Weekly Log: 8.10.15-8.16.15

Monday - Seekonk, MA - 8 miles

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

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

Tuesday - Charlestown, RI - 4.3 miles

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

Wednesday -Seekonk, MA - 9.2 miles

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

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

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

Thursday - Johnston, RI - 7.2 miles

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

Friday - Providence, RI - 6.4 miles

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

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

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

Saturday - 0 miles

Sunday - Charlestown, RI - 16.1 miles

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

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

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

Weekly Mileage: 51.4 miles
Year to Date: 1200.3 miles

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

Weekly Log: 8.3.15 - 8.9.15

August is here and I've no idea what my fall plans are.  But I'm sure I'll come up with something and so it's time to kick up the mileage and begin to focus on long runs.

Monday - East Providence, RI - 8.1 miles

It was a hot one out there but with the bastard Strava elevation challenge complete I was happy to head out on a flat run.  I ran the East Bay bike path down into Barrington and the pace ended up being pretty peppy.  I'll contribute that to finally having flat route to run.  I found a little trail network right where I wanted to turn around.  I'll have to explore it another time.  Overall pace for the run was under 7 minutes which pleased me.

Tuesday - Providence, RI - 4 miles

This morning a screaming hellstorm came through, stealing our electricity but luckily not causing any destruction in our yard.  Up at the office, it turned out East Providence was without power as well.  Before heading back down south I got a short run over on the East Side, hitting the hills around hope street.  Up and down, up and down.  It was fairly hot and my legs weren't happy to return to hill work.  Back at home there was still no power - a seemingly yearly occurrence that we are now well used to.

Wednesday - Providence, RI - 8.3 miles

Busy day at work and I didn't get out until later in the afternoon.  No time to drive anywhere so I just ventured over the bridge to Providence and ran aimlessly until it was time to turn back.  Weather was finally reasonable and not too hot.  Legs were feeling tired by the end.  After a night without power we weren't looking forward to more of the same but luckily the lights came back on at 7 PM.

Thursday - North Kingstown, RI - 8.2 miles

290 push-ups (standard/military/wide/decline) 45/30/40/30/45/30/40/30

Before band practice I ventured out for an afternoon run.  Went through Rome Point first before touring the old stomping grounds.  Some some family friends on their property and then ran past my childhood home.  By now I'm at four miles and while I was hoping for about twelve my legs were feeling spent.  I suppose from all the recent miles.  I was intent on hitting up Snuff Mill Rd but there was no pep.  I had already convinced myself to do ten but by the time I got to the top of the hill I was happy to cut it again to eight.  No reason to kill myself and I was ready to get back to the band house and order some dinner.

Friday - Charlestown, RI - 7 miles

I was working from home so I opted to visit Carter Preserve at lunch time.  After doing a loop through all the woodland trails I went over to the grassland loop and followed an overgrown trail that leads to the train tracks.  I watched a train go by and then following the tracks for awhile, not really sure what my plan was.  I soon came upon an overgrown dirt road and knew I had to check it out.  Eventually it came out to some property I think is owned by the electric company.  I backtracked and followed a side trail which was became sand and pine needles.  I found myself at another one of those sand dunes where folks like to ride dirt bikes and a little more exploration led me to the Narragansett Trail Rd.  Satisfying to find some trails outside of Carter and I followed the powerlines back to the car.

Saturday - 0 miles

Sunday - Charlestown, RI - 14.7 miles

My long runs have been sorely lacking so I wanted to get one in today.  Amanda and Ezri were heading to Wheeler Beach so I decided to run and meet them there.  It would be about 15 miles which was just what I was looking for.  I left a few minutes after them even though the skies were cloudy and overcast.  After a few miles I began to feel drizzles and cursed myself for forgetting to bring my phone.  Would the weather get worse?  Would they stay at the beach?  Nothing to do now but soldier on.  I took Worden's Pond Road down past Tuckertown and then went briefly through Wakefield on my way over to Point Judith Road.  It sprinkled intermittently throughout the run but nothing major.  It was actually great running weather.  PJ Rd was busy and kind of blah but my pace picked up here so I guess my legs liked it.  Good run and no knee issues.  The girls were still at the beach and we spent another couple hours there as the weather cooperated.

Weekly Mileage: 50.5 miles
Year to Date: 1148.9 miles

Weekly Log: 7.27.15 - 8.2.15

Last week of July already?  This summer is flying by and I'm none to happy about it.  I WILL NOT COMPLAIN ABOUT THIS OPPRESSIVE HEAT AND HUMIDITY.  I EMBRACE IT WITH EVERY PORE.  

That said, I've got five days left to complete this silly Strava challenge I've set my eyes on.  16,404 feet of climbing in July.  5700 feet to go.  Madness?  Probably but I shall give it a shot.

