Weekly Log 9/24 to 9/30

Monday, 9/24:  5 mile double-loop on Lantern Hill

So I'm going to a weekly thing from here on out, as it seems like the best way to go.  And in the interest of full disclosure, if I said I wasn't nervous about Nipmuck I'd be lying.  I've been running the most technical shit I have near me, so I can deal with that aspect of the run.  And the hills, those I can do.  Today, for example, I did the Lantern Hill loop, all the way to the top, around and back down to the Wintechog Hill entrance to the trail...tapped the rock at the bottom and went up the Narragansett Trail portion, up and over to the southeast facing side.  Very steep, and not a place where you can lose your focus.  Anyone who's been up there can attest to that.  Like slip and you die stuff...so I've totally got my "trail legs" where they need to be.  It's the distance, though, that seems the most daunting.  I'm thinking about the whole "aid station to aid station" method of getting through the race.

Could see Block Island from the south side of Lantern today, very cool!  Here's a couple of shots:

Top. facing south

The "Rock Garden"

Me (Nice Hat!)

But all that said, I'm trying to maintain a "fun run" attitude, like Jeff W.  No expectations other than to finish and do my best.

Tuesday, 9/25:  0, installed microwaves all day in an apartment complex.  That was enough of a workout!

Wednesday, 9/26:  8 mile Nipmuck Trail run

Have been wanting to do at least some of the Northern leg of the Nipmuck course, as I'd heard it was the more difficult of the two out-and-backs, but this close to the race I was given two bits of advice: first, not to do the full 14 of the Northern leg (thanks, Jeff); and second, not to minimalize my runs too much before the race (thanks Mike B).  Because of my schedule, the training spreadsheet I was trying to follow went right out the window anyway, so I'm just winging it at this point.  So 4 out and 4 back, and can I just say a huge THANK YOU to the mountain bikers who went ahead of me on the trail today?  Didn't hit a single spider web!

So here's the deal:  I did 8 out of the 14 miles of this part of the course in 1:37 (12 minute pace, which is exactly what I wanted to be at, and without subtracting the photo stops and fussing with my mapping app), and although there were more hills, the trails weren't quite as technical.  There was also about a 1 mile stretch of dirt/paved road between miles 2.5 and 3.5, Jeff W should be booking on that part.  I crossed three roads, and a bunch of streams (some with footbridges, some without), and while there are some mossy, slick spots, overall it wasn't so bad!  I felt comfortable, and the jitters I've had the past week or so have mostly gone away.  Also, they have already marked the course really well...great time of year to be out there, here's a couple of shots from today:

Single-track

Bridge #1

Well-marked!

Stream from bridge

Chute coming home (blurry with sweat?)

So there ya go.  Recon complete, head in a better place...

Thursday, 9/27:  0, just serious online topographic recon, mental prep, and staying positive about the course, the runs I've done, and how much I'm looking forward to this...crazy...

Friday, 9/28:  0, It rained like a bastard all afternoon - the course is going to be muddy, and that's the deal with a trail run...so there you go.  Apparently I got a drop of sweat on the charge port of my iPhone on Wednesday's run (although I'm not entirely sure it was that...), and it stopped charging.  Had to spend three hours in Providence getting a new one, and ordering a waterproof case.  As for the race?  I want to finish, but if I feel right, and I also have a time in mind...so we'll see.  No pressure :)

Saturday, 9/29:  0, waiting on Nipmuck...nerves dropped on me like a load of bricks this evening, and even though I went to bed at 9, I think I slept a total of 4 hours?

Sunday, 9/30:  2012 Nipmuck Trail Marathon, 26.2 miles (this gets a separate post)...please stand by

Pachaug 4-Miler 9/21

Going to call this the "Mt. Misery Loves Company" run.  Perfect mid-60s weather, parked at the Pachaug entrance and went straight to the top of Mt. Misery and back, 4 miles to the top and back including the Rhododendron Sanctuary...scared the crap out of some dude who was out walking with headphones on, and happened to be right at the intersection where Nehantic trail crosses the park road when I came blasting out of the woods.  Good times...

Took a picture at the top, the leaves are definitely starting to turn here:

Getting closer to Nipmuck, and as long as I can keep my head straight, I should be good...

10.4 miles on 9/20

So after the Surftown on Sunday, I started to feel kind of off, like I was getting hit with allergies...turned out it was a wicked head cold, which made me feel like I was under water for the next three days.  As such, no running for me on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday...but I was feeling pretty good this morning so I did a "tester" run, which turned into 10.4 miles at faster than my "Blessing" time, including a couple of good hills out my way.  Gorgeous day, and I went up past Jonathan Edwards Winery, where they've been harvesting grapes for the past few days.  Still have the bug netting up over the vines though:

Overall, perfect running day...low 60's, low humidity and a good breeze.  Looking at shorter trail runs tomorrow and Saturday, then Sleeping Giant State Park with Mike K. on Sunday, which looks really interesting...

Surftown Half Marathon, 9/16

This was my first half marathon last year - I ran it in 2:12, at a 10:04 pace, and met my crazy ultramarathon friend Gary along the way, who is the inspiration for this blog...I wasn't nervous at all for this race, as I've been ramping up my miles to prep for the longer races coming up.  My body, on the other hand, doesn't like me very much right now and I slept fitfully all night, up every half hour and finally got up at 5.

Packed my bag, light breakfast and headed out.  Traffic was backed up for over a mile, so I used a bit of local knowledge and got around it :)

Ran into Jeff and Justin as soon as I pulled in.  Went for a quick warmup/pit stop (again, local knowledge) and fueled up.  Brought all my extra gear, and decided to skip all of it in favor of just the GPS.  Did I mention the weather???  Cloudless sky, 50 degrees and a light breeze at race start.  I see Mike B in the crowd, wish him good luck and head to the back with my people.  Here's a shot of the crowd (Note WTAC singlet in the foreground!) at the start:

Last year, this race had 800 or so runners.  This year?  1200+... the race starts, and my goal is to keep the 2:00 pace leader in my sights, and I quickly lose him in the crowd.  At mile 2, I'm checking the surf and the girl running next to me says I should go surf after the race.  I say, "Well, we've got a ways to go," and she says her friend Justin will be done an hour before us, haha.  Hmmm...you mean Justin B?  Small world, eh???  Turns out, Heather is a good friend of Justin's, and after losing her for a while, we meet up again a few miles later and wind up keeping the same pace, pushing and encouraging each other all the way to the finish.  My GPS was calling out our time and pace, and it kept getting faster and faster, and we dropped into the sub-9's per mile average, and passed the 2:00 pace dude, who told me I was gonna crush my time from last year...and the best moment of the race?  Hitting mile 12, with 1 to go, and knowing I was going to be below 2 hours...

So I ended up, unofficially, at 1:56:10, or 16 minutes better than last year.  Wouldn't have done it without Heather, who was super cool and a great runner in her own right, and I felt fantastic today.  If there's a "Cloud 9," I'm on it right now...and I feel a lot better about Nipmuck today because of it.  Awesome day, and this is why I run.  Notable?  My friend Antone, who I take karate with, just ran his first 5K at the CVS, and came in at 24:04, at a 7:45 pace, very cool...

Saw Jeff at the finish, and he PR'd and came in 1st in his age bracket?  Justin killed it and came in 6th???  Mike PR'd and jetted for the Pats game (3rd in his bracket?  What???)  So the WTAC represented  well at the local race, and I'm stoked for the Nipmuck...should be a great test!

Nehantic from Hopeville Pond, 9/14

Nice 4 mile total run on Nehantic Trail, starting from Hopeville Pond.  Started off on an unmarked trail and quickly realized I wasn't in the right place - doubled back, and went up the road a bit to where Nehantic officially begins.  Single track and very webby, but a pretty nice, rolling trail with some technical spots...it's in pine forest though, so lots of nice soft pine beds to run on.  Damn fine day out there.  On the way home, did some recon on 138, 201 and 49 to see where some of the trail crossings are....

