Weekly Mileage Log: 7-Jan to 13-Jan-2019

Monday:  8
'Round the pond midday run with Matthew.  Pretty fast for me at average 6:35 pace.

Tuesday:  8
7am hill workout with Matthew.  Glad I did this, but pretty sure I would not have had the mental persistence to get out there on my own.

• 5 x Narragansett Hills - I thought Matthew was going to lap me on this
• 5 x 200 on track - 39, 40, 40, 40, 36

Wednesday:  9
Dedham and Boston, MA.  Blue Heron Trail CCW, including Millenium Park, Boston.

• First encounter:  a dour human.
• Second encounter:  two white-tail deer.  They moved off the wooded trail (barely) and just stood on the side of the trail looking at me.  Pretty sure I heard one say to the other, "I remember that trail runner guy.  He used to be much faster and thinner."

Thursday:  9
Started in Bradford at 7am, and ran hills with Matthew.  I was struggling on the long climb on Buckeye Brook Road.  Had some fast miles after that, with the final mile at about 6-flat, albeit downhill.

Friday:  8
Woody Hill late afternoon with Matthew.  Absolutely nobody out on the trails.  It got really fun when it got pitch black and we deep in the woods on single-track.

Saturday:  20!
Tough getting out there.  23 degrees.  Took me a good three miles for my hands and bare legs to warm up.  Ran from home through Misquamicut and Weekapaug before heading out to Dave's Coffee in Charlestown at mile 8, where I met up with Matthew to run the final 12.

Headed north up 216, where Matthew summarily dropped me, or so it would appear.  We were running low 7s on rolling hills, and I was feeling it and questioning whether I would be able to finish 20.  Felt slightly better on the downhill sections of Klondike and down to the beach.

At an environmental break at the beach at Mile 16, it was really tough for me to get going again, and I knew the final four miles would just be holding on to finish.  The last three miles Matthew picked it up a bit and ran in the 6:40s and then 6:30s.  Great, just what I need.  I did my best to not drop completely off this train, and finished in 6:40s.  This run was tougher than I imagined, but I finished the 20 miles.  Longest run in 15 months.

• First encounter:  A black SUV slowed beside us on 216, and the driver rolled down the window and yelled out "Walkers, pick up the pace!".  (My brother Greg)
• Second encounter:  Off East Beach Road, a friendly puppy coming towards us was carrying a stick that was bigger than him (or her).
• Third encounter:  Off West Beach Road, an elderly woman seeing us coming had stopped and pulled Jagger (a yellow lab puppy) close to her.  He was well heeled and sitting until I went up to them and said to Jagger, "Want to come for a run?", and then he started jumping excitedly.

Sunday:  12
Matthew and I met up with Chris at DuVal for a slightly longer than planned 10-miler.  Mostly trails, some roads.  Warm on the trails; cold on the roads.  18 degrees; this is about my low threshold for wearing shorts, but oddly I was warmer than yesterday when the temp was higher.  I attribute this to the relative warmth and absence of wind in the woods.  Good discussion on Nathaniel Philbrick books, AC/DC, Strava segments, and injury recovery.

Weekly mileage:  75

Weekly synopsis:  Struggled a bit with getting back into the boring and time-sucking routine of a five-day workweek, yet proved that I can still get in the mileage.  Let's see if I continue that pattern next week, when it will be harder with the double whammy of temps in the teens and nobody to run with mid-week as Matthew returns to the Granite State.

Weekly highlight:  While I wasn't feeling it during the run, it would have to be the 20-miler on Saturday.  My legs are still feeling it as I write this log 24 hours in arrears, but am thrilled to have completed this.

Weekly lowlight:  Only the reality of going back to my first 5-day workweek since Thanksgiving.  Otherwise, running healthy and injury free.

Weekly Mileage Log: 31-Dec-2018 to 6-Jan-2019: Musings from the Road, and a Farewell

Monday:  11
Vin Gormley loop, plus Burlingame Trail and up to Kettle Pond ocean lookout tower, with Matthew.  While trails aren't quite as wet as the day of Rhody, the back half was still quite wet.

Tuesday:  9
New Year's Day.  From Canonchet Brook Preserve - North Road trail head, ran Canonchet trails up to Stubtown, the first part of Narragansett trail, and a few roads, with Matthew.  Much of the trails were just soaked from the unusual amount of rain we've had in the fall and winter to date.

In the afternoon, we took Brady for a walk at Grills Preserve.

Brady got lots of attention at home,
including from Matthew and spoiled with a new bed and toys
we bought him.

Wednesday:  6
Back to work.  Ugh.  Solo North End pensive run at lunch.

Thursday:  7

Final run with Brady in RI for a while.  Matthew brought him and met up with me on my lunch break, running CCW from Fallon Trail through Wahaneeta and Woody Trails.   Really fun to watch him bound over fallen logs, blast through stream crossings, and scramble rock faces, all seemingly effortless.