Monday - Providence, RI - 7.3 miles

Oh so hot outside!  This is pure folly but I parked on the East Side and made my way to Jenkes Road, a steep mother of a road that I knew could not be avoided.  There was a young woman running the hill as well.  She was only venturing half as high before returning to the bottom but she was in sweats!  True madness and I commended her.  I switched between Jenkes and a more moderate climb and ended up ascending it eight times which was brutal.  There was some powerhiking by the end.  But it worked.  1050 feet on the day.

Tuesday - Charlestown, RI - 8 miles

I was working from home so I knew I'd be running those roads above my house.  It was even hotter than yesterday and by the time I set out the cloud cover was gone, vaporized by the hell sun.  I took a bottle of water on this one and was taking slugs early and often.  There were a couple walking breaks.  The heat was oppressive and I began to think about shortening the run.  I took it one hill at a time though and eventually eked out the 8 miles I was looking for.  I was very proud of getting this one done and the cold shower afterwards was killer.  However Strava absolutely gyped me compared to a shorter run there only a few days prior.  That should've been over 1k but in the end they only gave me 825 feet.  What could I do but take it and shake my fist at the hill.

Wednesday - Exeter, RI - 8 miles

190 push-ups (standard/wide) 45/45/40/25/40

I couldn't stomach the idea of running in the city with 90 degree midday.  So I took my lunch hour at the end of the day and headed south.  After scanning Jonny's feed for choice routes, I settled on a dirt road section of Ten Rod Road that intersects with the New London Turnpike.  They were hilly as advertised and very similar to the hill > valley > hill format at Pardon Joslin Road.  Actually there was more vehicle traffic than I had anticipated though most drove slowly and gave me plenty of room.  The road had a good amount of shade and that helped make the run tolerable.  Bugs weren't too bad either.  Near the end of my run I came upon a biker who had gotten his hog stuck on a root when he had attempted to turn around.  I asked if I could help but he seemed to ignore me in favor of cursing to himself and revving the bike very loudly.  I left him too it.  As usual the last few climbs were brutal and contained a bit of hiking.  Still I got it done and hit 1000' for elevation which is what I was looking for.

Thursday - Exeter/East Providence, RI - 14.2 miles

Two days to go and 2800 feet to go.  It's getting down to the wire and I'm not sure I'm going to get this done. In the morning I returned to the Fisherville Preserve and ran repeats on the Pardon Joslin dirt road.  It was incredibly humid and the air felt like soup.  The deer flies were mercifully sporadic however the little black flies hounded me throughout the run.  After yesterday afternoon's run my legs were really feeling all this climbing.  It didn't take long before all these factors made me consider cutting this one short.  Maybe just four climbs instead of six.  But I knew that would probably be the end of the challenge.  Dutifully I trudged back down and grinded out two more, though they were very tough.  Afterwards I was very satisfied to get it done and I collected another large basket of raspberries in the parking lot.  1100 feet on this one.

The morning run was good but I knew I had to head back out at lunch to grab some more elevation is I was going to have a chance to finish on Friday.  It was 88 degrees out and I had little desire but I went back to the roads above the East Bay bike path and went to work, using the same decent hill along with a small trail network at the base.  Thankfully, there were storm clouds rolling through which provided plenty of shade and wind.  This made the work tolerable.  Back at the office, I was really happy to see that I got 800 feet out of this one.  That leaves with with just under 1000 feet to go.

Friday - Charlestown, RI - 8.8 miles

I had the day off so in the morning I set out to get this thing done.  There was no real choice - I went back to the roads above my house and did repeat after repeat.  It wasn't too hot yet and there was a decent amount of shade to make use of but it took it's toll.  My legs were toast and it became really hard.  I wanted 8 miles but I was happy to do a little more to seal the deal.  I ended up hitting 1100 feet on this run.  Success!

Saturday - 0 miles

No running today after getting this damn challenge done.  I was happy to take a rest day.  Besides I already have 46 miles on the week.

Sunday - Westerly, RI - 10 miles

It was a family beach day and originally I was going to run for a while on the roads near Misquamicut but once we got there I decided to run less and just stick to a barefoot beach run.  This proved to be the right choice.  I ran two miles down to the breachway and as I turned around who do I see but Mike B.  He spotted me running by and quickly joined me.  We ended up following the beach for five miles to the Ocean House and then I left Mike when we got back to Misquamicut beach.  The beach was mobbed and the conversation was lively.  Fun run and I was glad for the impromptu company.  Huge waves today made for fun in the ocean too.

Weekly Mileage: 56.5 miles
Year to Date: 1098.4 miles

Not only did I hit my elevation goal but I also got a goodly amount of mileage for the week.  6000 feet of climbing for this last week of July.  Happy to be done with the challenge and I'm looking forward to not chasing elevation as we head into August.

