Super 5K Week! Week of 1-27 to 2-2

Here we go!  One of my favorite races of the year, the Narragansett Super 5K.  Cold, flat, fast course along the ocean, and if the conditions are right, total PR course.  As a team, we won last year and received beer for our efforts, and I won a beer/rum tasting tour at Newport Storm brewery in what might be the best raffle prize giveaway of the year for races.  My previous times are as follows:

2010  179  34/50  72 Crutchley Michael     N Stonington    CT 39 M   25:57  8:22

2011  190  36/51  46 CRUTCHLEY MICHAEL     N STONINGTON    CT 40 M   26:57  8:41
2012  171  41/51  48 Crutchley Michael     N Stonington    CT 41 M   25:12  8:07
2013  76  15/37   29 Crutchley Michael     N Stonington    CT 42 M   22:03  7:06

Needless to say, I'm shooting for a PR, if not at this race, then overall...on "Any Given Sunday..."  I think I have a good shot at doing much better if the elements cooperate.  We'll see!  My target time is 20:00.  Ambitious, but totally possible...

Monday, 1-27 - 0 Miles, 1 hour karate class...

Tuesday, 1-28 - 3.8 Miles (Trails) - Westerly Town Forest.  Chilly and icy, and Yaks required.  Never been to this property before, and it's less than 10 minutes from the house.  Awesome...I know I missed a couple of side trails, and doubled up on the yellow trail, but I'll get to know this place soon!

Wednesday, 1-29 - 3.8 Miles (Trails) - Champlin Glacier Park, Westerly.  Last night we got 1-2 inches of fresh powder, so with bright sunshine, 20 degree temps and a brisk breeze, I opted to hit Champlin again.  The main trail had some footprints, but the red, yellow, and parts of the others were untouched.  I even branched off briefly onto some unmarked trails, I was having so much fun...beautiful day out there!

My tracks - I hiked back out after the run to take these shots :)

UPDATE:  Bob Jackman threw out a ridiculous discount for both the Run With the Beavers race, and the 6-Hour Ultra, and I was in the right place at the right time, and able to register for both races at 50% off.  So officially, I'm in and registered for every Better Pace race of 2014!

Thursday, 1-30 - 3.5 Miles (Trails) - Unmarked Hopeville Pond trails to Nehantic Trail out/back.  More untracked snowy trail.  Decided that since Jim doesn't have any Yaktraks, I'd take him up to Hopeville Pond, and do a section of the Nehantic Trail that's scenic and rolling, but not especially technical single track.  10 degrees when we started, and a balmy 15 degrees when we were done.  Brilliant sunshine and no wind make it not feel too cold, though.  Good way to kick off the day, although I was feeling like getting more miles in on this one...



Friday, 1-31 - 4 Miles (Roads) - Westerly roads.  Was thinking about hitting the track, but decided instead to stick to the streets...8 minute pace, steady and relaxed...



Saturday, 2-1 - 7.7 Miles (Roads) - Local Loop, easy pace.  Beautiful day, 40 degrees, light winds.  I was supposed to head down to Burlingame to meet BLS, but plans got altered, and my window of time got shrunk.  Dammit.  Headed out from the house and decided on a relaxed run, in advance of tomorrow's race.  Got some miles in, enjoyed the scenery, and there a bunch of people ice fishing on a pond up the road from me, which was pretty cool to see.  Good day.



Sunday, 2-2 - 6.5 Miles (Roads) - Warmup, cooldown, and 10th Annual Narragansett Super 5K, RI.  One of my favorites.  I felt pretty good before the race, and Jim and I ran a warmup to scope out the "hill," which isn't really much of a hill at all.  Back to the start with a few minutes to spare, and I was looking for a place to ditch my hat when the race abruptly started!  Off we go, and I'm up on the sidewalk for the first few hundred yards, scooting around people where I can.  I can see Steve Schonning up ahead of me, and I'd made the comment recently about spending another three miles staring at the back of his singlet.  I was able to slowly reel him in, and cheer on my WTAC teammates who'd already made the turn.  By the turn I knew I had no chance of making a sub-20 run at this point, but I finished strong with a 6:35 final mile, and crossed the line officially at 21:35, good for 55th place.

After a large WTAC group cooldown, we feasted on the pasta and salad buffet, and waited for results.  We ended up taking the men's and women's team titles, and our runners were #2,3,4,6,7,8, and so on.  Great races run by all!  Thankfully the weather was as good as I've seen it for this race, and the Narragansett Running Association puts on a Hell of a race.  I've done this race 5 times now, and it's on my short list of must-runs.  Proud of my team, it was a fun day and strong performance!!!

No Planned Races Week 2! Week of 1-20 to 1-26

Week number 2 of nothing planned, but last week seemed to work out pretty well!  Some trail runs, a long road run, track work, surfing, and an all-around decent week weather-wise.  This week starts out quiet, but there's snow in the forecast for tomorrow, followed by bitterly cold days for the rest of the week, so I'll have to get some early week running in as a preemptive move...

Monday, 1-20 - 0 Miles - So much for that!

