Week of 1-16 to 1-22

Monday - 2.2 Miles.  Short Nature Center run.  Had a small amount of time after work, so I hit the nature center for a short progression run, and was pretty pleased with my pace.  Overall an 8:18, but I started at a 9 and ended at a 7, and I felt good, and that my effort was solid.  Flat trails, but lots of twists and turns and roots!

Tuesday/Wednesday - 0.

Thursday - 4.9 Miles (Not 5!) - Meadow Woods/Canfield Woods Preserves, Essex.  What an awesome trail system!  Well marked, very hilly, but totally runnable singletrack trails.  Right off route 9, too!  Had a blast cruising around, and having some fun with the recently discussed "Trifecta," which was: 1. Just missing (on purpose) the arbitrary Strava minimum mileage for Kudos (5 seems to be the threshold); 2. Giving the run a title from an 80s hair band song (Poison's "Nothin' But a Good Time" seemed perfect); and 3. Include a sun-splashed picture of my spandex-clad ass.  The last one was not easy!  Most likely due to the difficulty of getting my whole arse in the frame, and the general logistics of taking a selfie of your backside...but I did it, haha :)

Friday/Saturday - 0.

Sunday - 9+ Miles - Yawgoog/Green Falls loop with Faith.  Decided to fashion a long loop from mostly jeep trail/dirt road, and add a couple of singletrack sections in the middle to switch things up, including the oft-overlooked Rhododendron Loop, which is a nifty little stretch of trail in Green Falls area.  Easy pace, could have gone longer or shorter!  Great weather, great day!

Winter Wonderland? Week of 1-9 to 1-15

Finally, we have some solid snow on the ground!  It's predicted to be very cold for the beginning of the week, then warm into the 50's before cooling down again.  That means a couple of things: first, the potential for snow runs; second, a big melt and some sloppy, messy trails later in the week!  Can't wait!

Monday - 4 Miles.  Mystic trails in the snow.  Cold!  Standing temp of 20, with a wind chill around 10?  I felt great once I got moving though, and was rewarded with a solitary trail run on trails that were partially packed down by XC skiers, and partially powder.  Very enjoyable run!

Tuesday - 0 Miles.

Wednesday - 3 Miles.  Lantern Hill quickie.  Last night's rain and subsequent warm front melted almost all the snow, so I was treated to muddy, slushy trails at Lantern Hill in 50-degree temps, good enough for shorts and a t-shirt.  Awesome!

Technical?

View from the 'Gansett

Lantern Hill Pond through the trees

Thursday - 9 Miles.  Castle Craig Double.  Had the day off, and decided to cruise up to Meriden for some Hubbard Park time.  Wet, foggy, rain at times, and slippery as Hell on the hilly, technical sections of the Metacomet Trail, but how great to be running in shorts and a t-shirt again in mid-January!!!

Slippery Metacomet Trail

Looking downhill toward the reservoir

Castle Craig in the mist

Meriden below

Looking across to South Mountain

Friday - Saturday - 0 Miles.  Finished off our master bedroom project, which included wallpaper, base trim, crown moulding, and new sconces.  Done!

Sunday - 5 Miles.  Hewitt Farm trails with Faith.  Cold morning, but sunny and very little wind.  We'd had some snow, and I opted for some great trails with less technical terrain, and it worked out nicely!

Resolution Week! Week of 1-2 to 1-8 (and 12-30 to 1-1)

I really don't have much in the way of New Year's resolutions.  I think they're great, though!  I quit smoking on December 31, 2006 (10 years ago), and never touched another cigarette again, not once.  Great resolution that actually stuck!  Maybe I resolve to see more new places this year than last, that should be enough!

So I closed out this past weekend with several runs.  I was fortunate to run a 10-miler on trails in Green Falls with friend and badass ultra-dude Bob B., and crafted a big loop so that we never hit the same trail twice.  Great place for that, GF...

The next day, Jeff, some of the WTAC dudes and I did a point-to-point run from Ashville Pond to Beach Pond, the "A to B" run.  I took the lead on the initial technical portion, but my legs were shit and I found myself falling back quickly when we hit the really runnable jeep roads.  All in all, a great time though and great way to close out 2016.  Props to Jeff for setting it up!

Sunday, 1-1, was the second annual Buttonwoods 5k at Warwick City Park, hosted by Bob Jackman and his crew at A Better Pace.  Great race, and great way to kick off 2017!  I placed 27th, in 22:40, and while it wasn't a PR or anything, it was a great way to kick off the New Year!  Lots of beer gifting/swapping afterward, and I was stoked to have seen lots of friends there!  Cold and windy, and I opted for shorts and a singlet anyway, because why not :)

Monday, 1-2 - 0.

Tuesday, 1-3 - 0.

Wednesday, 1-4 - 3 Miles.  Lantern Hill repeats.  Had a bit of time after work, and hit Lantern for some slippery but reasonable trails.  Very technical, beautiful when the Sun came out, and I wish I'd had time to wait for the sunset, as it was spectacular today.  I even pulled my truck over to the side of the road for it on the way home, truly awesome...

New kicks getting a proper workout...

Overlooking Lantern Hill Pond, trailside...

Green!

Wish I'd stayed on Lantern for this sunset, it got better by the minute and the picture does it no justice!

Thursday - Friday - 0 Miles.

Saturday - 1-7 - 3.1 Miles.  Resolution 5k Beach/Trail race, Narragansett.  With snow predicted for later in the morning, the race was on!  The first trail race in the South County Fourth Season series, known for its epic weather conditions, did not disappoint.  I arrived to cold temps, wind and flurries which became more steady as 10 a.m. approached.  As we lined up on the beach to start the race, I chatted with several runners and hopped up and down to keep the blood flowing, and then we were off!  The first half mile to the turnaround was a tailwind, then we were blasted with snow for the next mile, until the beach becomes trail and we enter a wooded area along the ocean.  Nice tailwind coming home, after the infamous stone ruins.  My Garmin has decided to be overly generous this year, and gave me a low-6 first mile!  Awesome, and turned out to be sort of bullshit, but whatever!  I finished in 23:53 in tough, snowy conditions, good enough for 37th place of 132 runners, and my second fastest time on the course.  Full-on blizzard by the time I left, too!  Great time!!!

Sunday - 0 Miles. The big dig out, shoveled and got some indoor things done... 

So I had a shit week for miles, but have already run two races in 2017!  What?