Weekly Log: 1.21.13 - 1.27.13

Monday - 0 miles

Ab Ripper X (20 minutes)

Meh.  I should have taken Aaron Rome up on his e-mail and hit the Duval trail early in the AM.  Instead I figured I'd squeeze a run in later in the day but you know how that goes.  Soon enough the snow and sun are falling and my run chances are gone baby gone.  On the plus side I bought a pair of New Balance MT20 minimus trail shoes on clearance at Sports Authority.  So I got that going for me.  Which is nice.

Tuesday - 0 miles

P90X Chest, Shoulders & Triceps (40 minutes)

I was up at 4:30 AM and had briefly considered running in the snow but it seemed pretty deep and I wasn't sure how far I'd get.  Once I realized I needed to shovel the deck and load up the fire, I abandoned that notion and opted for some P90X a little later in the morn.  But my elbow began to hurt 2/3 of the way through so I thought it best to finish early.  Double MEH.

Wednesday - 0 miles

P90X Core Synergistics (50 minutes)

Three zeros in a row?  I know, I know.  I was going to get up at 4:30 AM and try to get in a few miles but it was cold, so cold outside and I just couldn't get out of bed.  Somewhere nearby the Gazelle was shaking his head and looking down on me with contempt.

Finally got up at 5 and willed myself to do a new P90X routine - Core Synergistics.  I actually enjoyed this one quite a bit and I'm already feeling the effects.  Had to skip the last ten minutes as Ezri woke up but I'll be doing this one again.  Tomorrow I'll run, no matter how cold!

Thursday AM - Ryan Park - North Kingstown, RI - 7 miles

After three days off I was itching to get out and run, no matter how cold.  I opted to test out the snowy conditions at Ryan Park with the Belleville 10k only a few days away.    I bundled up as best I could - two pairs of socks and two pairs of gloves with those little hand warmers sandwiched between the gloves.  Strapped on the Yaktrax and off I went.

My feet were cold (and would remain so for much of the run) and my hands weren't too bad for which I was thankful.  But my face was frigid two minutes in and that was going to be a problem (I got a bandanna thingy from last year's NipMuck which would have been perfect but the hell if I know where I put it.)  I had on my compression clothes, a neon yellow tech shirt and my fleece vest.  I took off the tech shirt and made a half-assed balaclava out of it.   I looked insane but it did the trick - face was warm.  I need to figure out where I put that NipMuck thingy.

The snowy trails were packed down from lots of foot traffic but as I approached the rolling singletrack that runs alongside Route 4, there was but a single set of single set of footprints.  I studied them closely.  Unless my keen eyes were mistaken, these were the tracks of one Jonathan Cornelius Hammett!  It appeared he had been running in New Balance MT10s.  I followed the ghost of Jonny as he led me through the undulating hills and back past the power lines.

Here the foot traffic picked up again and I followed the tracks past the western parking lot and back into the woods.  I could still pick out the tracks of Ghost Jonny from time to time and I wanted to see if I could pick out where the potential new route for the 10k would be.  Ghost Jonny led me down a trail I had explored on my last visit.  This pleased me as this trail is a lot of fun and would be a great addition to the 10k route. 

By the time I was heading back down the railbed my feet were no longer cold but my elbows were really chilled.  My fingers were also starting to freeze up and I was happy when I made it to the end of the 10k course.  I ran a bit more just to even it out to 7 miles and then I jumped in the car to warm up.  The chocolate/peanut butter/banana protein shake that was waiting for me was top notch indeed!

Thursday PM - Smithfield, RI - 3 miles

Did a short run after work on the paths around Fidelity to try out my new New Balance Minimus MT20s.  I really enjoyed running in them.  Definitely felt much lighter than my Brooks Cascadias which are tanks by comparison.  My calf was starting to get tight midrun which was a bummer.  I'm not sure if it was because of the shoes or just because my calf is janked up.  Either way I'm going to be careful not to overdo it with the MT20s since they are minimalist shoes with very little cushion or heel drop.

Friday - Smithfield, RI Trails - 6 miles

Ran the trails near Fidelity before work.  It wasn't as cold as yesterday and my extremities weren't chilled.  I found my NipMuck Buff headwrap thing this morning and it worked like a charm to keep my face warm!  I've only run this particular trail once before but it's a great loop that features lots of turns, streams and large rock formations.  There wasn't a ton of snow and the Yaktrax weren't necessary.  I applaud the dirt bikers who made this singletrack because it is a lot of fun to run.  Unfortunately my janky calf/achilles began to ache midway and it never really improved.  I'm not sure what's wrong with it but I'm going to just rest/ice/foam roll it for now and hopefully it will be alright for the Belleville 10k on Sunday.  Just when my right ankle is finally feeling good, my left leg goes to shit!

Saturday -  0 miles

Well my lower calf didn't feel good after yesterday's run.  After researching online, it seems as though it may be Achilles Tendonitis which would suck.  But it would really suck if I kept running through the discomfort and the tendon snaps.  So I've decided to shut it down for a bit.  I'm disappointed at having to miss the Belleville 10k tomorrow but hopefully a bit of rest will be all I need so that I'm ready for the Brrr...lingame 10 miler.

Sunday - 0 miles

P90X Yoga X (60 minutes)

Weekly mileage: 16.1 miles

Year to Date: 114.4 miles