December 18 to December 24

Monday, 12/18
5.4 miles with Riley at 7:05 pace on local roads.  Barely made it out there this morning as the baby was up for a big chunk of the night.  Thought about sleeping in, but knew the extra sleep wouldn't make me feel happier later in the day.  I made it, but the early miles were a struggle.

Tuesday, 12/19
6.1 miles with the dogs at 6:53 pace.  Ran Riley for 5 miles, Lulu for 1+.  My calves were tight at the start so I took it easy at the start and just let the run come to me.  When I was a college freshmen I had a teammate who used to always tell me, "sometimes you just need to let the run happen."  He didn't love that I liked to push the pace.  Even though I don't always follow his advice, his words resonated with me.  Despite wet and darks roads, it was an enjoyable morning with temps in the high 30s and no wind.

Wednesday, 12/20
a.m. 4.3 mile dog jog.  First with Riley and finished with Lulu.  Temps were in the 40s.  It was a nice morning to run.  Calves still oddly sore and I kept it short since the annual Christmas Light Run was taking place at night.

p.m. 5 mile Annual Christmas Light Run.  Been doing this run since at least 2013.  Very happy to keep the tradition going.  Solid group: Mikey B, Chris, JV, Gazelle, and Paul Gray.  Thanks to Mikey B for organizing! Ran right around 8 minute pace

Thursday, 12/21
6.1 mile run..4+ with Riley, about another mile with Lulu, and finished with 6 strides for good measure.  Felt better than previous days.  Oddly, my hop flexor started bothering me later in the day.  Think it could have been caused by playing gaga ball with the kids at school.  A rest day should help.

Friday, 12/22
30 minute light stretch on very little sleep. Picked up my in-laws at midnight..feeling tired

Saturday, 12/23
7 miles on the treadmill in 42 minutes.  It was a really raw day and I thought hitting the mill would be a smart move to test out my hip.  Ended warming up for 10 minutes and then did an unplanned workout of 3X 5 min H/5 min E.  H paces were between 5:15-5:18 and rest was around 6:30.  Solid.
Ended up with a 200 yd swim in the pool trying to to loosen up.

Sunday, 12/24
Met up with Gazelle and Riley at Burlingame Camp Grounds for a run.  Ran a mix of campground and Kimball trails.  Very enjoyable run and good catch up with Gazelle.

A pretty excited guy

The Overlook..cool spot

Total miles: 41
Highlights: Keeping the Christmas Light Run tradition going and the run in Bgame with Riley and Jeff. It was also nice to get a workout in..even if unplanned.  Downside: not getting an LR in.

December 11 to 17

Monday, December 11th
6 miles.  Feeling tired and lethargic I struggled out of bed but still made it out there.  Ran first 5 miles with Riley and did final mile with Lulu.  I had a definite case of the Mondays and it seemed like nothing was going my way this morning.  Oh well...at least I made it out there.  I sure did enjoy seeing the white stuff on the ground.

Tuesday, December 12th
6.1 miles...Ran first 4 miles with Riley and was feeling it again today.  As the run progressed I felt better.  Upon dropping Riley off, I was planning on doing a mile of strides and then would cool down with Lulu.  Lulu had other plans and was waiting for me at the door upon my arrival in with Riley.  I took her for a solid mile and then did 8X100m strides with very short rest.  Since my motivation is so low do to morning workouts, I better at least stick to doing the strides a couple of times a week. Raw morning with some wind.

Wednesday, December 13th
6 miles @ 6:54 pace.  It was a frigid (by my terms) morning with temps at 20 degrees and wind chills at 10.  I even decided to hold my fearless companion back from the run.  I wore three layers in most areas and it seemed to do the trick.  Since I wasn't with the dog, I decided to mix things up by doing a chunk of my run in Robin Hills.  I enjoyed the different scenery, small hills, and Christmas lights in here.  I ended run an unplanned and not taxing progression from 7:30 down to about 6:30 miles.
*In one of my weird idiosyncrasies, I try not to run the dogs across Route 1.   I avoid it as I would want the dogs to stay away in the event they got loose.  The reality is we run parallel to Route 1 all the time...not sure it makes a difference and I would trust Lulu more than Riley if I were to cross with them.

