Weekly Log: 11.16.15 - 11.22.15

After a lackluster performance at Li'l Rhody due to recovering from the RI 6 Hour, I'm not sure what will happen this weekend when I have the Mews Tavern 6.9k.  It's too bad these three races weren't in the opposite order.  Oh well.  I had already signed up for the Mews so I'll definitely be there.  Just not sure what I'll get out of my legs.

Monday - 0 miles

Legs still sore from attempting Li'l Rhody Runaround yesterday so I took it easy today.

Tuesday - North Kingstown, RI - 5 miles

T'was cold out there this morning!  I did an easy five miles around Ryan Park.  Five miles was enough which indicates that I'm still recovering from the RI 6 Hour.

Wednesday - Seekonk, MA - 6.3 miles

Went out for a country roada loop in Seekonk at lunchtime.  Not too cool but I still felt the need for gloves.  Should've just left 'em behind and had chilled hands for a mile 'cause I ended up carrying them most of the way.  Chris Fox past my on his bike and he turned back and kept me company for a few minutes while we chatted about Li'l Rhody.  Hopefully we can meet up for some speed work in a few weeks when things settle down for me.

Thursday - Smithfield, RI - 5.5 miles

Before work I headed up to Wolf Hill for another easy trail run. Someone had been to work on half the trails with a leafblower.  The other half had heavy leaf cover.  An enjoyable fall run at one of my favorite RI spots.

Friday - 0 miles

No time for a run today.  Which is fine as I'm planning on attending a group run tomorrow and I have the Mews race on Sunday.

Saturday - Stonington, CT - 6 miles

Jeff organized a group run in honor of Mike B who's been going through some tough times.  It has been awhile since I ran with everyone and I do mean everyone - we had ten people!  This was a fun easy run through the Barn Island trails.  After six miles I said goodbye because I wanted to stay fresh for the Mews.  We'll have to get back in the habit of more runs like this.

Sunday - Wakefield, RI - 7.4 miles

Mews Tavern 6.9k.  Official time: 26:33.  22nd overall.  Report forthcoming.

Weekly Mileage: 30.2 miles

Year to Date: 1,784.2 miles

Happy to get back to a more normal week of running after finally recovering from the effects of the ultra.  The rest of the year will be packed with the holidays and a long business trip but hopefully I can keep the mileage up and hit 2000 for the year.

Weekly Log: 8.20.14 - 8.26.14

Bimbler's Bluff is done with and I survived.  Hooray!  There will probably be zero running this week as I recover and plan for a weekend hiking trip with my lovely wife.  This will be a quiet weekly log.

Monday - 0 miles

Oh my legs!  Sore all over!  Bimbler's Bluff really did a number on them.  Stairs are very hard.  The good news is that my bad knee isn't particularly "bad" this morning so hopefully I didn't frig it up too much more.

Tuesday - 0 miles

Movement in the legs is returning to normal but they are still quite sore.  For whatever reason my left calf has begun to really ache.

Wednesday - 0 miles

36 pull-ups (standard/wide) 6/8/5/7/4/6

That left calf is still very sore.  Strange.  Otherwise the legs are feeling better.  I did some pull-ups this morning so that's something I guess.

Thursday - 0 miles

Went over the Yoga studio for a lunchtime session.

Friday - 0 miles

No running but Amanda and I hiked up to our hut in the Whites.

Saturday - 0 miles

More fun hiking adventures with my lovely wife.  Separate report forthcoming.

Sunday - 0 miles

Zero (running) miles this week and that's fine with me!  Post Bimbler's I plan on taking it easy for a couple weeks and let this knee heal up.

Weekly Log: 8.6.14 - 8.12.14

October is here and my legs are trashed from NipMuck.  I've got two weeks until the Bimbler's Bluff 50k - and that two week window is looking pretty slim now.  The janky knee issue affected me at NipMuck but didn't stop me.  It's going to be low low mileage for the next two weeks as I give my legs a chance to heal up before we enter the fray once again...

Monday - 0 miles

SORE.  My legs are exhibiting the normal soreness associated with a long hard trail race but my knee is definitely more than sore - it hurts.  Going down stairs is tough.  I did walk the dog in the morning which helped loosen up the legs but my knee was aching by the end.

Tuesday - 0 miles

32 pull-ups (standard/chin-up/close grip) 5/7/5/4/6/5

Legs are still pretty sore but movement has returned to normal. Thankfully the knee doesn't feel too bad today.  However today the outside of my left ankle decided to start hurting.  Not sure what that's about - guess more aftershocks from NipMuck.

Wednesday - 0 miles

This ankle thing is annoying.  Definitely doesn't feel good if I twist is certain ways.  Reminds me of how I felt after a couple bad ankle rolls.  Probably will be fine in a few days - I think tomorrow I'll return to the streets for a short run.  As for today, I opted for a 50 minute walk at lunch time.

