Trail Running in Arcadia

I am slowly getting my mileage back up after knee surgery in April.  Knee is starting to feel better after these runs.

Pachaug/Nehantic 27 Mile Loop and Border Patrol Wrap-Up

I saved the longest Border Patrol for last with the 27 mile Pachaug/Nehantic loop.  Just barely an ultramarathon but for some reason I thought it was 30 milers.  Took my time, took lots of footage and just tried to enjoy a vacation day in the woods.  All the other Border Patrols over the past couple weeks weighed heavily on my legs however and I felt this one early on.  

Happy to manage to get all 19 of the courses done and it was good enough for 5th male overall.  I'll take it!  Truly this was a fun event that kept me busy this winter and now I'm looking towards more trail adventures as the weather warms.  I have one race on the schedule - Bubba's Backyard Ultra in the fall.  I'm looking forward to returning to this race.  Let's see if I can go more than 14 laps this time!

Week 6: 2.5.17 - 2.11.17

Monday - 0 miles

Erm, my lower left outer leg has some pain today.  I'm guessing from yesterday's long run.  Decided to rest today.

Tuesday - West Greenwich, RI - 3 miles

More discomfort from the other leg.  Janky right ankle isn't doing too bad these days (though I still aggravate from time to time).  Annoyed to take another zero but it didn't feel that bad towards the end of the day and with some time to kill before picking up Ezri I opted to run some dark dirt roads in Big River.  Headlamp was necessary off the bat and there were some sneaky ice patches hidden under a very light layer of new snow.  Always a little freaky running here in the dark but no real leg issues.

Wednesday - Pawtucket, RI - 7 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)
A late morning snowstorm dropped probably 3/4" of snow up in Providence.  I went to lunch a little to run along the 10 Mile River bikepath.  Only a few hearty souls out but it was a joy to run in the storm.  Both lower legs didn't feel too bad.  Made it back to the car just before it turned to rain/sleet.  A few hours later the beautiful snow had been turned into a slushy mess.

Thursday - Charlestown, RI - 8.5 miles

Working from home today so I got two runs in - five miles in DuVal in the morning and 3.5 in Carter Preserve in the afternoon.  Repeated some of the DuVal hills to maximize elevation at 900 feet and took it easy in Carter.  Lower legs feeling it this evening!

Friday - Smithfield, RI - 6 miles

Got out of the house early and went up to Wolf Hill for hill repeats on the Mary Mowry trail.  Wolf Hill was surprisingly icy - a reminder of how different conditions can be in the NW corner of RI.  Thankfully Mary Mowry wasn't too bad.  I went up six times, power hiking the first half and jogging the second.  A good workout and I only nearly wiped out twice.

Saturday - 0 miles

No running today but I did take some footage of the Old Mountain 5k.  Hopefully it will be ready soon.

In the late afternoon Ezri and I went to Rock Spot for some climbing.  She's an old pro at this by now but I've actually never been.  I went up one of the tall ones first which was a mistake - I'm afraid of heights and once I saw how high I climbed I freaked out a little.  After that we stuck to the shorter climbs on the second level.

Sunday - Exeter, RI - 12 miles

I woke up at 5 AM for my long run and almost bailed because who wants to run in the cold rain.  Glad I didn't because it turned out not to be so bad.  Went over to Arcadia and stuck mostly to dirt roads.  I figured they'd be in good condition but I was wrong.  Most of them were muddy messes - it was like running in sand!  It was worth it to get to the Ben Utter trail and Stepstone Falls - the water was as good as I've ever seen it with all the rain.  Glad I didn't bail and it ended up being a solid end to the week.

Weekly Mileage: 38  miles / YTD: 125.4 miles

Time on Feet: 6h 21m / YTD: 26h 54 m

Elevation: 4,358 feet / 17,767 feet

Week 5: 1.29.18 - 2.4.18

Monday - 0 miles

Tuesday - 0 miles

Wednesday - Seekonk, MA - 4.8 miles

A nice layer of snow on the ground after yesterday.  I brought my snowshoes with me to work but it would have been overkill.  Instead I just wore the Speedcross which were perfect.  Great run in the woods at the Caratunk Preserve and with the snow/bare trees I discovered a little shack in the woods near the trail.  I was a little afraid of getting a face full of shot from a grizzled hermit but the shack was empty.  In fact there was a little log welcoming visitors to this wonderful little shack.  It even had a old wood stove.

Thursday - Providence, RI - 6 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)

Actually did a workout in the morning which needs to become a routine.  It's February now - let's get it!  At lunch I went over to College Hill and ran some repeats up Jenckes Rd.  It's a steep climb and wore me out.  Sidewalks were mostly bare with some slushy spots.  Felt like a good workout with about 1100 feet of climbing.

Friday - Exeter, RI - 9 miles

Light snow/rain mix this morning and I headed out early to run in Arcadia.  Good snow base that was perfect for the Speedcross.  A few bare sections, a few wet sections but most trails had a minor amount of snow cover.  Couple sections up high had as much as 3 inches.  Solid run incorporating the Breakheart and Shelter trails.  Another 1000 feet of climbing.

