March 24th through March 30th-Making Progress

My main goal this week is to simply keep making progress.

Sunday, March 24th

5+ miles in downtown Westerly with Gazelle.  After yesterday's monster, the goal to this morning was simply to plug out some miles.  Without realizing it, we still ran a really solid pace throughout (7:31, 6:52, 6:40, 6:30, 6:17).  We followed up the run with some laps in the pool at the Y.  I think we banged out 600yds swimming and I really enjoyed it.  Form was poor and all that, but it felt so good.  I'm contemplating getting a Y pass now.  Great workout day!

Monday, March 25th

445 Club minus the running and add in the weights/resistance.

45 minutes of pushups, shoulder press, abs, bentover row, medicine ball twists, etc)

Tuesday, March 26th

Part 1: 4 miles with Lulu on local roads (657, 630, 649, 639)

Part 2: 3 miles water loop from my house (637, 614, 614)

I wanted to get some miles in with Lulu but also didn't want to push her too hard.  After dropping her off, I ran three more miles and was especially happy with my splits over the last two miles.

(7)

Wednesday, March 27th

Workout Wednesday

I try to get at least one workout in this week and today was the day.  I didn't have any specific plan in place for the day but wanted to get in a hard effort and wanted to add variety into the routine to amuse myself.  Started off by warming up for two miles and couldn't believe how bad/slow/sore/cowardly I felt.  Instead of basking in a pool of self pity, I decided to dig in and did 4X250m moderate hills with jog down rests.  Once I completed the hill segment, I took a light jog over to HELL Field and decided to get down to business with 4X400m with 60 seconds rest.  I didn't keep exact track of splits and focused on effort, but I do know that I kept every repeat under 75 seconds.  I felt really strong for this portion of the workout.  Jogged a mile up the hill home.

Thursday, March 28th

5+ miles from home onto Weekapaug Beach with Lulu.  It took us almost 40 minutes and I was completely trashed.  Not sure if it was just general tiredness or soreness from working hard.

Friday, March 29th
5 easy scenic miles in Barn Island with Gazelle and Crutch.  Barn Island sits in my mind as just another hidden trail gem in the area.  It was a beautiful morning for a run.  My body thanked me for taking it nice and easy.

You can't beat the views of Barn!

"Well Tom, you said you want to do a sprint triathlon.
Time for you and Crutch to get at it."
Photos ripped off of Crutch's Blog

Saturday, March 30th
Big River Mad Half!
Today just happened to be the final chapter of the South County 4th Race Series put on by Mike Galoob.  While it is no mystery to anyone out there, I am not a good trail runner.  However, this trail series rocks and it is always my goal to get out there and support the races.  Prior to the race, I made a Gentlemen's Deal with Gazelle that we would not race it and would instead work together to get a good workout.

It felt weird at the start to not immediately going after it and simply settling in with the pack.  After less a mile into the race I started to get ants and thought to myself, "If Gazelle is comfortable with it, let's start picking off people."  After getting the green light from Jeff, we did just that.  Typically, we would latch on with a runner for a short period of time and make a move.  This strategy was going really well until Jeff, this Surferdude Runner, and me took a wrong turn.  I'm still not exactly sure what knocked off us, but we ended up back on course after a short period of time.  The only problem is that we ended up cutting a mile on the course and faced a potential DQ. Do we start running fairly hard again or just bag it and run it in?  At this point in the race, we keep motoring along but were not hammering.  As we entered the last quarter of the race, we started to cross through some really twisty trails.  Tightness in my left quad was causing my body to scream at me at this point.  Then out of nowhere appears Bob Jackson, who is leading the race.  Gazelle and I quickly clear out of his way since we weren't really competing and he cruised by.  Shortly thereafter, Johnny Miles appears and is looking strong holding 2nd place.  We decided to run and work with Jonny as he approached the end of the race.  Not that he needed it, but Jeff and I kept barking out directions and tactics for him to use as he worked to close out his own race.  We finished our rugged 12 miler, but did not cross through the finish.

