Miscellaneous ramblings:
Monday: 0
Tuesday: 6
Final course-marking of a WHS XC meet for me. I've designed, mapped, cleared (with the help of a number of my WTAC brethren), and now marked the course for four years. This was the final XC home meet of the season. Shout outs to Schane, Eric D, and Justin P for helping with the marking this year. Come next fall Matthew will have been out of high school for three years, and there will be very few WHS runners that I know anymore. The time is ripe for me to pass this on.
Wednesday: 0
Didn't plan it this way, but just didn't get a run in. Don't like racing without a shake-out run, so I'll make sure I get out in the morning and just make it a double tomorrow.
Thursday: 9
AM: 5 miles. 6AM run at 40 degrees! Nice cool fall-like weather. I had an unpleasant encounter with the PM as he chased me through Misquamicut, and I was fortunate to have the safety of porta-jons at the beach. Easy shake-out pace just north of 8-flat.
PM: 4 miles. Stavros Memorial On the Beach Run. My 17th straight. Was happy that the HS team was there, but disappointed when the race started and it became immediately obvious that they were told to take it out easy. I followed Chris out, and immediately saw him run less than a straight line as a wave came in and he went inland to avoid getting his shoes wet. Maybe there's a chance this will delay him enough? Not even close. The waves weren't going far inland, and he was quickly gone from my periphery.
One mile in, with the turnaround in sight, I usually have high schoolers right in front of me, behind me, and often alongside me. Not today. However, I could sense someone right behind me, especially when running through shallow water, and that kept me moving. First mile a spicy (for me) 5:49. Muddy was at the turnaround, and he mentioned something to me about too much splashing. He's right of course, as the more you splash, it does add resistance (i.e., time). However, there's an optimal line somewhere between running around the waves and running through knee-deep water, and I'm still trying to strike that balance.
Rounding the cone, I could still see Chris, but he was long ahead of me now. It was hard to make out people with the sun in my eyes (Justin P later remarked I was squinting), but I could clearly see my challenger was my perennial beach run nemesis, Eric Ciocca. I've usually beaten him after a hard fought battle to the end, but I wasn't optimistic this time. Like me, he was running barefoot, so I after I would run through a wave on the beach, I would usually hear him doing the same and from the sounds, he was getting closer and closer. There was a slight breeze on the way back, and my time slowed to a 6:12 for the second mile.
The third mile I felt like I had picked up the pace, although this final mile was the only one completely into the wind (do you like my excuses?) and was my slowest at 6:19. Anyway, once I was back on the Town Beach and could see the finish area, not knowing where Eric was, I picked up the pace the fastest I could. I wish Nick hadn't been standing in the way on the hard sand, as I like to stay on that for as long as possible, even if adding a few extra feet to avoid the softer sand. Crossed the finish in 18:22, eighteen seconds faster than last year, and just eight seconds ahead of Eric.
After the obligatory post-race dip in the ocean, it was a fun post-race party to get some pizza and catch up with running friends, including a number for which this is the only WTAC event that they come to each year. 17 years down, hopefully many more to come.
Friday: 2 walk, 8 run
AM: Work-sponsored Save the Bay cleanup of Charlestown Beach. This is an annual event that employees can opt into instead of going in to the office in the morning. The last two years I went to Napatree, so this year I chose Charlestown for something different. The company provides the tools (gloves, garbage bags, etc), you're outside on the beach, and they feed you and give you water. Why more people don't opt for this, especially on a work day, is beyond me. I do really have to give my employer kudos for promoting community volunteerism as part of their culture.
PM: Since I was already at Charlestown Beach, and other employees planned to stick around the beach for a while, it was an easy choice for me to go out for a run. The temperature had risen from the 40s into the 70s by now, and it was a bright sunny day. I had running clothes in the car as usual, but opted just to run shirtless. The only thing I should've brought with me was sunscreen. Ran down to the breachway on the dirt road, and then onto the beach for two miles. Unlike last night's beach race, crashing waves were going so far up the beach that it was really hard to run around them. Despite wearing shoes (as I would be running on roads as well), I just gave up and ran through the waves. I ran down as far as Green Hill Road, and exited into what turned out to be a gated and closed private association beach lot. Oops! Now what? I asked one of the elderly women if there was a public access point for me to go out, and she cheerfully told me she'd get her keys and let me out. I told her she looked comfortable lying down and not to bother, but she insisted. Some of my faith in humanity was restored.
