Weekly Log 30-Mar to 5-Apr-2015

High and low points of the week:

DEM gave final approval on trail run for Run for the Pumpkins!

US Fish & Wildlife turned down my request to run some of the trails near Kettle Pond as part of YMCA's Back Road Ramble.




Boston Marathon NRA bus was cancelled, leaving an even more logistically challenged race, including packed school bus with no bathroom, sitting outside on towels at the Athlete's Village, and having to throw away warm-up clothes since they longer transport them back to Boston after the bombing.  My heart wasn't in this one to begin with, so after running 6 Bostons already, I'm out.  Will use the April vacation time to take Mark to see colleges; probably a more important endeavor. Now to find more challenges to keep me motivated...

Monday:  0

Tuesday:
6 miles.  Windy run out towards Watch Hill and back on the beach.

Wednesday:
6 miles.  Tried the Blue Heron trails in Dedham, MA for the first time in months.  It is April afterall, right?  Trails here actually still 90% covered in snow!  In April!  Being a minority snow-lover, I got my YakTrax on and had a lot of fun:

Still lots of deep snow on
the Blue Heron Trail!

Starting to melt on the sides of
this raised bed, but it was fun
with YakTrax ripping on this section.
Last YakTrax run til next winter?

Thursday:
5 mile Wahaneeta / Woody Hill trail run with Crutch.  Inverse to yesterday's trail run, these trails are 90% snow-free.  Really had fun revisiting trails in one of my favorite local places.

Friday:  0

Saturday:
12.  Big River.  In what was shaping up to be an epic fun trail race, it turned into getting lost and turning it into a fun run with Seth and Chris Fox.
Showed up an hour early for this one, ran a solo 2-mile warmup and got a feel for the course:

One of the few snowy sections
on the course (yes, still some
snow left in April!)

Not to fret; even with the snow
gone, there were several of these
really fun water crossings

And for those less adventurous souls
just looking for a good trail run,
the trails were mostly dry-pack

During the warm-up, I saw SurferDude and jokingly texted Tom to ask if this was an omen, as the three of us got lost two years ago at Big River.  Little did I know ...

The race:  The lead pack went out conservatively at first, except for OrangeGuy who flew ahead of everyone.  After the short snowy section, I entered the single-track about 10th place.  We stayed in tight single-file for a while, with Chris Fox ahead of me and Seth just behind.  About a half-mile in, I see OrangeGuy as Chris passes him.  I guess he way overestimated either the course of his abilities.  Chris followed just behind Justin for about 1.5 miles, then I was glad when he backed off as the initial pace was a little too spicy for me.  Chris and I ran close together for a while, and it seemed Seth had dropped just a little back.  However, when we caught up to BlackGuy (color of his shirt, not skin, although it wouldn't matter), the pace slowed a bit more and Seth and SurferDude caught up to us for a pack of 5.  The pace was actually feeling slow to me here, so in puddles where others slowed down I forged straight through the mud and water to pass Chris and then BlackGuy.  I thought the leaders would be far ahead of us, then was surprised to see Muddy at about Mile 4 when we were climbing the hill where the flags were stolen last year.  Seth took the bait, and the two of us were off together with others dropping behind.  Seth and I exchanged the lead and ran together until ...

The hooligans:  We got to a 3-way intersection that was completely unmarked, courtesy of hooligans taking off with flags and signs.  Pard was at the intersection also unclear on which way to go.  Seth and I went passed him, but when it became clear we were just circling around the pond, we turned around and then ran back into Chris Fox and SurferDude.  We dallied about trying different directions to guess the trail, but in the end just turned it into a fun run to run back to the start of the race.  We had about 7.5 miles in when we got back to the start, so a few of us tacked on a few more miles.  I have only finished Big River 1 out of 3 years, and last year was only due to Seth getting me on course when again there were missing flags.  Made the best of a warm day in the woods, and lots of fun in all the puddles.

Sunday:
8 mile 'round the pond Easter run with Matthew.  Legs felt really heavy at first given yesterday's trail race, but felt progressively better.  Average 6:59 pace, even with the wind on return run.  Playing "I spy ..." during the run made the time go by quickly.

Weekly Mileage Log:
0
0.  
38 miles.  

Brrr-lingame 10 Mile Race

Sunday, March 29, 2015

The 4th installment of this 5-series race.  Originally scheduled two weeks earlier, it was postponed to the end of March due to deep snow.  We won't have snow on the ground still in late March, right? Well...

Volunteered to help RD Mike G mark the course the prior day, so I had a good feel for the course conditions.  Or so I thought.  Overnight, we received an additional 1-2" of snow.  Arrived an hour early and went out for a 2-mile warm-up with Jonny and we met up with Chris.

Stunning beauty of fresh snowfall
on the trails.

