June 30th through July 6th

Sunday-4+ miles on local roads..6:23/mile. Hot and steamy..can't imagine doing a long run with the real runners.  Post run stretch.

Monday-1300 yd swim at the Westerly Y.  Warmed up 500 yd, 2X50 yd, drills, 2X50 yd, warmdown.  Felt good to be back in the pool.

Tuesday-a.m. track workout with Which Way ( I guess that's his new nickname) and Gazelle.  As I arrived at the WHS track around 4:45 am both of these guys already had over a mile under their belts.  Do they sleep at all?  I'm not really sure.  Anyway, back to the workout.  Mile track warmup.  Followed this up with 4X400 w/400 jog rest, walked 200 m, and then did 4X200 w/200 jog rest.  I was especially pleased with this workout because we were all really consistent.  My splits were the following (400s-72, 70, 69, 68) and (200s-33, 32, 32, 32).  I felt really good throughout and made sure not to overwork.  Mike offered a good reminder not to push the turns and I kept that reminder of back of my head.  Right when we finished the workout, the rain started and I did a very short jog to try to remain loose.  (5)

p.m. 2.5 mile shake-out on local roads since I did warmdown after the workout this morning.  Stretched when I finished.

Wednesday- a.m.-SWIMMING with the BIG boys.  I met Steve Schooning and Jeff Duda at the Town Beach for a 40 minute swim/1 mile + swim.  These guys are legit triathletes and I knew I would struggle to stay near them in the water.  Regardless, I was motivated for the workout and was willing to listen to any tips they could offer.  Entering the water, I immediately noticed the surf was on the rough side and it would be a good opportunity for me to experience the surf while really trying to swim through it.  Steve and Jeff were extremely smooth in the water and it seemed like they were moving effortlessly.  My goal was to just keep them in my sights and remain comfortable.  All in all, it was a really good and fun workout.  I'm really liking this tri stuff even though I'm not good at it.

pm -WTAC Tom McCoy Fun Run..5k..20:50
Warmed up for a mile with JP and then connected up with some other WTAC Cats to do the run at an easy pace.  This group included the Gazelle, New Zealander Ryan, JP, and myself.  It was fun running in the group and chatting it up with other runners along the course.  I was really happy to keep things under control with a morning race coming up. (4)

Thursday-a.m.Quonnie 4 Mile Fun Run on the 4th, 22:31 1st
Results
I can't come up with the last time I ran a race that started at 7:30 a.m.  My pre-race routine was a but different this morning since I didn't wake up early enough to throw down a breakfast.  Instead, I ate a few handfuls of cereal, had some orange juice, and shot over to Quonnie.  Driving into Quonnie, I was trying to spot out arrows and race markers...but nothing.  I ended up pulling into the ballfield where race registration was taking place.  I happened to be one of the first runners to show up. As soon I started warming up, the sweat just poured out of my veins.  I felt I was in a sauna and maybe even went out on a bender the evening before.

Before I knew it, the race director was shooting out commands and the race was underway.   Right from the start, I matched strides with a fast looking young guy and tried to determine what kind of fight I was in for this morning.  After rounding the second corner, the young guy put a little gap between me and him.  Shortly after that, another guy made a move on me and jumped into second place.  Crossing through the first mile in 5:44, I was immediately disappointed.  Not only was I feeling lethargic and slow, but I was in third place.  The front two guys maintained a gap on me and I was becoming more and more frustrated.  If I was hitting fast splits, I could have dealt better, but this was just bad.  After hitting the 2 mile mark in 5:41, the leaders still were in my sights.  I told myself to maintain.  Right around the 3 mile mark, the 2nd place guy came right back to me.  Keeping with my negative thoughts, I figured he was tired but was also conserving himself for a strong finish.  I told myself to forget about him and focused on the lead guy, who the entire community of Quonnie seemed to be cheering on.  Right around the 3 mile mark, I ran neck and neck with the guy.  I could definitely tell he was a college runner and wasn't sure he had much left in the tank.  Instead of letting him hand, I tried to make a gap between the guy and myself.  After pulling slightly away from this dude, I took the lead for good and actually felt really well.  Running on windy roads with frequent turns, I could no longer hear that guy behind me.  Crossing the finish, I took the win in 22:31 and 5:38 pace.