Thursday, December 14th
7 miles in the SNOW! I knew a bit of snow might be coming along and was pleased to see the white stuff falling when I woke up.  Riley and I covered 6 miles on quiet, snowy roads mostly in Weekapaug.  Pace was slower (round 7 minutes) but I think it was from the coating being on the ground.  If you know me, you know that I LOVE running in the snow.  It's the best.  Finished with a series of strides.

Friday, December 15th
40 minutes of core and strength work with Shara.  Took a page out of my Dad's workout book and did a couple series of walking up and down my stairs with 35lb kettlebells in each hand.  Also did planks, ab work, lateral movement exercises, and shoulder press.  Good stuff.

I tried something different and walked up and down my basement stairs with a 35 lb kettlebell in each hand.  Good stuff. Inspired by my Dad

Saturday, December 16th
7 miles of snowy campground roads and trails with Riley.  It was an awesome day for it.  Really enjoyed running through a couple of inches of the soft stuff and I think my sidekick did too.  This kind of running is like therapy!

Snowy Bgame Trails

One satisfied and happy pup

Sunday, December 17th
14.5 medium long run at an average of 6:35 pace on a chilly morning around the beach area.  Overall happy with the run and pace, but I did end up getting tired around 8-9 miles.  Ran into the RWYC Crew led by JV around Avondale.  Wheezing and coughing post run from the wind and cold air.

Weekly miles: 46.7
Core: 1X40 minutes
Thoughts: Solid week.  No workout but had fun running in the snow, on my long run, and doing strength work.  Moving forward, I want to keep building the long runs and be careful not to run those runs too fast or slow. 

December 4 to 10

Monday, 12/4
6 miles..5 with Riley and 1 with Lulu.  Chilly morning but enjoyed the moonlit roads and quiet run.

Tuesday, 12/5
6.2 miles with the dogs followed by 6X100m strides in front of my house to close out the run.  Wind was up and miserable at times.  Despite the wind, I do enjoy how quiet and peaceful these runs are.  Feeling sluggish as usual.

Wednesday, 12/6
7.5 miles..2 mile warmup, 8X400 with 250 jog rests with Riley.  First 7 reps were all between 80-81.  Consistent but not as fast as I was hoping.  I took a little extra time before the last one and finished off with a 74 which was better.   While I may not have been thrilled with the speed of the reps, I was happy my mile splits during the workout (6:19, 6:13, 5:57).  Ran home and then picked up Lulu for another mile.

Thursday, 12/7
5.5 miles with Riley.  Cool but enjoyable run.  Saw JV during the first mile (it's always a highlight of my morning runs).  Coming back up Noyes Neck,  I could hear some serious howling coming from the farm that sounded like more than one dog.  A pack of coyotes?  Not sure.

Friday, 12/8
35 minutes of stretching.  The combination of rest and light stretching is probably more helpful than I know.

Saturday, 12/9
12.6 miles in the sleet.  1:24, 6:38 pace.  Solid for not pushing the pace.  However, this was a sufferfest for other reasons.  With an original projection of 3-5 inches of snow, I was excited to think about the prospect of running in the white stuff.  The storm kind of fizzled and I had to settle for running in sleet.  I layered up but within 10 minutes of the run I was soaked.  For the first 6 miles I enjoyed the weather and run but the last 6+ were really tough with numbness, which felt like frost bite on my a few of my fingers.  Upon arrival home,  I was in some pain for a while as I tried to defrost those fingers.  A post run warm shower was fantastic.  I highly underestimated the weather today.  Not smart.

Sunday, 12/10
5 miles with Riley.  Started on icy and snowy roads. We then ran on the sand trail for a bit, which was really slow but fun.  Very enjoyable.  Would have stayed out longer but was pressed for time.


Weekly miles: 43
Core/stretch: 1X35 minutes
Synopsis: A fine week of running.  I'm starting to think more about marathon training and that build up.  It was good to get both a workout and long run in this week.  I'm trying to build those long runs so I am ready for the grind come January.

