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: 6.8.15 - 6.14.15

Monday - Seekonk, MA - 2.5 miles

170 push-ups (standard/military/wide) 30/20/30/35/20/35

Wasn't looking to run much today and decided at the last minute to do a loop around the Turner Reservoir and then a couple miles in the Seekonk Meadows.  My janky knee began this weird "pulse" feeling after two miles.  It was sporadic but very noticeable and I decided to bail on the rest of the run.  I wanted this to be a low mileage week anyway and I don't want to chance it.

Tuesday - 0 miles

Bah.  My janky knee is sore today.  The damn thing feels off.  And on the drive home the heel on that foot really began to ache.  My legs are falling apart!

Wednesday - 0 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)

Knee still feels off.  Me no likey.  I did get a decent Ripper session done in the morning.  And at lunch, I went back over and did lunch yoga for the first time in a long time.  I think it's definitely good for me and I need to make a habit of it.  I know I've said that before.  Hopefully tomorrow I can try a short run.

Thursday - Charlestown, RI/Seekonk, MA - 6.1 miles

Did two miles in the morning with the dog.  Knee felt okay but still off a bit.  At lunch I chanced a trail run over in Seekonk Meadows.  I cinched that knee strap thing I have up tight and did four easy miles in the oppressive heat.  I wore my MT00s were are as minimal as trails shoes get - haven't worn them since the Resolution 5k but I do enjoy them so long as the trail isn't technical.  I discovered a new trail that runs out along the river - it's twisty turny and goes by a cool old stone basement.  A shitload of poison ivy on either side of the path so I had to step carefully.  Knee didn't feel any worse while running so I take that as a good sign!  Good lord it was hot though.

Friday - 0 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)
205 push-ups (standard/wide) 35/35/35/35/30/35

Two times in the week seems to make all the difference with Ab Ripper.  I was able to get through most of the exercises this time.   Then late morning at the office I grinded out some sets of push-ups.

Unfortunately my knee has been achy all day.  I was planning to do six easy but the Jank seems to have definitely returned so I pulled the ripcord and decided to rest it.  I'm pretty bummed - especially being only two weeks removed from Ragnar - but I'm hopeful that a few more days will improve things.

Saturday - 0 miles

Sunday - 0 miles

Knee was achy/sore on Saturday so I rested it as planned.  It was still cruddy on Sunday so I delayed my morning run and instead focused on yard work.  Those afternoon runs rarely materialize when I'm feeling good so I wasn't shocked that I had zero motivation to get out there and eek out a few miles.  Instead we went to East Beach in the late afternoon to take advantage of living so close to lovely beaches.

Weekly Mileage: 8.8 miles
Year to Date: 795.2 miles

Well this week was a bust.  It's hard not to let the janky knee bum me out.  But I'll try to think of this as a positive rest week that let my body otherwise recover.  I did get into a good rhythm of push-ups/core work this week so that's something.

Weekly Log: 1.12.15 - 1.18.15

Monday - 0 miles

After yesterday's great race, I wanted to continue to play it safe so I opted for Yoga today at lunch.  I arrived a few minutes late to a packed room so I had to set up at the very front, next to the teacher.  I was very self-conscious and struggled to hit a bunch of the moves since it was hard to compare to what everyone else was doing.  I like the teacher's attitude and energy though so I'll need to try to make it to another of her classes.

Tuesday - Seekonk, MA - 4.3 miles

Temp was in the 20s and pretty nice out for this time of year.  I went over to the Seekonk Meadows as I haven't been there in a while.  Some icy sections of trails I had to watch out for but otherwise they were clear and I had the place to myself.  I changed it up by exploring nearby roads and finding my way back to the car on the sidewalk.

Wednesday - East Providence, RI - 4 miles

Stayed close to the office and began by running the trails/dirt roads along the Seekonk River.  It's pretty dumpy with all the trash that people have deposited over the years but it was still peaceful along the shore.  The Seekonk River is pretty frozen over here though further towards the bay it's still liquid.  Snapped some shots along the way.