Friday:  0

Long, long drive from Westerly to Myrtle Beach.  Left the house at 4:20am and arrived Myrtle Beach about 9pm.  In between were numerous stops for coffee, meals, bathroom breaks, and dog exercise breaks.  It’s amazing how well Brady travels; certainly much better than me.  We open the back door of the Volvo wagon, he jumps in, lays down on his blanket and makes no noise or fuss.

I drove most of the way, until it started to get dark.  Mark finished the drive to Myrtle Beach.  He started to put on music and I’m reminding myself that everyone’s tastes in music are different and to indulge his hip-hop without complaint.  When what do my wondering ears do hear is none other than the Stones, I am befuddled.  He said, “Dad, I’m going to play some classic rock for you; is that OK?”  Um, yeah, if you insist.  He said the Stones are his favorite rock band, and that’s what most of the music is, but is sprinkled with Def Leppard, Foreigner, and even AC/DC.  I think I’m just tired and this all just a dream.  Weird.

Saturday:  6

Myrtle Beach, SC.  I would be on a tight schedule to get to the Charleston, SC airport for flying home, so I had set my alarm for 6:15am the night before and reviewed the Strava segment that I was planning to gun for.  No dice; I got up in the morning fine, but the black dog was up and waiting for me.  Well, maybe I'll take him and run the segment with him.  It's only a 1.5 mile segment.  Ran the two blocks from the hotel to the beach, and took him off the leash on the beach.  Once I did, he was having fun sprinting up and down the beach, chasing sea foam blowing in the wind, and just enjoying himself.  This would be my last few hours with Brady for months, so I nixed the segment plans and just had fun with him on the beach.

Brady:  a happy dog at the beach

Very well behaved.

Part frolic with Brady, part run, as the sun rose over the ocean.  Warm 51 degrees, so I was just in shorts and short sleeve shirt, but seeing others on the beach, they looked like they were dressed for a cold winter day.  Is 51 degrees cold for SC in January?  After a shower and breakfast, came back to the beach with Mark and Brady for a short playtime, then it was off to the airport with a hug from Brady and sad sendoff as I got on a plane back to RI.  Oh yeah, I'll miss that Mark guy too.

I did have dogs in my childhood, but it's been a while.
(Left to right above:  me, my Dad, my Mom, and our dog Zenta)

I don't know if Brady is smiling as much as I am in this photo,
but I am really missing him now.  I never imagined that.

Musings from the road:

• Tolls in NY and NJ are ridiculously expensive relative to other states.
• Rest areas in NJ are dirty and lack decent and healthy food choices (Roy Rogers greasy food at nearly every stop), whereas the rest areas in MD were very clean and had a wide variety of food choices.
• Pet exercise areas are a nice touch at many rest areas, especially VA and NC.
• I had no idea so many hotels are pet-friendly, but you have to watch their pet cleaning fees, ranging from $0 to $175 per night.
• I am much more awake and alert on the road at 5am than I am at 3pm.
• Our first president should have been honored with a more regal bridge than the one bearing his name crossing from NY to NJ.  That is a really unappealing area.
• Charleston (SC) airport has to be one of the cleanest and most efficient airports that I've ever traveled through.
• The Volvo wagon I gave to Mark is still on the road and in good shape at 202,000 miles.  While it wasn't his first choice, it was free, and seems very suitable to transporting a dog, crate, and various supplies.  Hope it lasts him a while.
• Westerly to Myrtle Beach is a damn long drive, and I "only" drove as far as NC.  It would have been much harder alone, and I can't imagine Mark driving solo (even with Brady) straight through from FL.

Sunday:  12
Arcadia Management Area, with Matthew.  I'm always reticent to run in Arcadia without folks that know the area better than me (that would be most anyone who goes to Arcadia on a semi-regular basis).   However, recent runs there, mostly with Jonathan Short leading the way, have boosted my confidence and this run went really well.  Started on eastern end of Mt Tom trail, ran the length of Mt Tom Trail, followed by Escoheag, Breakhart, and JB Hudson trails.  Mt Tom north of 165 was absolutely flooded and not too much fun, but all the rest worked out great.

Weekly mileage:  51

Weekly synopsis:  It's odd that 51 is a "down week" for me, but it is.  So happy to be running injury free.

Weekly highlight:  I really had a lot of fun runs this past week, so it's hard to pick a single one.  I would say the Woody Hill trail run with Matthew and Brady, only because I loved the terrain and the trails weren't flooded like so many other recent runs.  The way Matthew and Brady were bounding about suggests it wasn't a bad run for them either.

Weekly lowlight:  That's easy:  the departure of Brady.