Lantern Hill 9/12

I took down yesterday's post, because it had nothing to do with running, and very little to do with surfing.  If you happened to read it, cool...if you missed it, you didn't miss much.  Beautiful day out there!  75 degrees, sunny, light breeze...and 3.2 miles on Lantern Hill today after karate, felt good to get some trail time in, even if it was only a short run.

Great view of the lake at the bottom part of the trails:

Beautiful, crystal clear view of the same lake from the top (It's a long way down!):

Want to get at least one more trail run in, in the 6+ range, before Surftown...

10.4 miles, North Stonington, 9/10

Today was a fantastic day for a run, weather-wise:  lower temps, lower humidity, and a nice cool breeze.  I went to my karate class this morning - great workout there as always.  Got home, had lunch, and about an hour later I geared up and out the door.  I got to try out my Camelbak, although I totally could have gotten away without it.  I spent several minutes at the beginning of the run stopping to adjust it, but eventually got it figured out.  It doesn't move around much once it's cinched nice and tight...however, I don't think I'll use it at Nipmuck or Bimbler's, because you're talking about adding 3-4 extra pounds on courses with almost 10 water drops/aid stations, and it's just too much.  The hip pack will be fine.  On long trail runs, the Camelbak will be a lifesaver, though...

Started out of my driveway and did a different loop:

http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/134786693

I figure I came in at or under my Blessing of the Fleet pace, after subtracting out the time I spent fussing around with the pack, and on a much more hilly course.  Felt really good, and made a point of taking big sips of water at every mile mark.  Want to follow this up with a solid trail run tomorrow, conditions and situations permitting...but overall a great day and good run!

No run, just surf! 9/9

I set the alarm with the very good intention of getting up, driving to Nipmuck and doing the back half of the race route, but when you're a surfer and it's head-high hurricane surf at your favorite break, ya do what ya gotta do.  Must have caught 50 waves today, and killed it out there...and got to surf with my nephew and his friend Colin, who apparently is a very good runner in his own right.  Great day, great waves, surfed for three hours straight and got an awesome workout.

NK5K 9/8

OK, so I did this race last year and I looked up my time to see what my stats were.  Always trying to better my previous years' results, always trying to improve.  The course is a pretty level loop out from North Kingstown H.S. and into Wickford, over the bridge and back around to the school.  Not sure what the hell was wrong with me last year, I came in 174th place at 28:09 (9:04 avg.).  Too bad I wasn't writing this back then, so I'd know what my problem was...

It was about 80 degrees out and very humid for this race.  I got to the school 20 minutes before showtime and did a 1/2 mile warmup, and ran into Colburn Graves and his son.  Colburn rocks, the guy is 79 years old, running shirtless, and he just did the beach run on Wednesday?  Awesome.  Great to have some representation from this area as well.  By the way, he came in at #447, at a 14-minute pace.  Very cool dude, and awesome runner.  Glad I know him...he inspires me :)

There were 532 runners...Lined up where I thought I should be in the pack and started my GPS when the horn went off...wasted a good minute getting going, and got boxed in a few times in the first mile...second mile felt really good and was the fastest of the three for me at a 7:46 avg.  Good finish.  Came in at 24:40, good for #103 at a 7:57 pace...and 3:29 faster than last year...my fault for not being further forward in the lineup, I suppose! Live and learn, I'm faster than I think I am...Great time, great race, and going to try to make the Nipmuck training sesh in the morning.  Peace out, yo.

F#$@!!! Puppy wins...9/7

Grand designs dashed...long run put on hold...I was able, during my short window of doglessness (I won't crate him for more than a couple of hours, wouldn't be fair), to drive to North Kingstown to pick up my race packet, which consisted of my shirt and bib (NO swag...not even a bag...wtf), and then a detour to Dick's (pressed for time, rather not shop there but whatever) to look for a Camelbak hydration backpack.  The dude in shoes had no idea and pointed me to the fitness section, and the stuff I was looking for was next to the Rollerblades...the price was right, less than Amazon and I already tried it out, works awesome!!!  Doesn't shift around much at all.  Ran home to let the dog out and get squared away...So I race tomorrow, the NK5K, then trails on Sunday...PR would be fabulous, we'll soon see...no pressure, right???

