Weekly Log 27-Jun to 3-Jul-2022: From Georgia to New York

Monday:  5 run, 1 walk

AM:  Hapeville, Georgia.  After a very late arrival in Georgia the night before and not getting to our final hotel until 3:30am, I slept in and then needed a de-stressing run.  I won't write a long rant about the unpleasant and unacceptable experience (I already did so in a complaint to Hilton), but I will share a very short and funny quip:

Upon being picked up from our booked and prepaid hotel (but unable to check in) at 2:08am by our Uber driver, Kenneth, and upon him seeing that our destination at this crazy hour was yet another hotel in the city, Kenneth asked us:  "Did you all just get kicked out of that hotel?"  Fair question, actually!  But no.

Anyway, I can't remember why exactly, but Matthew and I went out for separate runs.  I did my best to preselect and load a route to my watch, and it turned out not a bad one for such a busy area right at the Atlanta airport.  The first half-mile was rough on the cement sidewalks (ugh) on a very busy road, but after that I turned onto an airport perimeter road with very light traffic, and then neighborhood roads so quiet I could just run down the middle of the road.  Was it a scenic run?  No, except for seeing a 747 on the side of the road (nostalgia about flying on those in the 2nd floor to Asia back in the 90s) and watching planes take off and land.  But it wasn't bad, either.

PM:  Atlanta, Georgia.  1 mile walking with Mark and Matthew at Centennial Olympic Park (site of the 1996 Summer Olympics), after visiting the Georgia Aquarium.  The aquarium was very nice, albeit just a tad on the crowded side today.  For lunch at the Aquarium, I had my first and last Beyond Meat burger.  Not only did it taste terrible, but these things are much worse for you than a traditional veggie burger like a black bean patty.

Cool fish at the Georgia Aquarium

Centennial Olympic Park

Topped out the day with dinner with my brother Scott and his family near Augusta before renting a moving truck and packing back up Mark's possessions which we had dropped off 2 1/2 weeks prior.

My younger brother Scott, me, and my two sons,
with Scott's son Ward hiding behind Mark

Tuesday:   7

Columbia County, Georgia.  Got an early start (6:30am) with Matthew, before a busy day of driving and moving to get Mark situated in his new apartment in Atlanta.  Having run here just a few weeks before, this time I was very familiar with the parking, trails, and navigation.  Ran 3.5 miles out on the Augusta Canal Path and then turned around.  

Just before my turn-around, I noticed a fast looking kid running towards me.  After my turn-around, I noticed the same kid stopped and re-tying his shoes, so I just went past him.  Shortly thereafter, Matthew was running towards me on his way out, presumably to also turn around shortly.  Soon, I could "feel" someone coming up behind me.  I figured it was the kid and he would go past me.  No, he just hung right behind me.  Progressively picked up the pace the last three miles from 7:05 to 6:23, but whoever it was, they had just latched on to me.  Maybe it's Matthew?  No, he would have said something and would have come up next to me, I'm pretty sure.  This is weird.  Just before finishing, I came to a full stop and took a short break at the Savannah River Rapids.  Turned around and sure enough it was the kid.  I figured he would come up to say hi to me and talk, which I would have welcomed, but no.  He turned around and walked a short distance away, and then a took break himself.  

Maybe it was my smell?  Whatever.  There were plenty of other runners and walkers on the past that said hi or "Good morning" to me.  Other than a great cooked-to-order breakfast at the Hilton Garden Inn, the rest of the day was unremarkable.  Was glad to unload the truck and return it, and despite plans to hike at Stone Mountain, unfortunately that didn't materialize due to timing and planning issues.  Another time.  Something to return for.

Wednesday:  4

Westerly, RI.  Another reasonably fast fun run in 18:29.

Thursday:  8

AM:  Westerly, RI.  2 miles with Brady from Wahaneeta.  Deerflies were so horrendous that I just threw in the towel.  13 DFKs in 2 miles is just ridiculous.

PM:  Westerly, RI.  6 miles from Bradford Preserve with Nick and Matt.  I came prepared for the deerflies with a deerfly patch on my hat, which of course meant there were no deerflies at all this time.  Go figure.  We stopped and plotted out a course for Pumpkins (we have to replace the 8K course due to wetlands issues preventing us from racing there).  This new course came pretty close to 10K, but we had to stop, adjust, figure out where we were and wanted to go, so we'll add a little more and then come back real soon to map it all out start to finish.

Friday:  6

Charlestown, RI.  Ninigret with Matthew and Brady.  I just had nothing today.  Felt weak and lethargic.  I was certainly holding back Matthew.  I'd blame it on the 90% humidity, but I know it was just me not having a good day.  They can't all be.

Drove up to Wilmington, NY in the afternoon.