Directly after the race it was nice to slug down some gatorades, eat cookies, and re-hydrate as runners poured in to the finish line.  Mike very efficiently did an award ceremony and had a variety of prizes available afterwards.  I was somehow lucky enough to get a complimentary entry to WTAC's main event, The Lil Rhody Runaround.  For years this race has always conflicted with my favorite race, the Mews 5k.  However, now I have added incentive to join my teammates out the trails instead.  I told Gazelle I'd be sold on the race if he put a beer tent at the finish line!!  Something tells me he might revoke that complimentary entry from me.

All and all, it was a great day with nice weather and cool people.  Once again, a big special thanks to Mike Galoob for putting on another successful trail series.

Time/Place/Miles: Unknown.  All I can say is that I'm very sore.

Totals:

Mileage: 42

Lulu: 9

Weights/Core: 45 minutes

Swim: 600 yds

March 17th through March 23rd-Respect this Process

Running is a process.  It's definitely not the type of sport where you can just jump on a starting line and have the natural ability to dominate the competition.  One might argue that a Kenyan could dominate without training.  Truth is, the majority of Kenyan runners start the process when they run to and from school as little kids.  Running is not a sport of instant gratification.  You have to put in the time, miles, workouts, and rest to make it work.  The huge thing is to keep working at it and chipping away at your goals.  I'll warn you right now that there may be set backs along the way, but remember running is a process.  Keep moving forward, remain positive, and don't quit.

Sunday, March 17th-Happy St. Patrick's Day
11.5 mile cruise with Gazelle from the Y to Barn Island and back around.  I was glad to be able to help Jeff push through a long run as he makes final preps for Boston.  While it was chilly this morning, I enjoyed the competition and course.  I was especially impressed by Gazelle's ability to keep hammering out miles without fatigue...Boston Beware!

Splits: 6:54, 6:52, 6:44, 6:55, 6:48, 7:18, 7:14, 6:55, 6:38, 6:34, 6:27
77 minutes, 6:51 pace

After the run, we hit the pool.  It was cool to get some laps in with Gazelle and he gave me a couple pointers as we went along.  I enjoyed swimming more than I thought I would!  Afterwards, Jeff gave me a tour of the renovated Y and it was impressive.  I hope to work more on my swimming in the near future.

Barn Island

"What's the matter  5k, you need a break after 5 miles? "

Monday, March 18th
a.m. I had the intention of waking up and getting in a early morning run before work.  That opportunity went out the window after I hit the snooze button multiple times.

p.m. 5 mile easy run on Weekapaug roads.  I was really sore from yesterday, but had a decent run.  I think the soreness can be attributed to getting acclimated to my new orthotics. 33 minutes.

Tuesday, March 19th
5 miles with Lulu on the Weekapaug Inn Beach down to Quonnie followed up by some road work.  I was amazed by the dune damage in Weekapaug.  I had not run in this area since late January and don't remember all of that damage.  The dunes are completely washed out and it would not be a stretch for strong ocean waves to shoot right into the salt pond.  Lulu was flying today and I had to work really hard to keep up with her.  5 miles, 35 minutes.

I followed up my run with 100 pushups and 50 pullups.  Did sets of 20 pushups and 10 pullups.  Completed the workout in 12 minutes and was really happy with that result.  Finished up with some light stretching.

Wednesday, March 20th
0..work is awesome.

Thursday, March 21st
Mile warmup
4X800 neighborhood loop (estimate)
231, 229, 228, 226

Initially, I thought I would alternate directions I was running, but figure out that the hill climb right in the middle of the repeats were really good for race simulation.  My right hip felt tight so I tried to work into each rep.
3 mile warmdown-21 minutes
(6)

Friday, March 22nd
445 Club back in action.
5 miles easy on local roads with Gazelle.  Prior to the run, Gazelle let me know that he wanted to take it easy.  Being tired and sore, I had no complaints about the idea.  Saw some cool stars and enjoyed the various ocean scenes in the dark.

