Weekly Log: 6.19.17 - 6.25.17

Monday - East Providence, RI - 6 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)

A hot, humid one out there.  Went to Riverside and ran miles on the bike path.  Ankle was a little chewed up from the previous day's trails and I didn't feel like running but I got out there and ground out six miles.  Wasn't a bad run in the end.  Kids were getting ice cream near my car and they mocked my shirtless frame.  I'll show those little bastards.

Tuesday - 0 miles

P90X3 Eccentric Upper (30 minutes)

Getting back into the world of P90X with some shorter workouts from the P90X3 series.  The shorter time works for me and I was definitely feeling it in my shoulders and upper back afterwards.

Wednesday - 0 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)

Lunch yoga.  I missed last week so I was determined to get back to it this week.

Thursday - West Greenwich, RI - 7 miles

Ran the Big River trails from (Greasy?) Joe's parking lot, forming a big counter clockwise loop around Tarbox and Carr Ponds.  Temps were cooler before they climbed later in the day.  A good run with no bugs.  No leg ache afterwards.  Dare I hope that things are looking up?

Friday - Exeter, RI - 7.1 miles

I've been running with the Forerunner 210 for the past couple years which is a barebones but perfectly serviceable space watch.  Yet I yearned for sweeter meat.  Yesterday that meat arrived in the form of the fenix 3.  I saved some cash by getting a refurb but it seems in great working order.  This watch is a beast and I love it much already.  Soon I shall take it North on real adventures.

Anyway, I parked at Cuttyhunk and ran the Pardon Joslin hills repeatedly, ogling my new baby the whole time.

Saturday - 0 miles

Sunday - Pittsburgh, PA - 10.1 miles

I travelled to PA today to exhibit at a conference.  After I set up my exhibit (the conference starts tomorrow) I had plenty of daylight left in the day.  I went out and explored the local bike paths.  They have a great setup here - there are paths that line boths sides of the river and all the bridges have bike/walking lanes.  Very easy to run by just following the river in every direction.  A good run and nothing better than enjoying a good hotel shower afterwards.

Weekly Mileage: 30.5 miles
Year to Date: 638.7 miles

Weekly Log: 6.27.13 - 7.3.16

Yeah, yeah, I've fallen off the blog wagon.  It's not due to continuing injury - my recovery from the stress fracture is going well and I've been running consistently for a few weeks.  Rather I've just lost any motivation to blog (I still have a draft of a fun backpacking trip from May that I've yet to complete.)  Anyway, here's an update:

Like I said, the running is going fairly well.  After several weeks of running with lingering stinging/discomfort from the stress fracture, things suddenly clicked and I was running pain free.  Since then I've been slowly adding a few miles a week and my longest runs are approaching double digits.  I've even started to do some speedwork on the Seekonk track.

I ended up frigging up my wrist from all the planking I was doing - just another case of not listing to my body when I was doing sidearm planks.  The wrist pain kept getting worse until even pushing myself up out of a chair induced sharp pain.  Doc has me on an anti-inflammatory and wearing a real deal wrist brace.  The brace defiantly helps and I think the wrist is slowly improving.

My planking shit the bed for a while, partly due to the wrist thing but mostly because I lost interest (lazy).  I'm back at it now and the last few weeks I've had a good morning routine of either planks or my old friend the P90X Ab Ripper.

So there you go.  I feel like I'm progressing nicely and I hope to be in decent shape for the Run with the Beavers race in a few weeks.

Monday - Charlestown, RI - 5.5 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)

I'm working from home on Mondays for a while which makes my life much more pleasant.  Took the opportunity to head over to Carter Preserve at lunch.  It was a steamer out there - over 80 degrees.  The caterpillar infestation this year has been the worst in years and Carter Preserve has been demolished - no shade to speak of in the woods.  The shrubs were bigger than usual as a result.  The heat wore me out by the end but it was a satisfying trial run.

Tuesday - 0 miles

5 minutes of planking

Wednesday - Seekonk, MA - 6 miles

Trying to keep it Workout Wednesday so I went over to the Seekonk High School track for some 800s.  Chris Fox ran by as I was warming up.  Good to see him one last time as he's moving to Seattle in a week.  It was another very hot day in the sun so I didn't push too hard but I went from 3:06 on the first to 3:00 flat on the fifth.  Could have pushed them a bit more but I'm just getting back to the speedwork and plus it was miserably hot/humid out there.

Thursday - East Providence, RI - 3.1 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)

Work has been miserable lately and didn't want to leave the office for long.  Plus my bad leg was achy - not from the stress fracture but the other side.  This didn't worry me much and once I got out there it wasn't an issue.  Ran along the river which is such a dump.  If they cleaned it up it'd be a cool little area.  Instead it's just garbage city.

Friday - Charlestown, RI - 7.5 miles

7 minutes of planking (including new forearm PR - 5:01!)

I was working from home again so I decided on a loop through Browning Woods and DuVal.  Felt pretty good and once I left Browning and hit the dirt roads I was moving pretty well.  The sand pits are undergoing a change - they're building houses and a country club (golf course?!?) back in these woods and the dunes have been cleaned up.  There was even a fire hydrant in the middle of it now.  I'm not thrilled about all this new development but on the other hand people just dumped all their shit back there so I can't say it's a downgrade.

I kept the pace up all the way to the DuVal trail and once I hit the path I put in a solid effort to try to best my PR on the Strava segment there.  I came up short by about 15 seconds but I'll take it.  Then I took the roads back to my car.  A funny sidenote after the fact - Jonny and I nearly ran into each other.  A good motivating run to start the long weekend.