Stayed in a cabin the first night,
tent the second,
just based on what was available.

Saturday:  8 run, 6 hike

AM:  Wilmington, NY.  Earliest run likely all year for me, with a 5:39am start.  I mapped out a 9-mile route and got up and going with Brady.  I needed to be back for a planned 7:25am departure to bring Matthew to the start of his Whiteface Mountain Race.  I figured that was plenty of time, but I was wrong.  While part of it was due to me missing a turn that added 0.4 miles, most of it was I underestimated the amount of time it would take me for the initial climb.  We started out with a 3-mile continuous climb.  The elevation gain over those three miles was only 1,700', but 800' of that came in the last 1/2 mile of the climb.  I ran it, but needed a few quick breaks and I was very slow on that part.  I realized about 6 miles in that I wasn't going to make it back in time, and that's certainly not fair to Matthew.  So I deviated course to head to the road and run the last 1.75 miles on road straight back instead of the planned trail.  Tough on the roads with trail shoes, but overall still a good run.

PM:  Adirondack Park (near the village of Lake Placid), NY.  Family hike of Cascade and Porter Mountains, with Jana, Matthew, and Brady.  Total elevation gain of about 2,300'.  Quite a few people out hiking today.  Best views were from Cascade Mountain, which had a big open summit.

Summit of Cascade Mountain

Sunday:  10

Adirondack Park (near Saranac Lake), NY.  Three miles roads, two miles rolling trail, 1.2 mile reasonably steep climb with 1,200' gain up to Haystack Mountain, two miles of fun downhill trail (6:09 fastest split for me), and then a couple of miles easy and flat trail.  So where did I fall and bash my knee bloody?  On the flat part of course, and right in front of a hiking group coming towards me.  Geez.  Almost the entire trail was runnable, save for a few very steep short sections towards the top of Haystack Mountain.

Summit of Haystack Mountain

About 4 miles into the run I notice my groin area is soaking wet.  Did I pee myself?  No, the water is just running out of hydration pack bladder.  The valve at the end of the drinking tube is missing.  I "tied the tubes" to stem the flow, but fortunately Matthew found the valve in leaves on the side of the trail.  Great save!

Before leaving, we went for an awesome swim in the Ausable Chasm River.  Deep pools and small falls made it fun.  Very refreshing.

Weekly mileage total:  49 run, 1 walk, 6 hike

Weekly synopsis:  Quite the varied run week with runs in Rhode Island, Georgia, and New York.  Didn't hit my weekly mileage goal for the first time in a while, but that's OK.  Fun and busy week.

Weekly highlight:  Cascade Mountain hike.

Weekly lowlight:  Only that I didn't get more miles in.

Weekly Log 20-Jun to 26-Jun-2022: A Little Bit of Everything

Monday:  17

Hopkinton, RI.  First and likely last time ever getting Juneteenth as a paid holiday.  Temperature at home showed 54°, so great running weather for the final day of spring.  Planned out a trail loop and parked at Camp Yawgoog parking lot just outside the Bucklin gate.

Mountain Laurels still in bloom,
on the yellow trail in Yawgoog just north of North Road.

Two miles of paved roads, before trail tours through Canonchet, Yawgoog, and Green Falls Pond.  Stopped at every stream to let Brady get a drink.  The plan was to go for a quick dip at Green Falls Pond beach, but the sign clearly said "No pets allowed" and a camp ranger was sitting in his truck parked in front of the beach.  No swim today.

Love this picture of Brady!
(Green Fall River)

King of the Hill!
(Freeman Trail, heading east)

Tuesday:  2 run, 0.5 swim, 2 walk, 11 bike

A smorgasbord of activity today.  None impressive, but taken in the aggregate, plus getting my second COVID booster, wiped me out today.

Run:  Charlestown, RI.  More of a slow jog and recovery from yesterday, just to get the blood flowing.  Silly expression, I know, but that's the reinvigoration that it felt like.

Swim:  Charlestown, RI.  Buoy-to-buoy, and back, in Watchaug Pond.  The buoys are definitely moved out further in the water and further south than they were in past years, but a DEM official said they're still 1/4 mile one-way and that seems to roughly check out on GPS.  As usual, my weak arms felt pretty sore on my first swim of the year.

Walk:  Westerly, RI.  Clearing overgrowth at the nascent Cottrell Preserve in advance of opening it to the public and a group hike this weekend.

Bike:  Westerly, RI.  Short ride out to Watch Hill and back, with Matthew, and a Jonny Eckel encounter at finish.  Rode back to our neighborhood with him.

Wednesday:  9

AM:  Charlestown, RI.  5 miles.  Dash and splash in the rain with Brady.  A little rain never hurt anybody.  Brady didn't seem to care, so why should I?  

