2013 Year in Review

Another year gone. Craziness! Looking back at last year's review, I had laid out several goals, and accomplished most of them one way or another.  While I didn't tackle the Providence marathon again, I smashed my times at all distances.  I had wanted to run a 1:35 half marathon this year and ended up with a 1:24!  I didn't end up wearing the Vibrams that much but I did transition to more minimal footwear for a good portion of my runs on both road and trail.  I'm pleased with the results.

This year was yet another big jump in mileage.  I had an unofficial goal of hitting 30 miles every week and I was successful 85% of the time!  From 1265 miles in 2012 to 1800 in 2013!  I don't see myself stretching out into Hammett territory any time soon and I think we'll be seeing my mileage output peak in the near future due to commitments and time/desire to run.  However I'm very happy that I was able add 500 miles each of the last two years (especially since I was able to do it staying mostly injury-free this year.)

This year also marked my first foray into the world of ultramarathons.  The TARC 50k Spring Classic didn't go as well as I would have liked (went out way too fast, no doubt about it) but I still finished in under 5 hours and didn't feel completely beat up by the experience.  Eating a mountain of chinese food the night before probably didn't help either.

Towards the end of 2012 I began to incorporate some P90X routines into my workouts and I kept it up through 2013 (back issues after our backpacking trip in October put the kibosh on P90X through the fall but but December has seen the return of Tony Horton in my basement.)  As you can see from the following color coded spreadsheet, I switched up the workouts but was always doing something.

I really liked mixing my running with the P90X.  I often only ran four days a week this year but I made big improvements at every distance.  Certainly the cumulative miles is the #1 reason but I don't discount the benefit of these workouts, especially for the longer trail events.

I would also be remiss if I didn't mention the incredible work that my wife Amanda did this year.  Three triathlons, several 5ks and an 8 mile trail race.  She has a full list of challenges she's planning for 2014 and I can't wait to see her in action!

And now, my top five running accomplishments of 2013:

5: Brrr-lingame Snowshoe Death Race

The fourth race of the South County 4th Season Trail series, it was originally planned as a 10 miler through the Burlingame campgrounds.  By all rights it should have been cancelled by the blizzard that hit us two days prior.  However RD Mike Galoob was crazy enough to hold it anyway and about 18 of us were crazy enough to run it.  The resulting race was shortened to five miles and became a brutal slog through snow that was knee deep in places.  As exhausting as it was, it was awesome running through a pristine winter wonderland.  I ended up finishing 4th out of 9 who completed the full 5 mile race - almost catching Jonny at the very end.  A completely unique event that probably won't be duplicated in southern Rhode Island any time soon and that's why it made the list.

4: Jamestown Bridge 10k

Not my fastest 10k of the year but I'm really proud of this race because I finished 8th out of 542.  I'm especially happy with the push I mustered over the last 1/2 mile which was uphill and brutal.  This is one of the more unique races I ran this year- racing over the Jamestown Bridge was a tough but fun experience.

3: Blessing of the Fleet

This was another mid-distance race where I really surprised myself.  After not doing stellar in 2012, I didn't have much interest in returning to the madness that is the Blessing of the Fleet.  Yet the allure of this race is strong and somehow I decided to register again.  It proved to be a smart move.  I ran very even splits and finished in under 64 minutes, good enough for 79th place in a competitive field.  Special thanks to Ben Folsom for passing me at Mile 6 and pulling me along the rest of the way.

2: Half Marathon Mayhem

I ran three great races at what I think has become my favorite distance. Long enough to feel suitably epic but short enough to warrant little recovery time, I think the half marathon plays to my strengths and gives me a chance to make moves. At the Ocean's Run 1/2 back in March I improved my PR from 1:53 to 1:25. This was a huge confidence boost and showed me what I was capable of. A month later, the Big River 1/2 trail marathon proved a different sort of challenge. Running alone on the twisty singletrack wore everyone out and many people lost their way as a result. I managed to stay the course and finished 9th overall. Then as summer came to an end, I set a new PR of 1:24 at the Surftown 1/2 in Westerly. This was a big race and I was really happy to place 2nd in my age group. I was also really pleased with the push I had on a hill with a few miles to go as it gave me some distance over my competitors.

