Miscellaneous ramblings:
Ninigret in the dark. Arrived just at dusk to run with Matthew and Brady. I was a little concerned about running with a black dog in the pitch black. We did have headlamps, but obviously that only shows what is front of you. Brady was really good, though, and other than a few sprints early on, he ran literally right next to us.
Tuesday: 9 run, 2 walk
AM: Worked with Westerly Land Trust's CCC. I'm going to try to make this once per month, depending upon work obligations. Fortunately my employer is very supportive and encouraging of volunteer efforts. Today I was asked to lead a team of three to clear blowdowns in Mastuxet Brook Greenway and Winnapaug Preserve. I did not know at first that I would be the sole chainsaw operator, with the other two helping with moving the debris I cut and also using pruning shears on vines. Both guys were great and have much more experience with the CCC than me. One thought it was great that I'm now on the board, and says the board needs younger people such as myself. I replied that I'm not young; I'm 55 years old, to which he replied, "I have kids older than you". Got it! I guess it's all relative.
PM: Late afternoon / evening run with Matthew and Brady. Met up at Bradford Preserve after work, and the first two miles were in relative daylight. The rest of the run was in darkness (with headlamps) on the trails. Really a lot of fun!
Wednesday: 9
Midday run, a/k/a "Jonny lunch". With Matthew, from the house out to Watch Hill in strong headwinds, and back.
Thursday: 9
Planned to run with Brady in the AM, but ran out of time getting prepared for WTAC meeting and evening road trip.
Crazy busy day, before leaving for road trip. Ran late afternoon with Matthew in lower Pawcatuck. Nice mixer on lower Pawcatuck roads and Barn Island trails.
Had our first WTAC meeting of the new year, at our new downtown location at an 1887 building owned by the Westerly Land Trust. We deferred another month on any decision on Rhody 2020 distance. The comments on new 10-mile course versus classic 8-mile course truly are split.
Post WTAC meeting, left Westerly about 7pm and drove with Mark about four hours to Allentown, PA. I don't like driving at night, but we split the driving, and it meant we got past busy western CT and NYC for an easier start to Friday's drive.
Friday: 0
While I would have liked to have run in PA before leaving, I was already beat and needed some sleep for the long 14-hour drive ahead of us. PA to MD to WV to VA to TN to GA to AL.
Saturday: 5
First ever run in Alabama. Got up at 6:15am and drove a short distance for a trail run I had planned out. Upon arriving at the trailhead, I realized two problems: 1) signs were conspicuously posted that any vehicles parked there after dark or before opening hours of 7am would be towed (probably just a bluff to discourage, but I'm 1,200 miles away from home - do I want to take the chance?); 2) it's pitch dark and I don't have a headlamp. What to do? What to do?
Abandoned the trail run idea and instead drove another short distance to University of Alabama Arboretum, Tuscaloosa. Yes, it was still dark, but there were a lot of open fields to run until it got light and there were a couple of people here also parked to walk their dogs.
Post run, back to the hotel to shower and have breakfast, before starting the final day of the road trip.
Sunday: 16!
After recent rains, Matthew and I decided to abandon plans to run Sakonnet Greenway, which was likely flooded and we went to Fort Adams (Newport) instead, and ran [mostly] roads. I had no idea the Fort Adams property was so big; we first ran the "Fort Adams Bay Walk", which was more than 1 mile long, before exiting to Newport roads. Fun CCW loop through Newport along the waterfront, including the Newport Cliff Walk, and Ocean Drive. Wind was extremely challenging at times, and on the Cliff Walk we had about two sections where the sea foam was about 6" deep! We had to slow to a walk there as we couldn't see the rocks underneath. Wish I had my camera for that one. Ocean Drive is always fun, and the site of the Christmas 10K. Great run, and fun to mix it up by running a different route.
Final run with Matthew for a while, as he heads back to New Hampshire tomorrow. Always easier to get out there when you have someone to run with.
Weekly mileage: 55 (against a plan of 62)
Weekly synopsis: 55 is close enough. I'm not that much of a stickler to plan details. Really good week of running.
Weekly highlight: Today's Newport run. Newport is a fun place to run in general, and certainly RI's nicest of its eight cities. Running along the waterfront was fun, with nearly everywhere deserted today on a less than stellar weather day.
Weekly lowlight: Really no run issues or disappointments at all this week. As to the quick road trip, I had negative vibes going into it, but it really went by quickly. I guess my lowlight is that the road trip really tired me out and due to commitments on either end, we didn't get to do anything but drive. (Mark and I did vow that next road trip we'll plan ahead to leave some time for something recreational.)