Weekly Log 24-Dec to 30-Dec-2018: Ending the Year on a High Mileage Note

Monday:  6
Christmas Eve run with Brady in Burlingame.  There was a light coating of snow, but really more run mud than snow on this run.  Put an orange vest on him as we were going in hunting areas; he hated it and pulled at it.  On Sammy C's, he would stop at the bottom of rocks, until I went past him and up the rocks and he finally figured out to just go up and over the rocks each time.

On a rock bridge crossing a swollen river, he fell off right into the river waist deep!  It was my turn next on a low-lying puddle that he impressively leaped over, while I tried to cross on a snow-covered log and went into the drink.  Ankle-deep, no big deal, but my feet were now soaked and it's 32 degrees.

He did not like the orange I put on him.

Tuesday:  7
Christmas Day

Christmas tree 2018:

A 8' concolor fir

Christmas tree 2017:
the majesty of a 16' tree required a lot
of back-breaking work behind the scenes

Christmas Day run with Matthew and Brady.  Road/trail/field mixer, including trails in Champlin, and fields in Winnapaug Farm Preserve.  Brady would take off like a bat out of hell for the first mile or two, but was tiring towards the end.  He did a lot of sprints to get ahead of us on the trail, then wait for the slowpokes (especially me) to catch up to him, and then repeat, so I guess no surprise that he finally tired out.  We'll have to work out some pace training for him.

Christmas loot is much about the running for me:
new pair of road shoes, trail shoes, running shorts, and gloves

Brady's first Christmas, so glad he came up to RI

At my Mom's house later Christmas Day.
Christmas to me is not about the gifts and money spent,
but rather the festivities and decorations and lights of the season and getting together with family and friends.
(l-r:  my sister-in-law Tina, my two nieces, my Mom [seated upright in black],
my sister-in-law Caroline [on carpet], my brother Kurt, Matthew, Mark)

Wednesday:  12
Boxing day in Newport and Middletown with Matthew.  After a mile warm-up from Newport County Y to Easton's Beach, ran the Cliff Walk as a tempo.  Was running about 6:40 pace until the terrain turned to rocks, jagged rocks, ice patches, and soft sand.  22 degrees, but bright sunshine warmed me about 1.5 miles in.  Inside the first tunnel, my eyes had trouble adjusting, and then I completely missed the hard right turn for the 2nd tunnel and had to backtrack.  This was actually the first time that I traversed the entire length of the Cliff Walk (3.4 miles).

After the Cliff Walk tempo, we ran easy on Bellevue Ave past the mansions, and then out on the Pie Run course.  After a temporary break at Purgatory Cliffs, we ran repeats on the Paradise Road Pie Run hill, before finishing back at the Y, shower and change, and coffee and a scone at Custom House.  Legs a little sore.

Thursday:  13
AM:  8 miles with Matthew, Sam, and Tom at Ninigret Park.  Mix of roads and easy trails.
PM:  5 miles with Matthew and Brady at Bradford Preserve.  Ran the Pumpkins 8K trails, with me lagging behind them pretty much the whole way.

Friday:  18
Solo run from Richmond (Arcadia Y) into Exeter and Hopkinton on very quiet, very rural roads, including at least five miles on dirt roads.  1,500+ elevation gain on rolling terrain.  Cold, soaking rain the whole way.  As it was 42 degrees at start, I wore just shorts and a long sleeve shirt (no outerwear, hat, or gloves).  I was debating on the gloves, as my hands never really warmed up until I got into the hot shower back at the Arcadia Y, but also didn't want to wear soaked gloves.

It was hard to even get out the door, and I was making up all sorts of abbreviated courses even from the start.  After a while I got into a groove and was committed to finishing the eighteen I had planned.  On Blitzkrieg Trail deep in the woods, there were actually a few slick spots with fresh snow that must have fallen overnight there, but the rest of the terrain was just wet.  Shoes, socks, everything soaked to the skin.  No other fools outside during my run.  Glad to have gotten this in.

Saturday:  6

Arcadia recovery run with Jonathan Short.  Brady joined us and was very well behaved, save for stopping in the middle of the trail.  Parked at Midway parking lot; ran up Mt Tom.

Sunday:  15
Road / trail mix with Matthew.  From Meadowbrook Pond in Richmond, through Carter Preserve out to Route 112 in Charlestown, through Shannock, Shannock Hill to Pine Hill, and then back North-South Trail.  I figured four miles on trails, but it ended up being eight!

About halfway through the run, my legs were getting really tired and I knew I was holding Matthew back, but glad to have gotten this in.

Weekly mileage:  77!

Weekly synopsis:  My highest weekly mileage since September 2014!  Back then, I was between jobs, had a month off, and ran 102 miles in one week. Somewhat similar conditions in that I had the past week off from work, affording me more mileage opportunities.

Weekly highlight:  The 18 mile solo run.  I can't say it was really enjoyable in the cold rain, but it was the satisfaction of getting it done and a successful return to long runs.  Looking back to this summer when I was unable to run at all, I feel I've come along way and am pretty happy about that.

