Turning the page into October. How did that happen? Fall is my favorite season for running, but from here, it all flies by so fast and all of a sudden the holidays are over and it's January and I'm depressed.
Monday: 0 run, 2 walk, 0.5 swim
AM: Core workout and rehab exercises.
Noon: Mowed the upper field in advance of busy XC races this week, cleared some of the periphery growth on the sides of the trail going up and down the XC course.
PM: Swam after work in Watchaug Pond. Absolutely nobody there. Nobody. Got to the pond in my work clothes and realized I hadn't brought swim shorts. Drat. Now what; do I have to abandon? Nah. I just put on my wetsuit over my birthday suit. Actually more comfortable that way. Amazing how fast the pond is cooling off. All the boats are out, but the buoy I swim to exactly 1/4 mile is still there, so out and back for a 1/2 mile.
Tuesday: 11
Final WHS XC home meet of the season. Funny moment was when I was driving onto the field to bring the setup equipment to the trailhead, a Westerly PD cruiser pulled off Route 91 and into the parking lot to check out my suspicious character. When I showed him I had the keys to the gates and cross-country equipment to set up, he was fine and started to ask me about the trails back there.
Besides marking the course with my partner in crime Jeff Huckle, and breaking down the course as usual, I arrived early to do a little snipping on the Pumpkins 8K Connector trail. When I was asked if I could lead the Tollgate team to see the course as a warm-up, I was thrilled. The runners at the front of the team asked if I'd be walking or running. Um, yeah, running, hope that's OK. It turns out that was their preference anyway. All good; but man was I beat.
Wednesday: 8
Big River, West Greenwich. Started off at my usual spot: the gate at Division Road at Exit 7 off I-95. If it weren't for Mike Galoob hosting the Big River Half Marathon for several years, I probably would never have ventured here. It's a fun spot mostly enjoyed by mountain bikers, but to me it's also a labyrinth of mazes just asking for me to get lost in its lair. I was having fun running the now-familiar-to-me Lego trail, crossing over to the east of New London Turnpike, thinking I knew where I was, until all of sudden I was completely lost somewhere near Tarbox Pond. Like Hercules trying to escape the labyrinth on Crete after slaying the minotaur, it seemed a likely outcome that I would not make it out. This was compounded when I came back to the same place three times in a row!
Thursday: 0
Nada. Spent my early morning getting Pumpkins pre-registration list generated to SNERRO and compiling a final volunteer list. The rest of the day did not give me a window to get out and play.
Friday: 3
Marking Hansel & Gretel trail into the dark. Complete solitude. Enjoyable.
Saturday: 12
Run for the Pumpkins! Separate write-up to follow.
Sunday: 11
AM: 6. Strides 5K. Separate write-up to follow, together with Pumpkins.
PM: 5. Rhody "Half Runaround" planning with Paul Gray. I think we have it pretty much down pat, and Paul added an interesting beach tour at the very end to get 4 miles. Except for the OAB on Sanctuary Road, I'd really like to run this course. We're planning to run it start to finish next Sunday, and use that route on GPS to put together and publish a course map.
Weekly mileage: 44
Weekly synopsis: Another week in the 40s for mileage. Very happy with that. No issues at all. Time to take it up a notch.
Weekly highlight: Run for the Pumpkins trail race. Hands down.
Weekly lowlight: Getting lost (yet again) in Big River.
Monday: 0 run, 2 walk, 0.5 swim
AM: Core workout and rehab exercises.
Noon: Mowed the upper field in advance of busy XC races this week, cleared some of the periphery growth on the sides of the trail going up and down the XC course.
 |
| There was a suggestion to use RoundUp to avoid the need to mow and drag a mower a mile away to the upper field, but there is something neat about running on the grass in the upper field. |
PM: Swam after work in Watchaug Pond. Absolutely nobody there. Nobody. Got to the pond in my work clothes and realized I hadn't brought swim shorts. Drat. Now what; do I have to abandon? Nah. I just put on my wetsuit over my birthday suit. Actually more comfortable that way. Amazing how fast the pond is cooling off. All the boats are out, but the buoy I swim to exactly 1/4 mile is still there, so out and back for a 1/2 mile.
Tuesday: 11
Final WHS XC home meet of the season. Funny moment was when I was driving onto the field to bring the setup equipment to the trailhead, a Westerly PD cruiser pulled off Route 91 and into the parking lot to check out my suspicious character. When I showed him I had the keys to the gates and cross-country equipment to set up, he was fine and started to ask me about the trails back there.
Besides marking the course with my partner in crime Jeff Huckle, and breaking down the course as usual, I arrived early to do a little snipping on the Pumpkins 8K Connector trail. When I was asked if I could lead the Tollgate team to see the course as a warm-up, I was thrilled. The runners at the front of the team asked if I'd be walking or running. Um, yeah, running, hope that's OK. It turns out that was their preference anyway. All good; but man was I beat.
Wednesday: 8
Big River, West Greenwich. Started off at my usual spot: the gate at Division Road at Exit 7 off I-95. If it weren't for Mike Galoob hosting the Big River Half Marathon for several years, I probably would never have ventured here. It's a fun spot mostly enjoyed by mountain bikers, but to me it's also a labyrinth of mazes just asking for me to get lost in its lair. I was having fun running the now-familiar-to-me Lego trail, crossing over to the east of New London Turnpike, thinking I knew where I was, until all of sudden I was completely lost somewhere near Tarbox Pond. Like Hercules trying to escape the labyrinth on Crete after slaying the minotaur, it seemed a likely outcome that I would not make it out. This was compounded when I came back to the same place three times in a row!
 |
| I'm not afraid of getting my feet wet, but what lurks in this primordial slime? Yeah, maybe we can look for another trail. |
 |
| WTAC'er and local BR resident Cliff calls this one the "Spongy Bridge" |
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| Pretty sure I can make it back here now. Of course it was obligatory to go up and over this, but it was a tad slippery today |
 |
| I was never a big Black Sabbath fan, but if I were, don't think I'd sacrifice a tour shirt from their final tour to a god of the trees. |
Thursday: 0
Nada. Spent my early morning getting Pumpkins pre-registration list generated to SNERRO and compiling a final volunteer list. The rest of the day did not give me a window to get out and play.
Friday: 3
Marking Hansel & Gretel trail into the dark. Complete solitude. Enjoyable.
Saturday: 12
Run for the Pumpkins! Separate write-up to follow.
Sunday: 11
AM: 6. Strides 5K. Separate write-up to follow, together with Pumpkins.
PM: 5. Rhody "Half Runaround" planning with Paul Gray. I think we have it pretty much down pat, and Paul added an interesting beach tour at the very end to get 4 miles. Except for the OAB on Sanctuary Road, I'd really like to run this course. We're planning to run it start to finish next Sunday, and use that route on GPS to put together and publish a course map.
Weekly mileage: 44
Weekly synopsis: Another week in the 40s for mileage. Very happy with that. No issues at all. Time to take it up a notch.
Weekly highlight: Run for the Pumpkins trail race. Hands down.
Weekly lowlight: Getting lost (yet again) in Big River.
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