So there are a few goals for 2013 rattling around in my head that I think I'm going to attempt, after being inspired by my fellow WTAC'ers accomplishments this past year:
1. Hit 1,500 miles for the year. That's a 30 mile per week average, and totally doable, and would force me to maintain consistent mileage throughout the year;
2. Run a road marathon;
3. Do a sprint triathlon; possibly the Crabman, if I can get my swim on...
4. Run a 50 mile trail race;
5. Go sub-6:30 per mile at a 5K. Again, totally doable...
6. Host a running event. Right now, I'm looking at the CT Forest & Parks Assoc. "Trails Day," and thinking about hosting a 5K out/back on a portion of the trail I manage, and most likely the Wyassup boat launch end because it's got plenty of parking and isn't quite as technical as the other end, but is still plenty challenging. Nothing crazy, free event, and get my feet wet at hosting a race!
Some of these goals seem a bit daunting, and there might be some evolution to the list, but I know that they're achievable and I'm going to give it my best shot...
Monday, 12-31 - 4 Miles (Road) Slushy run in Westerly with Jim H. This was fun, interesting and sketchy all at the same time, since half the sidewalks weren't shoveled, and lots of traffic on Granite Street. This was an expansion of the Schonning 5K route, weather was fine, roads were so-so, good time. Going to have to go back out later to have any shot at making that 50M challenge...
...Later that afternoon - 4 Miles (Road) - Short out and back from the house, but at a better pace than this morning:
Tuesday, 1-1 - 12+ (Road) - Did it! Got my 50 miles in for the challenge, and a great way to start 2013. Almost identical to the loop from last week, done a bit faster. Good elevation too. I was determined to finish this challenge, and added a bit extra just to be 100% sure I had it done:
Wednesday, 1-2 - 0 - Karate class this morning, good bruising session...
Thursday, 1-3 - 0 - Too damn cold out! Was able to do some WTAC business, and submit my paperwork for a CFPA Trails Day event! Pending approval, I'm going to host a 5K trail race on the Narragansett Trail on June 1, for free! Did I say "Free Trail Race?" And, going to present fancy awards for top finishers and provide refreshments and such to the entrants :), so ye be warned...running tomorrow...
Friday, 1-4 - 4 (Road) - Short out and back from the house, warmer today but some gusty winds. Looking forward to Sunday's race...
Saturday, 1-5 - 6+ (Trails/Road) - I'd started scoping out the Westerly Land Trust trails yesterday, and decided to get a trail run at the Champlin Park, which I'd heard mentioned but never run. Met up with Jeff W., as he runs these trails quite a bit, and he graciously offered to let me try out his Yaktrax, which worked like a charm. Didn't slip once out there, and immediately picked up a pair afterward. Great trails, and a fantastic view of Misquamicut Beach and the Ocean from the overlook. We also ran the Mastuxet Trails, which are located behind my daughter's favorite playground. Never knew those were there either! Great day, 40-ish degrees, and a nice easy trail run before tomorrow's Resolution 5K...
Sunday, 1-6 - 3.1 Miles (Beach/Trail) - Resolution 5K Beach and Trail Race. Jim H., who's been out running trails and some roads with me quite a bit lately, finally gave in to peer pressure and decided that this would be his first race ever. It was, I have to say, a bit chilly on the beach this morning, with a brisk headwind at the opening 1/3 mile of the race, and the last 1/2 mile. Great WTAC contingent down there! Got to chat with the crew for a bit, take a couple of pictures and get ready to run. After picking Jim up we arrived a bit later than I would have liked, but got our gear on and did a quick, short warmup. Thankfully, once the race started I warmed up quickly - the trail portion of the course was packed snow and a bit icy, and I skidded a couple of times but didn't suffer any major wipeouts. Finished with a decent time, and was able to snap a picture of Jim crossing the finish line at his first race. Pretty cool...and a great way to close out a pretty solid, consistent week of running!
Monday, December 31, 2012
Monday, December 24, 2012
Christmas week 12-24 to 12-30
Christmas Eve, 12-24 - 6 (Road) - Clark's Falls Loop. Started out from the house on one of my six mile loops, and wanted to check out the Yannatos Preserve, about halfway through the run?
