with Jonathan Short. I was doing well for a while trying to follow the campground trails used for the Brrr-lingame race, but then lost the trail for a while.
Sunday: 12
Rhody prep with Tom. Good run on the Rhody loop, but down to North Camp and up to the Kettle Pond observation tower. What few blowdowns there were from the storm were already cut up and cleared.
On the downside, I had forgotten how flat and straight as an arrow the first couple of miles are. That does not play to my strength at all. I rather prefer the back half with a few hills, twists, and rock gardens. Race day minus two weeks.
Weekly mileage: 45
Weekly synopsis: While not the weekly mileage I'm looking for, it's trending in that direction since Bimbler's and I'm now fully recovered. This was a good mix this week, with three road runs, a prep for Rhody, and even a November swim in the ocean.
Random musings:
Anyhow, one full week post Bimbler's Bluff I'm recovered now, but am absent any specific goals. You can see my scant race schedule for the remainder of the year here. I think what will help next is to plan out a major race for the spring so that I can start to plan for training soon.
Monday: 5
In the aftermath of a strong wind (gusts up to 67mph in Westerly) and rain storm, I ran down to the ocean to witness nature's wrath. The hum of generators was pervasive throughout Misquamicut, I saw several downed limbs and power lines, and the ocean was churning.
Tuesday: 0
Halloween, one of my favorite holidays, but one that I was poorly prepared for. Being away much of the month of October, combined with a strong wind storm, I had set up the yard more sparsely than usual. Helped the Westerly Land Trust in the morning by painting blazes on a new "white" trail at Grills. In the evening, spent three hours outside in front of a bonfire in my driveway, as I have the past few Halloweens. Several trick-or-treaters and their parents lingered for a while, and a neighbor brought over beers (Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale) to enjoy over fireside conversations for a while. It was good catching up with him.
Wednesday: 7
Blue Heron Trail, Dedham, MA. First time here in a while.
Thursday: 8
Took advantage of a doctor's appointment in Wakefield to run somewhere different. At first, I thought of running near home, then showering at home, and going to the doctor's. Boring. Wrong approach.
Leveraged the reciprocal privileges of the Y and checked in at the South County Y and then ran a mix of roads and the South County Bike Path. I had not been on the bike path long when I saw two cyclists approaching in the distance, and one said loudly "Who the HELL is that?". Mike Galoob in the flesh, as he was riding with his daughter to school. Chatted for a bit before continuing on.
Ran an average pace of 6:48, with three miles in the 6:30s. I needed for that confidence, and need to have more mid-week speedy runs.
Friday: 5
Second day of road runs. Ran from Westerly Town Beach, using the Clamdigger course, except ran on the beach on the way back. Being 70 degrees on a bizarrely warm November day, I submerged myself in the ocean at the end of my run.
Saturday: 7
Burlingame campground trails and NST with Jonathan Short. I was doing well for a while trying to follow the campground trails used for the Brrr-lingame race, but then lost the trail for a while.
Sunday: 12
Rhody prep with Tom. Good run on the Rhody loop, but down to North Camp and up to the Kettle Pond observation tower. What few blowdowns there were from the storm were already cut up and cleared.
On the downside, I had forgotten how flat and straight as an arrow the first couple of miles are. That does not play to my strength at all. I rather prefer the back half with a few hills, twists, and rock gardens. Race day minus two weeks.
Weekly mileage: 45
Weekly synopsis: While not the weekly mileage I'm looking for, it's trending in that direction since Bimbler's and I'm now fully recovered. This was a good mix this week, with three road runs, a prep for Rhody, and even a November swim in the ocean.
Random musings:
- I just learned this week that the song "Jeremy" by grunge band Pearl Jam is really about a despondent teen named Jeremy who blew his brains out in front of his high school English class. Horrid.
- While the majority of locals are enjoying this fluctuating "indian summer", I am not. I find I much prefer a fall day that starts in the low 40s and rises to the upper 50s.
- I learned that when you live vicariously through someone else's activities, you not only revel in their successes (like when Matthew won the Class B Championships last weekend), but you also hurt when things don't well go for them. The specific case in point was RI XC State Championships this weekend, where Matthew was one of the favorites, but unfortunately had a bad day and did not place well. We've all been there with a bad race, but I had a tougher time seeing Matthew in anguish than times when my own races have not gone well. Most coaches and parents were very supportive and told him he'll bounce back, but when one of his coaching staff said some pretty hurtful words, it stung me as well. Matthew is self-critical but resilient, is a great runner, and has many great races ahead of him.
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