PM:  Westerly, RI.  Fun Run week #4.  4 miles.  Took it easy but still ran a 19:39 (6:06 pace).

Thursday:  6 run, 3 kayak

Charlestown, RI.  Easy run on grass loops with Brady.

Stonington, CT.  Kayak fun.  I was in one kayak, Mark & Brady in another, and Matthew on a SUP.

Friday:  5

South Kingstown, RI.  Short run with Brady, before getting back just in the nick of time for a work meeting.  Won't have that impediment much longer.

Saturday:  20!

Exeter, RI.  (plus West Greenwich and Richmond)  Original plan was to run the two races I was signed up for at Gunstock Trail Festival:  Canicross 5K and Peak-to-Peak Challenge 10K.  While I was looking forward to both, when I signed for the races back in April, I had no idea that 1) the temps would be near 80°F at race finish [too warm for Brady, and not what I want to race in either], or 2) Matthew would have to defer due to an injury.  Fortunately the hotel was cancellable.  The website mentions deferral but the instructions to defer don't work, and at least thus far, I haven't received an e-mail response back.

So I'm three weeks exactly until Laugavegur.  A long run with a pack and some hills seems in order.  Mapped out a 20-mile trail run at Arcadia Management Area, and downloaded it to my watch.  Got a later start (9am) than I would like, but accentuating the positive, it's good to get heat acclimation as well.  Not for Laugavegur, but for Blessing and other local races.

Even with "burping" the hydration pack bladder, the ice cubes were bouncing/sloshing, but I quickly forgot about them on the run.  The northern part of the Mount Tom Trail was overgrown.  It was just grass, nothing that would cut into my legs, but it was thigh high and itchy.  I fell in a rock garden on Escoheag Trail - pick up your feet, you lazy oaf!  At Stepstone Falls, I took a short break to wade into the river and try to rinse the itchy grass stuff off my legs.  It seemed to work.  I contemplated jumping off the rope swing, but I was only five miles in on a twenty mile run and didn't want to take the risk of chafing in my pelvic area with wet shorts for fifteen miles.

Ran back down via River Trail to Ben Utter, and saw more than a dozen hikers and a couple trail runners with hydration packs also.  Once on Breakheart Trail, I assume I was the first to break trail today, not because I didn't see anyone, but because I was clearing spider webs blocking the trail as I went.  I didn't mind the ones with just a thread or two, but I got two whole face wrap-arounds that were just disgusting.  A couple miles later, I stopped at a river crossing where I usually let Brady get a drink, and once again went in the water to do my best to clean up the webs off my face, shoulders, neck, arms, and hat.  Soaked the hat in the cold river and sauntered on.

As I got closer to the eastern end of Breakheart Trail (near Breakheart Pond), I saw a number of people (hikers and a few mountain bikers) again.  One young woman said loudly, "Oh, no, here comes one of those runners".  I assumed it was sarcasm, and responded back, "Watch out for those kind", and she said, "Yeah, I'm jealous that you're not even breaking a sweat".  All good.

JB Hudson back to 165.  Crossing 165 at about Mile 14, I contemplated just returning on the usual Mt Tom Trail and ending this short (instead of the planned Arcadia Trail down to Richmond), but fortunately I stuck with my plan.  I was drinking water often now, and it was now warm, but I was still able to continue without any issues.  Took Arcadia Road to Summit Road, so I was in the open sun on roads for almost a mile.  Fortunately, Summit Road turned from asphalt to dirt.  Turned right on Sandy Brook Trail, which unbeknownst to me on my virgin run was to be the worst trail all day as it was rutted with loose rocks.  Luckily after 1/4 mile, I turned off that onto Dove Crest Trail, another new to me trail, which was a nice single-track which brought me back to Mt Tom Trail for my final and familiar trail back.  I knew I had one climb left and that 160' climb up and then down over wooden water bars was the toughest I ever did on that section!

As I finished and soaked in the cold Wood River, I reflected that I got in some good hills (total elevation about 2,400') and also some more pack and heat acclimation.  The pack of 2 liters of icy water at the start was now warm and almost completely drained, and the temp at finish was about 85° .

Sunday:  5 run, 2 kayak

AM:  Run with Brady.  3 miles on Burlingame North dirt road loop.  Miserable deerfly experience.  Finished with 2 miles on mostly dirt roads in "Burlingame South" (Sanctuary Road), before jumping into the pond to cool off and play a little frisbee with Brady.

