Monday: 3 walk
Labor Day meetup with WMLT president at Bradford Preserve to get the new lawn mower for field maintenance. Widened XC trail up in the process. Will mow the upper field trail next weekend. I'll facilitate the course marking and setup for this year's two Westerly High School home XC meets, but then with my own sons being two years out of high school now and me knowing fewer and fewer of the high school runners, it's time for me to pass the torch in Fall 2020. Regardless, I'll keep performing the annual trail maintenance, because 1) the XC course overlaps with the club's Pumpkins race, and 2) well, maybe because I just happen to like getting out in woods for trail maintenance!
Tuesday: 6
82 degrees at Noon, but this time of year I'm pretty much acclimated. Ran my occasional North End loop from/to the Y. Some lingering soreness from the Mount Greylock race two days ago, but overall felt quite good.
Wednesday: 6
Early morning from Watch Hill to Misquamicut State Beach via roads, and then back via beach. Threw in two harder miles at miles 3 and 6 (6:10, 6:06). Jump in to the ocean at East Beach at finish.
Thursday: 5
Bradford Preserve. Ran essentially the Pumpkins 8K. Pleased with the way this year's landscaping efforts of grading rough spots on the trail and covering the rootiest and rockiest sections of the trail with stone dust. For regular trail runners, it's really no issue, but for HS and MS runners not used to it, it's just better and safer this way, especially if the stone dust settles and hardens a bit.
Friday: 6
Lower Huron Metropark, Michigan. First time ever running in Michigan. Short visit of just more than 24 hours to attend the memorial service for my kind and generous 88-year old uncle (my father's sister's husband). He was a very kind and generous uncle that was a RI native until he relocated for a job transfer. I have great memories of camping and hiking in Maine with him (and my cousins). I also recall going to Cleveland to attend his daughter's (my cousin's) wedding, and upon arriving and going to check in, he told me that my room was already fully paid for. I'm not sure why, but that was just the kind of guy he was.
And back to the run. I didn't have a lot of time between landing in Detroit and getting to his service in Toledo, but enough to run, shower, change, etc. Just south of the Detroit airport, there are a series of metro parks. Lower Huron was right on my way and easy off the highway. There were already a number of people walking dogs and running when I got there.
Saturday: 8
Wildwood Preserve, Toledo, Ohio. As I had to leave the hotel by 9am to get to the airport, I got up and got to the park just a little before first light of day. Only to find the gates closed and locked until 7am. As that opening time was only half an hour away, I just decided to wait, and fortunately, the gates opened about 6:50am. My cousins that grew up in Toledo had described this place to me the night before, and as with Lower Huron Metro Park yesterday, this place did not disappoint.
Sunday: 9 run, 3 walk
Worked with a small WTAC crew to perform some final trail maintenance on the WHS XC and Pumpkins course. I should've taken some before and after pics on the upper field, as it's just amazing how much overgrowth had taken over the trail over the summer. We now have a nice clear grass path through the field, but the brand new town mower sputtered many times and I wasn't sure it would make it, never mind how many briers and Russian Olive branches Muddy to cut to get the trail clear. Good to go!
Post-trail maintenance went for a good trail run with Muddy. Ran on a lot of the mountain bike trails, some of which I had never been on (i.e., "Yo Mama"). Odd trail names, but fun and twisty.
Weekly mileage: 41 run, 6 walk
Weekly synopsis: The gradual mileage climb continues, and I'm feeling great! Absolutely zero remaining mobility or pain issues (albeit masked by Prednisone), and two weeks to go to see the rheumatologist. I'll gradually keep bumping up the miles, with the goal that I'd like to be running 50 or just north on most weeks, with an occasional dial-back week.
Weekly highlight: This is tough. So many good runs this past week. I would say the run in Ohio on Saturday, as it was something different, I felt great, and I could've just kept going if it weren't for time constraints.
Weekly lowlight: Labor Day signifying the closing of beaches, end of our summer dress down Fridays, and a winding down of carefree summer days.