Tuesday, 1-21 - 3.6 Miles (Road/Track) - Streets of Westerly. - With the storm approaching and my Wednesday karate class already cancelled, I decided on a short and brisk run in Westerly with a few laps at the track thrown in.  I don't really know the roads too well, so I meandered around and found myself on the Pumpkins Run course, and approaching "the hill."  Gave it good effort and stopped for a moment at the top to catch my breath...but wasn't at the end of the segment.  Dumb.  Went over to the WHS track, where the schools were already letting out and the first flakes were flying.  Did a few laps with some 200m sprints and headed back to the truck.  We'll see how hardy I'm feeling on Wednesday, with the negative wind chills that are supposed to follow the storm...



Wednesday, 1-22 - 0 Miles

Thursday, 1-23 - 1.8 Miles (Roads) - Damn cold out, like single digit to negative wind chills, and I had things to take care of, coupled with an early dismissal, so a short and sweet run in town fit the bill.  Good effort, good average, and I'm going to get some faster, flatter runs in for the next week, as I plan on going for a PR at the Super 5K...I also opted to not enter the newest race in our area, the Rhode Warrior Half Ironman.  Nothing to do with pricing (or the swim), more about my impending 50M trail race in super hilly Ithaca, NY on June 1.  I need to focus on that, and having two milestone races that close together is a recipe for disaster...



Friday, 1-24 - 0 Miles.

Saturday, 1-25 - 3.3 Miles (Trails) - Champlin Glacier Park. Found myself wandering around, trying to figure out what and where I wanted to run.  Champlin was the call, although I only had road shoes and no Yaks, and the snow on the trail hadn't melted.  Slippery, but fun!  Cold, but still fun.  Good stuff.



Sunday, 1-26 - 7 Miles (Road) - Local loop, with two segments.  Cold, and I hadn't decided on a distance so I brought the CamelBak.  Sadly, the liquid in the tube froze a few miles in, so no drinks for me!  I chose a two segment loop from the house, both segments which are currently owned by one Mr. Muddy Puddin'.  Gave both an honest effort, and came up short but increased my speed on both, which is cool.  Segments in my 'hood are great for charting progress, and I'll take the Gypsy Woods stretch soon, I think...only 14 seconds back now...

No planned races! Week of 1-13 to 1-19

Monday, 1-13 - 0 Miles, but SURF!  I was hoping there'd still be some surf left after yesterday's epicness, and I was right!  The wind died down, the swell was smaller but still waist+, and chest to head high on the sets, and super clean and uncrowded.  I went straight to Conant Avenue near Point Judith, where it was clean and only three guys out.  I decided to wear my Garmin for kicks, and it recorded pretty well for a bit, until i went to check the time and couldn't work the buttons.  With the amount of rubber I was wearing, it was like trying to type a letter while wearing oven mitts...

I just couldn't do it...

Cool, though, in that it accurately recorded my effort until I shut it off!  And although "Some People" can be haters and suggest that surfing doesn't qualify as an activity on Strava (really???), anyone who's ever surfed or tried to knows that is simply untrue.  And with 6 millimeters of rubber on, it's a workout.  Go hate winter, sucka, as long as the Sun comes out and I have layers, it's an Endless Summer up in here!!!

Glassy, uncrowded and warm for January...

Tuesday, 1-14 - 0 Miles

Wednesday, 1-15 - 3.5 Miles (Road/Track?) - Short spin around Westerly.  After karate class this morning, I decided to take a short run in Westerly to try out my new road shoes, the New Balance Minimus 3090v3 shoes pictured below.  My 8th consecutive pair of NB shoes, love 'em.  Cruising around, I was passing the high school and noticed that the gate to the track was open, so I decided to try my luck at some 200m runs, with 200m recoveries in between...results below.  I have to say I felt pretty good running them, and I'm actually looking forward to doing this again...I might even try to make it a weekly thing after karate class, as my dojo is only two blocks away, and incorporating some 400/800m efforts in as well.

New road shoes!!!

Thursday, 1-16 - 4+ Miles (Trails/Roads) - Babcock Ridge Preserve to Henne Preserve, roads to finish, North Stonington.  So the Avalonia folks acquired a nice little piece of property called Babcock Ridge, between two other preserves they own, and plan to build trails through it.  I decided to take a look.  It looks like, from the occasional streamer hanging from tree branches, that it's to be a loop, with another spur heading over to the third property.  Options for 4-5 miles in there once it's done.  After Babcock Ridge I crossed the street into the Henne Preserve, a nicely marked trail that runs along the Shunock River and ends at a road, which I used to loop back to the truck.  Good fun.

How we rollin' in NoSto...

Friday, 1-17 - 4+ Miles (Trails) - Lantern Hill beatdown with Jim.  So Jim says he wants 4+ miles on trails, and I figured I'd give it to him, but with some hills!  Green loop, Red loop, and a double up and down on the hill with some exploring on unmarked side trails before finishing up on the short downhill road section back to the truck.  I felt really comfortable today, loose and not breathing heavy on the steeper parts.  Looking to crush my segment time on the next go around...

Sunny day atop Lantern Hill

Jim cursing my name...

More Jim cursing my name...

