Weekly Log 31-Jan to 6-Feb-2022: Playing in the Snow

Miscellaneous rambling:

• Can you believe a full-price alpine ski day ticket at Killington is now $169?!!  While I have my own equipment, in case you don't, a 1-day onsite rental will set you back $85!  $254 for a day of skiing, before you figure in gas, lodging, food, etc.  Yikes!  Maybe it's good I only ski once or twice per season?  Otherwise, it makes a stronger case for XC skiing, which even at major areas in New England, runs closer to $24 for a full day ticket and $25 for a day's rental.
• In my continued efforts to key cold at bay as my aging fingers become increasingly susceptible to cold, I added one more item to my winter running attire arsenal:

  

  Convertible gloves.  They did the trick in this week's 13°F run
  on Sunday.  Yes, the price tag isn't cheap, but I had a $25 gift
  certificate to Wakefield Running Company, so it was like a 
  half-price offer.

  
  
• I finally got my Philadelphia Marathon age group award in the mail:

Not that I need more awards, but this acrylic
one is pretty neat, and I feel I definitely earned it!

Monday:  2

Charlestown, RI.  Two miles?  Pathetic, right?  And it took me almost 40 minutes to get it done.  What?

Yeah, this is how the trail (NST) looked:  a foot and a half of
virgin snow!  Fun, but oh so tiring.  Needed to take a couple of
breaks to catch my breath.

A little easier in this section where at least one person had
skied, but still slow going.  Or, as you can see above,
slow going for me that is.  Brady just ran through it, and
then repeatedly and obediently waited for the slowpoke (me).

Tuesday:  4 snowshoe hike, 2 run

AM:  Westerly, RI.  Snowshoe hike leading a group of 6 CCC guys.  Snow too deep to get any traditional CCC work done, so we switched to a snowshoe hike.  One slightly bigger group went on a much shorter hike at Barlow, while I led a group at Woody Hill.  Parked at the gate at Fern Drive, as most parking lots not plowed during the winter.  I wanted to go completely around the Woody Hill Marsh, which we did and I think the participants appreciated the beauty, as several took out cameras.  Unfortunately, though, I underestimated both the distance and the pace we would travel, so I felt badly for keeping the group well beyond the two hour guideline.  Most seemed to really enjoy it, so I guess I fretted too much.

The only remaining foundation in Woody Hill that
has a roof covering.  It's pretty neat!

The frozen over Woody Hill Marsh.
I believe the vast majority of Westerly's 20,000 residents
don't even know this exists, never mind have never been here.

Some of our participants out here today on a beautiful
winter's day.

PM:  2 run

Westerly, RI.  I took Brady out in the afternoon for a road run, and I'm not sure why, but he wasn't into in and was just dragging.  Very atypical of him.  No sense forcing him.  Cut it short and headed back to the house, where I lost interest to go out again.

Wednesday:  4 snowshoe run

Westerly, RI.  Same route as I took the gang on yesterday.  Today it was just Brady and me.  I did see and talk to a few mountain bikers on Fat bikes at the beginning, but they weren't venturing out this far as they were trying to pack down a local trail (Driving Miss Hazy).  Unfortunately the snow was soft and very wet today, as temps got up to about 40°F.  

Thursday:  16

Charlestown, RI.  OK, enough playing in the snow for now, and time to get down to business.  Parked at the Breachway Grill parking lot, and then ran local roads in Charlestown and SK, including Green Hill loop and Run 4 Kerri loop:

• 3 miles easy at ~7:20 pace
• 9 miles target MP at 6:20s
• 1 mile hard at 5:55 (that wasn't part of the plan, but I was feeling good!)
• 3 miles easy at 6:50

Post workout, I went to Wakefield Running Store and picked up a pair of convertible gloves.  I read good things about these, and despite being thin, supposedly the optional glove cover keeps fingers warmer at cold temperatures, which is exactly what I'm looking for.  May have an opportunity to try these in the cold temps coming this weekend.

Friday:  4 run, plus Boston walking

Woke up (that's a good thing, right?) and found the weather to be pouring rain and dark.  I had only a short window before we went up to Boston to watch Matthew's meet, and had no motivation to run in the dark and rain.  

Despite the even worse weather when we got to Boston (freezing rain and sleet), besides the thrill of watching Matthew win his 5K heat, I really enjoyed our short time in the city.  Took the orange line to Chinatown, and it was deja vu from my old days of working downtown for 13 years.  I was thrilled to remember the streets and establishments well, and while my favorite dim sum restaurant was unfortunately closed for renovations, the dim sum restaurant across the street worked in a pinch.  In fact there are so many good restaurants in Chinatown (and other parts of Boston).  I have fond memories of large group lunches at Penang (Malaysian food) and smaller group lunches at Pho Pasteur that my Vietnamese colleague Tran brought us to.  I had forgotten that you now need proof of vaccination to enter any public building in Boston (and they really enforced this to get into Reggie Lewis track facility), but obviously that was no problem.

Westerly, RI.  Back home now, it was 32° with a light rain.  Pretty miserable weather really, but I wanted to get out for something, so Brady and I were off.  It only got worse as it soon turned it to a steady rain, and I was pretty cold in this slop, so 4 miles were more than enough.

