May 31 - 16.1 Miles Ran

In one of his early tweets from his journey across American (www.r-u-n.us), Jason Lester asked, "I ran 45 miles in a dust storm...what did you do today?"  Well, I can't compete with that, but after Fri morning I can ask "I ran a marathon over the last two mornings before work, what did you do before work on Th and Fri?"  (That's a rhetorical question, though it would be pretty funny to hear some responses!)

I am ramping up my mileage in the hope that I can get ready for a marathon later in the year, and this week called for a 16 mile run.  With the Race4Chase run in Monroe this Sunday, I didn't want to put in this mileage on Sat before the race, so Fri morning was my only option.  A lot had to go right for this run to happen, and amazingly, it did.  I spent Th night getting my gear together: I need a hydration system for anything over 8 miles, and my Camelbak pack needed a little attention, as did my running shoes (still wet from the previous day's run).   I was also hooked on the Mets game as they closed out a 4-game sweep of the Yanks, and the Heat-Pacers game starting at 8:30pm.  I managed to pull myself away from the TV and went to bed at 10pm, knowing I needed to be on the road no later than 5:30am.  Lo and behold the internal clock was working and I was able to make it happen.

I took it pretty slow, with 14 miles having been my previous longest run of the year, and having run 10 the morning before.  Here's the route:

Cemetery Rd
Day Pond (2 laps + 1 extra straight away (3.8 miles)
Rt. 149
Pine
Pinebrook
Rt. 16
Cemetery Rd (4.2 miles, 8 total)
Rt. 149
Pine
Cato Corner
Prospect Hill
Davidson
Mill Lane
Scoefield
Rt. 16
Cemetery Road (8.1 miles, 16.1 total)

Some stats from the run:

Total time, 2 hours, 17 mins, 50 seconds; Time started: 5:30am; Time completed: 7:47am; Shea's bus sightings: 2; Appeals for Chase to push me on: 5-6; thoughts of how Jason Lester can run 30 more miles than this, everyday: 2-3

I completed miles 588-603.  I took me 84 miles, but I finally reached another sponsored mile.  Mile 527 was sponsored by my sister (actually half of it) and mile 601 was sponsored by Kevin Farkas.  Thanks Kevin!  May was a great month for running...I hit the 500 mile mark on May 11 and 600 on May 31.  Feels like that month in which you get the extra paycheck!

I'm looking forward to seeing Steve and Becky and the rest of the Race4Chase team in Monroe on Sunday.  I may have some mileage withdrawal running a 5K, so if anyone is up for some extra miles after the race, just let me know!

Today's (Fri) Line:

Date

DoW

ToD

Distance

Time

Min/Mile

Notes

Effort

Total Miles

5/31

F

5:30a

16.1

2:17:50

8:33:40

70f

8

603.5

Geared up for a morning 16-miler!

May 29 - Carnival!; May 30 - 10 Miles Ran

Having taken Monday off during a family visit to Monroe on Memorial Day, I was not planning on taking Wed off, but I could not get out before work or at lunch time, and Shea had her heart set on going to the Colchester Carnival (fun, but not quite Rio).  So instead of an evening 5 miler it was a night of Shea running around with her friends and Dad hangin' with the Carnies.

Not wanting to fall behind on mileage, I put in 10.1 miles before work on Th.  I ran one lap around Day Pond to Rt. 149 (2 miles) and then to Cato Corner, Prospect Hill, Davidson, Mill Lane, Scofield Rd and Rt. 16 back to Cemetery Rd. (8.1 miles).  I felt pretty good, and was happy to get out before the heat set in.

I completed miles 578-587 (unsponsored), and made up for at least some of the carnival food I ate the night before.

Today's (Th) Line:

Date

DoW

ToD

Distance

Time

Min/Mile

Notes

Effort

Total Miles

5/30

Th

6:40a

10.1

1:20:20

7:57:14

65f

6

587.4

NOT Carnival in Colchester!

Who Need Pageantry When You Have "Cliff Hanger"!

May 27 - Rest Day; May 28 - 5.2 Miles Ran

I decided to take Memorial Day off from running.  The combination of nice weather, a cookout and my 5 year-old nephew waking me up way too early all factored into the decision.  I actually ended up taking a much needed power nap Monday afternoon.  Rest is part of training, right?

I thought I might have back to back days off because I had to work late yesterday (Tue) and the weather didn't look to promising on my drive home, but I was able to get out for 5.2 miles after 7pm.  I ran the Day Pond loop with 4 laps around the pond.  It was very pleasant, in the high 50's.  I know people are looking forward to the upcoming heat wave (90 degrees forecast for Thu through Sat) but anything in the 50's is perfect for 4 miles or more.

