Weekly Log 11/26 to 12/2

Monday, 11/26 - 0-  But Happy Birthday to me, one day early!!!  I'm so glad my wife supports my habit, as she hooked me up with some much-needed gear:  New Balance 1010 trail shoes with "Rockstop" plates in them (had tried them before and didn't like a design feature, but it's been addressed), and NB1400 road racing flats...

...can't wait to get out and try them!  Over an hour of intense karate training this morning and some weight training at the house, and I'm scheduled (tentatively) for a 9-ish mile trail hike tomorrow.  It's supposed to snow overnight a bit, should be interesting!!!

Tuesday, 11/27 - 0 - Birthday Slug.  My hike got cancelled, I got my favorite grinder from Pasta Fresca in Mystic, and just chilled...

Wednesday, 11/28 - 0 - Karate in the morning and some light weight stuff in the afternoon.  Hitting the trails Thursday morning with Jim H.

Thursday, 11/29 - 4 (Trail) - Taking a few days off, I felt like such a slacker.  Met up with Jim H., my enthusiastic new trail runner, and we dropped off a car at the Wyassup Lake boat launch, drove over the Narragansett trail point on Ryder Road and did that stretch of the trail.  This is going to be part of my section of the trail to maintain, and I wanted to get more familiar with it.  Awesome stretch of trail, starting with a quick ascent from the road to the top of the hill...

 ...then follows the ridgeline and then drops down to the Yawbucs Brook and follows that through some really cool pine forest:

 over to a pond with a beaver lodge:

 along the waterline for a bit, and ends at Wyassup Lake.  The pictures kind of suck, but I was trying to take them as quickly as I could.

A great stretch of trail, crosses over the stream in several places and has a good mix of technical/non-technical single track.  Oh, and the shoes!!!  My awesome new trail shoes!  I can't believe I've been torturing myself for so long.  The New Balance MT1010 shoes I just got are fantastic.  I didn't have a single rock jab my feet today, and they felt great, light and just the amount of protection I needed without losing the minimalist aspect.  Can't wait to lace them up at the Old Mountain race!

Friday and Saturday - 0 - What the?

Sunday, 12/2 - 14+ (Road) - With Mike K.  So Mike calls me up a couple days ago and says "Let's do a run from my place in Ledyard.  Down to Mystic and back."  I needed to get a long run in to make up for slacking all week, and this would be perfect, and Mike had the route all mapped out.  We started out running down Route 117 to 184, over to Cow Hill Road in Mystic, and all the way into downtown Mystic at the Bank of America.  Back up some hills that I believe were among John Kelley's old stomping grounds (near where the Memorial statue is going to go?), and out to Cow Hill Road again.  Mike didn't tell me this (probably to spare me the mental anguish), but when we got to Pumpkin Hill/Lambtown, the hills were brutal...then looped back onto 117 to the start.  A great workout, and 45-50 degrees on December 2?  I'll take it!

Weekly Log 11/19 to 11/25

Monday, 11/19 - 0 - Karate class in the a.m.

Tuesday, 11/20 - 3 (Trail hiking) - Had my first meeting/trail maintenance session with one of the guys from The CFPA (Connecticut Forest and Park Association), and spent several hours clearing some downed trees on the section of trail that I'm going to be the Trail Manager of (pending committee approval in a few weeks).  It's the section of the Narragansett Trail between Wintechog Hill Road and Wyassup Lake, and I'm very excited about getting involved with this organization, and becoming a Trail Manager.  Great trails, too, and right up the street from me!

Wednesday, 11/21 - 3 (Trail) - Hewitt Farm Trails, North Stonington.  Hewitt Farm is a 104-acre preserve in the village, 3 minutes from my house.  I wanted to get a short trail run in, and wanted to check this network of trails out, as it includes a trail up to Tipping Rock, a massive boulder known as a "glacial erratic."  Pretty cool, and a .65 mile ascent at about a 4% grade got the blood pumping...over the top, around the back side along the Shunock River and over to the Loop/Wyassup trails, which are more flat and less technical, but very well-maintained and marked single track in the woods behind the North Stonington fairgrounds.  I plan on hitting these a lot...

