Monday: 0
Typical planned Monday off from running. I need to work in cross-training instead. Actions speak louder than words.
Tuesday: 0
Unplanned day off. Very, very busy at work with a computer software implementation project that our division head has made clear to me she wants every effort made to keep to the original (pre-COVID-19) timeline and costs. That was a tight timeline to begin with and presumed a lot of trips to New Haven (it's for our subsidiary there) for in-person work, but now with everything virtual, it does add some challenges. WebEx video conferencing is my friend from morning to evening each day. Fortunately, my proposal to delay other projects and shift staff around got green-lighted, and a recent staff add approval to my team even during COVID-19 makes me cautiously optimistic.
Wednesday: 8
Morning pre-work run from Wahaneeta with Matthew and Brady. I correctly surmised that we wouldn't see a soul out there (well, except for a really cool frog), so I opted to just leave the leash in the car. Fortunately, Matthew behaved and stayed with us, even without the leash.
Ran the classic trails at Woody Hill. It's really nice out there now with a full canopy of leaves. The price to pay is humidity, ticks, and pending deerflies.
I was invited today to meet with town and Westerly Municipal Land Trust officials for a walk-through at Bradford Preserve of a planned walking path. I’m glad I went, as I learned the path will be on the perimeter of the field (similar to WHS and Pumpkins courses) and the path will be paved! Sounds like a Mikey B idea. It was initially suggested to me that runners could run on the new paved surface. Um, no, they wear spikes and this is a cross-country (and trail run [Pumpkins]). Anyhow, it all went well, was very collaborative, and they will plan to minimize places where XC/Pumpkins needs to cross asphalt to likely just one place.
Thursday: 0 bike, 22 ride
8 miles running in 4 days? Gulp. What gives? Easy to blame work being so busy, but the motivation ebbs and flows and this week I'm feeling a little apathetic with no races on the horizon.
Went out for a bike ride after dinner with Matthew. Long time since I was last on the bike. How long? August 18th! So that's almost nine months. A few observations:
Friday: 0
Long day at work. Low motivation.
Saturday: 10
Very humid with Brady at Arcadia, from JB Hudson trailhead and parking area. At the lot, I was the first car there and shortly thereafter, a kindly older woman pulled in and offered me her bug spray. After that, we went almost the full 10 miles without seeing a soul on the trails. Pictorial overview:
Sunday: 6
Got up at 7:30 and planned to run local roads, maybe even catching up with the now resumed Sunday Run While You Can gang. I like to run the first few miles with the group, and then break off and run the beach home. Check the tide charts and it was high tide, so I would be running all roads, which is still OK if I'm running without Brady. But ten miles on roads with Brady sounds like a lot. What to do? What to do? Leave him at home? He knows I'm going out for a run and is clinging close to me.
Decided to go to Burlingame and run from the Kings Factory Road trailhead. There must have been seven cars parked there. I debated going elsewhere more sparsely attended, but just parked and went out. Finally, much lower humidity. I think Brady recognized and appreciated it, as he had a lot more spunk today with sprints and frolicking in water holes. Towards the end of our run, we passed a couple of bikers in a technical section of VG trail. As we were getting into the car at the end of the run, they passed by us and one of them said to me, "That dog has some lungs!".
Weekly mileage: run 25 miles, bike 23
Weekly synopsis: Obviously a super low mileage week. Running 3 out of 7 days is not good. Not injured, so really no excuse. Just lacking motivation. It doesn't help my lack of motivation that due to COVID-19, there are no excuses until who knows when. I'm OK with one off week, but I "can't" let this happen again next week.
Weekly highlight: The Arcadia classic trail run on Saturday, even with the humidity. Plenty of streams to cool off in, and it's a fun area.
Weekly lowlight: My apathy and lack of motivation. Snap out of it, man.
Typical planned Monday off from running. I need to work in cross-training instead. Actions speak louder than words.
Tuesday: 0
Unplanned day off. Very, very busy at work with a computer software implementation project that our division head has made clear to me she wants every effort made to keep to the original (pre-COVID-19) timeline and costs. That was a tight timeline to begin with and presumed a lot of trips to New Haven (it's for our subsidiary there) for in-person work, but now with everything virtual, it does add some challenges. WebEx video conferencing is my friend from morning to evening each day. Fortunately, my proposal to delay other projects and shift staff around got green-lighted, and a recent staff add approval to my team even during COVID-19 makes me cautiously optimistic.
Wednesday: 8
Morning pre-work run from Wahaneeta with Matthew and Brady. I correctly surmised that we wouldn't see a soul out there (well, except for a really cool frog), so I opted to just leave the leash in the car. Fortunately, Matthew behaved and stayed with us, even without the leash.
