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!