Thursday, 11/22 - 3 (Road) - Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!!!  In anticipation of the overeating I'm going to be forced into by my wife's family later (yeah, twist my arm), I decided to do something I haven't done much lately.  Speedwork, or my interpretation of it.  Started out at warmup pace for the first mile, then picked it up to a 6:50 pace, or about 30 seconds faster than my fastest race day pace, for the second mile.  Mile 3 I alternated one minute at a 6:00 pace (I don't know how you guys do it) with a one minute easy pace.  I think this will get me a sub-7 average pace at my next 5K (I hope, anyway!)...

Friday, 11/23 - 0

Saturday, 11/24 - 3 (Road) - Small window of opportunity to mimic the speedwork routine, to a certain extent, from two days ago.  Mile 1 was slightly faster than warmup pace, the next 1.5 were alternating between a 6:00/8:30-ish pace, one minute apiece.   Taking Seth, Jeff, and Mike B.'s advice and throwing this into my weekly regimen.  Tomorrow, a longish run is in order, as I've been doing all short stuff and eating way too much all week...

Sunday, 11/25 - 3 (Road) - Started at an easy pace, and increased my pace every 1/2 mile until I was done...not as much as I'd hoped, but I supplemented the run with pullups, and some light weight training...looking forward to my next long run, as I've felt pressed for time to do one, although not enough to try to join the 4:45 club!!!

Also, as an addendum, for anyone who has run/hiked the Green Falls part of the Narragansett Trail, there is going to be an alternate route created up on the ridgeline on the west side, for days when the water level is too high for the usual crossing.  Should happen in the spring!

Weekly Log 11/12 to 11/18

Monday, 11/12 - 0

Tuesday, - 11/13 - 0

Wednesday, 11/14 - 8 (Trail/Road) - Ran the Li'l Rhody course with Jeff this morning.  Enough with the zeroes, too.  Met at the start at 7:15, and started from the official line up the hill.  Great to have Jeff with me - great to run with, knew where the Heck we were going, got to "talk shop," and got some valuable advice about race day strategy, especially handling the finishing 3/4 mile, as it ends on a road and is unique to a trail race.  Thanks for the heads-up on that one!  We did an easy 8 miles in 1:16, stopping to clear branches here and there as necessary, and I got a very good idea of what I'm shooting for timewise on Sunday. 

Karate class after I went home to change up - the kicking was painful, but a great class anyway.

After all of the trail maintenance this past week, we did find one more tree down at mile 6 or so (100 yards from where we'd turned around...), but quickly cleared a detour trail around it that'll do nicely.

I heard back from the CFPA about my interest in becoming a Trail Director for one of the Blue Blazed trails in my town, the Narragansett Trail.  Possibly my favorite trail for the views, distance and technicality.  There's an application protocol, but they definitely want me to pursue it.  Cool!

Thursday, 11/15 - 4 (Trail) - Took my friend Jim H., who I recently introduced to trail running, to the Narragansett Trail portion that starts below the dam at Green Falls, runs along the stream up to the top of the dam, and then follows the pond around to the camping area.  My favorite trail - very technical at first, and with enough rain recently, we couldn't cross at the usual place and had to bushwack to the top of the ridge to get there.  Once we got near the camping area, we split off and followed the trail toward the Rhode Island border.  Very cool streams and waterfalls out there, and a great time of year to be on the trails.  Except for the hunters...first time I've come around a turn and encountered guys in orange vests with shotguns.  A bit unnerving, but we gave them a nod, they gave us a nod and we continued on our way.  Stayed on the other side of the stream and blazed our own trail on the last 1/4 mile.  Couple pictures from today:

Coming up to the dam at Green Falls Pond

Jim at one of the waterfalls we encountered

The stream at the start/end of the run

A good day, more good training for the race this weekend, and a very good day to wear lots and lots of bright orange.  Must have seen another dozen hunters as we were leaving...

