Post-snowstorm warmup ahead! Yes, snow on the ground, and warming up quickly to shorts weather! Awesome!!!
Monday - 0
Tuesday - 4 Miles - Short progression run from home.
Wednesday - 1.5 Miles - Sheep Farm trails, Groton. On my way to pick up the dawg, stopped in fading light to check out this small preserve up the street. Great trails, but I ran all of them and was at 1.5 miles when I had to leave. No sheep, lots of turkeys though, and a pretty cool little waterfall near the site of an old grist mill. Nice short run on trails new to me!
Thursday - 3 Miles - Lower Lantern Hill repeats. Had a small window after work and before my daughter's basketball game, so I hit Lantern Hill and did 5 repeats on the lower hill, and snagged another 500' of vert. in this short run. Shorts again!
Friday - 0.
Saturday - 2+ Miles - Trail/Road mix with my dog. Spent the bulk of the afternoon framing out the basement to split it into two rooms, with the intention of waterproofing the floor and finishing one half for a workshop/better workout space. My new miter saw kicks ass...
Sunday - 6.5 Miles - Carolina Management Area, Richmond RI. I'd never actually been to this place, even though it's pretty close. When I heard that Mike G. was scoping it out as a potential race site, I figured there must be some trails worth checking out! A check on Strava revealed numerous segments, so I decided to try my hand at a few. It's a very confusing property though, with the NS Trail being the only marked trail that I saw. I really enjoyed the singletrack stretches, but with any trail system, I need to spend some time there to understand the layout.
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Winter blast! Week of 1-18 to 1-24
Holy Hell it got cold...and there's a potential blizzard for the coming weekend??? We'll see how this week plays out, with high wind warnings, cold temps, and the threat of a big snow event on the horizon...
Monday - 0 - Cold work day. Still can't do the 'mill.
Tuesday - 0. - Cold work day #2.
Wednesday - 4-ish Miles. Cockaponsett Commuter Run, Haddam. I ran this a couple of years ago with fellow WTAC'ers Eric and Yvonne, but never realized how close the trailhead is to the commuter lot, right off route 9! I scoped it out, and after work, got off the exit and was on the trail within a couple minutes! A good hilly and twisty run on very old singletrack. The majority of these trails were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1934 as part of FDR's "New Deal" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilian_Conservation_Corps and are superbly built. Can't say enough good things about them. I knew where I was initially going, but underestimated the time it took to get to the Wildwood crossover trail. Good run, I'm looking forward to more exploring there!
Thursday - 0.
Friday - 2 Miles. Dog Jog. Got home from work and changed up for a run with Henry, who hadn't gone to day care and hadn't done much of anything. Needless to say, he took the lead and increased the pace throughout the run, and had one of his fastest miles ever! Good dog.
Saturday - 8.75 Miles, Treadmill. So the Chili 5k was cancelled, and by the time I got my shit together at the house, the snow was coming down pretty heavy, sooo...time to dust off the treadmill and get some miles. 8.75, to be exact. The Garmin was shorting me, so I kept going until it hit 8. Still not a fan of the damn thing, but it may be a necessary component of training, so I threw on the headphones, blasted Bullet For My Valentine, and got 'er done.
Sunday - ???
Monday - 0 - Cold work day. Still can't do the 'mill.
Tuesday - 0. - Cold work day #2.
Wednesday - 4-ish Miles. Cockaponsett Commuter Run, Haddam. I ran this a couple of years ago with fellow WTAC'ers Eric and Yvonne, but never realized how close the trailhead is to the commuter lot, right off route 9! I scoped it out, and after work, got off the exit and was on the trail within a couple minutes! A good hilly and twisty run on very old singletrack. The majority of these trails were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1934 as part of FDR's "New Deal" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilian_Conservation_Corps and are superbly built. Can't say enough good things about them. I knew where I was initially going, but underestimated the time it took to get to the Wildwood crossover trail. Good run, I'm looking forward to more exploring there!
Thursday - 0.
Friday - 2 Miles. Dog Jog. Got home from work and changed up for a run with Henry, who hadn't gone to day care and hadn't done much of anything. Needless to say, he took the lead and increased the pace throughout the run, and had one of his fastest miles ever! Good dog.
