Monday: 7.3 miles, 11:26 pace - After thrashing through the ice, snow, mud and water with RunninRob over the weekend I went back to Breakheart Reservation for more of the same. I had no real plan for the number of miles I wanted to run or what trails I would explore. I just sort of meandered my way around until I was wet and muddy enough to call it quits. I stopped at a water crossing and moved some boulders I found nearby to make some stepping stones across the brook. That really contributed to the wet and muddy factor. After playing in the brook for 15 minutes I started to get chilled so I ran back to my truck and called it a day. I felt some groin pain on the run indicating my SI joint is weak again. I’ll need to be careful about my activities over the next few days. No more excavating this week!Tuesday: 4.0 miles, 10:16 pace – This was my usual lunch time run down Brookline Ave. in Boston over to the park that sits between Park Drive and the Fenway/Riverway. Nothing special, just two laps around the park and back to work. Still some slight groin pain.
Wednesday: no running.
Thursday: 2.9 miles on snowshoes, 11:41 pace – I drove to Breakheart for a short snowshoe run. The snow was light powder and didn’t offer much flotation. I ran on the 2.9 mile outer loop that includes some challenging, rolling hills in the second half. I was pretty wiped out when I finished. I have to say running in my Tubbs makes me feel like one. Happy New Year!
Friday: 5.8 miles, 9:05 pace – I had the day off so I drove back to Breakheart for a run. I was planning another snowshoe run but when I got to the parking lot I noticed the paved path (road) had been plowed. Instead of strapping on my snowshoes I laced up my Cascadia screw shoes and prepared for a run. This put a smile on my face since I wasn’t looking forward to killing myself on the snowshoes two days in a row. Although the road was paved it was still covered with hard-packed snow and ice in some spots. The screw shoes work great on this type of surface. I ran the outer loop twice making this a good hill workout. My arches were a little sore when I finished and stayed that way through the weekend. Damn plantar fasciitis!
Saturday: no running
Sunday: 4.4 miles on snowshoes, 10:57 pace. Met a bunch of people from Dungeon Rock Racing (a post on DDR is in the works) at Lynn Woods for some snowshoe training. Capt. Bill was gracious enough to let me use an extra pair of Dion 133 snowshoes for the workout. Boy what a difference!! Compared to my heavy, bulky Tubbs, these Dions felt sleek and fast. Not a lot of snow on the ground so you had to be on the lookout for large rocks and roots. There were many beginners on this run, including myself, but there was no pressure to hang with the big dogs. Everyone ran their own pace and met back at the parking lot for a post-run chat. This was the first time I felt good on snowshoes but I still have a long way to go before I can race with these things on my feet!
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Weekly Re-Cap:
Total Miles: 24
# of Runs: 5
Avg. Miles: 4.5
Trail Miles: 60%
Trail shoes or snow shoes? I'll let the weather decide....
Thanks for the comments Dan. Yeah it is a little tougher when your time is not your own. But I wouldn't trade being a dad for anything, so I just do what I can. I wasn't able to get in the long training runs I had hoped, but whatever I did I guess I did something right in order to make it through the full 50k. I'll probably do another 50k in April. Meantime, try to get some 20-25 milers on the weekends between now and then and some mid distance local races.
ReplyDeleteI have a pair of LL Beans snow shoes. I am thinking about getting a light weight pair. I hear it makes a huge difference. The Dion 133 are they racers? I actually went out trail running Saturday,there was not enough snow for snow shoes and the area i ran was very uneven. Made it pretty tough on the ankles....I am still a bit sore.
ReplyDeleteKevin - the Dion 12Os are the serious racing shoes but they are expensive. The 133s and 133Bs are a little bigger and heavier but unless you plan on racing a lot they would be fine I think. I just ordered a pair of 133B. Can't wait to take them out for a spin! On a side note, Bob Dion brings a lot of loaner shoes to the races he sponsors. It's a good way to try the shoes before you buy. Check out the WMAC or Granite State Race schedule.
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