Run4Kerri Week! Week of 7-29 to 8-4

This is the week of the Run4Kerri 4 mile road race.  This is my favorite race and I've talked about it before.  First race I ever did (in 2009): great race, great family, nice course and always draws a big crowd.  To show where I'm at historically, I'm posting the results of my first four races below:

2009:  412/883  37:54 @ 9:29
2010:  287/810  34:30 @ 8:38
2011:  204/470  36:48 @ 9:12
2012:  197/693  33:48 @ 8:28

I'm thinking I can top that this year...

http://www.run4kerri.com/

Monday, 7-29 - 3-ish Miles (Beach) - Attended the funeral of a friend today who passed away from cancer at the age of 51.  She brightened the lives of everyone who was lucky enough to have known her and will be missed dearly, and reminds me never to take life, friends and family for granted - you only get to do this life once, right?  Hit the beach for a short run after the service just to clear my head, along the Ocean and down to Westerly Town Beach, where I hear someone shout "Hey Mike!"  Sure enough, a Schonning sighting!  Apparently he's not active enough so he lifeguards on the side...I gave him a Crabman recap and got caught up, and then headed back to the jetty.  The run helped (and when doesn't it?).  Still bummed, but a bit better than I was.  Heads-up to any of the five or so people who read this blog who don't run?  Start.  It does wonders for the psyche...




Tuesday, 7-30 - 5 Miles (Road) - Warmup, Dogwatch 5K, and cooldown, Stonington.  I was able to get coverage for the kids!!!  Made it to the Dogwatch in plenty of time for a warmup run with some WTAC dudes (who seemed surprised to see me?), which turned into a bizarre tour of the borough, complete with staircases and a trip over the bridge...my nephew showed up and hit a new PR, then left to go do his 15th workout of the day (or something like that)...

I ran most of the first lap with BLS, and part of it with Jana, then kicked up the pace for the second lap.  Perfect weather = faster pace, and in the last part of the run I see Don up ahead.  I think, "wonder if I can catch him?"  As I got to within a few feet he instinctively speeds up, so I do the same and let him know it's me, to which he replies "You're gonna have to earn it" and takes off.  Full-on sprint for the last couple hundred yards, total fun...quick cooldown run after, and then change up and grab a well-earned beer.  Huge turnout, very cool to see at these runs!


Wednesday, 7-31 - 0 Miles - 1 hour bruising karate class (kumite and self defense "circle of fun"), and some good stretching/light weight training.  Oh, and the damn yard again...

Thursday, 8-1 - 0 Miles - Weight training day.

Friday, 8-2 - 5.5 Miles (Road/Beach) - Watch Hill to Misquamicut on roads, and back to Watch Hill on the beach.  Met up with Gazelle, FiveK, Which Way?, Matthew, and new guy Chet at the gazebo in Watch Hill for a 5-6 miler, easy pace, as some of the crew were slated for Saturday's Block Island Tri.

The first portion of the run was on the road, and wound through scenic Watch Hill.  Until recently I'd forgotten how nice it is down there, and it's totally quiet in the morning: just a few other runners, bikers and people walking their dogs.  With a conversational pace going, I chatted it up with Chet, who's a pretty cool dude and new to the area.  As we moved along, it became clear that FiveK was steering us toward Misquamicut, and as I'd hoped, onto the beach.  Cooler there than on the road, although more work in the soft sand.  Scenic and totally uncrowded all the way to the lighthouse.  Ran up the footpath and back to the cars to grab towels, and make the short hike to Napatree Point for a quick dip in the Ocean.  Great start to the day.

Napatree Point.  If you look closely, you can see the swimming Gazelle...

Quiet Watch Hill harbor, viewed from the dunes

Saturday, 8-3 - 4 Miles (Beach/Road) - Napatree Point beach run and quiet Watch Hill roads with Jim H.  After yesterday's jaunt in Watch Hill, I realized I'd never actually been out to the end of Napatree Point.  Historically, Napatree is significant in that it was once lined end to end with houses, which were completely wiped out during the hurricane of '38, and all that's left out there now is the remains of an old military bunker.  It's very pretty and very quiet on this 1.5 mile long spit of sand, and when Jim asked about going for a run today, I knew just where we were going.