Friday, 11/16 - 0

Saturday, 11/17 - 0

Sunday, 11/18 - 8 - 21st Annual Li'l Rhody Runaround, 144th @ 1:12.  If I line up too far back again, one of you guys seriously needs to smack me, 'cause I should know better by now.  And it's worse on single track trudging along behind everyone, waiting for a chance to pass.  There, I said it and I feel better.

This was my first chance to really help out at a race, and I had a blast with it.  From the clearing we did on the course, to the recon runs with Jeff and Muddy, to checking people in at the registration table and finally putting some names to faces, I had a great time.  I heard a lot of positive comments out on the course from other runners about how good the trail looked, in spite of the recent storms and all the damage.  Very cool.  Jeff had it correct when he said that we never could have run the event in the condition the course was in two weeks ago.  Proud of the work we did out there!  Over 300 runners, and a new attendance record was set, I believe?  For my part, I came in below my goal but I had such a good time with the whole thing, and everybody seemed to appreciate the effort the WTAC put into it.  Great soup and cider afterward, and not one but two fires going!  And dare I say perfect weather?

Great time.

p.s. I just missed the minimum trail marathon threshold for the Cayuga Trail 50 Mile race, but I messaged the race director and I'm on the waiting list...hmmm...if I get the call, it's a long weekend in Ithaca, and a race where my family had a cottage and where I spent some of the best times of my life.  Would love to run this...


































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Weekly log 11/5 to 11/11

\Monday, 11/5 - 0 - Loaded and unloaded kitchen cabinets from a box truck today, that was enough of a workout...

Tuesday, 11/6 - 0 - Went with Jeff and Muddy to clear part of the Lil Rhody course.  Lots of downed trees across the trails, but with a chainsaw, three bow saws and a set of heavy duty pruning shears, we were able to clear a sizeable chunk of the course.  Probably one more trip out there should do the trick, but hey!  It's a trail run.  There's obstacles out there.  We'll go over, under, or around anything we can't clear, right?

Wednesday, 11/7 - 0 - Suck it, winter storm Athena!!!  Went to karate class this morning and kicked ass, and confirmed in my mind that I'll test for 2nd degree in June.  Should be an awesome complement to some more PR's, for sure.  Sore from yesterday's productive trail maintenance on the Lil Rhody course - great time, though, especially talking about food with Jeff and Muddy when we're all starving.  Woke up today feeling decrepit and aged...but nothing a few beers at the end of the day won't cure.

After karate, went out in search of a generator, as we're not going through that again...found my dreamboat of a power source at Ace Hardware in Westerly, and now in the process of doing the proper hookup to the breaker box, etc...Will be back at it tomorrow for some more roads?  Trails?  Hmmm...

Thursday, 11/8 - 0 - Got the generator properly wired to the breaker box, including an outdoor power inlet hardwired to the transfer box...bring it, Mother Nature!  Ready this time :), and got voted in as Secretary of the WTAC tonight!  Very cool.

Friday, 11/9 - 5-ish? (Trail/Road) - Did the first section of the Lil Rhody course with Jeff and Muddy this afternoon, from the parking lot out to almost Klondike Road, and back to the lot.  Was going to continue with them all the way around, but was pressed for time as we got a bit of a late start.  Glad to get some recon of the stretch from the campground to Klondike, as we're going out again tomorrow to do some course maintenance.  Still plenty to do, for sure...

I also sent an e-mail to the CT Forest and Park Association, as I've wanted to get involved with maintaining some of the Blue Blazed trails in my neighborhood that I run...hope to hear back from them!

Saturday, 11/10 - 0 - My lack of miles this week has been supplemented by a new hobby:  playing in the woods with a chainsaw!  Met Jeff, Mike B. and a mountain bike dude named Lennon, and we finished our maintenance of the L'il Rhody course, in advance of next week's race.  I got to play with my new chainsaw, a fantastic Ryobi with an 18" bar, which performed flawlessly.  Here's a couple of shots from the trail:

Had to clear a 30 foot stretch here...

So a little elbow grease this morning, and the trails are passable, and in much better shape than they were a week ago.  There's even a surprise for Muddy out there!

Westerly Land Trust 5K tomorrow, and hopefully a new PR?  Could be!