Saturday - 0 miles

Sunday - Charlestown, RI - 12 miles

Happy birthday to my girl Ezri.  9 years old!  We had much to do before her party so in order to get a run in without too much wife aggro I woke up at five and got to Burlingame for a 5:40 start.  First hour was in the dark with my headlamp and I was disappointed that the snow had receded so much already.  Did a couple loops on Burlingame North and it was finally light enough to turn off the light midway through the second lap.  A good couple hours of trails.  After a kids party I was pretty beat and happy to be back home for the second half of the football game.

Weekly Mileage: 31.8 miles / YTD: 87.4 miles

Time on Feet: 5h 35m / YTD: 20h 33m

Elevation: 3,648 feet / YTD: 13, 409 feet

Weekly Log: 1.16.17 - 1.22.17

Monday - South Kingstown, RI - 7 miles

3 minutes of planks (longest: 1:35)

Cold morning with a little bit of snow still on the ground.  I went over to DuVal for some easy trail miles.  My legs have felt beat last night from 15 miles in Big River but they felt better today.  Two miles in I tripped on a tiny tree stump and got laid out.  Smashed my big toe, scrapped both knees and an elbow.  Tore my tights and strained my shoulder.  After a minute I was up and running again but I was feeling it for the rest of the run.  Finished with 7 miles but the trails done beat me up good.

Tuesday - 0 miles

Definitely needed a rest day to lick my wounds from yesterday.  Also first day this year I didn't plank.  I was trying to keep up with the Facebook plank challenge but I think days off will only help me.

Wednesday - East Providence, RI - 7.1 miles

6 minutes of planks (longest: 3:10)

Cold and drizzly outside.  My knees aren't as sore today and my shoulder pain has subsided.  Time to get back out there.  I did a loop I often run though I went in reverse this time.  It encompasses the trails behind the Seekonk Library and the Ten Mile River bikepath.  It's a fine lunch loop and the weather actually was pretty good for running.

Thursday - Seekonk, MA - 7 miles

6 minutes of planks (longest: 3:21)

Mid 40s today and I was feeling frisky so I went to the Seekonk High School for a track workout.  I went with 8 x 400s.  Went pretty well - most were in the 88-86 second range but my last one was at 81 seconds.  Perhaps I should have pushed them faster but they felt hard enough over all.  Looking back over some past logs, I had actually been running them a few years ago at the 78-82 range.  Whoa!  I have some work cut out if I want to hit those numbers again.  Right knee was pretty sore during the cooldown - I'm going to attribute that to my digger on Monday.

Friday - Charlestown, RI - 8.8 miles

So I broke the bathtub last night.  I tried to switch the faucet and made it worse.  Much worse.  BUT that meant I had to stay home today to wait ont he plumber.  Hooray!  So I went for an early run at the Carter Preserve.  Some major mud at the powerline section.  My thoughts often turned to today's inauguration misery.  What a fucking world we find ourselves in.  Oh well, nothing to do but run on!

Saturday - 0 miles

5 minutes of planks (longest: 2:38)

Sunday - Exeter/North Kingstown, RI - 14.5 miles

12 easy morning miles in Arcadia with Muddy.  Despite chilled hands at the beginning it quickly warmed up and was nearly 50 degrees by midday.  Ran just long enough for me to justify calling this a long run.  Met my mom and Ezri at Rome Point.  They were already at the end so I ran down to where they were watching the seals and we walked back. 

Weekly Mileage: 43 miles
Year to Date: 122 miles

Impromptu 50k - Arcadia Edition

I had last week sorta off from work (I was at home and sent a bunch of emails but I didn't have to go up to the office).  It occurred to me that this would be a great opportunity to put in a truly long run.  And that I mean a distance of at least 50k.  It's something I've thought about for a while but injuries got in the way and it would have taken up an entire day on the weekend which would have been tough from a family perspective.  I hadn't run an ultra since November 2015 and it felt like this would be good training for long adventures in 2017.

So I planned it out.  Wednesday would have been the better day temp wise (in the 40s) but other obligations got in the way so I went with Thursday. The temp would be in the 20s with a potentially frigid wind gusts as well.  An out and back seemed a waste of the effort - surely 31 miles demanded a loop of some sort.  I mapped out a bunch of variations, some using the beaches and Wakefield and others venturing more towards the Arcadia/Hope Valley area.  Ultimately I decided that running from my house would have involved a lot of dull miles I was already sick of running.  To that end I made my decision to park near the Richmond dump and head into Arcadia via the North/South trail.  I would follow the N/S all the way through Arcadia and then take roads back to the car in a long meandering loop.

I went with cold compression gear and my running vest.  I also carried my 24 oz handheld and refilled it from the two bottles on my vest.  This worked well.  Food wise I didn't have gels so I just grabbed some granola bars and snickers.  I threw an extra pair of gloves in the pack as well as some socks, into which I stuff my phone.  I hoped it would keep the phone warm enough to avoid shutting down (nope).

As I got out of my car heavy snow flurries began which were quite magical.  It quickly covered the trail and was a nice intro to the run.  By the time I crossed under Route 95 and entered Arcadia proper the flurries had ended and the trail was nearly snow free.  The 13 miles of the North/South trail went quickly and the woods helped keep the wind at bay.  I wasn't cold and I enjoyed connecting the North and South sections of Arcadia in one long stretch.  Indeed an impressive course could have been made just amongst the Arcadia trails but I had decided that trying to run all 31 miles on trails would have been too exhausting and time consuming.