So round trip it's 3 miles, and it was slow going in the soft high-tide sand, but we decided to tack on a little more on the streets, and it worked out nicely.  Didn't want to do too much with the Kerri race less than 24 hours away either.  With a stiff breeze and light rain, the streets were virtually deserted.  Good run!

Quiet, rainy Watch Hill harbor

View from the western end of Napatree Point

Jim and the beach run

Afterwards, I drove down to Matunuck to pick up my race packet for the Run 4 Kerri.  Everybody was very nice, and I picked up another logo grocery bag, and an awesome tech shirt.  Kerri shirts are always the best, looking forward to the race!!!

My "BLS" moment...nice swag!

Sunday, 8-4 - 8 Miles (Warmup/Run 4 Kerri/Beach run w/Mike B) - See separate Run 4 Kerri write-up :)...

It's Okay to Crawl!!! The 2013 Crabman Sprint Triathlon

Still here, so I did something right!!!  I finished my first (and not last) sprint triathlon today (Official place 305 of 500-ish?, total time 1:25:05), and I'm incredibly relieved.  Results here:

http://www.coolrunning.com/results/13/ri/Jul28_Crabma_set1.shtml

Saturday night after packet pickup, I ran over to Gazelle's to get my truck gussied up with his bike rack, due to technical issues beyond his control.  After getting it set, I raced back to the house to eat a quick meal, pack my gear, and get right to bed, as I had to be up for 4:00 a.m....

Of course my nerves got the better of me and I spent the entire night awake, staring at the ceiling, counting down the hours and running through every worst-case scenario you could think of.  Finally got up at 3:55, made some coffee and managed to get ready in the dark and without waking the family, including the dog!

 

My thoughts on getting up this early, as described so eloquently by Cameron Frye...

Got on the road and made it to Gazelle's place, where they were just wrapping up breakfast, and I jokingly accused Jeff of conspiring to get me into the "4:45 club."  Once we were all set with their bikes, we pick up Tommy FiveK and head down to the MTK.  Inside the transition, everyone peeled off to their respective areas to lay out their gear.  I think I did a pretty good job of laying everything out for the transition, and went to take a look at the swim course, my only problem area.  Thankfully, the Ocean had calmed down considerably, and other than a small swell, it was clean with a light offshore breeze.  Awesome.  Once they dropped the buoys I felt even better.  Didn't look that far at all, and my nerves eased a bit...

Part 1:  The Swim

So they start the race in waves, and I'm in wave 3.  Soon enough, I'm lined up with all the other orange-capped dudes, and the race director yells "GO!"  I hung back.  I wanted to take my sweet time with the swim, knowing that I'd make it up on the other two parts.  So with my barely passable swimming skills, I used a combination of freestyle/breaststroke/sidestroke/ and a back-floating paddle-type thing to get it done in 13:55.  Slow enough that some of the ladies in the wave behind us blasted right by me, but I made it!  Dragged myself out of the water, saw Rhody Seth and high-fived him, and trotted up the path to the transition.  All cake from here!

Part 2:  The Bike

Changed up in the transition (nobody seemed to care that I stripped down to my underwear, but I guess that's part of the "triathlon" thing?) and jogged my bike out to the road.  Got on the bike just as some dudes from the first waves zipped by on their second lap (two lap course) going FAST.  No problem, my strategy was to maintain a comfortable rhythm, and push as much as I could while leaving something in the tank for the run.  BLS was flagging at the first big turn and gave me a shout out!  Thanks Beth!!!  People were flying by me, including FiveK on his second lap, cool to see him keeping a fast pace.  Second lap highlight?  Slowing down long enough at the turn to high-five Beth, and getting to the last part of the bike.  Bike in 40:48 officially for 12 miles.  Legs went Jello-y at the transition, but I got out of there pretty quick and started the run.