Labor Day meetup with WMLT president at Bradford Preserve to get the new lawn mower for field maintenance. Widened XC trail up in the process. Will mow the upper field trail next weekend. I'll facilitate the course marking and setup for this year's two Westerly High School home XC meets, but then with my own sons being two years out of high school now and me knowing fewer and fewer of the high school runners, it's time for me to pass the torch in Fall 2020. Regardless, I'll keep performing the annual trail maintenance, because 1) the XC course overlaps with the club's Pumpkins race, and 2) well, maybe because I just happen to like getting out in woods for trail maintenance!
Tuesday: 6
82 degrees at Noon, but this time of year I'm pretty much acclimated. Ran my occasional North End loop from/to the Y. Some lingering soreness from the Mount Greylock race two days ago, but overall felt quite good.
Wednesday: 6
Early morning from Watch Hill to Misquamicut State Beach via roads, and then back via beach. Threw in two harder miles at miles 3 and 6 (6:10, 6:06). Jump in to the ocean at East Beach at finish.
Thursday: 5
Bradford Preserve. Ran essentially the Pumpkins 8K. Pleased with the way this year's landscaping efforts of grading rough spots on the trail and covering the rootiest and rockiest sections of the trail with stone dust. For regular trail runners, it's really no issue, but for HS and MS runners not used to it, it's just better and safer this way, especially if the stone dust settles and hardens a bit.
Friday: 6
Lower Huron Metropark, Michigan. First time ever running in Michigan. Short visit of just more than 24 hours to attend the memorial service for my kind and generous 88-year old uncle (my father's sister's husband). He was a very kind and generous uncle that was a RI native until he relocated for a job transfer. I have great memories of camping and hiking in Maine with him (and my cousins). I also recall going to Cleveland to attend his daughter's (my cousin's) wedding, and upon arriving and going to check in, he told me that my room was already fully paid for. I'm not sure why, but that was just the kind of guy he was.
And back to the run. I didn't have a lot of time between landing in Detroit and getting to his service in Toledo, but enough to run, shower, change, etc. Just south of the Detroit airport, there are a series of metro parks. Lower Huron was right on my way and easy off the highway. There were already a number of people walking dogs and running when I got there.
 |
| Enjoyed a mix of single-track on ... |
 |
| ... very well marked trails and ... |
 |
| quiet paved bike paths. |
 |
| I love it when there are clean convenient facilities near the trail and ... |
 |
| clear trail maps at trailheads. |
Saturday: 8
Wildwood Preserve, Toledo, Ohio. As I had to leave the hotel by 9am to get to the airport, I got up and got to the park just a little before first light of day. Only to find the gates closed and locked until 7am. As that opening time was only half an hour away, I just decided to wait, and fortunately, the gates opened about 6:50am. My cousins that grew up in Toledo had described this place to me the night before, and as with Lower Huron Metro Park yesterday, this place did not disappoint.
 |
| Just after the start of my run, I ran into this guy on this trail. (Excuse the horrible picture quality, but I'm posting this anyway, as it was really neat to see. Slightly different than the white tailed species in RI) |
 |
| While just about all of my run today was on dirt trails, there was also a fair amount of boardwalk .. |
 |
| ... and also some grass trails through meadows. |
Sunday: 9 run, 3 walk
Worked with a small WTAC crew to perform some final trail maintenance on the WHS XC and Pumpkins course. I should've taken some before and after pics on the upper field, as it's just amazing how much overgrowth had taken over the trail over the summer. We now have a nice clear grass path through the field, but the brand new town mower sputtered many times and I wasn't sure it would make it, never mind how many briers and Russian Olive branches Muddy to cut to get the trail clear. Good to go!
Post-trail maintenance went for a good trail run with Muddy. Ran on a lot of the mountain bike trails, some of which I had never been on (i.e., "Yo Mama"). Odd trail names, but fun and twisty.
Weekly mileage: 41 run, 6 walk
Weekly synopsis: The gradual mileage climb continues, and I'm feeling great! Absolutely zero remaining mobility or pain issues (albeit masked by Prednisone), and two weeks to go to see the rheumatologist. I'll gradually keep bumping up the miles, with the goal that I'd like to be running 50 or just north on most weeks, with an occasional dial-back week.
Weekly highlight: This is tough. So many good runs this past week. I would say the run in Ohio on Saturday, as it was something different, I felt great, and I could've just kept going if it weren't for time constraints.
Weekly lowlight: Labor Day signifying the closing of beaches, end of our summer dress down Fridays, and a winding down of carefree summer days.
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