Finally I reached Hazard Road and the end of my trails.  I had intended to take the Shetucket Turnpike, which looked like an unmaintained stretch of dirt road/trail that eventually gave way to old pavement.  But I went left instead right and ended up heading down Escoheag Hill Road.  I knew I missed it but at that point I just went with it and made my way towards Beach Pond.  I wanted to use the map on my phone but as soon as I pulled it out of my pack it died.  I wasn't familiar with this area but I could see the pond in the distance and a combination of roads and trails got me to Route 165 soon enough.

I took this picture after finishing the trail section.  Just
as well as the phone died from the cold soon after.

Now I had to look forward to a long stretch of busy road. In retrospect if I did more planning and had more familiarity with the area I would have chosen a different route.  The next seven miles were comprised of two main roads, Routes 165 and 138.  At the time it was an easy way to add miles and avoid getting lost.  However the roads were very exposed to the wind which began to increase in gusts.  This was especially true as I passed Beach Pond.  I was running against the wind on Route 165 and my hands were beginning to chill. I knew of some side roads that would have gotten me to 138 sooner but I didn't want to "cut the course" as I already wasn't even sure if my route was going to hit 31 mile, an admittedly arbitrary goal.

After seemingly forever I reached Route 138 and soon made a detour into the woods to reassess.  I ate the last of my snickers as they were beginning to harden up and were tough to chew as it was.  The nipple on my water bottle was frozen so from this point I had to unscrew it to get a drink.  I donned my second pair of gloves and got back on the road as standing still wasn't doing me any favors.  One good thing was that with my compression top I hadn't had any of the chaffing issues on my neck/chest that I've previously experienced with the vest.  And being able to carry so much in my little pack turned out to be crucial.

I was 20 miles in and beginning to tire.  Luckily much of Route 138 was downhill.  I pushed the pace as best I could in order to generate some body heat.  This seemed to work and I was able to keep the chill at bay.  Finally after four miles of slogging down 138 I turned off onto the dirt Grassy Pond Road.  Here I encountered a hill that made me walk briefly for the first time.  After that I came upon a long flat stretch of dirt road along farmland which was welcome.  The dirt road gave way to pavement and I continued to shuffle my way down the country roads, not entirely sure where I was but with a general sense that it would lead me back to Hope Valley.

And so it did.  I shambled into "downtown" Hope Valley with 29 miles under my belt.  Had I arrived with less I would not have cared a whit about hitting 31 for the day.  The last two were unpleasant and the urge to walk was too great to resist, especially on the very last mile which found me utterly spent.  But of course I had to run past my car to ensure that my watch ticked off 31 miles for the day.

Overall a great success.  I managed a decent pace for much of the run which is very encouraging.  The first half of the run through Arcadia was obviously much more enjoyable.  I grow less and less fond of running on roads especially when I have to deal with wind and cold.  If/when I do something like this again, it'll be comprised of much more trail.  The following day my knees hurt dreadfully going down stairs but the day after that the pain was completely gone.  Very pleased with my recovery from this jaunt and looking forward to 2017!

A good day.  Don't let the time fool you - it was about 5 hours and change
with breaks.

Weekly Log: 8.29.16 - 9.4.16

Monday - Charlestown, RI - 7 miles

Back to work and dealing with a mountain of shit in the form of emails but at least I'm working from home today.  Another heater but after walking the dog in the AM I ventured out at noon for a trail/road mix.  Started from the Browning Woods parking lot and rolled my ankle pretty bad about a 1/2 mile in.  It felt fine soon after though.  After taking the Heart trail to the sand dunes I kept to the ATV trails until I ran out of real estate and bounced over to Sand Plain Trail.  The dirt road now intersects with the development which is pretty big.  All hail progress I guess.

Tuesday - 0 miles

208 push-ups (standard/military/wide) 30/20/25/25/13/35/30/10/20

My cross training has been all over the place this last month but after many months of completely abandoning it I'm on track.  Been a while since I did a straight push-up session and it was tiring.

The ankle was really sore from rolling it yesterday.  I'm not too concerned but I'll probably stick to roads for a few days to make sure I don't roll it again.

Wednesday - East Providence, RI - 8.5 miles

I went over to the East Bay bike path to test out the ankle on a flat surface.  Running was no issue which was good to see.  I threw in a couple climbs but mostly stuck to the bike path.  Good run and I'm glad the ankle wasn't an issue.

Thursday - Providence, RI - 6 miles

180 push-ups (standard/wide/diamond) 20/30/15/30/30/10/25/20

It was pouring rain at lunchtime which was fine by me.  Better that than oppressive heat.  I did an easy six mile jaunt over to the East Side and back.  It smelled like sewage along the coast.  Lovely.

Friday - Exeter, RI - 9 miles

Left the house early with plenty of time to run and I wanted to get a decent hill workout in.  Went over to Cuttyhunk to find the parking lot blocked by giant rocks.  What's up with that?  Parked next to the road and ran the Cuttyhunk trails over to the dirt roads of Fisherville.  I ran back and forth on the two big climbs three times which made for a good amount of elevation.  This wasn't a bad run - it was still fairly cool.  It would have been miserable in the heat.  Happy with the amount of climbing I got in (approx 1200' according to Strava).