"New" house guest: Ah, yes, back to this topic, and a good one which to end this week's blog post. You have figured it out, right? When Mark departed for Texas Thursday night, Brady for the first time ever remained behind. You could tell Brady was sad and knew something was going on. Brady won't see Mark again until he returns to RI at the end of this semester in May. Mark had surprised me a couple of weeks back with wanting to discuss the possibility of having Brady stay in RI. He said he thought that was the best option for Brady, as he indicated Brady had long hours all day in the apartment by himself, didn't have much room to exercise at his apartment complex, and he seemed happier in RI than TX. Mark said he just wanted to discuss with me, though, and hadn't made up his mind, as he'd miss Brady a lot. OK, fair enough. I tried to listen and ask questions and be supportive.
Just about a week ago, Mark announced his decision to the rest of the immediate family. He also just got a teaching assistant position, which means he'll only be spending more time at school with teaching undergraduate labs. Well, it's been almost 20 years since we have had a dog live in the house, but we all love Brady. We included him in our family vacations last year in Key West and Nova Scotia (he's a well traveled dog!) and when he visits, he gets lots of attention (Jana takes him for a run almost every morning and plays ball with him in our backyard, and Matthew and I take him for runs when we can fit them in, and he can often be found curled up next to Matthew).
- What happened to Tappan Zee bridge? I looked for it, but only saw signs for some "Governor Mario Cuomo Bridge". Turns out the bridge was unpopularly renamed when rebuilt in 2018.
- Mark's car got 41mpg on the trip south! Pretty good for a wagon, and far outweighs the slightly higher cost of diesel fuel.
- Leaving all politics aside, it was gut-wrenching watching the Middle East turn of events this past week and escalation between US and Iran, as well as the shooting down of a civilian airliner.
Ninigret in the dark. Arrived just at dusk to run with Matthew and Brady. I was a little concerned about running with a black dog in the pitch black. We did have headlamps, but obviously that only shows what is front of you. Brady was really good, though, and other than a few sprints early on, he ran literally right next to us.
Tuesday: 9 run, 2 walk
AM: Worked with Westerly Land Trust's CCC. I'm going to try to make this once per month, depending upon work obligations. Fortunately my employer is very supportive and encouraging of volunteer efforts. Today I was asked to lead a team of three to clear blowdowns in Mastuxet Brook Greenway and Winnapaug Preserve. I did not know at first that I would be the sole chainsaw operator, with the other two helping with moving the debris I cut and also using pruning shears on vines. Both guys were great and have much more experience with the CCC than me. One thought it was great that I'm now on the board, and says the board needs younger people such as myself. I replied that I'm not young; I'm 55 years old, to which he replied, "I have kids older than you". Got it! I guess it's all relative.
PM: Late afternoon / evening run with Matthew and Brady. Met up at Bradford Preserve after work, and the first two miles were in relative daylight. The rest of the run was in darkness (with headlamps) on the trails. Really a lot of fun!
Wednesday: 9
Midday run, a/k/a "Jonny lunch". With Matthew, from the house out to Watch Hill in strong headwinds, and back.
Thursday: 9
Planned to run with Brady in the AM, but ran out of time getting prepared for WTAC meeting and evening road trip.
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| While I ran out of time for a pre-work run, I at least took him to the Westerly Town Beach before work and played ball with him. |
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| Happy dog at the beach. |
Crazy busy day, before leaving for road trip. Ran late afternoon with Matthew in lower Pawcatuck. Nice mixer on lower Pawcatuck roads and Barn Island trails.
Had our first WTAC meeting of the new year, at our new downtown location at an 1887 building owned by the Westerly Land Trust. We deferred another month on any decision on Rhody 2020 distance. The comments on new 10-mile course versus classic 8-mile course truly are split.
Post WTAC meeting, left Westerly about 7pm and drove with Mark about four hours to Allentown, PA. I don't like driving at night, but we split the driving, and it meant we got past busy western CT and NYC for an easier start to Friday's drive.
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| Road trip time |
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| The Homewood Suites in Allentown was pretty nice for a reasonable fee. We each had our own bedroom with separate bathrooms and a king bed. So I went right to bed when we arrived at 11pm and Mark stayed up for a few hours, per his usual routine. |
Friday: 0
While I would have liked to have run in PA before leaving, I was already beat and needed some sleep for the long 14-hour drive ahead of us. PA to MD to WV to VA to TN to GA to AL.
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| The Sirius XM satellite radio subscription was quite cool. Well, maybe not the "Road Dog Trucking" station, but they had a few good classic rock stations, and that made it much easier than constantly losing the station, finding a new station in a new city, etc. [Of course, that also meant there were hip-hop stations that Mark availed himself of when he was driving. Fair is fair. I guess.] --- The subscription came free from VW for 3 months. Not that I need any more subscriptions, so when the renewal came, I planned to cancel, but just $2 for another 3 months?! I'll take it for when I likely help him drive back from TX to RI in May. |
Saturday: 5
First ever run in Alabama. Got up at 6:15am and drove a short distance for a trail run I had planned out. Upon arriving at the trailhead, I realized two problems: 1) signs were conspicuously posted that any vehicles parked there after dark or before opening hours of 7am would be towed (probably just a bluff to discourage, but I'm 1,200 miles away from home - do I want to take the chance?); 2) it's pitch dark and I don't have a headlamp. What to do? What to do?