While I wasn't happy with my first few miles, I was really pleased with my finish (i.e. ran my last mile in 5:22).  It was a good lesson learned and moving forward, I will give more thought to just trying to hang in there and see what happens.  1 mile cooldown.  (6)

p.m. Bonus Sightseeing Adventure with Mike B.  As I'm sitting in my chair at the Town Beach, I catch quick glance of this dude running by.  I took a second look and noticed the guy's form and sure enough it's Which Way?!  I watched him for a second and made a quick, impulsive decision to try to catch him and run with him.  We ended up running to around the Pleasant View and back.  It was a fun little trek with many sights to see (both good and bad).  Nice way to add on 3 fun bonus miles.

Friday-Week #3 of the Beach/Splash Friday runs with Gazelle and Which Way.  We started at 5:30 a.m. in Watch Hill.  Initially, we ran quiet roads and ended up hopping on the beach before hoping back on the roads by East Beach.  We finished the run at Napatree and quickly jumped in the water to cool off and body surf.  Ended up running 6 miles total and I came back to Napatree later in the day on the boat.

Saturday-After feeling some serious tightness in my calves and lower legs the night before, I opted for an easier bike ride.  Ended up riding between 18 and 20 miles.  Later in the day, I fit in some pushups and stretching in between chores.

Totals:
Run: 7X, 30+ miles
Lulu miles: 0 (but I did take her for a walk)
Swim: 2X, 2900yds
Bike: 1X, 20 miles
Core/Stretch/Strength: 2X, 60 minutes

Synopsis:
Overall, it was a well balanced week.  I wish I could have made it out on the bike more, but you can't do it all. The 30 miles was the most I've run in months and I was really happy to get in that long swim Wednesday morning.   This next week should be another solid training week.  The week after is going to be hectic.

June 23rd through June 29th

Sunday-I actually slept in for a change..made it to 7:30 am..can't even come up with the last time I slept that late..maybe the long sleep is due to the depressing Bruins loss last night, maybe it's from trying up with the Gazelle...hmm..

3.75 mile loop in the heat...22:55.  I came home mapped it out, did some calculations and figured out I was running 6:06 pace..I'll take it.

Post run stretching and weights..bench press/curl rotation.

Monday-took the hybrid out for a 45 minute ride (sightseeing journey) through Misquamicut.  When it's busy down in Misquamicut, I'm reluctant to go play on the road bike.  Beach traffic and cycling do not mix well.  The scary moment of the day came right as I proceeded through a green  traffic light by the intersection of Winnapaug and Shore Road.  Following the rules of the road, I carefully progressed through the intersection and this lady came really close to taking me out.  I was a but baffled by the whole interaction and was careful not to drop any explicits.  Shortly after, an SUV pulled up aside of me.  I immediately thought to myself, "Here we go!"  Turns out it was Boumenot and his son Connor to my pleasant surprise.  We chatted for a minute and Boumenot opted not to run me down (He said I had nothing to worry about, I'm not in his age group).   The rest of the ride was fun and uneventful.  When I came home, I stretched for a bit.

Tuesday-  a.m. Speed workout with Muddy..2 mile warmup, 8X200m w/200 m jog rest.  Splits were around: 34, 35, 34, 33, 33, 33, 32, 31..1 mile warmdown and then on to my day job!

p.m. Dog Watch Fun Run 5k..around 20 minutes..Mike Boumenot was my wing man tonight..we cruised down to the Borough in the Mustang and then cruised the streets on foot together.  Fun night with a ton of laughs! Mile cooldown.
(10)

Wednesday-WTAC Tom McCoy Fun Run 5k, 17:45 5:37/mile, 3rd
1 mile warmup with Boumenot.  Prior to the run, I was once again contemplating exactly how hard I wanted to run.  On a rather humid night, the Fun Run was packed with talent tonight.  College runner JP, Nick Celico, Muddy, Johnny Miles, Gazelle, Boumenot, and the Junior Gazelle's!!  Throw that line up together and you have yourself a track meet.

