October 21st through October 27th

Sunday, October 21st
EPFD Freaky 5k-17:06, 2nd
Results

I was already up in East Providence for a family bash at Kelsey's parents' house.  I ran and won the Freaky 5k last year and figured I'd give the race another shot going into this year.  Going into the race, I had little to no rest, but not too many miles under my belt.  It was pretty neat because a bunch of Kelsey's family members run the race every year and our entire entourage totaled 5.  I warmed up for a little less than 15 minutes with Kelsey and then headed over to the start to listen to some bagpipers.

While lining up at the start, the competition looked strong.  I noticed Sean, the guy who recently beat me in a 5 miler at Colt State Park, and knew today was going to be a battle.  As the fire engine horns blew, the race shot out.  There were some young guns right up front and I had a feeling they would drop off shortly.  After about a half mile, Sean took the lead with a young dude right on his heels.  I sat back in striking distance hoping they would come back to me and things would come together.  I crossed the first mile in 5:24 and 5th place.  Right after the mile, I was able to pick off a few of the young guns and was now chasing the top two guys.  Heading towards mile 2, I caught the younger guy who was holding second throughout the race and could immediately tell that he wasn't coming back to me.  My new focus was on Sean.  He held a sizable lead and I knew it would take an outstanding final mile for me to get him.  Unfortunately, the last mile also holds a long gradual hill that would end up kicking my butt.  Reaching the top of the hill, it seemed like Sean was getting closer, but so was the finish line.  I closed out fairly strong, but never caught him.

Overall, I'm disappointed with my performance and time that was slower than last year.  I never like losing, but often can find satisfaction in running a fast time.  Today was not my day.  The event itself was still awesome and I'd do it again in a minute.

On a positive note, Kelsey banged out a nice PR and ran 19:50.  Nice to see her continue to progress.


Monday, October 22nd
6 miles, 41 minutes..local roads

With long work days and other commitments this week, 4:45 am club it is!  Threw on my head lamp and vest and got at it.

Tuesday, October 23rd
a.m. 15 minute stretch

p.m. Today was my only real opportunity to do a workout this week, so I decided to make the trek over to Ninigret to do a ladder workout with Kelsey.  After about a mile warmup, we did the following ladder workout-200-400-600-800-800-400-400-200
Since I didn't know exact field measurements, I ran off of predicted times.
35, 75, 145, 230, 235, 75, 75, 35

I was definitely feeling the heat as I was going "down" the ladder.  We finished with a light 15 minute cool down.  Sore and tight by the end, but happy to get some quality work in.

Wednesday, October 24th
6 miles, 43 minutes.

Another 4:45 Club Day...work is kicking my butt!

Thursday, October 25th
3 miles on local roads..4:45 Club

Friday, October 26th
7 miles, 46 minutes on area roads.
After a number of early morning runs this week, I was glad to have Jeff join me for what turned out to be a great run.  Highlights of the run included cruising for a few of the miles and checking out the new Weekapaug Inn.

Saturday, October 27th
9 miles..
Started from my house, cruised down Shore Road, played in Champlain for approximately 25 minutes, and made the trek back home.  Upon entry in Champlain, I immediately had difficulty following the trails with all of the leaves on the ground.  I was given a quick reminder of my poor trail running skills when I took a good digger on some covered roots.  The rest of my time in the trails was fun.  I ran with wind in my face the entire run home and finished pretty beat.

Weekly Total: 41 miles.
Reflection:
-Happy to get in some solid mileage
-I don't love the idea of running so many early morning runs, but it is better than the alternative.
-Need to keep up with a weekly workout.
-Work on stretching this upcoming week (ended the week with calf/hop tightness).