Also still trying to come up with a new name for the blog...probably asking for trouble, but any suggestions?

Sunday, 11/11 - 6 (Road) - Setting the Pace for Conservation 5K: 22:40, 7:18 pace, 19th overall.  New PR!  I ran this in 26:08 last year, huge improvement...great day for a race, too.  Low 60's, nice brisk breeze blowing, and a pretty good turnout for a low-profile road race.  Nice flat course.  Showed up a bit early and did a quick warmup run with Jeff, Jonny and Mike.  Finally lined up correctly at the start!  Was off the line at a good pace, and was able to increase my pace slightly every mile - At the short side street out/back, I got to see Tom, Jonny, Jeff, Mike, Kelsey and more of the WTAC crew blazing up the street, cool thing is last year they'd already have been long gone...and while I didn't hit my goal today, I did get a PR and I'll take it.  Quick 2-ish mile cooldown run with Jeff, Jonny, Mike after the race.  Tom and Kelsey got his-and-hers plaques, and lots of WTAC award winners.  Great prizes, by the way.  Great event.  This was a weird week for me with low miles logged despite lots of time in the woods, but a lot of good things accomplished for the local running community.  Looking forward to the L'il Rhody race next week!  And some trail time in the next few days...

37th Annual Tarzan Brown Mystic River Run, 11/4

Total miles 10/29 - 11/4 - 15 (Road/Trail)  Thanks, Sandy, for wrecking my game!  I'm going to skip the day-to-day this week, in favor of a quick recap of the last six days, and today's race.  After last week's FOP race, I was feeling pretty darn pleased with myself, and then Sandy came and rearranged our little piece of the planet.  We were lucky here:  I finished the race, went home and did some prep for the storm, and we lost power Sunday afternoon.  Didn't get it back for six days, actually came on at 2 a.m. today.  Nice.  Could have been a lot worse though, a lot worse indeed.  But the kiddos were out of school, and schlepping water from my sister's just to flush the toilet was a workout in itself, so I didn't run until Friday.

So my running this week consisted of two runs:  First, a 7-ish mile run with Mike K. on Friday, starting at the base of Lantern Hill on the Narragansett Trail, and going all the way to the route 2 intersection (5 hilly, technical miles), then route 2 back to Foxwoods where we'd parked.  Great run.  Second, today's race.

I've wanted to run the Tarzan Brown race since I started doing races, but work or coaching soccer always came first.  Not this year!  Ha!  And perfect weather:  mid-fifties, light breeze and not a cloud in the sky...found out right before the race that my nephew and his friends, and also Mike K., had made last-minute decisions to run the race, awesome!  The more the merrier.  I ran into Jeff and Mike B., and Mike K. before the race - Jeff and I did a quick 1.5 mile warmup on the course, running into Tom B. and Kelsey along the way, Tom deciding to do some exploring in the woods before the race?

At the start, I got boxed in by the sheer number of people packing into the narrow streets of historic Mystic, heading out to River Road and on to Old Mystic.  The course is an out-and-back along the river, very scenic and flat, and 5.5 miles total.  I love the out/back runs sometimes, especially when I have friends in the mix - got to see everyone "in the zone" after they'd made the turn.  I felt good, comfortable, and kept a good pace throughout the race, gradually increasing my speed throughout.  Came across at 42:32 unofficially, or a 7:44 average pace, which put me at 192nd of whatever the total number of runners was?  And tied my Clamdigger 5 mile time from April to the second...average pace there?  8:30.  So I'm happy to say, with only that race to compare it to, that I'm getting better every race...quick cooldown with Jeff and Mike B. over to Cottrell Park, where the awesome crew from the YMCA were giving out chowder and cider, two of my favorite things.  I think Mike had four bowls?  There were awards as well.  PRs?  Have to wait til tomorrow to find out, but I guess this is my 5.5 mile PR?

Going to go lower on my 5K PR next Sunday at the Westerly Land Trust race.  Did that last year at 26:08?  Huh?  Going to torch that number for sure.  Looking to go low 7's, maybe into the 6's?  First time ever?  Time will tell...