Jagged ice from freezing and thawing

Another victim of winter

Sand dunes where no-good-nicks get up to no good

Across the river are the hills of Blackstone Park

Thursday - 0 miles

I had planned a nice 7 mile exploration run while my car got the oil changed but I woke up with a slight twinge in old Jank McKnee.  Decided to play it safe.

Friday - Charlestown/North Kingstown, RI - 10.5 miles

Took the dog out for an early morning jog.  30 degrees out.  It's practically balmy!  While on the neighborhood roads another person ran by but I didn't get a good look at them as I was trying to keep Oliver distracted.

After work I arrived early to band practice so that I could put in a longer run.  Just a sliver of a moon so it was a dark headlamp run.  I headed directly down to the beach where the headwind was killer and sent chills  through me. Luckily once I reached the trails of Rome Point they provided some protection.  It was fun running these trails at night.  Very quiet out there and I only freaked myself out once when I mistook a passing bush for a human.  After about four miles of trails I jumped on Gilbert Stuart Road.  My pace picked up as I went (here were the animals missing in Rome Point - a couple deer and a solo raccoon) and I decided to make an honest effort of Snuff Mill.  I was happy to see afterwards that I took 15 seconds off my best effort last August.  It was good to get back to a pre-practice evening run and the knee felt great throughout.

Saturday - 0 miles

Sunday - Charlestown, RI  - 6 miles

I was going to get out this morning to run about 10 miles but I was lacking motivation puttered about with the wood stove to procrastinate.  I finally got out there but only had time to run for about an hour.  I settled on a nearby loop that grabbed as many nearby trails as I could - the Narragansett trail, South Farm and that pine tree trail across from SF.  Through I doing moments of bushwacking trying to explore potential shortcuts though it was nothing I hadn't come across before.  I think it's about time that Garvin/Acton Blaze Company make an true path from South Farm to Shannock Rd.

Amanda got me a band that goes under the knee to help with knee pain and keep it in line.  After walking around with it for a few days, I liked it so I wore it on this run.  Seemed to work well and I didn't notice any knee aggravation.  The knee's been doing well this week so who's to say but I'll probably keep using for now.

Weekly Mileage: 24.9 miles

Year to Date: 54.5 miles

Weekly Log: 9.8.14 - 9.14.14

This'll be an easy week as I dial back the mileage before ramping it up as we push towards October and race time.  The weather is finally cooling and hopefully I'll have more pep during my lunch runs.

Monday - 0 miles

270 push-ups (standard/wide/decline/Pike's Press) 40/40/35/20/40/40/35/20

No running today but I had a good Yoga session at lunchtime.

Tuesday - East Providence, RI - 6.5 miles

East Bay Bike Path for a progression run.  I wore my New Balance 890s instead of the 730s (which I usually wear during speedwork.)  I'm thinking that minimal 730s might be to blame for some aches I've been feeling.  They didn't have much cushion to begin with and now both of my pairs have about 250 miles on them.  Anyway, it was a beautiful overcast day and it was great running.   I managed to keep increasing the pace until I was sub-6 for the last 1/2 mile.  Felt good but I think I'm due to try to fit in longer tempo runs.

Wednesday - Seekonk, MA - 4.3 miles

Easy peasey trails over at the Seekonk Meadows.

Thursday - Providence, RI - 6 miles

27 pull-ups w/ assists (standard/chin-up/wide) 3/5, 5/3, 3/3, 4/3, 5/4, 2/3, 5/4
Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)

I ventured out at lunch without any real gameplan.  Ended up crossing the bridge to the East Side and running towards Butler, where I explored some woods around the hospital.  There were just a couple of newly cleared dirt roads but otherwise it just led down to the shitty shoreline (by shitty I mean filthy as hell.)  Then I ran back to work, taking the trails through Blackstone Park.  Kept the pace somewhat snappy at around 7 minute miles.

