Monday, 12-16 - 2+ Miles (Roads) - Chilly run in Mystic. Went to the pharmacy to get a prescription filled, and was told it would be 20 minutes. No problem, I had gear with me, so a quick change and a short run killed the time. Very cold wind coming off the river, but felt good to get some kind of a run in!
Tuesday, 12-17 - 5 Miles (Road/Trail) - Local roads with Mike B. to Tefftweald Preserve up my street, roads to finish. 17 degrees, light snow falling, no breeze. Ran the 1/2 mile to the preserve, then cruised around in the woods for a while. Several inches of snow on the ground to slog through, the place is totally different in the winter for sure. Down at the edge of Wyassup Brook, there were some freshly chewed trees, so some beavers are setting up shop close by. Good snowy run!
Wyassup Brook
Proof that he was out there!
Mr. "I Hate Winter" in a Timeout...
Wednesday, 12-18 - 3.6 Miles (Beach) - Breezy Misquamicut Beach run. Sunny skies and a brisk NW breeze greeted me at the Weekapaug breachway after my karate class. Interesting: I just realized in class today that I'm signed up for a 50 mile trail race the first week of June, and I test for my 2nd degree black belt either the weekend before, or the weekend after? If I pull them both off, I'll be shocked/awed/pretty damn pleased with myself. Today's run was a "I haven't run the beach in a while, and it's up to 30 degrees!" kind of day. Soft sand, an outgoing tide, and ran into the wind going out, with the wind on the way back. Easy miles, but negative splits. Gorgeous day...
Thursday, 12-19 - 0 Miles
Friday, 12-20 - 3.7 Miles (Trail) - Paffard Woods and some unauthorized trails with Gazelle. An Avalonia Land Trust gem that, although small, has some very runnable trails. Met Gazelle at the parking lot and we set out for a short trail run, and let's just say we soon found ourselves a bunch of extra trails to explore (Muddy would be proud). At some point we also ended up completely off the trail, and bushwhacked through briars and branches for several minutes. It's not a big place so you can't get really lost, and with the snow on the ground it was a lot of fun! It's too damn nice out today, so there's a really good chance I'm going out again this afternoon...
Saturday, 12-21 - 4.4 Miles (Trails) - Arcadia run with Woolley. Another venture into Arcadia, this time with backup. Picked Woolley up and made the drive to Arcadia. He was keen on checking it out. I'm still getting my bearings here, and this run made much more sense. Starting to get a better idea of how to navigate the massive amount of trails. We ended up running the Frosty Hollow area, with slushy wet trails leading up to Breakheart Pond, and Yaks would have been a great idea on these. Hunters in the lot, but also mountain bikers, and most of the trails we ran/got lost on were unmarked and untouched, save for the deer tracks. Follow the critters! I have to say, it's really incredible that between Arcadia and Pachaug Forests (And Yawgoog!), situated side by side (by side!), a person could, in theory, run 100 miles and never hit the same trail twice...
Sunday, 12-22 - 3.6 Miles (Trail/Dirt road) - Green Falls/Dinosaur Caves loop with Beth L. - 60 degrees on December 22 practically screams "Go for a run!!!" As Beth (aka BLS) has lunatic friends who convinced her to enter the Ice Age 50K race out in Michigan this May, she's been looking to get some trail time in, so I took her up to Green Falls. With the snow and rain we've had recently, the streams were much higher than normal, the crossings were sketchy at best, and everything was slippery, but what a great day for a trail run. Beth did awesome, and we were able to complete the loop good and wet, and a bit muddy, but without any serious slips and falls. Nice to have company lately, I'm glad everyone's on vacation right now. Great day! (Side note: We started running before my space watch locked onto a signal, so on the map the start should be where the finish point is.)
What the heck is that "timeout" thing? Another stone fort, but with a lock? Cool pic. You should have only released him if he agreed to update his running blog.
ReplyDelete"Timeout," what you with kids who don't behave (such as updating their blog in a timely manner)...and it was only 17 degrees out, I couldn't leave him in there for too long!
ReplyDeleteMy space watch worked, first time the thing locked on to a signal that fast too!! And truth be told, Tonya convinced me to sign up for the 2013 1/2 at Ice Age, and then bailed, hip flexor and marriage issues. As she already had money invested in race fees, the RD deferred her entry to 2014. A bourbon chase and a few blue martinis later and there were three! I'm just glad Mike didn't take me on the jail route, and lock me up for some sarcastic remark I made!!!
ReplyDelete