My left elbow is definitely janked up from last Friday's lifting. If I bump it into something or lift it above my head in certain ways, pain draws forth. I'll try to stay away from the P90X this week and give it a chance to heal up. Luckily it doesn't bother me when I run.
Monday - Davis Refuge, North Kingstown, RI - 6.2 miles
Overcast rainy day and I wasn't sure if I'd get in a run. The weather wasn't too awful when we left the house so after dropping Ezri off at school I decided to check out the Davis Memorial Wildlife Refuge in North Kingstown. I parked in their sketchy "lot" on Davisville Rd. The trail is twisty rocky singletrack and with lots of wet overhanging branches in my path I was soon quite wet. After climbing a bit the trail opened up at massive powerlines. I followed the powerlines along a dirt road and then found another section of singletrack through a pine forest - now I was well and truly drenched.I check out few more short trails off of the powerline road before following the road itself where it led to some dunes. Clearly a party spot for kids and dirt bikers, I happened upon a big snapping turtle laying eggs on one of the dunes. Very cool. I explored the dunes and outlying trails a bit (checking in on Mama Snapper a few more times) before heading back up to the powerlines and then back towards the car. Got soaked again on the singletrack and then did a couple more miles on the road to "dry out" before taking off. I don't think I spent much time in the actual Refuge (I think the singletrack portions might have been it) but it was fun exploring a new area nonetheless.
Tuesday - 0 miles
Wednesday - 0 miles
Elbow's feeling better so the time off from P90X seems to be doing it some good. It's National Running Day but I've no time for running today - I'll get back to it tomorrow. I've begun thinking about what my BIG fall race should be. Registration for the NipMuck trail marathon just opened. I really enjoyed it last year and this'll be the 30th running (I like milestones.) However, before pulling the trigger I can't help but consider some of the other options in the area in October.October 6th - NipMuck Marathon / Smuttynose Rockfest Marathon
October 13th - Newport Marathon
October 20th - Mount Desert Island Marathon (Bar Harbor) / Big Brad 50k - Pownal, ME
I haven't done a road marathon since May 2012 so there's some appeal to doing another one and seeing just how low I can get my PR (it's currently at 3:56 which I know I can smash.) But they're pricey and can be a big production. I noticed the Big Brad 50k up in Maine last year and was intrigued as I have friends who live in the area. But realistically I don't think I want to endure another ultra so soon after TARC, especially one that promises much more elevation and suffering. Then again, the NipMuck will provide plenty of suffering as well.
NipMuck will probably win out in the end but we'll see.
Thursday - Wolf Hill, Smithfield, RI - 7.2 miles
I felt obligated to do some speedwork today but said screw it. It's a beautiful morning and I wanted to run in the woods. After internal debate I decided on Wolf Hill up in Smithfield as I haven't been there in a while. Plenty of bright new blazes on the trails. I checked out a new trail along the pond which leads right back to my car - nice to know there's a faster flatter way to get to the quarry if I so choose. I also discovered another section the the red Ken Weber trail. This part was so steep that I had to hike it.I hit all the usual trails - red, blue, white, yellow. I hadn't been on the yellow trail in a while (it's dedicated to WWII soldiers who died on Wolf Hill in a plane crash) and noticed an older trail leading off of it. I jumped on it, a little worried because it was tough to follow in spots (often these barely-there trails seem to disappear when you try to backtrack) but the trail became much more defined as it went on and I was pleased to discover that it connects to the white trail. There's a "No Trespassing" sign on the white end but this seems to be a perfect connector for these two trails that allows one to bypass the rocky power line road. It's a shame that it seemingly can't be officially maintained.
My daily commute is really becoming a drag with heavy traffic and accidents causing delays almost every day. Today's drive in was particularly awful. This run really helped put my head in the right place.
Friday - Fidelity trails, Smithfield, RI - 9.1 miles
Came up to work in a light drizzle - luckily the rain wasn't too heavy yet. Hit a bunch of my favorite trails. The rain wasn't a problem and there was some muddy/slippery spots but overall the trails were a joy to run on. At the halfway mark I started talking to myself about the Game of Thrones books and the miles just flew by. Ending up running for about 80 minutes and felt great at the end. I wore my minimal MT20s and this was my longest run in 'em - they felt fine throughout. Just a righteous run all around.Saturday - Rock 5k, Wakefield, RI - 8.4 miles
Official time: 18:52. 2nd overall. Race report here.Sunday - Browning & DuVal Trails, South Kingstown, RI
Met up with Jonny at 6 AM in Perryville. We took the roads over to Browning Woods and got our feet wet in the early going as there was a decent amount of water on the trail from Friday's weather. I showed Jonny the heart trail which we took over to Sand Trail road. We took the dirt roads over to DuVal and stayed on these trails for the rest of the run. I decided I wanted to get in 10 miles to hit 40 for the week so I ran up and down the road after we got back to the cars to get the last 0.4. Legs started off pretty stiff from yesterday's race but by the end of the run they felt good. Excellent way to start Sunday.Weekly Mileage: 40.9 miles
Year to Date: 779.4 miles
Great week of running! I hit 40 miles for the third week in a row which pleases me. It also felt good to race again and my 5k performance was pretty good overall. The elbow feels much better so hopefully I can pick the P90X up again this week. I will say that I think I noticed an improvement in my overall running energy in the absence of the P90X workouts. This is something I need to keep in mind when I have races approaching, especially once I ramp up training for fall races.
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