Thursday - Seekonk, MA - 3 miles

I felt like it was time to get another run in, albeit a short one.  I went over to Caratunk for some easy miles on their trails.  Beautiful windy fall day with a fresh layer of leaves on the ground.  Legs felt alright and while the ankle thing is still present it didn't bother me while I was running.  Almost stepped on a big black snake sunning itself - it took off into the bushes and scared the shit out of me.  I felt like my knee was starting to ache again towards the end which sort of bummed me out.  An hour later I felt determined not to let it get me down.  I'm going to keep the running very sporadic over the next week and I'll be towing the line at Bimbler's, one way or another.

Friday - 0 miles

42 pull-ups (standard/chin-up) 6/8/6/8/6/8

Went over to Providence Power Yoga for a great yoga session!  I left feeling relaxed and energized at the same time.

Saturday - 0 miles

Sunday - South Kingstown, RI - 5 miles

I wanted to get in a short trail run so around noon I ventured over to DuVal trail in Perryville.  Holy crap it was packed with cars!  I had to park on the street.  I passed lots of people - a family with whiny kids, a large group of older folks, several couples with dogs of various demeanor.  It was a good run and the ankle issue seems to have cleared up.  While my knee didn't hurt it still felt a little "off" during the run.  But I'm confident that another easy week will set me up to grind it out at Bimbler's.

Weekly Mileage: 8 miles
Year to Date: 1,533.4 miles

Weekly Log: 5.26.14-6.1.14

Post Pineland relief/comedown!  I've nothing on my plate for June and I mean to keep it that way.  I'll still be running of courrse but without any real agenda other than to make quality speedwork a weekly trend.  But this week I'm looking forward to taking it easy and letting my body recover from Pinelands.

Monday - 0 miles

SORE.  Yeah, I'm hobbling like an old man today.  Stairs are difficult.  In particular my calves and quads are beat up.  I'd like to thank the Bove family for putting me up for a couple days but it was time to head home.   It was a long drive and getting out of the car was a rough experience.

Tuesday - 0 miles

SORE.  Stairs are still tough. Forgive me for continuing to harp on Pinelands but I wanted to compare the splits from my two 50ks.  Indulge me, won't you?

The usual caveats about Garmin data apply but still, what a difference.  Obviously it's hard to compare courses but neither was dramatically harder than the other.  Pinelands had considerable more elevation but TARC had more of the traditional singletrack trail hazards that we're used to.

Of TARC I had written, "Ultimately my main problem was that I was running at a pace for the first two laps that exceeded my training."  I probably should have said "level of fitness" instead of "training."  While I ramped up my mileage before both races, I think it was the cumulative effect of twelve strong months of running that led to my Pinelands success.  What a difference a year makes!

Wednesday - East Providence, RI - 4 miles

Went for a very easy run at lunch time.  It was cold and windy, especially as I went over the bridge.  Rain threatened but never materialized.  Ran the trails in Blackstone Park for a couple miles before returning to the office.  My calves were grumpy by the end.  Legs are definitely still sluggish but they were feeling better by the end of the day.

Thursday - Charlestown, RI - 3.8 miles

210 push-ups (standard/military/wide/decline) 40/30/50/40/30/30

Stayed home with Ezri who is doing much better.  No pain and she can move herself around well - now we just need to get her used to using chairs instead of lying on the couch all day.  My mother-in-law came over for a bit and I got in a quick run with the dog.  Legs were feeling more springy than yesterday and the pace was peppy, especially for Oliver.

Friday - East Providence, RI - 5 miles

Another lunch run and the legs feel like they're back to normal.  Pace was snappy and I explored a few new streets.  Some weird blister pain popped up on the side of my foot with a mile to go which was kind of annoying.  Otherwise it was a hot but fun run.

Saturday - Charlestown, RI - 9 miles

Garvin invited a bunch of us to his place for an early morning trail run and breakfast.  He had planned out a good route using Browing Woods and DuVal trail.  Being only a couple miles away, I decided to ride my bike over which was proved how poor my bike riding has become.  We had a large group and headed down Worden's Pond before taking the Heart trail to Browning briefly.  Then we began a thorny, marshy bushwack.  Garvin and Galoob maintain that there were the skeletons of trails here but I think they're full of it.  Eventually we passed through the bog and arrived at the dirt bike trails that weave around the Sand Pits.

I had no idea these trails were so numerous and far reaching.  I'll definitely be back to check 'em out again.  After reaching Sand Plains Trail, Chris and Nate peeled off back to the house while the rest of us continued on.  By the time we reached the DuVal trail my legs were beginning to tire and once we reached the road I decided to bail out and just head back solo along Gravelly Hill.  No point in overdoing it on a recovery week.  Once everyone got back Chris provided a delicious breakfast of french toast bake, potatoes and of course mighty bacon.  Thanks to Chris and Katie for the tasty meal!

Sunday - 0 miles

Yesterday's run reminded me that it takes a while to recovery from a hard effort 50k.  I shall be taking it easy today.

Weekly mileage: 22 miles

Year to date: 863 miles

Fun Fact: lowest mileage week since 10.14.13.