Going into this one I had the plan on trying to run even.  I thought to myself, "5:50s would be nice."  As the run went out, JP immediately took command and never looked back.  Young gun Nick was immediately right on my tail.  Jonny took the bait as well as we cruised through the first mile in 531.  The second and slowest mile we hit in 548.  Once we hit Crandall Ave., my heavy legs started to yell at me as the race moved on (I'll blame it on the track workout!). I told Nick to go after it and closed out the last mile in 534.  JP and Nick Celico took care of business tonight.  The young bucks made me feel old and tired.  Mile cooldown with Boumenot, JP, and good girl runner Brandi.

Lazy Thursday-I didn't feel like doing much of anything after work today.  My body kept telling to take a nap instead of working out.  Working out prevailed..push-pull routine (pushup sets, bentover rows, abs), bench routine (bench press, single handed kettlebell rows, medicine ball twists), pull-up routine (pull-ups, curls, abs), and finished off with some stretching.

Friday-Headed off to the Charlestown Breachway with Gazelle and Boumenot for Round 2 of our Friday Beach Run/Ocean Splash sessions.  Prior to the run we made a quick stop by St. James Chapel to see if Muddy Puddin' would be joining us.  We didn't spot him, so we headed down to the beach.  We ran local beach roads that were nice and flat on this humid morning.  Today was especially enjoyable because it didn't feel like anybody really wanted to push the pace.  In the last mile of the run, we all ditched our shoes and ran barefoot down to the beach.  As soon as we finished running, the rain poured down and we hit the water.  On the way home, Mike treated us to some coffees from D & D.  Awesome!  (7.5)

Strength session: push-ups, pullups, shoulder exercises, rows, medicine ball twists..some stretching.

Saturday-42 mile ride with Gazelle from his house, through town, out to Greenhaven Road, to North Main Street, roads/farms/hills of North Stonington, and finally made the trek back home on Rt. 216.  Today's ride was a sufferfest and I enjoyed every minute of it. Besides the start of the ride, we rode rolling hills almost the entire time.  I'm hoping these kind of workouts will help out come tri time.  We hit Dave's Coffee at the end of the ride for some much needed iced.  Sign me up for more of these!

North Stonington Farm Country/Winery

5k can't hang!

Wakey, wakey Crutch!
Someone hit the zzz button

Totals:
Run: 4X, 27 miles
Lulu run: 0
Bike: 2X, 57 miles
Swim: 0
Core/Stretch/Weights: 3X, 70 minutes

Synopsis: Overall, a very good run week.  To my blog followers out there, my mileage may not look like much, but it's the most distance I've covered in awhile.  I'm still feeling the IT Band and bursitis in the heel area.  However, it doesn't feel as irritated as it once did.  For now, I'll take it.  I'm very happy with the distance of my weekly bike ride with Gazelle and quality of my strength workouts.  Despite the fact that I'm not running fast right now, I am enjoying training and the variety of activity.

Downsides:
-I did not get a swim in.
-No run for Lulu (humidity played a factor.

June 16th through June 22nd

Sunday-31 mile ride with Gazelle and Eric Bogdan..
Highlights: Charlestown Hills, Muddy Puddin' sighting, Dave's Coffee
Awesome ride on a nice morning.

Monday-3+ miles at 445.

Tuesday-12 mile bike ride that incorporated 4X400 repeats (74, 72, 72, 70)

Wednesday-1 mile swim in Winnapaug Salt Pond.

Thursday-3 miles at 5 am.

Friday- 8 miles Summer Solstice Run at 5 am with Gazelle, Muddy, Miles, Boumenot, and Chris. It was the longest run I've been on in awhile.  This was one of the funnest runs I've been on in awhile.  Turns out, newbie Chris and I ran against each other a number of times during college.  He told me he ran a best of 1:52 in the 800m..wow, I never quite made it there!  We followed up the run with some body surfing.  Awesome.

WTAC TEAM SOLSTICE

Photos courtesy of Jeff "Gazelle" Walker

Saturday-
a.m.35 mile bike rambler with the Gazelle.   We went from my house to Bradford, to 216, to Chase Hill "Monster" road, crossed Route 3 towards Potter Hill,  headed downtown, shoot off Watch Hill, and then down to Weekapaug.  

