Weekly Log: 2.20.17 - 2.26.17

Monday - 0 miles

I woke up in our Littleton hotel with a painful lower back.  Guess the pack I used up Mt Liberty is the culprit.  So no follow-up hike today.  We did stop at a sport shop on the way out of town and I scored a pair of Dion running shoes at 40% off.  Probably won't have a chance to use 'em this season but now I'm ready for next winter.

Too bad the snow disappeared while I was away!

Tuesday - East Providence, RI - 6.8 miles

Man, it's hard to get back into the swing of things in dumpy East Providence.  I enjoy the mountains so.  Wish I lived up there.  Back is still sore from Sunday but running didn't seem to aggrivate it.  I ended up going over to the East Bay bikepath in Riverside and shambling through 7ish miles.  The lane was mostly clear.  A few spots still had a goodly amount of snow but there was always a clear section.  Not much to say other than I got it done.

Wednesday - Johnston, RI - 8 miles

6:00 minutes of planks (longest - 3:06)

With Amanda off this week I get a couple early morning runs and this one led me to the Snake Den.  I went with the Speedcross which was a wise choice.  The first trails of the day were caked in icy snow and hard going.  The postholing and shitty trail conditions wore my ankles/calves out quick.  Surprisingly things improved with the Connector trail as the snow became very soft and I could just run through it.  A surprise: a new bridge has been built on the Connector trail so it's no longer necessary to traverse that downed tree!  Once on the other side I usually found a clear path on the trail to run but there was still plenty of snow and it wore me down.  I ventured over towards Route 295 which ate up time and after a swampy bushwack I was forced to take roads back to the car.

Thursday - 0 miles

My ankles are chewed up from yesterday.  Despite the 60 degree temps outside, I decided to take the day off to let my legs heal.  Grrr.

Friday - West Greenwich, RI - 7.2 miles

I left the house real early intent on getting in some decent time in Big River.  My left ankle was hurting on the outside but I chalked it up to rolling it several times on Wednesday.  At first it looked like it was going to be a great run but once I hit single track I came upon pine and pine bent over on the trail.  In fact the whole place had taken a beating - lots of big trees/branches were down and the little ones had just keeled over from winter.  I backtracked to the dirt roads but after 1.5 miles I felt pain in my ankle.  Damnit!  This was a bummer but I still had an hour and a half to kill before heading to work.  I just followed the New London turnpike to the quarry and then turned around.  Nice morning (if a little chilly in just a tech shirt) but now I definitely need to be smart and take several days off.  Then it'll be just pavement for a while.  Bah.

Saturday - 0 miles

Sunday - 0 miles

5:30 minutes of planks (longest 2:35)

Weekly Log:22 miles
Year to Date: 302 miles

King of a chumpy week in the end.  My ankle still hurt at times over the weekend so I'm assuming I just rolled it worse than I thought on Wednesday.  I plan to rest it early next week as well and hopefully it will mend quickly.

Weekly Log: 2.13.17 - 2.19.17

Monday - Charlestown, RI - 8.4 miles

7:30 minutes of planks (longest - 4:46)

Day #3 of working from home.  A man could get used to this.  I ran much of the same route I did during yesterday's snowstorm but now the roads were clear and the gusts were powerful. A good midday run.

Tuesday - 0 miles

Wednesday - Seekonk, MA - 7 miles

6:30 minutes of planks (longest - 3:43)
The roads in East Providence are shit now with all the snow.  Many of the sidewalks are covered and people drive like assholes.  I went over to Seekonk because at least the country roads there are wider.  People still drive like assholes but at least you can usually see them coming.  Anyway a fun lollipop route I took it easy on.

Thursday - Seekonk, MA - 6.1 miles

6:30 minutes of planks (longest - 3:02)

Another run on mostly quiet streets.  A bit of a trudge but I got it done.  On the plus side Amanda and I decided to head to New Hampshire this weekend for some hiking.  Overnights with the Grandparents sort of just lined up and we've decided to make use of it.  They've gotten a couple big storms over the past week so there's gonna be a lot of snow!  We'll see how we do.

Friday - North Kingstown, RI/East Providence, RI - 13.4 miles

6 minutes of planks (longest - 3:08)

Left the house early and went over to Ryan Park.  The main path has an icy monorail - perfect with microspikes.  I ran most of the main trails - the few times I stepped into less packed terrain it became a posthole nightmare.  So I mostly stuck to the monorail and it made for a great seven mile run.  Too bad the Belleville Pond 10k wasn't this weekend, would've been great conditions (maybe not the section along Route 4).

At lunch at went back out for more miles.  I figured I wouldn't be running tomorrow and with hiking on Sunday this was my opportunity to put in a decent day.  The 10 Mile River bikepath was clear for a half mile before it became soft snow and ice.  I put on microspikes for this section and then removed them as I ran roads around Slater Park.  Beautiful day out there and I was glad to get in a rare double.

Saturday - 0 miles

Almost didn't make it up to New Hampshire as Ezri was sick but she turned it around and we got up to Littleton, NH by 9 PM.  What a lovely little main street in this town.

Sunday - New Hampshire - 7 miles

Amanda and I hiked up Mt. Liberty.  A tough snowshoe hike for Amanda.  I may write-up a report on it.

Weekly Log: 41.9 miles
Year to Date: 280 miles

Weekly Log: 2.6.17 - 2.12.17

Monday - 0 miles

8 minutes of planks (longest - 5:23)

A new forearm plank PR of 5:23!  Wasn't expecting that but I felt good this morning and the minutes ticked by.  Once I saw that I was at 4:30 I dug in and held on to grab a new best.

