Weekly Log 17-Aug to 23-Aug-2020: Visit to Georgia

Miscellaneous ramblings:

• Just read an article "COVID marks the end of office clothes".  One line in the article is "The slow erasure of professional attire can be viewed as a symbol of some of the ways the economy and the experience of white-collar work have changed for the worse.".  I am NOT in that camp, and am loving wearing shorts and running t-shirts during the work day everyday!
• After spending about 12 hours in Georgia this week, my Georgian brother asked me if I found COVID life in GA to be different than RI.  Um, yes, quite a bit.  They just don't seem to take COVID as seriously in my brief observations, including limited mask wearing indoors, the governor fighting mayors who want to require masks, and lack of social distancing.
• So sad that Kim Jong Un recently ordered all dog owners in the capital city of Pyongyang to turn over their dogs to be confiscated by the state, purportedly with some to go to zoos and others to restaurants that serve dog meat.  And for what?  Because this has become a symbol of "western decadence".  Sad.
• So looking to fall races, but unfortunately a slew of them just got cancelled.  I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but at least there are a few to pick from.  Here's what I'm looking at.

Monday:  0

Long, long drive.  How long?  Just shy of one thousand miles.  Left Westerly about 4:30am, arrived Savannah, GA just after 9pm.

Tuesday:  6

Savannah, GA city run.  I had planned to run at nearby Tybee Island, but that didn't work for two reasons:  1) it would add another hour of driving (1/2 hour each way) on a tight schedule and already sick of driving, and 2) sunrise wasn't until just about 7am.  Decided to just run in the city.  Made it up as I went along.  Not terribly hot, but terribly humid at nearly 95% humidity.  Stepping out of the my hotel onto the city streets, it felt hard to breathe. 

The fountain downtown looked inviting on a very humid day.

Reminds me of Zakim Bridge in Boston

Old style river boat.

Along the Savannah River

Large grass fields at the Mother Matilda Beasley Park

Was very surprised to see these Confederate statues and memorials remaining,
where so many have been pulled down in recent days.

The neat Forsyth Fountain inside Forsyth Park,
modeled after fountains in Peru

Neat Spanish Moss overhanging near a cemetery.

Neat looking planetarium building.  I'm assuming the "Mask Up" mandatory order refers to patrons
inside their own building, as masks certainly weren't in vogue at many public buildings.

Wednesday:  16

AM:  11 miles.  SK run with Matthew and Brady.  Ran the usual DuVal trails before embarking on dirt roads and trails over to Browning trails.  I've much of this route with Chris in the past, but unlike this knowing this like the back of his hands, I would have been completely lost if not for constantly referring to my phone and specifically Matthew's route on Strava.

PM:  5 miles.  Weekapaug run with Tom, Mike, and for a portion, Keith.  Hadn't planned to run 16 miles on the day, but a late afternoon run with the guys sounds great when Tommy included a mid-run swim in the ocean.  Ran first half mile as part of "Haley's Fun Run" (hopefully the kids' Fun Run at Tom McCoy Family Fun Runs will return next summer, but this is a nice substitute to keep it going for her in 2020).  The rest was a good catch-up with the guys, and of course, the highlight was the mid-run ocean dip.

Thursday:  5

Woody Hill with Brady.  First run in Woody in a long time.

Friday:  8

5 miles on the beach at sunrise with Matthew and Brady, and 3 on the road to finish up.  There were a lot of rocks washed up on the beach, and it made for awkward barefoot running.

Beautiful skies just before sunrise.

Saturday:  6

Burlingame trail with Brady on Sammy C's, North Camp trail, and VG.  Annoying deerflies were still out there, but to be fair, they were worst near North Camp and sporadic otherwise.  Brady seemed hot by the time we got down to Watchaug Pond, so he walked a little ways into the water, but then turned around to me and whimpered.  I think he was asking for me to come in the water with him, so stripped the shoes, socks, and singlet, and went in full bore.  Felt great!  Continued on for two miles back to the car, and which point I was hot again.  Thought about getting an iced coffee, but time was tight before heading to Providence, so I opted for a second swim with Brady at Watchaug Pond instead.

COVID-19 test:  Between me having been in the South this week (which upon travel to RI requires quarantining or a negative COVID test), and heading to Maine next week (which requires RI'ers to quarantine or produce a negative COVID test), getting a COVID test made sense.  I just wish the government made it easier.  When I deplaned at TF Green Airport, I was met by a National Guardsman passing out information on RI quarantine/testing policy.  I would've taken a test right there had it been offered.  But it's not.

