April 27th through May 3rd

Sunday: RI State Police Foot Pursuit 5k, 16:50, 3rd
Results
Report to come.
(7 miles)

Pic courtesy of Gazelle Walker

p.m. 30 minute spin on stationary bike.

Monday: 2000yd swim..2X500, 3X200, 4X100.
4.5 mile run from my parents..kind of hilly..6:15 pace..calf still sore.

Tuesday: am: too lazy to do an early run..20 minutes of pushups, sit-ups, and hip stretches.  Might be taking a 0 today.

pm.officiated a home SHS Track Meet with Crutch.  I was given the job of "starter" which included shooting the gun off for the start of each race/heat.  Not being a gun guy or having experience with this job, I found the task to be quite nerve racking.  Still a fun day..meet didn't end until after 7 though.  My hopes of any kind of run fell out the window.


Wednesday: After feeling anxious about not training yesterday, I had the hope of getting something good in today.  With a nasty rain coming down, I opted to hit the Y.  I did 3.5 miles on the treadmill, followed by a 45 minute spin class, and then wrapped up with another 2.5 miles on the treadmill.  Keep all running at 6 minute pace or faster.  These kinds fo workouts are necessary for my base. Felt good.

Thursday: am: 3 miles on the treadmill in my basement
pm..SHS Distance Project: Warmup, 1X600, 2X400,1X600  2X300, 4X200..1 minute or less rest.
146, 67, 66, 146, 59, 58, 58, 31, 30, 32, 29
All of the kids did really well and were consistent.
Warmed down a mile in reverse direction talking running, track body types, and the sport in general.
As we were stretching out at the end of the practice one of the girls told me she ran three of the South County 4th Race Season Series (won the series for her decision) and did Lil' Rhody this past year.  A few of the kids were well aware of the WTAC and some of the club accolades..very cool!
(5)

Friday:
1: 1 mile run with Lulu..she resisted the entire way..just wanted to play in the back yard instead
2: 4 mile run at 620 pace
3: 3 more miles with Shara..7 to 715 pace

Saturday: 40 mile Mystic loop ride with Boumenot and Garwin..very happy to be out there on the bike.  A little chilly at the start of the ride, but well worth it.  Half way through the ride we made a coffee stop at Mystic Market.  It was fun showing Garwin the Borough and some of the points of interest in Stonington.  We'll keep these going throughout the summer!

Later in the morning, I went back out on the roads with Shara for about 10 miles so she could get a little training in..took the hybrid.

Totals:
Run: 5X, 34 miles
Lulu: 1X, 1 miles + lots of loops in my back yard
Swim: 1X, 2000yd
Bike: 4X, 73 miles
Core:1X, 20 minutes

Solid, well rounded training week.  I would have liked to have landed another swim and 40 miles but you can't do it all.  Solid bike week, a race, track workouts, and swim..I'll take it.

April 20th through April 26th

Sunday-12 mile ride w/ Shara.  Took out the hybrid.  Followed up with 3 mile run at a solid pace.

Monday: 1500yd swim at the Y..saw Duda who was going for a long swim..we briefly chatted about TRIs and he was telling me about all of his training..made me feel lazy.

After the swim, I went home and took Lulu for a 4 miler through Weekapaug on a beautiful afternoon.

Tuesday: 9 miler about Winnapaug Pond..incorporated 10X1 minute H/1 minute E during first half of run.  Felt really strong the last few miles.. need to do more "long" runs like these. Light/quick stretch post run.

Wednesday: 26 mile ride with Jeff Duda..met in Avondale, cruised through Misquamicut and then headed up 216 on a windy afternoon.  Good effort and felt nice to push a bit.

Thursday: SHS Distance Project.Warmup, 4X (2X200, 1X400) w/45 sec rest after 2s and 90 sec after 4s.  The wind was gusting and howling hard..not ideal for a workout day, but a great simulator for what the kid's might face on any given race day. (5)
After dinner I wanted to go after a few more miles, so I went for a quick  3 mile run down to the ocean and back home with Lulu.

Friday: am swim-1200yds
pm: 6 miles at an easy pace..local roads down through sand trail and back home..mowed front lawn for first time of the season afterwards.

Saturday: 5 mile shakeout w/Shara and Lulu on the beach and Atlantic Ave. Calf very tight and sore. Raining towards end of run.

Totals:
Run: 6X, 35 miles
Lulu: 3X, 12 miles
Swim: 2X, 2700yd
Bike: 2X, 38 miles

Overall, okay week.  Wish mileage was over 40 and need to do more on the bike.