November 27-December 3-Man's Best Friend

11/27-12/3/17
In an effort to hold myself accountable, I am going to try to do a weekly training update.  I gave up on weekly blogging a while back because I figured no one was interested and a lot of my runs are really repetitive and boring.  Anyway, I'll give it a go!

This blog post is in honor of my parents dog and my first dog running buddy, Mickey, who passed away on Thanksgiving unexpectedly from a heart attack.  He truly was Man's Best Friend and was a joy 100% of the time.  Mickey followed the "wag more, bark less" principle and I'll certainly miss him. Rest easy, bud.

Mickey

Monday-6.- miles with the dogs followed by 1 mile of strides.  Enjoyed all the Christmas lights that were left on all need.  JV and I enjoy those.

Tuesday-6.2 miles.  Ran to my parents house, delivered the paper, and ran home w/ Riley.  Since Lulu slept in, I decided to spent my last mile doing on/off street lights through my neighborhood.

Wednesday-6.1 miles.  Ran Riley and then Lulu.  Gusty winds and feeling all around soreness, but especially in the low knee/upper shin area.  Will monitor.

Thursday-6.0 miles.  Both dogs.  Super cold but no wind.  I'll take it.  Looking forward to taking tomorrow off due to the soreness and general fatigue.

Friday-30 minute morning stretch, followed DVD, 5 minute foam roll at end.  Really need to stick to doing this stuff.

Saturday-5.5 miles with Riley from my house to Weekapaug Golf Course a little after 7 am.  Warmed up for 2 miles miles and then did 35 seconds H/35 seconds E for 20 minutes.  Upon entering the golf course an off leash German Shepard came charging at Riley and me.  He couldn't really catch us and ended up retreating back home.  Call it a win for the good guys.  Riley was completely unfazed by the dog and was having too much fun during his pursuit of us to even get upset.  Did a 20 minute stretch late in the afternoon.

Sunday-10 miles from Avondale Preserve through Watch Hill.  Upon arrival to the preserve, I coincidentally ran into JV, Eric D, Mikey B (glad he is back in the game), and Brian who were about to start a group run.  Ran with the guys for about a mile and then went off on my own from there.  Had a nice unplanned progression on a seasonal morning.  Last two miles were 6:14 and 6:16..happy with that.  Fun run.

Miles: 40
Core/Stretch: 2X20 min + some daily stretching.
Notes: Feeling tired and fatigued as usual which I attribute to my busy schedule.  Will keep watch on low knee/upper shin soreness.  Just trying to having fun with no particular goals for now.

Interesting running tidbit I read about this week: To prevent injury, switch out up to 3 shoes since running is such a repetitive motion.  I've switched out two pairs but this might give me an excuse to purchase another pair of shoes!

Wahaneeta

Wahaneeta Trail 5k
Results

The Wahaneeta Trail 5k stands as the first race of the WTAC Fall Trail Series.  One of my goals this year is to compete/participate in as many club events as possible.  With this race being early in the morning and conveniently located close to home, I had every reason to do this race.  It was also fun to not worry about getting a specific time and just racing.  With twists, bridges, and some technical parts, times go out the window and you can just focus on the fun.

Race Morning
After having a coffee and light breakfast, I headed over to Wahaneeta to help out with post registration and any other last minute tasks that needed to be completed before the race.  A little less than 15 minutes pre-race, I was able to sneak out for a five minute warmup.  With 100% humidity, I didn't take much of an effort to get "warm" but I still wanted to get some running in to loosen up.

The Race
RD Jeff gave out some pre-race instructions, offered up some props to the Westerly Land Trust, and before we knew it, we were off.  Right off the start, an unknown dude in compression socks blasted off the line.  The WTAC Train (Matthew, Muddy, Jeff/RD, me) followed not too far off.  After the initial burst out, the unknown dude slowed and I decided to make a move to make sure the train didn't get stuck on the single track.  If anything, I figured the move would be helpful to my teammates. Little did I know, I'd lead the "train" for the first lap of the course.  I knew Matthew was taking it easy and carefully waiting to make his move.  After a grueling and fun first lap, Matthew made his decisive move and Muddy, Jeff, and I were left behind.  I'd best describe my experience on the second lap as a suffer fest.  While paying attention to the well marked course, I thought to myself that I was glad today was only a 5k and wondered when Muddy and Jeff were going to drop me.  Somehow I was able to hold on and fought through the final lollipop of the course to them off (*Note: Only 8 seconds separated the 3 of us).  While my time was quite slow, I was happy to claim 2nd place and gave consideration to the humidity and slowness of the trails.   Overall, it was a really fun event and I mostly enjoyed running and suffering with my WTAC teammates.  Looking forward to more trail racing ahead!

A little Westerly Fun Run history..

Myself, my friend Jon, and world class Kenyan runner, Nicholas
August 8, 2007

August 8, 2007

"Wednesday's race featured the appearance of two "world class" runners from Kenya; Nicholas Kamakya & Angelina Mutuku, who are here to compete in the FALMOUTH 7.1 MILE ROAD RACE this coming weekend. The two, along with their escort John Thornell, addressed the crowd and held a Q & A session prior to the start of the runs," WTAC site.

My take

As the years march on, sometimes it is fun to reflect on running and the history of events you've been involved in. A few weeks back I came across an old photo of an elite Kenyan runner, my friend Jon, and myself at a "back in the day" WTAC fun run.  

I'm not sure if anyone in my blogger audience was there that evening, but I'm going to share my take on the event and the story of why this Kenyan gentlemen, Nicholas, was hanging with us that night.

The story should really begin with Jon, who had recently returned from approximately a year of teaching and running in Sigor, Kenya.  Jon was a friendly high school rival of mine and we continued to develop a friendship, competed against one another, and trained from time to time during college breaks.  Post collegiate, Jon explored his interest of Kenya, running, and the culture my immersing himself in the East African world.  In short, Jon taught school, visited his students' families, ran, and developed a raw, yet super talented XC team during his time there.  His star athlete would go on to run world class times and go on to win some big time marathons.

Coincidentally and shortly after I moved to Westerly, Jon came to RI for a couple days to hang out at the beach and run with me during the summer of 2007.  We opted to head down to the fun run that evening to get in a workout and enjoy the novelty of running down by the water.  Before the start of the fun run, I remember someone from the WTAC making a special introduction and announcement of the two world class Kenyans who would be on hand for the evening's run. The entire crowd was somewhat in awe of the athletes, but their attendance especially piqued Jon's interest as he could speak some of their language and had background in Kenyan culture.  While I have no idea of the context of their conversation, Jon spoke to both Nicholas and Angelina at that night's fun run.  While neither of the Kenyan athletes came to run hard, Nicholas ran with the top guy and jogged the 3 miler in at 14:51 and Angelina ran with the top female in her own "pedestrian" time of 17:45.  I'm not sure what these two Kenyan's ran at Falmouth that year, but did a little research and saw that Nicholas ran a 2:06:34 in the 2011 Amsterdam Marathon and Angelina ran a 1:11:20 at the 2007 Philadelphia Half.   Pretty impressive to say the least.

In short, it was neat and enjoyable night to have some surprise guests at the WTAC fun run.

NPT

Newport Marathon-April 15, 2017
2:54:44, 6th
Results

Lead Up
I knew I wanted to run a marathon and get a BQ in the spring of 2017 but I just wasn't sure if it was in the cards for a variety of reasons.  Once Baby H was born, my running focus was just on getting out there.  The fate of a potential marathon changed for the better on February 18th when the Gazelle invited me to meet him for a long run.  Without a solid lead up or string of long runs, I hoped to offer Jeff some company on a cold morning as he prepared for a April marathon.  As the run went on, I continued to feel okay and made the decision to run a full 20 miler with him.  I was pretty tired post run, but the idea of putting five more long runs together all of a sudden became a possibility.  Having Jeff to run with on most of these runs held my accountable and I knew he'd push me hard on our runs.
During this training block, I wasn't able to put in any weekly workouts but ran my long runs at a quality pace and ran a comfortable to moderate pace throughout each week.   While the lead up to the race was short, I was happy with some of the runs Jeff and I put in and appreciated the focus on hills.

Race Morning
Jeff picked me up pretty early on race morning.  The ride to Newport went by pretty quickly as we listened to ACDC, talked about the good conditions, and received various texts/calls from Jeff Duda, who was also running.  After arriving at Second Beach, we caught a school bus to the start and kept our sweats on as there was a slight chill in the air.  We hung with JD, made some final race preparations, and took a picture before heading to the starting line.  Based off how we matched up in our training runs, Gazelle and I had brief discussions about pacing and running together.  We agreed that if it worked out great, but that we didn't want the other waiting for the other.   My pre-race hope was that we'd be running together for most, if not all of the race together.

Getting ready to go!

We're off

Miles 1-6
As the gun went off, I reminded myself to relax and try to stick to my plan of running 6:30 pace.  A hill shortly after the start and in the first mile would definitely help.  Between mile 1 and 2, Gazelle and I were running together through a neighborhood and a dog broke off a leash and was lunging at us.  Fortunately, neither one of us were bit!  However, our adrenaline must have been sky high and we hit mile 2 in 6:17, which was too fast.  These first two miles made me worry about the remainder of the race.  Jeff and I reminded one another to settle in and we paid close attention to our splits over the next couple of miles.  While we certainly weren't on a run to go smell the roses, the well on Wellington Ave of the Newport Bridge and harbor was amazing.   Over the next couple of miles, we worked towards Fort Adams State Park.  Upon entering Fort Adams, I gave thought to the many childhood visits, swims. and memories I had in this park with family.  I must have been day dreaming a bit too much as I almost took a wrong turn before Gazelle set me straight.  Leaving Fort Adams, two young guns connected up with us and were playing some good tunes that Gazelle and I could both get down to.

Miles 7-13
Over this bunch of miles, I mostly tried to lock into a pace.  Gazelle and I also engaged in conversation with the two young guns, who happened to be UMASS runners.  Based off conversation, I believe they were both seniors who were not currently running meets but still had track lockers.  They seemed legit and reported to be unsure of their goal for the day other than simply finishing.  I could tell they were legit and didn't expect them to fade anytime soon.  They mostly ran behind us but their tunes continued to entertain us.  It would have been great for them to do some of the work and trade off leading but they were carrying their weight with our group of four just by playing the tunes.  It's funny how the small things can carry you through a marathon.  We rolled on, enjoyed the views, looked at mansions, and worked through some of the Salve Regina campus roads as we moved back towards the starting line and midpoint of the race.  As we came up on the midpoint, I started to feel some signs of fatigue and wondered what the rest of the race had in store for me.

The train right around the half way point. Pretty cool to run stride for stride with Jeff for a huge chunk of the race.

Miles 14-20
After a crystal clear layout for the first half of the course, we were led to some confusion as we crossed the 13.1 mark.  It was really unclear where we were supposed to run and none of the race staff or volunteers in the area knew where to tell us to go.  Crossing the midpoint, an additional dude with a hat seemed to pop out of no where to join the train.  I was feeling fatigue and considering what I needed to do to make it through the second half of the race.  Whether real or imaginary, I felt all of the guys around me speed up.  In my head, I reminded myself to run my own race and let things play out.  I hung on to low 6:30s over the next couple of miles and chewed on some gummies.  At around mile 16,  I was hanging slightly off the pack and saw my cheering squad (family) for the first time.  It was especially nice seeing them as Haley was part of the contingency.  Gazelle signaled for me to move back up and all of sudden I was back in the mix.  I ran a speedy 16th mile and was back in the game.  At this point, the UMASS dudes ran away from us and it was Gazelle and the mysterious guy with the hat.  Things continued to go well as we saw my family again and Gazelle and I continued to encourage one another and work together.   We had rolling hills ahead and I knew the last 7 miles of the course would be a challenge.

Miles 21-26.2
Gazelle and I were both feeling it as we ran out to the turn around point at Indian Avenue.   I knew we still had a battle ahead of us and continued my hope that we would stay together for as long as possible.  After turning around the cone, I pulled ahead of Gazelle but encouraged him to hang with me.  I gave some thought about the race up to this point and the partnership we had going through the entire race.  For a minute or so, I encouraged him to rejoin me again with a hand signal and considered slowing a bit to run together.  Knowing the type of competitor Jeff is, I knew he wouldn't be happy if I purposely dropped back.  The deal was if we could run together, great, but if not, don't wait!  I carried on and did my best to not totally fall apart over the last five miles.   I was on a solid pace to get my BQ and needed to hang tough.   After a hard climb up Hanging Rock Road, I was headed towards the home stretch.  I crossed the line in 2:54:45, which would be good enough for 6th place overall, 1st in my division.  Jeff hung tough and ran a super strong 2:58:59, 9th overall, 1st in his division.  Jeff Duda had a tough day and finished in 3:14:22.