Friday - Charlestown/Smithfield, RI - 10.9 miles

160 push-ups (standard) 40/40/40/40

Dark and early dog jog.  I wanted to take the trail off Black Pond Rd over to the Narragansett Trail but the darkness made it difficult and I don't think Oliver appreciated getting whacked in the face by bushes.  Last time I was here I commented on the improvements made to the "trail" near Black Pond Rd.  What a difference a month makes.  The growth was back and it was tough locating the path with only the headlamp.

After work I headed back to Smithfield for another one of my favorite former haunts - Wolf Hill.   The trails showed signs of having recently been maintained and there were fresh blazes on all the trails.  I noticed they changed the trail colors for a lot of them.  After a mile of climbing I emerged at the power lines and promptly took a digger and cut my knee up good.  I continued on and was surprised how overgrown the powerline road was - at points I could barely see the path for the weeds.  I guess the power company doesn't travel up there much anymore.

Wolf Hill contains a WWII Memorial Trail and an a memorial rock for a plane of soldiers that crashed here during the war.  I was pleased to see that the nearby "No Trespassing" trail was finally bonafide and had become an extension of the WWII trail.   I hit most of the trails on the hill, saving a trip up the quarry for just before sunset.  I had made a challenging segment and decided to see if I could set the CR.  As I was running up the quarry I could see the shadow from the setting sun moving up the rock wall which gave me some extra motivation.  I pushed it pretty hard and shaved 19 seconds off my time which I'm psyched about.  With the sun just about down it began to get pretty dark in the woods so I meandered my way back down to the car.  Despite the banged up knee this was a great run.  If you've never been there you owe it to yourself to make a trip up.

This one's for Jeff

Beautiful trails as the sun sets

Long shadows at the top of the quarry

Saturday - 0 miles

We were going to camp in Burlingame but Ezri's been fighting a fever and with the rain forecast for the evening we didn't have much interest.  Instead a productive day around the yard.  I did manage a visit to Whaler's Brewing in Wakefield.  They're a very small operation but I highly recommend checking them out - their tasting had some tasty brews including a hazelnut stout and an apricot sour.

Sunday - Charlestown, RI - 5.5 miles

Just an easy like Sunday morning run up Old Coach Road.  I threw in a couple trail sections and kept the pace easy.  Weather was just about perfect and it looked like my fellow WTACers had some great races at the Surftown 1/2 Marathon.

Weekly Log: 33.2 miles

Year to Date: 1,374.5 miles

Weekly Log: 7.7.14 - 7.13.14

Now that vacation week is behind us, it's time to focus on the rest of July which is a doozy!  Lots to do!  This weekend is the Run with the Beavers race.  I did well last year and hope I can duplicate that performance, especially since this is the third and final race of the RI Trail Racing Triple Crown.

Friday is the start of what's become a mini tour of sorts for Hip Bobsha.  We've got four shows over the next five weeks - it's been awhile since we've had so many gigs on the horizon.  I hope to see you at one of them!

Friday, July 11th - Greenwich Hotel, East Greenwich, RI

Friday, July 18th - Manchester 65, West Warwick, RI

Saturday, July 26th - Phil & MJ's Wedding Reception up in Crazy Maine

Saturday, August 9th - Tara's Tipperary Tavern, Matunuck, RI

Next weekend Amanda takes on the Save the Bay swim!  And then the final weekend of July starts with the Blessing on Friday night and continues with a big party up in Maine.  I have a feeling the rest of this month is gonna fly by!

Monday - East Providence, RI - 5.4 miles

215 push-ups (standard/wide/decline/Pike's Press) 40/40/30/15/40/50

It was hot outside and I didn't have much gumption to run.  I was glad I did as once I started my legs had a lot more life than days past.  I think I'm finally recovered from last week's adventure.  I ran over the bridge to to the east side of Providence, running some in Blackstone Park and some on streets.  Like I said it was very hot out but I felt good otherwise.

