Training Week 2/28 - 3/6

I'm a bit behind in the update from last week, but suffice to say the roller coaster pattern continued. That's not an issue, though, because I managed a solid week.

Onto the numbers:

2/28, Sunday: 12 - 1:38:39, Highland Road. This is a classic loop from Bowdoin College, and it's hilly. Not mean, but hilly. Also, this wasn't an idyllic Sunday morning long run. Instead, I didn't get out until late after spending most of the day running errands. With that in mind, I was surprised at how good I felt, and the pace felt pretty comfortable (8:13 per mile). I could have done without the wind in my face the last couple miles, but the views along the fields and by the ocean were terrific. All in all, a very good run. Comically, I fell. I pulled over to pee and slipped in the mud 5 feet from the road. Trail Monster, indeed.

3/1, Monday: 3 - 26:41, Suck Loop. Holy wind, Batman, and the trail sections were super squishy. I was a bit sluggish. Could have been from Sunday, but could also have been because I was hungry.

3/2, Tuesday: 4 - ~40:00, Nordic Meisters at Great Glen Trails. 10 minute warm up on snowshoes. Altered snowshoe course, approx. 4k: 21:21. 10 minute warm down on snowshoes. Due to the heavy snow (yes, I said "snow.") and wind the full course was blocked by a number of blowdowns, so the "long" course was made up of 3 laps around the short course. Of course, a large tree had also fallen on this loop, so we had to dodge that as well. I totally underestimated how difficult this altered course would be, but I was pleased with my effort.

3/3, Wednesday: 5 - 40:45, Highland Green Loop. Windy. Felt OK.

3/4, Thursday: 6.25 - 1:01:42, Bradbury Scuffle Course at Bradbury Mountain. I had a meeting in Portland in the morning, so I decided to stop into Bradbury on the way home. Sadly, this was my first run at Bradbury since a certain race in September, which we will not discuss. I kept the pace very easy and just enjoyed being out on the trails. And, the trails helped me keep it mellow since the conditions were a touch tricky. Mud was a given and expected. I also expected to find snow and ice, which I did. The real tricky conditions were the sink holes on the Snowmobile Trail. I never knew if I was going to stay on top of the mud, or break through and wrench an ankle. A bit sketchy, but well worth it to be out on the trails again. Plus, I saw a snowshoe hare and two deer.

3/5, Friday: Off. Planned off day, but I probably expended more energy than I did in my running this week being on solo daddy duty all day. She's little, but packs a punch. Good thing she's the cutest baby ever.



3/6, Saturday: Ski (skate) - 8k, ~45:00 at Great Glen Trails. Warm, beautiful day on the snow. Felt great.

Totals:
Miles: 30.25
Trail: 10.25
Road: 20

Again, a solid week for me, even if I did feel a but sluggish at times. The only negative is that for the year, my road mileage is now greater than my trail mileage. That's just not right. I'm working on balancing that out this week.

Also, the astute and observant reader will see that I added two races to the race calendar, over there ------->. I've formulated a plan for the spring, but I won't unveil it until the end of March. A couple things have to fall into place, and it all depends on how I feel. We'll see. Right now, I'm really focused on putting in a good effort at the Granite State Snowshoe Championship on Sunday. I'd really like to close out my first season of snowshoeing with a good race.

Retro tune of the week: