Rolling Into 2015: Week of 12-29 to 1-4

So I mentioned last week that my left knee was not quite right.  I smartly (I think, anyway) took a couple of days off, spent some quality time with the family and didn't mention running once to them.  They aren't runners, so my blathering on probably sounds like Charlie Brown and Peppermint Patty's teacher in Peanuts:

That's about my wife's reaction when I talk about running...

Good news?  A couple of days off and my knee feels quite a bit better, less janky, and I'm ready for some tentative runs.  Easy, though.  Any chance of that last-minute 80k goal is out, I just want to run!

Monday, 12-29 - 0 Miles.  Rest day (as mentioned above).

Tuesday, 12-30 - 3.5 Miles (Road) - Flat, chilly progression run in Misquamicut.  Had time to kill before my daughter's basketball game up the street, so I hit Misquamicut for some flat roads, just to see how the knee felt.  Started out slow but the knee felt good, so I kept gradually increasing the pace throughout the run until I was in the 6's by the time I completed the loop.  Felt no pain, and very little when I got home, so I'm a bit more confident than I was a couple days ago! Maybe I'll even be able to finish out 2014 with something good...

Wednesday, 12-31 - 7 Miles (Trail) - Mystic trail run with Mike B.  Looking to close out 2014 with some kind of a run, I was thinking about hitting Mystic and shot a quick message over to Mike to see if he was game.  He was, and wanted to check out the Nature Center trails, which start right across the street from the Aquarium.  We managed 7 miles, and almost never had to run the same trail twice.  Not bad!  Great way to finish the year.

Thursday, 1-1 - 6.7 Miles (Road/Beach) - Group run to the beach and Hell Field.  Met up with Mike B., Garvin, Gazelle, and FiveK at Tommy's place, and we set out for Misquamicut Beach.  Frickin' cold, and the gusty wind was pretty relentless, but a great day and perfect way to kick off the new year!

Friday, 1-2 - 2 Miles (Trail) - Wheeler XC trails.  Just a short spin while I waited for B-Ball practice to finish up!

Saturday, 1-3 - 6 Miles (4 Road/2 Trail) - 4-miler in Mystic, 2-mile dog jog.  I hit the chilly streets of Mystic, hoping to try my hand at a steep uphill segment.  Got to the top and didn't exit the segment...grrrr...dummy.  Cold but fun run, saw a few other runners out today!  Knee feeling pretty decent.  Got home and took the dog for a quick trail run across the street, and the first snowflakes started flying just as we finished our run!

Holy Christmas, Batman! Week of 12-22 to 12-28

So lots of people are off until the New Year, myself included.  While we all have family obligations, I'm definitely hoping to get some group runs in, and some decent mileage, and something epic...that last one is totally dependent upon time frames...

Monday, 12-22 - 4+ Miles (Trails) - Devil's Hopyard State Park. - Amidst my "Shop for the wife" day, I snuck out to Hamden and scored a few miles at the Hopyard.  Actually saw people out there today!  I started with the wet and slippery Red trail, which is a really nice uphill/downhill loop, which ends along some of the streams that feed into the Eight Mile River (Eminem says you could "Lose Yourself" there, haha).  Then on to the Orange trail, which wasn't as wet but was still slippery!  Made the climb to the vista at the top, and cruised back to the truck.

Orange trail vista :)

Great day for a run, temps approaching 50 degrees, overcast and really nice.  I've decided, since I'm around 5,000 feet of vertical gain from hitting 80,000 feet for the year, that I'm going to hit lots of hilly terrain to close things out above 80k.  It's a plan, anyway!

Tuesday, 12-23 - 5.6 Miles (Trails/Footpaths) - Lantern Hill trails, Mashantucket trails/footpaths.  Dropped my daughter at B-ball practice and hit Lantern Hill.  Very slippery today, so no sub 4-minute descent from top to bottom, but I did manage my 3rd fastest ascent from the bottom to the top.  From there, cruised over to the museum and ran their purple trail, and looped back to the car.  Drizzly, overcast and warm?  Heck of a good time-killer...

Also,  I mentioned this in my Strava post:  For the last couple of weeks, my left knee has been, as Seth puts it, "janky."  It's odd that it doesn't bother me when I run, but at the house when I'm going up and down the stairs it's like I'm 100 years old.  Go figure.  The first comment I got was "Stay off trails!"  Sorry, that just ain't gonna happen...I can hear Mike B. now...