Saturday, March 23rd
Gazellathon

I decided to join Jeff for a portion of his final long run before the Boston Marathon.  He would be running a 23 miler, while I would be joining for about 14 to 15 of those miles. Since Jeff mapped out the course ahead of time, I had a pretty good idea that the course would be challenging but also fun.  I had a few goals for the day, which included: 1. Make it through.  2. Push/entertain Gazelle throughout the run 3. Gain a confidence booster by running strong.

After Jeff's first 9 miles, he met me at my house for my start.  From there, we ran through some neighborhood roads and out to Route 1 for the first four miles of the run.  I was trying to be careful not to push the pace considering Jeff had already ran 9 miles and had a bunch more to go. As usual, we started to push the pace, but our space watches kept us in check.   We then climbed up Klondike Road past Burlingame, briefly on 216, and then Buckeye Brook Road.  Jeff mentioned there would be some honest hill climbing on this running and I figured we might be almost done with them as we hit our water stop.  Turns out, we were just getting warmed up!

After finishing up our brief water break, we were off and the real run was about to begin. In my my, we just kept climbing at point.  Ran on Shumankanuc Hill Road and passed by Jonny's house.   We were hoping for some breakfast, but he must have been out blazing trails somewhere.  I affectionately now call his area Hammett Country.  It kind of makes sense why the Hammett clan are such good runners with all of the rolling hills and trails in the area.  We then ran down Burdickville Road  prior to a climb up to Riverside Farms.  Based off of mileage I knew were getting close to the ladder part of the run.  The conversation continued throughout the run until Jeff looked over at me and said, "The good news is there was only one hill climb left, the bad news it was a mother of a hill climb."  He wasn't kidding.  The last hill of the day kicked my butt.  I made it through the hill fine, but was trashed afterwards.  Once I saw the Route 91 sign, I told Jeff I was so happy to see it that I could kiss it.  We pushed it home quite hard back to Bradford School.  Jeff had me on the ropes the last half mile.  Needless to say, I think he's ready to rock it at Boston.  Great run, awesome pace, and all goals of the run were met. Wow, that was a hammer show!!!

Splits:  6:42, 6:42, 6:36, 6:54, 7:04, 7:08, 6:51, 6:33, 6:53, 6:43, 6:30, 6:31, 6:32, 6:02.
*Our hilliest miles were also fastest.

Weekly Totals
Mileage: 46
Lulu: 6
Swimming: a couple hundred yards
Core/Weights: 15 minutes

YTD:394
Lulu: 60

Synopsis: Short and sweet, best training week of 2013 so far. Not enough stretching.

March 10th through March 17th...Luck of the Irish!!!

As we work through this week towards St. Patty's Day, this week's theme is luck.  As some of my run blogging buddies continue to build-up for the Boston Marathon and TARC 50k, we could all use a little of luck.  While I may not be running some monster race, I want to get healthier and faster.  Deep down, I believe we make our own luck in running (and life) through working hard, having a plan, resting when necessary, and staying balanced.  However, it's nice when things go your way for no exact reason.

May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May God grant you some awesome racing
May the pints flow freely
-Twisted Irish Blessing 

Sunday, March 10th
Ocean's Run 5k in Matunuck
17:23, 2nd (actually a 3.21 mile course according to my Space Watch)
Results

My main intention of the day was to get a good workout in while watching the WTAC dominate the Ocean's Run Half.  I warmed up 3+ miles while catching early portions of the race and chatting it up with different people I knew.  With the race starter shouting out the five minute warning, I began to do some strides and put my game face on.  While sizing up my competition at the start, I noticed a young dude that looked pretty serious (track spikes and all) and knew I had my work cut out for me.

