Maybe yes, maybe no...the weather looks good, I feel good, work is crazy as we're finishing one job and starting another in Meriden. The upside? Possibly more trail time on the Hanging Hills of Meriden, part of the traprock ridge of hills in CT, and perhaps some of the most dramatic views from above and below in our state. There's also trails all over them, some right on the cliffs' edge, which is is awesome for people who aren't afraid of heights! More info. below:
Hanging Hills: A Short History
Monday - 0
Tuesday - 0
Wednesday - 0
Thursday - 3 Miles - Castle Craig climb from Hubbard Park. Big, icy, muddy climb, with fantastic views and not a soul around. As it was late afternoon, I opted for the no nonsense, straight up and down trip. 3 miles and 700' of gain.
Friday - 5 Miles - Giuffrida Park. I wanted to hit both peaks at the park, and was able to, in spite of icy trails in places. First up, Lamentation Mountain, where on the ascent I realized my GPS was not doing shit. Got my backup going, got to the top, and descended back to the lake, ran around and ascended Chauncey Peak. Great views, and chatted with several people who were out hiking with their dogs.
Saturday - 0
Sunday - 10 Miles - Long/Ell Pond Sufferfest. I decided to make up for my mileage deficiency for the week with a punishing tour of this stretch of trail. Anyone who knows this particular place, knows whereof I speak. It's tehnical, hilly, and sketchy unrelenting singletrack for the first mile from North road...I enlisted my good friend Jim for the first out/back from North Road to Ashville Pond and back. He was all set after that, so I focused on "time on feet," getting to 10 miles, and 2k elevation gain by repeating the out/back, and hitting the tougher sections again for the gain. Got it. Paid for it. Ouch. Puts me at 3700' of gain for the week...
Monday, February 22, 2016
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Winter Fun! Week of 2-8 to 2-14
This week is kicking off with the second snowstorm in four days, and I've been able to get out there for some running, which is great. It's gonna get cold, but it's already the second week of February, and a good taste of Winter is just fine...
Monday - 6 Miles - 1.6 snowy miles with Henry, and 4+ treadmill progression miles. Garmin gave me 4 on the 'mill, the 'mill gave me almost 4.5. My run with the dog was great - snow blowing everywhere, wind chills in the 10-degree range, and he's loving the runs every day!
Tuesday - 5 Miles - Snowy romp on Mystic trails. An impromptu day off meant lots of errand running, and stopping off in Mystic to run the DPNC trails. 28 degrees and overcast, but light winds so I layered less than usual. Parts of the trail were tracked on, and some had none at all. A great mix, and I got to plow through untouched foot-deep snow, which is just a blast, really it is!
Wednesday - 0
Thursday - 0
Friday - 6 Miles - Wadsworth Falls SP, Middletown CT. Finished up work early, and stopped for a few miles on the icy, snowy trails at Wadsworth. Had the place pretty much to myself! Got a couple of pictures of the lower waterfall, which was nearly frozen over, and cruised around either side of the small gorge there and up around the mansion. Fun run!
Saturday - 6.2 (or 7.3?) - Treadmill run. Knew I should have made a point to go out early for some miles, but I had a lot to do around the house and some errands, and suddenly it's 4 o'clock and bitterly cold out. So I threw on my headphones and zoned out for an hour on the 'mill. Which device is correct? The treadmill at 7.3 miles, or the Garmin at 6.2...we may never know...
Sunday - 3.5 Miles - 1.5 Dog Jog, 2 Solo. Henry gets depressed if I don't take him for runs on the weekend, and as cold as it was this morning, I knew I'd have to get him out there. I waited until the temp was +1 degree (wind chill -15), threw on a bunch of layers and got out there. He's good for 1.5 miles, so after I dropped him off I went out for a couple more. My face cover started to freeze solid, so I scrapped the run a 2 miles. Brrrrr!!!!
Tuesday - 5 Miles - Snowy romp on Mystic trails. An impromptu day off meant lots of errand running, and stopping off in Mystic to run the DPNC trails. 28 degrees and overcast, but light winds so I layered less than usual. Parts of the trail were tracked on, and some had none at all. A great mix, and I got to plow through untouched foot-deep snow, which is just a blast, really it is!
