Florida and Rhode Warrior (w/Race Recap) - Weekly Log: August 15 to 21

Very different week of training this week: no specific workouts and instead just trying to get in the miles. Trip down to florida for a few days then return for Rhode Warrior sprint triathlon, a short, easy and possibly fun local event. Meanwhile, the real athletes battle it out for the final week of the 2016 rio Olympics (which unfortunately I missed a lot of). This week I will be putting up each of my strava activities to show the different routes I did this week.

Monday: 5 Miles

Hot but not too challenging track workout. 2x(800/400/200/200). 6 minute recovery between sets, about 2 mins/1 min/30s between each distance. Target paces of 2:28/73/36, went really fast on each. Difficulty: 2/5. Felt a little tougher in the heat/humidity and was getting difficult to breathe towards the end. (No strava for my track workouts).

Tuesday: 5 Miles

Left for the trip Monday night, drive down to Virginia, train to Orlando. Split it up a little with a night in New Jersey, and found some trails not far from the hotel. It looked like a huge system of trails with many different possible routes. It felt fine at first, but only half a mile in we started a steep climb (which was fine, and it ended in an overlook) and the trail would be both technical and hilly for the most the run, slowing the pace quite a bit. I enjoyed the climb up, but absolutely hated the steep and extremely rocky downhill sections. Also got lost frequently as the trails made no sense and were nothing like the map suggested. Didn't like this run at all and got less miles in because of the difficulty and confusion. The only positive was it didn't seem nearly as hot as it usually is.

Wednesday: 7 Miles

Arrival in Clearwater beach, Florida. I wanted to a do beach run at some point, but also was eager to explore a park which had two strava segments and was just across the bridge. The park was nice but I became worn out quickly by heat and humidity. Then it started thundering and lightning and soon pouring hard. Run was okay overall: tiring but I enjoyed the new scenery and liked the park even though I missed getting on either segment. Pace-wise, it was really good as I maintained a sub-7 pace (not usually impressive, but much better than other runs on the trip).

Bridge I ran across (Gulf Boulevard)

Thursday: 14 Miles

Morning run was a little late, but got to explore Clearwater beach. Decided to run barefoot, which was quite nice. The beach went out a whole six miles and went past a park after 4 that had running trails (or at least it looked like it), but had to turn back after a while as the heat and soft sand (only at the turnaround) were tiring me. The beach was really nice and smooth, except for a few shelled sections and the water was also quite nice and I took several refreshing dips mid-run (but was getting thirsty). Also many cool bird species I've never seen before. I started to tire out after turning around at 4, and was pretty tired most of the way back. The last few were very difficult as my feet started to blister after the constant exposure to sand. No more bare feet runs for the rest of the trip.

Got back a little late, but if I didn't double my weekly mileage would be terrible (I usually double Tuesday back in RI, and barely got anything this Tuesday). I needed to do some run, and there was another route I was looking forward to- a run over a two mile bridge with possible extension on biking/running paved path. It was inevitable that it would get dark sometime during this run, so I wasn't completely sure if I'd get the 7 I wanted. I got to the end of the bridge (which was a really nice path) and the extension was both unclear and going through dark neighborhoods, so I turned around.  Got back at six miles and didn't feeling like getting the extra mile in since it was so dark.

Friday: 8 Miles

I wasn't looking forward to this one the same way I was for the others. I slept in, and realized I had no idea where I wanted to run, plus I'd have to go solo. I decided to try running the other beach across the bridge (which spanned a long 15 miles, I'd only be running a small portion of it). My feet hadn't completely healed yet so since I was wearing road shoes anyway I thought about running out on road and coming back on beach, but couldn't find a clear entry point to the beach that far out. I finally forced myself to get out there and instantly wished for it be over. I went back through sand key park, and was discouraged some more after a PM attack two miles in. The beach section felt long and brutally hot but finally ended and I was ready to turn around. This beach was not half as attractive as yesterday and had ten times the amount of birds- but these ones were somewhat annoying as they squawked at me frequently and looked like they would attack. When it was time to turnaround, I took a long break in the shade, taking off my shoes to jump in the gulf before resuming. It was unpleasant and tiring for another two miles back to the park, where I was once again doused myself in water before finally heading back.

The two beaches of the trip (I liked Clearwater beach much more)

Saturday: 6 Miles

Found a cool park in Delaware which had an awesome trail map. A little hard to follow, but there were some really cool forest trails that were perfect- not insanely technically but a good amount of roots and rocks over single-track with rolling hills. Return and final miles (especially final mile) were not nearly as fun as they were hot and open and the trail was overgrown, exposing me to some plant that felt like it burnt my body. Last half mile was absolutely brutal with direct sunlight in 90 degree temperatures. Cooling off in the creek (Brandywine creek) was refreshing, but the river itself was actually a little gross and I would've preferred the previous day's gulf dip to this one.