Saturday - Charlestown, RI - 2 miles

I took the dog for a stroll on nearby streets.  Does this count for mileage?  You're damn right it does!

Sunday - Exeter, RI - 15.5 miles

As with last week, I returned to Arcadia for my week's long run.  The network of trails is vast and they have some sustained climbs which is what I was looking for.  On this run I made a real effort to opt for trails I've not run before.  Took my time and as a result I didn't get over to the Breakheart Pond until 6 miles in.  Learned of some good trails/double track in the meantime though.  Once on the Breakheart Hill trail I opted for a different trail after crossing over a bridge.  This trail was great - it ran all the way to Austin Farm Road and was a fun mix of pine forest and rocky technical stuff.  After that I took Plains Road for an elevation grab and then took trails back towards the car.  Once again the parking lot was filled with mountain bikers about to head out.  Overall a very positive run and I'm feeling pretty good about the Kismet Cliff Climb.

Weekly Mileage: 48 miles
Year to Date: 792.4 miles

Weekly Log: 3.2.8.16 - 4.3.16

I'm feeling pretty good about where I am fitness wise.  My stress fracture is healing nicely and while I'm not going crazy with the exercise I am keeping busy enough to not feel like a lump.  A couple more weeks of not running and then I'll be able to pick it up again, however sporadically.

Monday - 0 miles

8:07 of planks (Elbow - 4:04 / Straight left arm - 1:05 / Straight right arm - 1:23 / Straight arm - 1:35)

BOOM!  New plank PR of 4:04!  It's such a mental thing.  We've bumped up to 8 minutes of straight planking this week and I have a feeling it's gonna be tough.  At lunchtime, a good Yoga session to start the week off right.

Tuesday - East Providence, RI - 2.6 miles

8:07 of planks (Elbow - 3:05 / Straight left arm - 1:02 / Straight right arm - 1:29 / Straight arm - 1:52)

Ooh, it's tough to get to 8 minutes of planking in just my four standard moves.  I was hurting by the end of the straight arm but I got it done.  At lunchtime it was very windy and surprisingly chilly outside.  The walk did me good though.

Wednesday - East Providence, RI - 2.7 miles

190 push-ups (standard/military/wide) 30/30/40/35/25/30

Feeling crappy this morning with a sore throat so I abandoned the planking and went with push-ups at the office.  Felt pretty good even though it's been a while.  Then I went out to the East Bay bike path for a nice walk.

Thursday - Seekonk, MA - 2.2 miles

8:05 of planks (Elbow - 3:21 / Straight left arm - 1:22 / Straight right arm - 1:34 / Straight arm - 1:48)

More planking torture.  I had to stretch the time on the side arms to give myself a chance at doing it in four moves.  It's going to be rough when the time keeps going up.  At lunch I went for a crazy windy hike in Caratunk.  It was a beautiful day but the wind was definitely intense at times.  Plenty of downed trees on the trails.

Friday - 0 miles

8:03 of planks (Elbow - 2:50 / Straight left arm - 1:23 / Straight right arm - 1:29 / Straight arm - 1:39)

Finished off the work week with another round of lunch yoga.

Saturday - 0 miles

Sunday - Exeter, RI - 7 miles

Crazy weather with fat snow flakes in the morning followed by sun followed by more snow and then more sun.  I went for a long two hour hike in Arcadia in midday.  There was enough snow to be lovely but it was colder than I anticipated.  Luckily I brought some cold weather gear which made the hike enjoyable.

Weekly Mileage: 14.7 miles
Year to Date: 154.6 miles

Weekly Log: 9.28.15 - 10.4.15

Things are in flux.  In my life and in running.  I have a feeling this will be a lower mileage week as my legs have been feeling it.  A rest is probably needed.  I'm still considering the 6 Hour Ultra in November but I'll probably wait until the last minute to decide.

Monday - 0 miles

After yesterday's blah long run it was easy to shirk off any running today.

Tuesday - West Greenwich, RI - 7 miles

175 push-ups (standard/diamond/wide) 30/20/35/30/20/40

RunningWarehouse had some trail Hoka's on sale and I was in need of some trail shoes so I pulled the trigger.  This was the maiden run - the cushioning is definitely nice and helps on the downhills.  I went to Big River, parking at Hopkins Hill lot but heading west towards the quarry.  I was surprised that I found the Secret Lookout with no problems.  Then I took Elephant and the Azalea trail over by the hunting club before heading back towards the car.  I liked the shoes but they had a tendency to roll on me, I'm guessing due not being used to the extra cushioning.  I had one bad roll which was frustrating as this ankle just can't heal up.  I need to put that ankle brace on for any trail run now.

Wednesday - Cranston, RI - 4 miles

After stopping at REI in Cranston I had the idea to check out some trails I have long thought about.  There are trails along the "canyon" of I-295 and I knew there was a path underneath the highway to reach them.  I parked at a middle school and was dismayed to hear a shitload of gunfire coming from the hill I had planned to climb.  Turns out the Cranston Police Academy was next door.  After a brief road section where I considered my options, I found a trail than ran alongside the hill opposite the Po-Po.   This was a fun little climb and it eventually led to a two lane road.  At first I thought this was 295 but then realized I was off-course.  I ventured on and discovered some trails that appeared to be part of a camp.  It was already getting late so I retreated to the car.  After I uploaded the run I realized where I went wrong.  Another time.