I tried to test at my local CVS, but I'm not eligible as I'm asymptomatic.  I registered on the RI government site, but had to wait three days to be tested and go to Providence.  So anyway three of us went to the new testing site at the convention center, and the testing process is order and facilitated by the National Guard.  After proceeding through the first few drive-up checkpoints, a man in a full hazmat suit came around to each of us to conduct the test.  He told us it would be slightly uncomfortable, but is VERY uncomfortable, as I'm quite sure I've never had anything inserted that deeply into my nostril.  Fortunately, the nasal discomfort and watery eyes lasted only a few minutes, and by half an hour later, I felt just fine.  Weird experience.  No complaints, BUT if I need another COVID test, I hope the next one is using the new FDA-approved saliva version.

This is my favorite photo of the week!  Our friendly neighbors invited Brady (and me)
over to swim in their pool Saturday afternoon, and after many attempts with throwing his ball
 into the pool,he took this full leap into the pool!

Sunday:  13

Charlestown roads with Matthew.  It was sunny, relatively warm, and very humid.  1-2 miles in I was questioning myself on whether I would be able to finish the planned half-marathon distance today, and figured it would be very slow.  But after circling back to the car, dropping shirts, getting a quick gulp of ice water, and resuming on shaded streets, I felt a little better and was able to run low 7s with ease.  

We ran together for 10 miles, before Matthew dropped me on the Green Hill Carpenter Drive hill.  That actually spurred me to pick it up for the last 3 miles, with splits of 6:28, 6:39, and 6:30.  Happy with the way I finished up.  Quickly devoured the rest of my ice water and an iced latte from The Bakery.

Weekly mileage:  54

Weekly synopsis:  Another great week. I hit my mileage goal, ran in a new place, and got in a medium long run faring better than I thought.  

Weekly highlight:  The run in Savannah.  It wasn't fast, my running wasn't pretty, and it was very humid, but I almost always enjoy a run in a new location and I've always wanted to visit Savannah.

Weekly lowlight:  Running all went well.  Probably the discomfort of the COVID test.

Weekly Log 10-Aug to 16-Aug-2020: Bottone Mile Race

Monday:  1 mile swim, 1 mile kayak
AM:  My legs have been a little sore, with a bit more running than usual, so despite today being a holiday (Victory Day in RI), I omitted the running and swam instead at Watchaug Pond.  Swam one mile!  I know real swimmers would say, so?  or and?, but to me it was a big deal.  Felt smooth out there.  The arms were tiring as I finished up, but I did it!  As I was getting out the water, a woman just entering asked me, "Want to go for another?".  Um, no, I'm quite done, but thanks for the chuckle.  It was Marie Labriola starting her swim.

PM:  Back to Watchaug Pond late afternoon with Brady, this time for a kayak.  As I mentioned, my arms are tiring, and since I'm also kayaking tomorrow, I kept it reasonably short.  Finished up, and as usual of late, ran into the Bousquet clan!  Played in the water for a while before heading home.  8pm now and I'm wiped and ready for bed.  Fortunately tomorrow is a vacation day for me.

When he's lying down in the kayak, it's steady.  When he stands up and moves around,
not so much.  I feel like he is going to capsize the boat.

Tuesday:  8 miles run, 2 miles kayak

AM:  Burlingame campground trails with Matthew and Brady.  Very dry trails, as it hasn't rained here in a long time.  Interesting that SK and Narragansett have complete water bans, while Westerly doesn't even have any type of rationing.  Is our water system more plentiful?  Anyway, felt fine on this run other than the humidity.  Carried my hydration pack to have water for Brady, and put his leash and water bowl inside it.  At one point, Matthew took off his sweaty shirt and put it in one of the pack pockets.  So other than the fact that I can never wear it again after the foul stench from Matthew's shirt, it fits an amazing amount of stuff for a mid-size pack.

PM:  After a late brunch of Mark's choice, which incidentally was our first time eating inside a restaurant since COVID, we were off to Jamestown for kayaking.  The whole family came along, but it was just Mark (and Brady) and me on the kayaks.  After four straight days of kayaking in the sun, my body and especially arms are tired.  I'm grateful to my neighbors for suggesting and lending their two kayaks to us.  My four-day escape from work is over, but if there's a silver lining during COVID, it's that I've only taken three days of vacation thus far, and have a lot left over!

Mark and Brady, with the Newport Bridge in background

Wednesday:  6

AM:  3 miles.  Easy local road shakeout with Brady and Matthew.

PM:  3 miles.  Bottone Mile race.  Small field in the COVID era, but it's a free race with very little expenses, so it was worth it to hold it for the 40+ runners that came out.  We had the COVID regulations down pat now after 5 straight weeks of Fun Runs.  What was new this week was the assigned waves, and the middle digit of each runner's bib told him which wave he was running in.  I anticipated issues with this, but runners got it real quickly and we had no issues at all (that I'm aware of) with runners inadvertently in the wrong wave.

Nick Bottone giving pre-race commentary to a socially distance group,
before runners entered their designated rows and circles

Socially distanced start, with rows 6' apart

I was in the 2nd row of the 1st wave, with an estimated 5:30 finish.  Not sure if that was realistic, given the past two years I ran 5:43 and 5:42 on the same course, respectively, but I did have summer injuries/issues and I don't know how much of a contributor that was.  The last time I beat 5:30 in a mile was way back in 2014 at 5:25, and that was on a track.

