end of week top-up miles -- Fri. 15th June

I was not planning on sleeping much before the flight to blighty, and I missed my Thursday run, so Friday evening before starting final packing I took advantage of a very pleasant evening -- muggy, but cool, lots of fireflies and rose scents in the air -- for a quick run (short and swift). Hamilton, down to Allen, up to 9 and along to VFW turnoff, then finish the triangle past Dunkin Donuts. The results:

Time: 25:54
Speed: 8.5 mph
Distance: 3.65 miles

Comment: posting this from Logan, where I now feel distinctly bleary having driven down between 3 and 4:30 a.m. But in a few tens of minutes, board the plane and snooze for 3,000 miles or so. Then next run in t' UK!

9k in the dark -- Wed. June 13

It was pretty late by the time I got home, and a cloudy moonless night; cool to cold all day, and a chill breeze to run in. All the while there was a bit of the lurkng mugginess one expects at this time of year, so it wasn't like March or anything--but I went from running in a sleeveless T and shorts (Tue) to a collared long-sleeved fleece w/ long training pants (Wed). Only in New England (or Hokkaidô?)!

Revisited a run from last November (Nov. 19, '06, to be precise): again running in the dark and again doing it for the hills, but I cut out the run up to the town common, opting for a right onto 9 and home instead. So, I started out onto 9, along to Bay, down there to the bottom of Allen, then Allen all the way, uphill to 9, across and uphill to the top, then down to cross 202 and up hill again. Enfield downhill to 9, and home. Stopped the clock at the country crossroads store. It felt pretty good at times, though with al teh gear on and being a day after a long run, it was まま:

Time: 43:22
Speed: 7.9 mph
Distance: 5.73 miles

Comment: just what the doctor ordered. One more to go before the flight, though doing so much mileage in three days will leave me pretty sore, I suspect. I definitely prefer rest-days between. . .

double digit run -- Tue. June 12

Out in early evening after a very tense tea-time meeting; plenty of stress to run off, though not feeling particularly energetic. (the muggy weather didn't help there). Heade off for a rail trail, but on reaching 181, with a fly bite on my neck despite bug spray, decided to take roads home. Some good patches of soft verge to break up the tarmac running, and the hills leading up to the common at least allowed a downhill finish after that. Ray F. (I think) saw me and honked near the CVS, where at 10 miles up I was feeling quite good:

Time: 1:20:20
Speed: 7.9 mph
Distance: 10.6 miles

Comment: so, not very fast, but _much_ better than that is how comfortable the whole thing felt. A brief section of nerve-numbness near the end of the trail portion, but fortunately that passed. All in all, this seems like a sign of building up distance readiness again, thank goodness. Now two more runs this week, starting with a shorter one tonight. . .

another bike commute -- Mon. June 11

Still sans voiture, so biked in late morning, gently so as not to get too hot. A useful almost dozen miles of leg stretching.

Had hoped for a run in the evening, but no time, so it'll be Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday this week (and a walk on Friday morning). Aiming for about 30, not 35, so that's three nine milers to go. Do I know any nine-milers?

Hill trails & a bike ride -- Sun. June 10

Car-less, grabbed a ride w/ Mark to Hadley (via Sunderland! lolz) and parked at the triangle for a run up to the trail in the woods. Steep and a bit boggy, very buggy (puled off six ticks en route) and tangling with briars too -- but a lovely place, and we took our time. Short, but really nice loop run in the end:

Time: 37:42
Speed: 5.6 mph
Distance: 3.52 miles

Then Mark dropped me off and I grabbed a few things before biking home via the rail trail -- used the Garmin, and this is what it said:

Cycling time--50:21; speed--14 mph; distance--11.72 miles

Comment: a nice change of pace, and the biking didn't feel too strange. Tires a bit soft still, and I can really see getting soime suspension or a better saddle. . .

