Weekly Log: 1.28.19 - 2.11.19

I didn't update my blog for the past two weeks so I'll include them both here.  I was resting much of the week of Jan 28th with an ankle strain but I did manage to get in a few runs over that weekend.

Saturday - South Kingstown, RI - 4 miles - 200' elevation

A few easy miles on the bike path to test out the ankle.  Was still sore but running seemed alright.  Couldn't resist a bit of trail climbing that led up to an unfamiliar neighborhood.  Good to be back out.

Sunday - North Stonington, CT - 5.8 miles - 2000' elevation

With the ankle feeling better, I strapped on my ankle brace and did some Sunday morning repeats at Lantern Hill.  A good way to finish up an otherwise quiet week.

Weekly Mileage: 9.8 miles / 2275' elevation

January Totals: 93 miles / 17,800' elevation

Year to Date: 103 miles / 20,000' elevation

Monday - Pawtucket, RI - 6 miles / 100' elevation

Warm one out there.  I ran on the 10 Mile River Bike Path in shorts and a T-shirt.  This is February?  Decided to make a loop incorporating some sidewalks through a portion of Seekonk.  Feet a little sore by the end but the ankle wasn't an issue.

Tuesday - Providence, RI - 4 miles / 1000' elevation

Back over to Neutaconacut Hill on the west side of the city for more hill repeats.  Another warm one.  Mixed in most of the trails in this park among the various hill repeats.  Pretty tired by the end but happy to get 1000 feet of climbing.

Wednesday - Seekonk, MA - 5 miles / 300' elevation

Easy trail miles in the Seekonk Meadows.  Didn't consider how this warm weather would affect the trails - they were very muddy in places.  Still, a good run that served as a stressbuster for the struggles at work.

Thursday - 0 miles

P90X3 The Challenge - been a while since I did this pull-up/push-up routine.  Humbling.

Friday - Providence, RI - 8 miles / 900' elevation

I wanted to get in some decent mileage today but also some hills.  So the nearby city roads of College Hill was the default choice.  I felt pretty good right away on this run and sort of meandered up and down the various roads around Brown.  A satisfying run.

Saturday - 0 miles

Sunday - North Stonington, CT - 11 miles / 2800' elevation

What a shock - back at Lantern Hill again.  Still enjoying my Sundays here and did a little more exploring of the local trails among the hill repeats.  Continued on the Narragansett trail for a while but after it passes the dump the trail becomes difficult to follow due to rerouting.  I went as far as I could until I came upon a cow farm and couldn't find any more blazes.  Then back to Lantern Hill for a few more repeats.  Finished with over 5k elevation for the week which I'm happy about.

Weekly Mileage:  34 miles / 5200' elevation

Year to Date: 137 miles / 25,300' elevation

Week 4: 1.22.18 - 1.28.18

Monday - Tamworth, NH - 4.5 miles

My long weekend in New Hampshire with my wife sadly wrapped up.  I went out early and did a bit of redlining on the White Ledge trail on the slopes of Chocorua.  Started the hike in the dark using my snowshoes on the frozen choppy snow.  A mix of conditions, including bare trail at points and treacherous rocks freshly coated in ice from the freezing rain.  No views but I was happy to get a couple hours in before heading home.  See last week's blog for the video (it's mostly about Waumbek but the last few minutes are of White Ledge).

Tuesday - 0 miles

I'm experiencing my usual post-NH hangover.  Not from libations but rather from the return to the flat city wasteland of Rhode Island.  This state bores me now. It was raining all day.  I decided to hang out in Mopeytown (aka my office) instead of being productive and going to yoga.

Wednesday - Providence, RI - 5.5 miles

I tried to psych myself up with some repeats on Jenckes hill.  I'm out of shape but the temp was nearly 40 degrees and it was good to get back out there and punish my legs.  Jankle was a little sore afterwards but nothing concerning.

Thursday - East Providence, RI - 5 miles

10 degrees colder today and a steady wind made for a nippy run on the 10 Mile River Bike Path.

Friday - 0 miles

Saturday - Wakefield, RI - 8 miles

Ezri began another round of drama club at the local theater and it gave me an hour and a half to kill.  Spent the time exploring Old Mountain trails and finding the connector to South County Commons.  Then I ran little loop repeats on the hilliest section of trail I could find to almost eek out 1000 feet of climbing.  Gorgeous day.