As I ran on Green Hill Road, I made note of a chafing issue against and under my feet. I imagined a few pebbles of sand had gotten in there and I now feared issues just running back to my car. It got worse as I ran and then magically as I got to the intersection with Matunuck Schoolhouse Road, I noticed a clear and cold stream running under and alongside the road. Perfect! Hopped in the stream and removing my shoes and socks, it was unbelievable how much sand came out! No wonder it was uncomfortable. After rinsing my removed shoes and socks a number of times and putting them back on, I was actually ready to add a few more miles now! Very pleasant run.
Evening: Went with Jana to watch Deerfoot 5K race in Charlestown. Only we didn't see it. Looked on SNERRO online schedule and saw it started at 6pm. Perfect, we'll have dinner at home and get there 5-10 minutes before start. Only, as we pulled into the park, a sign for the event said 5pm, and then we as we turned towards the playground (finish line), another sign said 5:30pm start. So which is it? 5, 5:30, or 6? Since we saw the clock ticking 24 minutes and a few people finishing up, unfortunately it must've started at 5:30pm, and we ended up missing the whole thing. Oh well, life goes on. Clearly the communications didn't line up, but not worth getting upset about.
Saturday: 9
With the Run for the Pumpkins 5K/8K Trail Race just two weeks away, Justin Pearce had asked me if I could give him a preview of the course. Sure, I'd love to! Kevin Murphy also joined us. I intentionally got there about a half-hour early, as I wanted to check out the Driving Miss Hazy trail that Elise had suggested to me, and I see Jonny and Muddy also ran separately in the past few days. The trail did not disappoint as I like the trails that go on continuously without intersections. I thought I had the whole place to myself, until well along on this twisty trail, I heard, "Hey, it's hunting season!". Looked around, and finally spied the hunter, up in a tree stand. I'm not sure if he was telling me I should be wearing orange (which I wasn't) or if telling me I shouldn't be out here. I'll go with the former and remember to wear orange, and since I don't always plan my runs, I'll try to put an orange shirt in the car. Maybe also get a pair of orange shorts so I can run shirtless on warm fall days. I didn't answer or want to engage the hunter, so I just put up my thumb to acknowledge.
In the afternoon, I tended to outdoor chores, including mowing the lawn, putting down starter fertilizer for new grass where I had rototilled dead sections and planted, and fall fertilizer for the existing lawn, and starting to clean up old junk, including a long unused and partially rusted out grill. Somewhere along the way I just really focused on the wildlife around me, and was duly impressed:
Sunday: 12
Longest run since a 12.2 miler in Tennessee in late May. On this, the last official day of summer, I feel like I lost my whole summer to PMR. I can't gain it back, so just trying to be positive and move forward.
On that positive note, I ran with Jeff Vuono for about 5 of the miles (as part of his hosted Run While You Can weekly group runs) and enjoyed catching up with him. After the Watch Hill lighthouse, we parted ways as he continued his group run course and I jumped onto East Beach and ran the beach home.
Weekly mileage: 45
Weekly synopsis: Longest run and highest weekly mileage since late May, so I'm happy with that for sure. As I'm coming into back-to-back race weekends, I'll probably dial it back a bit, but as mentioned before, I want to be at 50 miles (almost there) by the end of October and then have a steady base of 50+ before starting Boston training in late December.
Weekly highlight: Running the Stavros beach for the 17th straight year, even if no high school runners racing it this year.
Weekly lowlight: Lamenting the end of summer.
- There's something pacifying for me about the goats and donkeys at Manfredi's Farm. (And their late-season corn is just the best around.)
- Love the fact we have a cheese store in Westerly now. I should probably patronize it a little more, but had fun learning about and sampling a number of different cheeses, and ended up picking a Camembert from Vermont, and a cranberry Wensleydale from the UK to bring to a neighbor's house for a recent dinner party. They seemed to go over quite well.
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| Unique and cool store. |
Monday: 0
Tuesday: 6
Final course-marking of a WHS XC meet for me. I've designed, mapped, cleared (with the help of a number of my WTAC brethren), and now marked the course for four years. This was the final XC home meet of the season. Shout outs to Schane, Eric D, and Justin P for helping with the marking this year. Come next fall Matthew will have been out of high school for three years, and there will be very few WHS runners that I know anymore. The time is ripe for me to pass this on.
 |
| New London train station at right (I had just gotten off the train from New Haven), and finish of Sailfest 5K in front and below. Just reminded me of the fun races I've had at Sailfest. Rheumatic issues kept me from competing this July, but I hope to be back in successive years. |
Wednesday: 0
Didn't plan it this way, but just didn't get a run in. Don't like racing without a shake-out run, so I'll make sure I get out in the morning and just make it a double tomorrow.