Saturday - Charlestown, RI - 4 miles

Wanted to get a short one in.  Went over to Wood River Junction and did a few easy miles on the North/South trail.  Mostly farmland and piney soft trails.  Hot one out there.

Sunday - Charlestown, RI - 10 miles

For my longish effort I went over to Burlingame early morning.  It was crisp and mid-50s.  No bugs!  I ran from the lot on King's Factory up Sammy C's and then took the trails to North Burlingame.  Did a hilly loop and then ventured down to the water at North Camp.  I stopped short of the beach when I saw a tent.  Then it was Vin Gormley back to the car.  I did a little backtracking to make it ten miles and the last mile was tough.  I was tired and beginning to bonk.  Still a good run overall and with no leg pain I'm happy.

Weekly Mileage: 36.1 miles
Year to Date: 409.9 miles

A good week of running!  I'm feeling strong and the leg stings sometimes but never when I'm running.  So far so good.

Weekly Log: 1.18.16 - 1.24.16

Here we are in the midst of what could be called the Great Malaise.  My janky shin seemed to get better on its own before aching again.  I almost definitely need to go to the doctor this week.  I'm feeling very scattered and perhaps depressed.  Maybe I'll just give up running entirely.  We've started playing Minecraft in my house.  Perhaps it's time to return to my video game roots, pack on twenty pounds and get a new couch for the basement.

Monday - 0 miles

I have a dream - that one day I will run again.  With a couple inches of snow on the ground it looked lovely out.  Too bad Ezri is sick with a head cold.  I wrapped up the three day weekend as I began it, doing little and less.

Tuesday - 0 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)

I stayed home with Ezri as she recovered from her cold.  Got up and did the Ripper in the morning so that's something I guess.

Wednesday - 0 miles

Lunch time yoga for $5.  They crank the heat during the winter so I work up a sweat which makes me feel like accomplished more than I probably did.

Thursday - 0 miles

135 push-ups (standard/military/wide) 20/20/25/25/20/25

The threat of a major snowstorm from the beginning of this week is beginning to fade.  Looks like we're only going to get a couple inches this weekend.  This is for the best.

Shin is still an issue.  It's fine for the most part but when I wake up or get out of the car after my commute I can feel it stinging.  Very strange.  I'm getting it checked out on Monday.

Friday - 0 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)

I did much better on this round of the Ripper. A few consistent attempts is all it takes. Now they're saying we're going to get a decent amount of snow.  Whatever.  Bring it on!

Saturday - 0 miles

Big storm bearing down on us.  A good day to stay in the warm basement and intermittently head out for snow fun.

I saw a Facebook post from Peter Maksimow talking about his love of planking.  That inspired me to start doing them more frequently.  I did my longest ever this morning - 1 minute 42 seconds.  Let's see how long I can go!

Sunday - 0 miles

Ten inches of fresh snow on the ground.  Luckily we kept up with the shoveling yesterday and with the overnight plow we were in good shape.  Did some snowshoeing on the hill behind my house.  These things work well - looking forward to some longer forest walks.  New plank record: 1:52.

Weekly Mileage: ZERO
Year to Date: PRACTICALLY ZERO

Weekly Log; 1.11.16 - 1.17.16

Monday - East Providence, RI - 6.3 miles

After a week of rest to let my left shin/ankle issue heal up, I decided to attempt a run today.  I started at the Ten Mile River bikepath and did a mix of trail and sidewalk that looped me around through the Seekonk Meadows trails as well.  It felt great being back out there, though I misjudged the temp and overdressed.  Unfortunately by mile three the shin pain was noticeable and it was really bothering me for the last mile.  So the issue isn't any better and in fact this run probably made it worst.

Tuesday - 0 miles

I was hobbling around this morning and it hurt to put too much pressure on my left foot.  The whole thing has got me depressed.  I suppose I'll need to schedule a doctor's visit.

Wednesday - 0 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)

From the depths of hell rises the Ripper!  It's been many months since I attempted this short P90X core workout and it was shameful.  I was flopping around like a trout and could barely make it through any of the exercises.  But with my janky feet I've no choice but to wrangle this beast once again.

Thursday - 0 miles

135 push-ups (standard/wide) 15/20/20/20/25/20/15

The soreness!  Yes the core is a field of DOMS.  Attempting to do push-ups today was sort of sad but I ground 'em out.  Ankle/shin isn't feeling too bad today but I know it's just a ruse to lure me into complacency.  Nice try!

Friday - 0 miles

Still very sore from the Ripper! Putting on my pants is tough.  I did lunchtime yoga with Amanda at Providence Power Yoga.  I was sweating pretty good by the end but I definitely felt less sore.  Ankle/shin wasn't an issue.  Is it actually improving?  We'll see.  The gig tonight at Tara's may just beat it up again.

Saturday - 0 miles

Yeah the shin was janked out after the gig last night.  Was better for most of today but then towards the end of the day I can feel it aching.  Blah.

Sunday - 0 miles

So my hope that the shin thing was getting better on its own was misguided.  It's clearly not.  I should've gone to the doctor this past week but I was lazy and now I've set back my recovery even more.  Amanda has noticed how mopey I am - without the running outlet I'm a lazy sad sack.  Oh well.  With every new week comes new hope.

Weekly Mileage: 6.3 miles
Year to Date: 16.3 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.