Abandoned the trail run idea and instead drove another short distance to University of Alabama Arboretum, Tuscaloosa. Yes, it was still dark, but there were a lot of open fields to run until it got light and there were a couple of people here also parked to walk their dogs.
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| University of Alabama's XC course that I ran on. |
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| Then jumped into the University of Alabama Arboretum to run a few trails, |
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| ... including some hills and fields ... |
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| ... and some fun trails through dense woods. |
Post run, back to the hotel to shower and have breakfast, before starting the final day of the road trip.
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| After horrific severe thunderstorms when I had to pull over in MS when I could no longer see the painted highway lanes, we arrived back to my "favorite" state. |
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| After 22 hours of driving 1,500 miles, this was my final destination for the trip, before flying back to PVD. |
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| Mark and his "new" car continued on to Texas, and beat me back to RI, where I arrived just after 10pm. |
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| MSY is a real nice clean airport. I learned later it was brand new, and had only been open for two months! |
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| Took me a few seconds to get that this shop was a play on words on a popular street in New Orleans. Some day I hope to go to New Orleans proper. |
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| Well, this is interesting. You do also take pictures of public toilets, don't you? Out of amusement and curiosity, I both waved my hand over the wall sensor AND pressed the button, as directed. I prepared to be wowed by the old toilet seat covering being whisked away and replaced by a new clean one. Instead, both times the toilet only grunted at me, and then did nothing. Not that I would have put my arse on the cover, but I was at least hoping for an amusing show. Disappointing. |
Sunday: 16!
After recent rains, Matthew and I decided to abandon plans to run Sakonnet Greenway, which was likely flooded and we went to Fort Adams (Newport) instead, and ran [mostly] roads. I had no idea the Fort Adams property was so big; we first ran the "Fort Adams Bay Walk", which was more than 1 mile long, before exiting to Newport roads. Fun CCW loop through Newport along the waterfront, including the Newport Cliff Walk, and Ocean Drive. Wind was extremely challenging at times, and on the Cliff Walk we had about two sections where the sea foam was about 6" deep! We had to slow to a walk there as we couldn't see the rocks underneath. Wish I had my camera for that one. Ocean Drive is always fun, and the site of the Christmas 10K. Great run, and fun to mix it up by running a different route.
Final run with Matthew for a while, as he heads back to New Hampshire tomorrow. Always easier to get out there when you have someone to run with.
Weekly mileage: 55 (against a plan of 62)
Weekly synopsis: 55 is close enough. I'm not that much of a stickler to plan details. Really good week of running.
Weekly highlight: Today's Newport run. Newport is a fun place to run in general, and certainly RI's nicest of its eight cities. Running along the waterfront was fun, with nearly everywhere deserted today on a less than stellar weather day.
Weekly lowlight: Really no run issues or disappointments at all this week. As to the quick road trip, I had negative vibes going into it, but it really went by quickly. I guess my lowlight is that the road trip really tired me out and due to commitments on either end, we didn't get to do anything but drive. (Mark and I did vow that next road trip we'll plan ahead to leave some time for something recreational.)
"New" house guest: Ah, yes, back to this topic, and a good one which to end this week's blog post. You have figured it out, right? When Mark departed for Texas Thursday night, Brady for the first time ever remained behind. You could tell Brady was sad and knew something was going on. Brady won't see Mark again until he returns to RI at the end of this semester in May. Mark had surprised me a couple of weeks back with wanting to discuss the possibility of having Brady stay in RI. He said he thought that was the best option for Brady, as he indicated Brady had long hours all day in the apartment by himself, didn't have much room to exercise at his apartment complex, and he seemed happier in RI than TX. Mark said he just wanted to discuss with me, though, and hadn't made up his mind, as he'd miss Brady a lot. OK, fair enough. I tried to listen and ask questions and be supportive.
Just about a week ago, Mark announced his decision to the rest of the immediate family. He also just got a teaching assistant position, which means he'll only be spending more time at school with teaching undergraduate labs. Well, it's been almost 20 years since we have had a dog live in the house, but we all love Brady. We included him in our family vacations last year in Key West and Nova Scotia (he's a well traveled dog!) and when he visits, he gets lots of attention (Jana takes him for a run almost every morning and plays ball with him in our backyard, and Matthew and I take him for runs when we can fit them in, and he can often be found curled up next to Matthew).
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| Well, I don't know what this means in the long term after Mark finishes his Masters program and likely leaves Texas in December, but in the short term I'm long forward to a lot more adventures with my canine friend. --- (top to bottom: Acadia National Park, ME; Myrtle Beach, SC; Bluff Point, CT |