Part 3: Part 3: The Run

Around the first turn I see Tom, who's already done and gave me some encouragement...further up, I see Mark Walker coming toward me and looking strong at the finish.  The Jello legs went away and I started passing lots of people, offering some words of motivation along the way.  Saw some familiar faces, some people I surf with and had a great run overall.  Sprinted through the finish and done!  Run in 25:22 officially.  My first Triathlon in the books.  Cooldown swim in the Ocean with the crew, who all did great.  FiveK came in 23rd at his first tri, Shira slayed it and came in first in her age group and fifth overall for the ladies, Jeff collected an age group award, I survived...and had a great time!  I know how important it is to develop well-rounded skills as an athlete, I just have to put more effort into it.  Great job by Beth, Mark, and all of the 100 or so volunteers who donated their time for this awesome day.  Loaded the truck up and headed out:

Got Bikes???

In conclusion?  Yes, I'm a headcase when it comes to "event" races.  Yes, my training could be loads better.  Yes, there's most likely several unflattering pictures of me flailing around in a wetsuit that should never see the light of day...but Hell, I'm having fun with my WTAC crew, and my other running peeps, and we had a great time today.  Next up?  My first race ever in '09, and annual favorite, the Run4Kerri.  My favorite race. Got me hooked.  Love it...

Crabman Sprint Tri! Yikes! Week of 7-22 to 7-28

Here we go, yo...!

Holy crap, what did I get myself into?  I believe I've said that before...as a longtime surfer (25+ years) and water-loving dude, I confess I've never done distance swimming, and I'm nervous as Hell about the swim portion of this race...and I sort of suck about training properly, which has already been firmly established.  I'll kill it on the bike and the run, but the swim?  Not so sure...my race day equipment is also ramshackle (great word!) and, while functional, will probably make me look like an idiot, which ain't much of a stretch.  If I survive the swim, the hilarity of me making my way through the transitions should be epic, and may involve a wardrobe malfunction or two.  I might even rock a skateboard helmet for the ride...and smuggle flippers and swimmies in my trunks for the swim :)

Monday, 7-22 - Karate class, and my last eye appointment for the abrasion (100%, but I'm not allowed contact lenses the day of the race...so I get to swim blind-ish?).  Took the Soph with me, and as we had to kill some time, we hit the Westerly TJ Maxx, where I scored some sweet Speedo mirrored goggles for 5 bucks:

Triathlon on a budget!  Thanks, TJ's!!!

And, as we still had some time and Soph wanted to see TS's crib, I drove her down to Watch Hill, and cruised past the monster hedges and surly guard out front...I pointed out the chimneys, and gave her some stats.  She thought WH was pretty rad.  Realized when we got home that Taylor was hosting Selena Gomez, Sophia's favorite actress/singer/celeb person EVER.  She thinks it's coolness x 1,000,000, of course! OMG!

No run today.  Just monster amounts of yardwork (2 acres suuuuucks to mow and weedwhack), and hanging with the family :), then back at it tomorrow!  Cheers!  Here's my take on my swim/bike transition worries:

Tuesday, 7-23 - 0 Miles - Light weight training, some stretching and time with the kids.  Oh, and more yardwork, during which I got sweaty, possibly into some poison ivy, and stung by a wasp.  Love the yard...

Wednesday, 7-24 - 0 Miles - Karate this morning, and bowling with the kids at Alley Katz afterward.  Can't catch a break with the fun runs...but I was able to swim 50 laps in my in-laws' pool, which equals 1/4 mile.  Problem is, I can't do it continuously, so while I can do it, it ain't the pretty, "Phelpsian" form that tri- athletes normally have.  If I find out there's like 20 boats, boards, and kayaks on the swim course for Sunday, I'll be good to go; otherwise, not so much...my nerves are through the roof for this, and I'd much rather be running the Blessing on Friday, in all its hot, humid glory.  It might be "Okay to Crawl" but it's not OK to drown, or worse, DNF (Did Not Finish)...going to try to get a run or swim or surf in tomorrow morning.

Thursday, 7-25 - 2 miles (Trail Hike) - Cossaduck Hill portion of Narragansett Trail with the kids for fun and trail maintenance.  The kids had a blast, and I got to do some clearing on the trail :)

Kids love trails!  Get 'em out there, I say!