Right from the start, many of the runners in my wave of 10 rocketed out ahead of me.  The first two turns come up quick and are really tight against Atlantic Avenue, but it's good to get them out of the way, as after that there's a long straight-away and the remaining turns are not tight at all.  At about 1/2 mile in along Crandall Ave, I came up on and passed high school runners Brandon and Tyler.  I could see Dave Goodrich ahead of me, but not only was I not closing that gap, a quick glance at my watch was now showing in the 5:40s.  Gulp.  At 3/4 of a mile, you make the turns to start to head back.  Between an ever so slight downhill and the sounds of someone coming right up on me, I was able to push harder for the remainder of the mile.  My watch showed 5:31, but I think I was late pushing the stop button in the chute.

Final results:  5:29.6.  Full results here.

Short cool-down and dip in the ocean.

Post-run dinner at the Andrea.  Nice enjoyable outdoor setting.

That's a lot of garlic on my green beans.  Fortunately, I really like garlic!

I think we all enjoyed our dinners (top:  Matthew's lobster mac 'n cheese, right:
Jana's salmon tacos, bottom:  my baked scallops).  Not a cheap dinner, but it was really nice
and partially offset by a gift certificate I won in a local race last year.

The ocean views aren't bad either!

Thursday:  0

Slept in, and then didn't have an opportunity to go out for a run, between work and getting set up to have my Mom over for dinner on our patio.

Friday:  8

Ninigret Park with Matthew and Brady.  Mix of grass fields, bike path, and gravel trails.  The super humid stuff is gone, and Brady seemed to do much better today because of it.  Felt good out there.  Bakery for scones and iced coffee post run.

Saturday:  12

First time running Arcadia in a while.  With Matthew and Brady.  Clockwise loop on some of my favorite trails:  JB Hudson, Mt Tom, Escoheag, Breakheart, and Shelter.  Felt a little bit like fall out there today.  Not completely, as temp was in low 70s, but humidity was also in low 70s for a change and there was a good breeze.

I think the deerflies are just about done.  Not a single one out there today!  Didn't see many people out there today.  Most of the ones we did see were part of an AMC trail maintenance crew in the parking lot at JB Hudson trailhead.  Made sure to tell them they do great work.

I wore my hydration pack so I could offer Brady water when needed, but I didn't use much as we were able to stop at streams and rivers in places for him to cool off.  With about a mile to go, we stopped at a small swimming hole.  Brady went right in for a swim, and I followed suit but wasn't as brave or as quick as him, as that water was cold!  Very refreshing though.

Nice little swimming hole.  Brady didn't waste any time getting in.

Sunday:  14

Coolest day in a long time.  Today's high temp was 67°!  I'll take that for mid-August.  A bonus was the intermittent light rain on today's run, which felt great.  It's funny that a few folks posted their Strava runs with descriptions including verbiage to the effect of "fortunately I finished up before the rain".  In January, I could agree, but I like summer rain runs.  Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

Anyway, ran from the Mystic Y with Matthew on a route he had planned out.  Ran many roads in Groton that I had never been on before.  Almost all were quiet and bucolic.  I started out the run very stiff and afraid this would be another of those runs where I would lag Matthew badly.  The first few miles that was the case, and I literally huffed and puffed up the hills.  At about 6 miles in, we had a long downhill stretch and it gave me a second wind for the remainder of the run.

The last three miles were pretty flat, yet I managed to put in splits of 6:58, 6:32, and 6:09.  As Matthew later remarked, and I concur, he'll take a run anytime where you feel bad and slow to start and finish strong.  Finished up with a dip in the Mystic River, where I lamented the loss of the Mystic Y Tri.  It was never runner-friendly with the long swim course and short (2.7M) run course, but nonetheless it is sad to see any local event in the area, especially a tri, cancelled.  Since it was cancelled pre-COVID, I'm assuming it's gone.  I think the closest local tri remaining now is The Wave tri in SK.

Weekly mileage:  48 miles run, 3 miles kayak, 1 mile swam

Weekly synopsis:  Another good running week, with a dip or quick swim after almost every run this week.  That's a good way to end a run in my books.  Getting in a mile swim felt good as well.  I will welcome the cooler fall weather, but miss the swim and pond and ocean dips.

Weekly highlight:  A lot of good summer activities, so it's hard to pick just one.  I'll go with the Jamestown kayaking with Mark as it's a rare occasion for me to have outdoor sporting activities with my southern son.  

Weekly lowlight:  Nada.  No injuries.  No bad runs.  Just a really good summer week.