Needless to say, Avalonia is going to need to get out there for some trail maintenance (or call one of the "Ryobi Boys", haha), because there are some BIG trees down across their trails. It's a pretty small preserve and I scoped it out a bit. Some single track, some wider dormant service roads? Starts with a sketchy stream crossing over this:
Saturday, 12/29 - 6 Miles (Road) Hangman Hill loop with Jim H. Cool morning, but with no breeze whatsoever it didn't feel nearly as cold as yesterday. Jim's making some good progress with his running, and actually said today that he's enjoying it now, which is great to hear. Past the 30-mile mark for the challenge, too! Strava link below:
Sunday, 12-30 - 0 - Three hours of shoveling and wind chills in the teens = no run today...a solid foot of snow on 100'+ driveway. Great workout!
Needless to say, Avalonia is going to need to get out there for some trail maintenance (or call one of the "Ryobi Boys", haha), because there are some BIG trees down across their trails. It's a pretty small preserve and I scoped it out a bit. Some single track, some wider dormant service roads? Starts with a sketchy stream crossing over this:
Finished up on 49, up the big hill past Gypsy Woods Horse Farm. Strava link below. Having trouble getting the flashy Strava snapshot page embedded into this page though:
Good Christmas Eve run, now time to go pig out at my in-laws' place. Traditional Italian Christmas Eve dinner, stuffed squid, conch salad, stuffies, whiting, etc...everyone have a great holiday, I'll be up for a run from the 26th on if anyone's heading out!
Christmas Day, 12-25 - 0 - Merry Christmas! My nephew had me for the "Secret Santa," and got me a GPS-enabled watch for races...awesome!!!
Wednesday, 12-26 - 6 (3 Road/3 Trail-ish?) - Two separate 3 mile runs in North Stonington. I'd planned a run this morning with Jim H. (my karate training partner), and Mike K. I'd wanted to check out the Henne Preserve in North Stonington, so we headed over to the start of the trail and ran the entire length, which ended up being just under 1.5 miles of really nice single track trail, then looped back around on the road to the cars. Link here:
Jim, who's just getting into trail running, was good by the end of this 3+ miles, but I had a 40 minute window before an appointment, so Mike and I ran from my place to the Tefftweald Preserve, hit the trails there and then back to the house. Another 3-ish miles, for a total of around 6. Good day, could have gone longer but we got started a bit late and I had time constraints. Weather in the mid-thirties and overcast, felt pretty good today!
Thursday, 12-27 - 0 - Weather sucked. Left for a funeral at 9, got home after 5. No chance!
Friday, 12-28 - 13 Miles (Road) - Still want to complete the 50 mile Strava challenge by 1/1, so once the winds died down this afternoon, I headed out on one of the longer loops in my 'hood. Pretty chilly, but I layered exactly right and wasn't really cold until the last two miles when the sun was totally blocked by trees. Pretty happy with my splits, too...I tried to hit the Hewitt trails, but shortly into the trail was a stream that's usually passable...not today! Unless I wanted to swim, that is...Thought I'd gotten enough distance to get a fancy "25 Miles Completed" badge, and it shows 25 miles complete, but I'm sitting at 49% for the challenge, dammit! Ah well, there's always tomorrow...Strava link below:
Saturday, 12/29 - 6 Miles (Road) Hangman Hill loop with Jim H. Cool morning, but with no breeze whatsoever it didn't feel nearly as cold as yesterday. Jim's making some good progress with his running, and actually said today that he's enjoying it now, which is great to hear. Past the 30-mile mark for the challenge, too! Strava link below:
Sunday, 12-30 - 0 - Three hours of shoveling and wind chills in the teens = no run today...a solid foot of snow on 100'+ driveway. Great workout!
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Weekly log 12-17 to 12-23
Monday, 12-17 - 0
Tuesday, 12-18 - 0
Wednesday, 12-19 - 3 (Treadmill) - After karate class this morning, I found out my daughter was running a fever and was being sent home from school. Effectively shutting me down for an evening run, so time to break out the treadmill...the upside to that? I can set a specific speed, incline, distance, etc...missed the fun run with the 4:45 crew, but got something in anyway!
