Blessing of the Fleet 2014

Official time: 1:02:48.  53rd overall.  9th in my Age Group.  Results here.

Time again for the Blessing of the Fleet, a 10 mile road race held in the late afternoon on the last Friday of July.  Conditions are usual hot and muggy, not exactly ideal for running.  But the crowd support and vibe of the race make it an enjoyable if grueling affair.  Going in I had more anxiety than usual.  Amanda and Ezri were coming with me to hang out at a party near the finish line and I knew other friends would be watching the race as well.  Most of the faster WTAC guys would be there and as the hours ticked away on race day I was feeling slow and undertrained.

Luckily the weather was about as good as it gets for this race.  Temp in the mid 70s and the humidity wasn't oppressive.  I navigated the backroads to get us there with plenty of time to spare and did an easy two mile warm-up that led me to the starting line.  It occurred to me that I hadn't eaten much since lunch time - would that be my undoing?  I was very thirsty and made use of several of the waterstops during my warm-up.  I arrived at the start which is always a fun spectacle with hundreds of fit people standing around waiting.  Saw the usual suspects including the MIA Grey Ghost himself.  The race folks actually shut the road down five minutes earlier this year so we lined up around 5:52 instead of 5:58.  A nice change.  After a few minutes of standing around feeling antzy, an airhorn blared and we were off.

I immediately felt better once we were running.  I attempted to avoid going out too fast but it's hard with so many people flying by.  The Mighty Gazelle quickly went by, on his way to another impressive PR at age 50.  I considered trying to stay with him but I was already moving too fast so I tried to reign it in more.  Despite my efforts my first mile clocked in at 5:56 and I was worried I'd pay for it on the back end.

Waving to my adoring fans on Gibson Ave - Photo by Miriam Overend

Still I was feeling good and the nervous energy of pre-race had long since vanished.  I eased into a 6:15-6:20 pace and it was feeling hard but manageable.  A group of young college guys had been behind me for the first mile, shooting the shit, jawing each other at their 6:20 pace.  It was annoying hearing them converse while I was already working.  Finally the herd of shirtless wonders passed and pulled ahead down Ocean Rd, no doubt to annoy other suffering people.

By the time we reached Scarborough Beach I had stopped getting passed and became the passer, picking people off one by one.  Some kid said "doing great old man" which made me smile despite it all.  That's the grey hair/moustache combo for you.  The return stretch along Point Judith Road was as endless as ever and I posted my slowest mile of 6:25 on Mile 6.  It's not exactly the most picturesque stretch of road, it's hot and you can see that you still have a ways to go.  The walkers set out an hour before the runners and this is where you encounter them en masse.  There were a few annoying points where I had to go around them but overall I didn't mind having all the extra people on the course - kept it from being a lonely slog.

Nearly done and about to be passed
Photo by Scott Mason

The shady Kinney Ave was a welcome change and I latched onto a couple fast ladies as we made our way back towards the cheering spectators.  Em and some friends were cheering for me on Gibson Ave which was welcome support but it was all work after that.  I passed the women I had been trailing and saw the next runner was off in the distance.  There was someone right on my heels - one of the women?  I came upon the mile 8 water stop which annoyed me for some reason because I thought I had already passed 8 miles.

A guy with an orange singlet passed me with about 1.5 miles to go and quickly put distance on me.  My foot began to hurt.  I wore my minimal NB 730s which I often use for road runs in the 4-7 mile range.  This was my longest foot race and in them I was feeling the impact with a mile to go.  Last year I was able to peel off a 6:01 for the last mile.  I probably ran that race a bit too conservatively in retrospect - this year I felt much worse towards the end but I still was able to churn out a 6:07.  I saw/heard Amanda and Ez not far from the finish and that helped propel me forward.  I closed the gap on a guy in front of me but couldn't catch him before the finish.

Glad it's over!  Photo by Spitler Race Systems

One minute and seven second PR over last year!  Very pleased with how the race turned out.  All the doubt and nervous energy disappeared as soon as the race began and I hit the pace I was aiming for.  Afterwards I walked around, eating bananas and chatting with the guys.  Seems like everyone had a good day.  The area quickly filled up as walkers and runners completed the course and after a few minutes I jogged back to Amanda where I enjoyed a dip in the pool, a beer and some grub.

Weekly Log: 7.21.14 - 7.27.14

Blessing of the Fleet week is here!  That means July is approaching its end.  Crazy.  I always get nervous about this race - it has a lot of fast folks and I always worry that I'm not prepared for it.  Plus there'll be people I know watching - I want to do well.  I ran a 6:24 pace but I'm filled with doubt as to if I can match it.  I know I'm capable of faster times now but I'll have to focus.

My legs are feeling tired lately despite the reduced mileage.  I'm considering taking two weeks off from running to give my legs a rest.  Plenty of training coaches/plans (including the Daniels one I'm reading) recommend taking some time off as a preventative measure to recharge your legs and avoid injury.  I'm thinking that after the Blessing I may take a break from running and just focus on cross-training for two weeks.  We'll see if that idea sticks.