Wednesday - 0
Thursday - 0
Friday - 6 Miles - Wadsworth Falls SP, Middletown CT. Finished up work early, and stopped for a few miles on the icy, snowy trails at Wadsworth. Had the place pretty much to myself! Got a couple of pictures of the lower waterfall, which was nearly frozen over, and cruised around either side of the small gorge there and up around the mansion. Fun run!
Saturday - 6.2 (or 7.3?) - Treadmill run. Knew I should have made a point to go out early for some miles, but I had a lot to do around the house and some errands, and suddenly it's 4 o'clock and bitterly cold out. So I threw on my headphones and zoned out for an hour on the 'mill. Which device is correct? The treadmill at 7.3 miles, or the Garmin at 6.2...we may never know...
Sunday - 3.5 Miles - 1.5 Dog Jog, 2 Solo. Henry gets depressed if I don't take him for runs on the weekend, and as cold as it was this morning, I knew I'd have to get him out there. I waited until the temp was +1 degree (wind chill -15), threw on a bunch of layers and got out there. He's good for 1.5 miles, so after I dropped him off I went out for a couple more. My face cover started to freeze solid, so I scrapped the run a 2 miles. Brrrrr!!!!
Monday, February 8, 2016
Getting caught up: Week of 2-1 to 2-7
This post is a tad late?
Monday - 0
Tuesday - 0
Wednesday - 0
Thursday - 4.6 Miles. Castle Craig run, Meriden. Wrapped up work early enough to hit Castle Craig, and decided to take a different route to the top, the white-blazed trail, which ascends steadily for the most part, but gets very steep and technical the last 2/10 mile or so. I know the place is littered with segments, but the one I really wanted to try is called the "Kamikaze Trail Descent," and is a muddy, rocky, technical mile of super fun downhill. Took me a minute to find it, but once I did I gave it a good effort and scored 2nd overall. So much fun...
Friday - 5 Miles - Snow day! Lots of wet, heavy snow. Once I got us dug out in the afternoon, I took the dog for a romp on the trails across the street from me. We were the first tracks, and had fun out there. Dropped him off at the house and tacked on a few more miles, and was able to get some shots of the incredible sights. Pictures really don't do it justice, really. Love Winter!
Monday - 0
Tuesday - 0
Wednesday - 0
Thursday - 4.6 Miles. Castle Craig run, Meriden. Wrapped up work early enough to hit Castle Craig, and decided to take a different route to the top, the white-blazed trail, which ascends steadily for the most part, but gets very steep and technical the last 2/10 mile or so. I know the place is littered with segments, but the one I really wanted to try is called the "Kamikaze Trail Descent," and is a muddy, rocky, technical mile of super fun downhill. Took me a minute to find it, but once I did I gave it a good effort and scored 2nd overall. So much fun...
Friday - 5 Miles - Snow day! Lots of wet, heavy snow. Once I got us dug out in the afternoon, I took the dog for a romp on the trails across the street from me. We were the first tracks, and had fun out there. Dropped him off at the house and tacked on a few more miles, and was able to get some shots of the incredible sights. Pictures really don't do it justice, really. Love Winter!
Trails (sort of)
Sun just coming out...
Storm moves out, Sun moves in...
Brilliant.
Saturday - 2 Miles. More fun in the snowy woods with the dog. The trail race I was supposed to run got cancelled, as the heavy snow had made the race and its surrounding logistics (parking, porta potties, etc.) unsafe and impossible to hold. That said, our power went out on Friday afternoon and I had my generator running the house, so traipsing off to run in a race wouldn't have been well-received anyway...still managed to get a dog jog in! And the power was back on soon after we returned.
Sunday - 7-ish Miles. The Super 5k, a personal favorite of mine every year, got cancelled. Bummer! However, the NRA (Narragansett Running Association) were holding an informal running of an old 7k race course from 10 years ago, the RIANA 7k. Why not? I knew that a few people I knew were heading down to run, so I packed a bag and headed out. Great run on a gorgeous day. Just a cruisy, conversational pace, saw some friends and made a few new ones, and grabbed a beer with them afterwards. Went home and took the dog out for another run before the Super Bowl. Great day!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)