Thursday, 12-20 - 3 (Treadmill) - Home with sick child again, speedwork on the treadmill, at "faster than race day pace." Sustainable for a road PR next race, for sure, last race was a blip on the radar. Total sweatshop in the workout room, which has huge windows that face the sun, and finished up with a good weight workout. Hoping to get out on the roads/trails this afternoon for a few more miles once Lori gets home...great day for it here...
3.5 (1 Road/2.5 Trail) - Thank you, Avalonia Land Conservancy, for my newest find, the Tefftweald at Birchenturn Preserve, which is exactly 1/2 mile from my front door! It's located on my street, and until I started poking around on the Avalonia website I hadn't realized that there's 75 acres and a whole network of marked trails out there. Awesome. So this afternoon, I laced up and headed out the door. A short run to the trail entrance, and I was able to run most of the marked trails in one shot. Fairly well marked with blue arrows, too, here's a link to the network:
http://avalonialandconservancy.org/files/Tefftweald_map_ver_3.pdf
Very cool and quiet place, I squeezed 2.5 miles out of it today, but there's one section I missed that would push it up to 3.5? Nice views, too, especially on the Steeplechase Loop where it runs along the Wyassup Brook:
Oh yeah, and since it's years' end, I went through my race bibs:
Tuesday, 12-18 - 0
Wednesday, 12-19 - 3 (Treadmill) - After karate class this morning, I found out my daughter was running a fever and was being sent home from school. Effectively shutting me down for an evening run, so time to break out the treadmill...the upside to that? I can set a specific speed, incline, distance, etc...missed the fun run with the 4:45 crew, but got something in anyway!
Thursday, 12-20 - 3 (Treadmill) - Home with sick child again, speedwork on the treadmill, at "faster than race day pace." Sustainable for a road PR next race, for sure, last race was a blip on the radar. Total sweatshop in the workout room, which has huge windows that face the sun, and finished up with a good weight workout. Hoping to get out on the roads/trails this afternoon for a few more miles once Lori gets home...great day for it here...
3.5 (1 Road/2.5 Trail) - Thank you, Avalonia Land Conservancy, for my newest find, the Tefftweald at Birchenturn Preserve, which is exactly 1/2 mile from my front door! It's located on my street, and until I started poking around on the Avalonia website I hadn't realized that there's 75 acres and a whole network of marked trails out there. Awesome. So this afternoon, I laced up and headed out the door. A short run to the trail entrance, and I was able to run most of the marked trails in one shot. Fairly well marked with blue arrows, too, here's a link to the network:
http://avalonialandconservancy.org/files/Tefftweald_map_ver_3.pdf
Very cool and quiet place, I squeezed 2.5 miles out of it today, but there's one section I missed that would push it up to 3.5? Nice views, too, especially on the Steeplechase Loop where it runs along the Wyassup Brook:
Fishin' hole
Wyassup Brook
So once again, I find myself humbled by the amount of cool places to run in my town! You stay classy, North Stonington!!!
Oh yeah, and since it's years' end, I went through my race bibs:
(somebody has issues)
Friday/Saturday - 0
Sunday, 12/23 - 6 (Road) - Hangman Hill Loop. Was going to do a long run with Mike K., but some family business interfered. This afternoon, though, the Sun was out and the winds died down, and with a window of opportunity presented, I got myself suited up and out the door. Nice easy run, quiet day with almost no traffic. I finally decided to try the Strava program most of you use - looks pretty good, I still have to play around with it some to get used to it....
Link to the first Strava run:
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Weekly Log 12-10 to 12-16
Monday through Wednesday - 0 - Very busy week in terms of sick kids, dog getting fixed, chimney swept, wood stacked, blah blah blah. However...I went to the Connecticut Forest & Parks Association meeting in Middletown Wednesday night, where I was voted in as the trail manager of the western 6.5 miles of the Narragansett Trail, starting at Lantern Hill and running all the way to the Wyassup Lake boat launch. Woohoo! And they hooked me up with a ton of CFPA swag: East and West CT Walk Books, with topographic maps of every Blue Blazed trail in Connecticut, books on trail building and maintenance, and some other really cool stuff. Awesome...