Weekly lowlight:  It's hard to have a lowlight when I got in 77 miles and ran all 7 days.  Nope, it was just a great week!

Weekly 17-Dec to 23-Dec-2018: Indoor Track Running (no, seriously)

Monday:  6
After picking up Matthew from UNH for Christmas break, we stopped at Noanet Woodlands to run on the way back.  Wetter than normal, from recent rains, but still completely runnable.

Tuesday:  8
Chilly hill workout with Matthew before work.  It was 24 degrees, so the temperature wasn't the issue, but man, was that wind whipping.  From the Y, a 2-mile warmup, followed by hill repeats on Park, then Narragansett including fingers, and a 1/2 mile hill ascent on Oak (Route 91).

I don't do many hill workouts, but I really should as 1) it's good strength training, and 2) at least some prep for spring/summer mountain running.  Worked most of the day before driving back up to NH again, this time with Mark and his friend Lucas.

Wednesday:  7 run, 17 ski
Rented a 3-bedroom townhouse for five of us (the aforementioned, plus my cousin and his son).  Rented from a Bostonian that is starting his prep work for his twelfth straight Boston.  He gave me some suggestions on running routes.  I took his first option of running from the condo (across the Kancamangus Highway from Loon Mountain), down the "Kanc" to the Lincoln Woods trailhead, a little on the trail, and then back.  I was leery of traffic on the Kanc, but for naught, as this section was just plain deserted.  So cool to get on the snow-covered trail, albeit for only a mile, and it whet my appetite for more.  16 degrees.

Nobody here at 7am.

Hard packed by snow-shoers and XC skiers

Spent the rest of the day alpine skiing at Loon.  It was comfortable in the low 20s, but the only disappointment to me was that there was no glades skiing (those trails seemed to have cover, but were closed) and no moguls.  So really just a lot of cruising runs, which are not nearly as fun to me.  Kind of like running down Atlantic Avenue versus the trails at Yawgoog; the former has awesome scenery, but after a few repeat runs gets old, whereas the latter pales in scenery, but has a higher fun factor.  Post-skiing, it was back to the condo for drinks and appetizers (I love the apres-ski environment), then the hot tub, then out for Mexican grub before coming "home" to the condo completely wiped out.

My love of outdoor fires attracted me to this deserted fire outside a lodge
mid-mountain, and caused me to get separated from the rest of our group

I know I'm simple and easily impressed,
but I did enjoy this steam train ferrying us skiers from one lodge to another

The view are not too shabby today.

Thursday:  10
AM:  Between being exhausted, having to check out at 10am, lacking the mogul and glades terrain I sought, and lift tickets costing a ridiculous $90 ($98 on weekends), I opted to forego skiing today, and run trails and snowshoe instead.  After dropping Mark and Lucas off for skiing, I drove to the Lincoln Woods trailhead this time in order to get more trail time (as in 100% trails today).  Looked at the map, and opted for a roughly 7-mile OAB run up to Franconia Falls.  More than a foot of snow the whole way; packed hard and double-track for the most-part, but the closer I got to the falls, it really was single-track that had not seen as much packing down.

I played this game, but there was no explanation of any outcome.
Just a diversion to keep things interesting?

Trail intersections very well marked

A little softer here on Franconia Falls Trail, but no post-holing

And finally, Franconia Falls, still flowing, but completely iced over

PM:  After having lunch at Loon Octagon Lodge with Mark and Lucas, I contemplated renting XC skis and going out, but the time by now was just to tight with a 1.5 hour window.  Took another of Paul's (the Bostonian landlord) suggestion and opted for some hill running (with snowshoes) at Greeley Ponds trails.  This trail was tighter, twistier, and hillier than the morning's run, and my legs were talking to me for much of the way, but sure glad I got this in!

Starting off hilly right away

Beautiful, and so cool in the deep woods here.

Upper Greeley Pond, where I turned around.

Friday:  5
Back home in RI, went from the snow yesterday to the rains today.  Winter solstice with the highs approaching 60 degrees.  Some might revel at this; I cringe.  What to do in this warmer weather?  Head to the beach.  It was just getting dark as I parked in Watch Hill.  Ran a few short roads past the the Ocean House and onto the beach, then down to the lighthouse and back.  Back at the car, I had only gotten two miles in, but my shirt was drenched and clinging to me, and it was pitch dark.  Considered throwing the towel, but instead, ditched the shirt at the car, and headed out to Napatree.  It was pitch dark now, and without a headlamp, it was both cool and eerie as I got further out on Napatree with the surf pounding next to me (in fact, waves crashed over my legs twice) and distant roving lights at the Watch Hill Lighthouse occasionally appearing.