Topping off -- short run, Sat. June 9

After the Tall one's graduation and before going out for a double celebratory dinner (for Ninja girl too, from her confirmation last week), took my aching legs out for a short run on a cool afternoon. Mix of trail and road, with a good bit of hillwork. Hamilton (via trail), Allen-9-Allen then 202 along past Subway's and home through the apartments. Stopped the clock at 4 as that was all I wanted.

Time: 30:29
Speed: 7.9 mph
Distance: 4.01 miles

Comment: that makes a shade over 30 miles for the week. Hard to follow, given the travelling coming up, but worth a shot. A couple more like this and I should feel more like 15+ milers, I hope -- though I need to add x-training on bike and some ad + upper body strength training (ugh).

running for home, 11 miles -- Fri. June 8

What it says: from the office, after the usual day, change and head home along the rail trail. I forgot bugspray, and it had been pretty hot so it was muggy and buggy--at Warren Wright I tried a bit of the unpaved trail, but when it came out on Goodell that was enough. It was getting tough at that point anyway, just feeling knackered. Plodded on for a much slower feeling second half, road all the way, and stopped the clock at the superpmarket as usual, thus:

Time: 1:28:54
Speed: 7.5 mph
Distance: 11.09 miles

Comment: No real hills until the end, but maybe the humidity was the problem? Just didn't feel very good. Still, got the miles in, and it's an easy run to repeat later for comparison.

starlit almost eight -- Wed. June 6

Evening run after heading from work to Nina's jazz ensemble performance, then ordering pizza for all in advance and finally out at about 9:30 on a beautifully cool night -- cold even, if not running. Wore training pants and long sleeve fleece top (in June!), and headed off down GeoHannum aiming for 8 miles. Nice loop run, road only as it was so dark -- GeoHannum all the way to Sabin, then left out to 202, up to Boardman and back to complete the loop. Watching the miles it was clear it wouldn't quite make 8, so I headed right past the small farm inst. up to the rail trail entry, then stopped the clock -- too dark to do the little bit of trail which would have made 8 miles. Final score:

Time: 59:03
Speed: 8.0 mph
Distance: 7.92 miles

Comments: good starting miles, then slower especially last couple, but felt very good at times. Tired at end, but I think it's getting better.

rainy evening seven -- Mon. June 4

Sometimes it pays to ignore the weather, or just get out there and enjoy it. Looking for about 7 miles, and I recalled that the lakeside run is about that, so off the shortest way: store, VFW, 202 to Allen, then left and Enfield road to the water. It's just three miles to the gateway, then another half-mile plus looping down to the water and back up to the gate, then home via Enfield and 9 (looped around the old Jeep dealer to add a bit of distance) and stopped the clock at Geo Hannum. Not too wet, and felt pretty good.

Time: 53:26
Speed: 8.0 mph
Distance: 7.09 miles

Comment: first and last three miles were at a nice pace, and even felt quite expansive. The mile going down to the water and looping round was slow (8:29), but all in all a satisfying run.

muggy struggling for 8 miles --Sat. June 2

My Saturday morning run, which would have been a Friday p.m. run if I'd not done an all-nighter on Thursday/Friday night, became a Saturday evening run - -slow day from a late start. It was very muggy (if not too hot) and I wasn't feeling very sharp, more just _determined_ to get out, and worried that my weekly target of 25 miles in three runs was beyond reach.

So I took off for a simple rail trail, but it was as buggy as all get out, even with tons of spray. I pushed a bit for the first three miles, but then numbness came on and just short of 4 miles I had to stop. Walked and jogged a bit, then it seemed to recover and I ran again, but I was feeling really drained. Did another 4 plus miles, taking a right off the trail trail and joining the slightly less buggy road all the way home, up to the town common and home the regular way. Here's the combined run, with th etwo parts in parentheses:

Time: 1:06:51 (29:20 + 37:31)
Speed: 7.62 mph (8.1 + 7.3)
Distance: 8.49 (3.94 + 4.55)

Comment: not sure why I felt so drained. This week I need to get more frequency (duh!) and still somehow gt towards 30+ miles. Starting tomorrow. And I have to hope that the bike riding will help too.