Thursday, 12-13 - 6.5 (Trail) - Trail run with Mike B., or "Why you should never be tentative when crossing a stream..." Mike asked if I was free for a trail run, and specifically wanted to do the section I'm going to be maintaining. Met at 9, did the car drop thing, and started out at Lantern Hill. Brutal way to start a run, that first ascent to the top. Great day, upper 30s and partly cloudy, and I'm proud to say that, in Mike's own words, "That was BY FAR the most technical trail run I've ever done." He seemed pretty impressed with the ascents/descents, and blown away by the views. 3/4 of a mile from our finish line, though, we were crossing the very last little stream, and somebody bobbled a bit on a rock and tried to back up...and put both feet right in the stream. So a soggy last 3/4 mile, but a good time all around. On to the WTAC Holiday meeting/party tonight!!! Should be a good time!
Friday/Saturday - 0
Sunday, 12-16 - 6.2 (Trail) - 2012 Old Mountain 5K trail race, the first race in the 4th Season Winter Trail Series. This race is put on by our newest WTAC'er, Mike G., so I of course signed up for it. And it's a trail race, not hilly but with some fairly technical spots, small stream crossings, lots of mud, all good things! When I arrived, I noticed a slew of WTAC singlets, and ran into Rhody Seth, who wanted to run the course as a warmup. Great idea, and we got back with 10-15 minutes to spare. I even lined up in the right place in the crowd and felt pretty good. My race? SUCKED. Great course, great crowd, saw a lot of people and had a good time, but my performance was not at all what I expected. I didn't run with a GPS and had to leave right after for a party, but I have a feeling that when the results are posted I'm going to be more than a bit pissed at myself. (UPDATE: Results posted. Not happy. And as they say, internet results are forever...) Very cool trails though! Lots of work by the crews who cleared/prepared/created them, and this one will be in permanent rotation on my schedule. Next up, the Resolution 5K in Narragansett right after the new year. I'm at 25 races for the year, might possibly squeeze one more in?
Thursday, 12-13 - 6.5 (Trail) - Trail run with Mike B., or "Why you should never be tentative when crossing a stream..." Mike asked if I was free for a trail run, and specifically wanted to do the section I'm going to be maintaining. Met at 9, did the car drop thing, and started out at Lantern Hill. Brutal way to start a run, that first ascent to the top. Great day, upper 30s and partly cloudy, and I'm proud to say that, in Mike's own words, "That was BY FAR the most technical trail run I've ever done." He seemed pretty impressed with the ascents/descents, and blown away by the views. 3/4 of a mile from our finish line, though, we were crossing the very last little stream, and somebody bobbled a bit on a rock and tried to back up...and put both feet right in the stream. So a soggy last 3/4 mile, but a good time all around. On to the WTAC Holiday meeting/party tonight!!! Should be a good time!
Friday/Saturday - 0
Sunday, 12-16 - 6.2 (Trail) - 2012 Old Mountain 5K trail race, the first race in the 4th Season Winter Trail Series. This race is put on by our newest WTAC'er, Mike G., so I of course signed up for it. And it's a trail race, not hilly but with some fairly technical spots, small stream crossings, lots of mud, all good things! When I arrived, I noticed a slew of WTAC singlets, and ran into Rhody Seth, who wanted to run the course as a warmup. Great idea, and we got back with 10-15 minutes to spare. I even lined up in the right place in the crowd and felt pretty good. My race? SUCKED. Great course, great crowd, saw a lot of people and had a good time, but my performance was not at all what I expected. I didn't run with a GPS and had to leave right after for a party, but I have a feeling that when the results are posted I'm going to be more than a bit pissed at myself. (UPDATE: Results posted. Not happy. And as they say, internet results are forever...) Very cool trails though! Lots of work by the crews who cleared/prepared/created them, and this one will be in permanent rotation on my schedule. Next up, the Resolution 5K in Narragansett right after the new year. I'm at 25 races for the year, might possibly squeeze one more in?