Weekly Log 3-Aug to 9-Aug-2020: Hydrations Packs & Kayaks

Monday:  0 run, 1/2 swim

AM:  Had most of the day off for jury duty, so worked around a couple of meetings I wanted to fit in, cancelled a couple of others, and went for a mid-morning swim at Watchaug Pond.  Felt really good on this swim!  No goggle problems this time, and just smooth.  Yes, I'm slow, but enjoyable and consistent.

Finished up and preparing to get out of the water, when do I see?  Tommy 5K and Haley swimming!  That's the second time in about as many weeks that I have randomly run into them here.

PM:  Went to my statewide grand jury appointment in Warwick.  The bad news is I had to wear long pants, socks, and a belt, all for the first time in at least three months, possibly longer.  Also, the courtroom was stuffy, hot, and we all had to wear a mask the whole time.  I felt I was going to fall asleep about halfway through the judge's diatribe.  Now that I'm done with my whining, here is the good news:  I was selected as an alternate juror!  Meaning for my six months of duty, I don't show up at all unless regular jurors are dismissed and approved by the judge.  I'm not counting my chickens yet, but I am happy!

Tuesday:  12

AM:  6 miles.  DuVal trails with Brady.  Uncomfortably thick air.  Ran first out to Red House Road, and then I felt badly as Brady laid down right away to try to cool down, and we had to run the 2 miles back now before I could get him any water.  Back at the car, I filled his portable water bowl with cold water not once, not twice, but thrice before he stopped drinking.  Note to self:  I need to be more aware of his conditions.  Took him for a swim at Watchaug Pond, where he repeatedly wanted to run and jump off the dock into the water!  Finally, that seemed to cool him off and the panting stopped.

PM:  6 miles.  Burlingame campground trails with Matthew and Brady at dusk.  This time we planned out two water breaks for Brady, but it wasn't humid like this morning, and he didn't have much issue.  Got really dark for the last couple of miles, and it was neat to run past so many blazing campfires.

Wednesday:  4

Final Fun Run of the year.  52 participants came out for the final night.  Unfortunately, two Westerly Sun photographers showed up as well.  Normally we would welcome the publicity, but this year we're trying to keep low key.  I just asked both to please be respectful, and to understand that we put so much time and effort into getting the 2020 events into reality and getting USATF approvals that we'd hate it to be unwound by a public photo of someone, despite our best efforts, perceived as not social distancing.  Hopefully I'll sleep well and not fret too much.

My own fun was a 19:39 this evening.  I tried to chase down Dave Goodrich, but I just didn't have it tonight.  Slow and lethargic in the heat.  I have to blame something, right?  In a way, I'm happy for the Fun Runs to come to a conclusion.  They definitely weren't the same as past years, and while people expressed gratitude for us going the "extra mile" to put them on, I was always nervous of some issue coming up.

Thursday:  8

Warm, but not hot, morning at Ninigret Park, with Matthew and Brady.  Circled back to the car twice for water breaks for Brady, and I took advantage of those as well.  Afterwards, took him to our new regular swimming spot, Watchaug Pond, for an extended swim.  He ran right down the dock, and jumped into the water, almost on top of where Matthew was in the water.

By the way, my fretting over the newspaper publicity of the Fun Runs was for naught.  There was not a single photo in the print edition, and online, a very respectful gallery including a number of photos and masks, and the following caption was posted:  Sun Spotted Gallery

Friday:  17!

AM:  10 mile group run on the beach at sunrise, at low tide, barefoot.  Matthew and I met up with Tommy and Mikey for a guys group run, but I think the happiest runner of all today was Brady, as he darted in and out of the water during his run.  The start was foreboding as we had to run through very thick seaweed covering the entire beach and also couldn't see the rocks under the thick seaweed in the water.  The seaweed lasted a good 1/4 mile and in some places was more than a foot thick!

The rest of the run, other than rocks jutting out at the west end of Atlantic Ave, was pretty flat and seaweed free.  I ran mostly with Mike, as the three younger guys were generally ahead.  As always, a post run dip in the ocean was very refreshing, and Brady joined in for the swim as well.  Finished up with a social catch-up over coffee next door at the Innlet.  Great start to the morning!

PM:  7 miles with Mike Main in Burlingame.  He was vacationing in RI and wanted to run Burlingame, and preferably something "gnarly".  OK, so I took him on a tour of Sammy C's, Lenny Lane, down to North Camp (not at all gnarly, but certainly picturesque), and back on VG.  The legs are done for today.

Saturday:  6 run, 2 kayak

6-mile trail run with Brady from the Watchaug Pond boat launch.  Easy run on the usual campground trails.  The campfires along the way smelled great.  Ran with my new hydration pack for the first time to get used to it, as well as be able to provide water to Brady knowing there wouldn't be any streams.

New hydration pack:  Nathan Vapor Air, 2L bladder

Came back to the launch, untied the kayak, and put it on the beach ready to go.  And who shows up?  Tommy 5K and family, of course!  It's uncanny how we have just happened to meet up here at least three times in the past month.  I was showing Haley how Brady loves to jump off the dock into the water now, and she took to it as well.