Tuesday - Seekonk, MA - 4.1 miles

Another super hot day.  Went over to Seekonk Meadows to try out my new NB 601 v2 trail shoes.  I plan to use 'em on Saturday and wanted to get at least one test run in them.  No issues - they should work well.  Once again I was soaked by the end of this short run.

Wednesday - East Providence, RI - 6.7 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)

Hey alright, another hot day.  Well I had intended to attempt a tempo run on the ol' East Bay Bike Path and I stuck to the plan despite the temp being in the mid-80's.  After an easy mile I increased the speed to the mid 6's and continued for another 2.3 miles until the bikepath intersects roads in Riverside.  I was hot but I didn't feel too bad - I took a few minutes to stretch in the shade before making my return trip.  As has been the case with these short tempo runs, I felt good going back and my pace crept down towards 6 flat.  I told myself to run hard until 5.6 miles (which would give me a 1 mile cooldown to the car) and the last half mile of the tempo was tough.  It was very hot and I was breathing hard, the sweat stinging my eyes.

Finally I hit 5.6 miles and slowed down, immediately feeling completely winded and exhausted.  I could barely muster a walk, let alone a jog.  I slowly made my way back to the car but I stopped a few times in the shade.  Back at the car I downed a bottle of water but still felt pretty weak.  My face was quite red.  This was definitely a case of pushing too hard when the weather's too warm.  Luckily I felt better after getting back to the cool office and eating some lunch.

Thursday - 0 miles

P90X Chest & Back (50 minutes)

No running today as we're having lunch-in since a coworker is leaving (plus yesterday's run left me wiped out.)  Instead I returned to a full-fledged P90X workout since I've long neglected them.  I was curious to see how I'd fare in Chest & Back since I've been fairly consistent in my weekly push-ups.  I was not disappointed.  I hit a total of 248 push-ups which is easily the most I've done in this workout.  My pull-ups were paltry of course and I know I've said it before but I've got to start working on them a couple mornings a week.  Good workout though!

Friday - East Providence, RI - 5.6 miles

Did an easy run over the bridge and around the neighborhood streets of the fancy houses of the East Side.  Kept the pace slow and the heat wasn't as bad as in days past.  After a late night of band practice and an even later night with tonight's gig, it'll be interesting to see how I fare with tomorrow's race.

Saturday - Run with the Beavers 10 Mile Trail Race

Official time: 1:12:15.  7th overall.  Report to follow.

Sunday - Charlestown, RI - 3.1 miles

Very easy dog jog in the morning.  Calves a little tight but otherwise not too bad.  Later in the day my left ankle began to hurt on the outside.  Not sure what's up with that.  Probably just strained it from the uneven terrain of yesterday's race.

Weekly Mileage: 35.8 miles
Year to Date: 1,094.5 miles

Weekly Log: 6.23.14 - 6.29.14

And so we come to the end of June.  I said that this would be a do-what-I-feel month and I've stuck to that.  Only one long run for the month thus far and no races to speak of.  It looks like I'll be breaking 1000 miles for the first half of 2014 so I'm right on pace for 2000 for the year.  This last week promises to be busy, busy, busy as next week is the return of Vacation Awesomesauce.  I'm probably more excited than anyone else but I've got a lot to do at home and in the office before we can depart.

Monday - East Providence, RI - 3 miles

110 push-ups (standard/military/wide) 40/30/40

My calves have been quite sore over the last two days.  After 16 miles on Saturday morning, I tied one on in the afternoon.  I was fairly hungover on Sunday and I think the dehydration really prompted the soreness in my calves.  I debated just taking the day off but ultimately figured a few easy miles would help loosen 'em up.  I ran over the bridge and through the Blackstone Park trails before returning to the office and banging out a few push-ups.

Tuesday - East Providence, RI - 10.2 miles

170 push-ups (standard/decline/wide) 40/30/40/40/20

At lunch, a bunch of push-ups.  Then a few very easy miles.  Calves finally feel back to normal.