Thursday - Exeter, RI - 7.5 miles

Early morning run in Arcadia.  It was a crisp fall morning - perfect!  I stuck to dirt roads for the bulk of it and then took the trail around Breakheart Pond and went back towards the car via the J B Hudson Trail.  I wore the ankle brace yesterday and today which seemed to help, though it was hard getting it into the Hokas.  A fun run and I really liked running in the Hokas again.  The only problem was the calf soreness which is still creeping up towards the end of these runs.

Friday - 0 miles

Saturday - 0 miles

Sunday - Smithfield, RI - 3.5 miles

In an effort to give my legs a chance to rest I took a couple days off.  Today instead of running I decided to take Ezri for a hike.  Originally I wanted to hit up Wachusett Mountain but that didn't pan out.  Wolf Hill in Smithfield was an excellent substitute.  We hit up most of the points of interest on this one and had a good time.  I wore a 30 lb backpack in preparation for a White Mountain excursion next week.  Okay so this wasn't technically a run but from now I'm considering hiking as a perfectly acceptable "time on feet" alternative that gets added to the weekly mileage.

Weekly Mileage 22 miles
Year to Date: 1,501.6 miles

Weekly Log: 5.25.15 - 5.31.15

May is wrapping up already and I finally have a race goal on the horizon as I've a kickass group of runners doing the Ragnar Trail relay in northern Mass at the end of June.  Now to keep the running momentum going.

Monday - Exeter, RI - 11.1 miles

It's Memorial Day and I joined Bob Jackman, Jeff and Garvin for an early run in Arcadia.  My pinky toe has been having blister problems but wrapping it this morning seemed to help.  However the outside of my left foot was sore this morning which was a new hurt.  It continued through the whole run.  The run itself was enjoyable.  We made our way up to the Step Stone Falls and continued along the North-South trail further on a section I had never explored before.  There were some definite mud/water hazards on this sections.  Jeff went splashing through as usual and one proved deeper than he suspected - he went down and was almost submerged.  A little while later we found ourselves on a road above the trail we needed to get to.  Bob suggested (jokingly) that we could bushwack our way down and the next thing you know Jeff is leading the charge down the steep hill.  The Gazelle would not be stopped on this run!

Tuesday - 0 miles

That outside foot pain is very sore today.  It doesn't feel right.  I'm worried it might be a stress fracture.  Definitely not running today.

Wednesday - Providence, RI - 6 miles

Foot feels much better today.  A little lingering soreness once in a while but I decided to try a run.  Not much pep and it was pretty hot outside so I did some an easy road/trail mix on the East Side along the river.  Pretty blah run but the foot had no pain so I'm happy.   My Garmin Forerunner 305 was unable to load the road afterwards.

Thursday - Seekonk, MA - 5 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)

So I think the  ol' Forerunner is finally toast.  Yesterday it couldn't load up runs and today it won't even turn on.  A sad day for myself.  And America as well.  Today I ran the dirt roads I recently discovered near Caratunk.  It's a fun mix of singletrack and wide dirt roads and I found there's a nice little trail that circles a small pond.  However I had my first run in with deer flies of the season.  Noooo!

Friday - Seekonk, MA - 9.5 miles

190 push-ups (standard/military/decline/wide) 30/20/20/30/25/20/20/25

With no magical spacewatch, I plotted out a route in advance on the country roads of Seekonk.  Another hot day but fortunately much of the run was cloudy.  The last time I was here the roads were icy and the shoulders snow covered.  Much easier running now but the deer flies found me along the most heavily wooded sections.  That damn pinky toe blister began to make itself know by the halfway point even though I wrapped it up.  Satisfying mid-distance run otherwise.

Saturday - Charlestown, RI - 3.1 miles

Ezri and I ran the Charlestown Fit 5k at Ninigret put on by Charlestown Elementary.  Jonny was working hard at the registration table.  Ezri and I had done a couple training runs but I wasn't sure she's go the distance, especially since the course was three loops on the bike track.  Thanksfully there was a serious fog blanket over Ninigret which made for cool running.  Ezri ran the first mile in just under 10 minutes and then the walking breaks began.  She didn't like me running alongside her so I lagged a bit behind.  Eventually she fell in with a couple older girls and the three of them walked/ran the last miles.  She finished in just under 40 minutes.  She did a great job and got 1st place for kindergarten!

Sunday - Charlestown, RI - 14 miles

No motivation to get up early and run - Amanda took the dog out and then cajoled me into getting out there before the rain came.  Humid but cloudy morning and once I got going I perked up.  I took the Narragansett trail over towards the Carter Preserve.  I jump into the Preserve briefly to take the Red and Connector trails up to Charlestown Elementary.  Then I headed towards Shannock village before taking roads to the top of Shannock hill.  Such a brutal climb.  And with no spacewatch I missed out on stats for the Strava elevation challenge!  Such is life.  From the hill I took a pretty direct path back to the house and then calculated the mileage.  A good run - the pinky toe blister wasn't an issue though my legs were beat by the end.  The rain never ended up reaching us but I thank Amanda for getting me out the door.

