Weekly Log: 3.30.15 - 4.5.15

March is over!  And Big River Half is here!  I'm looking forward to this race though I know it's going to be a tough challenge for me.

Monday - West Greenwich, RI - 8 miles

130 push-ups (standard/wide/decline) 20/25/15/25/25/20

With the snow retreating I wanted to get a sample of the course before Saturday.  After work I parked at the start of the Big River Half and ran the first half of the course.  Immediately I was greeted with a lot of snow.  The course was definitely not clear.  As I entered the singletrack there were several foot/pawprints to follow and the going wasn't too slow.  A few cleared areas had muddy bogs to contend with.  It was actually trickier to follow the trail where the snow ended as the trail became difficult to see.  Then the footprints ended and I wasn't sure where to go.  I bushwacked a bit and found the trail, now with handy bike tracks to follow.

Plenty of snow at the seesaw near the start

Eventually the snow clears up and leads to some muddy sections

The trail was clear up along Carr Pond but one I got to the southern portion it was back to snow.  I encountered another runner and his dog.  He seemed taken aback to see me.  The run up to the Hopkins Hill Rd parking lot was exhausting.  The ridgeline trail was clear but around mile 5 I realized I had lost the race course.  At this point it was starting to get late so I headed back towards Carr Pond and intended to retrace my steps.  I had to bushwack yet again and found myself on a different trail but luckily I knew that it took me back to the New London Turnpike.  Based on today's run, the race is really going to be a challenge and I don't suspect we'll be seeing any PRs.  We'll see what five days of warmish weather does.

The ridges on both sides of Carr Pond are in good shape

But the climb up "Pinto" to the Hopkins Hill lot is tough

Brought the headlamp "just in case"

Tuesday - East Providence, RI - 5.5 miles

I put my run off until mid-afternoon.  I ate my chili lunch two hours earlier and hoped that would be enough clearance.  At first I felt I made a great mistake but after 1.5 miles things seemed to settle down.  I stuck to roads in a dumpy part of town.  Not a particularly great run but it got the job done.

Wednesday - East Providence, RI - 7 miles

Decided to see if the Ten Mile River Bikepath was back in operation.  I was expecting to still encounter snow but it was almost totally clear.  Huzzah!  I stayed mostly on the path but I jumped off for a short trail section along the reservoir, sneaking around someone's tent.  The I continued on past Slater Park until I reached the end of the bike path.  Turned around and my pace began to creep upward until I was pushing sub-6 for a short time.  Didn't really intend to push the pace but my legs wanted to go faster.  Overall I felt really good on this run and was glad that this bikepath is back in operation!

Thursday - Charlestown, RI - 4 miles

Took the dog out in the dark for a couple miles.  He was a bit of a pill and wanted to keep stopping to sniff and pee.  It was a chilly 30 degrees out there.  This is April?

Friday - 0 miles

115 push-ups (standard) 25/25/25/20/20

Saturday - Big River Half Marathon - 15 miles

Didn't finish the race due to douchenozzles removing flags from the course.  Added more miles to at least make it a decent day.  Separate write-up to follow.

Sunday - Charlestown, RI - 3.5 miles

Hips and quads were very sore from yesterday's effort.  Amanda was happy to let me take the dog out so Oliver and I did an easy few miles.  The Narragansett Trail loop is finally useable and luckily it was dry so I didn't bring a filthy dog home.

Weekly Mileage: 43.2 miles

Year to Date: 395.3

This was my highest mileage week since September 28th! That was the week before NipMuck when I tweaked my knee at the height of my mileage.  It's been a slow road but I feel like I'm getting back to form.  Sucks that this week's race was thwarted by hooligans but it was still a fun time in the woods.  And on that note: trail running is back in full force in Rhode Island!