After work, I ventured over to the East Bay Bike Path for another tempo run.  Legs felt good right off the bat and I picked up the pace quickly.  The cross wind from the bay was powerful and I had to work hard against it.  I stopped briefly in Riverside to stretch and then turned around, picking up the pace to 6 minute miles.  I got into a focused, rhythmic breathing and was moving very well.  I kept pushing the pace along the water and when the path veered uphill/inland I continued to push but once I crested the hill I was beat.  Slow and steady the rest of the way to the car.

Wednesday - Seekonk, MA - 5.1 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)

It was mid-80's today and super muggy.  The air was thick and oppressive.  Nevertheless I stuck to my plan of easy miles in the Seekonk Meadows.  I decided to test run the waist pack that I'll be bringing up to New Hampshire (it's not a fanny pack Jonny!  There are many pockets!)  The humid heat really sapped my energy.  I had put a water bottle in the pack to add some weight to it but I had drank it all by the end.  Pretty tiring conditions but the pack should work well in the Whites.

Thursday - Rome Point, North Kingstown, RI - 4.7 miles

300 push-ups (standard/military/decline/Pike's Press) 50/30/30/15/50/30/40/15/40

I had band practice in the evening (we'll be at the Greenwich Hotel in E.G. on the 11th.  Come out!)  I stopped at Rome Point beforehand and it looked like thunderstorms had passed through.  Everything was wet and there were puddles everywhere.  The air was nice and cool.  Good run.  Wore my MT00s which I've been wearing without socks.  They drain so well.  I was enjoying the evening run but my calves began to feel sore so I cut it a few miles short.

Friday - Charlestown, RI/Seekonk, RI - 11.5 miles

Dog Jog in the morning.  In the afternoon I went over the Seekonk Track.  The plan was a ladder - 200 / 400 / 800 / 400 / 200 - three in each set.  It was hot and sunny but there was wind which, while made one side of the track a bear, also kept the temperature reasonable.  Right from the get-go I didn't have much oomph and I definitely wasn't giving it 100%.  Still the pace picked up as I went and I'm glad I got it done.

Saturday -  0 miles

Packing up and getting ready for our vacation.  Then my Uncle Jimmy and his lady came into town from the Virgin Islands and took us and my mom out for a great lunch at the Breachway Grill.  Then we went to Miriam's dance recital where she did great.  Finally back home to finish packing.

Sunday - 0 miles

Woke up early and hit the road by 5:45.  Arrived in the lovely Glen, NH by 11 AM.  Went to Moat Mountain for lunch and had my usual beef brisket sandwich.  I love that thing.  Also a couple beers.  Then back home before attempting to hit the outlets...all closed.  Damn Sunday.  Well at least we bought groceries for the week.   I still amazed when I can buy beer in a supermarket.  Ezri was a bit of a grump throughout the day.  Let's hope it's not an indication of what's to come.

Beer:
1x Moat Mountain East Intervale IPA
1x Moat Mountain Slow Chair Trippel
2x Moat Mountain Iron Mike Pale Ale

Weekly Mileage: 34.7 miles

Year to Date: 1,022.3 miles

No running this weekend but that's alright as the rest is probably necessary.  I expect I'll be topping my last two months of elevation with the next week of vacation.

Weekly Log: 6.9.14 - 6.15.14

Monday -  0 miles

P90X Shoulders & Arms (45 minutes)

It's been a while since I did a P90X workout but I wasn't running today so I opted for one in the morning.  This one was a good choice and the light weight work hit the spot.

Tuesday - East Providence, RI - 7 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)

I decided to run the East Bay Bike Path after work and further decided to make it a tempo run.  Though I'm taking it easy through June it's never too soon to start thinking about those muggy July races.  I figured five miles at a 6:20ish pace would be a good effort in line with what I'd be running at the Blessing.