...and I'll keep an eye on it.

Wednesday, 12-24 - 2.6 Miles (Roads) - Short, rainy spin in Mystic.  Shopping complete!!!  And just enough time to squeeze in a short run in the rain down in Mystic.  Not really working hard and got my best time on one of the hills leading out from the river.  Cut the run shorter than I would have, as it's Christmas Eve and I didn't want to push my luck with the family.  Coming up?  Traditional Italian Christmas Eve dinner, with accompanied overindulgence...

Thursday, 12-25 - 0 Miles - Merry Christmas, ya animals!  I was fortunate enough to have an excuse to take a zero today, although my wife green-lighted me to go out, and got me a subscription to Trail Runner magazine, and a GoPro Hero 3 camera...so there'll be some fun shit to record down the line, on land and in the water.  I already have a helmet cam, chest cam, and a clip-on cam, and will be shopping for a surfboard cam this evening!  Awesome!!!

Friday, 12-26 - 4 Miles (Trails) - Devil's Hopyard run with Jim H.  Jim hasn't been running in a while, but we had a great time on a perfect winter morning at the Hopyard.  I saw that there was a segment on the "Devil's Oven" ascent, and I wanted to give it a shot.  1/10-2/10 of a mile, 33% grade, 140' vertical gain.  Super fun and steep, and it took longer getting down.  Gave it a good effort and recorded the first part with the GoPro, but I didn't like the way it came out.  Stopped at the oven (small cave) to shut it off, then continued around the cliff and up to the top, which turned out to be the full segment.  Got it by over a minute, so I was pretty stoked about that!

Chapman Falls

More Chapman Falls

Jim coming up

Not a rolling stone...

Super green!

Jim, after a good climb and ready for some downhill!

Saturday, 12-27 - 4 Miles (Trails) - Lantern Hill double.  Dropped the child at B-ball practice again, and hit Lantern Hill for some cruisin'.  Gorgeous day, 50+ degrees and sunny, ran in shorts and a t-shirt.  Tons of people out, I stopped a bunch of times to pet dogs and chat briefly with some fellow nature lovers.  Lots of dogs, including my 2 Mastiff/2 German Shepherd group, who know me now and come right over!  Love them!  3300' left to snag before 12/31...

Sunday, 12-28 - 0 Miles.

Old Mountain Field 5K week, 12-15 to 12-21

The last race of the year, the Old Mountain 5K (twisty!), and one that was a snowy sufferfest last year...and the first in the Winter trail series!  Game on!  I've said in previous posts that I'm weighting my 2015 race schedule heavily on the trail end, and that continues to be true.  I'm even thinking about skipping the CT50 to focus on trail races closer to home, including the Traprock 50K...which figures into the Grand Tree Trail Series.  Turns out, I ran 4 of the races in 2014 and ended up 65th out of 446 runners!  I bet I could do better this year...so there's that.

Monday, 12-15 - 4.6 Miles (Road/Trail) - Westerly Roads/Moore Woodlands.  I was driving through town after karate class, and saw a small preserve that I didn't know about, so of course I drove back to the parking lot at the school and ran over to check it out.  Fun, easy trails, and a nice diversion from the roads to get there.  I almost expected a crossover trail to the Mistuxet property, it was so close, have to ask the Gazelle about that...

Tuesday, 12-16 - 6.5 Miles (Trail) - Narragansett Trail, Lantern Hill to Wyassup Lake with Mike B. - Mike B.?  Trails?  And it was his idea???  Yes, yes, and yes...dropped a car at one end and drove to Lantern Hill, and ran the entire stretch of trail I oversee for the CFPA...hadn't run the whole thing in a while, so it was good to take mental notes about spots that need some attention...great views today from every part of the trail - the high overlooks...

"How did this happen?"

Top of Lantern

...and low points near Yawbux Brook, where we found a lot of activity from the local beaver population:

Beaver!

When in Rome...

Trees down everywhere!

"Alright, which one of you little bastards did this???"

Looks like they gave up on this one...it is a pretty damn big tree though.

Perfect running day, temps around 40 and zero wind, overcast and only one sketchy encounter with a big unleashed dog (Mike said all he was thinking at the time was "Garvin.Garvin.Garvin."), who came up the hill from his house through the woods to meet us, so I guess we were making too much noise?  Either way, we're gonna have to extend the route next time up to Route 49, or at least add on the extra 3.5 miles from Wyassup to my house, to make it an even 10.  Great day!