Saturday:  6
BU Mini Meet #3, Boston University.  Felt totally out of my element here, but I've always said I wanted to at least try indoor track, and with Matthew (and Keith) running here today, this was my perfect opportunity.  Based on my recent 5K time at Avondale (18:13), I converted that to 10:55 for 3K, and thought that's where I should seed myself.  Matthew correctly advised me that my pace should be faster in the shorter 3K distance, plus on an indoor banked track as compared to road, so I ended up seeding myself at 10:30.  After checking in, I immediately wanted to go outside for a warm-up, but having never in my life even set foot on an indoor track, it seemed more prudent (boring, but prudent) to run on the actual track I'd be racing on.  Ran into Scott Grandfield and ran a few warm-up laps with him while we caught up.  (He's a regular at these events and loves track; cross-country not so much.)

I watched Matthew run his 3K (8:56).  The time seemed to go by quickly - good!  I'm such a newbie at this that I had absolutely no idea when, where, or how to pick up my lane assignment stickers to affix to me pre-race, nor what the rules were when I could cut in to lanes 1-3 (I had a staggered start forward from the main group on lanes 4-6).  Fortunately, Matthew gave me pointers after his race and before my heat (5th heat). 

Banked track at BU that I was about to run on

Getting some pre-race advice from Matthew.

1st half:  The gun went off and it seemed chaotic to me to figure out how to get into position.  I probably screwed that up and in hindsight, should have pushed myself to get higher up.  I ran the first two laps mostly in lane 2, until I settled in towards the pack of a single-file pack.  I was seeded 14th of 18 in this heat, and that's about where I was for at least the first five laps.  Shortly after that, the guy in front of me went around a woman and as she came back to me, I decided to go around her and try to stick with the guy as well.  We repeated the same process another lap later.  I remember feeling tired, hot, and my throat really dry.  Around and around and around the track we go.  Didn't we just do this?!  I remember looking up when passing the start/finish and seeing 8 laps to go.  ANOTHER 8 LAPS?  Just shoot me; I felt like pulling off to the side and taking a DNF.

Nervously awaiting the start. 
What the heck am I doing here?

Towards the back of my heat and awkwardly close to other runners,
 after one or two laps.
(just about to cross white line behind guy in white singlet)

Tight pack

2nd half:  Scott was giving me some encouragement to stay with the pack I was in, so that helped me to hang in.  Somehow the laps passed by, and by the time we got down to 3 laps, we were seeing some more separation and I was passing people again.   With two laps to go, I passed one or two more, and then at the gun lap, picked up my pace to finish strong.

My final lap; stride is longer as I pick it up a little

Final results:  10:18.  Exceeded my goal, so I guess that's good.  Full results here.

The results show me as 71st out of 79th, which sounds horrible, until I learned that the entire 6th and final heat of 18 runners didn't receive their times at all due to some sort of timing company issue.  Man, I would've been furious if that had happened to me.  It's not about the $15 entry fee, but my time driving to and from BU (about four hours right there) and basically taking up the day, racing, and not getting any results at all.  Don't know why they didn't have any backup timing.

200m Splits (huge thank-you to Matthew for getting these):

• Kilometer 1:  41, 41, 41, 40, 40
• Kilometer 2:  40, 41, 41, 40, 42
• Kilometer 3:  42, 42, 41, 42, 37

Pros:

• Crossed one off my bucket list by running an indoor track race.
• Exceeded my guestimate of 10:30.
• Running in a rather tight pack definitely helped to pull me along and keep splits consistent.

Cons:

• Running in circles (or ovals) isn't very exciting.
• Had absolutely no idea how to pace.  Left to my own devices, my splits and times would likely have been much more erratic.
• My final lap of 37 seconds (versus 40/41/42 for the rest of race) suggests I left too much out there.  Rookie mistake.
• Didn't know when to make my move to pass runners or when to try to pick it up.
• Felt like I was going to trip over the metal divider separating lane 1 from the infield.  The part where it was not connected and jutted out a couple of inches into lane 1 caused further concerns for me.
• My mouth got progressively drier the whole race (I had dry coughs post-race as well).
• Post-race cool down got me into some really sketchy areas.  In one undesirable neighborhood across the tracks, some guy yelled something at me but I couldn't understand and just looked away from him and trekked on uncomfortably.
• The distances are just so much shorter than what I normally race, which gives the dilemma of I can't imagine running a shorter distance, yet I can't imagine racing more than the 15 laps I already did.

Sunday:  12
AM:  6 mile run at Bluff Point with Brady.  Easy pace on trails, and very enjoyable.  After Brady's encounter with deer last week, Beth had advised to the effect of "Wait 'til he sees a horse!".  Well, she was right on the mark, as he was really spooked by that huge "dog" on the trail.  The horse's rider mentioned that Brady seemed scared.  He just cowered, and I basically had to pull him to get around the horse.  Fortunately, this was on the fire road section headed out to the point, so there was plenty of room to maneuver.  Once we got around the horse, Brady picked up the pace and uncharacteristically pulled hard on the leash to get away from that thing.  On the way back, I went into the single-track trails, and that always is more enjoyable to me and he seemed to be enjoying himself more as well, pulling ahead and then looking back to see if the old man was still keeping up or not (barely!).

Love this shot I took of Brady with the ocean in background.
Fun trail run, and I'd like to think he enjoyed it as well.

PM:  6 mile Christmas Light Run with Tommy and Matthew.  My poorest planned in the seven years to date, as it was just two days to Christmas, and I figured out and invited a few others at the last minute.  It's fun to run in bigger groups, as the currently-injured Mikey had arranged last year, but still enjoyable as Tommy also remarked how the run went by quickly.

Weekly mileage:  55

Weekly synopsis:  Fun week of running, and glad I could fit in 55 amidst a week of winding down work for the year, as well as a lot of driving (two trips to NH and one to Boston).  While I have yet to pick a spring marathon, that's a goal / New Year's resolution of mine, and so far happy that five out of six of my past weeks have been north of fifty.

Weekly highlight:  By all rights, it should be my foray to indoor track racing.  Nope.  Snowy trails trump indoor tracks for me, even if a workout or sufferfest.  The highlight for me was my double on deep snow trails, 10 miles on Thursday.

Weekly lowlight:  Only my lack of forethought and planning for the Christmas Light Run.  Time is flying by, and I'm enjoying the holidays with both boys (and Brady) home, but I'm kind of a scatterbrain lately in terms of planning anything out ahead of time.

Weekly Log 10-Dec to 16-Dec-2018: Returning to High Mileage

Monday:  0 run, 650 yard swim
Man, are my legs sore from yesterday's race.  No pain, but definitely sore

Tuesday:   7 run
6:30am, 17 degrees.  4 miles on neighborhood roads, and then 3 roads/trails with Brady.  Brady got some icicles on his whiskers, but otherwise seemed fine.  We were running the trails of Champlin, and all of a sudden he froze in his tracks and crouched down, just as two deer bounded across the trail right in front of us.  Apparently this was his first time ever seeing deer.  Maybe he thought, "Those dogs are HUGE."?

Wednesday:   7
Trail run in Bradford Preserve / Woody Hill with Brady.  Except for one hunter, we had the 1,000+ combined acres to ourselves.  At one point, I was rock-hopping at a technical section across a swollen stream, and I was really curious to see what Brady would do.  He went full speed ahead through the water!  My kind of approach; he can run with me anytime!

Thursday:  13
AM:  5 miles. Blue Heron Trail, Cutler Park, Dedham, MA.  For my final working day in MA of the year, I planned out an 8-mile loop on the Blue Heron Trail.  Unfortunately, as soon as I parked, I saw a big sign warning that a portion of the trail was closed temporarily due to construction.  Argh.  The best laid plans of mice and men.  Made the best of it and got in 5 miles, but only with two and out-and-backs.
PM:  8 miles.  Jingle Bell Run at our club's annual holiday party.  Thanks to Jonathan Short for helping me setup and break down the course (Chris had some lousy excuse of being out of the country).  The course is all trails, and we mark the major intersections with LED-lighted trail directional signs.  We had 15 people sign up for tonight's run, and about 30 at the party itself.  Fun get together.  This year we added a slideshow of pictures of the year's running events, which was a little blurry against the textured background of the wall, but we'll continue to try to improve upon.

Friday:  16!
Longest run I've done in 14 months.  Local roads down to Weekapaug, through Misquamicut, and back, with a few hills added in on purpose.  Ran the first 12 miles by myself, and then came back to the house to get Brady to finish up.  (I tried to keep his mileage lower, as he had already run earlier in the morning with Jana, so this was a double for him.)  The last few miles I was really feeling it, and again thinking there's no way I could add another 10 miles to make a marathon.  But that's why you train and build up to it.

Saturday:  9
Take 1:  3 mile road run home from Midas, after dropping off the Volvo wagon for an oil change.  This is the one that Mark took down to Florida in May.  200,000 miles and still going.  I hope it lasts Mark for a while.
Take 2:  6 miles on campground trails with Brady.  Never saw a soul out there, although it looks like I just missed Muddy and Jonny running a near identical route, as well as Kevin Adams out there for a ride.

Sunday:  10
Run While You Can run in Avondale / Watch Hill.  One mile with Tommy, JV, and Erin Hub, then Tommy and I ran the rest together.  Was surprised to see our overall pace sub-7, considering a slower start and then quite windy.

Weekly mileage:  63!

Weekly synopsis:  Super happy with this week.  Longest run in 14 months, and highest mileage week in 14 months.  No pain, no issues.  Life is good again.

Weekly highlight:  The 16-miler on Friday.  While I was definitely feel it, if was great to get this in.

Weekly lowlight:  Construction debacle blocking the Blue Heron Trail.  Heresy!