Ran the classic trails at Woody Hill. It's really nice out there now with a full canopy of leaves. The price to pay is humidity, ticks, and pending deerflies.
I was invited today to meet with town and Westerly Municipal Land Trust officials for a walk-through at Bradford Preserve of a planned walking path. I’m glad I went, as I learned the path will be on the perimeter of the field (similar to WHS and Pumpkins courses) and the path will be paved! Sounds like a Mikey B idea. It was initially suggested to me that runners could run on the new paved surface. Um, no, they wear spikes and this is a cross-country (and trail run [Pumpkins]). Anyhow, it all went well, was very collaborative, and they will plan to minimize places where XC/Pumpkins needs to cross asphalt to likely just one place.
 |
| Tonight we had been scheduled to start the 45th annual Tom McCoy summer fun run series, but obviously COVID-19 had other plans. Just sad. We've deferred the start out to July 8. Not sure if that's more unbridled optimism than realism, but I do want to be the eternal optimist and not decide in haste, but rather wait until we have the best information available. We will see. |
Thursday: 0 bike, 22 ride
8 miles running in 4 days? Gulp. What gives? Easy to blame work being so busy, but the motivation ebbs and flows and this week I'm feeling a little apathetic with no races on the horizon.
Went out for a bike ride after dinner with Matthew. Long time since I was last on the bike. How long? August 18th! So that's almost nine months. A few observations:
- Atlantic Avenue is terrible to ride on! At least right now, as it's pretty ripped up. Was riding fearful of crashing, especially when hitting the rough breaks between asphalt road and stripped surfaces.
- My bike has seen better days. A lot of clanking and not so smooth gear shifts. I've known this for a while. Every year I contemplate getting a new bike, but am usually just too cheap.
- A lot of tourists and out-of-state plates in coastal Westerly and Charlestown right now. Mostly CT and NY plates, but a few MA as well. I guess it's good to see some semblance of normal?
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| Speaking of cheap, do you see the symbol in the upper-right? Yup, with the new Strava model and many previously-free features now subscription only, I acquiesced and joined the paying ranks. It's a good product that merits some payment, so I guess my seven years of penny-pinching to maintain a free Strava account are over. |
Friday: 0
Long day at work. Low motivation.
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| Great advice! |
Saturday: 10
Very humid with Brady at Arcadia, from JB Hudson trailhead and parking area. At the lot, I was the first car there and shortly thereafter, a kindly older woman pulled in and offered me her bug spray. After that, we went almost the full 10 miles without seeing a soul on the trails. Pictorial overview:
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| Early on, on the Mt Tom Trail |
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| "Water stops" would be frequent on this run; this one at the hunter check-in station |
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| This section of Mt Tom Trail was a little slippery due to overnight rain. Very well marked! |
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| At the southern end of Ben Utter Trail (which we didn't take), and near our western start of Breakheart Trail |
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| Cool chimney on Shelter Trail |
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| Was very concerned seeing this sign amongst an overgrown field ... |
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| ... but it turned out to be fine. |
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| And after the field end, the trail turned into fun pine-covered single-track. |
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| With one mile to go (intersection of Shelter Trail and Frosty Hollow Road), I stopped at this waterhole intending only to give Brady some relief. But I ended up dunking myself as well, and it felt great! |
Got up at 7:30 and planned to run local roads, maybe even catching up with the now resumed Sunday Run While You Can gang. I like to run the first few miles with the group, and then break off and run the beach home. Check the tide charts and it was high tide, so I would be running all roads, which is still OK if I'm running without Brady. But ten miles on roads with Brady sounds like a lot. What to do? What to do? Leave him at home? He knows I'm going out for a run and is clinging close to me.
Decided to go to Burlingame and run from the Kings Factory Road trailhead. There must have been seven cars parked there. I debated going elsewhere more sparsely attended, but just parked and went out. Finally, much lower humidity. I think Brady recognized and appreciated it, as he had a lot more spunk today with sprints and frolicking in water holes. Towards the end of our run, we passed a couple of bikers in a technical section of VG trail. As we were getting into the car at the end of the run, they passed by us and one of them said to me, "That dog has some lungs!".
Weekly mileage: run 25 miles, bike 23
Weekly synopsis: Obviously a super low mileage week. Running 3 out of 7 days is not good. Not injured, so really no excuse. Just lacking motivation. It doesn't help my lack of motivation that due to COVID-19, there are no excuses until who knows when. I'm OK with one off week, but I "can't" let this happen again next week.
Weekly highlight: The Arcadia classic trail run on Saturday, even with the humidity. Plenty of streams to cool off in, and it's a fun area.
Weekly lowlight: My apathy and lack of motivation. Snap out of it, man.
Love the Brady pics!
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