Loop 1 (first 5 miles):  Went out fast following behind Chris Garvin as far as the road crossing a mile in.  First mistake.  Chris Fox followed me closely the entire first lap.  I kept thinking when the course widened Chris F would pass me.  Didn't happen.  Only twice did I put some distance on Chris, and I could only tell because I couldn't hear his breathing anymore.  Once was in a section of deep snow (which is how I beat him at Belleville) and the other was on the bog bridges.  Unfortunately after both times he quickly caught up.  Jackman was saying later that he hated the bog bridges, but I thought they were fun. All 19 of them.  I opted for Yak-Trax, which might have been dead weight for much of the course, but certainly helped me on the slick spots and snow-covered bog bridges.  The campground section went fast, and voila, we were back at the start for the second loop.  36:25

Running through deep puddles
near bog bridges was a blast

Only a few sections of
deep snow remained, much to
my chagrin

Loop 2:  I went way wide of the course at start of loop, as I was focused on drinking the Gatorade I picked up.  Chris went by me here and any thought of staying with him quickly vanished as I lost sight of him.  At the time, I thought he sped up, but looking at results later, I see that he ran pretty evenly, while I slowed way down.  I never looked at my watch, as I find trail mile splits on their own to be pretty meaningless, but now I'm wondering if it might have been helpful to look at splits to see comparatively that I had slowed way down.  The rest of the race I ran as an island and didn't see another runner until I started lapping a few a few back-of-the-packers in the campground.  39:25

Final:  1:15:49.  7th of 28 overall.  1st in age group.  Full results here.

This newly added log and boulder section
was pretty cool.  Three consecutive
jumps ...

... put me on the beach with the ice-covered pond in background.

Not sure if I fell asleep on the second loop, given my three minute differential.  I certainly zoned out, given no one around me.  More importantly, I had a lot of fun out there, with much varied terrain and conditions, including snow, bare ground, beach, deep puddles, and even a log jump.   WTAC did not take the title today, despite having a decent showing of 10 runners overall.  Chris G and Jonny came in 3rd and 4th, and of course trail regular Crutch was out there with a good showing.  On to Big River!

 

Weekly Log 23-Mar to 29-Mar

Monday:
5 miles.  Champlin trails.

Tuesday:
8 miles.  Around the pond.  Worked in 10 * 1-minute fast runs, broken up by 30 second recoveries

Wednesday:
6 miles.  Needham streets, plus running on top of crunchy snow at golf course.  Passing bikers told me I was making them feel cold (in shorts and a shirt at 25 degrees) but I know riding makes you feel much colder than running (given same temp and clothes worn).

Thursday:
7 miles.  Pouring cold rain, about 35 degrees.  Very cold by the time I finished up.  Reminded me of running Hartford Marathon last fall.

Friday:
6 miles.  First of three consecutive days on the Burlingame course.  Light rain.

Saturday:
7 miles.  Bowed out of running with the guys early morning from the Y in the dark cold rain.  Volunteered to help Mike G mark the course.  Out there for about 3 hours in rain, sleet, and snow, but still enjoyed it.  Cold finishing up.

Sunday:
14 miles.  Brrr-lingame.  Write-up to follow.



Weekly Mileage Log:
0
0. 
53 miles.  Not bad.

Weekly Log 16-Mar to 22-Mar-2015: Spring has Sprung

End of winter / beginning of spring thoughts:

1. Why did I sign up for Boston?  At the moment, I feel like I never want to run another spring marathon again, due to the winter training regimen.  (Kudos to Muddy for banging out mega-miles on the mill, but I just don't have it in me mentally.)
2. I have no complaints about snow, and in fact, next winter I want to snowshoe and x-c more.  It's just that on a frigid Saturday or rain-soaking Saturday, I just don't want to feel that I "have to" get in a long run.
3. Jonny said it best today (23 March) on a Strava posting:  "Hard to get excited about chilly road runs anymore."  Here's to many trail runs and multi-sport adventures as we move into spring.

Monday:  0 (my usual rest day)

Tuesday: 
5 miles around Weekapaug with Crutch.  Ran most of Clamdigger course and checked out curbs to see if snow-free enough for SNERRO to certify course.  Not quite ready for prime time.

Wednesday:
6 miles.  Needham, MA.  Windy, cold, icy on the roads, but better than the 'mill.  Right?

Thursday: 0 (too busy packing for trip and driving to Maine; a/k/a poor planning)

Friday:
5 miles.  After a tiring day of skiing at Sunday River, a tiring run with Matthew in Maine.  No matter where we ran, it was either steep uphill or downhill (we're in the mountains, afterall).  Wore me out completely.

l-r:  my cousin's son, my cousin Dave, Matthew, Mark

Matthew coming down the slope

Mark in the glades

Saturday: 0 (busy day skiing, and swimming, and drinking, and cavorting)

One of hardest, but coolest,
glade trails I skied (straight ahead through the trees).
Akin to a good trail run.

Great vista.  Mark in center foreground.

Sunday:
Woke up in Maine to 9 degrees, blasting winds, and fresh snow/ice.  Passed on a morning run.
5 miles back in Westerly with Matthew out to Rock Ridge and back.  Everything was sore.


Weekly Mileage Log:
0.3
0. 
21 miles.  Lowest week this year, but I did get in a lot of skiing to offset, and it can't all be about running, right?