April 13th through April 19th

Sunday-Thin Mint Sprint 5k, West Palm Beach, 16:58, 1st place
Results
I've always wanted to run a race in Florida and today that opportunity came true.  After a previous long day of traveling that finally commenced at 1 am, Shara and I woke up at 530 am and ventured off to Okeeheelee Park for the Thin Mint Sprint 5k.  We arrived at the race, picked up our swag, and opted for a very lethargic warmup.  Lining up at the start was anti-climatic as tiredness took over.  Before we knew it, the horn went off and I took the immediate lead.  I was nervous about navigating the course as there were no maps or directions given prior to the race.  Fortunately, the a biker lead the race so I had someone to follow.  After hitting the mile in a little over 520, I started to feel the unfamiliar humidity.  With no one in sight, I ran in no man's land for the remainder of the race.  The course followed a curvy, uneven bike path and at times, it felt like it was never going to end.  I think this feeling was partly due to my unfamiliarity with the area.  Over the last half mile, I was able to pick up the pace and finish strong.  After collecting my thin mints (given to all finishers) I went back over to the finish line to watch Shara rock the women's race in 20:21.

Despite exhaustion, this was a very fun experience.  The course was scenic, the race was well organized, and we even scored $50 gift certificates to a local running shop.

Monday-6 mile run on the A1A strip in Ft. Lauderdale.  Not the best planned run as I started the run at 12 pm with 90 degree temps.  Sights and scenery made the run fun.  Later in the afternoon, Shara and I went for a 1/2 ocean swim..it was really choppy out there and she kicked my butt.

Tuesday-15 minute warmup, 8X400 w/35 second jog rest, 15 minute warmdown..did this one on an area soccer field near Shara's parents' house. (6)

Wednesday-6 miler from Shara's parents' house..ran area roads back to soccer fields and randomly did 11 pick-ups to pass some time.  Normally, I would have ventured out to area parks to explore their Fit Trails and mix things up.  However, someone (who says she doesn't have to worry about it because she has African skin) got really burnt up by the the hot Florida sun and now needs to take a couple of days off from running.  Later in the day, we went for a cruise in West Palm and tried paddle boarding (much fun).

Thursday-another 6 miles on roads..toured different neighborhoods...very humid morning with thunderstorms in the forecast.  Followed up this one with a quick dip in the pool and then shot off on some Everglades touring before heading back up North.  Fun trip!

Friday-back to RI and back to the cold.
3 mile easy run with Lulu, followed up by an 11 mile bike ride w/Shara.

Saturday-7 mile Misquamicut run through the beach and finishing up at Champlain Glacier Park. Nice spring morning that made me feel spoiled to live here.  In the afternoon, Shara and I went for a 14 mile laid back bike spin.

Totals:
Run-7X, 39 miles
Lulu miles: 1X, 3 miles
Bike: 2X, 25 miles
Swim: 1X, 1/2 mile (ocean swim)
Fun had: lots! Very solid April break.

April 6th through 12th

Sunday-After four hours of traveling and catching up on chores, I was long overdue for a run. Despite gusty winds, I ran a 10k at a pretty solid pace (just under 39 minutes).

Monday: SHS Distance Project..8X400 (all ranged 68-69).  Funny, the kids were extremely consistent as well.  Gusty on the back 100 on the track. (5)

Tuesday: 2500yd swim..500-400-300-200-100-50-50, some drills w/fins, finished off with some 100s.  Wish I had better form, etc, but at least I made it into the water.
40 minute ride on stationary bike in my parents' basement.

Wednesday:
8.2 mile semi-progression run..around the pond loop-51:38, 6:19 pace..gusty.
Post-run: working on a sink hole in my parents' back yard.

Thursday: WTAC Rally Run..9 miles with Gazelle, Muddy, and Galoob from the Westerly Y up to the Town Forest and back around.  I ran trails for the first time in months today..we had plenty of mud, puddles, and small streams to run through on this one.  After popping out of the woods, we realized we had to hoof it back to the Y to meet up with the rest of the crew.  I was feeling it on the chase back...felt like 540s but without a Garmin, I had no idea.  Post run tour of the Grey Sail Brewing to celebrate WTAC 4th Season Win!  Great fun/great company.


Friday: SHS Distance Project..Cutdown workout..1200-800-600-400-200 on 2 minutes rest.
343, 224, 145, 67, 29
Already feeling trail soreness, I was struggling today.  I managed to bang out a 29 on the last 200 as the top high school guy came at me.

Saturday: Easy 19 mile ride with Gazelle, Boumenot, and Shara through Misquamicut. As part of the ride, we measured out the 5k course for Sunday's Clamdigger 5k.  Beautiful morning.

Totals:
Miles: 5X, 33 miles
Lulu: 0
Swim: 1X, 2500yds
Bike: 2X, 1:45, 30 miles
Core: 0

Synopsis:
Pros: two quality track workouts with the kids, a very fun run/brewery visit with WTAC, and a sign off life on the bike.
Cons: low mileage (although all of my runs were quality), only 1 swim, no runs with the dog.