We had some really good climbs and efforts on this ride.  

Towards the end of the ride, we stopped at the Weekapaug Innet for some coffees.

p.m. 3 barefoot miles with Gazelle and Matthew (aka. Gazelle Jr.) on the beach.  We followed this up with a 1/2 mile swim.

June 9th through June 15th

Sunday-4 miles, 6:30 pace w/ Lulu and stretched after.

Monday-45 minute spin class at Y with Gazelle.  Tough.

Tuesday-Dog Watch Fun Run 5k, 1802, 5:43 p/mile pace
Mile 1:5:51
Mile 2: 5:38
Mile 3: 5:45

Nasty night with massive rains and humidity.  The rain held off for the run itself.  I was able to make a quick one mile warmup. At the starting line I made a gentlemen's deal with Gazelle to run the first loop at 630 pace.  With the high humidity, I had no idea of pace and we were even chatting it up as we stayed within striking distance of the lead kid.  After cruising through the mile in 5:51, I apologized to the Gazelle for messing up.  He quickly said it was fine and that he'd finish the first lap at that pace.  After we came through the first lap, I pushed a little harder and separated from the lead kid.  Once I hit the second mile, I started to feel really heavy and relaxed a bit on the final mile reminding myself that I was there for a workout not race.  Short warmdown with Gazelle and a quick beverage before the rains returned.
(5)

Wednesday-
a.m. 1000yd swim at the Y with Gazelle

p.m.WTAC Tom McCoy Fun Run 5k
17:47...5:37 p/mile average

Mile 1: 524
Mile 2: 551 (horrible)
Mile 3: 538

With these races being put on by my club and being right down by the beach, they stand out as my favorite running events of the year.  The joy of a fun run is that people can run at whatever pace they'd like.  Prior to the run, I was contemplating what to do because my heel was really bothering me.  I could feel some pain and tightness throughout the day and certainly didn't want to make it worse. That being said, I also love to go to battle, especially in the 5k (hence my nickname).  After chatting up with friends and club members I watched the kids race take off.  It's always fun to watch the excitement on the little tikes faces.  I didn't really warmup for this one and kind of shook it off...it's a fun run, right?

As Tommy McCoy was about to start the run, I asked him to wait a second for Jeff.  I no sooner reminded Tom to wait for the Gazelle and there he was.   Some young guns immediately took it out and I jumped in the mix.  Moving through the first mile, I felt sore and tight.  I also felt someone right on my back.  Every time I took a corner, I tried to accelerate and lose him.  It's turns out this competitor was a high schooler named Nick Celico, who made some serious improvements from just a year ago.  I couldn't shake the kid.  He sat right behind me until around the 2 mile mark when I was finally able to make a small break.  From there, I was able to hold on to the finish.  Nick cruised in 10 seconds after me and the Gazelle came through shortly after that.


Fun night, but I'm feeling the need to take a few days off of running with my foot acting up.
(4)

Thursday-intention of doing another spin class, but it ended up being cancelled.
Hit the weights instead..did pullups, pulldowns, shoulder work, planks, and core.

Friday-1500yd swim at the Y.  This would be my last swim prior to them closing the pool.  This was a very solid workout!

Saturday-3 mile run with Lulu on the beach, followed up with a 12 mile ride on the hybrid. Met with Gazelle in the afternoon for what felt like a mile swim.

Totals:
Run miles: 4X, 16 miles
Lulu: 2X, 7 miles
Bike: 2X, 27 miles (equivalent)
Swim: 3X, 4000yd
Core/Strength: 1X, 45 minutes
Chiro Visits: 0

June 2nd through June 8th

Sunday-1/4 mile swim with Gazelle from the Town Beach.
While the water was still cool, it was much more comfortable than last week.  I'll take it.

