December 8th through 14th

Sunday-Hot Chocolate 5k, 16:50, 13th

Results

Always wanted to do this race...frigid temps, rolling hills, Christmas Party the night before, Calf/Ankle issues...I'll take it.  Hope to provide a better race report soon.

(6)

Monday-SHS Distance Practice
After monitoring all of the kids do drills, I took the distance kids out for a mile warmup.  From there we jumped into 6X400 w/100 walk, 200 jog, 100 walk rest.  I preached consistency to the kids.  Old guy splits: 65, 66, 65, 66, 66, 64...led the kids in some stretching routines post run.  In the ongoing saga of my running health, I now am rocking a pretty solid cold/sinus thing.
(4.5 miles)

Tuesday-didn't expect it, but today turned out to be a snow day.  I haven't been feeling well and needed to get some Christmas shopping done, so today turned out to be a great opportunity.  Banged out 7 easy miles on Weekapaug Roads.
-20 minutes of core work

Wednesday-6+..ran from my house down through the Weekapaug Sand Trail and back.  I timed it right and had the opportunity to watch the sun go down as I ran down the trail.  Feeling some soreness from earlier in the week.  On a positive note, my cold is getting better. Stretched post run-20 minutes.

Thursday-SHS Distance Practice
5 miles..
Mile warmup, 4X800 on partially snow covered track..229-232 range.
15 minute cooldown..followed by some core work.
WTAC Holiday Party.

Friday-had my buddy's wedding to go to in Dedham, MA.  Between working out some car issues with Shara and being in New Haven most of the day, I somehow snuck in a 3 miler during a brief travel break in Westerly.

Saturday-6 miles in the snow from my house down through the Weekapaug sand trail and back. With snow coming much earlier than expected down in CT, I had to hold off on bringing Shara home until Sunday..had to bail on the Christmas 10k-sorry WTAC, I'm sure you guys did well without me.


Running: 7X, 37 miles
Lulu:0
Swim/Bike: 0
Core: 2X. 40 minutes

December 1st through 7th-Hot Chocolate

Sunday-8 mile beach loop..ran pretty hard, but comfortably at a little over 6 minute pace.
That annoying left ankle was bugging me at the start of the run.  The rain and wind came down the second half of the run.

Monday-OFF.  With ankle issue, it was a good day to take a seat.  Truth is, I didn't have time to run anyway.  Went to an awesome UCONN game vs. Florida..Huskies won on a buzzer beater!

Tuesday-SHS Track Distance Project-Day 1
The Indoor Track Coach at my school approached me a few weeks ago about coaching the distance runners as a volunteer.  Wanting to help out, but not overcommit, I offered my services for at least one practice a week and that I would put together a training program for the kids.  My only stipulation: I get to workout with them.  Deal!
1 mile warmup
2X600m-148
2X400m-68
2X300m-49-50
2X200m-32ish
(3)
Solid, consistent workout.  I really enjoyed the kids positive attitudes, strong work ethic, and drive. The only negative part of the day was the pain/swelling in the outside of my  left ankle.
Did some core work/stretching after practice (planks, abs, etc).

Wednesday-Swim at the Y..variety of lap swimming, drills, etc.  With on-going ankle calf swelling and soreness, it was time to throw down another 0 for the run.  This was the best alternative I could come up with.

Thursday-Very reluctant to run today with my swollen ankle/calf.
I figured I'd go to HELL Field and do a little workout.  Warmup mile.
4X1000 322, 323, 322, 319 w/short 1 minute breaks
3 mile warmdown...got more sore and tight.  Not sure how I'll be for Sunday..oh well.
(7)

Friday-4 miles on my treadmill at home...this run was a complete struggle...even at 715 to 720 pace on a flat plain in a controlled environment..sore and tired.  I stretched out afterwards and have been icing.

Saturday-4 miles with Shara & Lulu in Watch Hill..felt better than Friday..ankle/calf still funky.

Totals:
Run: 5X, 26 miles
Lulu's miles: 1X, 4 miles
Swim: 1X, 1 mile
Core/Stretch: 2X, 40 minutes
Ice: 4-5X this week with frozen vegetable packs.