Sunday - 0 miles

Opted not to run early in the cold rain.  My excuse is that it's flu season.  Thoughts of running later in the day of course drifted away...

Weekly Mileage: 22 miles / YTD: 55.6 miles

Time on Feet: 4h 52m / YTD: 14h 58m

Elevation: 4,478 feet / YTD: 9,761 feet

Things are slowly getting there.  Much more work to do...

Weekly Log: 11.2.15 - 11.8.15

With the decision to enter the RI 6 Hour Ultra this weekend, this will be a very easy week.  I'm so used to having to fit in a week of runs that it'll be weird to have so much free time.

Monday - 0 miles

Tuesday - 0 miles

Wednesday - East Providence, RI - 5 miles

I went out a lunch for an easy five along the East Bay bike path.  My pace wasn't anything special but it felt like work and I spent the run dwelling on this weekend's race and feeling unprepared.  My knees were twingy too.  Just pre-race nerves but it was annoying.

Thursday - Cranston, RI - 4 miles

I felt like spicing it up so before work I picked a random spot in Cranston and attempted to explore some nearby powerlines/trails I saw on Google.  I missed the road I was searching for and ended up parking elsewhere.  Then I did an easy loop involving another stretch of powerline followed by a short exploration of a golf course.  Pretty hilly area and people drive way too fast on backcountry roads.  I may never step on that land again.

Friday - East Providence, RI - 4 miles

Before work, I went to the Ten Mile River Bike Path for one last easy run.  Calves felt tight which wasn't reassuring but otherwise an uneventful run.

Saturday - 0 miles

Sunday - Warwick, RI - RI 6 Hour Ultra - 40.5 miles

4th overall.  40.5 miles over 5 hours and 43 minutes.  Very excited about this run.  Report forthcoming.

Weekly Mileage: 53.5 miles

Year to Date: 1,737.3 miles

Weekly Log: 6.22.15 - 6.28.15

June is almost over.  Yikes!  Should be a fun week though with the Ragnar Trail Relay on Friday/Saturday.  Looking forward to contributing to a kickass team.

Monday - Providence, RI - 7.4 miles

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

I really would like to finish the Strava Nepal challenge which involves hitting 7,400 of climbing in June.  Cake for some people but a challenge for me, especially since I was without a space watch for Week 1 and had off my feet for Week 2.  With with about 2,700 of climbing during my three Ragnar legs I shouldn't have a problem hitting it by the end of the month.  Still I needed a decent amount today to keep me on track.  But it was 82 in the city today.  Not ideal.

Still I ventured over to College Hill and ran up and down a bunch of streets like an asshole.  I brought a handheld with me which proved sound and my legs were pretty trashed by the time I returned to the office.  A tough run I'm glad I fit in because I'll be taking it easy in anticipation of Friday.

Tuesday - 0 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)

No running today but I did a lunch yoga session.

Wednesday - East Providence, RI - 6 miles

240 push-ups (standard/wide) 40/35/40/40/40/45

Another hot day and I wanted something pretty easy so I mapped out a new loop.  I started at the Ten Mile River bike path and took it up to Slater Park, hitting some trails alongside it.  Then I jumped on the train tracks and ran them up to a small neighborhood on the other side of the river.  A busier road brought me over to the familiar Seekonk Meadows and I ran the trails here on the other side of the river before taking neighborhood roads back to the car.  Fun loop and I enjoyed connecting these distinct areas.

Thursday - 0 miles

Rest day before the Ragnar mayhem.

Friday - Northfield, MA - 11.6 miles

Saturday - Northfield, MA - 5.2 miles

Ragnar Trail Relay which was Friday afternoon into early early Saturday morning.  Separate write-up forthcoming.

Sunday - Charlestown, RI - 3.2 miles

Short afternoon run with the dog to shakeout the legs after the Ragnar abuse.  Legs didn't feel too bad though my ankles are pretty sore from all the descents of the previous day.

Weekly Mileage: 33.7 miles

Year to Date: 828.9 miles

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: 5.11.15-5.17.15

Monday - East Providence, RI - 8.7 miles

100 push-ups (standard) 20/20/20/20/20

I did almost nine miles of trails yesterday and I had the desire to match the distance on the roads today.  I wanted to see if I could map out a big loop that took me up to Pawtucket over the river and then back down the Blackstone walking path.  I had done it before in the other direction at around 11 miles but I wanted to tighten up the route for a lunch run.  Strava mapped it out at 8.5 miles which sounded good.