Friday, 7-26 - 3.5 Miles (Trail/Road mix) - Canonchet Preserve trails and Hoptown roads with Jim H.  Good, cool morning and nice muddy trails (and lots of spider webs!).  Never been in this preserve before, and the first trail we took was a gradually descending, wide trail that ended at a road.  We followed the road for a bit then turned back, got to the car and decided to take the other trail which ended rather quickly at someone's backyard.  Have to ask Muddy about this spot, as it's on his turf...

     p.m. 4+ Miles (Road/Beach mix) - Misquamicut roads and oceanfront run with Gazelle.  Stopped by Gazelle's place to pick up to shiny new WTAC singlets (awesome!!!)  and, in spite of his scheduled Blessing 10 miler tonight, asked if I was up for a short run...yup!  Ran to the beach, then on the beach, then back.  Perfect weather, too - overcast and 70, and nobody on the beach.  In spite of high tide, great running there.  We talked about the Crabman, my mental issues surrounding the swim, and he gave me some valuable tips about the race, prep, and getting through my weakest part of the event (wonder what that is, hmmm???).  Good running day!



     p.m. Part 2 - 1/4 Mile swim (Ocean) - Swim from Seaside Beach Club.  So I'm down in Misquamicut anyway, checking the surf (nada), and I'm looking at a pretty calm Ocean and decide "What the Hell?", there's nobody in the water and now's as good a time as any to get a swim in.  Suited up, and swam parallel to shore 1/4 mile, as I'd walked off the distance with Sophia a few days ago and knew where I had to go.  Swam the whole thing in one shot, and while it wasn't pretty, and certainly wasn't fast, I got it done.  Huge weight off going into Sunday...

Saturday, 7-27 - 0 Miles - 1 day to Crabman...drove down to 'Gansett with Lori and the D-O-Double G to pick up my race packet.  Dogs love car rides...Ran into 5K and talked race strategy for a few, then Lori and I took a drive down to Point Judith to check the waves and walk the dog.  My nerves kicked into overdrive on the ride home, and as per my usual, I got very quiet while a million things rattled around in my head...

Sunday, 7-28 - 2013 Crabman Sprint Triathlon - See separate write-up, coming soon...

Heat Advisory! Week of 7-15 to 7-21

Mother of Mercy, it's hot out!  With temps all week projected to be between 90-100 degrees during the day, and dewpoints described as "oppressive," the heat index goes 100+, meaning any and all runs will have to be done early, late, or on the beach...no sense getting a heat stroke, right?

Monday, 7-15 - 2.5 Miles (Road) - Short out/back from the house.  At 7:30 I set out for a short run to the end of my street, and it was already 80 degrees.  Damn, those 4:45 dudes might be onto something...kept a steady pace though, and pushed it the last mile, scoring a 1/2 mile PR and a couple of other good numbers.  Short run but I got some good results!



Tuesday, 7-16 - 0 Miles - So I have what I'm quite sure is a corneal abrasion, as yet to be confirmed by my optometrist.  Left eye is very red, painful and light sensitive...to be confirmed Wednesday...missed the Bottone Mile, but there were some seriously impressive numbers posted, WOW, and in that heat...

Wednesday, 7-17 - 0 Miles - Suspicions confirmed, abrasion on the cornea.  Woke up to this:

Feelin' the burn...

Doc gave me a scrip for anti-inflammatory drops, said no contact lenses for at least a week, and recommended staying out of bright light as much as possible.  Apparently when the pupil makes its adjustment to compensate for lighting it's extremely painful, as I found out repeatedly while running errands in Westerly today...like an icepick to the brain.  So any running I do will have to be super early or super late...my in-laws are dropping off a pair of those awesome wrap around shades, so maybe I'll rock those for a few days :)

Thursday, 7-18 - 3.5 Miles (Beach) - Seaside to State Beach and back, Misquamicut.  What a difference a day makes, thanks to those eyedrops...woke up with very little discomfort, and almost no light sensitivity.  Had a chance to do a short beach run, with shades of course, so in spite of the heat and high tide, I was able to get 3.5 miles in, and made it to State Beach where I was turned back by the wall of people all trying to beat the heat in the same 1/4 mile of beach.  Seriously?  Walk a couple hundred yards down from State Beach and there's nobody...and everybody's smoking there, so I turned around and headed back.  Was going to make the Mike B. creeper run to my new Facebook buddy Taylor's place, but it was not to be.  Besides, probably not smart to go longer with a heat index of 100 degrees, even with the ocean right there to cool off...



