Weekly Log: 9.16.13 - 9.22.13

Monday - Smithfield, RI - 6.1 miles

Legs were pretty stiff this morning after Surftown but a early morning dog walk loosened 'em up. I stuck to my normal Monday morning trail run and ventured into the woods behind Fidelity. While legs felt alright to start after a few miles of singletrack they began to feel worn down. It was only a six mile run but the last few miles were tough - just good training for NipMuck right?

Now a few hours later and I'm shuffling around the office. Surftown DOMS has caught up with me.

Tuesday - 0 miles

P90X Back & Biceps (50 minutes)

I was going to do Legs & Back since it's been a while but my legs are feeling pretty rickety so I opted to give 'em a break and focus on some upper body work. Good choice.

Wednesday - Big River, West Greenwich, RI - 5.7 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)

Woke up feeling groggy with a sore throat. Was supposed to do Yoga but that wasn't happening. Eventually willed myself to do Ab Ripper. It's been a couple weeks since I did it and it was not easy.

Packed my running gear for a post-work run and thought to bring my headlamp as it's getting dark earlier these days. Decided to hit up Big River knowing full well that a good portion of this run would be in darkness. I parked off of Exit 6 and first did the Pine Trail while there was still some light. After that I struck out down Burnt Sawmill Road until it hit another dirt road (Sweet Sawmill Rd?) Took a right and followed it down until it passed some farmland. It was getting dark and I still had to pick up Em so I turned around at this point and clicked on the headlamp. The run back was uneventful but the mind does play tricks on you in the darkness. Should I venture over to the Things Go Bump in the Night trail? No thanks.

Finished up the run on the short singletrack section that runs alongside Burnt Sawmill. Definitely tricky running amongst the roots with only the headlamp light. It required a lot of focus. I thought about long endurance events and how rough it must be for those exhausted runners when they have to don a headlamp and continue on in the dark. Crazy.

So the run was a little creepy but also fun. I wouldn't mind doing another night run out here sometime - but with a group to give me fortitude.

Thursday - Wolf Hill, Smithfield, RI - 6.5 miles

Another Thursday, another excuse to get out of going to the track. This time I justified it by telling myself that I was going to do some hill work in the afternoon. Went over to Wolf Hill and headed into the preserve, pushing the pace as I ran up into the quarry. Then I turned around and followed my tracks back down and made my way up the Ken Weber trail, trying to keep the pace up and not stop running. After that I ran the usual trails here. I feel like my climbing ability is much improved since last year and I'm looking forward to seeing how that translates at NipMuck.

Friday - Ryan Park, North Kingstown, RI - 7 miles

Easy miles at Ryan Park to round out the weekday runs. About two miles in I took a nasty digger in the Root Run section. Probably my worst spill ever. Took a small chunk out of the palm of my left hand, a small gash on that forearm and my right knee was a bloody mess. At least I fell just before the bridge, making it easy to wash out my wounds in the pond.

Stopped back at the car to take a grisly picture and then I continued over on the west side of the park. Lost my pep as the run wore on but the pain was minimal. That is until I got to work and cleaned the damage properly with alcohol. SEARING PAIN.

Saturday - 0 miles

Headed over to Newport with the girls to cheer on Amanda as she completed her third triathlon of the season.   This was her toughest yet with a longer swim (1/2 mile) and a hilly and hectic bike course.  Her goal was to finish in under two hours and she came in at 1:57.  Very proud of all she's accomplished this year!

Sunday - Burlingame, Charlestown, RI - 11.4 miles

I woke up early determined to run in the rain and...heard thunder.  Waited until the rain weakened a bit and then headed to Watchaug Beach.  My original plan was to run two loops on the Vin Gormley trail in order to hit 16 miles.  But after a few miles in the rain coupled with my late start, I decided to cut it down to 11 miles.  I ran down towards North Camp and then hit up Sammy C's trail.  Rain made the Sammy C rocks slippery and I had to tread carefully.  So two 8 mile loops turned into one 11 mile loop but it was a fun running the trails in the rain.

Weekly Mileage: 36.7 miles

Year to Date: 1,334.8 miles

Good week with a lot of trail work.  Looking forward to more trails next week as we begin to taper for NipMuck.  Also this was my 20th consecutive week with 30+ miles.  Consistency!