It was mid-afternoon and hot as balls when I set out (84 degrees accordingly to the web).  I had chilled a handheld in advance which was wise.  I went out way to fast and dropped a few 7 minute miles and soon felt the mistake as the hot sun beat down on me.  The pace dropped as I went and I tried to stay on the shady side of the street.  I had to stop a couple times to regroup.  I went through the Blackstone trails and at that point I was wiped out and glad to be almost finished.  This heat wave has come on so suddenly that I had forgotten the tenants of summer running.  I'll need to make sure I take it slower in the future.

Tuesday - Seekonk, MA - 6 miles

After two 9 mile days I went back to Caratunk to do an easy trail run.  I didn't spend much time in the preserve before taking roads over to that new atv trail network I found last time.  This trail network was much bigger than I had thought with wide dirt trails following a long powerline stretch.  Before I knew it time was flying by and I had to get back to work.  However I was pretty far from the car if I backtracked.  I ended up circling a hidden pond and coming out behind some businesses.  Luckily I was able to recognize the roads and get back to the car with no issues.  A new fun place to run!

Wednesday - Providence, RI - 7.3 miles

I was shocked and shagrinned when I went to change into my running gear and realized I had forgotten shorts.   I was thinking about how I'd fit in the miles the rest of the week when I remembered I had some cargo shorts in my desk.  But I couldn't really run in them.  Thankfully my coworkers goaded me into giving it a shot and out I went.  I stuck to my plan of taking the most direct route to the far side of College Hill and doing a couple hill repeats.  I scaled the steep end three times which was good for about 700 feet of elevation gain.  I didn't push it particularly hard up them.  This should be a weekly occurrence for me - it will make me strong.

Thursday - Charlestown, RI/East Providence, RI - 12.8 miles

110 push-ups (standard) 25/30/25/30

I got some new kicks last night - last year's version 4 of the New Balance 890s - and tried them out with the dog in the early morning.  Love that it's so light so early now.  Pace was slow and I was feeling all the recent miles in my legs.

I wasn't planning on running during the day but then decided to jump over to the dirt road/trails along the river.  They're only a 1/4 mile from the office but they are filthy - littered with trash and pollution from the oil refinery next door.  I decided to take the train tracks over the bridge to explore a little further than I had been before.  There was a big open area along the river.  At one time there must have been buildings here.  Now it was just trash, grass and bits of brick and stone.  Legs still didn't have much life in them.

I had a gig at the Parlour that night so after work I decided to hit up the Ten Mile River Bikepath for run #3 of the day.  The lot was packed!  I'd never been here after work and the place was filled with little league games.  As soon as I started running my legs felt great and the pace was much faster than the previous two outings.   I took the bike path down to Slater Park, mixing in some trails along with the pavement.  Good run!  This was supposed to be a low mileage day but it ended up being anything but.

Friday - 0 miles

Saturday - 0 miles

Sunday -Charlestown, RI - 16.2 miles

After two days off I was ready to get in an honest long run.  I plotted out a course which I thought would net me about 15 miles.  I decided to take Route 1 over to DuVal.  It was 6 AM so the highway was pretty quiet and stress free.  I ran most of the DuVal trails including the new lollipop trail and then took the dirt road over to the Sand Dunes.  I remembered a trail I found past the dunes and explored where it went.  It led down to a swampy section and eventually revealed itself to be a loop.  Another more prominent trail led me back to the dunes.  There are definitely more trails here I need to explore.  Then I passed through the old folks neighborhood and took the Heart trail back over to Browning woods.  Then it was a few quick road miles back to the house.  Calves were getting sore towards the end but overall a great long run.

Weekly Mileage: 51.1 miles

Year to date: 647.7 miles

My first 50+ week of the year.  Not bad considering I took two days off.  Feeling good and ready for more long stuff.

Weekly Log: 4.6.15 - 4.12.15

With the Big River race in the rearview mirror, I don't have any races on the horizon.  At this point I feel like my janky knee is in pretty good shape with minimal jankyness.  I want to hit the trails as much as possible and work more speed/hills into my weekly runs.  Looking forward, I'm sure there's a challenge race out there for me but I'm not sure what it is yet.  It may be that I don't pick a major races until the fall.  Onwards and upwards!