PM:  Kayak with Matthew and Brady.  Free kayak rental at Queens River as part of the Seven Rivers Festival.  Despite the event being labeled as "pet friendly" on the brochure, when we were checking in, we were told dogs are not allowed as too many scratched up the kayaks.  Fortunately, another employee overheard and asked me what kind of dog we have.  When I explained a black lab mix, he offered for me to take his "work kayak" which he said he didn't care if got scratched up.  I thanked him profusely and assured him Brady wouldn't scratch up the kayak regardless.  Dodged a bullet there.  What I hadn't expected that the Queens River in this section (Usquepaug) is both wide and very choked with vegetation.

I love this pic.  He was just calm and checking things out.
On a narrow section with less vegetation.

I think he's checking out Matthew ahead of us.

Weekly mileage:  65 run, 11 ride, 5 walk, 5 kayak, 0.5 swim

Weekly synopsis:  A little bit of everything!  Well, sort of.  Great run mileage, 2 long runs, 2 kayak paddles, a short bike, some walking, and an open water swim.  All good in my book!

Weekly highlight:  20-mile hilly and warm trail run at Arcadia.  Good training run!

Weekly lowlight:  Not racing at Gunstock Trail Festival.  If there's a silver lining to this, it's that two days later I received an e-mail indicating that I'm deferred to next year.  I guess all's well that ends well!

Niantic Bay 10K 2022

East Lyme, CT

Friday, June 10, 2022

This would be my fourth iteration of running this race.  It's a fun Friday evening event.  OABs are not my favorite format, but technically this is a lollipop course, as at least there is no cone turnaround, and there is a 3/4 mile road loop at the turnaround point on the southern end of the Black Point peninsula.

Pre-race with teammates Dave and Matt
(and Brady and Mango;
apparently there is something interesting
to our left)

After a short warm-up (1 mile), I headed to the start line and ran a few strides.  Most runners were lined up, and all of a sudden a loose dog bolted onto the course.  Uh oh, that dog is Brady!  To add to my embarrassment, Pete announces over the loud speaker, "Jeff, you have one minute to get the course clear before the race start".  Another runner came out to help me corral Brady, but we don't really need to "catch" him, as the only reason he is on the course is he broke free from Jana and from his collar and just wants to run with me.  He comes right to me so I just bring him back to Jana, as we affix his collar and try this again.

It's only seconds really and I'm on the line (again) with plenty of time.  I'm just fearful that he will break free again and run onto the course during the race, which would mean my race is done, but I don't want him to obstruct other runners.  The gun goes off, and other than a lot of whining from Brady wanting to run the race, my fears are unfounded.  Whew.

After the dust settles (I think I overuse that term; there was no dust), I'm in about 10th place.  That quickly changes as we go up the smallest of hills (20 feet?) about 1/10 of a mile in and I repass runners.  I really don't understand this blasting out of the gate thing only to slow down, unless it's novice runners not knowing how to pace.  

The 19-year old leader blasts out ahead of everyone
and stays there

Trailing a large group of runners at start.

By the time we make a hard right turn 3/4 mile in, I am in 4th place and can see the next runner just ahead of me.  I easily catch and go by the 3rd place runner.  Mile 1 split 5:59.

Seeing teammate Dave ahead of me helps spur me on.  Mile 2 split 5:57.

In Mile 3, I catch and pass Dave, but certainly don't rule him out.  I'm in 2nd place now, and the top runner is no where in sight.  Mile 3 split 6:04.

In Mile 4, we complete the pop portion of the lollipop (hope that makes sense), and resume the stick portion to head back home.  Many runners coming towards me now.  I hear my name multiple times and try to give a thumbs up when possible.  Mile 4 split 6:06.

In Mile 5, there are still runners coming towards me but many are walkers now.  I avoided every water stop as they are handing out water bottles and that's just too inefficient for me, so I saunter on.  At one water stop, a young Asian woman asks me, "How many miles per hour are you running?".  Miles per hour?!  Clearly not a runner and I'm thinking I have no idea and don't want to compute it, but then a light bulb goes on (that doesn't happen very often) and I realize it's easy - a pace of about 6:00/mile is clearly 10mph, so I yell back "10 miles per hour".  Hope she's happy.  Mile 5 split 6:04.

Mile 6.  A very slight uphill of about 40' gain, and then I'm able to pick it up on a slight downhill to the finish.  Mile 6 split is my fastest at 5:53.

Final results:  37:31, 2nd overall out of 109.  1st in age group.  My fastest of four Niantic Bay 10Ks (4 seconds faster than 8 years ago in 2014).   Full results here.

As I cross the finish line, Way on the loudspeaker announces me and my WTAC role and then adds, "... and that's his wife Jana struggling to control their dog.".  Brady is just excited and trying to pull her to come see me.  There is no else around, so no issue at all this time as Jana lets go of the leash and he runs up to me.  Dave finishes just 35 seconds after me, so I'm glad I pushed to the finish.