Saturday - 8.75 Miles, Treadmill. So the Chili 5k was cancelled, and by the time I got my shit together at the house, the snow was coming down pretty heavy, sooo...time to dust off the treadmill and get some miles. 8.75, to be exact. The Garmin was shorting me, so I kept going until it hit 8. Still not a fan of the damn thing, but it may be a necessary component of training, so I threw on the headphones, blasted Bullet For My Valentine, and got 'er done.
Sunday - ???
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Because you can't, you won't, and you don't stop! Week of 1-11 to 1-17
OH YEAH...
Monday - 0. - Worky work work.
Tuesday - 2 Miles - Hewitt Farm. Got back from work with twenty minutes to spare before picking up the child, and squeezed in a quickie at Hewitt. Great trails!
Wednesday - 0. Effin' cold! Spent time when I got home making reservations for Breakneck, 7 Sisters, and Cayuga, and settling on an appropriate training schedule for the 50 miler. Yes, I have a treadmill. No, I don't want to use it. However, it may become necessary given the unpredictable New England winters. I don't wanna, but might hafta...
Thursday - 6 Miles - Chilly, hilly run to Jonathan Edwards Winery and back. Turns out, it's exactly 3 miles to the parking lot of the winery from my house. Good to know! Feckin' cold at the top of the hill, too. And I wasn't exactly trying for it, but I missed my best time on two segments by 1 and 2 seconds, respectively...whoops. Good progression run, with progressively faster splits on the uphill as well as the downhill return. Felt good!
Friday - 1.8 Miles - Short Fowler trail run w/Henry.
Saturday - 9 Miles - 6+ Mile beach run w/Jim to T. Swift's place and back, and 2.5+ run at Lantern Hill. Both great runs! Was cruising through Westerly to drop off the dog at the groomers, when Jim texted me about running on the beach. In the rain, wind, at high tide? Why not! I'd wanted to close out the climbing challenge, but this was too good to pass up. In the afternoon, I made a trip to the transfer station, and as the weather had calmed down, went after that Strava elevation badge. Got it!
Sunday - 8 Miles - 6.5 Bluff/Haley trails, 1.5 trails at home with Henry. So I've been scoping out the Groton X-Town trail, done most of it piecemeal, and wanted to do an out/back on it. I'm generally not too jazzed about running at Bluff Point, as the main track is pretty mundane. No, I'm not hating on Bluff! I just haven't been wowed by the trails there (wait for it...). I set out toward Haley Farm, hoping to make the connector through Mortimer Preserve to the other sections I already knew. Sadly, none of the trails there are marked, I second guessed myself enough to get lost-ish. When I ended up back at the main Haley lot, I threw in the towel and headed back toward Bluff...and this was when I turned onto the red dot trail. Awesome!!! Great singletrack trails all over the interior hills of Bluff Point, and I had a blast scampering around them. Fun climbs, mildly technical, and so much fun. I'll be back for more there :)
Monday - 0. - Worky work work.
Tuesday - 2 Miles - Hewitt Farm. Got back from work with twenty minutes to spare before picking up the child, and squeezed in a quickie at Hewitt. Great trails!
Wednesday - 0. Effin' cold! Spent time when I got home making reservations for Breakneck, 7 Sisters, and Cayuga, and settling on an appropriate training schedule for the 50 miler. Yes, I have a treadmill. No, I don't want to use it. However, it may become necessary given the unpredictable New England winters. I don't wanna, but might hafta...
Thursday - 6 Miles - Chilly, hilly run to Jonathan Edwards Winery and back. Turns out, it's exactly 3 miles to the parking lot of the winery from my house. Good to know! Feckin' cold at the top of the hill, too. And I wasn't exactly trying for it, but I missed my best time on two segments by 1 and 2 seconds, respectively...whoops. Good progression run, with progressively faster splits on the uphill as well as the downhill return. Felt good!
Friday - 1.8 Miles - Short Fowler trail run w/Henry.
Saturday - 9 Miles - 6+ Mile beach run w/Jim to T. Swift's place and back, and 2.5+ run at Lantern Hill. Both great runs! Was cruising through Westerly to drop off the dog at the groomers, when Jim texted me about running on the beach. In the rain, wind, at high tide? Why not! I'd wanted to close out the climbing challenge, but this was too good to pass up. In the afternoon, I made a trip to the transfer station, and as the weather had calmed down, went after that Strava elevation badge. Got it!