While getting something out of the car and getting ready to kayak, I had a few unplanned issues:  Brady saw a bunch of guys playing frisbee in the water a ways off, and while he almost always come when I call him no matter what he's doing or chasing, this time he was bounding away and determined, and my running after him and calling him didn't deter him.  One of the frisbee tosses went wide and Brady swam out and got it.  I apologized to the guy, and he was laughing and said no problem at all, and he suggested I get Brady a frisbee.  Good idea!  

A woman came over and said something to the effect of "Thank you for not putting Brady on the leash".  Uh-oh.  Sarcasm?  Before I had chance to say anything, she said Brady seems so friendly and playful and can come over to their beach spot anytime to play with their Golden Retriever; she's not one of those uptight people.  I said I just realize that some people don't like dogs running around, so I try to be sensitive to that.  All's well that ends well.

Wet dog on his first kayak ride.  At Watchaug Pond.

Borrowed Mark's car to put on the roof rack.  What a pain to tie it.
If I ever got my own kayak, I'd invest in the strap system that most kayakers seem to use,
but for a short term borrow of a neighbor's kayak, the rope did the job just fine.

Sunday:  10 run, 2 kayak

AM:  Hot morning on roads, so left Brady at home.  I did feel guilty, but it was for the best, and Jana took him for a run.  About 7 of the miles were on roads, a few with the Run While You Can crew, and then a solo run on the beach at close to low tide.

PM:  2nd kayak day.  Pawcatuck River with Matthew and Brady.  Launched from the state boat launch in downtown Westerly.  A little too busy for my liking, with boat trailers and boat launches seemingly constant.  

Brady is intently watching Matthew, in the 2nd kayak

Weekly mileage:  57 run, 4 kayak, 0.5 swim

Weekly synopsis:  A really good week.  Active everyday with a lot of varied activities.  Run mileage over 50 for the first time in several weeks.

Weekly highlight:  Getting out on the water 6 out of 7 days!  Spending time on and in the water is a highlight of summer in general for me.

Weekly lowlight:  Having to get "dressed up" and sit in a courtroom in Warwick for the afternoon.  And if that's my worst lowlight of the week, things aren't bad!

People's Forest Trail Race

Barkhamsted, CT

Saturday, August 1, 2020

Yes, it's August.  Where did the time go?  I know, so cliché , but it really is hard to believe.  When I think August, I start to think of the summer winding down, even though we still have another seven weeks or so.

Anyhow, August for us heralded in the return of racing!  I had been interested in this race before, but this year with COVID it's one of the few "local" races happening at all.  It was only a couple of weeks ago that the Governor of CT allowed a return to running races, albeit with caps and restrictions.  This one was capped at 50 participants, and my understanding is it's usually a small old-school race anyway.  The race filled, but according to results, only 43 showed up and finished.  Maybe some signed up but didn't go?

Arrived Matheis Grove at People's Forest at 8:29am for a 9am race.  Later than we had planned (my fault with dilly-dallying at breakfast), but it was still plenty of time for me, with no lines for porta-potties and no lines for check in.  Matthew went out to warm up, I went to pick up our bibs, and Jana took Brady to take care of his business.  The check-in was manned by two guys (in fact, the entire timing and setup was manned by the same two guys), and I just walked up to a picnic table and checked in.  Masks were required for check-in only, not for starting line, which I personally was thrilled with.  I learned Matthew would be in Wave 2 and I would be in Wave 5 (they called them "Heat B" and "Heat E", actually, but same difference).  Waves would consist of three runners, and would be separated by 10 seconds only.  I donned my bib, took Brady for a mile warm-up, and was ready to go with plenty of time to spare.

Being almost a two-hour drive from home, I did not expect to see anyone I knew, and was happy to catch up with long time Li'l Rhody runner and Trails to a Cure RD Charlie Iselin.

The start:  The timing company lined us up in our respective heats, laid out in the grass with white chalk markers for every participant.  He called out each one of us individually and assigned us to our starting point, and then he explained very clearly (twice actually) about the commands he would use ("Wave A, on your mark, Go!", "Wave B, move up" (each group moves up to the next chalk marks), "Wave B, on your mark, ...)  

Socially distanced in our assigned waves and positions.
(You can see Matthew in the second wave, black singlet, bib 415)

It was good to watch the waves ahead of me, but really, with just ten seconds separating each of the waves, it all moved so quickly.  Everyone followed exactly, until Wave D went off (meaning my wave of three is "on deck"), and the guy in my wave to my right decided to follow right behind Wave D and go off also!  The starter paused, and you could tell he was frustrated after he tried so hard to explain the rules, so I empathized with him, and said to him, "That guy really screwed up", and as he was busy, he just shook his head in agreement.  I wanted to validate to him that his instructions were crystal clear.