Weekly Mileage: 48.7 miles

Year to Date: 738.8 miles

Another good week of running to cap May.  I ended up tying second best monthly total mileage ever with 203 miles.  Good stuff!

Weekly Log: 5.18.15 - 5.24.15

Monday - East Providence, RI - 7 miles

I decided to park a little further down south from the East Bay bike path and explore some side roads of Riverside, a town within EP.  There was a large tract of forest on the map and I hoped I could find a way in to some tasty trails.  I parked on a busy road and made my way towards the woods, only to be thwarted at every turn.  The land belongs to some kind of oil refinery or something.  They have a private road that leads from the water to their compound.

There appeared no way in so I ventured off and found a little pond with a trail around most of it.  That was nice but I was not satisfied.  I continued on and came upon the fenced off forest again.  Such a waste!  Soon I smelled garbage - ah yes, the dump was on the other side of the road.  There was nothing for me in this blasted town.  Just as I was about to turn around I discovered a side street with a big sand pit.  There were a few short trails in the woods here but it was a pittance.  I made my way back to the car, my legs feeling the effect of 16 miles the day prior.

Tuesday - 0 miles

Tired legs and I went out to lunch with my coworkers so there would be no run today.  Tasty Indian food though.

Wednesday - Charlestown/Providence, RI - 12.5 miles

Amanda asked me to walk the dog in the morning and I did so grudgingly - legs still didn't have much pep and my calves were sore.  But by lunchtime my legs felt better and I set out to see if the Linear Park alongside 195 was now open.  I couldn't tell if it was and continued on and made a big Providence loop, running past Davol Square before going up and down College Hill several times (I grabbed a segment on a tough climb that I happened upon last week.)  Those hills wore me out but this was a satisfying run.

Thursday - East Providence, RI - 5.2 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)

It has been quite a while since I've done any P90X workouts, including the short but effective Ab Ripper X.  Today I finally put it up on the laptop and went back into the basement to give it a whirl.  It was rough.  I think I got through all the reps of maybe three of the exercises.  A humbling experience but I hope to keep it up and get back into the rhythm of it.

Man, my calves have been sore all week when I wake in the morning.  They improve through the day though.  Today was an easy short trail run.  I went to the Ten Mile Bike Path and stuck to pretty much just trails on either side of the path.  Tired legs and it took me several runs to realize that the rain sound I was hearing in the woods was caterpillar poop.  For the last week the little wormy buggers have been hanging from trees and I've been picking dozens of 'em off me after every run.  Still it's better than the flies that will soon be upon us.

Friday - West Greenwich, RI - 9.2 miles

185 push-ups (standard/wide/decline) 25/30/25/25/30/20/30

I was let out of work early thanks to my boss and the long weekend so I went to Arcadia since I rarely go there.  I planned at the J B Hudson lot and planned a loop up around the Breakheart trail, taking the Shelter trail back to my car.  I had to pick Ezri up from school so time was a bit of an issue.  It seems everytime I'm in Arcardia there's a time crunch.  Luckily I ended up finished with about 15 minutes to spare.  The run started off slow but my legs woke up and I ended up moving well.  These are great trails and I was happy to start off Memorial Day weekend with this run.

Saturday - 0 miles

I was hobbling like an old man today - I think a delayed DOM/overuse result of the Ab Ripper.  Sitting down was fine but standing up was tough.

Sunday - Charlestown, RI - 8.4 miles

I went over to Carter Preserve for a morning run.  I took the power trail right away which provides some really beautiful views.  I kept going along the powerlines past the Preserve boundary until it hits pavement.  Then I checked out some nearby clear cut trails.  They eventually wound me around back towards the pavement and I found an old dirt road, now long overgrown with shrubs and fallen trees.  I kept going and eventually came upon more Preserve signs.  Strange.  The "trail" curved around and eventually came out at the dirt road of the two houses alongside the Preserve parking lot.    That took about 2.5 miles.  Now back at the car I did a standard Carter loop, hitting the powerlines again, the grasslands and the various trails in the woods.  Good run!

Weekly Log: 42.4 miles
Year to Date: 690.1 miles

Good week of running and I was glad to get in a good amount of trail miles!  Ab Ripper did a number of me by Saturday but by Sunday I was feeling much better.  I'll take some time before I can get back to it regularly.

Weekly Log: 9.15.14-9.21.14

And now begins three weeks of high mileage and hard training.  Suddenly it feels like fall and suddenly I feel completely unprepared for the Bimbler's Bluff 50k which is only five weeks away.  No point in worrying about it now.  I'm going to try to run as much as I can up until the NipMuck Marathon on the 7th and then I'll take my foot off the gas and coast all the way to Bimbler's.  Here we go!

Monday - Providence, RI - 5 miles

I had been meaning to incorporate some hill repeats over one of the College Hill roads for a while but I knew it meant driving closer to the hill in order to fit it in at lunch.  The east side of Providence is a goddamn mess with construction that's been going on for months - you never know which road will be ripped up and shut down.  Anyway, I finally drove over there and after a mile warm-up I reached Jenckes Road which has a pretty gnarly hill and a popular Strava segment.  I didn't think I had a shot at the segment so instead I just focused on honest efforts on this tough hill.  I had intended to do five but threw in one extra.  The first couple weren't bad but the 4th and 5th hurt.  I ended up 7th out of 37 for the Strava segment - there's definitely room for improvement there.