Monday - Charlestown, RI - 6 miles

Ezri has a stomach bug so I was staying home with her.  While Amanda was still home I took the opportunity to head over to Carter Preserve at sunrise.  It's great to finally be back on clear trails.  There was only one spot with snow and it was just before the grasslands loop.  The snow there was surprisingly deep.  I ran most of the trails in the preserve and my legs were still feeling pretty tired from Big River.

Tuesday - East Providence, RI - 6.2 miles

I went over to the Ten Mile River bikepath.  It was drizzling a bit and cold.  On the way out I hit as many trails as I could before doing a loop at Slater Park.  I stuck to the path on the way back.  My legs still don't have much pep but they loosened up by the end.

Wednesday - Seekonk, MA - 4 miles

Now that spring is well and truly here I'm hitting all the trail spots near work.  Today I went over to the Caratunk Preserve.  I expected it to be pretty wet and it was.  The muskrat pond has overflowed and the trail that circles it is underwater.  There were water hazards throughout the preserve but I made my way around or through all of them.  Short run but my legs still felt taxed.  I'm guessing it's a mix of Big River hangover and just being generally out of shape when it comes to trails.

Thursday - Johnston, RI - 8 miles

I was able to get out of the house at 6 AM and I wanted to visit on of my old haunts from when I worked at Smithfield.  I've been seeing some Strava runs at the Snake Den state park so that prompted me to return there.  I knew it would be wet and I was not disappointed - there were some pretty dank areas and the connector trail was quite boggy in places.  My Garmin didn't have any juice so I brought my flip phone just so that I could keep track of time.  It was great running these trails again and the climbs up along the powerlines did not disappoint - great views up there.  It looks like folks had taken a chainsaw to one hangout spot and cleared a few pine trees to make the view truly stellar.  I ran for about 75 minutes so I'm calling it 8 miles.  Good to be back in these woods.

Friday - Charlestown, RI - 4.2 miles

Took the dog out for an early jog.  Luckily the rain held off until later in the morning.  We ran into a shitty German Shephard that my wife is always complaining about.  He was in the middle of the road barking at us.  I didn't want to deal with it so we went over to Mohawk/Kickapoo roads instead.

Saturday - 0 miles

I was out late from playing a gig at the Malted Barley.  It went well but four hours of sleep left me in a zombie state for much of the day.  Still got some stuff done though and an afternoon nap helped.  By evening it was time to do it again but this time at the Newport Sportsman Club.  Luckily a reserve of energy kicked in and we had a good show.

Sunday - Charlestown, RI - 12.5 miles
After getting home at 3 AM it was another lifeless day.  I dragged myself through it and manageable to get some chores done but as the afternoon crept along I didn't see a run happening.  Another nap helped and I finally made it out in the late afternoon and went over to Watchaug.  I was looking for around 12-13 miles so I did a counterclockwise loop which included Sammy C's, North Camp, Vin Gormley and a bit of the Brrr-lingame ridge trail.  Fun run and I felt good through.  As I approached North Camp I heard a couple dogs that sounded really angry.  I decided to avoid the hellhounds but as I still ran into unleashed dogs as I was heading away from North Camp.  The young women walking behind them couldn't even be bothered with the obligatory "Don't worry they're friendly."   People have no goddamn sense when they bring their dogs into the woods.  

Otherwise it was a fine run.  Plenty of mountain bikers out there and I even saw a couple guys climbing the steep rocks near Buckeye Brook Road.  I tweaked that nerve on the arch of my foot with about four miles to go and it was a pain to run with the rest of the way.  But eventually it settled down.  I was pretty tired by the end but I ended up with a few minutes to kill before picking Em up from work so I checked out a tiny trail network behind the Cross Mills library.  Not much to say about it other than it has some marsh, runs near Route 1 and does a fine job of identifying local trees.

Weekly Mileage: 41 miles
Year to Date: 436.3

Good week of running and fun weekend.  I'd like to keep my mileage in the 40s for the next few weeks.

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!

Weekly Log: 1.5.15 - 1.11.15

Tough going back to work after twelve days off.  Still, one positive is a return to routine.  I mean to get back into the regular lunch run, even if they're shorter than previously.  And even though winter appears to finally be here in force.

We also have the Resolution 5k this weekend.  I'm feeling better about racing thanks to the Old Mountain 5k.  I'm still not sure how I'll do on the sand portion but I'm looking forward to another fun race with the crew.