Cool, old growth pine forest was seen throughout much of today's race.

Just about time for my Wave E (now reduced to two runners) to take off

My "wave mate" was the first person I passed.

Mile 1:  The first 1/4 mile was flat, through a row of old pine trees, and then across a sunny field before crossing a road and onto single-track.  Once on the single-track, it immediately turned into an uphill climb.  In fact, over the next 3/4 mile, we would climb 350' at an average 12% grade.  Runnable, for sure, but slow and tiring.  I passed Charlie early on the uphill, and then during the rest of the first mile climb, passed another 4 runners, all of whom were in waves ahead of me (well, except for Dufus from my wave who went with the wave ahead of me).  Near the top of the hill, I could hear one woman coming right up on me.  She seemed to be talking comfortably and occasionally shouting out a "Woo-hoo" (or something like that), while I'm breathing like a dinosaur.  (Note:  despite my advanced age, I've never actually heard a dinosaur breathe, but I imagine it to be loud.)  I'm ready for her to blow by me at any moment.

Mile 2:  I got a little bit of breather here with a short but steep downhill and basically a rolling mile.  I could still hear people behind me, but no longer breathing down my neck.  

Mile 3:  This was by far the toughest mile.  Just as in Mile 1, we had a 300' climb here, except that it all occurred in less than 1/2 mile, thus was steeper, plus more technical.  I reminded myself not to hike and ran the whole thing, although at a snail's pace (this mile was my only mile at north of 10 minute pace).  At the top of the rock climb, there were two hikers.  All the hikers I encountered (maybe 10 the whole race) were polite and moved to the side of the trail for me, but these two wore masks, moved 20' away from me, and bent away from the trail to get as far away as possible from me.  I respect people's wide varying COVID takes, but this kind of freaked me out.

On the positive side, I was done with steep climbing, I could no longer hear anyone behind me, and there were some amazing, yet fleeting views.  The rest of the mile featured some neat ridge running.

Mile 4:  Since I hadn't seen any other runners since the end of Mile 1, and hadn't heard any in a while, I honestly figured I would be running by myself for the rest of the race and would need to push myself.  Mile 4 opened with a gradual 200' descent, and on a long hill decline I saw one runner a ways ahead of me.  Let the hunt begin!  I caught up pretty close to him just as we were coming into the single aid station (unmanned) of the whole race.  He ran right past it!  I contemplated doing that myself for only a second or two, but I was dehydrated and had been looking forward to some water, so I pulled into the station, got a cup of water, and had two swigs before continuing on.  The runner was gone by that point, but I felt my actions were important.  The climbing resumed, and topped out at a dirt road.  As I came up to the road, I saw not only the same runner ahead of me (that bypassed the water stop), but another runner in bright orange shorts ahead of him, and is that Matthew?

Mile 5:  When I called out to Matthew, he threw hands up, and between that gesture and that he looked fine, I gathered that he had gone off course.  I saw him only on the next straightway and then he was gone.  The course turned on to a dirt road for a while, and unfortunately the runner that skipped the water stop was pulling away from me, again.  Damn.  But thinking about that more, if my intuition is right, that might not be bad.  The two times I caught up to him were on a single-track, and the time he pulled away from me (besides when I stopped for water and he didn't) was on a flat dirt road.  So as long as we get off the road, maybe I'll have a chance?  Sure enough, towards the end of the mile, the course went right off the dirt road and onto single track, and I caught right back up to him, and this time, passed him!

Mile 6:  Orange shorts came back into view.  The first half-mile was relatively flat, but twisty in places with stuff to jump over, and I caught right up to him.  He certainly wasn't letting me pass, so I backed off just a little bit so that I could make sure I saw the rocks and stuff.  Then came a huge drop of 300' plus over about 1/2 mile.  Great, this is my turf now, and my chance to go.  Yelled out "on your left", and as he still didn't give me room, I flew past him in a rocky section when he appeared to slow a bit.

Mile 7:  Final mile, and actually less than a mile.  I knew the trail would flatten out again soon, for the remainder of the course, and if either of the two guys I just passed re-caught me on the flat open stuff, it was all over then.  Pushed hard on the rest of the downhill and single-track, and didn't let up when we got back to the field and pine grove.

Running scared in the final section.

Finishing up, with orange shorts not far behind me

55:38 - gap in staggered start = 54:48 finishing time

Final results:  54:48, 4th out of 43, 1st in age group.  Full results here.

Warm out there, but mostly shaded, so not as hot as I had feared.  Downed a bottle of Gatorade, before going for a cool-down with Matthew and Brady.  First stop was the Farmington River, a very COLD river that I quickly got numb from and walked back out.  The second time I was all in but it was super quick in and out.  There was a kid that was afraid of Brady and started crying, so I apologized to his Mom, but she thought Brady was fine and said he was a good dog.  The frigid water didn't seem to bother Brady, but then again, I wasn't wearing a fur coat on my dip.