November 24th through November 30th-Thanksgiving

Sunday: Mews Gear N Beer 5k,  17:00, 8th
Results

The annual Mews Gear N Beer 5k stands out as my favorite race.  The 14th installment of this race called for frigid temperatures and wind.  While I wasn't thrilled about the conditions, I told myself it could be worse (rain, ice, even colder temps).  After arriving at the race, I hung out in the Crutchmobile with Mike and Woolley.  We did an easy mile warmup, threw off our sweats, and headed out to the starting line.  As the gun went off, nobody wanted to take the race out.  With some serious talent up front, I was a bit taken aback my this lack of action.  I decided to settle in and just battle with the pack.  We hit the first mile in 5:30 and I was disappointed with the split.  Reminding myself of the conditions, I decided to just run the race.  Use strategy, don't give up, see what happens..throughout the second mile, I remained in a dog fight with the same group, but we started passing some people along the way.  With less than a mile to go, I knew the biggest challenge ahead would be climbing up that nasty hill and trying to finish strong.  Unfortunately for me, the battle continued on the hill. Once I reached the top, I felt pretty good and now stood in for my final battle of four guys.  Coming down the hill, I had one of my strongest sprints of the year and held off the other guys.  Once I figured out that I ran 17 flat, I was disappointed that my time wasn't under 17 and that I didn't chase down the two guys in front of me.  After walking through the finish area, I congratulated Galoob and Woolley on the monster races they ran.  Shortly thereafter, Crutch shot through the finish line.  It turned out Crutch ended up getting jammed up in the beginning and had to go off with runners in the 32 minute range.  Getting stuck in the crowd ruined Crutch's chances of going after a fast time and I felt bad for him.  We ran a quick warmdown, grabbed some beers, and headed off for some warmth.  I'll be back next year and I better be under 17 minutes!  Fun day with fun people.
(6)

Monday-6 miles..local roads, beach

Tuesday-Swim: 15 minutes, Spin Class (45 minutes)

Wednesday-am.430 Club on a nasty, windy, rainy morning with Gazelle.  If anyone saw us out there, I have no doubt they would have questioned our sanity. (5+)
pm-2 miles on the treadmill and strength workout w/Shara.

Thursday-4 miles solo + 3.5 more w/the girls.
(7.5)

Friday-Black Friday Hill Pops X6 (2.5 miles)
Haley Farm/Bluff Point Exploration with Shara & Lulu (5 miles)
(7.5)

Saturday-12 mile trail run w/ Gazelle, Boumenot, Crutch, Galoob, and Puddin in Yawgoog/Green Falls.  I enjoy the group runs with the crew, but really struggle on any technical trails.  Even with my Garwin brace, my left ankle was really bothering me on the technical parts.  Great views, cool area!  Post run, the outside of my left ankle was all swelled up and I didn't even roll it!

Totals:
Mileage: 47 (highest for 2013)
Lulu: 2X, 8 miles
Swim: 1X, 15 minutes
Spin: 1X, 45 minutes
Core: 1X, 30 minutes

November 17th through 23rd-Surviving Li'l Rhody

Sunday-WTAC Li'l Rhody Runaround. 50:24, 12th
Li'l Rhody Results
Li'l Rhody is my club's signature race.  Being a committed member of the club, I felt obliged to run this race.  As an added bonus, my favorite race, the Mews 5k, is not conflicting this year.  Not being a good trail runner and being injury prone, I was very nervous about running this one.  Going in, my goal was to finish unscathed.  I wanted to run somewhat hard, but had no intentions of killing myself on the technical trails.  After a mile or so, I was locked in behind Gazelle Walker and this tall dude, who I later found out was accomplished local runner Brian McNeice.  Throughout the race nothing overly eventful happened.  On the non-technical parts, I felt really good, while I quickly fatigued when the terrain became difficult.  I happily finished behind Gazelle, while holding off McNeice.  After the race, I enjoyed some homemade soup and chatted with other runners.  Having run tons of races over the years, this one stands out as a unique race.  The soup, stove fires, and park make this race a really neat experience for any runner.  Congrats to various WTAC runners who ran strong races!  On another positive note, we ended up with a record number of participants.  Very cool. (10)

Monday-Swim

Tuesday-5 mile run, strength work

Workout Wednesday-10 miles w/ Gazelle incorporating 5X400 and 5X200 at HELL Field.
Solid one.

Thursday-am 5 miles at 430 w/Gazelle-Hospital Loop from his crib.
pm-4 miles really easy w/Lu

Friday-Random.
2+ miles on the treadmill easy
10 minutes on the bike
15 minutes of swimming

Saturday-5 miles w/Lulu and Shara easy

Totals:
Miles:7x, 41
Lulu: 2X, 9 miles
Swim, 2X, ? distance
Bike: 0X
Cor: 2X

November 10th through November 16th- I hate winter.

Sunday-Avondale 5k..officially called Setting the Pace for Conservation 5k.
Results 16:45, 1st

I've always loved the scenery of Avondale and appreciate the efforts of the Land Trust.  Being a road warrior and with the locale of this one so close to home, it is a must run for me.  As I watched the morning weather forecast, I knew today was going to be a windy one.  I was hoping for a strong showing at this race, but knew the wind would play a factor as it swirled around at 20 mph.

After warming up with Gazelle and the young guns, it was time to roll.  After the gun went off, I tried to settle in at a brisk yet controllable pace.  Approaching the mile, my watch beeped at indicated a 5:07 mile. Yikes!  I immediately told myself to calm down and try to run a smooth 2nd mile so I didn't totally lose it for mile three.  As I worked through mile 2, I was starting to feel the impact of the wind and early hard pace.  I hit the second mile in 5:22.  The worst part of the race was about to begin for me.  Rather than closing out the race in a strong final mile, I ran it in around 5:30.  I'm not sure if it was the wind, lost focus, or just from going out too hard.  I finished the race and felt pretty strong.  Immediately upon finishing, I watched my WTAC teammates come through and cheered some of the other runners on.  As I caught my breath, my parents congratulated me on the win.  Shortly after saying good job, my Dad reminded me that it was only a matter of time before the younger guys take me down.  In a Gazelle-like fashion, I responded, "Totally agree, but today is not that day."  I'll take em when I can get them!