Tuesday - East Providence, RI - 7.5 miles

37 pull-ups w/ assists (4/3, 6, 6, 5/2, 7, 5/3, 4/4)
Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)

Big improvement with the pull-ups this morning - I tried to do them quicker which helped keep me from tiring.  The tricky part was avoiding too much momentum in my legs which pushed them closer to kipping pull-ups.  I didn't bother with assisted pull-ups for some of the sets since I was getting in so many real pull-ups.  Good stuff.

At lunch, I hit the roads with a vague idea of the area I wanted to explore.  Legs felt good and the pace was just over 7 minute miles.  Mostly I just ran through a bunch of East Providence neighborhoods, stopping briefly at a gas station to pick up a cliff bar.  Very positive run for me and an indication that Crutch and Greg were right a few weeks ago when they blamed the heat/humidity for bringing me down.  Upon review on Strava I learned there's a new mile segment near the office on a fast stretch of road.  I placed 5th.  This will not stand.

Wednesday - East Providence, RI - 5 miles

I wanted to run trails so I went over to the 10 Mile River Bike Path, intent on avoiding the path and only running trails if possible.  No issue with that, there's enough trails that run along and near the bike path to make it possible to reach Slater Park while barely touching pavement.

Thursday - 0 miles

220 push-ups (standard/military/wide) 40/30/40/40/30/40

Boss decided to buy us lunch to celebrate a colleague's birthday.  I can't say no to mexican so it looks like today'll be a zero.  I'm going to try to cram a shitload of miles into the next two days to see if I can hit 50 and take Sunday off.

Friday - Charlestown, RI/Seekonk, MA/Providence, RI - 18.7 miles

48 pull-ups (standard/chin-up) 6/8/5/8/6/9 - No assists!

Early morning dog jog in the dark.  Oliver wanted to stop and pee a lot.  Headlamp kept crapping out on me.  Otherwise fine.  Stretched it a little further since today's a big running day - 3.5 miles.

At lunch time, four easy miles in Caratunk Preserve.  Saw several couples wandering the trails, including a couple ladies deep in the swampy section.  You normally don't see any other folks back there.

After work I planned out a longer loop that took me through the East Side of Providence, up into Pawtucket and then back down into East Providence.  I had my eye on a couple segments.  The running path along Blackstone Blvd has several and while the top times were out of reach I still put in a hard effort on the path which netted me 7th out of 248 on a 1.6 mile segment.  Then I ventured over to the Riverside Cemetery and put in another hard effort on the nearly mile loop around the perimeter.  The cemetery dropped down towards the water which made the second half incline painful.

After that I was winded but kept the pace in the low 7s as I entered Pawtucket.  After I crossed the river and made my way back into East Providence I picked up the pace a bit.  I saw that my average pace was under 7 minutes and wanted to keep it that way.  I explored the roads on another cemetery before completing the run on familiar roads.  Fun run and the hard segments and overall snappy pace resulted in a great workout.

Saturday - Arcadia, Exeter, RI - 19.1 miles

Met up with Muddy at the Ranger Station at 6 AM to explore the trails of south Arcadia.  After 18+ miles yesterday and 5 hours of sleep I was just hoping to hang on and get through the whole 2.5 hour  run.  It was still pretty dark when we set out and as soon as we entered the woods the sighting was tricky.  I nearly bit it on a rocky section but stayed vertical.  After 15 minutes or so the visibility improved and we stayed on the North-South trail for a while, enjoying the rocky boulder section.  We explored a side trail that ran along Route 95 before returning the North-South/Yellow trail.  Then we took the long wooden walkway to the Browning Mill Pond Loop.  This was a fun loop - I had never been to this great little spot and will definitely need to bring the girls.

We returned to the Yellow trail and took it up to Route 165.  We were 1.5 hours in and I was still feeling pretty good.  But for how long?  We decided to set out on the Mt. Tom Trail and then take roads back down to the cars.  We followed the Mt. Tom Trail to where it crosses Route 165 and then took 165 back to Mt. Tom Road until we hit Blitzkrieg Trail (really a dirt road.)  We were at 15 miles and I was tired.  The next three miles of dirt road were at a sub 8 minute pace but I was ready to be done - my quads and hamstrings seemed prepared to revolt at any moment.  The last mile was Arcadia Road pavement but exhausting.  I was so glad to see the Smokey the Bear sign and our cars.  Fun run with great conversation though the last few miles were a grind.

Sunday - 0 miles

Calves are very tight after yesterday's long journey.  No running today for sure.  We went to see the Black Keys up at the Boston Garden.  Good show but getting home at 1:30 AM on a Sunday night is no bueno.

Weekly Mileage: 55.4 miles

Year to Date:  1,429.9 miles

Good week although cramming in 38 miles over two days really wore me out.  We'll see if I can keep it going for another week!