Wednesday, 12-17 - 0 Miles.

Thursday, 12-18 - 0 Miles.

Friday, 12-19 - 0 Miles.

Saturday, 12-20 - 0 Miles.  Hmmm...two dawn to dusk workdays and two family obligation days equals 4 zero days...at least my legs will be fresh for OMF?

Sunday, 12-21 - 6 Miles (Trail) - Old Mountain Field 5k (and Warmup). - Well?  I PR'd on the course, although it wasn't quite the time I had in mind.  That said, I had a great time at this opening race to the South County 4th Season Trail Race series!

I left plenty early for the race.  Having made plans with friends (and fellow WTAC-ers) Faith and Joe to run the course as a warmup, I arrived with plenty of time to chat with some Turtles, some WTAC crew and other assorted riff-raff...keep in mind, the weather was perfect.  Last year there was snow on the ground and single digit wind chills before the race.  This year?  Overcast, no wind, and 35-ish degrees...I was almost regretting my choice of tights, until race director Mike G. mentioned the briars...

The warmup loop went well, a cruisy spin around the course.  We got back 10 minutes before showtime, BS'd for a bit and then the race started.  It's a mad dash around a ballfield to reach the single-track trail before as many people as possible.  I got onto the trail and settled in behind a pack of runners, and only passed a few in the first mile.  In the second mile, when we reached the first "hill," I passed about 5 or 6 people (I love hills).  I was fortunate that I knew exactly where I was on the course, a huge benefit to previewing the course before a race.  On the last uphill, I passed one more runner and took off, and finished solidly.  My numbers don't really reflect it, but I felt good, was never feeling distressed, and I finished well.  Totally had more gas in the tank.  As a last race for 2014, I loved it.  Mike and his crew put on a great race, and it's awesome to see so many local friends and runners enjoying some winter trail action!

After the race I met Don, Steve and Wilson for lunch at the Mews Tavern, and what a great way to cap off an awesome season of races.  Even saw some Turtles on my way out!!!  Great conversation, beer and food.  I'll do a race tally (I keep all my bibs in chronological order, and a spreadsheet of them on the computer...I'm a geek like that.) with my end-of-year wrap-up...but I'm still chasing a couple of stats, which I hope to snag before 12/31.

Low miles this week due to work/family obligations, but I'm hopeful about the next two...have to get some epic shit done before the New Year!  Then set, and chase, new goals...

Fun! Training Log Week of 12-7 to 12-13

With another set of construction gigs on deck, and a Nor'Easter bearing down on New England this week, I'm looking at a tough running schedule...but no problem!  I'll get some miles later in the week.

Monday, 12-8 - 2.5 Miles (Trail) - Short run at Lantern Hill.  Waiting for Soph's Basketball practice to wrap up, I squeezed in a short Lantern Hill run on a chilly afternoon.  Had the place all to myself, no other takers...

Tuesday, 12-9 - 0 Miles.

Wednesday, 12-10 - 0 Miles.  However, I did get roped into signing up for the 7 Sisters Trail Race in Mass. in May, a good n' tough 12-miler.  Nothing like a couple of beers to lighten the wallet!  And Don made a compelling argument with his "Join this washed-up runner..." comments :)

Thursday, 12-11 - 10 Miles (Dirt track/trail/road) - 3 Run Thursday.  Run #1 - 6.5 Miles (Road/Trail) - Met Paul and his broken thumb (Li'l Rhody mishap) in Mystic, and took him on a partial tour of the DPNC trails, where he regained some trail confidence, and I finally got to try out my new (and totally badass) trail shoes, the Salomon Speedcross 3's, my first time straying from New Balance in about 4-5 years:

My new shoes kick ass.  Don't tell the wife I had them on the kitchen counter!

Great chilly run with Paul, and he jokingly (I think) said he better not see that I did another run today.  Well...

Run #2 (Sorry Paul!) - 1.3 Miles (Trail) - Dog Trail Jog with Henry.  Took Henry out for some trail action, and he led the entire run, only going off trail once to poop (Just like Muddy!).  Great trail time with the boy.