Sunday - 8 Miles - 6.5 Bluff/Haley trails, 1.5 trails at home with Henry. So I've been scoping out the Groton X-Town trail, done most of it piecemeal, and wanted to do an out/back on it. I'm generally not too jazzed about running at Bluff Point, as the main track is pretty mundane. No, I'm not hating on Bluff! I just haven't been wowed by the trails there (wait for it...). I set out toward Haley Farm, hoping to make the connector through Mortimer Preserve to the other sections I already knew. Sadly, none of the trails there are marked, I second guessed myself enough to get lost-ish. When I ended up back at the main Haley lot, I threw in the towel and headed back toward Bluff...and this was when I turned onto the red dot trail. Awesome!!! Great singletrack trails all over the interior hills of Bluff Point, and I had a blast scampering around them. Fun climbs, mildly technical, and so much fun. I'll be back for more there :)
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
Happy New Year, and back to weekly updates! Week of 1-4 to 1-10 (Plus the first three days of January)
I closed out my December entry, and wanted to tack on the first few days of January here and eliminate the need for a separate post. Those first three days, though, were chock full of fun! It's been nice having this downtime, although I'm pretty sure work will kick back in with a vengeance here shortly...
Friday, 1-1 - Buttonwoods 5k - 21:41 - #23 of 97. Happy New Year! Bob Jackman had set up a new race in the Warwick City Park (where the 6hr Ultra is held) called the Buttonwoods 5k, and of course I signed up immediately. Perfect weather for it, and I gave it a good effort, almost catching TNT runner Dave S. in the process...tons of friends at this race! I may have known 1/3 of the participants...great race shirt, and a fun event to put on the calendar next year to start things off right!
Saturday, 1-2 - 4.5 Miles - 3+ Mile Perry Wood Preserve run with Jim, 1.3 Mile dog jog. Took Jim to the nearby Perry Preserve, and we ran the marked/unmarked trails there, which border the old Randall's Ordinary property which is currently being renovated. Took the dog for a run later that afternoon!
Sunday, 1-3 - 4 Miles - Warmup, and Resolution 5k (or as I referred to it, the "Sandblaster 5k"). 24:15 - #56 of 170. I try not to schedule 2 races on a weekend. Normally. But race 1 was Bob's new race, and race 2 is part of the 4th Season Trail Race series, which I haven't missed for three years now. Windy? Yup, just a little bit. I picked up Colburn and we drove to 'Gansett, noting the swaying trees along Route 1. After we arrived and got checked in, Colburn started his race early as he always does, and after I got changed up, I ran a short warmup into the wind and blowing sand at the beginning of the course. Eureka! I had a pair of Milwaukee safety glasses in the truck, and decided to wear them during the race. Great call!
The race starts and I was sort of cruising, not really racing, but gradually increased my pace and passed several runners. I felt pretty good, and in spite of the soul-sucking wind, I finished well (and beat Paul Gray. Isn't that all that matters?). Skipped the cooldown run, as I was already chilled to the bone, and changed into warm clothes. Great day and fun second race in the series, and huge turnout by the club! We must have had 25 people there.
Monday, 1-4 - 3+ Miles - Lord's Point, Stonington. Stopped in Mystic to run part of the Knox Family parcel. The trails there have an easement through a farm, and I was turned back by several unhappy horses, whose lunch I interrupted. I decided to run through Lord's Point after that, and although it was cold, it wasn't brutal.
Tuesday, 1-5 - 4 Miles - Knox Preserve, and Merritt Family Forest. Wanted to check out the Knox Preserve, as it was one of the only Avalonia parcels I hadn't run, and was right on the water. Because that's what we do in single-digit wind chills around here, find a breezy spot along the water to run! It's really small (16 acres), but the trails are nice and I looped it several times. After that, I wanted to check out a piece of the Groton X-Town trail system, the Merritt Family Forest, which is the only trail in that system I haven't run. Great trails, clearly marked, and I'm gonna put together a run of the entire X-Town trail soon. Beebe/Moore/Merritt/Mortimer/Haley/Bluff Point. Should be an adventure!
Wednesday, 1-6 - 0.
Thursday, 1-7 - 3.3 Miles - Mt. Higby, Meriden. Our new jobsite is right up the street from a commuter lot which just happens to have a trail connector that joins the Mattabesett Trail, a blue blazed trail and part of the New England Trail. A short, very steep ascent leads to fantastic view of the valley, and while I didn't have time to do both the "camel's humps" of this part of the trail, I did manage to get a few very technical miles and 600'+ of vertical. Good spot!