Monday - East Providence, RI - 4.3 miles

Back to the grind and I definitely wanted to get out for a run to "unofficially" start 2015 on the right note.  Went over the bridge and ran the Blackstone Park trails. Cold and very breezy so I thought tights were appropriate for this short, easy run but I was overheating by the end.  Of course after a few days of positive running my knee would hurt, but now I'm wondering if the cold weather has an effect on it?

Tuesday - 0 miles

It's been a few months since I made my way over to the yoga studio for $5 lunch yoga.  Today was the day and my absence showed.  All those downward dogs wore me out and I actually had to take a break at points.  Still it was a welcome return and the savasana at the end was especially mellow and wonderful.

Wednesday - East Providence, RI - 5 miles

80 push-ups (standard) 20/20/20/20

Sweet tap dancing Christ I did some push-ups!  While my back/arm/numb finger thing is still going on, I decided to try some push-ups this morning, hoping they were less impact than the pull-ups which got me in this mess.  It would appear so - I was able to bang out a couple sets, though it was hard work.

At lunch I went over to the Ten Mile River Bikepath.  I stayed probably 75% on trails but kept to the path for stretches.  It was definitely tights weather today and the wind was chilly at times.  All in all a really enjoyable run.  The trails had a light crisp layer of snow and I was able to maintain a peppy sub-8 pace on 'em.  A true winter run and my knee felt good throughout!

Thursday - Charlestown/East Providence, RI - 4.5 miles

I told Amanda last night that I'd take the dog out this morning, knowing it was going to be cold.  And cold it was.  1 degree to be precise.  We kept it short as neither of us wanted to be out there for long.  My only exposed skin was around my eyes but every time the wind blew it felt like an ice cream headache on my face.  Oliver did his business, we did a quick loop on Arbutus and called it a day.

Went for a short run at lunch, just along nearby roads and the trail along the water.  Not frigid like this morning but still cold!  The Seekonk River is all frozen over which is cool to see.  Knee started to jank out a bit on the last trail section so I wrapped it up early.  One can't be too careful when things are looking up.

Friday - 0 miles

Initially I had told myself that there'd be no running today since the knee was a bit achy at the end of yesterday's run.  But when the snow was falling I was sorely tempted to get out there for a few miles.  Ultimately I stayed in the office and read a new Stephen King novel.  Cautious or lazy?  You be the judge.

Saturday - 0 miles

Sunday - Resolution 5k - 7.5 miles

Report forthcoming.

Weekly Mileage: 21.4 miles

Year to Date: 29.6 miles

Positive week of running that ended with a great race.  Let's hope it continues into next week.

Weekly Log: 6.16.14 - 6.22.14

Monday - East Providence, RI - 6.1 miles

I decided to return to the East Bay Bike Path, the site of last week's cake incident and try another tempo run, albeit a shorter one.  This attempt went much better with the first couple miles around 6:30 before I was able to kick it up to 6:00 for the next two.  Hot day but the breeze along the bay helped.

The big news today for our clan was that Ezri's leg cast came off!  Huzzah!  It'll still be a few more weeks before she can walk unassisted but at least now she can get wet and go to the beach.

Tuesday - East Providence/West Greenwich, RI - 10 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)
235 push-ups (standard/decline/wide/diamond) 40/30/40/15/30/25/40/15

At lunch I dropped my car off for an oil change and did 3.5 leisurely miles around town.  It was oppressively hot.  And my oil change was oppressively expensive.  I won't be going there again.

After work, I ventured over to Big River.  It was cooler now and I opted to follow the same trail as last week that skirts Capwell Millpond.  Within a half mile the first deer fly appeared.  Soon one became two and then...well you know.  I wished I had thought to grab my hat out of the car.  With my newly buzzed haircut they were having a field day and my curses grew and grew.  After two miles I threw my shirt over my head and soldiered on.  Now their full onslaught began - one fumbled its way into my mouth and another landed on my cheek and bit.  Fucking shitmisers!  There is no recourse against these bastard creatures.   I took Steeplechase back towards the car and still had some time (if not much will) so I ventured over to the Pine trail which was thankfully not fly territory.  Would have been an enjoyable trail run otherwise but next time I'm going apeshit crazy and bringing duct tape.

