February 26th through March 3rd

Sunday, 2/26: Hyannis Half Marathon: 1:18:17.  

Highlights: first three miles in low 17's, stayed mentally tough at the end.

Low lights: poor pacing, one of the nastiest winds I have ever ran in, feeling tightness throughout the race, and some stomach pain.

"Some days you're the hammer, some days you're the nail."  Today I was the nail.

http://www.coolrunning.com/results/12/ma/Feb26_Hyanni_set6.shtml

Kelsey ran 1:47:43.  I was really proud of her today.

Dave (Kelsey's Dad) ran 1:57:59.  Also, a very solid run for him.

Fun trip, tough race.  Not sure how I feel about doing winter half marathons after today.

Monday, 2/27: 0 miles
With some lingering stomach pain and late work meetings, heading out for a run wasn't anywhere in my plan for the day.  Did some stretching and tried to loosen up.  From here, I will gearing up for my St. Patty's Day Race!

Tuesday, 2/28:
AM: 3 miles on the 'mill
PM: 3 more miles on the 'mill..caught up on with some uninspiring Celtics action on tv.

Wednesday, 2/29

5.6 miles on the 'mill again.  35 minutes.  Started off running 6:40's and increased the pace to around 6 minutes a mile as I progressed through the run.  I'm not sure what I turned up more...the speed on the machine or volume on my IPOD.  Actually felt pretty good despite the boredom.  I need to get back outside ASAP!

Did some push-ups and ab work for good measure.

Boring posts, I know.

Thursday, 3/1
6.5 miles

4 miles with Lulu through Weekapaug roads and down to the Inn Beach.  As we ran down the beach board walk, I was shocked to see that the beach was totally washed out from a recent storm.  The sea was pounding what was left of the beach.  Cool site to see.  We shot back up the hill home at a very solid pace.

Upon arriving back home, I met Kelsey to run another 2.5 mile loop.  On our way back, we checked out this historic grave yard from the early 1800's.  It turned out that one of our local roads is named after the family in the grave site.

Friday, 3/2
5 miles
20 minute run with Kelsey and Lu, followed by 8X400 with 35 to 60 second rest at Hell Field.
The 400s are not accurately measured.  Based upon time and effort, I consider these little loops I run to be about 400m.  This setting is affectionately called Hell Field because I only go there to do these kinds of workouts. When I started the workout, I had 10 repeats in mind.  By the time I hit 5 repeats, I was feeling slow and tired.  I settled on completing 8 repeats and cashed it in!

Saturday, 3/3
15 miles
Early morning jaunt with the WTAC Crew (Jeff, Muddy, & Jonny) from the Westerly Y through the streets of Pawcatuck and then the trails of Barn Island.  I've always wanted to check out the trails of Barn and was not dissappointed. 

Forecasts predicted for pouring rains and heavy winds. We were pleasantly greeted with mild temps and no rain...perfect conditions for a long run.

Best parts of this run:
-Running down the middle of the street in downtown Westerly.
-BARN
-D & D Munchkins on my way home.

Weekly Mileage: 52
Definitely the highest mileage week I have hit in years.  Bookend long runs made this happen.  I was pretty beat up after Hyannis, but was able to get some solid work in this week.   I had some back and foot soreness at times throughout the week on my left side.  My next goal race is the Holyoke St. Patrick's Day 10k, which is coming up in two weeks.  I'm also looking forward to a really good workout at the Spring Forward 1 hour trail race next weekend.  Cheers!

40 miles for the week.  Ended up getting some real quality stuff in during the first part of the week.  Really chilled out on Friday and Saturday as I prepared for the Hyannis Half.  Overall, I felt tired throughout the week, but can't complain about mileage or efforts.

4 miles...nice and easy.  Ran first couple of miles on small trails by my house.  I then hit the roads for my final two miles.  When I was on the roads, the wind gusts made me feel like I was running in slow motion. 
Tomorrow looks like another day of wind, but not as bad as today. 

4 miles

"Due to inclement weather this morning, we will be operating on a 90 minute delay."

That message right there was music to me ears.  It's an opportunity to get a week day morning run in. So now I had a decision to make.
Option A: Jump on the 'mill, stay dry, and watch the Red Sox report on TV? 
or
Option B: Head into the elements!!

I selected Option B.  Ended up running through the slush and sleet down through Weekapaug.  I felt a little lazy and sore, but nothing unexpected for first thing in the morning.  By the time I arrived home, I was soaked but warm.

I'm big into running in the snow or winter and couldn't think of a better way to start my day.  The roads were empty and quiet and it's always neat to see snow along the ocean line.  I kept the run relatively short and low key knowing that Hyannis is only a couple days away.

6 miles...5 minute warmup, followed by 10X1 minute hard/easy through Weekapaug.  Stopped home picked up Kelsey and Lulu and added on some miles.

Threw in the pick-ups to make sure I'm maintaining some turnover.  Felt good early in my reps, but struggled through the end.  I wouldn't label the workout as a confidence builder, but it was a good effort.

0.  No running today...hopefully, my body will thank me for this!
Pushups, stretching.

Let's get it started!

After browsing some entertaining and motivational blogs from a few running buddies, I've decided it's time for me jump on board.  I'm up for any recommendations..

5 miles easy in Champlain Glacier Preserve with Lulu.  Feeling pretty beat up from some really heavy miles over the past three days.  Lulu enjoyed the trails and the sniff that went with them!

13 mile throw down with Jeff..After a 15 minute workout, we did the following workout. 
5 min hard, 2:30 easy, 4 hard, 2 easy, 3 hard, 1:30 easy, 2 hard, 1 easy, 1 hard, 30 seconds easy, 30 seconds hard..

We took a brief rest and we headed down through Weekapaug and back up to Shore Road prior to some trail time in Champlain. The aroma of donuts from a nearby factory motivated Jeff and I to cruise it.  I jumped in my car and raced to Dunkin..

Awesome workout.