Christmas 10K 2018

Newport, RI
Sunday, December 9, 2018

Headed out to the city by the sea to join 13 of my WTAC comrades for the annual 10K.  This would be my 9th time running the race.  I like the course and the location, and getting together for lunch post-race is an added attraction.  Having run the Christmas 10K so many times, and with it being held in December with long stretches right along the ocean, it was inevitable that I met some nasty conditions along the way, including frigid temperatures, driving rain, slippery spots, wind-driven gusts of water coming over the seawall, and even one year where seaweed covered the road!

Fortunately this year was great running weather:  about 28F at the start, dry roads, partly cloudy, almost no wind!  Warmed up with Kevin Murphy and Allyson Cole.  Besides the obvious choice of short shorts and a singlet, I opted for a hat and gloves.  Jana asked me when I thought I would finish, and I thought, and said "38 minutes +".  Chilly waiting for the start in shorts and a singlet, but not downright frigid as some years were.

Mile 1:  For some reason, Dave Schaad made some brief opening remarks, and shortly thereafter we were off.  There was the usual shuffling for the first half mile or so, with Bob Jackman and Fred Campagna right alongside me, and after that, Steve Brightman was running ahead, followed by a pretty tight pack of five:  Bronson (out for a jog), Principe, Blue Guy, Muddy, and me.  The pack was so tight that when we took corners, it was sometimes awkward for me to not bump into others.  Not sure if others have that awkwardness or if they're just more acclimated and better at pack running. In past years, I have tended to drop off the lead pack about 1/2 mile in, but I was feeling it was sustainable for now.  We went through the mile in 5:46.

Team WTAC (or most of us that ran at Christmas 10K)

Getting in some strides

It'll take a little while for positions to shake out, but here is how we started off

Mile 2:  About half-way though the mile, I saw I was dropping back from the pack.  There was a voice inside me of telling me to just let them go, and drop back to a more comfortable pace.  Fortunately, this was on a downhill (my strength) section to the water, so I picked it up to catch up and fall back in with pack.  Mile split 5:54.

Mile 3:  Stayed with the pack along the water, but towards the end of the mile, after we rounded the point at Brenton Point State Park, I once again dropped back and this time on a flat surface rationalized that it would just be tough to pick up the pace yet again to catch up.  Mile split 5:51.

Mile 4:  The pack is separating, but not by a lot.  I can still see Brightman (as he's been running in the low 5:40s), next is Blue Guy, followed by Muddy, and then between Muddy and I is Bronson and Principe.  Bronson is talking with ease trying to coach Principe to maximize the tangent utilization, while I'm gasping like a dinosaur and envisioning my mile splits dropping to 6:25, now that the pack split apart and there is no one on my heels.  Mile split 5:59!  I'll take it, assuming that's my last sub-6 split.

Mile 5:  At about the start of the 5th mile, I start coming up on the walkers, as their route has just rejoined ours.  I've had some years where they can be a nuisance to go around, but fortunately this time around there is only group that is strung three across that I have to run wide around and can't use the tangents.  Many are vocally supportive of the runners.  As I go by, I hear one woman say "That's the Race Director of the last two trail runs I ran.  Awesome job!".  I'm not sure if she's praising my efforts as RD (and by extension the club) or my efforts in the race. Either way, I'll take the compliment!

Somewhere during this mile, still along the water, I hear the loud smacking of feet coming rapidly towards me.  I guess I'm really slowing down now, and I have two fears: 1) it's Martin Tighe coming to overtake and kick me off the 50s podium, or 2) it's Fred Campagna (not that he's in my age group, and not that I don't wish him well, but I don't want him to beat me).  The guy goes by me, and it's some young guy in a RIRR singlet that I don't recognize. No problem, you can go.  We hit the mile marker, and it's time for the moment of truth on how much I have slowed.  Check my watch, and it says 5:59!  Wow.  Ok, so not only am I still hanging on, but it was really that Orange RIRR Guy picked it up.

Mile 6:  Gradual hill climbs, followed by a dip and then re-climb up to the finish at Rogers High School.  I'm in survival mode now panting away, but it really goes by much quicker than I imagined.  Somewhere in the mile I felt better to see that Orange RIRR Guy also passed Principe.  Just before the final turn, Jim Cole gives me a shout-out.  He's out of running commission for a while due to a soccer injury, and out on the course awaiting his 13-year old daughter, Allyson, who is leading the WTAC women's team today.  I follow Principe up the hill, but he's a good 100-plus meters ahead of me now.  Final mile split 6:14.

I like this shot.  Nothing around me, and against the contrast of the barren trees in winter.

Just about done.

Final turn

And we're done.  36:38, thank you very much.

Final results:  36:38, 7th overall, 3rd in age group behind Brightman and Principe.  Tough age group today, considering that 3 of 7 top overall were in their 50s!  Full results here.