Wednesday - East - Providence, RI - miles

Hey guess what?  It's hot as balls again!  Hooooray!  Went over to the Ten Mile River Bikepath intent on doing four easy miles and that's just what I did.  Between the shade of the trees and a near continuous breeze I was never hot and it turned out to be a very pleasant run.

In other news, it's sad to watch my hard won Smithfield Strava segments slowly get whittled away.  I lost one a couple weeks ago and another one was taken from me today.  Soon I will be but a distant memory over there.

Thurday - Seekonk, MA - 7.4 miles

195 push-ups (standard/decline/wide/Pike's press) 40/30/40/15/40/30

Today was a speedwork day and I decided to check out the nearby high school.  I parked near the Turner Reservoir and ran a 1/2 mile of trail until it reached the Seekonk High track.  It was empty except for two women walking.  But it was hot.  I didn't think to bring water, a hat or sunscreen.   Dumbass.  Next time.  Anyway after a few laps as a warm-up I got into it.  My plan was 800s, 400s and then 200s - four of each.  As soon as I started the first 800 my brain started trying to negotiate me down to three but I did not relent.  The track was in full sun but thankfully I had cloud cover for most of the 800s.  However I was baking for the other sets.  School got out just as I was getting there and a bunch of kids came to the track to socialize but soon they retreated to the shade of the concession stand.  I still don't know how fast I'm supposed to be running these things but I gave a hard effort and was spent by the end so that's good enough for me.  For now.

Friday - Caratunk Refuge, Seekonk, MA - 4 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)

At lunch I went for an easy run in the Caratunk Refuge.  Trails were a lot dryer than the last time I had been there but as I ventured further into the woods I encountered some heavy vegetation at times.  I guess the deeper trails don't get a lot of use or maintenance.  Still I enjoyed the run and the lack of serious bugs.

Saturday - Richmond, RI - 16.4 miles

The original plans for a long group run petered out and I decide on this run at the last minute.  I wanted to explore some more of the North/South trail that was new to me so I parked in the Carolina Management Area and ventured north.  The plan was to follow the trail for 8 miles and then turn around.  Beautiful cool morning - around 55 degrees.  The first 1.5 miles were trail but then I hit charming neighborhood roads.  These were bad but then I came to a busy street.  When I saw the sign for BBQ I realized I was on Route 138.  The trail follows 138 for about a mile which is one mile too many.  Finally I turned onto side streets and ran another two miles of hilly roads.  I was starting to wonder if I'd picked the most road heavy portion of the trail when finally I reentered the woods at 5.5 miles.  I was on trails for most of the rest of the way, eventually passing underneath Interstate 95 and entering the outskirts of Arcadia.

I ran until I hit 8 miles when I encountered a cool river of boulders.  I ventured just beyond them and then began the long return trip.  My legs began to tire but at least it was more downhill than not. Route 138 was just as annoying the second time.  It's too bad that the trail diverts onto roads for four miles but looking at the map I guess it has to navigate around quarries.  I don't know if I'll ever do the whole thing but I enjoyed exploring a couple new sections of trail.  And it was nice not worrying about directions and just following the blue blazes.

Sunday - 0 miles

Weekly Mileage: 48.1 miles

Year to Date: 987.6 miles

Weekly Log: 5.5.14 - 5.11.14

With Saturday's epic adventure in the rearview, I'm looking forward to an easier week of running.  I'd like to get about 40 miles on the week.  I don't foresee anything too crazy, just a bunch of lunch runs and maybe a low-teen trail run on the weekend.

Monday - Providence, RI - 6.4 miles

Oh my calves!  I was sore all over yesterday.  Today was better but my calves are still very tight.  I left for my lunch run with no real destination and ended up making my way over the bridge and up to College Hill.  Not sure I wanted to go anywhere near hills today as my body did not like them.  I kept the place slow and towards then end my calves were very angry with me.

Tuesday - East Providence, RI - 6 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)

Decided to go run around the Turner Reservoir again.  Calves felt much better today than yesterday and the pace reflected that.  I ran the reservoir in the other direction to make sure I didn't miss the trail.  Turns out I missed quite a bit of beautiful lakeside singletrack on my last run.  Spooked a guy with two large angry german shepherds.  Sorry guy, I'll try to announce myself better next time.  Glad the legs seem to be returning to normal.

Wednesday - Charlestown, RI/Seekonk, MA - 8 miles

Dog Jog in the morning was notable in that we managed to find the trail that connects Black Pond Road to the Narragansett Trail.  Oliver was very happy once we got in the woods and began pushing the pace - glad neither of us got tripped up.  This is a fun loop that we'll be doing again.  The trail just needs a little maintenance near Black Pond Road.