 

1: The NipMuck Trail Marathon

I returned to the NipMuck in the hopes of running a sub-four hour race. I ended up surpassing all my expectations and finishing third in 3:42:52, despite the rainy conditions (or because of them?)  I was in third place for most of the race and spent much of the race alone, putting a good amount of distance over my competitors.  What really stands out is just how good I felt throughout - there was no running on fumes like at TARC or the previous Nipmuck.  I was completely in the zone and was able to keep my pace up all the way through to the finish.  This was easily my best race of the year.

Looking forward to 2014, I've a couple challenges in mind:

• While I'm not 100% sold on the idea yet, I'm looking at tackling another road marathon in the spring.  Most likely it will be the Providence marathon again.  I've now run three trail marathons to my one road and while the idea of 26.2 miles of pavement doesn't exactly fill me with joy, I do want to see what I'm capable of.  I feel that with proper training, a sub three hour race can be mine.
• I want to attempt another ultramarathon, likely in the fall.  I've got a comped entry into 2014 NipMuck so I'm thinking I'll use that as a long training run for a 50k in late October/November.  Of course, after seeing Crutchley and his massive cahones sign up for the Cayuga 50, it makes me wonder about...other races.
• I guess a mileage goal of 2000 miles is an appropriate benchmark.
•  Of course I'd also like to improve my PR at other distances though at the moment no particular numbers come to mind.  Save one.

As always, thanks to everyone who has read my blog over the last year.  I've enjoyed writing about my adventures and documenting my various hobbies and I hope you all found it interesting.  Thanks to all my WTAC cohorts for some great group runs this year.  I'm looking forward to another great year of running and racing in 2014!

Weekly Log: 12.23.13 - 12.29.13

Merry friggin' Christmas!  I'll be stuck in the office all week (save Wednesday) but with Amanda and the kids off I should be able to extend some of my weekly morning runs and make my work week less awful.

Monday - Powder Mills Refuge, Smithfield, RI - 7.3 miles

Hadn't run here in a while so I thought I'd check it out now that the snow has melted.  As I'm heading into the woods I noticed that the Audubon society added a new wooden sign - "No Jogging."  What the shit?  No jogging?  How dare they!  Anyway I continued my "hyper brisk walking" and was soon out by the power lines enjoying the day.  The refuge itself is tiny but following the powerlines leads to some sketchier ATV trails which run alongside 295 South.  Ran my usual loop of these trails and then jumped back on powerlines and followed them further south than I usually do - now I'm in Snake Den territory sucka.  Big mud, off-roader tracks and deer remains.  That's how they do it in the Den, dawg.  I turned around at a water obstacle.  As I've written before I enjoy connecting all of my northern running grounds with the powerline road.  One day I'll run this whole damn stretch.  Made my way back to my car, being sure to hurry so no birdwatcher had time to yell at me for jogging on their lame-ass trail network.

Also happy anniversary to my lovely wife Amanda.  SEVEN YEARS!

Tuesday -Smithfield, RI - 3.8 miles

90 push-ups (Standard / Military / Wide Fly)

A short Christmas Eve run in the woods before work.  Nothing to report other than that running in the woods is awesome.

Wednesday - 0 miles

MERRY CHRISTMAS YA FILTHY ANIMALS.

 

Thursday - Charlestown/West Greenwich, RI - 8.7 miles

2.7 miles early with the dog.  The beast was a pain-in-the-ass, in a mood to stop and smell the crap of other dogs.  Lovely snow flurries though.

I headed up to work without a plan in place for the morning's main run.  I had kind of decided on Wolf Hill but my heart wasn't into it.  At the last moment I decided I had time for Big River so I made my way over to the Hopkins Hill parking lot.  Good choice.  I hadn't been here in a while and ran a clockwise loop of Carr Pond.  Heard gunfire occasionally but it seemed to be coming from the west side of BR.  At one point three mountain bikers were ahead of me but a singletrack shortcut put me in front of them.  Suddenly I was being chased and enjoyed turning it on and putting some distance between me and them.

I got back to the parking lot with just under six miles and wanted to tack another another mile so I crossed the road and headed down the BR Expressway.  I was only a couple hundred yards down the trail when I jumped off of one of the ledges and rolled my left foot badly on the landing.  Damnit!  It hurt like hell and I limped back to the car.  It throbbed something fierce on the way up to work.  Now a few hours later and I have to walk gingerly.  Let's hope for a quick recovery.