...and guess what awesomeness arrived in the mail today???  New Balance MT1010v2 trail shoes, redesigned to fix the fatal flaw in version 1!  I'm so stoked...

Friday, 7-19 - 3.5 Miles (Beach) - Beach run #2, Misquamicut.  Day two with the heat index over 100 in my 'hood, but it was about 5 degrees cooler at the beach?  So round two of the short beach runs.  Hey, today I went at low tide, so there was more beach to work with, and firmer sand.  Still couldn't make the commitment to run to Ms. Swift's place, but I'm sure she'd hook me up with a bottle of water at the turn if I did, right?  Tons of people (again) at State Beach, and again I ran until I couldn't deal with the crowd anymore...looking forward to slightly cooler temps in the coming days, some swimming, bike Saturday(?) and a long run on Sunday...no races this week, though, more family time at the beach :)

Saturday, 7-20 - 15 Miles (Bike) - 3.5 Miles (Beach run) - 15 Miles (Bike) - Home to Ocean bike ride, beach run to State Beach and back, Ocean back to North Stonington bike ride.  Whew!  Who's a dumbass who doesn't take his own advice, written at the top of this post?  This guy, that's who!  I'd brilliantly decided to do something I've wanted to do but never done, which was ride my bike to the beach, run a 5K, and ride home.  But why not up the ante and do it in 90+ degree weather?  Idiot?

My master plan had a bailout option, which was Lori and Soph driving down...that way I could wuss out and throw the bike in the car and ride back...but what?  You're not going to the beach?  Oh...

So I went anyway.  And it was hot! I'd also thrown about 50 things I thought I'd need into a backpack (bike lock, change of clothes, towel, etc.), and it turned out to be an extra 10 pounds of crap I didn't need, none of it.  Lesson learned, yo...

     Part #1:  The ride.  I did some maintenance on the bike before I left, fixed the front brake and aired the tires, and the ride down was not too bad!  Steady and I felt really good.  Getting into Misquamicut and feeling a dip in the temperature was a godsend...got to Seaside and put the bike away, and got to the run...


     Part #2:  The run.  5K+ barefoot beach run to State Beach and back.  Negative-split the whole run, which I was quite pleased with, and kept it steady and relaxed.  Ran into Mrs. B., who graciously gave me a bottle of water (do I look that bad? I still have to ride home!).  Mike B. was couching today, so I missed chatting with him about my impending doom next weekend.

     Part #3:  The ride home.  More like, slow slog on a gradual ascent, all the while counting down the miles, and straight to my sister-in-law's pool for a cool-off and a beer.  Beer never tasted so good...so glad we're getting slightly cooler weather this week...maybe I'll come to my senses and do smarter things?  Yeah, probably not...

2013 Run With the Beavers 10 Mile Trail Race

7/13/13 - 10 Miles (Trails/Dirt Roads) - Bib #13 (thought that was notable...), 37th place, official time 1:43:44.

Left the house early and made the drive to Chepachet, RI, for the second annual installment of this race, put on by Bob Jackman and A Better Pace (http://www.better-pace.com/).  I have to say I was really looking forward to this race, and although my nerves acted up a bit on the drive, I was good to go by the time I pulled into the lot.  Temperature was comfortable, a bit humid but nothing like what we'd had the last couple weeks, and what we're getting this week, so we dodged a bullet there.

Ran into Team "HammBoj" almost immediately, Rhody Seth, Paul G., Bob B., and a few other familiar faces from other races.  Checked in, grabbed a tech shirt (sweet!) and did a short warmup of about 1/2 mile and was besieged by deerflies almost immediately.  Great...back to the car to douse myself in insect repellent - I didn't have a problem with them after that for the entire race, thankfully!