The gun went off and a couple of teenagers took the race out hard.  I made sure to get out quick while remaining in control.  Less than a 1/2 mile into the race, the fast, young dude took charge of the race and there was no turning back.  I told myself, "Run your own race and let him do his thing."  Shortly after he passed me, I was in "no-man's" land and tried to keep focus.  Crossing the mile marker on the course, I took a quick glance at my space watch and knew the mile was short.  At that point I decided it's time to just dig in and run my own race.  Splits don't matter-just run hard!

Smack in the middle of the race, I tried to push through the small hills on the breezy beach roads.  Before I knew it, I hit the two mile mark (which was also off) and felt pretty strong.  There was absolutely no one in sight and I knew I needed to close out hard.  As I ran towards the finish, I began to struggle but remained in control of my form.  I hit the 3 mile mark with fields in front of me and quickly figured out the course was long.  I started to do running math in my head, but decided instead to just run hard and figure things out later.  I crossed the finish line in 17:23 and quickly looked at my space watch.  3.21 miles indeed!!!!  I just ran a PR for the 3.21 distance.  Later on I looked up splits-
Mile 1: 5:19
Mile 2: 5:28 (10:47 for 2)
Mile 3: 5:29 (16:16 for 3)
.21: 21 seconds
I did some math on the Cool Running Calculator and figured out that I would have run around 16:45 for the 5k.  Considering my training as of late, I was pumped with how I did.

The race winner turned out to be a very legit runner named Bronson Venable.  He was a star at Bishop Hendricken and Iona College.

After my race, I had the opportunity to enjoy WTAC tear up the half.  Mike G. cruised to a comfortable win, Justin came in 3rd, Jeff  came by in 7th (despite running on a trashed foot), Seth crossed in 11th, and Crutch knocked some serious time off his previous half marathon effort.  All of the guys ran monster PRs and enjoyed the day.  While it may be cheap,  it's fun for me say I ran a PR as well!

Ran a 4+ mile cooldown with the WTAC.  Great day!  I'm pumped.

Monday, March 11th
a.m. 4 miles on the dreadmill..29 minutes and sore
p.m. 3 miles easy with Lulu..sore

Tuesday, March 12th
Strength day..
Body weight squats/lunges, tons of push-ups, overhead shoulder press, abs,  & foam rolling for 45 minutes.

I picked up my new custom orthotics today.  I'm excited about having a more runner friendly pair to trail in.  The orthotics specialist mentioned that the orthotics should last me about 3 years and that it would take time for me to transition into them.  I guess they are going to change my foot strike a bit and "wake Up" some muscles in my legs that were shut down by the other pair.

Wednesday, March 13th
Workout Wednesday at HELL Field.
2 up
8X400 (73, 74, 74, 73, 72, 72, 71, 71) w/ 45 seconds complete rest
2 down

I ran in the new orthotics today and definitely like I was riding in a new car.  I can't say I was uncomfortable, but running definitely felt different.  I also wasn't totally sure how I would feel after running 6 miles on these bad boys, but figured I'd just go for it.  Very pleased with the workout, especially considering I haven't done too much speed work as of late.

Thursday, March 14th
Speaking of making your own luck.
4:30 am 6 miler with Gazelle from his house, through Chin Hill, to Westerly Hospital, and back through Rotary Park.  With the hospital hill and some other inclines, we did some solid hill work this morning.  It's always to run these roads, especially it can be difficult with traffic during normal hours.  Somehow we even ran a quick trail segment through Rotary Park where my headlamp came in quite handy.  As we finished the run, I checked my watch and we were done before 5:15..sweet.  Late meetings would consume the rest of our days and I was really happy to get this run in.

Friday, March 15th
5+ miler after work on local roads through gusty winds.  Although I was already sore from wearing my new orthotics Wednesday, I decided it would be good to wear them again today.  I really don't think I can very slowly acclimate to them, I just need to wear them most days.  Quite sore and physically tired after this one..33 minutes.

A few texts and messages where coming in my way today asking me if I was running the St. Patrick's 10k in Holyoke tomorrow morning.  Hopefully, next year!

