Monday: 8
Edgartown, MA. Mid-morning drive to Falmouth, MA, to take a ferry out of Woods Hole. Wasted a lot of time getting to the actual terminal on account of the first parking lot (which is already four miles away from the terminal) being full, and then being instructed to drive to an overflow lot another five miles further away, and then waiting twenty minutes for a shuttle bus, 15 minutes for the bus ride itself to the terminal, 40 minute ferry ride to Martha's Vineyard, and then probably another 15 minutes trying to find a taxi for a 15 minute ride to Manuel Correllus State Forest.
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| I looked online and found that dogs were allowed on the ferry, but I wasn't sure about the local buses and I saw zero other dogs in line, so I asked. I loved the response I got back from an older gentlemen employee: "Actually, we prefer dogs over humans!" --- When we were pulling in to park, the first parking attendant noticed Brady in the back seat, pointed to him, and asked us to hold on as he hurriedly went into a building. Does Brady need a special sticker? Do we need to go into a special area? He returned and solved the mystery as he handed Brady a treat! (He didn't have any treats for Matthew or me.) |
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| He just laid down and behaved, bothering no one. (No, he did not use the seatbelts.) |
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| As soon as we got on the ferry, an official pointed to Brady, the only dog I saw on the ferry. Uh-oh, now what? He then said to me, "I get along great with dogs; people not so much." --- I think Brady wasn't too sure about his first ever ferry ride, but it all went well. He just minded his own business, and stayed away from people other than the ones that asked if they could pet him. |
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| Finally made it to the trails at Manuel Correllus State Forest. Brady .was warm for our 8-mile run and there were no streams, but I carried a hydration pack with water and a collapsible dog bowl for him. |
Tuesday: 13
Wellfleet, MA. Parked at White Crest Beach to start and finish our run. Explained to attendant that we were just parking here to go for a run, not to use the beach, and asked what we needed to pay. The beach lot was nearly empty between less than ideal beach weather (windy and overcast) and multiple recent great white shark sightings, including as close as 10 yards offshore.
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| Shark warning sign where we parked |
This was a really fun run! After leaving the beach parking lot, we were immediately running on pine needle covered single-track through pitch pine forests.
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| Where do you see trails that look like this? Reminded me more of runs I've done in the south. |
About halfway through our run, we came upon some pretty impressive and dramatic cliffs along the ocean. Unfortunately, that was soon followed by some overgrown trails that really scratched up the legs. We just had to completely stop and walk for about 1/4 mile of almost bush-whacking through overgrowth. Turning away from the coast, the trails again became runnable, but I was pretty itchy by then.
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| Dramatic and deserted beaches |
Ten miles into the run, we came upon a public beach on Long Pond on appropriately named Long Pond Road. There were no signs saying "No Dogs" and there no people at all at the beach, probably given that it was just starting to rain and we could hear the rumbling of thunder. So the three of us all went into the pond for a dunk and this also gave us the opportunity to wash off the itchy overgrowth on us.
We continued on as it got really dark and the thunderstorm was upon us with a downpour. In the final mile, the trails were soaked and became "rivers" in spots that we were just splashing through. Got back to the beach start/finish and the attendant and lifeguards were completely gone. The restrooms were still open, though, so I used these to my advantage to towel off and change into dry clothes. Such a fun adventure!
Wednesday: 9
Charlestown, RI. Late morning 'round Watchaug Pond. 3 miles with Matthew, and then the rest solo on a mix of roads and VG Trail.
Thursday: 13
AM: Exeter, RI. 10 mile Arcadia run with Matthew and Brady, loop from the check station. Mostly dirt roads, with a few trails. Lots of deerflies chasing us; they should be gone in a couple of weeks. The streams were flowing nicely. Oddly, the Wood River at finish was colder than it was a month ago, most likely due to all the recent rains. What a nice difference from the draught last summer. That river dunk and swim was awesome!
PM: Stonington, CT. 3 miles. Stonington XC course refresher with Justin and Matt, as I'll be away for the actual event.
Friday: 8
Groton, CT. Haley Farm State Park with Matthew and Brady. I really dragged as my legs were very tight.
Saturday: 5
Hopkinton, RI. WTAC monthly group run. Small but fun group, including Brady. Easy conversational pace on dirt roads, keeping it shorter than normal due to race tomorrow.
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| Dirt roads of Yawgoog |
Sunday: 9
Narragansett, RI. Bobby Doyle Summer Classic. Separate write-up to follow.
Weekly mileage: 65 run
Weekly synopsis: Really good run week, including unexpectedly running well at Bobby Doyle.
Weekly highlight: Cape Cod adventure run on Tuesday.
Weekly lowlight: Not getting in any bike or swim training.
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