Runners get lined up for last-minute instructions, and we're off.  With runners doing 5 and 10 mile races starting together, I focused on doing my own thing, and not getting sucked into competing with the people doing the shorter distance.  10 seconds after the race started, a guy right in front of me rolled his ankle, went down in a heap, and tried to continue, but I don't think he did.  Sucks.  I'd scoped out the course route mapped on Strava last year by Jonny, and I knew roughly what to expect - a gradual uphill for the first couple of miles, and one good hill about a mile from the start/finish, then repeat.  I loved the single-track out there:  narrow and rocky, and just like what I'm used to. (Quick soapbox moment:  If you're running a trail race on single-track, and the volume on your headphones is cranked so high you can't hear the guy behind you politely trying to pass you, then perhaps you shouldn't be running trail races?  Rant over.)

I'd opted not to run with a water bottle, as there were water stops every 2.5 miles.  Worked out fine.  Ran the last two miles or so with Gary, owner of "Big Gary's Discount Liquor," who was obviously in pain and pretty sure he'd broken his big toe.  Dude was hardcore, we ran together and crossed the finish line at the same time.  Loop 2 was cool, I knew exactly where I was, and maintained a decent pace until I got to that last hill, a little over a mile from the finish...

So a great day, awesome job by all the volunteers, and a well run race.  Thanks!!!  The shirt/treats/awards/raffle prizes were icing on the cake.  Definitely a race to consider, and a worthy second race in the proposed "Triple Crown of Rhode Island" trail races that was proposed a few months ago (Big River 1/2, Run With the Beavers, Li'l Rhody Runaround)!

Race start/middle/finish...

"HammBoj", your winning team!  With beer!

Filthy!  Nothing better :)

Run With the Beavers 10 Mile Trail Race! (Hot and Bothered Week Two)

Well, here we are into week two of this heat wave...don't get me wrong, I like warm weather, but to a certain point.  Mike B. is loving it.  I, on the other hand, don't really dig trying to get some miles tacked on when it's 90+ degrees with a heat index of 100+.  Too much!  And the deerflies can suck it...

Run With the Beavers 10-Mile trail race is this weekend, looking forward to it!  Supposed to be a bit cooler by then.

Monday, 7-8 - 0 Miles.  1 hour karate class then hanging with the kids.

Tuesday, 7-9 - 0 Miles.  Weight training, which I've sort of been neglecting lately...

Wednesday, 7-10 - 4+ Miles (Trails/Dirt Roads) - Green Falls up the gorge to the pond loop (west side), around to the Narragansett Trail turnoff to Dinosaur Caves, back down Sand Hill Road.  Sweated my ass off out there, and the deerflies were relentless from the time I got to the dam until I made it back to my truck.  In hindsight, going shirtless was probably a bad idea, but I was smart enough to carry my trusty WTAC hat with me just in case, and I put that on pretty quick.  Great fun, though, and saw lots of people swimming and enjoying the campground area of the pond, and two hippie girls asked me how my run was going, probably concerned about that "I'm dying out here" face I was most likely making.  Taking a page from Mike B.'s book, about to head down to Misquamicut for part 2...



          Part 2 - 3 Miles (Road) - Tom McCoy fun run, Misquamicut Beach.  Planned to take this easy, and I did until mile three...started out easy in the humid weather, chatting with John Hammett, Carol Ann and Paul Gray, and several other runners...what my picture of a "fun run" is.  Then mile three hit, and I picked up the pace for some reason, and ended up with my 3rd fastest mile/400m...good and sweaty finish to the daily double!



Thursday, 7-11 - 0 Miles.

Friday, 7-12 - 5 Miles (Trails/Dirt Roads) - Green Falls/Dinosaur Caves/Hidden Lake loop with Ryan W. and Jim H.  I've been up to Green Falls quite a bit, I just really enjoy the scenery, technicality of the trails, and all-around coolness of the place.  That, and the fact that it can be done as a loop adds to the appeal (and less than 10 min. from the house!).  Heat and bugs weren't quite as bad, either.  Ryan hadn't been there before, and I think he really enjoyed it.  Even took a side trip to Hidden Lake this time:



Saturday, 7-13 - 10 Miles (Trails) - 2013 Run With the Beavers trail race (see separate post).