Saturday:  6

Westerly, RI.  WTAC Group Run.  Originally planned for Grills as our 3rd annual February group run, but it was not to be after a melt / freeze cycle with frozen boot prints in the trail and an unplowed lot.  Switched to roads and that worked out just fine for us.  It was a group of seven, but I ran mostly just with Dave and had a good conversational run down into Weekapaug.

Fun group and run!

Sunday:  20!

Westerly, RI.  

Plans:  Had my doubts on getting this one done.  I had mapped out a 10-miler solo ending at RWYC group run start at Avondale, and then would run the RWYC course, more or less, to get me to 20.  

Reality:  Alarm clock went off at 6:20am.  It was dark and 9°.  I reset the alarm clock to 7:30am.  I told myself that was only acceptable if once the alarm went off again, I would immediately get my keister out of bed.  And I did!

So I switched it up to instead run the RWYC portion first.  There were only 4 RWYC runners today perhaps due to the cold weather (it had warmed up to only 13° now, with a wind chill of 2°).  Ran with JV for about a couple of miles, and the rest solo.  Never pushed the pace, and ran a very consistent run with an average pace of 6:54.

Weekly mileage:  53 run, 4 snowshoe hike

Weekly synopsis:  Still off my target weekly mileage, but an improvement over last week.  And besides, I wouldn't trade off playing in the snow for a few more miles!  

Weekly highlight:  Running in the snow!  Any snow here in southern RI typically does not last long at all, so I try to maximize my enjoyment out in the snow.  Don't get me wrong; my 16 and 20-mile runs were more productive for sure and both went all; just not as much fun!

Weekly lowlight:  The very cold rain run on Friday afternoon.  Just shivering, soaked, and not enjoyable.  Life goes on.

I'll close with this gem from a local coffee shop.
No, I don't exactly agree with this, but coffee is
important to me and I did get a chuckle!

Weekly Log 24-Jan to 30-Jan-2022: Blizzard!

Monday:  4

Westerly, RI.  Short and easy recovery run late afternoon with Brady.  From Wahaneeta into Woody Hill and back.  Legs tight from yesterday's 20-miler, but not terrible.

Tuesday:  6 run, 2 walk

Westerly, RI

AM:  3.5 miles at Grills in a light coating of snow.  Just enough time to get this in before meeting for CCC.

AM:  2+ miles monitoring three different WLT properties:  Whitely, Anderson, and Wildwood.

PM:  2.5 miles at Champlin with Brady, sandwiched between late afternoon meetings.

Not what I planned to get done, but just tight constraints today.  Back at it tomorrow!

Wednesday:  8

Hopkinton, RI.  Late afternoon run at Grills Preserve.  Started from Chase Hill Road trailhead and arrived at top of Big Hill just after sunset, with a neat orange glow on the distant horizon.  The price to be paid was finishing in the dark.  While I did bring my headlamp, I left it in the car, and it turns out that isn't very helpful.  The toughest section to navigate in the dark was the technical single-track section of Tomaquag Trail between Polly Coon Bridge and Tomaquag Brook Bridge.  I asked Brady to lead in this section, given his far superior nighttime trail navigational skills, and fortunately I had at least remembered to put orange on him, so I could follow his orange buff around his neck instead of his black fur in the dark!

Thursday:  12

Narragansett, RI.  After taking care of some death-related tasks in Narragansett, I needed some uplifting and took the opportunity while here to run somewhere different.  I parked in the plaza next to Brickley's Ice Cream, and followed a mapped out route through Bonnet Shores first.  Temps about 25° and sunny, but felt brisk along the exposed shorelines.  Even with navigation, I had trouble finding an unmarked trail connecting Bonnet Shores neighborhood with South Ferry (otherwise you'd have to run on busy Route 1A).  Finally I found it, and it was a short and not terribly established trail, but it did the trick.

In South Ferry, ran down to the URI Oceanography Campus and promptly got confused on roadways there and ran an extra circle before properly following the route on my watch.  Made note of an "Aquarium" building; I wonder if that's open to the public.  Hill climb up to South Ferry Church (where one of my brothers was married many moons ago) and then continued across Route 1A into Pettaquamscutt Lake Shores, as I was trying hard to avoid busy roads.  Down Middlebridge Road before working my way back on quiet roads on the east side of the river.  Middlebridge River?  Felt pretty good throughout, and ran an average 6:41 pace.

Friday:  0

Ugh.  My early morning into mid-afternoon was tied up with work meetings, but then I had a few hours free.  I had planned out an 18-miler, but between my penchant for underestimating time commitments and some more unplanned death related tasks, I lost my entire window for running.  Rather than sulk, I recounted how well yesterday's run went and delighted in the heavy snow forecast for tomorrow.  I need to remind myself to keep focusing on the positive.

Saturday:  7

Westerly, RI.  Blizzard of 2022!  Woke up to maybe 3" of fresh snow on the ground and lightly falling.  Time for a run!  With roads closed in the state today per a ban from the Governor, it was obvious I would be running from home.  Decided to head to the beach, and made it up from there.  Just as I was passing Keith's house, he was going out for a run, and thus joined Brady and I.  It was good to have company on the run.

