Title attributed to the White Stripes song of the same name, and entirely appropriate for this time of year :)
Started off November with a dog jog. Nothing spectacular, but got the ball rolling. Now we're into the heart of Fall, and the heart of Fall racing in New England. First up for me? The RI 6hr Ultramarathon and Relay on 11/8, hosted by friend and race director Bob Jackman, and his team at A Better Pace racing. Super fun atmosphere at this race, especially with all the relay teams hanging out at the start/finish! Like a street festival every time you roll through...
11/1 - 1.4 Miles - Dog Jog. It's a start...
11/3 - 2 Miles - Short Stressbuster before my commute home, East Granby. Next door to the job site is the "Rails to Trails" path. Got a peppy run in before navigating to shitty drive through Hartford. It helped!
11/6 - 4 Miles - Easy cruise around the lower Lantern Hill trails. Post-dump run, pre-darkness, and a good run to clear some cobwebs. I also posted some "At your own risk" signs at either end of the Wintechog Hill section of the Narragansett Trail, as there is extensive timber harvesting going on and the trail is wiped out in a couple places...
11/8 - 32 Miles - RI 6hr Ultramarathon and Relay, Warwick. 41st of 77-ish runners in the solo, 5:36 for 29+ miles. My third year running this race. I had low expectations going into this, as my miles have been low, and training virtually nonexistent. But I needed some redemption after my last couple of long distance races, and I really like this race. The format, the social aspect, the swag, it's just fun for me. I paired up with TNT friend and runner John P., and we got off to a rather ambitious start. Perhaps too ambitious, as we went out faster than my goal pace and I paid for it later.
Last year's record-setter Pat Moulton was back, and threatening to break his own record (he did!), along with some local fast men and women. WTAC cohort Seth was there, looking ready to rock but not feeling ready? I was sure he'd do fine (which he did! 4th OA at 40 miles, and 3rd place male). I just wanted another pint glass, I'm really a sucker for a good pint glass. And Monica was there volunteering, as well as TNT runner Mark and a few other people! So I had some support through a bunch of laps at the start/finish. Fun scene.
So I ran with John and this dude named Brian, who we jokingly blamed for our going out too fast. It's Brian's fault! At the end of the fourth loop, I lingered at the aid station to let them get ahead of me, as I wanted to run my own race and pace, and I felt like I was trying to keep up. The positive side to this was that I got to run with a bunch of other people during the race, and some really cool people at that! And did I mention the weather was perfect? It was. 50-55, partly cloudy and just enough breeze. Great views as well.
Fast forward to lap 11. I'd been slowing more on each lap, and getting to the start/finish, I realized I was at 5:36, with 23+ minute window to make it around again. I said to myself "screw it, I'm going for it, I want to hit the 50k mark anyway," threw my water bottle down and took off. I kept a steady pace and it turned out to be my fastest lap of the day, however it was not going to count. As I approached the finish line, the buzzer went off. I ended up completing the 12th lap for a total of 32+ miles, getting credit in the stats for 11 at 29+ miles. All good, though! It was a totally fun day, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Totally worth jumping in on if you're local. Bob puts on a great race, with low cost and pretty high reward. Great day!
11/13 - 2.3 Miles at Hewitt Farm, 2-ish mile dog jog. I stopped at Hewitt for a short run in between errands, and found out they're making new trails along the Shunock River. A bit rough now, but scenic and fun rollers.
Got home and took the dog for a run. Garmin did something totally weird today. I hit 1 mile and it buzzed, and I went 3/10 mile further and it buzzed again, showed the Garmin logo, and then started me back at my last pause point, which was .87 mile. Never seen it do that before...anyone else???
11/14 - 6 Miles - Li'l Rhody Runaround course marking with WTAC crew. Chilly and gusty winds, but when we got into the woods it was perfect weather for a hike/jog. One group marked the first half, the rest of us (Paul, Roy, Phil, Tony and me) hit the second part of the 8 mile course. We flagged it really well. The last stretch is on a road and doesn't need marking, so when we reached that point, I turned and ran back to my truck at a more peppy pace. Course is in great shape for tomorrow!
