Monday: 7
MLK Day. Lolly-gagged around in the morning trying to figure out what to run, and hoping the temps would warm up. A text from Chris inviting me to an afternoon run in NK made my choice easy, and allowed me to keep working on refreshing the club website for 2018.
Chris and Nate (run organizer) were both saying how it was a haul for me, but really, it was a 35 minute ride in a heated car with heated seats and listening to Tom Petty, the ride flew by. It's worth it to drive a bit to vary up the routes and participants.
The run itself was pretty neat. We ran trails in King and Benson Preserves, both of which looked relatively new, and neither of which I had ever been in.
Tuesday: 0
Wednesday: 5
Post-work run at Barn Island. Ran out of daylight and in the dark, slipped in mud and broke through ice I couldn't see. How I remained upright is beyond me. I should just put my headlamp in the car for times like these.
Thursday: 5
Snow and ice at Noanet Woodlands, Dover, MA. Ran 1 mile in trail shoes, but just slid all over the place. Put on Yak-trax for another 2 miles, which while better, still slid a bit before grabbing onto the ice. Came back and ran final loop in snowshoes, which worked really well with no sliding.
Friday: 0
Another raw day. Just didn't feel like running.
Saturday: 14
West Greenwich and Coventry, RI. Finally got in a good run. Planned this out the night before using a combination of MapMyRun, others' Strava runs, and online trail maps for Tillinghast Farm Management Area. A nice mix of snowy single-track, very rural country roads, and dirt roads through forests. Felt sore afterwards; likely indicative of my low running quantities of late.
Sunday: 7
Ninigret Park, Charlestown. Mix of manicured trails, bike paths, and roads. A very rare (for me) average 6:31 pace.
Weekly mileage: 38
Weekly synopsis: Once I get out there I'm fine, but I'm having trouble to find the motivation to get out there and run. Seasonal affliction with less daylight hours? Stress at work? No race goals?
Weekly highlight: The 14-miler I ran on Saturday. Adventure run in new areas really kept me interested. Despite being my longest run all week, that was the only one all week where I wanted to keep running further and explore some more.
Weekly lowlight: Seeing the reality that as each week goes by, the likelihood of me meeting my goal of running a spring marathon becomes less and less. A number of reasons really, but the top ones include 1) I haven't signed up for a marathon, so I don't have a goal on the calendar, 2) no mileage base: I was consistently running 50-60 miles per week from June through October, but then ever since some minor health issues in November, I have only run a single week over 40 miles, 3) stressful work project with a strict moratorium on days off until mid-April, working most days until after 5pm and then some evening work, and Saturdays at the office in late March means less daylight time available for running, and 4) perhaps the biggest reason: I just don't have the drive and motivation this time around.
I've run 19 marathons and I'll run more. But when I do resume them, it should be because I want to run them as opposed to some sort of self-imposed expectation that I should be running a marathon every spring. I want to run London, and I want to run other marathons both near and far, but it needs to be fun. Now in the meantime to snap out of my temporary run doldrums, I need to plan out a spring calendar, even if that is devoid of marathons. A topic for next week ...
MLK Day. Lolly-gagged around in the morning trying to figure out what to run, and hoping the temps would warm up. A text from Chris inviting me to an afternoon run in NK made my choice easy, and allowed me to keep working on refreshing the club website for 2018.
Chris and Nate (run organizer) were both saying how it was a haul for me, but really, it was a 35 minute ride in a heated car with heated seats and listening to Tom Petty, the ride flew by. It's worth it to drive a bit to vary up the routes and participants.
The run itself was pretty neat. We ran trails in King and Benson Preserves, both of which looked relatively new, and neither of which I had ever been in.
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| Chris' "Tempting Fate" picture. Some day I'll grow up. Today is not that day. |
Tuesday: 0
Wednesday: 5
Post-work run at Barn Island. Ran out of daylight and in the dark, slipped in mud and broke through ice I couldn't see. How I remained upright is beyond me. I should just put my headlamp in the car for times like these.
Thursday: 5
Snow and ice at Noanet Woodlands, Dover, MA. Ran 1 mile in trail shoes, but just slid all over the place. Put on Yak-trax for another 2 miles, which while better, still slid a bit before grabbing onto the ice. Came back and ran final loop in snowshoes, which worked really well with no sliding.
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| Cool ice formations at the remains of the old Dover Iron Works. |
Friday: 0
Another raw day. Just didn't feel like running.
Saturday: 14
West Greenwich and Coventry, RI. Finally got in a good run. Planned this out the night before using a combination of MapMyRun, others' Strava runs, and online trail maps for Tillinghast Farm Management Area. A nice mix of snowy single-track, very rural country roads, and dirt roads through forests. Felt sore afterwards; likely indicative of my low running quantities of late.
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| Overlooking Tillinghast Pond |
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| Neat ice floes at a brook in Tillinghast Pond Management Area |
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| Am I still in RI? Was wondering if I would get bored and hate the road portion of today's run, but it was a very rural (as you can see) mostly car-free run on scenic country roads with hills and distant views. And yes, of course I'm still in RI. Sand Hill Road in West Greenwich, to be specific. |
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| Bucks Horn Brook, Coventry. Along the trail; looks beautiful in snow. |
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| This sign speaks for itself. First time here. I found it kind of neat. |
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| Forestry clearing is going on in a number of preserves, including in Westerly. This sign was at a large clear-cut area in Nicholas Farm Management Area, Coventry. I still find these clear-cut areas to be ugly and question their need, but this sign provided the best brief and concise explanation I have ever seen. |
Sunday: 7
Ninigret Park, Charlestown. Mix of manicured trails, bike paths, and roads. A very rare (for me) average 6:31 pace.
Weekly mileage: 38
Weekly synopsis: Once I get out there I'm fine, but I'm having trouble to find the motivation to get out there and run. Seasonal affliction with less daylight hours? Stress at work? No race goals?
Weekly highlight: The 14-miler I ran on Saturday. Adventure run in new areas really kept me interested. Despite being my longest run all week, that was the only one all week where I wanted to keep running further and explore some more.
Weekly lowlight: Seeing the reality that as each week goes by, the likelihood of me meeting my goal of running a spring marathon becomes less and less. A number of reasons really, but the top ones include 1) I haven't signed up for a marathon, so I don't have a goal on the calendar, 2) no mileage base: I was consistently running 50-60 miles per week from June through October, but then ever since some minor health issues in November, I have only run a single week over 40 miles, 3) stressful work project with a strict moratorium on days off until mid-April, working most days until after 5pm and then some evening work, and Saturdays at the office in late March means less daylight time available for running, and 4) perhaps the biggest reason: I just don't have the drive and motivation this time around.
I've run 19 marathons and I'll run more. But when I do resume them, it should be because I want to run them as opposed to some sort of self-imposed expectation that I should be running a marathon every spring. I want to run London, and I want to run other marathons both near and far, but it needs to be fun. Now in the meantime to snap out of my temporary run doldrums, I need to plan out a spring calendar, even if that is devoid of marathons. A topic for next week ...
Wanting to do something is far more important. You have impressive mileage and people run (not race) marathons on a much smaller mileage base. And a goal without a plan is a wish, or something like that. Words still escape me, and I'm too lazy to look up the exact adage.
ReplyDeleteThe ice pictures are all very beautiful especially the one at the Dover Iron Works. There is something about ice over stone, either natural or man built is so beautiful.
Good luck figuring out what you are going to do and why you are going to do it.
If you had only mentioned you'd been listening to Tom Petty on the way to the run, we'd have had another great discussion topic for the run. Maybe next time.
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