I completed miles 573-577 (unsponsored).

Today's (Mon's) Line:

Date

DoW

ToD

Distance

Time

Min/Mile

Notes

Effort

Total Miles

5/28

Tu

7:10p

5.2

40:32:00

7:47:42

58f

6

577.3

May 26 - 5 Miles Ran in Monroe

Went for a run at my Dad's in Monroe on Sunday.  I ran from Turkey Roost Road down to Sandy Hook Elementary (the old Chalk Hill), then back down Turkey Roost to Hammertown, Wheeler and Greiser and back.  This is my third time at SHE on my journey to 1,000 miles, and for the first time the grounds were open to the public.  I stopped and took a few photos of the area--quite a blast from the past.  I have fuzzy memories of chaotic activities in the back of the building.  I also spent hours in high school kicking soccer balls off the high wall on the side of the building.  That side was not paved back in the day and it became my training ground as it was only about a half mile from the house on Turkey Roost.

I completed miles 568-572 (unsponsored).  It was great to get the run in and then join the Bresnahan clan for burgers, chicken, lamb chops (Dad's special recipe) and a few beers (need to carbo load for the next run).

Today's Line:

Date

DoW

ToD

Distance

Time

Min/Mile

Notes

Effort

Total Miles

5/26

Su

4:30p

5.0

39:18:00

7:51:36

60f

6

572.1

My Old Soccer Training Grounds

Back of SHE - it was crazy back here circa 1977-79!

Great to think of old Chalk Hill as a place to heal

For my Fawn Hollow friends

May 25 - 5 Miles Ran

I took a picture of the gloves I wore on April 23 and made the promise that I was hanging them up for the season.  If you care to go back to the post from that day, you will see the New York Jets' logo on the gloves.  Well, in the spirit of the Jets' coach Rex Ryan, I have failed to keep my promise.  With the first day of the Memorial Weekend raw and rainy, and with temps in the mid 40's and 20 mph winds, I broke out the mighty mittens yet again.  I actually heard a large tree falling in the woods about a quarter mile from my house.  Fire up the grill, it's summer time!

I ran 3 laps around Day Pond with a 1/2 mile extension on Church St. in Colchester.  I'm glad I went out because the rest of the day has been a drag.  I guess I needed to unplug a little but now I'm faced with a bored 12 year old daughter and a house in shambles with Ellie returning from a girls weekend tomorrow night.  Time to rally!

I completed miles 563-567 (unsponsored).

Today's Log:

Date

DoW

ToD

Distance

Time

Min/Mile

Notes

Effort

Total Miles

5/25

Sa

6:00p

5.0

38:30:00

7:42:00

43f

6

567.1

May 24 - 10 Miles Ran

Knowing Ellie would be away Thur-Sun, I started strategizing about how to get my miles in earlier in the week.  I didn't want to leave a long run for the weekend because it would likely interfere with a Daddy-Daughter activity or require that Shea be home alone for an extended period.  I decided that I would get my long run in today before I headed to work.  The timing had to be spot on to make it work, and amazingly, I can report that the plan was executed to a T.  

I got Shea on the bus at 6:25am and started out on a 10 mile run at 6:40.  The run took about one hour eighteen minutes, leaving me with a precious 25 minutes to cool down and get ready for work.  I hit my desk at 9 am, right at our office start time.

I ran the Cato Corner loop with one lap around Day Pond.  My comfort level fluctuated; I had a particularly rough time on the steep hill on Cato leading up to Prospect St.  Overall I felt surprisingly strong after having run 4.5 miles less than 12 hours before.

I completed miles 153-162 (unsponsored).

Today's Line:

Date

DoW

ToD

Distance

Time

Min/Mile

Notes

Effort

Total Miles

5/24

F

6:45a

10.0

1:17:55

7:47:30

55f

7

562.1

May 23 - 4.5 Miles Ran

Very pleased to get a run in on a near complete washout day.  I wasn't raining when I got home from work around 6pm, so I made dinner for Shea (Ellie is away on a 4-day girls weekend), and headed out for the run.  Though the skies looked threatening, not a drop came down.  I felt pretty tired and stiff starting out, but picked up steam as the run went on and like many times lately felt really strong over the last few miles.

I ran 3 laps around Day Pond, completing miles 548-552 (unsponsored).

Today's Line:

Date

DoW

ToD

Distance

Time

Min/Mile

Notes

Effort

Total Miles

5/23

Th

7:10p

4.5

34:17:00

7:37:07

65f

7

552.1