Some of the team WTAC runners out there tonight

Fun race as always, and nice that this year wave starts were gone, and the awards ceremony and food returned.

Age group awards!

Post-race, great dinner outside at a local Niantic restaurant.
Sushi does not work for everyone, but to me awesome food that
I feel I "earned".

Trust Me, You'll Love It 10K

Charlestown, RI
Saturday, June 4, 2022

Race background:  This was at least the 4th incarnation of the “Trust Me, You’ll Love It” 10K trail race.  The race is hosted by the Charlestown Land Trust and directed by John Varadian.  John is a long time runner and ultra-runner, and I met him a few years ago when he kindly reached out and offered to help with course marking at our club’s annual Li’l Rhody trail race.

While I try to support local races, especially the few trail races we have in the area, every year that this race has transpired I have had some sort of conflict.  (I sort of did this year as well, as I had a flight out of Green at 1pm, but with the flyer promoting “runners start promptly at 10am”, I figured if I left immediately at the finish and showered at my Mom’s house nearby to the race instead of home, I could make it.)  The price of $35 for a lowkey 10K trail race is on the high side, but I also figured it was for a great cause of land conservation, one of my advocations.

Pre-race:  Having never been to the Amos Greene Farm, a Charlestown Land Trust conserved property with the original structures from the 1700s, I was glad the long dirt driveway off Route 112 was clearly marked with flags and “Parking” signs.  The property is privately owned and operated as a working farm, but with a conservation easement.  

After checking in and going on a short warm-up led by Jonny Hammett, we were ready to start the race, or so I thought.  John had a song he wanted us to sing along with as he played his guitar.  I don't remember the name of the song, but to me it was something like the familiar "There was an old lady who swallowed a fly.  I don't know why she swallowed the fly; I guess she'll die..." in that each verse kept building upon what we already had.  I was fine with the first verse, even the second, but after that not being inclined to sing I was losing interest.  Also I was on a tight timeframe to race, leave, shower, and get to the airport.

Race - 1st half:  Finally we were off.  We did not start promptly at 10am, but rather 10:14am.  OK, this is going to be even tighter now to get to the airport.  After a mowed grass 1/3 mile loop that brought us back past the start, Nick was in the lead.  We ran down a different dirt road, which was only 1/4 mile long and brought out us to Route 112, where two volunteers with flags ensured a safe crossing for us before entering Carter Preserve.  Nick's pace was a little spicy for me, but I tried to stay just behind him.  Enough distance that I had good vision of upcoming roots and rocks, but not so far behind that I would get dropped and be on my own.  That worked well for about two miles, until he was starting to get just out of sight.  In my mind, I was already accepting a 2nd place finish.  I need to build more confidence in situations like this.  

Race - 2nd half:  At almost exactly three miles, I popped out of the woods and onto the "Grassland Mile", an open grass field with a double-track flat manicured one mile perimeter.  In this race, we would run about 3/4 of that mile perimeter around the grass field.  Given the open field, I could now see Nick not too far ahead of me.  That gave me incentive to pick up the chase.  This was by far my fastest section of the race, as I was running close to six-flat pace.  Gradually I closed the gap Nick had on me until 1/2 mile into the grassland section, I caught up to him.  I went past him before we went back into the woods, but I knew I needed to keep pushing as this was a 75' uphill section now and that is not my forte.  Went past a water station, but I cannot waste any seconds and kept going.  I could hear Nick's footsteps for a while, and then quiet.  A good sign, but no resting here.  Pushed the remaining two miles as hard as I could, sometimes slowed by blowdowns that I needed to jump over, but reminding myself that those would slow Nick as well.

As I came back out onto Route 112, the two volunteer course marshals were not in position and themselves had to run to get where they needed to be.  I couldn't wait for them so I looked out for traffic myself on Route 112, and saw where I could easily cross before the next car so I did.  I asked one of the volunteers how far back the next runner was, but when I didn't get or didn't hear an answer, I just pushed it hard down the short dirt road to the finish.

Final results:  1st place (out of about 40-ish), 41:24.  (I could not find any online results.)

Courtesy of RD

While I wish there was just a little more online info (web page, course map, results, etc.), this was a fun local old-school trail race which was very well marked and on a great course.  

It looked like there was pizza and other food coming, but I grabbed my prize and headed out, as I was now running a little behind schedule.  No time for talking to Mom, quickly showered, changed, and high-tailed it to the airport for my flight to Florida.  I made it.  Would I run this race again?  Absolutely!  Just maybe not again if I were flying out within a few hours of the race.

My prize:  a fresh blueberry peach pie!
This had to wait until my return several days later,
but Mom kept it in her refrigerator for me,
and all was good.