Finishing up.

Thanks Shara!

Happy to be finished but too tired to get up.

Thoughts:
-Ultimately, the day was a success!  I ran fairly consistent and hammered down the BQ I wanted off a short marathon training block.
-Special thanks to my understanding wife, Shara, who was supportive of me sneaking out of the house on Saturday mornings while she tended to a newborn.  I'm also most appreciative of the support of my parents for coming out to see me run.
-I have to give a ton of credit to my race success to Gazelle for all of the help with training, advice, and going to "battle" with me through most of the race.
-Marathons are tough.  Anything can happen..good or bad.  It's so important to race with a plan and do whatever preparation is necessary to feel like you are adequately prepared for race day.
-Marathons are fun.  I enjoyed the venue and course and challenge of running the race.
-It took a few weeks for me to recover from this one.  A sign of a good effort but wish I could have recovered quicker.
-While the course was no walk in the park, I'd run this race again.
-I'm planning/hoping on running Boston 2018.  It's a race I've wanted to run since I was a high school kid.  Hopefully, I can stay healthy and will be well prepared for it.  I'm excited about the prospect of running the race, but am not looking forward to the logistics.
-Now what?  I'm not sure.  Considering the need to run a half or two in the fall just to run some longer efforts.  Would running Hartford be beneficial?  Thoughts?
-I like running 5ks and marathons..weird combination.

January Review

January was a month of anticipation for me.  With Shara in her final month of pregnancy, my mind was on the arrival of our new baby while trying to balance work, running, and the rest of my life.

We received an exciting surprise in mid-January with the arrival of our baby girl.  She weighed a healthy 8lbs, 0 oz. and arrived 12 days early.  Amazingly, Shara kept running her mile right up until three days before birth.  While really starting to feel it, Shara even rode our stationary bike for 5 miles the day before giving birth! I was certainly impressed and in awe of this feat.  While we are thrilled and excited to have our little girl, the level of tiredness and fatigue is something neither of us have faced before.

Full disclosure: I thought marathon training would be much more strenuous and physically exhausting than regular wake-ups during the middle of the night.  Sleep deprivation is just a whole other animal.

While this new life style is certainly not permanent, my fitness goals are sort of on the back burner. My main goal is to stay as active and as shape as I possible can, while not being selfish or depriving my other responsibilities.  Initially I thought it might be possible to pull off a spring marathon, but I just don't see if happening due to low motivation and lack of long runs.  I'll keep an open mind moving ahead and see what happens.  To maintain as much fitness as possible, keep the dogs happy, and get a little rest, I've been splitting up my daily runs during the week to two short daily runs.  So far, it is working and I remind myself to stay flexible.  Most of all, I'm thrilled to have a healthy, thriving baby!

January Fitness/Strava Stats:
Miles: Approximately 185
Average Weekly Mileage: 40
Average # of Weekly Runs: 9
Off Days/Week: 1
Stretching: 1X/Week (Need to stick to this)
Bike/Swim: 0 No time

Overall, I'm really happy with the running I was able to pull off during the month of January.

Running Highlights include:
-I had fun with the dogs,
-Started trail running with Riley.  I've always been paranoid about him getting ticks but we treat monthly and I also recently purchased an organic tick repellent.
- Racing the Resolution 5k on the beach and in the trails during a snow storm. I can't say I ran particular well or poorly, but it was a fun experience with good competition. I'm hoping to run a couple of more races in the series if possible.
-A couple of snow runs..it's always great to get out there when the white stuff is on the ground.\

Riley with his new trail friends.
His longest run in duration and 2nd trail run ever.  

There's no run like a snow run!

I'll see what February brings.  Onward!