April 15th through April 21st

Sunday, April 15
11 miles
WTAC Clamdigger 5 miler
28:36, 3/187got
http://coolrunning.com/results/12/ri/Apr15_WTACCl_set1.shtml

After a tough end to a vacation and general tiredness, I contemplated not even running this one but really wanted to support my team and friends for all of the effort they put into this race.  Besides, it doesn't get any closer to being a home race for me than the Clamdigger.  I had no expectations going into this one. After a 3 mile warm-up, I knew conditions were pretty good.  The wind was there, but wasn't too bad and it was warm.  It actually felt similar to the conditions I ran in while I was in Florida.

As we lined up at the starting line, I knew the field looked strong.  Once the gun went off, Greg Hammett and Jeff Wadecki immediately took off.  I knew it would be a race for 3rd and wasn't sure how things would pan out for me.  I felt pretty good as we cruised down to the Weekapaug Overlook. Moving through Weekapaug, I was hitting a few spots where I was unsure which way to turn.  As Muddy and I hit an intersection, we were totally unsure which way to go.  It turned out we got off track!  Once this happened, both Muddy and I became discouraged.  I contemplated asking him if he wanted to just run it in together but decided this thing wasn't a total wash.  As we figured things out, the race was back on!  I tried to maintain focus and do my best to finish the race in a respectful time.  I approached the finish line feeling good and was happy that I had some turnover in the last mile.

3+ mile cooldown with Muddy and Greg Hammett along Atlantic.

Kudos to Jeff Walker and WTAC for putting on a good race!

Pros and Cons...coming soon!

Monday, April 16th
7 miles..first three with Kelsey and Lu, followed by another 4 down by the beach on my own.  Felt pretty good out there.  Hit Fenway Beach and saw a bunch of fair weathered surfers catching some waves.
Followed this one up with some lawn mowing..

Tuesday, April 17th
6 miles..Westerly roads..hammered for about 10 minutes and then my body laughed at me.

Wednesday, April 18th
6 miles
Warmup
6X800 w/ 1 minute recovery
2:38, 2:36: 2:36, 2:37, 2:35, 2:33
Cool down

Felt very tight and sore in my left hip today.  I haven't been stretching at all lately and need to pick up with it.  Did the workout at HELL Field.

Thursday, April 19th
4 miles..planned off day, but it was too nice to pass up a very light run with Kelsey and her Dad through Weekapaug.  We checked out the Noyes Neck Family Cemetery-which is a Westerly Historical site.  Some of the sites were pre Civil War.  Also was amazed by the progress of the Weekapaug Inn as we cruised through the public right a-way.  Sore, tight, and pressed for time, but it was well worth it!

Friday, April 20th
4 miles...what should have been another planned off day--oh well!
Run with Kelsey and Lulu...dropped into HF to do a quick 4X400 w/30 seconds rest.
75, 73, 74, 70
and then off to chaperone a dance...awesome.

Saturday, April 21st
16 miler with Jonny and Muddy (2/3 of the Trails Gods).
Met on Rt.3, headed up North Rd. MOUNTAIN, jumped into the Canochet Brook Preserve, back to the roads, Asheville Pond, and back around.  Awesome run.  My trail prowess is still very poor, but I love running through them anyway.  I had great fun running/sliding around on the trails.  Towards the final third of the run we made an epic climb to up another really technical hill.  Once on top of the hill, we looked down upon the pond and it was an impressive site to see.

This was another area of RI that I had never been before.  The varying terrain and trails kept this run interesting.  I was impressed by the various landscapes and interesting houses we ran by along the way.  I felt like I had more in the tank at the end of this run and that is a good thing.

Other random thoughts/facts from this run:
-To keep up with the "The Gods" on the tough sections, I took advantage of any non-technical straightaways.  Non-technical=sprint! haha
-This area served as an early training ground for the young Hammett's--swimming, climbing, hill repeats, swinging from trees, jumping off rocks..you name it.
-I think we woke up every dog in the town of Hopkinton.
-Dog Bites=0
-Post Run Munchkins I consumed: 9
-I-PADs found on the run: 0


Weekly Miles:
54