Run #3 (Sorry again, Paul!) - 2.1 Miles (Dirt Track) - Wheeler time-killer.  I showed up just a bit early to pick Soph up from B-Ball practice, so I did some laps around Wheeler's shitty dirt and gravel track, and threw in a few fast-ish 200's (40, 38, 39) which would have been a lot better on a real track!  I also increased my stride length slightly for the second 200, which gave me a faster time with what felt like less effort, and is something to think about for sure...

Friday, 12-12 - 4 Miles (Road) - Mystic Cruise. - Had some errands to run, and snagged 4 miles in Mystic, cruising around.  Cold.  Took a half-assed potshot at two segments, and got my 2nd best effort at both.  Afterward, I swung by Kelley's Pace to spend a birthday gift certificate (thanks, family!) and met the new owner, Jeff Anderson, who is a very cool dude (and working with HMF on the potential Mystic 1/2 Marathon!).  I was looking for a new pair of road shoes, as I just got the trail shoes (see above post).  He analyzed my gait and I'm a neutral runner, and recommended a few pairs to try.  I settled on the Brooks Ghost 7:

More shoe porn...

Can't wait to try them out!!!  Tomorrow?

Saturday, 12-13 - 4.6 Miles (Trail) - Lantern Hill + Dog Jog. - Had to make a run to the transfer station, so I hit Lantern Hill and did a double run to the top and back.  Chilly and breezy, but a pretty nice day.  When I got home I took Henry on a dog jog across the street, so he could get some trail time as well.  Time to relax, as we're going to Foxwoods to see Jim Gaffigan tonight :)

Sunday, 12-14 - 4.2 Miles (Trail/Road) - Foxwoods trails and roads.  Just a cruisy run around the lower Lantern Hill trails, and over to the trails at the museum, where I picked up another piece of the original Pequot Trail (pre-Foxwoods) until I realized I wasn't on trail anymore.  Some shuffling around near the remnants of an old fort wall and I got back on track.  Still have to look around back there...

Training Log, Week of 12-1 to 12-7

No scheduled races.  Just more exploring, getting faster, segment hunting and having fun running different places, terrain, etc...a big 'ol cornucopia of stuff :)

Monday, 12-1 - 0 Miles - Construction in Cromwell...

Tuesday, 12-2 - 3.6 Miles (Road) - Westerly 'hood loops, waiting for the dog to be done at the groomers.  Squeezed in a short, quality run in between errands, and it ended up being a progression run?  Started out with plans to cruise around Westerly until the dog was ready, and I felt pretty good, so I upped the pace and kept it going until the 5k mark, then ran back to the truck, and went to pick up the dog.  I think some PR's are going lower soon, I wasn't even close to being maxed out...

Wednesday, 12-3 - 9+ Miles (Road) - "Gump Day," Westerly.  So to translate (BLS?):  I had to drop the truck off for service, and planned to run to the dojo for karate class...take karate, then run back to the station, settle up, and meet Mike B. for a planned run around town.  I started thinking about the Forrest Gump scene where he just wanted to run, and it's Wednesday (hump day), so there you go:  Gump Day.



Did two before class, took class, ran the mile back to the station, and then Mike and I did a Graveyard 10k, 6.2+ miles around town, with runs to two cemetaries.  Rain at the end but a really fun run!  3 runs, rides offered and not taken, and had a great time...

Thursday, 12-4 - 0 Miles - Construction in Waterbury. - Holy hills!  Have to make a trip there...

Friday, 12-5 - 7.5 Miles (Road/Trail) - Stonington run with Mike B.  Met Mike at his place, with plans to run to the Perry Wood preserve a couple miles away.  Chilly but great day for running, and getting sort of lost in the woods (but not really).  I also loaned Mike my chainsaw for a couple of weeks, so watch out!!!

Saturday, 12-6 - 7.2 Miles (Road/Trail) - Foxwoods solo run.  Had to drop my daughter off at B-Ball practice at 8, and although it was raining, I decided to head over to Foxwoods and run there.  Once I started, the run morphed into a "Let's run the whole property" thing, and I even went looking for the elusive segment near Lake of Isles that I still can't find.  I did, however, find a very steep, unmarked trail that connected to a gas pipeline trail that faces/overlooks the Grand Pequot Tower.  Made my way over to the museum and found more Pequot trails (Purple), and meandered back to the truck.  Good run!

Sunday, 12-7 - 0 Miles! - Took the day off :)