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.