Weekly Log: 5.12.14 - 5.18.14

T minus two weeks until the Pineland 50k.  Time to start obsessing over the weather report (long range forecast looks wet and I heard the farmland course gets muddy quickly.)  I'll be dropping the mileage into the 20s this week.  Nothing crazy at this point.  I plan to listen to my body and get to the starting line rested and healthy.

The bigger change this week will be helping Ezri recover from the three broken bones in her leg. She'll be spending a lot of time on the couch and I'm sure we're all going to have to adjust to a new normal for awhile.

Monday - Charlestown, RI - 4.2 miles

Extended the dog jog this morning a bit as it would be my only run for the day.   Encountered a few people and dogs and Oliver was surprisingly good when we passed.  Only barked briefly.  I guess Amanda has been training him well.

Went up to work for 1/2 a day and then brought Amanda and Ezri home from the hospital.  She's definitely miserable at times by being bedridden (couchridden) but hopefully she'll adapt to the situation quickly. 

Tuesday - Seekonk, MA - 5 miles

Decided to head back to the Caratunk Sanctuary at lunch time. I wore my MT00s as I knew I'd be in for some wet spots and these things drain well.  The only question was if there's be too many roots/rocks for the minimal shoes.  It was a goddamn gorgeous day and I enjoyed exploring these trails again.  Terrain wasn't too much for the shoes but I was definitely right about the water.  As I got deeper and deeper into the woods I entered a swampy section where getting wet was inevitable.  I did what the Gazelle would have done and charged right through!  Great little place to run - the only downside was that tick season is now in full effect.  Found a big nasty sucker on my leg midrun and another later in the day on my car seat!

Wednesday - East Providence, RI - 5.2 miles

Funny how I can drive 10 minutes from work and enter a totally rural Seekonk that harbors gems like Caratunk.  But around the office it's a completely different story.  Left work at lunch with no real plan other than to run some new streets in East Providence.  To that end I succeeded - kept the pace in the low 7s and saw a variety of houses.  It's interesting how some people have crafted little fortified homes of marble and stone in the midst of a sea of houses otherwise sandwiched together.  It was hot out there (72 degrees) and I was sweating pretty good by the end but I really enjoyed this run.

Thursday - 0 miles

Worked from home while I stayed with Ez.  No real window to run and no desire to do any strength training in the morning.  Ezri is up and down throughout the day.  It's very frustrating for a five year old to be immobile and she fluctuates between happy and angry as the day progresses.  She hates being touched so moving her from room to room is unpleasant for everyone.  I can only hope she acclimates to her situation in the coming days.

Friday - Seekonk, MA - 4.1 miles

230 push-ups (standard/military/wide/decline) 40/30/40/10/30/20/40/20

After work I headed to the Seekonk Meadows for a quick four mile jaunt.  It was a brief lull in the rain but very humid.  Legs were feeling full of energy - tapering effects no doubt.  Along the water I scared a frog which made a most unusual sound, like a drowning cat.

Saturday - 0 miles

Rest day # 2 for the week.  Planted some stuff outside though.

Sunday - Carter Preserve, Charlestown, RI - 8.2 miles

Finished off the week with an easy Sunday run in Carter Preserve.  Parked off of Route 112 and ran the Yellow trail over to the Grassland Loop trail.  Then I did a little tune-up for next weekend's race.  I figured the grass trail would simulate a lot of what I'll be running on. I tried to keep it at an 8 minute pace but ended up closer to 7:30.  At any rate running five loops was a good repetitious act and I feel good for next weekend.  Looking forward to seeing what I can do.

Weekly Mileage: 26.9 miles

Year to Date:  800 miles