Weekly Log: 8.10.15-8.16.15

Monday - Seekonk, MA - 8 miles

205 push-ups standard/wide) 45/40/40/40/40

Another week is upon us and I considered taking the day off but I don't like to start Mondays off on a bad note.  I wasn't sure where to run but came upon a good idea to hit up the Caratunk Preserve but duck out onto nearby roads after a few miles.  Weather was beautiful and the wildflowers in the preserve were in rare form.  I hadn't planned on the summer overgrowth and had to do a bit of bushwacking to get to pavement.  After about four road miles I ducked back into Caratunk to finish up with another mile on the trails.  Fun run.

Tuesday - Charlestown, RI - 4.3 miles

I was working from home on what turned out to be a very rainy day.  I had no intentions of running but the afternoon drizzle looked appealing so I laced up for a few very easy miles.  I decided to see what shape the Narragansett Trail was in.  Answer: not great.  Besides the heavy summer growth, there were lots of trees down from last week's superstorm.  I'd estimate probably about 10-12 big trees I had to navigate around.  An enjoyable rainy run nontheless.

Wednesday -Seekonk, MA - 9.2 miles

200 push-ups (standard/military/diamond) 35/30/20/35/30/20/30

I was bored and needed a new route to inspire me.  I crafted one that began at the Seekonk High School and ventured south along country roads, some that I had traveled before and some which were new to me.  It was 80 but not steamy and after a slow first mile the pace creeped down to around 7:15 and stayed there for the duration.  I brought a printout of my route which proved wise as I got turned around in a neighborhood which added about 1/2 mile to the run.  The only shitty part was the last two miles, which were on a busy road with little shoulder.  Otherwise a fine run on country roads.  I'm pleased with the pace too.

With my run out of the way, I finally got back to Providence Power Yoga for a lunch session.  Good stuff!

Thursday - Johnston, RI - 7.2 miles

With Amanda working at home, I had the opportunity to run before work.  But where?  Finally I settled on the Snake Den - I wanted to explore the dirt bike trails that run along 295.  I made a beeline for the powerline side of the Den and after a quick visit to the best vista, I explored the trails.  Lots of twisty single that is very reminiscent of the stuff behind Fidelity - Jonny would love these trails.  A good run but the deer flies were a pain.  They'll be gone soon enough though.

Friday - Providence, RI - 6.4 miles

200 push-ups (wide/diamond/decline) 40/20/35/40/25/40

First of all, I've sort of chumped it over the past few weeks with regard to push-ups and Ab Ripper.  I'm glad I got back into the swing of things with push-ups this week, though I think I'm due to mix up some other cross training as well.

As for today's run, I was pretty blah about it.  I was the only one in the office today and went out for a quick one at noon across to the East Side.  No real motivation or route, just meandered around the hills that I had so recently destroyed my legs on.  I was happy when it was over but pleased I got it done at all.

Saturday - 0 miles

Sunday - Charlestown, RI - 16.1 miles

For my long run, I didn't get an early start so I decided to just run a big loop from the house to avoid driving time.  I brought a handheld and a couple gels as it was a hot humid day.  First I ventured over to Richards Trails at the corner of Narrow Lane and Route 2.  There's an old trail that goes through indian territory that I had attempted to follow once before.  I was hoping that the summer vegetation would make the trail more discernible.  It did...for awhile.  But deep in the woods the trail is all but gone and I had to do some bushwacking to locate its remnants.  Finally it become more visible and it led me to exactly where I hoped it would - the corner of Old Church Rd and Old Post Rd.

I explored some side streets off of Old Post Rd before spending a few miles on the Carter Preserve trails.  At this point I was starting to get pretty hot and thirsty.  I had about half a bottle left but I was taking a couple short breaks in the shade.  When I came out of the woods at Charlestown Elementary, I scouted for an outdoor water fountain but no dice.  Then I decided to venture down towards Shannock Village as I knew there was access to the Pawcatuck River where at least I could cool off.  Dunking my head in the river was very refreshing and gave me renewed energy as I passed the "village."  Once back across Route 2, I snuck around an empty office building until I found the hose.  I used this tap to cool off again and fill up my bottle.

Satisfied with a gut full of water I made my way home.  My calves were very tight at this point and my pace was plodding.  I threw in an extra side street near the end as I wanted to hit 16 miles.  Pretty brutal run by the end but I'm glad I got it done.

Weekly Mileage: 51.4 miles
Year to Date: 1200.3 miles

Mileage is getting there.  If I run 40 miles a week for the rest of the year I'll hit 2000.