Saturday, 1-18 - 3.6 Miles (Trails) - Short Champlin jaunt.  I figured I'd go short today, and long on Sunday since it looked to be the better of the two days in the forecast.  Honest effort but not pushing too hard, kept it sub 10 average on the Champlin trails, which are pretty mellow but have their technical and hilly areas.  I still keep missing the segment that's in there - I turn in one place and screw it up every time...



Sunday, 1-19 - 13.2 Miles (Roads) - Local journey around my 'hood, North Stonington.  Brisk breeze, temps near 40?  Sun felt great, shade did not.  I kept an easy, comfortable pace, mid 9's, and was finishing up at the house with 12 miles and decided to run up Fowler to check off a half marathon for the month, and the Strava challenge.  Done, and done!

Resolution 5K Week - Week of 1-6 to 1-12

This week will be finished off with the Resolution 5K Beach and Trail Run, race #2 in the Winter Trail Series.  This week will also be notable if only for the fact that it's supposed to be mind-numbingly cold, and I suspect that people are either going to retreat indoors and hit the 'mills, or lower their mileage, or both.  I'm OK with running in cold temps, but I have my limit (although I'm not quite sure what it is...).

Monday, 1-6 - 3.2 Miles (Roads) - Short out and back from the house.  Nothing spectacular, sub-8 pace overall with gradually increasing pace, felt pretty good, if just a bit chilly...




Tuesday, 1-7 - 0 Miles - As cold as it was?  Good day to take a zero.  A bit envious of Jonny and Galoob scoring some indoor track time at URI, would have been a good day for that!

Wednesday, 1-8 - 4.4 Miles (Trails) - Champlin Glacier Park Trails, Westerly.  Cold, yes, but not that bad!  20-ish degrees, wind chill around 8-10?  The low parts of the trail were really nice, as the wind was totally blocked.  Nice sunny day!

View of the pond and the Ocean from the hill this afternoon :)

Thursday, 1-9 - 3.4 Miles - (Trails) - Short Lantern Hill run post dump run.  Looking to get something in, and the transfer station is right next to Lantern Hill, soooo...lots of icy patches on the really steep parts but not too treacherous.  Cool icicles on the cliffs!

Top of the hill

Big icicles

Friday, 1-10 - 4.2 Miles (Trails) - Slippery Riverwood Preserve trails with Jim.  With about an inch of fresh snow on the ground, I figured I wouldn't need the Yaks...big mistake!  The snow covered a number of places on the trail where there were sheets of ice.  Punched through to a small stream about 1/2 mile into the run, then went down hard twice in the hilly sections, once on my ass and once coming off some rocks where I executed a perfect tuck and roll down the hill.  Good fun, and some good bruises on their way, but we had a great time out there.  Very cool Westerly Land Trust property, glad I had Gazelle give me the tour a couple weeks ago!



Saturday, 1-11 - 0 Miles...Grrr...

Sunday, 1-12 - 7 Miles (Trail/Beach) - Resolution 5K (plus warmup/cooldown), Scarborough State Beach, Narragansett.  Had a great time at this race!  Showed up plenty early and met up with the WTAC crew, and was able to get in a 2 mile warmup on the course, which, after the recent storms that moved through, was very wet and very muddy.  Throughout the morning, though, I couldn't take my eyes off the ocean.  The recent storm had also kicked up the surf to overhead levels, and there were some big waves breaking out there.  I purposely left my boards at home, as I had a family event at 1 back in town, so I was left to mind-surf the waves and wonder if it would still be around for Monday.

Got lined up for the race and took off down the beach toward the jetty.  The wind was howling sideways across our route, but the Sun was out and it wasn't bad at all.  Mile 1 is 1/2 mile out to the jetty and back to the start.  Easy enough, and then mile 2 hits, with softer sand, and some sharp turns onto sand trails, with some legit ponding to cross through, followed by a very short turn onto the road before cutting back onto the trails by Black Rock.  Once the groomed gravel trail ran out, it was all mud from there to the ruins.  Inside the ruins (Old stone building that's just a shell - the course runs through it), it was all ankle-deep puddles, but as I was already soaked after the warmup run, I plowed through everything from the start of the race anyway.  Back on the beach, it was a half mile to the finish.  I came in 1 second faster than my time from last year, but I felt better, faster, and that the course ran tougher this year because of the water and mud on the course.  Tough to compare trail races year to year, it's not the same as road running at all.  I ended up at 24:47, 7:57 pace and 51st of 133 runners?  Great time.

After a cooldown with some of the guys, the awards were presented, and WTAC took the team win for the second time!  Our guys took spots 1, 3, 5,6,7,8, and 9, and a number of other places, as we had over 20 WTAC crew there for the race!  Team win = free beer, which is also pretty sweet!  Big congrats to Ryan for the win, Turtle dude Bob Jackman for second, FiveK for third, and the rest of our fast crew in what was a pretty fast race...trail/beach race with the top 15 all sub-7 average?  I'd say that's pretty good...

Totally fun day!  And no races for three weeks means more free runs, maybe some surfing, and more exploring and working on getting faster :)

Monahan's Dock going off...barrelfest

40's, also going off...