Overall, a super fun trail race in a pretty cool state forest.  More hills than I had imagined, but I loved the placement in Miles 1 and 3 to get them out of the way and have fast downhills at the end.  Fun race!  Now I want to seek out trail races again.

Blessing of the Fleet (Virtual Edition)

Narragansett, RI

Sunday, July 26, 2020

Background:  For 17 years straight, I had toed the starting line at the Blessing of the Fleet 10-miler.  Then came COVID-19, relegating the 3,000+ field size race to a virtual race.  I'm not a big proponent of virtual races, and this was carrying a full price tag of $40.  (Although to be fair, I think that was because they already collected regular fees pre-COVID, before switching to virtual.).  So what should I do?  Between having run it 17 years in a row, learning that my brother and niece were in, and realizing that all the money is going to a non-profit (Narragansett Lions Club) for full donation to charities, I decided I was in.  For the regular Blessing course, of course.  It wouldn't be the Blessing to me at all, otherwise.

Race day:  The plan was to arrive at 5:30am, go for a short warm up, and meet up with my brother Kurt and 10-year old niece Lucy to start together.  Matthew came along to pace me, and I was very appreciative that he planned out the logistics and supplies for a water stop.  By the time we stashed water stop supplies and parked the car, it was 5:44 when we started our warm-up trek to the school.  Fortunately, Kurt was running even later as we ran into him driving looking for a new parking spot as the school was closed off for parking, not sure if due to COVID and restricted beach parking, or because the town tried to discourage runners from congregating and running the actual Blessing course.  This gave me time to finish the warm up, take care of "business" (without the usual throng of men and women in the bushes this year), and relax.  Kurt and Lucy ran up to meet us, and when Kurt asked what I was looking to run, I think I uttered something like, "I'm going to try to stay close to 6 minute pace, so somewhere in the 60s, preferably low 60s, but if I finish over 70 minutes, I'm really having a bad day."

The ambitious start:  The four of us started at what we thought was the start line.  It seemed further down the road to me than usual, but it clearly was a starting line.  Matthew and I quickly went ahead.  The first mile went fine at 5:59.  Matthew continued on at about 6-flat pace, but it was quickly obvious to me that 6-flat would not be in the cards.  Managed to hang on during the next two miles at 6:09 and 6:11, but my breathing was becoming more labored and I was now aware of the humidity (95%) as I was soaked about this point and my singlet was clinging to me.

The middle suffering:  Matthew pulled further and further ahead of me as we got to Scarborough Beach, as I was really slowing in Mile 4.  Was worried about how slow I would be running on Route 108.  At the end of Mile 4 (6:30), I saw my sister-in-law and younger niece out there, and then saw Matthew stopped waiting for me.  Miles 5 and 6 on Route 108 weren't as terrible as I feared, likely because the sun wasn't upon me yet and the traffic wasn't busy, but it was still 6:29 and 6:34.

Hanging on 'til the finish:  As always, turning off of Route 108 is a mental bright spot for me.  You get off a busy highway and onto shaded back roads.  A special treat awaited me as Matthew had kindly run ahead at this point and had cold water to hand to me, plus extra ice cold water to pour over my head.  With the combination of all those factors, I temporarily stopped the continuing slowing of my miles and ran miles 7 and 8 in 6:24 and 6:28.  It looked like I had a good chance still to run sub-65.  Turning back on South Pier Road and running back past the start, Matthew stopped at this point, and told me was done and would meet me at the finish.  I should've thought quicker and given him the car keys so that he could get water at the car, but I didn't.  Up the very slight hill to Avice, but I felt it this year as I ran my slowest mile in 6:35.  

Turning off Avice, and slightly downhill onto Kingstown Road, I reminded myself that I just had a mile left.  Picked it up slightly.  With half a mile to go, two guys on the side of the road yelled out that I was "almost there" and looked good.  How could they know I was running Blessing?  Or because I was running relatively "fast" and there were a number of people running the Blessing course?  Finished in a 6:16 mile, salvaging this was just sub-64.

Final results:  1:03:55, 6th out of 274 reported, 1st in age group.  Full results here.

So I got to the usual finish line and my watch showed 9.9.  Continued to the seawall to make 10.  I guess we did start further down than normal.  No matter.  I ran my 10 and finished my 18th consecutive year of running the Blessing.  Now I needed some relief.  Every inch of me was drenched, even my socks!  Walked over to a fountain and stuck my head in it.  Matthew came over and told me I'm not supposed to do that.  Probably not ever acceptable, but certainly not in COVID times.  Just instinct to try to cool off.  Drank 3 bottles of cold liquids (thank you again to Matthew for packing the cold water and Gatorade into ice) before coming back to catch up briefly with Kurt and Lucy.  Wanted to walk over to the Narragansett Town Beach to jump in the ocean, but it already looked packed at 7:30am and it turns out you have to pay even to walk onto the beach!