On the roads, I was overdressed and warmed up quickly, but once Keith flipped around to head home and Brady and I went on the beach, I no longer felt so toasty in the very exposed winds.  Ran out towards Watch Hill, but after a few minutes realized this wasn't the fun I imagined.  The ocean had breached the beach in a few places, so had to awkwardly go up very high in places.  Then I didn't see a snow-covered breach, and both my feet went ankle deep into the water.  (Hint:  the ocean is not warm in January.)

Deep snow drifts at the dunes, Misquamicut.

Headed back out on the roads, and stayed on the roads for the rest of the run, where my feet gradually warmed up.  The snow and wind were really starting to intensify towards the end of my run.

Made several passes of shoveling the driveway during the storm, as I didn't want to leave it all until tomorrow.  Brady came out with me each time.

Not the best frisbee-flying weather, but he got his
frisbee out of the garage, and insisted on playing,
and even kept himself entertained with burying it in the snow
and digging it up again.  

His eyes are somewhere in there!

After several hours of being out in the storm (yes, hours!),
the snow was so matted into his fur like I've never seen before.
I figured he'd be cold, but he did NOT want to come in!
I guess he's not a Florida dog anymore?

My best estimate is that we got 18" of snow.  I tried measuring it, but with the blowing snow, the depths in my backyard are anywhere from 13" to 26".  22" was shown for Westerly on Channel 10 weather, as reported by National Weather Service, so I guess I'll go with that.

Interesting tidbit on the weather reporting that only four municipalities in the state officially had a blizzard:  Providence, Westerly, New Shoreham, and Newport.  Which, of course, begs the question of what specifically is the definition of a blizzard.  According to the National Weather Service, a blizzard is:

Blizzard criteria is three consecutive hours with winds sustained or frequently gusting at or above 35 mph with blowing or falling snow reducing visibility to a 1/4 mile or less.

While I knew there was a wind component to the blizzard criteria,
I had also thought it included a specific minimum of snow.  As my 
grandmother also said, try to learn something new everyday.
At least for today, I succeeded!

Sunday:  5

Finished shoveling out my driveway, and noticed the single Mom across from us was just getting started shoveling and had heavy and deep snow banks (more than 2' deep).  Momentarily thought I've had enough already from shoveling my own driveway from deep snow and that I'll go inside and have breakfast.  Nah, breakfast can wait.  This is a good opportunity to be neighborly.  Went over with the snowshovel to help her and her son, and before long, my next door neighbor came over to help as well, saying I was making him feel guilty.  My grandmother often used the adage, "Many hands make light work", and while the snow was anything but light, figuratively the work was much lighter for sure.

End of our driveway, with my running companion.
Not much snow in the middle of my driveway, but huge
drifts at both ends. (that snowbank is taller than me).
18° at Noon, but actually felt warm running with the
bright sunshine.

Westerly, RI.  I put the shovel aside and it was time for a run with Brady.  Surface varied from dry and heavily salted (Shore Road) to wet roads (Winnapaug Road) to nice snow hardpack (Misquamicut back roads).  Still slow going overall, but good to get out.  

Kept the run reasonably short, as besides
being pretty tired and sore from all the shoveling,
it was time to go sledding with my nieces!
(one in background, while Brady in foreground
is wondering what am I up to now)

Weekly mileage:  42 run, 2 walk

Weekly synopsis:  Lowest mileage week since Philadelphia Marathon recovery in early December.  A long run just wasn't happening with the blizzard this past weekend, and I zeroed on Friday with unanticipated life (or death) issues.

Weekly highlight:  The blizzard!  I just love snowstorms.  Running wise, the 12-miler in Bonnet Shores was fun to run in a different area.

Weekly lowlight:  Yeah, the low mileage.  Life goes on.

Weekly Log 17-Jan to 23-Jan-2022: Return to Training

Monday:  7

Martin Luther King Day.  I wondered if there is such a thing as an MLK Day road race.  There is!  Just none around here.  They abound in places like Atlanta, Birmingham, Miami, and Portland, Oregon.

Charlestown, RI.  6 miles.  Carter Preserve with Matthew and Brady.  From Old Mill Road CW to Grassland Preserve, where it was very windy in the open, and then completed the loop around to the north and east.  Trails were very muddy and slippery out there.  Saw a few other humans and canines.

Westerly, RI.  1 mile.  Barlow Preserve, checking out flagging for new potential trail along Chapman Swamp.  

Tuesday:  2 walk, 10 run

AM:  Westerly, RI.  Annual Land Trust accreditation monitoring.  Led a group of four at Wahaneeta.  First time using mobile app for recording.  Progress.

PM:  Westerly, RI.  Late afternoon trail run at Woody Hill with Matthew and Brady.  Last run with Matthew for a while, as he returns to school.  Final four miles in the dark.  Not a soul out there.

Wednesday:  1 walk

Westerly, RI.  Wahaneeta Preserve.  Planned late afternoon run turned into a walk.  Brady was limping a little bit, and I wasn't overly into it.  Thus endeth a 36-day running streak.  Longest in years.