Saturday, March 16th
Errr....The thought of not running a St. Patty's Day Race today paired with a needed off day led to a state of running depression for me.  After going about my morning chores, I decided to jump on the mountain bike for a cruise from my house to Avondale and down through Misquamicut.  It was nice to see progress being made down by the beach and certainly left me more optimistic about the summer season.  While the ride was cold, I finished with a slight endorphin high.  50 minutes of riding.

Miles: 35
Lulu: 3
Lulu's walks: 2
Strength/Core: 45 minutes
Biking: 50 minutes
P90x:0

YTD: 348
Lulu: 54

Synopsis
Pros: No major hip pain, scored my new orthotics, solid Wednesday speed work, showed good discipline by running really early Thursday, and a solid race on Sunday that left me hungry for more racing.
Cons: Not enough stretching, no P90x, soreness from acclimating to orthotics,

March 3rd through March 9th-Don't go running for a Krispy Kreme...unless

During some of my P90x workouts, Tony Horton, the mastermind behind the whole program, will joke with participants to "not to go running for Krispy Kreme Donuts during breaks."  I've being doing components of the program for the last few weeks.  Overall, I'm impressed how the workouts create muscle confusion and work the entire body.  While I will go as far as saying I enjoy the workouts, they will certainly never take the place of running for me.  Tony may be right that it might not be a good idea for  P90x workout participants to "go running for Krispy Kremes." However, if you are an endurance monster (see my running friends blogs..i.e. Sea to Summit Run), go grab a few Krispy Kremes, because you need them!  As runners and endurance athletes, our bodies are machines.  When you're going for a super long run and working out on a consistent basis, you can almost eat whatever you want.  I think nutrition is important and can improve performance, but I don't think endurance athletes need to be calorie counters.  In an effort to keep this blog interesting, I plan on reflecting on some of my food choices this week.  In the meantime, go grab a Krispy Kreme!

Sunday, March 3rd

a.m. 4 miles on local roads at 7 am...6:18 pace..was in a major rush today, but was happy to fit the run in.

p,m, 15 minute stretch

Monday, March 4th
a.m. hit the snooze button multiple times
p.m. 4 miles with Lulu at sub 7 pace.  Really windy down by the beach today.
Ab Ripper X and some foam rolling.

Food Reflection:
I ate three bowls of Special K Fruit & Yogurt Cereal for breakfast this morning.  This cereal is my guilty pleasure.  When most people hear Special K, they automatically think that it must be healthy.  Truth is, this cereal is far from healthy.  It contains a variety of "unknown" ingredients such as polydextrose and maltodextrin.  While I know this particular Special K is far from natural, I'll still eat it.  It tastes delicious and I'm sure there are worse cereals out there.

Tuesday, March 5th
a.m. 4 miles on treadmill on 445 am..27 minutes
p.m.  4.5 mile Bonus Run with the WTAC Crew from the MEWS.  Afterwards, we celebrated our Super 5k Team Win with dinner and some brews.  Good company and lots of laughs!  2014--WTAC 3 peat at Super 5k?!?  Let's do it.

On another note, I had an appointment with an orthotic specialist at Olympic Physical Therapy.  I brought my old orthotics and the doctor mentioned that he would have prescribed those for a construction worker.  Turns out, my foot alignment is not bad.  The doctor did an analysis and will have my runner friendly orthotics ready by next week.  Through discussion with the doctor, I found out that he has made orthotics for the likes of Shalene Flanagan and Adam Goucher.  He mentioned that some of the top notch runners he works with will come down to Rhody for assessments.  The doctor also did a hip assessment on me and determined that my left hip is constricted.  My hip is supposed to rotate 45 degrees, but only makes it to 20.  He mentioned my lack of flexibility in the left hips is putting undo stress on other areas. Maybe this is why I'm getting injured so much?  I have two exercises that I will work on.