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Weekly Log 12-3 to 12-9
Monday, 12-3 - 0 - An hour of karate this morning, and then closed on the refinance of our mortgage (3.25%, yo...), threw down some Christmas decorations in 60 degree weather, and made a kickass pasta dish for dinner. And...I used my birthday gift certificate today at Kelley's Pace to pick up a fancy blaze orange moisture-wicking pullover (so as not to get shot in the woods), some socks, and an ample supply of Body Glide...won't make that mistake again!!!
Tuesday, 12-4 - 0 - Weight training at the house.
Wednesday, 12-5 - 3 (Trail) - Hewitt Farm trails, winding, totally clear dirt single track, with the occasional technical rock garden thrown in. Of course, flying down a fairly benign hill is where I have my first (and I'm sure not my last) "yard sale." Caught a root just right, and had way too much momentum to check up, and found myself flat on my stomach, muddy, a bit scraped up and thankfully not bleeding or broken...good times. Had an hour of karate this morning as well, so a good workout day. Looking forward to this weekend's race, looks like a great course!
Thursday, 12-6 - 6.75 (Trail Hike) - Went with Bob from the CFPA and hiked the first three sections of the Narragansett Trail, starting from Lantern Hill and covering the 6.75 miles to the Wyassup Lake boat launch. Perfect day, cloudless sky and 38 degrees. Learned a lot about the section I'll be managing today, and got a game plan together to clear some downed trees and address some other trail-related issues. I have to say, it was interesting to hike the trail after only running it so many times. There were 4 beaver dams and one complete lodge that I hadn't seen, and a number of other really cool sights that I'd missed during the runs. Here's a couple of shots from today:
Tuesday, 12-4 - 0 - Weight training at the house.
Wednesday, 12-5 - 3 (Trail) - Hewitt Farm trails, winding, totally clear dirt single track, with the occasional technical rock garden thrown in. Of course, flying down a fairly benign hill is where I have my first (and I'm sure not my last) "yard sale." Caught a root just right, and had way too much momentum to check up, and found myself flat on my stomach, muddy, a bit scraped up and thankfully not bleeding or broken...good times. Had an hour of karate this morning as well, so a good workout day. Looking forward to this weekend's race, looks like a great course!
Thursday, 12-6 - 6.75 (Trail Hike) - Went with Bob from the CFPA and hiked the first three sections of the Narragansett Trail, starting from Lantern Hill and covering the 6.75 miles to the Wyassup Lake boat launch. Perfect day, cloudless sky and 38 degrees. Learned a lot about the section I'll be managing today, and got a game plan together to clear some downed trees and address some other trail-related issues. I have to say, it was interesting to hike the trail after only running it so many times. There were 4 beaver dams and one complete lodge that I hadn't seen, and a number of other really cool sights that I'd missed during the runs. Here's a couple of shots from today:
Got beaver???
36 in. diameter trunk, snapped like a twig 25 feet up during Sandy...
Mossy trails
Nice rocky climb...
So stoked that out of all the trails I've been running since I started running trails, my favorite section is the one I'm going to be taking care of...and it's right up the road from my house...
Friday, 12/7 - 6.75 (Trail Run) - Exact same route as the day before, but I Shanghai'd not one but TWO of my friends into doing this. Cool day and overcast, but totally calm winds and perfect for a run. The amount of time I've spent on this trail recently, and I still see something new every time. Started at Wintechog Hill, at the bottom of Lantern Hill, and did the full run to the Wyassup Lake boat launch. I was able to get one of my friends onto the trails here for the first time, and get my other friend his longest run ever, a 10K+. Views from the top to Block Island, and found some cool quartz on the trail. Here's my new converts:
One peppy, one hurting! Antone and Jim.
Taking a Zero tomorrow, and chilling before the Newport race on Sunday - I've done everything from 3 miles to 32.5 this year, but have never done a 10K before on roads...so I'm getting a new benchmark here, running as a team, and hoping that I represent well...shooting for a mid 7-minute pace...or lower?...Hmmm...
Saturday and Sunday - 0-0 - Wisely decided to blow off the race for some much-needed family time :)
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