Thursday:  15

Westerly, RI.  Woke up to a cold rain in the low 30s.  Rain at 70° feels nice; rain at 33° not so much.  Opted to defer my run a bit, and fortunately an hour later the temp fell and the rain changed to all snow.  After a couple of work meetings, I had a long window to get out there before the afternoon.  Ran 'Round the Pond roads, plus several extra miles.  It was neat to run in the falling snow.  Average pace 6:48, but my pace was pretty much all over the place.

Friday:  5

Charlestown, RI.  Late afternoon run with Brady at Burlingame Campground.  Pretty quiet out there.  Only ran into two other people out there, each with a single dog.  Unfortunately, these were not the friendliest of dogs as both barked and snarled, but there was also no issue.  I surprised myself by still being able to locate and run the old "Brrr-lingame" course, as it isn't easy or intuitive to follow on the campground trails.

On the bog bridge trail, Brady all of a sudden just bolted away from me and sprinted down the trail out of sight.  Certainly not his usual behavior.  What gives?  As I rounded the next corner, I then figured it out as I saw a white tail in the distance.  Of course, he didn't catch the deer, but that's his natural instinct, and after another minute or so he rejoined me for my more pedestrian pace on the trail.

Saturday:  5

Westerly, RI.  I had planned for a 16-mile long run, which was already backing down from my training plan of a 20-mile run for today.  This was going to be really tight to begin with, as we were leaving for UNH to watch Matthew's meet, and when my alarm went off at 6:30am and it was dark and 13°, I was out.  Set the alarm for an hour later, and headed to Grills with Brady for a short run.  15° and windy, with a wind chill factor of 2°.  My face took a long time to warm up, and my finger tips never warmed up.  On the positive side, we never saw another soul out there.

Sunday:  20

Charlestown, RI.  Since I abandoned my planned long run yesterday, today was the day to get it done.  And unlike yesterday, I didn't have any excuses today.  I slept in and was well refreshed, it was daylight, the wind had died down, it was sunny, and the temps in the mid-20s when I got up.  I had planned out a 20-miler from Dave's Coffee, and once I got in the car and backed out of the garage, I was fully committed.

Seven miles south of Route 1 to start.  Warmed up in only a mile or so.  It was about that time that I was getting chased by the PM.  I remembered the bank of PM defense shelters at the state fishing pier at Quonochontaug Breachway at the end of West Beach Road, and I just barely made it there when ...   Oh, no, they removed the porta-jons for the winter.  With no time to spare, I ducked into some bushes to take care of business.  There had been no vehicle activity on the nearby dirt road, but now an SUV slowed down where I was, and worse, I clearly read the banner on the door:  Charlestown Police.  Ugh.  I can just see it now -  "Elderly perverted man arrested with his shorts pulled down" - story at 11.  Fortunately, they only slowed but did not stop and were soon gone.  Whether they figured out what I was doing and moved along, or whether they even saw me in the bushes I am not sure, but all was good.  Feeling much better, I continued on through the coastal community and eventually re-crossed Route 1 at East Beach Road, where there is also a push button to stop traffic for pedestrians.

Thirteen miles north of Route 1.  At the light, the driver of a car waved to me.  I recognized him as multiple-time Ironman and barefoot trail runner Eric Winn.  I thought I might catch up with him when I entered Burlingame Campground moments later, but I didn't see him again.  Most times when I go to the campground, it's of course to run the trails, but I must say I've really come to enjoy running the roads there off-season as well recently.  They're scenic, along the lake in two places, behind the gates where cars can't travel between mid-October and mid-April, and relatively protected against the wind.  There were a few people out walking the roads, and a few hiking the VG Trail.  I saw a golden retriever who I guess you could technically say was leashed:  the clasp of the leash was attached to his collar, and the handle of the leash was in his mouth as he walked along!  It was pretty funny; you had to see it.

Left the campground via the short section of VG trail to the east connecting to the dirt road which is Sanctuary Road.  The rest of the run (Prosser, King's Factory, Shumankanuc Hill, Buckeye Brook, Charles, Klondike) was pretty unremarkable.  Ran at a comfortable pace only checking my watch when it beeped at mile splits.  Still had some bad thoughts and awful images in my mind around our recent family tragedy, but I also tried hard to shift to looking to the future and fun days and events again.  Worked hard on the two substantial (> 100') climbs, and the rest was easy.  Returned to Dave's Coffee at 19.7 miles, so I didn't need to tack on much at all, before going inside to enjoy an iced coffee and a scone.  Just like my 15-mile run on Thursday, this one worked out also to a 6:48 average pace.  Feel good about that for not trying.

Weekly mileage:   62 run, 3 walk

Weekly synopsis:  This was the week that I told myself I would resume running and training in earnest.  My brother's service was last week, and while there continue to be difficult moments and conversations and still some somber tasks lying ahead, I need to start moving ahead with my own life.  And I successfully resumed the training!  I got in both a 15 miler and a 20 miler this week.  I'm feeling really good about that.

I'm not ready for big group runs or races, so I've decided to bag any thoughts of running the USATF-NE indoor track masters meet next weekend.  I'll get there, but it needs to be on my own pace (no pun intended!).