Monday - Providence, RI - 6.3 miles

18 pull-ups w/ equal # of assisted (standard/chin-up/wide) 3/3/,4/4,1/1,3/3,3/3,2/2,2/2

Monday blahs and I set out to just wander around the east side of Providence.  Went up and over College Hill, try to avoid the construction that seems to be everywhere.  Made one honest effort at scaling the hill from the west and it was a hard climb towards the end.  Jonny would have a field day up here.  Once I begin training in earnest for the fall I'm going to have to make more trips over here.  The hills will make me strong.

Tuesday - East Providence, RI - 5.5 miles

280 push-ups (standard/decline/wide/Pike's Press) 40/30/40/20/30/25/40/15/40

Once again I didn't have much motivation to get out there.  It was very hot and all the usual routes weren't appealing.  Finally decided to do a loop around the Turner Reservoir twice.  I hadn't run it in a while and it's probably 85% trail.  I ran it once in each direction.  The East Providence side has lots of gnarly roots to contend with as you run right along the water.  The Seekonk side is longer with a wider trail but fallen trees to hurdle.  In the end I was glad I got out there but the heat wore me down.

Wednesday - East Providence, RI - 4.4 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)

My last run before the Blessing.  I went over to the 10 Mile River Bikepath to get in a few easy miles.  I didn't intend to push the pace but once I got out there I was feeling pretty good.  It was another hot day but the unlike East Bay Bikepath there's a decent amount of shade.  Overall pace for the run was under 7 minutes and I finished feeling pretty good about Friday.

Thursday - 0 miles

P90X Chest & Back (50 minutes)

I had no plan to run today with the race tomorrow.  Instead a return to Chest & Back where I churned out a total of 260 push-ups during the workout.

Friday - Blessing of the Fleet 10 Mile Road Race, Narragansett, RI - 12.9 miles

Official time: 1:02:48.  53rd place.  Report forthcoming.

Saturday - 0 miles

Maine bound for a big party with friends.  There'll be no running this weekend.

Sunday - 0 miles

Maine bash was a great success.  Way too much beer and laughs made for a rough ride home on Sunday. Calves are extremely tight from Friday's race and Sunday morning's dehydration.  Good times.

Weekly Mileage: 29.2 miles

Year to Date: 1,156.9 miles

A two week running is hiatus is now underway.  Let it begin!

Amanda's Save the Bay Swim 2014

This is exciting - the first guest post here at Root and Rocks.  My wife Amanda did the Save the Bay swim this past Saturday.  1.7 miles across the bay from Newport to Jamestown.  Between nursing Ezri's broken leg and Brown closing its swimming pool, she came into this event undertrained (her words.)  Still she did a great job and here is her tale...

Waiting for the swimmers

Please accept my heartfelt gratitude for sponsoring me in the Save the Bay swim! All of you together, with my family and friends, donated over a $1000. Wow! The outpouring of support made me feel awesome (and made me unable to back out.)


--------------my long recap, if you are curious----------------

As my friend, and safety kayaker, Lorie and I drove to Newport Saturday morning (so early - up at 4 am) the sunrise was (tear-inducing) glorious. My fears and anxiety left (mostly) and one thought remained - I was about to have an experience of a lifetime. The actual swim was, without a doubt, the best one I have ever had. The Bay was beautiful; no waves, no current, no sharks, no jellyfish, and the water temperature was perfect. 

The only issue I had were the other safety kayaks. Right after the cannon blast, out of the corner of my eye  I see a kayak coming up fast on my right. I had to stop swimming so he didn't run me over. My "driving in rush hour traffic" personality came out. I made it clear to him that I was not pleased with his boating skills, eventually shouting "You are a great human being!" as he glided past. The inflatable dolphin he was towing did run me over. Nothing like some hostility to start things off right. Grrr!

After all that plus having to maneuver around the other swimmer/ kayaks pairs, I could tell that we were way, way back. Eventually I found my groove, and we passed a lot of other pairs. With the perfect conditions, I was able to really focus on my form and breathing. Lorie did an great job leading the way. I barely had to lift my head out of the water to see her ahead of me.

At some point mid swim, I started to notice another kayak was very close on my right. For what seemed like a long time, I could see him taking pictures on his phone or texting!! Closer and closer him seem to get to me. After the earlier encounter, I grew more and more nervous that the next breath could find him right on top of me.  When he was less than two arm lengths from me, I just couldn't take it anymore. I shouted, "Dude!! You're freaking me out!!" He said not a word, or even seemed to notice, but eventually he moved off or dropped behind me.

Thankfully, that was the end of the drama. I just continued to focus on my form, thinking "be a fish, be a fish, kick, lead with the elbow, breath, be a fish" (from the Total Immersion swim program I used to learn to swim in January 2013.) Once we came around Taylor Point and I could see the finish, I put everything I had left into it. Save the Bay stresses that it isn't a race, but boy I am competitive and seeing those other swimmers near me, I just had to pass as many as I could. I completed the swim in 71 minutes (to keep things in perspective... just enough to keep me in the top 75% percent...) This qualifies me to swim without a kayaker - next year... 

Finished!