18 years down.  Will look forward to continuing the streak next year, in more normal times.

Weekly Log 27-Jul to 2-Aug-2020: Hot Summer Running

Monday:  0 run, 1 walk

Typical day off.  Neighborhood evening walk with Jana and Brady.

Tuesday:  6

Supposed to be the last day of a 4-day heat wave.  It can't come soon enough.  I am just not a heat fan at all.  Fortunately, living only one mile to the ocean, the heat is not nearly as bad as interior locations, and it's quite rare for it to hit 90° at the house, but it sure cam close.  Already 80° by 8am, went for a very warm run with Brady at Burlingame.  Planned it so midway he'd get a break to drink and wade in Watchaug Pond, before continuing on through campground trails.

Post run (or actually with 1/4 mile to go), it was a nice long soaking and swimming at the boat launch for both of us.  I have tried and failed for him to jump off the dock in the past, but after just two tries today, he ran with me and jumped right into the pond!  I was impressed.

Wednesday:  9

AM:  Five miles with Brady and Matthew at Woody Hill.  Pretty evenly split between roads and trails.

PM:  Fun Run #4.  18:59.  Just eked out a sub-19.  It was indeed less heat and humidity tonight, but it was also full sun and felt hot.  Started in the first wave, and watched the back of Dave Goodrich's WTAC singlet for almost two miles, until passing him going down the hill on Kathleen Drive.  I felt someone coming up on me as I was passing Dave, and this helped me maintain momentum.  After a while his/her footsteps were no longer within earshot.  Held on decently for the 3rd mile and finished strong, but took me a while to get my breathing back.  I thought it might be Brandy LeClair behind me, but it was James, a Westchester NY high-schooler who summers locally and beat me last week.  (Turned out he had a workout in the morning, so now that made sense to me.)

Thursday:  10

Soaker from the house with Matthew.  No, it wasn't raining, but it was 97% humidity!  My singlet and shorts were soon drenched and clung to me.  First few miles were comfortable on Atlantic Ave and around 7:10 pace.  I could've really used some water, but it turns out all the fountains are turned off or removed due to COVID.  Is that really necessary?  I'm not going to lick the fountain, and I doubt the person before me would either.  Anyhow, it was off dehydrated for the rest of the run, as the energy was sucked out of me and I slowed to 7:30-7:40 pace.  Got home and Jana and Matthew alternated spraying me down with the garden hose.  Felt soooo good.

Friday:  8

Ninigret in the rain with Matthew and Brady.  The rain was light and actually felt pretty good, but others must feel differently as the park was pretty much deserted.  The rain was coming to an end as we finished up, and we went to the nearby Watchaug Pond for a quick dip.  The water isn't as cool as I would like, but it still feels really good.

Running down the dock with Brady, at Watchaug public boat launch.

Obviously I'm going in.  Is he coming with me?

Yes!  Here he comes.  He's finally up to jumping off the dock into the pond.

Saturday:  9

People's Forest Trail Race.  Separate write-up shortly.

Sunday:  30 ride, 6 run.

Ride:  Met up with Chris, Tommy, and Mikey for an early ride from The Bakery out to Wakefield, through Peace Dale, bike path up to Kingston train station, and back through Charlestown, before baked goods and iced drinks served with conversation.  Legs were a bit sore, but I didn't drag too far behind.  Good conversation throughout the ride, except the short parts on Route 1, where I'm a little uncomfortable and hung back far to the rightmost portion of shoulder.

Run:  Impromptu solo run from East Beach State Beach.  I snagged one of the last parking spots, and ran out the East Beach Sand Trail to Charlestown Breachway.  A few bunnies scampered across the trail, but I only saw one human when a DEM truck was headed my way and stopped and pulled off to let me run by.  The soft sand was tough to run in.  I hit a few hard packed areas, which were nice but few and far between.  Also, some of the sand was starting to burn my feet, so I was looking forward to finishing up the sand trail portion.  There were a LOT of people on the other side of the breachway.  I paused for just a few minutes to watch boats go by and fisherman reel in fish, before heading back.

We were between tides, but it wasn't as soft as I had imagined.  Occasionally you'd see a cluster of 10-20 people on the beach, but that was just where their 4-wheel drive vehicles could pull off into the three of four parking lots, and people are generally too lazy to walk any distance.  Oh well, that meant I had long stretches of empty beach to myself as I ran in and out of the crashing waves.  Neat place.  Finished up with a nice dip in the Atlantic Ocean.

Weekly mileage:  48 run, 30 ride

Weekly synopsis:  Again very close to my 50-mile run target.  Mostly trails, but also mixed in some roads and a beach run.  Felt good and ran well!

Weekly highpoint:  Racing at People's Forest Trail Race!

Weekly lowpoint:  Hot weather.