YMCA Back Road Ramble, 3.3 mile race (that's what my GPS reports)
19:32, 1st
Results
I made a game day decision to run this race.  I have not been running much as of late and really missed the atmosphere that a race offers.  To me, races are electric.  Everybody seems positive and there is a good flow.  After registering, I ran a two mile warmup with Gazelle and Matthew.  Based off of their reports, the course was marked much better than last year.

Once the gun went off, I tried to establish a solid and maintainable pace.  Right off the bat, a high school kid hammered down the hill after the start.  I cautiously led chase and put some feelers out for him.  Shortly after, I was able to pull away from him and it was smooth sailing.  In my mind the next one I needed to run scared from was the Gazelle.

At the mile mark, I ran comfortably. From there, it was completely smooth sailing.  My second mile split was my slowest.  I felt tired but pretty strong finishing up.  Overall, I was happy with my performance based off of recent training.  I was thrilled to see another strong showing by WTAC with second and third place finishes by the Walkers.

The bottom line is ended up getting in a really good workout and had the opportunity to hang out with my running friends (even Jonny Miles showed up).  Enjoyed the post race barbecue!

Side notes:
This race was sort of a reunion for me. I worked at Camp Watchaug, where the race took place, for a summer in college about 10 years ago.  It brought back some fun memories of my younger days.

Watch out for the Walker kids...it's just a matter of time before Matt and Mark are faster than all of us..respect your elders!!
(7)

Monday-"So this is what it is like chasing a Gazelle on wheels."
Approx. 20 mile bike ride with Gazelle on beach roads.  The fog and low visibility led us to stay on these roads.  We hammered Ocean View Highway and Atlantic Ave really hard.  After looping around in Weekapaug, we then went at it again for one last charge down Atlantic.  As I pushed, Gazelle pulled away from me with ease.  Even as I jumped out of my seat and started pushing, I couldn't make any ground on him.  We had an awesome workout and I think my good friend is ready to rock the Mystic Tri.

Tuesday-Stonington Fun Run 5k. 18:31
Warmed up a couple of miles with Gazelle and did a bit more with Boumenot.
After racing Sunday and riding hard on Monday, it was my intention to take the day really easy.  Jeff, Mike, and I were discussing pace and had a plan to just settle in and roll.  Shortly after the start, I saw two lead guys pulling away.  "Do I chase them down I ask myself?"  "They aren't going too quick,"  I took the bait and caught up to the leader.  I started trying to chat it up with him and he told me he was looking to run 17 flat on the day.  I mentioned to him that today might not be the day for me join him.  Shortly after he told me this, I could feel the pace easing.  I then asked the kid what his PR was and he told me he was going for it (17:55).  I told him I would try to pace him to this time.  Unfortunately, the kid was unable to maintain his goal pace.  I stayed with him throughout and encouraged him throughout.

After finishing, I grabbed a quick, yet aggressive, cooldown with Gazelle.  It was all downhill from there...we got stuck having a free beer for doing the run out of the deck.  Living by ocean and having these opportunities make life really tough...
(6 miles)

Wednesday-a.m.1100 yd swim at the Y with Gazelle...did 2X2X50yd drills and was happy with my more consistent splits (38, 42) (39, 41).  We kept rest really short.  I felt really good afterwards.

p.m. Push-ups, bench press, curls, abs

Thursday-had a rocking headache and a retirement party to go.  What to do?..Hmm..take an Excedrin and do a strength workout.  Did a series of body weight squats, pushups, pullups, medicine ball twists, etc.  The Excedrin and workout did help.

Friday-445 Club from Boumenot's.
6 miles at around 7 min/mile.  Very solid run.  Mike gave Gazelle and I the grand tour of the Pawcatuck Roads.

Visited the Chiro in the afternoon

Saturday-Backwards Brick Workout with Gazelle and Gazelle Jr.
We started off by running the Backroad Ramble Course and then ventured out onto Watchaug Pond for a 1000yd swim.  The water was nice and warm today!  It was Matthew's first open water swim of the season. Solid workout and even more fun.
(3)

Totals:
Run:4x, 22 miles
Lulu:0 (she is ripping about this)
Swim: 3X, 2500 yds
Bike: 1X, 20 miles
Core/Stretch/Strength: 2X, 60 minutes
Chiro Visits: 1X