Weekly highlight:  Today's 20-mile long run!  Psyched that I got it done.  Running it at average 6:48 without trying was just a bonus.  Onward!

Weekly lowlight:  Cold fingers and a little bit of self-doubt.  The latter will come and is at least partially related to me still trying to figure things out in the wake of the tragedy.  As to the former, I feel this is somewhat new.  As Kevin M mentioned, this may indeed be part of aging.  Temps in the upper 20s felt fine today, but at 15° and below, I just can't seem to get my fingers warm until wearing ridiculously thick gloves.  I may look into those "convertible" gloves with an extra fabric layer to go over the fingers and essentially make a mitten in cold temps, or might consider those hand warmers.  Any thoughts on either welcome.  Either way, if that's my weekly lowlight of the week, that's a huge improvement from the past two weeks!

Hangover Classic

 

Bristol, RI

Saturday, January 1, 2022

Way back in 2021 (actually less than 24 hours prior to race), I received a notification that the impending Frostbite 5-Miler in Mystic slated for January 8th was being canceled for COVID related reasons.  Disappointing, but a sign of the times, and unfortunately amidst the raging Omicron variant.  So now what?  Well, it turns out there was another 5-miler going on the very next day (New Year's Day) and registration was still open for a few more hours.

This was a last minute entry, but I was in.  Same race distance, just a longer drive at over an hour versus the short 20-minute trip to Mystic.  

A very warm New Year's Day at 49° but also foggy with drizzle.  Roads were completely wet with a few small puddles.  Should have warmed up more, but with a later departure than planned, plus repeat trips to the bathroom (don't worry, no additional details!), I just got in a mile and a quarter with spectator Matthew before catching up with other runners I knew (Steve Brightman, Mike Daniels, Dan Hawkins, Bob Segal) and toeing the line.

About to start the race.  I'm on front line in green singlet,
at race director's (white jacket) left outstretched arm.

Mile 1:  We waited for the word from Bristol Police to gather in the street, and we were quickly off and running for a punctual 10:30am race start.  Almost all of the first mile was on asphalt roads (Poppasquash Road - most interesting name) and pancake flat.  When we turned off the road onto a paved bike path, there was a course marshal there and you couldn't go wrong.  Kept the leaders in sight but was already running very fast and didn't get sucked in.  Mile 1 split 5:34.

Very early on in race, with cove in background.
Mike D in front (with cap), Steve Brightman just in front
of me before he pulls light years ahead.
(Pic by Jana)

Mile 2:  Paved bike path down to and along the water.  It's probably very pretty here on a clear day, but today is far from clear.  Dan Hawkins passed me early in this mile, and I had no challenge, knowing he is typically a faster runner than me.  The mile finished with a 20' hill.  Mile split 5:55.

Early in the second mile, trailing Dan Hawkins.

Same spot, hill down to the water and another bike path.

Mile 3:  Almost entirely flat along the water again, with a small bump of a hill at the end of the mile turning away from the waterfront.  There were mile markers at each mile.  My slowest mile at 6:04.  With my current 5-mile PR at 29:26 (Bobby Doyle 2015), I figured a PR was not in the cards today, but I would push and try to get sub-30.

Good to know.  Sign of the times shirt, I guess.

Can't vouch for his running abilities,
but this gentleman clearly has good musical taste!
I made sure I told him so post-race.

Mile 4:  I was able to pick it up just a little bit here.  Bike path through the woods, with two very small 30' hills.  (As opposed to very big 30' hills?)  Mile split 5:49.

Mile 5:  We're back on the wet roads now.  I try to push it, but I just don't have much left in the tank.  You can see a long ways now as we're running along the cove, and the finish line is directly across the cove.  The road seems to go on forever, as I keep looking for that final turnoff onto the East Bay Bike Path.  A teenager goes past me here.  I'm not retaking him, but I at least try to tag along for the ride.  Finally I see the police car, and the turnoff.  Hard right onto the bike path, and sprint(?) or at least run as fast as I can to the finish.  As I pass the awkward section with broken shells, I can see the clock now at 29 minutes flat and I feel comfortable for the first time that I actually am going to get a new PR.  Final mile split a sluggish 5:59.

It's not obvious, but the debris on the bike path
in this section, especially about 3 o'clock in pic,
is broken shells of mollusks,
presumably dropped by seagulls.
Very awkward to race over.

Final strides on the wet bike path, just before finish.

Final results:  29:18, 9th out of 289, 2nd in age group.  PR!!  Full results here.

Someone is very excited to see me at the finish.  In fact, I could hear Brady as I was approaching the finish line.  He must have been watching the race!  

Watching the race unfold.

Time for my run!

Quick amusing story that added to my excitement over my new PR:  a couple minutes after finishing, a young guy (mid 20s?) came up to me and said that at race start, he was sizing up the competition and thought he would line up next to me and try to run with me.  Then he apparently thought better of it, as he said to himself, "This guy [me] looks fast AF!".  Obviously, there are plenty of 20-somethings (and runners of most age groups) that could leave me in the dust, but this was pretty funny and complimentary that he would share this with me.  He was targeting 6:50s, which he succeeded at, and we had a good conversation post-race as he was asking me about my marathon experiences and strategies.