Thursday: 9
AM: 5 miles. 6AM run at 40 degrees! Nice cool fall-like weather. I had an unpleasant encounter with the PM as he chased me through Misquamicut, and I was fortunate to have the safety of porta-jons at the beach. Easy shake-out pace just north of 8-flat.
PM: 4 miles. Stavros Memorial On the Beach Run. My 17th straight. Was happy that the HS team was there, but disappointed when the race started and it became immediately obvious that they were told to take it out easy. I followed Chris out, and immediately saw him run less than a straight line as a wave came in and he went inland to avoid getting his shoes wet. Maybe there's a chance this will delay him enough? Not even close. The waves weren't going far inland, and he was quickly gone from my periphery.
 |
| Start of the 2019 Stavros Beach Run |
One mile in, with the turnaround in sight, I usually have high schoolers right in front of me, behind me, and often alongside me. Not today. However, I could sense someone right behind me, especially when running through shallow water, and that kept me moving. First mile a spicy (for me) 5:49. Muddy was at the turnaround, and he mentioned something to me about too much splashing. He's right of course, as the more you splash, it does add resistance (i.e., time). However, there's an optimal line somewhere between running around the waves and running through knee-deep water, and I'm still trying to strike that balance.
Rounding the cone, I could still see Chris, but he was long ahead of me now. It was hard to make out people with the sun in my eyes (Justin P later remarked I was squinting), but I could clearly see my challenger was my perennial beach run nemesis, Eric Ciocca. I've usually beaten him after a hard fought battle to the end, but I wasn't optimistic this time. Like me, he was running barefoot, so I after I would run through a wave on the beach, I would usually hear him doing the same and from the sounds, he was getting closer and closer. There was a slight breeze on the way back, and my time slowed to a 6:12 for the second mile.
The third mile I felt like I had picked up the pace, although this final mile was the only one completely into the wind (do you like my excuses?) and was my slowest at 6:19. Anyway, once I was back on the Town Beach and could see the finish area, not knowing where Eric was, I picked up the pace the fastest I could. I wish Nick hadn't been standing in the way on the hard sand, as I like to stay on that for as long as possible, even if adding a few extra feet to avoid the softer sand. Crossed the finish in 18:22, eighteen seconds faster than last year, and just eight seconds ahead of Eric.
 |
| Tired, but happy with my race and that I hung on to 2nd |
After the obligatory post-race dip in the ocean, it was a fun post-race party to get some pizza and catch up with running friends, including a number for which this is the only WTAC event that they come to each year. 17 years down, hopefully many more to come.
 |
| With Way |
Friday: 2 walk, 8 run
AM: Work-sponsored Save the Bay cleanup of Charlestown Beach. This is an annual event that employees can opt into instead of going in to the office in the morning. The last two years I went to Napatree, so this year I chose Charlestown for something different. The company provides the tools (gloves, garbage bags, etc), you're outside on the beach, and they feed you and give you water. Why more people don't opt for this, especially on a work day, is beyond me. I do really have to give my employer kudos for promoting community volunteerism as part of their culture.
 |
| Today's beach clean up team. |
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| Pretty rough surf today! We had stood at the clean-up sign for a group photo just an hour prior (pic above this one), and this would make keeping my shoes dry on a subsequent run near impossible. |
PM: Since I was already at Charlestown Beach, and other employees planned to stick around the beach for a while, it was an easy choice for me to go out for a run. The temperature had risen from the 40s into the 70s by now, and it was a bright sunny day. I had running clothes in the car as usual, but opted just to run shirtless. The only thing I should've brought with me was sunscreen. Ran down to the breachway on the dirt road, and then onto the beach for two miles. Unlike last night's beach race, crashing waves were going so far up the beach that it was really hard to run around them. Despite wearing shoes (as I would be running on roads as well), I just gave up and ran through the waves. I ran down as far as Green Hill Road, and exited into what turned out to be a gated and closed private association beach lot. Oops! Now what? I asked one of the elderly women if there was a public access point for me to go out, and she cheerfully told me she'd get her keys and let me out. I told her she looked comfortable lying down and not to bother, but she insisted. Some of my faith in humanity was restored.
