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.