Unfortunately, I made the unwise decision to eat a slice of carrot cake at 3 PM in honor of a retiring coworker.  I didn't think much of it at the time and figured it'd be replacing my usual afternoon snack of pretzels & carrots.  But this was a Gregg's cake, loaded with buttercream deliciousness.  As soon as I started the run I didn't feel great.  I felt churglins and gurglins in my gut that just wouldn't go away.  I decided to attempt the workout anyway so after a mile I cranked it up.  Immediately I could feel the bile begin creeping up my throat.  The bike path was loaded with people and I didn't want to puke and scare the children.  I knew I wouldn't be able to maintain the pace so after 1.5 miles I bailed and trudged along until I hit 3.5 miles.  I stretched for a couple minutes and then made my way back to the car, never really feeling any better.

As an aside, people are dumb as hell (or just don't care, which is worse.)  How hard is it to walk on the correct side of the bike path?  Keep to the left, dummies!

Wednesday - East Providence, RI - 6 miles

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

When I run across the Henderson Bridge I see a dirt road below - it didn't take me long to figure out where it starts and today I went exploring.  It ran along old unused train tracks before opening up into a big sand pit clearly used by 4 wheel drive vehicles.  I came out along the shore of the Seekonk River which is a smelly, oil-stained place.  I followed the shore briefly before finding some more trails.  The ground was black, unnatural.  I was behind the industrial behemoths that occupy the land near my office.  It was very noisy and the woods were littered with trash and fossilized tires, long decayed.  All in all a pretty nasty place.

After that I jumped onto roads and ran down a couple neighborhood streets.  Therer was an unusually large amount of old people hanging out by their fences (maybe waiting for the mail?)  They all seemed to give me a cold glare as though it was my fault they were stuck in East Providence.  Sorry folks, there's nothing I can do for you.

Thursday - Charlestown/East Providence, RI - 10.3 miles

Dog Jog first thing in the morning.  We did the loop from Black Pond Rd to the Narragansett trail and then back on Old Coach.  I didn't consider that the spring growth would make finding the trail difficult - we basically had to bushwack to get to a clearer path but Oliver was a good sport about it.

In the afternoon, I stuck to my plan and did some 1/4 mile intervals on Waterfront Dr (the empty straightaway I discovered last week.)  I settled on 12 since I did 6 half milers last week.  Since I wasn't on a track I wasn't sure how to measure out the downtime in between.  I settled on 1/10 mile jogs since it'd be easy to calculate with the GPS watch.  This seemed to work well and didn't give me too much rest in between.  Like all good speed work, the last few sucked and I had to bargain with myself to get through 'em.  A satisfying workout but I got back to the office a big sweaty mess.

Friday - Seekonk, MA - 5 miles

290 push-ups (standard/wide/decline/pike's press/diamond) 50/40/30/20/15/40/40/30/15/10

I got absolutely drenched making trips out to the car this morning but amazingly I left the torrential downpours in South County and my commute wasn't awful.  By lunch the storm had passed and I hit up the Seekonk Meadows for some humid, muddy fun.  Actually there wasn't too much mud - the trails drained well.  I wore my minimal MT00s per usual with this place - they drain exceedingly well.  For the first time I wore 'em without socks.  Worked really well.  It my muggy but not buggy so I'll definitely take it.

Saturday - 0 miles

Plenty of stuff to do around the house.  Figure I'll run long on Father's Day.

Sunday - Charlestown/North Kingstown, RI - 7.8 miles

Okay so that long run didn't happen.  I woke up without much gumption to run for two hours.  So as I lay in bed I shortened it to 1 hour.  Then I mentally shortened it again to a short dog jog.  So my 14 miles ended being whittled down to 2.2 miles.  It's June, I do what I want!  I'm not in training per se at the moment and I'm giving myself license to chill.  Plus without the long run I was able to go out to a wonderful Father's Day breakfast with all my girls which was a treat.

In the afternoon I brewed some beer with bandmate Jay at his house.  The whole process went quicker than planned and I found myself with some time before dinner was ready (Jay and his special ladyfriend were making kabobs.)  I took the trail and beach over to Rome Point for an easy, hot afternoon run.  Rome Point was packed with people on this beautiful day.  I was moving pretty well considering that I had a couple beers in me and really enjoyed the trails.  Plus I felt less guilty about shirking my morning run.