Friday, 1-8 - 0.
Saturday, 1-9 - 4 Miles local. 1.5 trail with Henry, 2.5 road from the house with some half-assed speedwork thrown in. Lazy morning with the girls, trip to the farmer's market and Beer'd (Dogs and Boats, and Hobbit Juice!), and I was left with the option of running the dog and then running until dark on roads to get miles in, or cutting a longish run short in favor of something long tomorrow. Plan B it is!
Sunday - 3+ Miles - Champlin Soaker, Westerly. Weather being what it is, I managed to settle on Champlin trails for a run. Warm out, almost 60 degrees and light rain, with a breeze a blowin' from the southeast. I was really enjoying this run, in spite of some recent clearcutting in the preserve, and I was damp, muddy, and about a mile from my truck when it started to pour. Like really pour. I'm cool with that too! But when the thunder and lightning kicked in, I double-timed it back to the truck. At least three of the lightning strikes were close enough to make me duck for cover. Yikes!
Friday, 1-1 - Buttonwoods 5k - 21:41 - #23 of 97. Happy New Year! Bob Jackman had set up a new race in the Warwick City Park (where the 6hr Ultra is held) called the Buttonwoods 5k, and of course I signed up immediately. Perfect weather for it, and I gave it a good effort, almost catching TNT runner Dave S. in the process...tons of friends at this race! I may have known 1/3 of the participants...great race shirt, and a fun event to put on the calendar next year to start things off right!
Saturday, 1-2 - 4.5 Miles - 3+ Mile Perry Wood Preserve run with Jim, 1.3 Mile dog jog. Took Jim to the nearby Perry Preserve, and we ran the marked/unmarked trails there, which border the old Randall's Ordinary property which is currently being renovated. Took the dog for a run later that afternoon!
Sunday, 1-3 - 4 Miles - Warmup, and Resolution 5k (or as I referred to it, the "Sandblaster 5k"). 24:15 - #56 of 170. I try not to schedule 2 races on a weekend. Normally. But race 1 was Bob's new race, and race 2 is part of the 4th Season Trail Race series, which I haven't missed for three years now. Windy? Yup, just a little bit. I picked up Colburn and we drove to 'Gansett, noting the swaying trees along Route 1. After we arrived and got checked in, Colburn started his race early as he always does, and after I got changed up, I ran a short warmup into the wind and blowing sand at the beginning of the course. Eureka! I had a pair of Milwaukee safety glasses in the truck, and decided to wear them during the race. Great call!
The race starts and I was sort of cruising, not really racing, but gradually increased my pace and passed several runners. I felt pretty good, and in spite of the soul-sucking wind, I finished well (and beat Paul Gray. Isn't that all that matters?). Skipped the cooldown run, as I was already chilled to the bone, and changed into warm clothes. Great day and fun second race in the series, and huge turnout by the club! We must have had 25 people there.
Monday, 1-4 - 3+ Miles - Lord's Point, Stonington. Stopped in Mystic to run part of the Knox Family parcel. The trails there have an easement through a farm, and I was turned back by several unhappy horses, whose lunch I interrupted. I decided to run through Lord's Point after that, and although it was cold, it wasn't brutal.
Tuesday, 1-5 - 4 Miles - Knox Preserve, and Merritt Family Forest. Wanted to check out the Knox Preserve, as it was one of the only Avalonia parcels I hadn't run, and was right on the water. Because that's what we do in single-digit wind chills around here, find a breezy spot along the water to run! It's really small (16 acres), but the trails are nice and I looped it several times. After that, I wanted to check out a piece of the Groton X-Town trail system, the Merritt Family Forest, which is the only trail in that system I haven't run. Great trails, clearly marked, and I'm gonna put together a run of the entire X-Town trail soon. Beebe/Moore/Merritt/Mortimer/Haley/Bluff Point. Should be an adventure!
Wednesday, 1-6 - 0.
Thursday, 1-7 - 3.3 Miles - Mt. Higby, Meriden. Our new jobsite is right up the street from a commuter lot which just happens to have a trail connector that joins the Mattabesett Trail, a blue blazed trail and part of the New England Trail. A short, very steep ascent leads to fantastic view of the valley, and while I didn't have time to do both the "camel's humps" of this part of the trail, I did manage to get a few very technical miles and 600'+ of vertical. Good spot!
Friday, 1-8 - 0.
