Belleville Pond 10k and Brrr-lingame Race Videos

Fell off the blog train again.  Trying to writing a summation of the weeks gone by but until then here are some videos I shot from the recent 4th Season Trail Series.  I had a lot of fun shooting these races - trying to figure out where to go to get footage was a interesting challenge.  The stabilizing gimbal I purchased now allows me to get some smooth action footage.  I'm happy with the end results.

Week 6: 2.5.17 - 2.11.17

Monday - 0 miles

Erm, my lower left outer leg has some pain today.  I'm guessing from yesterday's long run.  Decided to rest today.

Tuesday - West Greenwich, RI - 3 miles

More discomfort from the other leg.  Janky right ankle isn't doing too bad these days (though I still aggravate from time to time).  Annoyed to take another zero but it didn't feel that bad towards the end of the day and with some time to kill before picking up Ezri I opted to run some dark dirt roads in Big River.  Headlamp was necessary off the bat and there were some sneaky ice patches hidden under a very light layer of new snow.  Always a little freaky running here in the dark but no real leg issues.

Wednesday - Pawtucket, RI - 7 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)
A late morning snowstorm dropped probably 3/4" of snow up in Providence.  I went to lunch a little to run along the 10 Mile River bikepath.  Only a few hearty souls out but it was a joy to run in the storm.  Both lower legs didn't feel too bad.  Made it back to the car just before it turned to rain/sleet.  A few hours later the beautiful snow had been turned into a slushy mess.

Thursday - Charlestown, RI - 8.5 miles

Working from home today so I got two runs in - five miles in DuVal in the morning and 3.5 in Carter Preserve in the afternoon.  Repeated some of the DuVal hills to maximize elevation at 900 feet and took it easy in Carter.  Lower legs feeling it this evening!

Friday - Smithfield, RI - 6 miles

Got out of the house early and went up to Wolf Hill for hill repeats on the Mary Mowry trail.  Wolf Hill was surprisingly icy - a reminder of how different conditions can be in the NW corner of RI.  Thankfully Mary Mowry wasn't too bad.  I went up six times, power hiking the first half and jogging the second.  A good workout and I only nearly wiped out twice.

Saturday - 0 miles

No running today but I did take some footage of the Old Mountain 5k.  Hopefully it will be ready soon.

In the late afternoon Ezri and I went to Rock Spot for some climbing.  She's an old pro at this by now but I've actually never been.  I went up one of the tall ones first which was a mistake - I'm afraid of heights and once I saw how high I climbed I freaked out a little.  After that we stuck to the shorter climbs on the second level.

Sunday - Exeter, RI - 12 miles

I woke up at 5 AM for my long run and almost bailed because who wants to run in the cold rain.  Glad I didn't because it turned out not to be so bad.  Went over to Arcadia and stuck mostly to dirt roads.  I figured they'd be in good condition but I was wrong.  Most of them were muddy messes - it was like running in sand!  It was worth it to get to the Ben Utter trail and Stepstone Falls - the water was as good as I've ever seen it with all the rain.  Glad I didn't bail and it ended up being a solid end to the week.

Weekly Mileage: 38  miles / YTD: 125.4 miles

Time on Feet: 6h 21m / YTD: 26h 54 m

Elevation: 4,358 feet / 17,767 feet

Week 5: 1.29.18 - 2.4.18

Monday - 0 miles

Tuesday - 0 miles

Wednesday - Seekonk, MA - 4.8 miles

A nice layer of snow on the ground after yesterday.  I brought my snowshoes with me to work but it would have been overkill.  Instead I just wore the Speedcross which were perfect.  Great run in the woods at the Caratunk Preserve and with the snow/bare trees I discovered a little shack in the woods near the trail.  I was a little afraid of getting a face full of shot from a grizzled hermit but the shack was empty.  In fact there was a little log welcoming visitors to this wonderful little shack.  It even had a old wood stove.

Thursday - Providence, RI - 6 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)

Actually did a workout in the morning which needs to become a routine.  It's February now - let's get it!  At lunch I went over to College Hill and ran some repeats up Jenckes Rd.  It's a steep climb and wore me out.  Sidewalks were mostly bare with some slushy spots.  Felt like a good workout with about 1100 feet of climbing.

Friday - Exeter, RI - 9 miles

Light snow/rain mix this morning and I headed out early to run in Arcadia.  Good snow base that was perfect for the Speedcross.  A few bare sections, a few wet sections but most trails had a minor amount of snow cover.  Couple sections up high had as much as 3 inches.  Solid run incorporating the Breakheart and Shelter trails.  Another 1000 feet of climbing.

Saturday - 0 miles

Sunday - Charlestown, RI - 12 miles

Happy birthday to my girl Ezri.  9 years old!  We had much to do before her party so in order to get a run in without too much wife aggro I woke up at five and got to Burlingame for a 5:40 start.  First hour was in the dark with my headlamp and I was disappointed that the snow had receded so much already.  Did a couple loops on Burlingame North and it was finally light enough to turn off the light midway through the second lap.  A good couple hours of trails.  After a kids party I was pretty beat and happy to be back home for the second half of the football game.

Weekly Mileage: 31.8 miles / YTD: 87.4 miles

Time on Feet: 5h 35m / YTD: 20h 33m

Elevation: 3,648 feet / YTD: 13, 409 feet

Week 4: 1.22.18 - 1.28.18

Monday - Tamworth, NH - 4.5 miles

My long weekend in New Hampshire with my wife sadly wrapped up.  I went out early and did a bit of redlining on the White Ledge trail on the slopes of Chocorua.  Started the hike in the dark using my snowshoes on the frozen choppy snow.  A mix of conditions, including bare trail at points and treacherous rocks freshly coated in ice from the freezing rain.  No views but I was happy to get a couple hours in before heading home.  See last week's blog for the video (it's mostly about Waumbek but the last few minutes are of White Ledge).

Tuesday - 0 miles

I'm experiencing my usual post-NH hangover.  Not from libations but rather from the return to the flat city wasteland of Rhode Island.  This state bores me now. It was raining all day.  I decided to hang out in Mopeytown (aka my office) instead of being productive and going to yoga.

Wednesday - Providence, RI - 5.5 miles

I tried to psych myself up with some repeats on Jenckes hill.  I'm out of shape but the temp was nearly 40 degrees and it was good to get back out there and punish my legs.  Jankle was a little sore afterwards but nothing concerning.

Thursday - East Providence, RI - 5 miles

10 degrees colder today and a steady wind made for a nippy run on the 10 Mile River Bike Path.

Friday - 0 miles

Saturday - Wakefield, RI - 8 miles

Ezri began another round of drama club at the local theater and it gave me an hour and a half to kill.  Spent the time exploring Old Mountain trails and finding the connector to South County Commons.  Then I ran little loop repeats on the hilliest section of trail I could find to almost eek out 1000 feet of climbing.  Gorgeous day.

Sunday - 0 miles

Opted not to run early in the cold rain.  My excuse is that it's flu season.  Thoughts of running later in the day of course drifted away...

Weekly Mileage: 22 miles / YTD: 55.6 miles

Time on Feet: 4h 52m / YTD: 14h 58m

Elevation: 4,478 feet / YTD: 9,761 feet

Things are slowly getting there.  Much more work to do...