Food Analysis
The MEWS WTAC Victory Bash was a blast!  I was glad to see my Endurance Monster friends pig out and enjoy their adult beverages.  I ended up having a salmon burger and some sweet potato fries.  While I didn't order the meal thinking of nutritional benefits, the salmon has Omega 3 Fatty Acids and the sweet potato fries have some good vitamins in the them (I will count this as my vegetable for the day).  One could argue that this meal wasn't really healthy (fried, roll, bread crumbs/etc. in salmon), but there are much worse meals out there.

Wednesday, March 6th
P90x Chest & Back-50+ minutes
This workout kicks my butt every time.

Food Chatter
Total number of cups of coffee today: 4 (2 in the morning and 2 at night)
Yup, I'm addicted to coffee big time.  Add some Coffee Mate Cream into the mix and you have some good stuff.  I heard a recent study concluded that multiple cups of coffee a day can reduce your risk of cancer.  Through my own experiments, I know that two night time coffees almost guarantee a poor night's sleep.  Friends, I love coffee..think it's time for another cup!

Thursday, March 7th
8 miles?, 65 minutes..Wind Bowl with Gazelle.
As I was driving home from work today, I gave some thought to how much "fun" I could have with the swirling wind down by the beach.  Hmm...periods of running 8 minute miles that feel like 6 flat and vice versa??  In the misery loves company department, I shot Gazelle a last minute text to see if he would be interested in the fun.  Sure enough, he took the bait.  I parked at Champlain, ran to Gazelle's, and away we went from there.  We covered some of beach roads before finishing up the run in the dark in the Champlain trails.  This was my longest run in weeks.  Overall, it was great run with just the right amount of variety.

Charlie's Overlook

Gazelle..encouraging me to start some swim training for my first Tri!
"Okay 5k, it's time for you to become a man."

Food Analysis
Breakfast for dinner!
Egg and hash omelet with an english muffin.
While regular eggs may pack some cholesterol (which is an issue for me), there are also a ton of benefits to eating them.  For a runner, protein is key and eggs are packed with protein.  Throw some hash into those eggs and you've got yourself a party.  I felt like this was a great post-run meal with the right mix of protein and fat.

Cups of coffee consumed this evening: 0


Friday, March 8th
7 mile ramble in Woody Hill with Gazelle.  It was our first run back in here since the hurricane and we were both glad to be back.  We had a few obstacles to overcome, but the trails were quite manageable to run.  Stopped to check out a few of the really cool spots and talked about the possibilities of this parcel of land.  We discussed getting back into Woody Hill for some trail maintenance sometime soon.  I was especially pleased not to have any leg pain.  I'm still going to proceed with caution, but remain optimistic. Great run!

-Completed a 15 minute pre-run stretch.

Food Analysis
I cooked up some local scrod, sweet potatoes, and boiled some carrots up for dinner.  To go along with the meal, I downed a few Bring Back the Beach Blond Ales from Grey Sail Brewing.  Overall, this just may stand as the healthiest meal I consumed all week.  The best part is that it tasted good to.

Saturday, March 9th
5 mile light mid-morning run on beach roads with Lulu.  We stopped for a bit at the Inn Beach in Weekapaug to enjoy the view.  In usually fashion, Lulu hit the accelerator once we hit the farm before the home stretch.  Fun.


Totals:
Mileage: 37
Lulu's miles: 9
Core/Stretch/Yoga: 45 minutes
P90x: Ab Ripper X, Chest & Back

YTD: 313
Lulu: 51

Synopsis:
Ups: more mileage than expected, fun trail runs, pain/soreness has decreased, and more running for Lu.
Downs: lack of yoga/stretching (necessary for me), only one P90x workout.

I'm planning on doing a "workout" race at the Ocean's 5k this Sunday.  After running low volume for so many weeks, I'm unsure what kind of shape I'm in.  If things go okay at Ocean's 5k, I may look for another 5k next week.  Not in good enough shape to hit up the Holyoke St. Patty's Day 10k this year, but my training is getting better.