Saturday, 1-9 - 4 Miles local. 1.5 trail with Henry, 2.5 road from the house with some half-assed speedwork thrown in. Lazy morning with the girls, trip to the farmer's market and Beer'd (Dogs and Boats, and Hobbit Juice!), and I was left with the option of running the dog and then running until dark on roads to get miles in, or cutting a longish run short in favor of something long tomorrow. Plan B it is!
Sunday - 3+ Miles - Champlin Soaker, Westerly. Weather being what it is, I managed to settle on Champlin trails for a run. Warm out, almost 60 degrees and light rain, with a breeze a blowin' from the southeast. I was really enjoying this run, in spite of some recent clearcutting in the preserve, and I was damp, muddy, and about a mile from my truck when it started to pour. Like really pour. I'm cool with that too! But when the thunder and lightning kicked in, I double-timed it back to the truck. At least three of the lightning strikes were close enough to make me duck for cover. Yikes!
Monday, January 4, 2016
2015 Recap and a look toward 2016!
2015 is in the books, and I'll admit it wasn't exactly what I'd hoped for, mileage-wise. My work schedule got very busy, and with the travel to/from the job sites, it became very difficult to run during the week. I think I've got it straightened out now, though.
On the other hand, I performed well at most of the races I entered and got to go to some pretty cool places! Some stats and highlights:
Miles: 1022, way below what I expected
Elevation gain: 68,402 feet (Not bad!)
Distances run: Everything up to 32 miles
Races: 25 (12 Trail, 13 Road)
Best Races: Chikumbuso 10k. 7th overall, 1st AG, and a 46:55 on a very hilly course.
Foot Pursuit 5k. 44th of 725 runners in 21:08, a PR a day after the Chikumbuso race.
7 Sisters 12 Mile Trail Race. Brutal! Done in 3:10 on a technically demanding course, and I felt great at that race.
Worst races: Beast of the East 1/2 Marathon. Another beautiful but tough course. Felt like shit (found out the next day I was positive for Lyme disease), and stopped racing at mile 9 to help an injured runner off the course. I'll be back to take it on in 2016 (It's already on my schedule)...
Cat's Tail Marathon. Not my day. Cold, windy and rainy, I DNF'd at the 9 mile aid station. A tough course made tougher by the conditions. Again, I'll be back for another shot at this one in 2016...
Best runs? So many to choose from...but the running is always more enjoyable with friends! The 18-miler with Nicole, Beth and Patti was definitely a highlight. The group runs are always a highlight, matter of fact. The Taylor Swift beach runs, of course. The runs I did at my family reunion, though, were incredible, especially the Smith Rock run and Mt. Bachelor ascent/descent with my cousin Nick. Mt. Bachelor takes the win for sheer awesomeness...really, insanely cool...
Looking forward, I'd like to say that I'd like to just run happy, and let things play out as they would, but I'm feeling like I need to set some new PRs, while I get prepped to run my first 50-miler in June. I'd like some significant progress in 2016, so here goes!!!
1m - sub-6...
5k - sub-20...
5m - sub-35...
1/2 Marathon - road, sub-1:40, trail, course-specific.
Sub-3:00 at 7 Sisters (Yup!)
Complete the 50-Miler in Ithaca. Period.
1500 Miles in 2016...
Reasonable, attainable goals, and I intend to give them a go! And as always, have fun running with friends and frenemies alike. We have such a cool local running scene here, with a full range of runners. From the new runner to the marathon winner, our little microcosm within the running world has a lot of history to look to, as well as up-and-coming talent ready to write the next chapters in the New England scene. I'm just happy to be a part of it...
Looking forward, I'd like to say that I'd like to just run happy, and let things play out as they would, but I'm feeling like I need to set some new PRs, while I get prepped to run my first 50-miler in June. I'd like some significant progress in 2016, so here goes!!!
1m - sub-6...
5k - sub-20...
5m - sub-35...
1/2 Marathon - road, sub-1:40, trail, course-specific.
Sub-3:00 at 7 Sisters (Yup!)
Complete the 50-Miler in Ithaca. Period.
1500 Miles in 2016...
Reasonable, attainable goals, and I intend to give them a go! And as always, have fun running with friends and frenemies alike. We have such a cool local running scene here, with a full range of runners. From the new runner to the marathon winner, our little microcosm within the running world has a lot of history to look to, as well as up-and-coming talent ready to write the next chapters in the New England scene. I'm just happy to be a part of it...
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