11/15 - 8 Miles - Li'l Rhody Runaround trail race. I had a great time helping set up, assist with pre-registration, and running the race. I started in the back of the pack and gradually picked up the pace, eventually getting into a good rhythm and banging out a respectable time of 1:08. Not a PR, but fun and I felt good throughout the race.
11/16 - 4.5 Miles - Mystic Mixer Progression run. Pequot Woods N to S, then roads back to the truck. Got confronted by a very large, aggressive German Shepherd in the residential neighborhood, probably why I prefer trails...
11/20 - 6 Miles (2.1/1.5/2.6) - Tunxis Trail, Bristol - Roads, Bristol - Narragansett Trail, NoSto. - I scoped out a section of the Tunxis Trail in Bristol, which was leafy, slippery, poorly marked and blocked off at 1 mile in. Got to the jobsite, and ran until my boss arrived, then went to check on the Wintechog Hill section of the Narragansett Trial, which has been further obliterated, and is now completely impassable. Fuckers. I get that it's private land, but the trail has been there for 80+ years, and was literally feet from the edge of their property.
11/21 - 6 Miles - Barn Island group run. Met up with the WTAC crew for a "welcome back" run with Mike B., who took some time off, and needed a good group run. Great time, but early!!!
11/22 - 5 Miles - Warmup, and Mews Tavern 6.9k Road Race - Wakefield, RI. - I really like this race, as Wakefield is scenic, the course is pretty much a rolling loop, it's for a great cause (Easter Seals RI), and there's beer! It's a bit pricey for a short distance local race, and there has been some grumbling lately about the $$$, but I say that it's worth the extra 10 bucks if it's for a good cause.
I did a short warmup with friend and former Sony cohort Kenny B., then lined up too far back again (behind Way), and trudged to the start line. My splits were solidly negative, and I felt frickin' great as the race progressed. Again, "He has potential, but lacks discipline!"
11/25 - 6 Miles - Castle Craig, Meriden. - I got done with work early and made a beeline for this place. It's been on my hitlist for a while now, as it's the most dramatic skyline feature in the area. I parked at Hubbard Park, below I-691, and cruised up the paved footpath along the reservoir, the castle looming above. After I crossed the dam, I picked up the Metacomet Trail and followed a very technical, and downright sketchy trail along the cliffside, to the top of the hill and the castle (more like a tower), before returning along the footpath back to the truck. Great spot, lots of people, and a great view from the top!
11/26 - 4 Miles - Turkey Day run w/Jim, Long/Ell Pond trail, Hopkinton. Jim wanted technical! Sorry Jim!!! We got started early-ish, and ignoring the "aggressive coyote" warnings posted at the trailhead, scrambled out to Ashville Pond and back. I know we got screwed on elevation gain, and I'm hoping that my new space watch will more accurately reflect the ups and downs of this stretch of the Narragansett Trail. Took the GoPro out for some footage, but it was too choppy to share (trust me). Great day!
11/27 - 4 Miles - Lantern Hill birthday run. - Great day to test out the Garmin Fenix 3, my 45th birthday present from the girls. Awesome watch! Along with a real time altimeter, barometer, compass, and the ability to retrace my route if I ever got lost, it even gives me my text messages and other notifications??? For my run, I decided to go back to the place where I first fell in love with trail running, Lantern Hill. Lots of people out for #optoutside, and I got to chat with several of them. Still my favorite trails, too!
So there it is, in a nutshell. One Ultra distance race, one trail race, and one road race, and some trail runs mixed in. Not quite the numbers I was hoping for, but I'll take it. Time to map out a training plan for a planned distance race, and figure out a way to make it happen...
Welcome back!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Good to be back :)
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