Our whole family had come to support Amanda including friends and grandparents so she had a good cheering section.  It was cool watching the beach slowly fill up with kayaks as the pairs finished.  I knew Amanda would have no trouble finishing because she is a very determined person.  Afterwards we went over to the mini festival set up for the swimmers and their families - lots of food, ice cream and music.  From the Ocean's Run 1/2 Marathon to swimming the bay, I'm very proud of all Amanda's done this year - what will her next challenge be?

Weekly Log: 7.14.15 - 7.20.14

Monday - 0 miles

16 pull-ups w/ equal # of assisted (standard/chin-up/wide) 3/3, 4/4, 2/2, 2/2, 3/3, 2/2

Ankle definitely doesn't feel right.  Something on the outside hurts when I move it in certain directions.  Guess the uneven terrain of the Beaver race beat it up.  Easy decision to take a zero today.

Tuesday - East Providence, RI - 4.3 miles

325 push-ups (standard/wide/decline/military) 50/40/35/30/40/40/30/25/35

Ankle felt better today.  It still feels off but it's more sore than pain.  I brought running stuff to work, unsure if I would use it or not.  By lunch time it made sense to at least try it out.  Went over to the 10 Mile River Bike Path.  Hot, humid and just plain gross.  Ran a mix of trails and path.  I could feel the ankle a bit but it didn't hurt and overall the test was a success.

Wednesday - East Providence, RI - 5.2 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)
15 pull-ups w/ equal # of assisted (standard/chin-up/close-grip) 3/3, 4/4, 2/2, 2/2, 2/2, 2/2

Turrible thunderstorms this morning that luckily tapered off before my drive to work.  By 11 AM there was a lull in the weather and I took advantage to get in an easy run on nearby neighborhood roads.  Hot and humid again but that's to be expected.  Ankle felt okay but I did have some calf tightness.  Muddy, that consummate gentleman, gave me his old version of Jack Daniels's book and so of course I'm thinking, what is the purpose of this workout?  I guess the purpose was to try out the new running shorts that my lovely wife bought me.  Pace-wise was at just under 7 minutes which Daniels would probably say is No Man's Land for me but what of it?  It was a snappy pace on an oppressive day.  That's a good run in my book.

Thursday - Seekonk, MA - 6.3 miles

I decided to venture into unknown territory and see if I could uncover some new trails.  The Seekonk Land Trust listed a large section of land that's been designated safe from construction or parceling or whatever you call it.  Some farmland and a lot of forest/swamp with powerlines running through it.  Faithful readers will know that I spent plenty of time exploring the Smithfield powerlines so I figured I'd do the same to Seekonk.  The whole area wasn't open to the public but I figured if I could get out onto the powerlines I'd be fine.

I drove down a quaint country road to a secluded school/track/camp place and started running down the road.  Beautiful houses with plenty of land between them.  Not much traffic but what cars there were flew by, entitlement wafting out the windows.  I tried one path but hit some farmland after a short muddy section.  Returned to the road and kept going until I could hit the powerlines I saw in the distance.  Unfortunately I couldn't go far before the path become tall grass.  The deer flies quickly found me and I decided to finish the run on the road, scoping out more gorgeous houses.  Nice day for a run overall - less muggy than in days past.  I'll probably revisit this place in the winter, when the tall grass peels away and the powerlines can reveal their secrets.

Friday - West Warwick, RI - 3.2 miles

We had a gig at Manchester 65 tonight in West Warwick.  I had this grand plan to head directly there after work, giving me about two hours to get a long run in.  I was going to head down the bike path deep into Coventry, exploring here and there.  Well that didn't happen.

Long story short, I got lost as fuck and without a smart phone or smart brain it took me a long-ass time to arrive at the club.  By then my time had been squandered and I settled for a few quick miles before I was due for soundcheck.  Then it turned out that soundcheck wasn't happening until later so I jogged down the street for grub.  Sadly there wasn't much of a crowd at the 65 and we played pretty much to an empty house.  But we played well so that's at least something.  But overall this Friday afternoon/evening did not go according to plan.

Saturday -  0 miles

Got the girls up and out the door early to cheer Amanda on as she completed the Save the Bay swim.  1.7 miles and she did it in 71 minutes.  She did awesome!  In the afternoon we went over to Jeff's 50th B-day shindig.  Fun times hanging out all the WTACers and their families.

Sunday - Charlestown, RI - 14.1 miles

Okay so the long run didn't happen on Friday.  Grudgingly I got up and out the door to get it done today.  Kept the pace easy and made my way over to the Carter Preserve where I was surprised to find a new trail added off of the blue trail over to the grasslands.  Cool little shortcut.  After checking it out I returned to the blue and red trails before taking the spur trail that exits at the elementary school.  Headed down through Shannock Village and then back home along Shannock and Old Coach.  Originally I was thinking 16-17 miles but my legs were tired and my feet were beginning to hurt so I was content to wrap it up at 14.  It's been a while since I ran long and I could feel it.

Weekly Mileage: 33.2 miles

Year to Date: 1,127.7 miles

Not a lot of miles this week despite the 14 miler on Sunday.  The last two months have been lax but once we hit August it'll be time to up the mileage and begin training in earnest for long fall races.