At lunch I went back to the Seekonk Meadows behind the library for some easy trail miles.  I ate leftover chinese 1.5 hours earlier which made the run less enjoyable than it might have been.  Another close encounter with a giant dog but at least he was friendly.  Found some new trails too which is always a good thing.  I have to remember to not eat lunch until after I run as it just sits there like a lead balloon.  Especially if it's Chinese food.

Thursday - East Providence, RI - 11 miles

5 minutes of planks (2 x 1 min / 4 x 45 sec) / 180 push-ups (standard/military/wide) 40/30/40/40/30

Decided to try doing some planks in the morning as an additional means of core work.  Also banged out some push-ups and was pleased that I was able to get to 40 reps on a bunch of sets.

After work, I ran over to the Ten Mile River bike path.  It has some fairly long segments and I figured trying to nab them would make for a good workout.  First I tried for a 1/4 mile segment on Pawtucket Ave.  I would've had it but the segment map looks a little wonky and Strava couldn't match it up.  No big deal - it wasn't the focus of this run.

I made my way over to the bike path and picked it up, trying for a 6:00 mile pace.  The first segment is 2.2 miles long and the existing record was a 6:40 pace.  I knew I could come in under that but by how much?  Lots of folks enjoying the afternoon on the bike path.  I paid them no heed and focused on keeping my pace up.  Passed a woman who was rollerblading which was kind of funny.  At first she picked up the pace to pull ahead again but when I caught up to her a second time she let me go.  I got to the end of the segment and was pretty tired - 5:57 pace though!  Then I continued another 0.8 miles to the end of the bike path then turned around.  This last 0.8 was the other segment.  I turned it on and headed back.  This section of the path is hillier and I was wheezing by the end.  But I did it in 5:27 which I'm psyched about.  After that I was pretty spent and jogged the four miles back to my car, exploring a few side trails alongside the bike path as well.

Really pleased with how I ran both of these segments.  The guy I took 'em from is crazy fast and could take 'em back going backwards but it looks like he lives in California.  Safe for now!

Friday - Rest day

Saturday - Burlingame, Charlestown, RI - 14.6 miles

An early morning group run was arranged by Jonny at Burlingame.  I wasn't sure if I was going to make it as Hip Bobsha was playing at Tara's the night before.  But I got home from the gig at 12:30 determined to make it out and I woke up at 5:30 and dragged myself over there.  We had a good crowd - Jonny, Muddy, Mike B & G, a rebuilt Gazelle and myself.  I felt sluggish and tired from the night before and stuck more or less to the back of the train.

After a mile of road we hit up Sammy C's and took all of it before heading down to North Camp.  Then over to Schoolhouse before taking the Secret and others back to Vin Gormley.  At this point debate began as most of us were looking to run less than Jonny & Galoob.  Somehow we all made our way to the North Burlingame entrance and then team Hammett Galoob used their mind powers to convince us that a loop of North Burlingame would somehow shorten our run.  We were now 9 miles into the run and I was feeling the effects of whiskey and little sleep.  The hills in North Burlingame really wore me down and I hung back and suffered through these miles.  I continued to suffer onto Sammy C's but then found a little bit of energy before dying again on the last hill stretch.  Still I was only planning to run 10-12 miles and I'm glad I got a little bit of a longer trail run in.

Afterwards I had considered hitting up the East Farm Festival but opted not to.  Good thing as Amanda called with terrible news - Ezri had broken her leg!  I had to go and pick up the dog before meeting them up at Hasbro.  Spent the rest of the day in the emergency room before she was admitted for the night.  Poor thing was so brave - she ended up breaking her leg in three spots!   But she was so stoic about the whole thing.  Very tough girl!

Sunday - Rest day

I slept at the hospital and Ezri had surgery on her femur first thing in the morning.  By 12:30 she was awake and back in her room.  It was a long day but she was finally starting to perk up by the end.   Not quite the way we had planned out the weekend but I'm glad we're through the worst of it!

Weekly Log: 47.8 miles

Year to Date: 773.4 miles

Good week after doing 60 last week!  Only two weeks until Pineland.  It's really starting to creep up.  Next week will be less miles.  Plus adjusting to Ezri's new immobile situation.