Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Weekly Log 7-Jun to 13-Jun-2021

Miscellaneous ramblings:
  • Surprised to learn that Run 4 Kerri is cancelled again in 2021 due to COVID.  Decision just made this week.  The cancellation noted that the organizers didn't want to burden sponsors hurt by the pandemic, so they opted to cancel instead.  As a fellow local RD, not sure I really understand that one.  We took the same approach of not soliciting sponsors for Li'l Rhody last year for the same reasons, and just made due with less revenue, and this year for Clamdigger, the sponsor response was amazing.  Their choice obviously.
  • Still hoping to get into VCM, but thus far only open to 2020 entrants.
  • Speaking of Vermont, an unusual requirement of Catamount (two weeks hence) is that all runners need to present either a completed vaccination card, or a negative COVID test within 72 hours.  The former works for me; I just hope I remember to bring it!
Monday:  2 walk
Wahaneeta family walk.  Saw 3 frogs and 1 chipmunk.  Brady seemed much more interested in the chipmunk.

Tuesday:  7
It has been seven weeks to the date since my second head surgery.  The first few weeks were frustrating to me in that progress was not seen.  At all.  I was told to have patience, which was hard for me.  At this point, the wound care staff now advises me that the wound healing has accelerated and is now ahead of what they normally see vis-à-vis other similar patients.  They reiterated that they attribute this to my running, and advise me to keep it up!  The wound depth and volume has shrunk, and the surface area is 35% of the original size!  All the black and yellow "slough" stuff is mostly gone, and to me it's now more like a bloody raspberry type of wound.

I was feeling really grateful for the progress made above; hence the title I gave my Strava post.  Went out for a 7-mile road run in mid-morning after treatment and despite the heat and humidity, just feel happy to be out there.  Ran into JV and Eric R in the Avondale area, and would have joined them for some miles, but they were just finishing up.

Wednesday:  8
AM:  5 miles at Woody Hill with Brady.  God-awful humidity.  As in 100%.  It's not a heat-wave, at least not along the coast, but we're in a 5 day stretch of warmer than usual with nasty humidity.
PM:  Fun Run Week #2.  Took it very easy and ran a 21-and-change 5K, as I have the Niantic Bay 10K coming up in two days.

Thursday:  5
Charlestown.  4 miles at Carter Preserve, followed by a mile plus at Richard Trails.  A long-bearded runner was finishing up his run just as I got out of the car.  I know that dude!  It's Seth.  First time here since Border Patrol Challenge over the winter.  Obviously very different scenery today.  Chatted with Seth a bit.  He mentioned all the ferns I would see today.  Indeed; surreal at some points.   Wish I had brought a camera.  Was then impressed by all the mountain laurel in full bloom.  Hence I named my Strava title "Mountain Laurel & Ferns".  Seth had a very different title with "Ferns and Mountain Laurel"!

Rehydrated, we made one more stop:  The Richard Trails system is very small, albeit somewhat diverse terrain and seemingly expanded from when I ran it a number of years ago.  Pine-needle covered trails abound.  There is a small inner loop which is pretty flat, and then an outer loop that is surprisingly hilly.

Friday:  9
Niantic Bay 10K.  Race report to follow.

Saturday:  10
Ran a shortened version of classic Arcadia loop with Brady.  Got caught in a few light showers and it felt really good after the heat of late.  With temps in upper 50s, Brady seemed much more active as well.  The whole time we were out there, we only saw one other human (with his yellow lab).  I imagine this may have been due to the rain.  Unfortunately, a few sections of Mt Tom trail (just west of check station) and Shelter Trail are starting to get overgrown, and if you couple that with the inevitable arrival of deerflies just around the corner, my Arcadia runs may be over or at minimum limited for the next few months.

Sunday:  8
3pm run with Matthew, OAB on roads from Fort Ninigret to Charlestown Breachway.  The temperature was "only" 72° but with open sun it felt more like 80.  Couple that with really stiff legs, and I was whining from the get-go.  A mile or two in, engrossed in conversation rating natural beauty in individual US states and Canadian provinces, I soon forgot about my complaining and the run went by relatively quickly.  Brady would've hated this run, so we left him home.

Weekly mileage:  48

Weekly synopsis:  A good week overall.  No complaints on my running.

Weekly highlight:  Probably the Niantic Bay 10K.  The heat had dissipated by Friday, and it was good to see so many runners.

Weekly lowlight:  Humidity.  Ugh.

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