Pineland Farms 2022

New Gloucester, Maine

Saturday, May 28, 2022

This was my second running of the Pineland Farms 25K race.  Being very far behind in race write-ups, this will be abbreviated.  You'll find a more detailed write-up and pictures from last year's race here.

Whereas last year we stayed a hotel in the Lewiston area, at this year's price of $300+/night, we opted for camping instead.  After dinner at one of the very few restaurants around for miles, we got to Bradbury Mountain State Park at dusk and quickly setup the tent.

Our campsite.  I'm glad I went back to a full size
wagon, as between folding down the rear seats and
the cargo box up top, I have plenty of room for
carrying supplies.

Our accommodations.  Very functional
and inexpensive.

Got up reasonably early, cooked oatmeal and toasted a bagel for breakfast.  Packed up, broke camp, and headed to the race.  Unfortunately, unlike last year's 43° start, this year the temp was 66° and rising, with 90% humidity to boot.  Went for a 1.5 mile warmup at a slow 8 minute pace.  Was feeling it already, especially as we're not yet acclimated to warmer weather.

Race start:  Lined up in the second row at the start and took it out relatively easy, trying to conserve.  At about two miles in, I hear "Hi Jeff".  Did I hear that right?  Nobody knows me here.  And then the lead woman, Brigid, goes by me, and I remember her pushing me last year and we had caught up afterwards.  She stayed ahead of me for a mile or so before I went back ahead of her on a downhill.  Soon afterwards, another guy comes right up on me.  I opened a little gap on him on the downhill, but on the next climb, he came right back up to me and went past handily.  I looked at him as he went by to gauge his age and then uttered that since he wasn't in my age group, he could go past me.  He chuckled and said he had started slowly and didn't think I had anything to worry about in my age group as no one else near me.  He was soon gone and I was running as an island.

Coming up on a water stop at Mile 6, I took my first of two GUs.  Oddly the trail did not go past the water stop and I would have had to have gone considerably out of my way (25 meters?) to get to it.  There was a volunteer there standing on the side of the trail - is she holding cups of water?  No!  I asked her if there was any garbage container here, and she said I can just give it to her.  So I got rid of my empty GU packet at least.  

Onwards.  Sans water.  The temps were in the 70s by now.  I was starting to pass runners from the other races that started earlier (50K and 50M), but no one was passing me.  Finally at Mile 9 I get to another water station and this one is right on the course, so I stop there for a moment.  I got three cups of water, and took a 3 Musketeers mini bar, but it was all melted and I couldn't get it out of the wrapper as it stuck to it.  Onwards.  

As I left the water station on a 2-way traffic section in an open field, Matthew came the other way towards me.  I was trying to gauge where he was position-wise, but really had no idea as I didn't see anyone near him.  My remaining five miles were about the slowest of my entire race, as I was slowing and wanted it to be done.  Finally I was relieved to hear the announcer's voice which told me I was getting close.  Very happy to see that finishing line. 

Final results:  1:53:10, 5th out of 121.  1st in age group.  Slower than last year by 2 1/2 minutes, at least partially attributable to the heat and humidity.  Full results here.

Besides Brigit, the next person was seven minutes behind me.  And the next runner in the 50s age group was 27 minutes behind me!

Caught up with Matthew post-race and got water.  The Mexican food truck had yet to even arrive, the hamburg/hot dog grill had zero non-red-meat options, and the awards ceremony was at least an hour away.  Neither of us had any desire to hang around, so we promptly left and got a "real lunch" at a restaurant on the way home.

This race is nice, but after two consecutive years, I'm ready to move on and try something different.

Weekly Log 13-Jun to 19-Jun-2022: Falls River workout

Monday:  15 ride, 6 run

AM:  Westerly, RI.  Easy spin on the usual CCW route through Avondale, Watch Hill, Misquamicut, and Weekapaug.  Interesting how there are also bike/pedestrian lanes now along the state beach portion.

New bike/pedestrian lanes along Misquamicut State Beach

Also stopped and checked out Surftown new course start/finish markers.  It is an interesting course change for Surftown this year in that it runs west first to Watch Hill, including the Larkin Road hill for the first time, and then the final portion is the easternmost section (Weekapaug) before finishing at Wuskenau.

PM:  Westerly, RI.  Wahaneeta and Woody Hill run with Matthew.  Pretty hot, so left Brady at home.  First (and second) deerfly kills of the season.

Tuesday:  5 run, 2 walk

Westerly, RI.  Pre-CCC OAB on Atlantic Avenue from Weekapaug Breachway.  

Westerly, RI.  Grills white trail clearing.  So overgrown already.  Used both a bladed weed-whacker, and a gas hedge trimmer.  Seemed effective, but will it reduce the annual fall overgrowth clearing at all?  Time will tell.