Firecracker 4 Miler! Week of 7-1 to 7-7

So it's again shaping up to be a hot, humid and sweaty week...and of course, what kind of 4th of July would it be without 90+ degree weather?  This week's festival of suffering will include the Camire's Firecracker 4 Miler in Wakefield, Rhode Island.  I did this race last year at the encouragement of one Mike B., who subsequently pulled a no-show...checked my results, came in 179th out of 315 runners at 33:41 total, 8:26 pace.  This year's goal, if I'm feeling good Thursday morning, is to go sub-30 minutes, very do-able...just have to be smart about my running this week (which hardly ever happens)!

Monday, 7-1 - 0 Miles

Tuesday, 7-2 - 3.5 Miles (Road) - Short warmup and Dogwatch 5K Fun Run, Stonington Borough.  Showed up with plenty of time and saw some familiar faces immediately, including Don, Rosann, Way, Colburn (already on the course), and Jeff Vuono biking in...but not the people who have been giving me a hard time for not being at the fun runs?!?  Dude!  And hey, who's this at the fun runs, getting a shout out from Mrs. Bessette and having a drink after the run?  Amby Burfoot, '68 Boston Marathon winner...how cool is that!  I lined up near the front, with the intention of going easy at an 8-minute pace, which didn't quite happen...the Sun was out and it was really humid, but the pack mentality got the better of me and I finished in 23:15, faster than I wanted but I felt pretty good, so why not?  And gives me the pace I want for the Camire's race...sub 30?  Could happen.  I'm carpooling with Colburn on Thursday, so I can pick his brain about local running history :)

Beers and running talk on the back deck afterward.  Great night.  Love the Borough!  See you all next week!



Wednesday, 7-3 - 5.5 Miles (Road) Westerly recovery run with Jim H.  Dropped the wife's car off for an oil change, then ran over to Jim's place.  Back into town and through the park, then back out to Jim's to drop him off, then back into town to get the car.  Hot and humid!  Definitely took it slow today, in advance of the Camire's race tomorrow...



Thursday, 7-4 - 5 Miles (Road) - Warmup/Camire's Firecracker 4 Mile Suffer-Fest, Wakefield, RI.  160th place out of 400+ runners, 32:33 @ 8:09 pace unofficially?  Picked up Colburn and made the drive to Wakefield for what will appropriately be described as a hot, sticky race.  Did a short warmup with the WTAC crew and met new members Mark and Ryan, saw BLS and a few other familiar faces in the crowd and then the race was on.  Mercifully, we had a good cloud cover and the Sun only peeked out once during the race.  I was definitely lined up too far back for this race, but I knew right away that I didn't have that sub-30 minute run in me today...still, I did beat my time from last year by over a minute.  I think perhaps on a cooler day, with a bit more rest leading up to the race, I'd have been able to pull it off?  The learning process is a long one.  I'll keep at it.  That heat definitely beat the will out of me, though.  I had a much faster pace at the Niantic 10K!  Come on!!!



Friday, 7-5 - 2.5 Miles (Trails) - Champlin trails with Ryan W.  86 degrees at 9 a.m., what the?  Met up with Ryan, and showed him the Champlin Glacier Park trails about a mile from his place.  Legs still pretty dead from the race yesterday, combined with the heat and incessant deerflies pecking at the back of my head, equalled a short 2.5 mile jaunt for me.  Ryan stayed to do another loop, but really liked the trails there and the easy access.  Picked up some new membership applications from Jeff (Still hoping to see Beth and Don's in there one day...), and went for a quick dip in the ocean.  Water cooled me right down :)...wife's shopping and daughter's at the zoo, so I might head back to the beach for a round 2...



Saturday, 7-6 - 0 Miles

Sunday, 7-7 - 3 Miles (Beach) - Misquamicut Beach Run with Mike B.  Hot out, but not as bad as inland where it's just unbearable.  Mike decided he wanted to run from the breachway to Watch Hill and back, so I joined him until we got to State Beach, and turned around and headed back to my beach chair and umbrella.  Negative splits all the way, and I felt good despite the heat.  Jumping in the ocean afterward was a treat.  Mike, on the other hand, made the full 10 mile round trip, very impressive given that it was all on the sand.  Good job, Hasselhoff!