Weekly Log 9-Mar to 15-Mar-2015

Miscellaneous ramblings:

Is "elbow grease" still in the vernacular?  Gave Mark his first lesson on pumping gas, and he took out the nozzle too fast and spilled gas on my car. 
I had him use a squeegee to try to get some of the gas off the paint and when I told him to apply some elbow grease, he looked around and asked me where they keep it!

Turned away from this band for a number of years, when one day this week I heard "Thunderstruck" play on the radio.  Not one of their most popular songs and I generally think of any music from the 1990s to be too new, but what a cool song!
Time to revisit AC/DC.







Monday:  0

Tuesday:
Morning snowshoe in Grills with the Westerly Land Trust crew.  This was a lot of fun.  Will have to get snowshoes for 2015-16 winter season.

Snowshoeing on Grills Orange trail
with Westerly Land Trust crew
(7 of us in total)

Looking towards Kedincker Island from Blue Trail:
mid-March and still frozen over and covered in snow

 

5 miles.  Peppy lunchtime run in Avondale.

Wednesday:
6 miles.  Needham, MA.  FINALLY the streets and paved paths were clear enough to go outside.  My winter running on the treadmill is finally done.  When I ran past the track, I could see snowpiles in there, so I ran through freshly plowed paths to the track to take a look-see.  Mistake! 

I got close to the track to see it was plowed but still a thin coat of snow/ice, and then it happened.  Wham!  Slipped on ice and went down hard on my right knee.  Stayed down for a minute or two to gain my composure, as it really smarted.  Got up and seeing the stream of blood, put my knee in the nearest snowbank to try to stem the flow.  Did that until my knee was too cold, and then onwards.  By the time I got back to the Y, I looked down and saw blood had soaked into my socks and shoes and was still coming down.  My first instinct was to get my phone and take a pic for the blog, but I saw the sight was freaking out a Mom and little kid, so into Y and shower.  Fortunately, no one else in shower as the blood was turning the water red.  After a long shower, went to get dressed but the damned thing is still bleeding!  It won't do to have blood stained dress pants at the office.  I can't go out to the front desk and ask for a Band-Aid while I'm naked.  Hmmm, what to do?  Thought of shaving cuts and how tissue stops the blood, and did the same on a larger scale with toilet paper on my knee.  It worked!

Thursday:
3 miles.  The distance belies the effort, as I ran in deep snow trails in Grills to prepare for Saturday's race.  Fun, but exhausting!

Deep, deep, slushy snow at
Big Hill made the going challenging
and slow for me
(No human footprints this far in other than my own)

Friday:
6 miles.  When I got the e-mail that Brrr-lingame 10 Miler was to postponed for two weeks, I was so bummed and depressed.  (I know FiveK and Mikey felt the same.)  I respect Mike G's decision, but I figured deep snow and predicted pouring rain for Saturday would make for the ultimate sufferfest. 

Fast forward to the afternoon.  Working downtown with a vendor session finishing up early, my boss' boss told me not to return to the office and just get a head start on the weekend!  With my running gear in the car, you don't need to ask me twice!  Changed at the Y and ran out Canal, Springbrook, Boombridge, and back through the North End.  Running, as usual, did help with my mood.

Saturday:
20 miles.  It turns out I'd have my own private sufferfest.  Not knowing where I wanted to run, but knowing I wanted a break from running from the Y or Misquamicut, I drove to Burlingame Campground and made it up as I went along.  Started running up Klondike when a pickup truck drove past me and then stopped, putting the window down.  It turned out to be Charlestown trail runner and multiple Ironman Eric Winn who drove alongside me for the next few miles and chatted.  He was disappointed on today's race postponed as well, but he had a real gripe as it was his 4th race cancelled in recent weeks!

Continued north up to Buckeye Brook and back Route 216, a local neighborhood, and then crossed Route 1 to run West Beach, Central Beach, and East Beach.  East Beach still looked like mid-winter with ice covered slick roads and deep puddles that I waded through.  Back to the car at about 15 miles in, I paused for a Gu and a drink.  Light rain when I started, but it was pouring by now.  Changed my dripping wet gloves for dry ones and thought about changing into dry shoes, but why bother?  Carried my Yaktrax, ran 4 more miles on Burlingame roads to make 19, then donned the Yaks and hit the trails.  Just as Mike G described, deep slushy snow made it really difficult to maneuver.  I was going at about a 15-minute pace, but still glad to be out here on yet another snow run as I suspect that may be about it for the season.  Got back to the car cold, drenched, and weak, but glad I put the effort in.

Sunday:
8 miles.  Got a text from Mikey the evening before that people were running from Tom's in the morning so I figured I'd join.  8 people showed up!  Usual Weekapaug roads and beach.  Was thankful for the stop on the beach, as the run felt fast paced on my fatigued legs.  Good way to end the week.

Weekly Mileage Log:
0
0.  Gotta back to the biking and swimming.
49 miles.  Started out really slow, but got in some good miles late in week.