Weekly Log: 7.20.15 - 7.26.15

Monday - Seekonk, MA - 7.1 miles

Janky Knee is acting up since Saturday's Beaver race.  It feels off with weird twinges when I'm just standing around.  Annoying.  It was about 93 degrees today and between that and the Janky Knee I came very close to bailing on the lunch run.  But in the end I got it done.  I did a loop on Seekonk country roads and luckily there was a good amount of shade because the few exposed sections of pavement were miserable.  I brought along my water bottle which was drained by the end.  The occasional breeze and cloud cover helped make the run not that awful though I was ready to be done with a mile to go.  Janky Knee felt fine during the run.  It only feels aggravated when I'm not running.

Tuesday - 0 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)

Another very hot day and since I wanted to get in a yoga session this week today seemed like the perfect day for it.  There was a lot of stretching which my legs appreciated.  Janky knee was a little less janky today.

Wednesday - Providence, RI - 9.5 miles

250 push-ups (standard/wide) 40/45/40/40/40/45

Still hot out there but a little more forgiving than the last two days.  The Strava Challenge is coming to an end in nine days and my chances are completing it are diminishing with every passing day.  Today I was determined to get in some decent hills some I ventured over to Providence and ran up and down the moderate side of College Hill seven times.  There was a good amount of cloud cover and the grade was moderate so I was able to keep the pace up throughout (though the last climb really wore my legs out).  I ended up with 700 feet of gain which was less than I was going for but I'm pleased that I got over nine miles out of the run.  Janky Knee was absent for the run though on the return trip to the office the back of my knee began to ache, I think from that knee strap thing I was wearing.

Thursday - Exeter/East Providence, RI - 15.8 miles

I knew if I was to have any chance of completing this elevation challenge I'd need better hills.  With my lovely wife taking care of Ezri this morning, it was my chance to run outside of my usual radius around East Providence.  I decided to consult the Strava archives of the Master, since he ran almost 30,000 feet of elevation last month using whatever means he could in southern Rhode Island.  I decided to check out these big climbs he devoured near Cuttyhunk/Fisherville.  It's been awhile since I had run here and there were a huge amount of raspberry bushes in the Cuttyhunk parking lot.  If only I had a bucket! I did a brief section of Cuttyhunk that I was familiar with then took the rocky Stony Lane to Pardon Joslin Rd.  It's a dirt road with two steep climbs, one side unmaintained and unpassable unless you're in a jeep or ATV.

I went back and forth, ascending each hill twice.  I was feeling it on my last climb and had to powerhike part of the rocky side.  Then I ventured into Fisherville Sanctuary as I've never been here before.  Beautiful place with well maintained trails and a perfect little pond in the middle.  I definitely need to come back here again when I'm not killing myself with hills.  After this nice respite, I went and climbed each hill once more before shambling my way back to the car.  Then I realized I had an empty water bottle in the backseat so I filled it up with tasty raspberries.  Total elevation = 1,200 feet.  I've still got a long way to go and a short time to get there but at least I've given myself a chance.

So at lunch I decided to really ramp up the pain train and do a few more miles in the midday sun.  I went to the East Bay bike path and thankfully there was a good amount of cloud cover.  After a mile on the path and went into the neighborhoods above to do...that's right more hill repeats!  Oh the joys of self-imposed lunatic challenges!  These weren't actually too bad but my legs were good and dead so the pace was slow but hey!  Another 400 feet on the day.  So about 16 miles on the day - I think this will end up being my sort of long run for the week.

Friday - Charlestown, RI - 5.4 miles

245 push-ups (standard/wide/decline) 40/45/35/40/50/35

Late in the day I took the dog out for a few miles on the hilly roads above my house.  It was humid and he was looking dog tired after two miles (hyuck, hyuck).  So I cut through the woods and dropped him off at the house and then ventured back for another couple miles.  Only about four miles on these roads but I nabbed another 700 feet of elevation.  Within an hour of this run we were hit with the worst thunderstorm we've had in a while - we even got hail!  I was glad to see that it didn't affect the Blessing of the Fleet race.  There were some dynamite performances this year.  I'm slightly bummed that I decided not to run but there'll be plenty more years to return to it.

Saturday - 0 miles

We had a summer cookout so I was busing setting things up in the morning and entertaining in the afternoon.

Sunday - 0 miles

So after having my share of fun on Saturday, a run today never materialized.  I had wanted to grind out more elevation on those nearby hilly roads but I didn't get it done.  This may have put the Strava challenge out of reach.  Oh well.  That's the way it goes.

Weekly Mileage: 37.9 miles
Year to Date: 1,041.9 miles

Well I grinded out almost 3,700 feet of elevation this week.  Respectable but I chumped it by skipping out on a Sunday run.  That may end up being the deciding factor in my completing this challenge but I'll have no one but myself to blame.