As I ran on Green Hill Road, I made note of a chafing issue against and under my feet. I imagined a few pebbles of sand had gotten in there and I now feared issues just running back to my car. It got worse as I ran and then magically as I got to the intersection with Matunuck Schoolhouse Road, I noticed a clear and cold stream running under and alongside the road. Perfect! Hopped in the stream and removing my shoes and socks, it was unbelievable how much sand came out! No wonder it was uncomfortable. After rinsing my removed shoes and socks a number of times and putting them back on, I was actually ready to add a few more miles now! Very pleasant run.
Evening: Went with Jana to watch Deerfoot 5K race in Charlestown. Only we didn't see it. Looked on SNERRO online schedule and saw it started at 6pm. Perfect, we'll have dinner at home and get there 5-10 minutes before start. Only, as we pulled into the park, a sign for the event said 5pm, and then we as we turned towards the playground (finish line), another sign said 5:30pm start. So which is it? 5, 5:30, or 6? Since we saw the clock ticking 24 minutes and a few people finishing up, unfortunately it must've started at 5:30pm, and we ended up missing the whole thing. Oh well, life goes on. Clearly the communications didn't line up, but not worth getting upset about.
Saturday: 9
With the Run for the Pumpkins 5K/8K Trail Race just two weeks away, Justin Pearce had asked me if I could give him a preview of the course. Sure, I'd love to! Kevin Murphy also joined us. I intentionally got there about a half-hour early, as I wanted to check out the Driving Miss Hazy trail that Elise had suggested to me, and I see Jonny and Muddy also ran separately in the past few days. The trail did not disappoint as I like the trails that go on continuously without intersections. I thought I had the whole place to myself, until well along on this twisty trail, I heard, "Hey, it's hunting season!". Looked around, and finally spied the hunter, up in a tree stand. I'm not sure if he was telling me I should be wearing orange (which I wasn't) or if telling me I shouldn't be out here. I'll go with the former and remember to wear orange, and since I don't always plan my runs, I'll try to put an orange shirt in the car. Maybe also get a pair of orange shorts so I can run shirtless on warm fall days. I didn't answer or want to engage the hunter, so I just put up my thumb to acknowledge.
In the afternoon, I tended to outdoor chores, including mowing the lawn, putting down starter fertilizer for new grass where I had rototilled dead sections and planted, and fall fertilizer for the existing lawn, and starting to clean up old junk, including a long unused and partially rusted out grill. Somewhere along the way I just really focused on the wildlife around me, and was duly impressed:
 |
| Spied this guy on my grass. He was quite the jumper! I found his coloring to be very unusual. Tried and failed to look up his species. If anyone can enlighten me, I'd appreciate it. |
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| Bee at center of sunflower in my front yard, and then two more at 2 o'clock and 3 o'clock. I know we all take them for granted, but if you stop and just watch nature for a bit, it's actually kind of cool. |
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| Monarch butterfly fluttering from marigold to marigold. |
Sunday: 12
Longest run since a 12.2 miler in Tennessee in late May. On this, the last official day of summer, I feel like I lost my whole summer to PMR. I can't gain it back, so just trying to be positive and move forward.
On that positive note, I ran with Jeff Vuono for about 5 of the miles (as part of his hosted Run While You Can weekly group runs) and enjoyed catching up with him. After the Watch Hill lighthouse, we parted ways as he continued his group run course and I jumped onto East Beach and ran the beach home.
 |
| Besides the kind of eerie Japanese ghost mask on the men's bathroom door, ... |
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| the food at Sabuki's in South Kingstown is really good! ("Aquarium Sushi" dish above was my dinner.) |
Weekly mileage: 45
Weekly synopsis: Longest run and highest weekly mileage since late May, so I'm happy with that for sure. As I'm coming into back-to-back race weekends, I'll probably dial it back a bit, but as mentioned before, I want to be at 50 miles (almost there) by the end of October and then have a steady base of 50+ before starting Boston training in late December.
Weekly highlight: Running the Stavros beach for the 17th straight year, even if no high school runners racing it this year.
Weekly lowlight: Lamenting the end of summer.
Great week, Jeff! That's a wood frog. Glad to see you are running well
ReplyDeleteThanks Greg. You do know your species! Appreciate it.
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