Sadly I got to work and immediately got bummed at, well having to work.  I was in a mopey mood all day and when it came time to run at lunch I bailed because I'm a lazy asshat.  Shameful.

Tuesday - Providence, RI - 6 miles

6 minutes of planks (longest - 3:08)

I motivated myself today by mapping out a run that would create a dirty picture.  This is immature I know, but sometimes we need to find motivation in the most juvenile of places.  I enjoyed the process of mapping a picture with a route and then seeing it to fruition.  I may do it again (it may or may not be dirty).

A happy fellow

Wednesday - Seekonk, MA - 7.3 miles

6 minutes of planks (longest - 3:10)

Friggin' close to 60 degrees today.  Pretty crazy considering we're getting up to a foot of snow tomorrow.  Anyway the beautiful weather was motivation enough to get me over to the track.  I initially did 8 x 400 - a bit sluggish but I got them done.  I have enough left in the tank for two more to make it an even 10.  I'm happy with my effort.

Splits: 87 / 88 / 87 / 84 / 85 / 85 / 86 / 86 / 84 / 84

Thursday - Charlestown, RI - 9 miles

With a big storm bearing down on us I went over to Carter Preserve for a morning run before the heavy stuff began coming down.  A few minutes after I started the icy snow began to fall and I was looking forward to the blustery conditions for the whole run.  Then after 15 minutes it petered out and by the time I reached the train tracks I realized it had turned into a light rain. Not what I was planning on and over the next forty minutes the chilly rain continued.  Despite this and the muddy sections of the preserve I enjoyed the run. Not long after I got home the blizzard began in earnest and now we've got a good ten inches outside.

Friday - Charlestown, RI - 2 miles

6:30 minutes of planks (longest - 3:22)

Another day of working at home compliments of yesterday's snowstorm.  I went over to Carter Preserve at lunch and spent 50 minutes breaking trail in snowshoes.  It was beautiful out there but slow going.  Definitely no running going on, especially with my touring shoes.

Saturday - 0 miles

Sunday - Charlestown, RI - 12.4 miles

I also had given up on running this weekend and was ready to take a zero when Amanda said she had afternoon plans which prompted me to get out in run in the late morning.  I timed it perfectly with the new storm that was arriving - it began to snow as I began to run and by the time I reached the end of Old Coach it was already sticking to the ground.  I stuck to country roads with a short stretch on Route 2.  It snowed throughout and traction on the road finally weakened by the time I returned to Old Coach. Luckily the freezing rain held off until later in the afternoon.

Weekly Log: 36.6 miles
Year to Date: 238.2 miles

Weekly Log: 1.30.17 - 2.5.17

Monday - Seekonk, MA - 6 miles

6:30 minutes of planks (longest - 3:02)

My calves and hamstrings are pretty sore after a weekend of hiking in the Whites.  I picked up a pair of NB Vazees up in North Conway and wanted to try them out. I opted for quiet country roads of Seekonk.  Legs warmed up soon enough and this ended up being a great, relaxing run.

Tuesday - 0 miles

6 minutes of planks (longest - 3:12)

No run today.  Was going to yoga but chumped out.  Just as well as I had to leave early and deal with a bunch of bullshit traffic thanks to the snow.

Wednesday - West Greenwich, RI - 7 miles

7 minutes of planks (longest - 4:04)
165 push-ups (standard/wide) 30/30/25/30/25/25

Early last year I did planks 5-6 times a week and I hit a 4 minute plank in by the end of March.  I continued to plank inconsistently through July hitting a high water mark of 5:12.  Then things fell apart.  But with the new year I've tried to get back into the habit of doing them every morning.  This was my first 4 minute plank since last July.  The consistency is paying off.

The upside of yesterday's snow was that I got to Big River this morning for a great trail run.  Just enough snow to make it fun but not too much to be a pain to slog through.  Couple fat bike tire tracks already out there.  Did a loop around Carr Pond.  Great way to start the day.

Thursday - East Providence, RI - 6.1 miles

6 minutes of planks (longest - 3:12)

Was intending to make it a track day (would've been three weeks in a row) but the Seekonk High track was covered in snow.  Dejected, I went over to the Ten Mile River bikepath.  It was mostly clear of snow but had some crunchy parts.  But the damage was done - any interest in speedwork vanished and I slogged my way through this run.  By the midway mark I had no motivation left but luckily I had no choice but to run in order to get back to my car.  Best thing I can say about this run was that I got it done.

Friday - Smithfield, RI - 7.5 miles

5 minutes of planks (longest - 2:37)

Got over to Wolf Hill for an early run.  Plenty of snow on the trails here and it made for an enjoyable time.  Sought out the biggest hills there - definitely need to get back to consistent hill work.  Chilly in the mid 20s but I dressed appropriately for once and really enjoyed this one.

Saturday - 0 miles

6 minutes of planks (longest - 3:10)

Sunday - West Greenwich, RI - 16.1 miles

Ran mostly dirt roads along the New London Turnpike.  Started on the west side of Big River and took the turnpike out of the management area and south.  A few pavement sections but otherwise all dirt.  I veered off onto another dirt road towards the end and turned around at the 8 mile mark.  It was mostly downhill on the way back so I was able to pick up the pace a bit.  Good long run.

Weekly Mileage: 42.7 miles
Year to Date: 201.6 miles