Fun day, race, and atmosphere. (6)

Later on...50 burpees, 50 squats, 50 crunches, 40, 30, 20, 10...took me 25 minutes and it was brutal.

Monday:
am-4+ mile run on local roads trying out ankle brace.
pm-3 mile run with Shara and Lulu in Avondale (7)

Tuesday: 45 minute spin class at the Y.

Workout Wednesday: Warmup, 5X800/400 with half distance jog recoveries with Gazelle at HELL Field.  Cold air filled the atmosphere and my lungs were screaming.  Ran consistent times throughout the workout.  Including the warmup, workout, recoveries, and warmdown, we covered 10 miles on this one, which also qualifies as a long run for me!  Especially impressed by Gazelle's performance as he hammered the Lil Rhody course in the AM.

Thursday: 7 miles on local roads and incorporated some loops on Weekapaug Golf Course in the dark.  I had the headlamp for this one and my bursitis was acting up throughout.

Friday: 4 miles with Lulu at an easy pace on local roads.  Bursitis is still annoying me.

Saturday: 4+ miles with Lulu on local roads on a warm morning.  31 minutes. Enjoyed the warmer air.  Still not planning on racing at Lil Rhody..looking forward to the event/experience, but nervous about getting hurt on the trails.

Totals:
Run:7X, 38 miles
Lulu: 3X, 11 miles
Bike: 45 minute spin
Swim: 0
Core: 25 minutes

November 3rd through November 9th

Sunday-11 mile trail run incorporating the Lil Rhody Runaround Course with WTAC Crew (Gazelle, Garwin, Boumenot, Puddin', Seth, etc.).  It was very fun to tackle the trails with this group.  We kept things at a nice, easy pace throughout.  I had multiple ankle rolls on my left side.  While I certainly enjoyed this run,  I'm concerned about running hard on the technical trails.  I'll certainly be running Lil Rhody, but may just use it as a training run.

Monday-7 miles..ran my first 5 miles with Lulu..finished with some hill pops and a Gazelle sighting.

Tuesday-Swim at the Y.

Workout Wednesday-met with Gazelle and did some work today in Avondale.
2X 1 mile w/2:30 rest, 2X800 w/2 minute rest, 5X30 sec H/E.
Warmdown..(7)

Thursday-
a.m. 4:30 4 miler with Gazelle on windy, rain soaked Westerly roads...good stuff!
p.m 2.8 mile trot with Lulu in the rain before WTAC Meeting.

Friday-6 miler on Woody Hill Trails with Gazelle, Crutch, Muddin, Matthew, and Johnny E.  Saw the "fort" for the first time while Muddy and Gazelle sparred over who had claim to it.  We finished this one up in the dark.  Great way to end the work week.

Saturday-4 miles with Lulu and Shara..light.

Totals:
Miles: 41
Lulu: 12 miles
Swim: 1X, 40 minutes
Core: 20 minutes

October 27th through November 2nd-Good Stuff

Sunday-Charlestown FOP 5k, 16:27 2nd
RESULTS

Big day for me.  As my audience knows, I love 5ks.  I love the feel, the strategy (none), and the length.  For one reason or another, I hadn't run this race since it's inaugural year, 2005.  I also happened to win the race that year in 16:05.  Since then, my running career has been a roller coaster ride.  The one constant has been my love of the sport.  I haven't come close to that 16:06 since 2006. Since my 2010 running resurrection, I hadn't run a time under 16:30.  Lately, I've had self doubt about running faster times again.  After today's race, I'm ecstatic since I now know I can still get under 16:30 on a good day.  Now, 16:20 would be really nice..

Other Good Stuff:
Jonny- 17:04 PR
Gazelle-17:33 PR
Rhody Seth-17:57 PR
Matthew-18:59 (after racing middle school championships the day before)
Boumenot-19:06-strong showing and continuing in comeback from injury.
Shara-20:01 PR and overall female winner.
Crutch-21:02 and yet another PR

WTAC put on a good show today.

Courtesy of Jana Walker

Monday-7 miles with Lulu.  Who's running who?

Tuesday-SHS Track Work with Gazelle

10X400

6 on the track, 4 on the field..200 rest

Very solid and consistent.  Gazelle gave me a hard push on the last one.

Wednesday: Swim at the Y

Thursday-Rain Show in Champlain..46 minutes, 6 miles

Was I really that slow?  Fun to be in the trails.. I struggled as usual.

Friday-

a.m. 20 minutes of core work

p.m.3 miles hard.

601, 5:53, 5:47

Saturday-

a.m. 4 miles with Shara and Lulu in Milford.

p.m. 3 additional Weekapaug miles

Totals:

Miles: 7X, 36 miles

Lulu: 2X, 8 miles

Swim: 1X, 40 minutes

Core: 1X, 20 minutes