Weekly Log: 9.1.14 - 9.7.14

Another month is upon us!  Summer unofficially comes to an end but it sure doesn't feel like it.  I'm aiming for 50 miles this week but my legs are feeling the last few weeks of miles.  We'll see how this week goes.

Monday - Charlestown, RI - 3.5 miles

Happy Labor Day!  Soooo humid out and my legs are toast from yesterday's 15 miles.  With the day off I felt like I should run but I was content to take a zero.  But in the afternoon Oliver needed a walk so we set out at a very easy pace.  The sun was behind the trees for most of the run which helped but I still returned a sweaty mess.

Tuesday - East Providence, RI - 5 miles

Today it wasn't the humidity so much as the brutal heat.  It was pushing 90 degrees up at work and my desire to run was at an all time low.  Calves and hamstrings were feeling tight and I was feeling uninspired.  I dragged myself out there at lunch time and ran nearby roads without any plan, taking breaks in the shade when I felt like it.

Wednesday - East Providence, RI - 5.9 miles

26 pull-ups w/ assists (standard/chin-up/close grip) 3/4, 4/4, 4/3, 3/3, 5/3, 4/3, 3/3

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)

Temperature and humidity both dropped some today to make running not so much of a chore but I still had little oomph to get out there.  I went to the Ten Mile River bikepath, thinking I'd do a tempo run but as soon as I left my car my sluggish legs told me that wasn't going to happen.  Instead I ducked into the woods and hit the trails that run along the bikepath.  I stopped at various smalls ponds to look at fish.  Maybe I'll just stare at these fish and then go back to the car, I thought.  Eventually I kept running and once I got to Slater Park I explored some new trails and perked up a bit.  My lunch run was now in danger of going over so I hoofed it back to the car and was pleased that my legs responded somewhat to the increased pace.

Thursday - Exeter, RI - 7.5 miles

225 push-ups (standard/military/wide/decline) 40/25/35/30/30/25/40

After work I went to run in Arcadia, a place I always want to visit but it's just enough of the way to be a hassle to get to.  As usual I parked at the J B Hudson trailhead and was pleased to see that with the recent road work on Route 165 they also took time to improve the entrance to this parking lot which had a pretty gnarly drop-off.    It had been 90 at lunchtime up in Providence but down here in the woods the temp and humidity was reasonable.  I was only running for an hour so after a few miles of true trails up and around Breakheart Pond, I stuck to the dirt roads for the rest of the run.  Lots of new trail signs throughout Arcadia which was good to see.  They'll definitely make my next long run here a little less confusing - which will happen soon I hope!

Friday - Charlestown/East Providence - 6.8 miles

In the early morning I jogged the dog for 3 miles.  It's been a while since I assumed the pre-work dog jog duties and I had the don the old headlamp for the first time in months.  The weather might be warm but the darkness will not be denied!

At work I put off my lunch run, partly because I wasn't that jazzed about it and partly because I was trying to get some stuff done.  Dreams of track were vanished long before I finally set out the door and when I stepped out of the office at 2:30 I was feeling pretty lifeless.  After about a mile and a half my achilles began to ache and I opted to just head back to the office.

It was a pretty depressing run and I'm wondering if I'm suffering from the effects of overtraining.  I feel like a lot of my blog posts comment on tired legs and during my runs I'm often finding myself stopping and resting momentarily before continuing on.  I had planned a long trail run on Sunday in an attempt to bag 50 miles for the week but now I'm considering easing off the running altogether, training be damned.  While I haven't followed a lot of Daniel's training, one thing that stuck out to be was his caution to avoid setbacks and one possible setback he mentions is a lack of interest in running.  I feel like I'm the verge of that.

Saturday - 0 miles

Sunday - Burlingame, Charlestown, RI - 17 miles

My negative attitude from Friday passed quickly once the weekend set in and by Sunday morning I was looking forward to my long run.  Parked at Watchaug Pond with the intent of running for two and a half hours.  My goal of 50 miles this week wasn't going to happen.  So what?  Time on Feet is more important right now than arbitrary mile goals (and I'm sure Jonny Miles would say I was probably much closer to 50 than my Garmin let on.)

I got the road section out of the way and took Sammy C's up and around before heading down to the North Camp.  Pace was easy and while I got wet from the aftereffects of last night's rain, the air was cool and not that humid.  From North Camp I went up to North Burlingame, home of the chewed up dirt roads.  I snacked on a bag of nuts and raisins I brought and then took the White trail down to the Pawcatuck River.  But there were tons of tents down by the river and as I approached I heard lots of voices enjoying their breakfast.  I didn't want to spook them (or be spooked) so I turned around, though I did check out part of the White trail from the other end - it looked like it has been maintained a bit.

After that it was back down to the Vin Gormley trail and following it counter-clockwise.  Some work has been done near that little covered bridge - new layers of gravel are covering up some rooty sections and a bunch of new footbridge sections were added, making for one super long footbridge that spans both sides of the covered bridge.  Get ready for a super fast stretch at Lil Rhody!  I still had another 25 minutes to hit 2:30 so I did a stretch of Brrr-lingame in reverse (tiring.)  Then through the campground and back to Watchaug, where a dip in the cool pond was welcome.  A really good run that made me feel better about the state of things!

Weekly Mileage: 45.8 miles

Year to Date: 1,342.6 miles