Saturday, October 6, 2018

Weekly Log 24-Sep to 30-Sep: An Upbeat End to a Disastrous Q3

Monday:  0
AM core workout and injury rehab.

Tuesday:  5
Pouring rain.  62 degrees at lunchtime.  Haven't run in heavy rain in quite a while; unless the temperature is below 50, I actually really enjoy it.  Went to Burlingame State Park to get in a secluded run and be able to jump in the water post-run.  Ran in a non-hunting section so just ran shirtless without orange.  Never saw a soul.  Also used the opportunity to try another approach of getting a 4-mile route for the new "half Runaround" course we'll have this year at Rhody.

Really wanted to go for a post-run swim in the pouring rain, but due to pending work meetings, had to cut it short and settled for a short dip to rinse off the mud and wash off my clothes and shoes.

Wednesday:  11
AM:  6 miles.  Track workout.  Needham, MA.  73 degrees and super humid.  Wore a shirt to exit and return to the Y, as I think they require it, but otherwise hung my shirt on the track fence as soon as I got there; apologies for any of the other track runners I may have offended.  Was sweating so much it was just literally running down my arms and dripping off my hands as I ran.  Gross.  Ran 1 x mile (5:47 against target 5:40), 2 x 800 (2:50, 2:54 - target 2:50), 2 x 400 (84, 78 - target 73), so all good, especially given the humidity.  Was as much a battle mentally as physically to get this one in.

PM:  5 miles.  On way home via I-395, randomly and last minute decided to stop and check out Hopeville Pond State Park.  When I saw a beach parking lot was also the start of the Nehantic Trail, it made it easy for me to decide to run and then jump in the pond to cool off.  Since I hadn't planned this, all I had were my wet socks, wet road shoes, and wet shorts from this morning.  Dealt the socks and shoes, but just couldn't bring myself to put the gross shorts on.  Had a dry, clean pair of swim jammers, so I just ran in those!  It's not like I saw anyone on the trails or in the water anyway.  Trails were fun until I got into heavy rain and I was slipping around in my road shoes, so I turned around.  The water at Hopeville Pond was cool, but not cold; just very refreshing.

Thursday:  5
Was envisioning an 8-mile run in my mind, but as soon as the legs started moving, they were just very stiff so five be it.  Easy recovery run at 8-minute pace, from the house on local roads.

Friday:  0

Saturday:  7
DuVal run with Jonathan Short.  Trails were very well drained and dry, considering all the rain we've had this past week.  The great thing about running with someone else is the time just flies by.  He started off talking about a documentary movie he went to see last night about Joan Jett (remember her?), which then morphed into other classic rock stars we've haven't heard much about lately or are no longer with us, to somehow a discussion about coyotes, red foxes, and Redd Foxx.

Sunday:  13
Slept in, after watching Darkest Hour late into the night.  On a side note, I feel like woefully ignorant of much of British history, and am just starting to put a few more pieces of the puzzle together.  Besides the UK being the ancestral home of the Walkers (although back then Scotland was an independent country), no matter your heritage there really is an amazing history of Great Britain over the millennia.  But I digress ...

For once, went to bed without an alarm.  What a relaxing feeling.  The downside is I slept until 7:45am, so once I got up, I was determined to get out right away from the house.  Ran out Misquamicut and Ocean View Highway to Watch Hill, where I ran into Jeff Vuono running an 18-miler two weeks out from Hartford.  As it's always easier to run with someone else, I jumped onto his running, told him to set the pace he wanted, and ran with him for the next 7 miles, before parting ways as I turned off Watch Hill Road into Happy Valley.  Best road run I've had in a while.

In the afternoon, Jana and I
got out there and re-blazed the XC course
(which is also the first part of Pumpkins 8K).
Pumpkin Patch Orange!


Weekly mileage:  42

Weekly synopsis:  No pain now in the last four weeks!  As demonstrated in the chart below, I am taking a slow and measured approach to ramping up the mileage.

After shutting it down in late June and early July,
I'm slowly ramping it up.  Hopefully the injury is completely in my rear-view mirror now.

Weekly highlight:  Sunday long run with JV.  Sometimes the best runs are the unplanned ones!

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