Another week and hopefully another 40+ mileage one. Yesterday I wiped out at the water park getting into one of the slides (of course it was my last run of the day) and skinned my left knee and ankle. But it's my pinky toe that really hurts. Hopefully it won't keep me off the roads this week as I'd like to get a good amount of miles in before I taper off for the Ocean's Run Half. Speaking of which, I hope there are no issues with the race and parking. TriMom has expressed concern about the existing snow/ice on the ground and with more snow and cold temps in the future I'm not sure that it'll be gone before the race. We shall see.
Monday - Smithfield, RI - 8 miles
I parked at Bryant and ran the local roads at a decent clip. Pinky toe felt fine and wasn't an issue. Quads became sore around mile six. I think yesterday's long run is the culprit. It was only 14 miles but I pushed the pace on a bunch of segments in the quarter to half mile range. That combined with the elevation was enough to wear 'em down. So they were a bit sore but it didn't slow me down. Otherwise I felt good and was happy with this run. Good way to start off the week.
Tuesday - Charlestown, RI - 4 miles
Ab Ripper X (15 minutes) / 150 push-ups (standard/military/wide) 25/25/30/20/20/30
"Barkeep," said the surly man. "I'll have an order of Dog Jog and Ab Ripper with a side of push-ups."
The bartender looked him over as he polished a pint glass. "You sure about that son?" he finally said. "Maybe you should start with some jumpin' jacks or Zumba."
The surly man glared. "Don't tell me my business." And he walked out of the saloon in a huff.
Wednesday - Charlestown, RI - 7.4 miles
I decided to get my run out of the way first thing in the morning. Winter is giving no sign of retreating and it was in the teens. Cold compression gear, fleece vest, two pairs of gloves and I'm out the door. Amanda took the dog for a walk in one direction and I started running in the other. It was cold. I decided to head up a dirt road/private drive to try to connect it to Shannock Road via a gasline throughway. I dimmed my headlamp to sneak through undetected but missed the gasline path and ended up running down a long dirt drive to a lone house. I could see a car running in the driveway - time to flee! Running back up the hill, I heard a dog begin barking. Soon enough I saw the beast ahead of me. Large and white, it's eyes were ablaze from the reflection of my headlamp. It stood in the road alerting the hill people to my presence. Luckily it was all bark and retreated as I approached. Adrenalized, I made my way back to Old Coach and continued on, the cold forgotten.
The rest of the run was without incident. Ran up past the Nordic Lodge as the night gave way to early dawn. Then I made my way over to the Rathskeller parking lot before heading back. Took one more side road and was glad I did - from the higher vantage point I could see the striking sunrise. It was a mix of pink and salmon colors and amazing. Best sunrise I've seen in a while.
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| Broke in my new 890 v3 this morning. The v2 have 581 miles on 'em. |
Thursday - Ryan Park, North Kingstown, RI - 6.7 miles
It was very cold this morning. Single digits. I had planned to hit the track at Bryant but the forecast said it would be 9 degrees. Coupled with the wind that rips through that place and I had zero interest in subjecting myself to that. Instead I decided to attempt Ryan Park. The main trails had been compacted into a rough icy path by scores of footprints, pawprints and hoofprints. The Yaktrax were more than up to the task and I didn't slip once. A couple sections of the railbed were bare but most still had icy snow cover. At times today I was able to run fairly smoothly but at other points the choppy frozen track slowed me down. The best running was along the powerlines on the west side of the park. I was able to run on top of the snow path, breaking through only occasionally. Highlight of the run was at the bridge - saw a couple coyotes off in the distance crossing the frozen pond.
Friday - East/West Greenwich Roads - 7.8 miles
I decided revisit Frenchtown Road after last week's loop and opted to take it out to roads that surround Big River. I parked at a little park and headed out. A little bit of snow fell during the night, giving some welcome traction to the road's shoulder. It also gave the existing snow a new coat which made it all look less grungy. At the end of Frenchtown I took Bates Trail. It got more and more rural as the road went up, up, up. Eventually I hit another road - Hopkins Hill. Hey, I know that one! With my bearings somewhat in place, I turned around and headed back down until I hit the Frenchtown/Bates/Carr Pond Road intersection. Now I took Carr Pond Road up, up, up. Finally I came upon a familiar gate that leads into Big River. I had gone a little further than I had intended so I turned around and headed back to the car. Another chilly morning but I dressed well and was never frigid. I enjoyed exploring these country roads and connecting them to familiar landmarks. A pleasant run.
Saturday - 0 miles
We had another fun gig at Tara's down in Matunuck on Friday night. Good crowd that seemed to enjoy the show but I over did it. Made it through the show but I was in poor form. Need to remember I'm not 22 anymore. So there was no chance of my making the group run this morning nor was there any chance of me doing anything useful throughout the day.
Sunday - Charlestown, RI - 13.3 miles
Not much drive to run today after a weekend of sloth and excess. Took the dog out for a four mile jog and then went out for my own slog jog. Ran a big loop up to Rippy's and back. No pep whatsover and I was barely holding off 9 minute miles. I'll attribute it to the weekend's frivolity and the overall increase in my running. Let the tapering for Ocean's Run begin!
Weekly Mileage: 47.3 miles
Year to Date: 333.6 miles
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