Well that Happened...New Week, New Goals, 10-27 to 11-2

So I tried and failed (or did I?) at Chatfield, but it was a calculated fail, and today I know I made the right call.  I was slightly sore today, but totally functional and able to work without any issues.  Sooo...this week starts with a job, and might end with a race.  I've done the Tarzan Brown road race a couple of times, and it's on my "to do" list of races every year.  I looked at my race list though, and I have races scheduled almost every weekend until December...not as planned, it just kinda happened.  In fact, I just signed up for the Mews Tavern "Gear n' Beer" 6.9K road race (to represent 69 beers on tap!) in late-ish November, because beer.  Beer?  YES, BEER!  And Gear, and a totally fun time.  And it's to benefit a great cause, Easter Seals of RI.  Link below:

http://www.easterseals.com/rhodeisland/get-involved/events/15th-annual-beer-n-gear-69k.html

I've done this race a couple of times, and even wrote a review last year for fellow runner Bob Jackman's "Sweaty Beer Tent" blog:

http://sweatybeertent.blogspot.com/2013/11/mews-tavern-beer-n-gear-5k.html#comment-form

Stoked to be running.  The schedule starts loading up again, and I have to convince my wife yet again how important each race is, because they are!  Well, to me, anyway...

Monday, 10-27 - Demo!  Work 7-5.

Tuesday, 10-28 - 3.5 Miles (Trail) - Lantern Hill fun.  550 feet vertical in 3.5 miles on techy trails?  Fun!  I retired those bastard Fresh Foam shoes by the way, with the ripped toe box and frayed everything else, and let my friend at NB know.  150 miles and the worst pair ever!  Next!!!  I cruised Lantern today, and did one or two segments, but the GPS was weird so it didn't line them up right...

Wednesday-Thursday, 10-29 to 10-30 - Demo #2!  Worked in Southington/Meriden, which apparently have an abundance of trails I really really need to check out, including Hubbard Park, which looks like it has the potential for epicness...

http://www.meridenlandtrust.com/Hubbard_quad.pdf

I'm seriously gonna make a road trip to this place - it's about 1 1/4 hour drive from my house, and it needs to happen...

Friday, 10-31 - a.m. - 3.7 Miles (Trail) - Long/Ell Pond trails with Jim H.  I was ready to run today, and Jim, coming off a broken toe, was ready to hit the trails after a brief hiatus.  Like a dummy, I suggested one of the most technical trails around, which Jim actually thanked me for?  He said his foot felt good.  Either way, it was a perfectly cool running day, and we even checked out the Long Pond extension trail, and climbed to the top of the giant boulder at the end:

That's a rock!

Top of the aforementioned rock - the sign reads "Live by the Sun, Love by the Moon"

Long Pond overlook on a crisp New England morning...

I also made a point of giving the ascents here a good effort, as they're technical, short and steep, and scream "go for broke."

                  p.m. - 1.4 Miles (Trail) - Grindstone/Fowler Preserve.  Took the dog for a walk and trot, and did some impromptu trail maintenance clearing a couple of blowdowns and a lot of downed branches from the trail.  It's across the street from me so I needed to do it, as I'm out there all the time and I need to be a caretaker for the Preserve, I think.  Great time to be on the trails:

Yellow/White loop, leafy!

I wanted to get a third run in but was denied by Samhain/Halloween, and my daughter's sleepover party, where I run around picking up pizza and supplies, prep the living room for a pack of 7th-graders, and drive them around to trick-or-treat in the rain.  Sacrifice!

Lastly, I submit to you a tale of two trail shoes, and the introduction of a third.  The first, and my favorite of all time, the NB Minimus Zero V2 Trail.  450 miles and still totally cool.  The second, the NB Fresh Foam 980 Trail, 150 miles and NOT cool.  The pictures tell the story:

450 miles on the left, 150 miles on the right.  Note the ripped/frayed fabric on the "Fresh Foam" shoes...worst pair out of 10+ consecutive pairs of NB shoes, and I let my peeps at New Balance know...

And next?  The NB MT3010 trail shoes, fresh outta the box.  Picked these up for 35 bucks(!), going to give them a whirl tomorrow and let you cats know how they stack up.  Decent lugs, good design except for the lace eyelets, and cushiony but pretty flexible...

Let's see how these muddy up!  Storm this weekend!

Saturday, 11-1 - 0 Miles.  Family day.

Sunday, 11-2 - 2 Miles (Road) - Dog jog with Henry.  It was disgusting out in the morning!  Huge props to everyone who braved the elements to hit the races, especially friends who were running in the inaugural 'Gansett Half, the Tarzan Brown Road Race, and the NYC Marathon.  Great job by all!  Got the dog out when the weather got a touch better in the afternoon, and then hosted family for the football games.  Great day in spite of the weather.