Cooled down with Matthew and Brady for a couple of miles, and then called it a day before heading back.

Weekly Log 10-Jan to 16-Jan-2022: A Step Towards Closure

Monday:  1 walk, 5 run

Was dreading this day.  Difficult day with multiple appointments dealing with final arrangements of my brother's remains.

Westerly, RI.  1-mile walk with Brady at Avondale Preserve at sunset, followed by a 5-mile run in the dark of night with Tommy and Brady.  Good conversational therapeutic run that I needed.

Tuesday:  7

Charlestown, RI.  Mix of asphalt and dirt roads, and single-track, from Burlingame picnic area.

Wednesday:  10

Charlestown, RI.  Back to Burlingame.  Burlingame Trail plus Vin Gormley Trail, with Matthew and Brady.  A few mountain bikers out there.

Thursday:  10

Mystic, CT.  Early morning run with Matthew.  I knew this would be a very trying day, and this was as much a run as therapy for me in preparing for the day.  Run from Mystic Y south to Enders Island, and then north to Mistuxet.

We buried my brother today.  It has been ten days since his untimely and senseless death.  One of the toughest days of my life.

Friday:  10

Westerly, RI.  Grills Preserve 10-Mile race course with Matthew and Brady.  Very windy.  A good day for the protection of the woods.  Ran into Jeff Huckle on run; good to catch up with him.

With the service over, I had planned to return to work today, but my manager asked me to take another day off as a 3-day weekend looms.  That was comforting. 

Saturday:  12

Richmond, RI.  Ran from Arcadia Y with Matthew.  No Brady today, as it was all roads.  One of my favorite road running routes as it's on very quiet country roads, including dirt roads in Exeter and Hopkinton.  Average 7-flat pace, with faster miles in second half.  Felt really good.

Sunday:  8

Outdoor temp as we left the house this morning.  Brrr.

Charlestown, RI.  Chilly 3° run with Chris, Tommy, Matthew, and Brady.  I probably overdressed, but after a couple miles, I was toasty warm.  Two layers on bottom, two on top, plus thick socks, thick gloves, and a balaclava.  As Chris noted as we were finishing up, time goes by really quickly when you're running with good company (I think he actually said "amazing people").  By the end of the run, it had warmed all the way up to 10°!  We finished up with a visit to Dave's Coffee for some more good conversation over a cup of java.

Weekly mileage:  63 run, 1 walk

Weekly synopsis:  Everyone grieves and comes to grips with death differently.  For me, the conclusion of the graveside service was a first step towards closure.  Because I told myself it would be.  I'm not so naïve as to think I'm over this horrible incident for good and I know that "time heals all wounds" is a fallacy, but I also know I need to move on with my live, return to some normalcy, and start to engage with people again, especially those relatives and friends closest to me.

As for running, for the second consecutive week, I am again pleasantly surprised I was able to get in 60+ miles in a week fraught with so many raw emotions and difficult death care tasks.  It was also the second consecutive week that I had zero workouts and zero long runs.  But that changes next week.  Because I am telling myself it will change.

Weekly highlight:  Sunday's group run with friends, and post-run get-together.  Despite being likely to go down as my coldest run of 2022, I was far enough along in my grieving process to really enjoy some more normal conversation and a few laughs.  I am grateful for that.

Weekly lowlight:  Yeah.  I think that one is pretty obvious.  No more words.

I'll end this post with two whimsical moments of levity that gave me a smile:

My first marathon:  Philadelphia in 2003
Before heading down to Philly two months ago
for my 21st marathon, I had searched high and low
(but not high or low enough, apparently)
for this commemorative shirt, as I wanted to wear it
to the expo, but I had given it up for lost or accidentally
donated to charity with hundreds of other race shirts.
---
When I was cleaning up some old clothes today,
you can can imagine my elation when I found this
"gem"!  It's cotton and quite worn, unlike the 2021
tech edition, but it's a keeper!  
---
Look for the simple pleasures in life.

Don't even think of trying to take
my Rudolph (a Christmas gift) away.
Brady plays with his squeaking Rudolph
frequently now, and I'm not sure if he
provides more entertainment for himself or
for me!  Enjoy life.  It beats the alternative.

Weekly Log 3-Jan to 9-Jan-2022: Tragedy & Reflection

Monday:  6

Westerly, RI.  Back to work after 12 days off for the holidays.  I received the anticipated e-mail from HR that the planned January 10 return to the office has been delayed indefinitely, so that was good.

Ran late afternoon expecting snow showers, which unfortunately never materialized.  Local road and trail mix.  Still a tad sore from Saturday's 5 mile race.

Got home, had dinner, and then all hell broke loose.  Received a nightmare call informing me that my youngest brother had unexpectedly passed away several hours prior.  After the phone call, I needed some time to gain my composure at least to some degree, and then it was time to drive to my mother's house to tell her in person that her youngest son was dead.  Just awful.  Horrific.  Got home late, slept terribly, and had a nightmare where my brother came and talked to me about his death.