 

Friday - 0 miles

Ankle's pretty sore but at least I'm walking normally again.  I'll take it day by day and probably stick to roads for the short term.  I need 35 miles to hit 1,800.  It might be in jeopardy.  This weekend should decide things.  We shall see.

Saturday - 0 miles

The ankle's feeling much better and I considered a short run to test it but thought better of it. 

Sunday - Charlestown, RI - 10.8 miles

Took the dog out for an early morning 3.5 miles.  Ankle felt alright on the road.  A couple hours later I ran the local roads for another 7+ miles.  A short trail section confirmed that I should stick to roads for now - I could feel it wanting to roll on the uneven terrain.

Weekly Mileage: 30.6 miles

Year to Date: 1,776.2 miles

Well the rolled ankle issue isn't nearly as bad as it could have been.  Hopefully it'll be ready for the trails of the Old Mountain 5k next weekend.  24 miles to go if I'm to break 1,800.  Pretty tall order with only two days left but we'll see.

Weekly Log: 12.16.13 - 12.22.13

NOTICE: My band Hip Bobsha will be performing an acoustic show at the Joyce Family Pub in Matunuck on Friday January 10th from 8:00 PM until Midnight.  Come on out!

Monday - Smithfield, RI - 5.8 miles

It didn't occur to me until I pulled off the highway that Smithfield probably got quite a bit more snow than Charlestown.  Not that it really mattered, I had my Cascadias and would run in them no matter how much snow there was.  There's a good amount up here but luckily I soon encountered some ATV tracks and decided to follow them along the powerlines.  It was a frozen wonderland out there.  I briefly entered the woods but breaking through the snow crust proved tiring and I was happy to return to the powerlines and run in the ATV ruts.  Don't listen to Mike B - this is a great time of the year to get outside and go running in the woods...if you've got the mettle for it.

Tuesday - 0 miles

P90X Chest Shoulders & Triceps (55 minutes)

Good workout this morning!  CS&T features lots of push-up variations and some light handweight work.  Like Chest & Back my numbers are down but I felt spent at the end.  Jelly arms definitely in effect afterwards.

Wednesday - 0 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)

Thursday - Charlestown/Smithfield, RI - 9.1 miles

Took the dog out in the early AM for 3 miles.  Cold out there but we were moving at a good clip and the little beast really turned it on at the end.

Headed up to Wolf Hill in Smithfield for the main run of the morning.  I expected it to be a tough slog in the snow and I wasn't disappointed.  Ran into a large chap and his unleashed beagle almost immediately but both were friendly enough.  After that I followed another set of footprints up into the hills which made the going a little easier.  I had intended to run along the frozen pond but there was a big piece of machinery up ahead along with a guy using a chainsaw.  Hmmm, what were they up to?  I backtracked up into the hills and made my way around to the quarry.  A lot of people must have had some fun here yesterday as there were sled routes all over the place (including a few dicey ones along the cliffside.  Only the brave and foolish need apply.)  Tried to see what the construction was up to but it looked like they were just cutting down trees and widening the path.  Curious.

From there I ventured back into the woods, following a pair of snowshoe tracks.  Ran the usual trails and the snow was making me work.  I wasn't wearing YakTrax but the Cascadias proved fine on their own.  So many cool tracks out there - I really like the little tunnels that I'm guessing are made by mice.  By the end of the run I was very pleased.  It was tough out there with the combination of hills and snow but it was so beautiful.  I thought about all the people that settle for treadmills at this time of year - they don't know what they're missing.

Friday - Snake Den, Johnston, RI - 7.7 miles

I scouted out the Bryant and North Smithfield High tracks last night and both were snowed in.  No track work?  Oh darn.  Back to the woods then!  And what a day it was in the Den.  Shirt and shorts weather (though I did wear gloves and a hat, I ended up stuffing the gloves in my pockets after a few miles.)    Lots of signs warning about hunting season and I heard a couple shots off in the distance but that's about it.  After a few miles I can across an old man walking with his dog.  "Still think it's summer?" he joked.  Haha, anytime I can run in the snow in shorts I'll take it.  The snow had begun to compact but it wasn't too slushy yet.  Good fun out there.