Wednesday:  14

AM:  Charlestown, RI.  10 miles.  VG in reverse with Matthew and Brady, plus Burlingame Trail tacked on to bypass the campground.  Two more deerfly kills.  Cool-off in Watchaug Pond.

PM:  Westerly, RI.  4 miles.  Fun Run week #3.  Had no specific plans, but ran fairly hard with Thomas McLaughlin and Jonny Eckel for the first mile (5:46).  Went ahead of both of them running down Kathleen Drive, the only hill on the course.  I figured at least one of them would catch me on my weakness, going back uphill, but neither did.  5:50 pace for Mile 2, and picked it for the final mile at 5:42 pace.

Thursday:  11

West Greenwich, RI.  Workout from Stepstone Falls.  This was physically and mentally tough.  I suppose that's the sign of a good workout?

Matthew planned this one out.  Parked right near the falls.  Had never driven there before.  After a 3-mile OAB road warm-up, we got down to business:

• 5 x Falls River Road climb, approximately 250' ascent over 1K on a dirt road

On the second ascent, I was thinking of a way to get out of doing all five, but fortunately I stuck to it.  I felt like I was working hard, despite all of my efforts being north of 9-minute pace.  We took the final downhill hard, but due to some watch or Strava error, my effort was recorded at 14:37 pace!  I was just curious if my true pace was sub-5 or not, but I guess I won't know unless I try it again.

Dirt road we ran on

Finished up with a trail cool-down on the Ben Utter Trail, and then a short soak in the river just above the falls.

Where we cooled off post-run, just above the falls

River is flowing well!

Friday:  7

Charlestown, RI.  With Matthew and Brady.  Parked at the Kings Factory Road trailhead, and ran VG / Sammy / Lenny / North Camp / VG in a CCW direction.  Deerflies were the worst yet, with 8 DFKs.  Stripped down to my running shorts and dove under the water at North Camp Beach.  Felt good.

Saturday:  4

Stony Point, NY.  No, driving 5 hours round-trip to run 4 miles was not the plan.  But not all plans go according to script.  The plan was for a 15-mile mountain running adventure with about 4,300' elevation gain.

After arriving, loading our packs, and planning to meet again at the summit of Bear Mountain, we were off.  Running up the relatively technical Major Welch Trail, Matthew was soon out of sight.  Or so I thought.  I don't know exactly where it happened, but it was early in the run when I came over the crest of a hill and saw Matthew sitting on a rock and hunched over.  Uh-oh, this can't be good, I thought to myself.  It wasn't.  Whatever transpired between his right foot and uneven ground on the trail resulted in a very visibly swollen ankle.  After stopping for a while, Matthew got going but unfortunately was unable to run.  We made it to the top of Bear Mountain with me running and taking breaks and him walking.  While I generally eschew auto roads on mountains, in this case I was happy there was one as it meant I could run down and drive up to save him from any further agony or injury aggravation.  I don't regret not being able to finish my run, but just regret the temporary damage to Matthew's ankle.  Let's hope he recovers quickly.

Near the start of our run

Disgusting creatures

It wasn't THAT rugged and steep.  It was just about all
runnable, and moderately technical.

Nice views from the top.

Unfortunately access to the tower at summit was closed and locked.

Sunday:  11

Westerly, RI.  Couldn't make up my mind on what to do.  Preference was for a long trail run, but waking up at 6am to steady rain meant the trails and rocks would be wet.  Defer that to tomorrow, as tomorrow is a holiday, and run local today.  Ran to Avondale and met up with a smaller RWYC group that was running today.  Ending up running the first 5 miles of the route with Simon, as everyone else was running 8 minutes/mile or slower (nothing wrong with that of course, but just doesn't work as well for me).  Anyhow, Simon seems kind of quiet and I did most of the talking.  It's funny how for an introverted person I really enjoy talking with others during runs.  I even talk to Brady quite a bit when it's just the two of us.  Brady talks even less than Simon.  

I turned off at my usual spot (East Beach, Watch Hill) to run the beach home.  It was at this point that I regretted bringing Brady, but this time of the year dogs have to be off the beach by 8am and it was closer to 9am at this point.  Took off my shoes and ran barefoot for two miles on the way home.

Weekly mileage:  58 run, 15 ride, 2 walk

Weekly synopsis:  Another good week of running hit my goals (minus a long run), plus the return of bike rides.

Weekly highlight:  Stepstone Falls workout.  Did much better than I feared.

Weekly lowlight:  While the return of deerflies is pretty nasty, I'm more sorry to see Matthew injured.  Again.