Tuesday:  9

Woke up, went to my annual physical, and when my primary care specialist asked if I was OK, I just broke down all over again.  Am I OK?  Well, my youngest brother just killed himself, and he left behind a mess for everyone else in his family to deal with, but other than that, Mrs Lincoln, how was the show?  Ugh.  I am struggling to process this and find myself going through the classic phases of denial, guilt, anger, and grief.

I advised my boss I wouldn't be coming back to work anytime soon, and then went to visit my Mom again for more difficult but needed conversation.  When I finally got back home early afternoon, Matthew was just getting ready to go out for a run at Burlingame.  Fortunately, he was fine with me tagging along with him despite his having to wait longer and put up with my dour mood.  

Burlingame State Park, Charlestown, RI:  Easy paced lollipop mostly on trails, with some roads sandwiched in.  After the run, Matthew said I looked better than when I had started, and he figured it was better that I ran with him and could talk to him today as opposed to running alone.  He was right, of course.

Then in the evening I was off with my Mom for more difficult notifications, and another fitful night of interrupted sleep.

Wednesday:  9

Charlestown / Richmond, RI:  Another weird day.  The run was fine (mix of roads and trails in Carter Preserve and Carolina Management Area).  Ran with Matthew and Brady in the mild rain (49°).  The rest of the day was taken up with various planning and discussions, including with the funeral home.  In the latter case, fortunately I had called a high school classmate from decades ago.  He manages two funeral homes in the area, and I have a great deal of respect and good relationship with him.

Thursday:  10

Woke up to the continuing nightmare that is my life this week.  Day after day.

Stonington, CT:  Ran in Barn Island with Matthew and Brady.  Easy paced on a mix of surfaces, including three miles on roads, and the rest on dirt roads and single-track.

Today is Epiphany.  Took down the tree,
which is a sad day any year, but especially
melancholy this year.

Friday:  6 run, 3 walk

Westerly, RI:  Snow!  It was a serendipitous diversion that I needed.  Took Brady out for a run on a mix of roads, beach, and trails.  Along the way, I saw two runners (separately) that I know, and I stopped briefly to talk to one of them in this driveway; this was a nice change from pretty much isolating myself all week due to the tragedy.  

At the beach, I had to keep constant tabs on Brady as he really wanted to go into the ocean, but once we got into the woods, it was just a delight and for a moment truly took my mind off the horrendous situation.  

Beautiful and calm at the beach

Picturesque day in Champlin Glacier Preserve.
He has snow on his nose here, but is just carefree.

Running in the snow

After running, Matthew and I shoveled the driveway,
and I was more than ready to go in the house.
But not Brady; he was content to just roll and play in the
snow in our front yard.  (The orange underneath him is his
frisbee, which he took out of the garage, and then kept
throwing into the air on his own, digging it out of the snow, repeat, etc.)
---
Besides his own fun, Brady really kept me entertained today,
and I needed that.  I used to think "therapy dogs" were BS,
but maybe not?

In the afternoon, went for a late afternoon/evening snow hike and fire ("Friday by the Fire") put on by the WLT.  We (Jana and I) brought Brady with us and hung towards the back of the group in a single-file pattern (single-track at Grills), so that all went fine.

Saturday:  12

Narragansett, RI:  Resolution 5K.  An annual reunion and run put on by Steve Brightman, a continuation of the old 4th Season Trail Race, with the race fairly even split between hard packed beach at Scarborough and trails in the Black Point state site.  I got an e-mail from Steve on Tuesday confirming the event was on, and at that point (the day after my brother's death), I completely wrote off going to the event or anywhere in public for that matter.  I know I need to get back out there, and I thought enough time had passed where I was ready to get back out in a large group.  I was wrong.

Went for a nice long warm up run with Matthew on roads, where we discussed everything from details of the immediate family crisis to more uplifting running topics.  Got back just in time for the start of the "race".  There was the usual fun banter, but I just wasn't in to it.  What I did get a chuckle out of was when Crutch came up to me and implored me not to run any more Border Patrol Challenges (as he's in first place now)!  He's really crushing it out there with 8 completed segments compared my paltry two.  I appreciated that levity!

Anyway, I ran most of the Resolution 5K solo and at a moderate pace.  I saw a group of runners just behind me at the southern beach turnaround, but didn't want anything to do with being with a group.  I appreciated Chris catching up to and running in with me.  (He on the other hand may not have, as I unloaded much of my situation on him.)  When we finished up, I saw people mulling around and having fun at the finish line, and I just wasn't ready for that group setting, so I slunk away for a cool down with Matthew and then unobtrusively left.

Sunday:  10

Arcadia Management Area, Exeter, RI.  Drizzly rain on snowy trails, with Matthew and Brady.  Very slow going in wet snow.  The unplowed roads were much better than the plowed roads.  Funny how that works.  I did fine on the flats and downhills, but struggled and lagged on the uphills.  I was pretty weak on the 2nd half.  Fuel replenishment at Alaina's in Richmond was a welcome pit stop, and the So Cal Turkey sandwich and iced latte hit the spot.

Weekly mileage:  63 run, 3 walk

Weekly synopsis:  Really, for this week, any expectations were thrown out the window.  I discarded all planned workouts, long runs, and faster speed runs, and it certainly exceeded my expectations that I got in this many miles in a truly awful and distracting week.

