Monday: 5
Awesome day out on the trails: Snow in April! Wish I could have stayed out there much longer. With a rare April snowstorm (we ended up getting 4"), I "had" to get out there while the snow lasted.
Tuesday: 0
Wednesday: 6
Drab, rainy day. Nevertheless, I snuck away at lunch to the Y and went out for a run. Definite mood lifter. Only two downsides on this run:
1) Sucking in car and factory exhaust on lower Canal. Ugh. That's a case right there to run trails.
2) Another runner on Perkins dressed in all black (I was in neon yellow) on a dark day and running on the wrong side of the road giving runners a bad name. (No, it wasn't Mikey B!)
Thursday: 5
Road run in Richmond. Loop starting and ending at Arcadia Y. (Um, yeah, loops typically start and end at the same place - that's what makes them a loop.) For road runs, I really like running from here. You start in a busy area in bustling downtown Wyoming, RI, and then can quickly get into very rural and quiet areas.
Picked here for my run because I had an 8:30am meeting at the Arcadia Y. It was the first committee meeting for the Back Road Ramble. Much too late to get started for a June race, but it is what it is and part of that had to do with the delay in getting a state permit. Last year, the Y was told that they got a 1-year exemption only and in future would not be allowed to run the race in June because of bird nesting season. Fortunately this year the birds were OK with the race and approval has been given for June 3. Of course, nothing is easy when you try to plan a race this close to race date, and the first six timing companies I contacted are all busy June 3. I'll keep trying; "Plan B" is to hold the race on June 17 when most timing companies look free, with the downside that it's Father's Day.
Friday: 3
My plans sounded good to run a nice loop from the Mystic Y before meeting a buddy for dinner in Mystic, until they my plans were thwarted by the Mystic Y's locker rooms and showers closed due to construction. Now what? If I don't run, I'll be a miserable dinner companion. Went back to Westerly, changed at their Y before embarking on a less than desirable run as it was 3 miles and downtown, but it was something and I was generally more agreeable to catch up with my high school friend and his awesome latest hikes in Patagonia.
Saturday: 5
Agreeable mix of carriage roads and single-track in the Barn, before heading up to Providence and watching Matthew and his Westerly team compete in the fastest heat in 4 x mile relays. Very exciting, especially with Matthew anchoring. He took the baton with about a 200-meter deficit behind the Division II (medium sized-schools) leader from Classical, gradually narrowed the gap, and passed him with about 200 meters to go en route to a 4:36 mile and winning the D-II race for Westerly!
Sunday: 7
Drove to Haley Farm, Groton and then ran a mile of roads to connect with the Groton Cross-Town Trail. You start right away with a good 1/2 mile climb on the roads. Man, I am out of shape. Ran the short "Town's End" loop, before continuing on the Cross Town Trail through the Beebe Pond property. Trails were great shape and I was able to follow them for the first time ever. I would like to think it's due to my superior navigational skills, but I'm quite the real reason is that they're much better marked this time around.
Weekly mileage: 32
Weekly synopsis: I know, 32 miles is nothing to write home about, but I'm thrilled as it's a turning point for me. The last four weeks were abysmal with my mileage never getting out of the teens, and with my work project over, it's back to more running for me! To quote a popular song from the 1920s, "Happy days are here again"!
Awesome day out on the trails: Snow in April! Wish I could have stayed out there much longer. With a rare April snowstorm (we ended up getting 4"), I "had" to get out there while the snow lasted.
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| April, eh? Enjoyed myself in the snow, for probably the last time 'til next winter. (Top of the green trail in Champlin) |
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| Double-track trail from Shore Road down to the pond. |
Tuesday: 0
Wednesday: 6
Drab, rainy day. Nevertheless, I snuck away at lunch to the Y and went out for a run. Definite mood lifter. Only two downsides on this run:
1) Sucking in car and factory exhaust on lower Canal. Ugh. That's a case right there to run trails.
2) Another runner on Perkins dressed in all black (I was in neon yellow) on a dark day and running on the wrong side of the road giving runners a bad name. (No, it wasn't Mikey B!)
Thursday: 5
Road run in Richmond. Loop starting and ending at Arcadia Y. (Um, yeah, loops typically start and end at the same place - that's what makes them a loop.) For road runs, I really like running from here. You start in a busy area in bustling downtown Wyoming, RI, and then can quickly get into very rural and quiet areas.
Picked here for my run because I had an 8:30am meeting at the Arcadia Y. It was the first committee meeting for the Back Road Ramble. Much too late to get started for a June race, but it is what it is and part of that had to do with the delay in getting a state permit. Last year, the Y was told that they got a 1-year exemption only and in future would not be allowed to run the race in June because of bird nesting season. Fortunately this year the birds were OK with the race and approval has been given for June 3. Of course, nothing is easy when you try to plan a race this close to race date, and the first six timing companies I contacted are all busy June 3. I'll keep trying; "Plan B" is to hold the race on June 17 when most timing companies look free, with the downside that it's Father's Day.
Friday: 3
My plans sounded good to run a nice loop from the Mystic Y before meeting a buddy for dinner in Mystic, until they my plans were thwarted by the Mystic Y's locker rooms and showers closed due to construction. Now what? If I don't run, I'll be a miserable dinner companion. Went back to Westerly, changed at their Y before embarking on a less than desirable run as it was 3 miles and downtown, but it was something and I was generally more agreeable to catch up with my high school friend and his awesome latest hikes in Patagonia.
Saturday: 5
Agreeable mix of carriage roads and single-track in the Barn, before heading up to Providence and watching Matthew and his Westerly team compete in the fastest heat in 4 x mile relays. Very exciting, especially with Matthew anchoring. He took the baton with about a 200-meter deficit behind the Division II (medium sized-schools) leader from Classical, gradually narrowed the gap, and passed him with about 200 meters to go en route to a 4:36 mile and winning the D-II race for Westerly!
Sunday: 7
Drove to Haley Farm, Groton and then ran a mile of roads to connect with the Groton Cross-Town Trail. You start right away with a good 1/2 mile climb on the roads. Man, I am out of shape. Ran the short "Town's End" loop, before continuing on the Cross Town Trail through the Beebe Pond property. Trails were great shape and I was able to follow them for the first time ever. I would like to think it's due to my superior navigational skills, but I'm quite the real reason is that they're much better marked this time around.
Weekly mileage: 32
Weekly synopsis: I know, 32 miles is nothing to write home about, but I'm thrilled as it's a turning point for me. The last four weeks were abysmal with my mileage never getting out of the teens, and with my work project over, it's back to more running for me! To quote a popular song from the 1920s, "Happy days are here again"!
UGH darkly dressed runners, walkers, bikers make me crazy!! There is a woman and her husband I see nearly every day and they are dressed in drab grey to black. They run on 234 into Westerly and back. I want to give them bright hats or something. Same thing with road colored cars with drivers refusing to turn on their lights when visibility is low. Oh well... I'm sure they think brightly dressed people or bright cars are looking for attention or trying to make themselves an easy target?
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