Saturday - South Kingstown, RI - 13.2 miles

Big group run to kick off the the Winter Solstice (though it didn't feel like it - shorts and t-shirt again.)  Met up in Perryville with Jonny, Jeff, Muddy, Mike B, Nate and Chris.  First we took the roads down through Green Hill to the beach.  We ran along the beach to Moonstone, catching the sun coming up over the clouds.  Good waves out there.  Then we jumped back on the roads to Perryville.  We weren't the only ones out this morning - saw several groups of bird watchers along the road.  We got back to our cars and said goodbye to Muddy as we ventured into the trails behind the graveyard.  Checked out the new trail that goes to Bull Head Pond.  Said farewell to Chris, Nate and Mike and then ran a section of the Duval trail with Jonny and Jeff.  Some sections of the trail were snow, some ice and some were downright muddy.  Fun start to winter.

Sunday - 0 miles

P90X Shoulders & Arms (60 minutes)

Weekly Mileage: 35.8 miles

Year to Date: 1,745.6 miles

Newport Christmas 10k 2013

Official time: 37:03.  7th overall.  5th in Age Group.  Results here.

The last race of the year was billed as a big showdown between WTAC and the Tuesday Night Turtles but the approaching snowstorm meant that no one was sure how the race would play out.  The storm ended up not being that bad and turned to rain overnight - by morning even the rain was just about done.  Thanks to Bob Jackman posting on Facebook, I found out on Saturday night that the race had been pushed back an hour.  This ended up being quite beneficial for me.  We hosted a party on Saturday night and the combination of alcohol and excessive dessert left me feeling bloated and groggy in the morn.  By the time I left the house at 9:30, I was feeling much better.

The roads were clear save for a few puddles.  I got to Rogers high school, got my bib and did a short warm-up with the WTAC crew.   There would be no team rivalry today as not a lot of TNT members made it out.  WTAC also had a bunch of no-shows and luckily Jonny was able to switch over to the WTAC Green team to give them enough guys.  

Photo by Jana Walker

Mile 1 - 5:52

Tried to make a concious effort at the start to not go out to fast and I think I succeeded.  Settled into 8th place behind Jeff, Nate and a guy in red.  I had on a single and shorts with a hat and gloves and it seemed to be the correct combination.

Mile 2 - 6:02
I didn't have a gameplan going into this race.  At the last minute I decided 6 minute miles would be what I'd shoot for.  I saw the pace car and the front runners briefly on a long straightaway.  WTAC was clearly going to have a big day with Galoob, Garvin and Jonny up in front and Jeff 'n Nate just ahead of me.

Mile 3 - 6:02
This mile's fun as it goes past the ocean and Bretton Point.  Big waves out there.  I tried to focus on hitting tangents and avoiding the occasional car.  Jeff and Nate weren't too far ahead and I began to gain on the guy in red.  My head felt warm and I second guessed wearing the hat but soon I was happy that I had it.

Mile 4 - 5:56
Now the race begins.  The wind comes across the road as soon as it turns east and there are big swaths of seaweed that washed over the barriers last night.  Halfway through this mile I catch the guy in red.  Soon after there are a few rolling hills and I catch up to Nate.  I pass him and wonder if I'm going too fast.  I'm thinking I might run out of steam but decide to stay the course and see what happens.

Mile 5 - 6:00
Just before Mile 5 I hit the walkers that do a 3 mile loop.  They're a pain when they walk 4-5 abreast but they weren't as bad as I remember from last year.  I see Jeff not too far up head avoiding them and it gives me something to focus on.  I'm starting to get really tired and begin checking my watch constantly to see how far is left (something Nate told me he noticed after the race.)

Mile 6 - 6:10
Finally we turn away from the water and head back towards the high school.  I can feel myself slowing down a bit and hear footsteps behind me.  I'm hoping it's Nate and not someone else.  Turned out to be Nate.  He passes me and I stay close to him and notice we're gaining on Jeff.  The Gazelle must not know that we were catching up to him.  As we turn onto the last stretch on Ruggles Nate surges ahead and I know I can't catch him.  The last hill becomes exhausting and I'm happy when I pull into the high school driveway and through the chute.

Photo by Jana Walker

7th place overall!  8 seconds behind Jeff and 5 behind Nate.  6th member of WTAC to cross the line.  WTAC men took the first two team spots and the WTAC women won as well.  I took a minute ten off my 10k PR.  Did a long 4 mile cooldown with Jeff, Galoob (who won) and Nate and then went to the post-race spread where pretty much everyone won beer and some sort of raffle prize (there were sweet gift certificates up for grabs but by the time they got to my age group the pickings were slim and I settled for some wireless headphones.)  WTAC finished off the experience by going to the Brick Alley Pub for a tasty lunch.  A great way to end the year of racing.