Weekly highlight:  It's tough to find anything positive in this week.  Yet I must.  I am grateful for the support of family and friends, and I do not take that lightly or for granted.

Weekly lowlight:  Obviously the shock of my brother's suicide, and all the terrible after effects.  I worry and feel for all those impacted by his death.  

I'll close out this blog post with this photo and my thoughts.  I took this photo along Saturday's
Resolution 5K course, as I was cooling down with Matthew: 
Winter Wonderland, along the calm of the Atlantic Ocean.  Simply majestic.
---
As I mentioned to Chris when we ran past here, I need to look
for similar positive and beautiful mementos in nature, people,
and situations to pick myself back up and move forward
in my life.  As I was very painfully reminded this week,
life is short, fragile, and fleeting.  Live life to the fullest.

Weekly Log 27-Dec-2021 to 2-Jan-2022: Closing out the Year

Miscellaneous rambling:

• Replaced our 15-year old 42" plasma 720 DPI TV with a new 50" LED 4K TV.  Back then I shelled out two grand.  Of course the technology and resolution has improved, but what's surprising is the level of price reduction, as we paid less than 1/5 of that amount today.
• Like many people, I'm really weary of the COVID pandemic dragging on and now worsening.  Just when I thought we put the masks away for good (except medical and public transport), we now have a mask mandate (again!) in RI for at least 30 days.  No, I'm not anti-vax (fully vaccinated plus booster), and yes, I'll put the mask on without argument if enforced, but just tired of it and find them uncomfortable and difficult to breathe and talk in.
• At Stop & Shop deli last week (while dutifully wearing my mask), I ordered "white cheddar".  Fortunately I was paying attention and stopped the deli clerk when he inserted some weird white and pink pork roll into the slicer and I asked, "Excuse me, what is that?".  The "porchetta" that you asked for.  Ugh.  Took off my mask, and said, "White cheddar, not porchetta".  I blame the mask, not the employee.

White cheddar, please.  Not porchetta.

The only silver lining to Omicron and these
new restrictions is that our January 10
return to office date is likely to get postponed.  Again.

Monday:  8

So nice to have the full week off.  Slept in, took care of household chores, and went to Arcadia with Matthew.  (Brady is recovering at home from some type of leg injury; hopefully a short duration.)

Mixed roads and trails.  35° and cloudy, but warmed up very quickly.

Tuesday:  11 run, 1 walk

AM:  CCC stone wall clearing at Barlow

PM:  Border Patrol Challenge - #2 of 19 - Li'l Rhody course.  1.5 warm-up, 2.5 cool-down.  Late afternoon hard run.  Zoned out a few miles in, and had to remind myself to pick up the pace.  Pretty muddy and slick in many places.   Slid often, but remained vertical.  Hard road finish at 5:40 pace.  Post-run adverse effect of gross hematuria.  Hopefully gone by the morning.

Wednesday:  10

Blood issue is gone for me.  Brady is still limping, so no running for him.  Road and trail mixer, from Meadowbrook Pond, through Carter Preserve, Route 112, Pine Hill Road, and back North-South Trail.  I was really dragging on this run.

Thursday:  16 run, 7 walk

Long run / workout.  Two hard sections (4-mile and 3-mile) mixed in with target 6:15 pace.  This was hard work, but I hit my target with the exception of final mile, which had a 70' hill (excuses, excuses!).  

Grateful to Tommy 5K for coming out with me for the first half of this run.

Jana and I went for a Westerly Land Trust group hike at Great Swamp Management Area.  It turned out to be a little longer than intended as the hike leader got off course from her intended route.  She felt badly, but it's all good to get outside and get some exercise.

Late afternoon I took Brady for a walk at Avondale.  Still no running for him.  :(

Friday:  6

Easy recovery on dirt roads at Great Swamp with Matthew.

Sign at entrance to TLC Coffee Shop,
Kingston (and Java Madness in SK,
and Custom House Coffee, Middletown).
Personally, I enjoy going to establishments like this
where I can show my vaccination proof in lieu of a mask.

The other cool feature of TLC Coffee:
self-serve iced coffee with at least 20 different flavors.

Lobster Trap Christmas Tree, Stonington Borough
Visited here on New Year's Eve with the family.  Pretty neat!

Saturday:  8

New Year's Day.

Colt State Park, Bristol, RI.  Hangover Classic 5-Miler.  Separate write-up to follow.

Sunday:  7

Haley Farm State Park, Groton, CT.  Brady's first run with me (and Matthew) since his injury Christmas night.  Much to my relief, he seems fully healed.  Surprisingly very sore from yesterday's 5-mile race.  (Me, not Brady.)  Very muddy out there today.  The three of us came home pretty dirty, and all needed baths, including Brady.

Weekly mileage:  65

Weekly synopsis:  Highest mileage week since Philly Marathon.  Time to start the build-up towards a spring marathon now.  This was a good running week, with both the mileage and getting a workout in.

Weekly highlight:  Hangover Classic race.

Weekly lowlight:  The end of a 12-day year-end vacation.