Narragansett Trail at Green Falls, 9/6

Had a small window of opportunity this morning, so a quick drive to the southern end of Green Falls, where the Narragansett Trail crosses the road.  Because we've had so much rain, the initial run along the creek bed and up to the top of the dam was very muddy and quite slippery, but once I was lakeside it wasn't bad at all.  Some tight trails, some technical spots, and great scenery.  Also a couple of flat areas to get some speed in.  Like a rainforest out there, and I'm very lucky that it's only 5 minutes from my house.  Sometimes it pays to live in the sticks!  Here's a couple of pictures:

I went halfway around the lake, almost to the campground and back.  I figure I was going at a 12 minute pace, and I believe between 2.5 and three miles, although I'm not 100% sure because GPS didn't work at all, just the timer (curse you, 3G!!!)...

Charlie Stavros Memorial "On The Beach" Run 9/5

PR???  Not so fast there, buddy...

So it rained all day, torrentially, and I checked and re-checked the radar, hourly updates, etc. and it looked like the weather would clear by race time, 6PM.  Very humid, but a bit cooler and the wind went almost slack as I got to Misquamicut Beach for the race.  50 or so people there for the race (I checked the stats, looks like attendance for the race is at the mercy of Mother Nature), and a 3-mile beach run now in its 25th year, so it's historic by my standards.  And did I mention it's a free race?  Timed by SNERRO to make it official?  Thanks, WTAC (which I just joined)!

Turned out to be a great evening for a race.  I ran the race barefoot, which I always do on the beach.  I got out to a decent start, and had opted to run without my GPS.  I'll connect the dots later.  Straight out and back down the beach at low-ish tide, good waves from Hurricane Leslie to look at (can't wait to surf tomorrow), and I get to see some of my friends coming back at me toward the turn around at the jetty.  I was right behind a 12-year old named Joe for the first 2 miles, then we passed each other 5 or six times and crossed the finish line and high-fived.  Both stoked that we beat our best time!  Or did I...I'm coming up the beach and I see the timer, and realize I'm totally ahead of my PR, and cross the line at 23:25, good for 19th place!  But it's a 3 miler, not a 5K, and .1 miles makes a bit of difference.  So I averaged a 7:48 minute mile, and we'll call this my beach PR...very happy either way, because I had a great time, met some new people and got to talk running for awhile.  And three races in a row in the 7's means I'm definitely faster at shorter race distances.

Great spread by the WTAC, by the way, can't say enough good things about the club.  The event finished off, appropriately, with some great words about the race's namesake, Charlie Stavros, under a fabulous sunset:

Great race.  Count me in next year...

Mt. Misery Trail Run 9/3

So I'm on the Facebook the other night, and notice that a runner named Mike K (yeah, another Mike...) had just moved to our area from Florida and taken over the Groton Ledyard Veterinary Hospital.  He's an ultra runner, is also signed up to do the Nipmuck Marathon, and was looking for people to do some trail runs with.  So we met up at the entrance to Pachaug this morning and did a 6.5 mile run (to his credit, he did 15 yesterday), which took us up and over Mt. Misery, and followed the Nehantic Trail portion for a while.  A good morning weather-wise, no bugs to speak of, and actually saw a couple of people out there hiking?!?  I usually don't see anyone out there...

I felt really good this morning and could have gone much longer, and might have to get a beach run in today...maybe the Stavros out/back before Wednesday's race.

Here's the view from the top of Mt. Misery:

Not bad!  Next time on this trail, I'm shooting for the entire section from the lot, all the way to Hopeville Pond...

6 mile loop, 9/1

Had every intention of doing a long run this morning, but with the chaos of family and the addition of a puppy into the mix, my run got put on hold until the girls decided to go shopping...by the time they left (and I got my act together) it was 84 degrees out, nice blazing sun and a hot breeze...but I got 6 miles in on one of my North Stonington loops that has lots of rolling hills and one big hill at mile 5.  Interesting note:  I have always hated that particular hill, but after the trails the last couple of days, it didn't seem so bad.  Love that.  Might even take a day off tomorrow, we'll see how we're feeling after the blowout 40th birthday party tonight for a friend of ours...

Time to make wings for the party!