Weekly Log: 12.9.13 - 12.15.13

Monday - Ryan Park, North Kingstown, RI - 5.4 miles

The week started with a wintry mix forcast, promising a shitty commute. From Ezri's daycare, I could see the backup beginning on Route 4 so I opted to just run at Ryan Park, hoping the traffic would improve by the time I was done (it did!) It was rainy, cold and slushy - not exactly fun conditions. However there was enough snow to reveal a couple sections of singletrack I had never seen before. Winter reveals the secrets of the woods.

Tuesday - 0 miles

Use it or lose it

P90X Chest & Back (50 minutes)

Oof! Been a while since I tackled this workout and it showed. My pull-up strength (such as it was) is gone and by the time I got to the second round of the diamond push-ups I had to go to my knees. Check out the decrease in my numbers from last time.

Wednesday - 0 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)

I've had my Honda Element for almost 10 years and it's nearing the end of it's life.  The back struts have been going and today the rattling/shaking on the highway became really bad.  I was able to drive to work and back and as long as I kept it under 50 mph the shaking wasn't too bad.  Looks like I'll be following in the footsteps of Master Crutchley and begin searching for another car.

The weather report for this weekend is not promising.  We are having a Christmas party Saturday and this damn snow storm threatens to undo everything.  And there's more snow coming Sunday when I'm supposed to run the Christmas 10k.  Me no like.  I'm especially bummed because the heavy snow forecast prompted Amanda to pass on the 10k, which she was about to pull the trigger for.

Thursday - Charlestown/Smithfield, RI - 6.4 miles

I was able to borrow my grandmother's car for a couple days which was a relief.  Thanks Mimi!  Took the dog out for a couple miles in the cold darkness of 5:30 AM.  Wasn't too bad once we started moving.  I wonder if Oliver would say the same.

After picking up Mimi's car (the thing is a boat, I love driving it) I still had time to run 4.3 miles of trails up at the office.  What a gorgeous day!  Just enough snow to cover everything in a winter whitescape but not so much as to make breaking through a chore.  Lots of cool animal tracks everywhere.  Ran a mix of singletrack and wide old powerline hills and thoroughly enjoyed all of it.

Friday - Wolf Hill, Smithfield, RI - 6.2 miles

Made it out to Wolf Hill like I wanted - cold!  Temp was in the upper teens.  There was evidence that this place gets lots of traffic even in the winter - footprints, paw prints and ATV tracks as well.  Ran all the usual trails, enjoying the crunch of the snow.  Pace was slow and easy.  My right ankle began to ache halfway through which was annoying.  I iced it after I got to work - hopefully it's nothing.

Saturday - 0 miles

Sunday - Newport Christmas 10k - 12.3 miles

Official time: 37:03.  7th overall.  Report here.

Weekly Mileage: 30.4 miles

Year to Date: 1,709.7 miles

Weekly Log: 12.2.13 - 12.8.13

Here we are. The last month of the year. The goal is 1800 miles. I need 170 more to make it happen. Let's do this.

Monday - Smithfield, RI - 7.1 miles

Looking for something new, I decided to take the powerlines north from Fidelity. I've never gone beyond where they hit Rocky Branch Road and thought this would be an interesting run. It was very foggy which made the environment seem more isolated than it was. Saw lots of deer throughout - probably 15 or so. Watch out guys! I crossed Rocky Branch Rd and continued another long section of powerlines - there were some swampy areas to contend with but it seemed that others use these roads as there were paths to avoid most of the muck.

I crossed Iron Mine Hill Road and this is where the powerline road became really interesting. Some elevation gains that left me overlooking a busier Route 104. The trail veered in a different direction and I explored briefly but I was up against the clock and turned around. Looking at Google Maps, it seems that soon I would have encountered the busy North Smithfield Expressway which would be difficult to cross anyway. There appeared to be lots of side trails between Rocky Branch and Iron Mine roads - perhaps I'll explore them another day.

Tuesday - Charlestown, RI - 2.4 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)

Took the dog for an easy jog in the early foggy AM. Afterwards I fired up the Ab Ripper for the first time in 1.5 months. Oof. I made it through but I wasn't able to keep up with some of the exercises like I used to.