Weekly Mileage: 36.1 miles

Year to Date: 939.5 miles

Good week.  Glad I made up for the cake incident with another round of speedwork on Thursday.  If I can keep the workouts occurring on a weekly basis, I'll be in good shape (though next weekend I really should run long seeing as I bailed on the last two.)

Weekly Log: 5.12.14 - 5.18.14

T minus two weeks until the Pineland 50k.  Time to start obsessing over the weather report (long range forecast looks wet and I heard the farmland course gets muddy quickly.)  I'll be dropping the mileage into the 20s this week.  Nothing crazy at this point.  I plan to listen to my body and get to the starting line rested and healthy.

The bigger change this week will be helping Ezri recover from the three broken bones in her leg. She'll be spending a lot of time on the couch and I'm sure we're all going to have to adjust to a new normal for awhile.

Monday - Charlestown, RI - 4.2 miles

Extended the dog jog this morning a bit as it would be my only run for the day.   Encountered a few people and dogs and Oliver was surprisingly good when we passed.  Only barked briefly.  I guess Amanda has been training him well.

Went up to work for 1/2 a day and then brought Amanda and Ezri home from the hospital.  She's definitely miserable at times by being bedridden (couchridden) but hopefully she'll adapt to the situation quickly. 

Tuesday - Seekonk, MA - 5 miles

Decided to head back to the Caratunk Sanctuary at lunch time. I wore my MT00s as I knew I'd be in for some wet spots and these things drain well.  The only question was if there's be too many roots/rocks for the minimal shoes.  It was a goddamn gorgeous day and I enjoyed exploring these trails again.  Terrain wasn't too much for the shoes but I was definitely right about the water.  As I got deeper and deeper into the woods I entered a swampy section where getting wet was inevitable.  I did what the Gazelle would have done and charged right through!  Great little place to run - the only downside was that tick season is now in full effect.  Found a big nasty sucker on my leg midrun and another later in the day on my car seat!

Wednesday - East Providence, RI - 5.2 miles

Funny how I can drive 10 minutes from work and enter a totally rural Seekonk that harbors gems like Caratunk.  But around the office it's a completely different story.  Left work at lunch with no real plan other than to run some new streets in East Providence.  To that end I succeeded - kept the pace in the low 7s and saw a variety of houses.  It's interesting how some people have crafted little fortified homes of marble and stone in the midst of a sea of houses otherwise sandwiched together.  It was hot out there (72 degrees) and I was sweating pretty good by the end but I really enjoyed this run.

Thursday - 0 miles

Worked from home while I stayed with Ez.  No real window to run and no desire to do any strength training in the morning.  Ezri is up and down throughout the day.  It's very frustrating for a five year old to be immobile and she fluctuates between happy and angry as the day progresses.  She hates being touched so moving her from room to room is unpleasant for everyone.  I can only hope she acclimates to her situation in the coming days.

Friday - Seekonk, MA - 4.1 miles

230 push-ups (standard/military/wide/decline) 40/30/40/10/30/20/40/20

After work I headed to the Seekonk Meadows for a quick four mile jaunt.  It was a brief lull in the rain but very humid.  Legs were feeling full of energy - tapering effects no doubt.  Along the water I scared a frog which made a most unusual sound, like a drowning cat.

Saturday - 0 miles

Rest day # 2 for the week.  Planted some stuff outside though.

Sunday - Carter Preserve, Charlestown, RI - 8.2 miles

Finished off the week with an easy Sunday run in Carter Preserve.  Parked off of Route 112 and ran the Yellow trail over to the Grassland Loop trail.  Then I did a little tune-up for next weekend's race.  I figured the grass trail would simulate a lot of what I'll be running on. I tried to keep it at an 8 minute pace but ended up closer to 7:30.  At any rate running five loops was a good repetitious act and I feel good for next weekend.  Looking forward to seeing what I can do.

Weekly Mileage: 26.9 miles

Year to Date:  800 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.