Weekly Log: 5.15.15 - 5.21.15

Last week my dreaded nemesis the Janky Knee reasserted itself.  I didn't do much running and was a bit bummed out.  Hopefully I will return back to the fray this week.  It's now less than two weeks until the Ragnar Trail Relay up in Mass and I want to be ready!

Monday - East Providence, RI - 5.7 miles

195 push-ups (standard/military/wide) 35/25/35/35/25/40

A drizzly rain continued throughout the day but the temperature was warm.  I was determined to get a run in and luckily ol' Master Jank didn't feel too bad.  I decided to do a little exploration down in Riverside.  As soon as I started I felt good - I guess almost a week off will do that to you.  The pace was peppy in the low 7s and I explored a nice neighborhood along the bay.  Memories of the 2012 Providence marathon came back as I recognized a neighborhood the race employed for a very odd turnaround.  I followed some steps down to the beach and ran along the water for a few moments.  The bay was silent, waveless and shrouded in fog.  Very serene but the low tide stank was powerful.  Then I continued on narrow roads lined with beachhouses that reminded me of my great aunts' house up in Buzzards Bay.  Great run with refreshing rain and lack of jankiness.

Tuesday - Rehoboth, MA - 6 miles

I decided to check out some new country roads farther to the east.  I parked at the Rehoboth Country Club and did a loop I had mapped out in advance.  I knew there'd be a couple hills and a downhill segment attempt near the end.  Knee didn't feel too bad and I was surprised how snappy the pace was.  This pleased me as I've been feeling slow ever since the Backroad Ramble.  On the segment I turned it on and kept the pace under six, in part thanks to the downhill though there were a few short uphills to contend with as well.  Very hot out there but the country houses were remote and beautiful.  A good run and the jankiness that came later was not unexpected nor or much concern.

Wednesday - 0 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)

I wanted to return to lunch yoga and that's just what I did.  Good session and I definitely think it helps keep everything loose and in working order.

Thursday - Smithfield, RI - 9 miles

240 push-ups (standard/wide) 35/40/35/40/40/50

Amanda was volunteering at Ezri's school today so I was able to get out of the house early this morning.  After considering my options, I decided it was worth the extra driving and went up to Wolf Hill in Smithfield.  It had been a while and I was happy to see a new trail sign at the entrance.  They've changed some of the trail names/blazes and added lovely little signs along the various routes.  I wanted to get a goodly amount of elevation today so I hit pretty much all the trails including a long stretch along the powerlines.  I was glad to see that the WWII Memorial trail had been extended - the No Trespassing signs and branch barricades were gone and now it was a legitimate section of the trail network.  Another big change was at the Mercer Lookout.  They cut down a bunch of trees in front of the lookout, improving the view towards Providence.  They added a second official parking lot near the Mercer Lookout as well.  Towards the end I was running out of time and considered just taking the trail along the pond back to the car - and lose precious elevation?  I headed back into the woods and up what is now the Mary Mowry Trail.  It's a legitimate climb and I was happy to head back down to the car after that.

With a good run done in the morning, I decided to hit up lunch yoga for the second day in a row.  Finished off a good day's work with office push-ups in the afternoon.

Purdy new signs at Wolf Hill

Friday - Charlestown/East Providence, RI - 9.2 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)

Did a couple miles in the early AM with the dog.  Cut through the woods to drop back down to our house to shorten the run so that I could fit in Ab Ripper as well.

It was a hot one and I had intended to venture over to College Hill but the heat turned me off.  I switched to the East Bay Bike Path instead, hoping for a little relief in the way of a bay breeze.  Not much wind but a portion of the run was cloudy so that was something.  I stuck to the plan for hills and ran repeats on the nearby roads.  Couple youngsters were skateboarding down some pretty steep drops so good on 'em.  In the end it only totaled about 500 feet of elevation but I was pleased to get it done on a scorcher.

Saturday - 0 miles

No running today but I did brew up 2.5 gallons of a new IPA recipe I found online.  It was an all-grain batch and once again I was undershot the gravity, coming in at 1.054 instead of 1.07.  Oh well.  It has a ton of different hops so it should be tasty.

Sunday - Charlestown, RI - 8.6 miles

We went to my parents' for lunch and I had notions of getting dropped off midway and running back home afterwards.  I should've known that was a foolish idea - once I gorged myself on dessert I had no desire for such things.  Plus janky knee was feeling achy so I was full of excuses.  Not wanted to take a zero for the weekend, I committed to taking the dog out when we got home.  After 3.5 with the dog I was afraid he was going to keel over so I dropped him off at the house and went back out.  At this point the temperature was finally breaking and I enjoyed the run up and down Old Coach.  No issue from the janky knee on the run so all's well that ends well.

Weekly Mileage: 38.6 miles
Year to Date: 833.8 miles

Nice rebound after issues with the janky knee last week.  Also a goodly amount of elevation (for me) totaling about 2600 feet.