Weekly Log: 6.17.13 - 6.23.13

Should be a fun week with a rare Thursday race up in Beantown - the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge.  I'll be running along with 12,000 other folks representing their companies.  It's a long way to go for a 3.5 mile race but it's a big chaotic event that should be a lot of fun.  I even talked Gazelle into running so at least I'll know one person there.  The week ends with my wife's first triathlon at Goddard Park.  She's done a lot of training over the past six months so we're looking forward to seeing her in action.

Monday - Mowry Preserve, Smithfield, RI - 5 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)

Woke up, cranked out Ab Ripper and then had some eggs 'n toast.  Soon after I began to get stomach pains.  More GI trouble?  I was going to abort my morning run as I didn't feel up for it but the pain abated and I decided to go forward afterall.  As I'm making one last cup of joe for the road and I realized that my half 'n half had turned.  Was this the cause of my stomach trouble for the last two days?  One hopes so.

I parked at Bryant and ran the roads behind the school down to the Mowry Conservation area.  Not much in the way of trails here but there are some cool rock formations and the river that passes through was roaring.  I explored some other trails nearby before returning to Bryant via the old cross country course.  Pushed it on what I thought was a Strava segment (but I think I took the wrong trail) and stomped through the mud and water so as not to slow down.  I probably didn't capture any segment but it was good to push the pace a bit even if it did mean soaking my shoes.

Tuesday - 0 miles

I started doing Chest & Back but my elbow started to feel janky again during the first round of decline push-ups so I just bailed rather than aggravate it further.  Meh.  I even bought some push-up stands but they're the swivel kind and seemed like they're more trouble than they're worth.  I'll probably hold off on doing push-ups for a while and hopefully my elbow will right itself with time.

Wednesday - 0 miles

P90X Yoga X (60 mintes)

My legs felt tired over the last few runs so I figure a few days off before the race will pep 'em up.  I did the Yoga for the first time in quite a while and wasn't as rusty as I feared.

Thursday - J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge, Boston, MA - 5.5 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)

Official time: 20:35.  87th overall.  Race report here.

 

Friday - Fidelity Trails, Smithfield, RI - 7.1 miles

I hit the various trails and footpaths of Fidelity this morning, still feeling great about last night's performance.  I was moving at a good pace and ran a bunch of my favorite trails - I took one digger but was no worse for wear.  Saw a lot of deer out there.  I wasn't sure if I'd have time to run seven but a couple road sections allowed me to pick up the pace.  Fun run that covered a lot of ground on the work campus.  I was a dirty sweaty mess afterwards and the cold shower in the locker room was excellent.

Saturday -Black Farm, Hopkinton, RI - 4 miles

This morning went to hell early when I learned that deer had eaten my sunflowers in the night.  All my work for nothing!  They've never done this in years past.  I suspect it was adolescent stoner deer with a case of the munchies.  Bastards!  The next time I see a deer on the trails, I'm gonna chase that hooved devil down aboriginal style and kick its ass!

This will not stand.

After letting my anger run its course, I took Ezri to dance class.  I had an hour to kill so I ran the trails at nearby Black Farm.  I figured this was a good chance to break out my Vibrams since it would be a short run and the trails are covered in soft pine needles.  This was my first run in 'em since last August's toe incident and I took it pretty easy.  Still a lot of trees down here from the storms this past winter.  The trails further in are in pretty rough shape and it's clear they don't get much use or maintenance.  Feet felt good in the Vibrams - we'll see how my calves/ankles are feeling in the morning.

Sunday - Charlestown, RI - 14.4 miles

It was an early start to the day as we went to Goddard Park to cheer on Amanda as she took on her first triathlon - Oh My Goddard!  She did great!  She finished in 1:31:29 and came in 112th out of 232.  I'm very proud of her - she's trained hard over the past six months and it showed.  Her transitions were excellent.  Can't wait to see her in action again at Crabman.

Wrapping up the bike segment

Finishing strong

Sporting her finisher's medal

We followed up her success with a dip in my mom's pool and a greasy lunch at Newport Creamery.  After some much needed weed whacking, I decided to burn off the fish 'n chips and ice cream with a long run over to Matunuck and back.  It was hot and I kept the pace easy.  I took Gravelly Hill Rd over to 1A and then crossed Route 1 and fought the exiting beach traffic on Matunuck Beach Rd.  The wind on the beach was refreshing but not too overpowering.  I had planned to take the beach all the way back to Charlestown Beach but it looked like they had closed it off past Carpenters so I ended jumping onto Matunuck Schoolhouse Rd and taking that back towards home.

Weekly Mileage: 36.3 miles

Year to Date: 850.4 miles