Weekly Log 6-Jun to 12-Jun-2022: Southern Humidity

Monday:  7

Tampa, FL.  Got up at 6am for a sunrise run before a busy day.  This far west in the Eastern Time Zone, the sun rises and sets much later than back at home.  Even at sunrise it was still 75° with 90% humidity.  Ugh.  Well, still need to get it done.  My singlet was pretty much soaked by Mile 1, but with thanks to my friend BodyGlide, I did not chafe or bleed anywhere.  Ran the very short distance from my hotel to the Courtney Campbell Causeway paved path, which parallels Route 60 but runners have a protected lane.  The path goes all the way to Clearwater, but seven miles would do for today.

Running along the path, just before sunrise

Attractive natural scenery

For most of the span, the bike/pedestrian path was adjacent
to the road, but there we had our separate bridge away from cars

Back at the hotel, since I was drenched with sweat already, took a quick dip in the hotel pool before getting breakfast (great buffet and plenty of fruit and fresh juices) and starting my grinding day.

The hotel pool looks nice, but it was disappointingly
not refreshing at all as the water was like bath water

My "job" today was driving this U-Haul truck from Mark's 
apartment, seen here in Tampa, to temporarily store his stuff
at my brother's house just outside Augusta, Georgia.
---
It wasn't particularly difficult to drive, but certainly uncomfortable
being in the truck for almost 9 hours, especially during heavy
rain storms and state highways with ZERO shoulders.

Tuesday:  9 run, 1 walk

Columbia County, GA.  Drove early morning to the northern terminus of the Augusta Canal Path.  Again, early morning, temp was already in the 70s with humidity at 92%.  Easy, flat run along the canal.  Quite a few people out walking, running, and biking.  Glad I brought a towel from the hotel as I was again drenched.

Falls at the start of the run.

Most of the run looked like this.

Dessert after dinner in final night (for now) in the south.
Rich and delicious, but couldn't even finish it.
I was glad we walked to/from the restaurant, as I was stuffed.

Wednesday:  4 walk, 4 run

AM:  Up before 5am for shuttle to airport and return flights to RI.  Walked 2 miles in Atlanta airport and then 2 in Philly waiting for transfer.

First time in years that we used a moveable staircase instead
of a jetway to board the aircraft.  Mark (just ahead of me)
said it might have been his first time ever.
---
I much prefer larger jets.

PM:  Westerly, RI.  Fun Run week #2.  Between travel fatigue and racing in two days, opted to take it slower and easy.  6:30 average pace for a 20:37 finish.

Thursday:  6

Westerly, RI.  Late afternoon run with Brady in Woody Hill.  Sunny and warm 75°.

Friday:  10

AM:  Charlestown, RI.  3-mile shakeout, with Brady, on dirt roads in Burlingame North.

PM:  East Lyme, CT.   Niantic Bay 10K.  Separate write-up to follow.

Saturday:  16

Stonington, CT.  Busy day with a brother's wedding celebration in the afternoon and Tom McCoy's trail dedication in the morning.  When Justin P reached out to me to ask if I would run before the trail dedication, I saw a way to kill not two, but three birds with one stone.  (Just an expression; no birds were harmed in this exercise.)  Got my long run in from Stonington High School (site of McCoy trail dedication), finally got out to run the new red trail (being dedicated to Tom McCoy) and measure that for inclusion in our Stonington XC 5K Fun Run, and attended the dedication itself, all in one fell swoop.  Kind of.

Ran 11 solo on mostly quiet roads, including dead end roads in Wequetequock and dirt roads in Barn Island Management Area.  Screwed up twice trying to return to the back trail entrance to SHS.  Kept going down one-way streets until I remembered that the route back (from Palmer / Moss St) was actually a gated dirt road, not an open asphalt road at all.

Met up with Dave and Justin to run the Stonington course with the red trail swapped in as recommended by town officials.  This will also eliminate the 2-way trail traffic problem we have had in past years.  At least on GPS, the route came out a little long at 3.22 miles, so we think we will eliminate the perimeter run of the first artificial turf field and then try wheel measuring.

Sunday:  8

Charlestown, RI.  2-mile warm-up with Brady and Matthew, with most of the run on Sanctuary Road (dirt).  Came back to the start (picnic area) at the appointed time of 6:45am to meet up with Chris, Tommy, Mike, and one of Mike's co-workers/friends.  Went for a very easy run up to the Ninigret tower and on the Burlingame Trail.  Finished up with a dip in the pond and a get-together at Dave's Coffee for coffee and scones.

Weekly mileage:  61 run, 4 walk

Weekly synopsis:  Tiring week with travel.  At least I still hit my weekly goal.   And it's fun to run in different states.

Weekly highlight:  The run, pond dip, and coffee get-together with friends on Sunday.  The Florida run could be a contender if it weren't so uncomfortably humid.

Weekly lowlight:  Saturday's long run.  I get the miles in, but a number of them were on pretty busy roads.