January 20th through January 26th

Sunday, January 20th
Impromptu Tempo due to a Gazelle Sighting
I woke up this morning and felt like I had a head cold coming on.  I wasn't quick to get out of bed or out on the roads.  Around mid-morning I ventured out for a run with no particular distance or pace in mind.  With mild temperatures and a swirling wind, it certainly was a nice morning for a run.  I decided I would take to the hills today rather than go down to the beach.  As I was approaching my first mile on Shore Road, I had a Gazelle sighting.  I thought to myself, "That swift animal probably already covered some serious miles this morning."  I instantly got pumped up and started pushing the pace of my own run.  I worked by way through the hills of Moonlight and Urso Drive before pushing it home.  Knowing my hip was bothering me and that I wouldn't be going after any long distance, I focused on running some quality miles.  Here is what I came out with:
Mile 1: 6:25
Mile 2: 6:14
Mile 3: 6:20
Mile 4: 5:54
Mile 5: 5:57
            30:52

Once I hit the 5 mile mark, I took a short walk home to meet with up with Lulu for a mile warmdown.  Overall, I was happy with my run effort especially considering the hills, wind, and that darn hip of mine.  Completed 20 minutes of stretching once I arrived home.

Monday, January 21st-MLK Day
a.m. As my cold set in, I ditched the possibility of going for a long run this morning with the WTAC Crew.  Instead, I opted to get a little more sleep and then attempt making some kind of a run effort later in the day.  I figured if I went out on my own and didn't feel good, I could bail out at any point.  I opted to go for a 6 miler in the Woody Hill/Wahaneeta Preserve area.  Upon arrival, I decided that it would be best not to park where the newly minted "No Parking Sign" existed and parked right near the softball fields instead.  Upon entrance into the preserve, I did get to see the sign and laughed to myself about it's ridiculous location.  From there, I explored the various trails of the preserve and randomly weezed at different points.  With my cold and hip tightness, I was happy to call it a day after 45 minutes.  I felt like an old man out there!  As I write this, I'm not sure if it would be better to curl in a ball and go to sleep or try to bang out a few more miles with Lu...hmm.

-20 minutes of post run stretching.

p.m. 3 miles on the dreadmill.

Tuesday, January 22nd
0..the cold is rocking on.

After work I still felt the need to do something physical so I came up with a much needed core/strength routine in the form of circuits. Here is a quick overview:

Set 1: 4X25 pushups/4X25 body weight squats
Set 2: 4X8 pull-ups, 4X10 single leg squats
Set 3: 4X10 overhead shoulder press, 4X15 bent over row
Set 4: 4X10 Ab Wheel/other ab circuit
Finished by trying out the Myrtl routine (thanks Rogue Islanders, I stole this idea from you!)

Wednesday, January 23rd
6 miles on the dreadmill.  This cold is really kicking my tail.  I'm on the DayQuil/NyQuil cocktail..it's awesome.

Thursday, January 24th
6 miles on local roads down through Weekapaug.  With my cocktail doing it's job, I felt the need to get in a run today.  The big question was do I jump on the dreadmill to stay warm or should I take the party outside?  After catching wind of Gazelle's 4 at 4:44 antics, I started to question my manhood and decided to bundle up and go outside.  Today's run was bitter cold and rather slow, but I am happy I made it outside.  The biggest treat from today's run was the beautiful view of Block Island.  Tight as usual.

Friday, January 25th
6+ miles of snowy trails in the Woody Hill Management Area with Jeff.   Lots of fun running the various single and double track trails and even happier to have the Gazelle to lead the charge.  We cruised through Wahaneeta and crossed over the marsh area, which happens to be my favorite spot in the whole place. Jeff had me on the ropes over the last mile as we cruised in right before darkness set in.  Awesome run.

Still battling tightness in my upper right hip and quad.

"I pity the foo' who tries to beat me on the trails!"

The best spot of all

I made it

Saturday, January 26th
4 miles with Kelsey on Blackstone Boulevard in Providence.  Simply called "The Boulevard" by locals, this is a gravel trail that active people like to walk, jog, and run on in the east side of Providence.  The path was packed lightly with snow.  Afterwards, we grabbed some coffees and hung out in town for a bit.  Unfortunately, my hip and quad were really aggravated throughout the run.  It even bothered me while sitting on the ride home.

Weekly Totals:
Miles: 37
Lulu's Miles: 1
Stretch/Core/Strength: 80 minutes

Synposis:
Highs: Impromptu tempo run, strength workout, and very dun run in Woody Hill on Friday.
Lows: cold, on-going hip/quad tightness/soreness, general fatigue (and I'm not sure why), Lu doesn't like running in extreme cold.

YTD Miles
139
Lulu: 27