$20 gift certificate and a pair of running gloves,
for my efforts

Other than checking my watch at mile splits, I hadn't been obsessing with the time or doing the math, and I was somehow shocked when I came up on the finishing clock and saw not 38:xx, and not 37:xx, but 36:xx!  Ecstatic!  Rather than being the typical several minutes behind Brightman, Muddy, and Principe, they have all just finished up within 75 seconds before me and are still near the end of the chute.  Brightman kindly came up to me and said something to the effect of, "I think you're back from your injury now".  I agree!

Cooled down with Jonathon Short and Cliff Dimon in the trails across from Rogers.  Then headed out to a lunch of eight at Brick Alley Pub to further regale stories of the race.  Fun finish to the day.

Later, I reflected on my strategy to push and stay with the pack for almost 3 miles.  I do believe that paid dividends for me.  It is interesting to contemplate the physical versus mental struggle.  On my own, I was ready to just slow down into a more comfortable pace, but I pushed to stay with the pack.  What about the final separation at Mile 3, where I "let" the pack go?  At the moment, that seemed like all I could do, but was I really at my physical limits, or just my mind telling me so?  Could I have pushed further and harder to stay with the pack a little further?  Again, very happy with my results, but it does give me some food for thought. 

Weekly Log 3-Dec to 9-Dec-2018: A Low Mileage, but Fun Week

Monday:  0
Planned rest day.

Tuesday:  0 run, 2 walk/weed-whack
Volunteered with the Land Trust, clearing overgrowth at Wahaneeta Preserve.

Wednesday:  6
Adams Farm, Walpole, MA.  Twisty fun at sunrise.

Thursday:  0
Between a number of work issues and a vendor visiting for a couple of days of training, just "couldn't" find the time to get out there.  I use the quotes, as there was nothing from stopping me from getting up at 5am and going running, right?

Friday:  8
'Round the pond challenging run.  Challenging from the slickness of black ice (slid right away), compounded with a chase from the PM.  Unlike the seemingly frequent visits to the likes of Muddy, CG, and Matthew, I am rarely bothered by this fiend and don't typically carry TP.  TMI?

Saturday:  7
An interesting canine run in northern Virginia, and a short crossover into the District of Columbia at Lady Bird Johnson Park on Columbia Island.  I flew down from RI, and Mark and dog (Brady) arrived at about 12:15am by car from Florida en route home to Florida, as I offered to help Mark with driving part of the route.

Sometime during the night, Brady just jumped onto my
hotel bed.  Got to be more comfortable than lying on the floor.

As soon as I got up in the morning for my run, 10-month old Brady came right over to me to see what was going on.  Since he was up and I was going outside anyway (we were staying on the 12th floor of a hotel), I figured I'd take him out for a bathroom break.  Then, as long as we were both outside in the relative cold (27 degrees; that seemed to be cold in VA seeing the way people dressed), I figured I'd see if he wanted to run with me.  The first mile was very spastic, as he'd cut right in front of me, I'd crash into him (or vice versa) on turns, and just couldn't get a rhythm going.  I didn't mind, and it was cool running past Arlington National Cemetery and seeing the rows of bright white graves.

Start of our run.  The wall behind me is the border
of Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA.

Once we got onto a bike path along a highway, Brady seemed to fall in line better.  Not sure if he was just getting to used to what we were doing, or if the straight line of the bike path forced some discipline.  I really wanted to cross into DC proper and run around the National Mall, but unfortunately as soon as I got close to the Memorial Bridge, a loudspeaker on a nearby cop car announced to me that the bridge was closed.  So much for those plans.  He didn't seem too busy inside his heated car having his coffee and doughnut (or at least that's why I imagined he was doing), so I went up to his car and asked if any other safe places to run.  (Cops are about safety, right?)  Anyway, he was really helpful, and suggested the Mount Vernon "Trail", a paved path just around the corner from us, and extending through Lady Bird Johnson Park and a length of about 15 miles.  Wow!  We saw a lot of runners on this path, and remembering the nervousness I often have when I'm running and encounter dogs I don't know (although I never worry about labs), I made sure to not only keep him on the leash the whole time, but also rein in the leash a little tighter when we got close to other runners.  He stayed right next to me, except for a single hard pull on the leash, and then I noticed his distraction:  squirrel!

Along the Potomac; Washingon Monument in background.

Lady Bird Johnson Park,
Washington, DC
(So patient and well behaved)

Sunday:  8
Christmas 10K!  Separate write-up to follow.

Weekly mileage:  28

Weekly synopsis:  Pretty abysmal mileage this week.  I can only chalk up so much of it to busy work week, and the rest to poor planning and invalid assumptions around time available mid-day.  Anyhow, given three consecutive 50-plus weeks immediately prior, I'm not worried about it.  Time to resume the mileage in the upcoming week.

Weekly highlight:  Two highlights really.  My surprise success at Christmas 10K, which I'll report on shortly, and the fun run in Virginia with Brady.

Weekly lowlight:  My poor planning.