Wednesday - 0 miles

I chumped out and slept in, closing the window on any opportunity to work out. Abs got progressively more sore throughout the day until they hurt when I cough. DOMS.

Thursday - North Smithfield, RI - 6.1 miles

Push-ups (55 total in 4 sets)

Did a few sets of push-ups (standard, military & wide) in the morning to get back into the swing of things. Then I followed through on my intention for the day and went to the track to do a speed workout. No excuses today! I decided to go with 400m x 8 with a 200m jog in between each. By the third one I was pretty winded and began each 200m by walking. Eight intervals seemed too much. I talked myself down to just doing six. But after the sixth one I knew that I could gut out two more so I stuck with the initial eight. Very pleased I followed through on my plan and happy with the consistency of the 400s. Track work sure sucks but I always feel a great sense of accomplishment once it's over.

Splits: 78 / 77 / 78 / 79 / 79 / 78 / 79 / 79

Friday - Charlestown, RI - 13.5 miles

I had the day off from work (huzzah!) and started the day off by bottling my first mead and some Dead Ringer IPA (a Northern Brewer clone of the famous Bell's Two Hearted Ale.)  The mead is very sweet.  Sort of like a dessert wine.  I think it's drinkable now but time is supposed to make it truly good.  At any rate, both of these were gallon batches.  Bottling the mead was straightforward and easy but the IPA bottling was a comedy of errors.  I almost forgot the priming sugar, the bottling siphon began to leak and then stopped working mid-bottle.  The last couple bottles were filled in a very unorthodox fashion - they are going to be very oxidized and probably taste like cardboard but hopefully they'll make the rest of the batch taste awesome in comparison.

Brewing adventures over, I laced up and headed to Burlingame to get about in about 12 miles.  It looked to be rain-free for the time being so I figured wouldn't get too wet.  I started from the beach and headed over to the Kettle Pond trails first before hitting up the trails south of the campgrounds.  By now it had begun raining - guess the weather wasn't going to cooperate afterall.  Then I jumped on the Vin Gormley trail to make the loop back to my car.  Heard a good amount of gunfire but it was off in the distance - I'm guessing from North Burlingame.

The rain picked up as I went and during the Buckeye Brook Road section I looked down and got an unwanted surprise - more bloody nipples!  What the hell?  I bodyglided and everything.  Luckily I had my nuclear orange Li'l Rhody shirt on and caught it in time.   Also lucky that it wasn't cold despite the rain.  I threw the shirt over my head and continued on.  A good run and I was happy to be done and out of the rain but this nipple thing is becoming a pain in the ass.

Later, I bartered with Em to give the dog his afternoon walk (her job) in exchange for her doing dishes (my job.)  Did an easy two mile jog with Oliver in light rain.  I must admit that in all ways he's a great dog save one - he barks and growls at every person/dog we meet on the road.   It's annoying and embarrassing.

Saturday - Charlestown, RI - 3 miles

Took the dog out for three miles in the afternoon.  Pace was pretty good - mid 8s.

 

Sunday - Charlestown, RI - 13.2 miles

Decided to run down the beach from Charlestown to South Kingstown for my long run.  It was dark when I set out and figured I'd get to the beach for the sunrise.  It was high 20s but I wore shorts which proved to be the correct choice.  Was never too hot/too cold on the run.  A mile down the beach I came upon a seal pup hanging out on shore.  He was about 2.5 feet long.  I'm thinking maybe he was injured as he didn't try to move or do much of anything when I approached.  I got within a few feet of it.  Never been so close to one before.  It was very cute.  Looked sort of like a dog with severe birth defects for limbs.  Bizarre creature really.

I wished it the best and continued on.  I had the beach to myself and the sunrise was pretty great.  Once I reached S.K. Town Beach I took the roads back which were less wonderful.  I wore the 730s and my feet were tired by the end.  Am I really considering a road marathon for next spring?  I dunno, the second half of this run had me questioning if I really wanted to subject myself to that. Once at home I called the Mystic Aquarium to report a possible injured seal pup.  They said they'd send out a volunteer to check it out.

 

Weekly Mileage: 45.4 miles

Year to Date: 1,679.4 miles

I've put together a couple good weeks lately.  Looking forward to slightly less mileage next week and my last race of the year - the Newport Christmas 10k.