Sunday: 5 Miles

Rhode Warrior Sprint Triathlon. I had never done the rhode warrior triathlon before- simply because the long and hilly bike never interesting me. But this year when I heard a sprint option was being put in where the bike was less than 8 miles and uses the round the pond loop I run so frequently, I became interested in the event. With a bike that short and this late into the season, I could just use it as a fun, low effort race with absolutely no pressure on my performance. Considering our extremely late arrival back home (11:30 PM), waking up at 5:30 was quite awful and I really wanted to DNS. I didn't, but felt horrible and completely unprepared until we were finally ready to go off. Did a short beach warm-up, and we were soon off.
Swim 7:54 (0.25 Mi)

Had the usual pre-race goggle problems.

I love swimming, at least in the open water so the cool water here was quite refreshing. Ran into the water starting slightly to the left as RD Kathy Robbins had advised (current was moving right) but then ran right anyway, so that ended up being useless. After moving, I realized my mistake and now many people were getting in the way. I passed about five and then got into the right spot...until the first buoy, where other people got in the way as well. It was hard to go around them, but when I finally did I was able to swim fine for the rest of it. Happy with this (fun) portion of the tri.

Buoy Chaos

T1 2:36
I'm always awful at transition, and this was one of the worst ever as I slowly struggled to get everything on and get going.

Bike 26:20 (7.7 Mi)

I was really happy the bike was only around the pond, but only a mile in my thighs started to get really exhausted and I was slowing down. The first mile had felt good, but it no longer felt smooth. Made the turn onto Weekapaug eventually. I was passing people but was being passed by plenty as well. It felt slightly better on Weekapaug, but it was awkward turning on shore as many others were going straight and there were plenty of cars in the intersection. I mostly disliked the rest of it, tiring out but occasionally feeling decent. I was definitely tempted to take a right into my neighborhood, get home, and watch the Olympic marathon, but I continued. Maplewood was nice but Atlantic Ave was absolutely awful. I didn't push there as there were frequent annoying bumps and wind in the face. Overall, I probably could've pushed a little more but was trying to leave a little for the run.

You can see how unhappy I am to be on the bike portion.

T2 1:14
T2 typically goes smoother than T1, but I didn't care here. I almost had an amazing time, but then decided to tighten my shoes to make my run as good as possible. Then I ran out.

Run 21:25 (3.6 Mi)
I picked it up as I headed out towards the road, feeling pretty good. I looked down at my watch and saw pace in the 5:20s. It felt okay for a quarter mile, but then I realized that my thighs were still really heavy and tired, so naturally I slowed down. Going out didn't feel good at all, but I regained some speed on the way and was able to keep the pace sub-6. I got into a good rhythm before picking it up at the finish.

Overall I did what I wanted- enjoy another easy tri opportunity (except for the bike) without pushing myself too hard. Up next- Schonning 5K on 8/26.

Weekly Total: 50 Miles (just a tiny bit less than I wanted)
YTD Total: 1,460 Miles

Bobby Doyle- Weekly Log: August 8 to 14

I figured I'd do something different this week and post my weekly log before the race. Tomorrow marks the Bobby Doyle Summer Classic, my second time at this race. While it's one of my favorite races, I'm strangely not looking forward to it. The last few road races have just been hot and suffering...and it's supposed to be in the 80s tomorrow with over 80% percent humidity. While it's once again a super competitive race, as part of the USATF-NE road grand prix, that runs over a fantastic course and has clocks at every mile, I doubt the actual race itself is going to be half as enjoyable as last year's edition. Hopefully I can keep the streak of performing well in the heat going (except at Beavers), but 5:20 pace is going to be pretty tough. If that doesn't work out, a pace faster than 5:24 will still break 27 minutes, which would still be a great race for me. And of course it was hot and humid all week to make running even more unpleasant.

Monday: 7 Miles.
Practice was postponed to Tuesday, which I was not in attendance for, so I had to run local. That wasn't going to be fun, so barefoot beach at low tide sounded better, even though it was late. Town beach to watch hill and back. Fun at first, but then the slope near watch hill was not fun and my feet started to hurt.

Tuesday: 12 Miles
Morning workout w/Tom and Dad in Weekapaug. Similar to last week's, but also got in some Bobby Doyle pace, although a little fast and didn't feel comfortable. 1xMile @5mi (5:12), .7 recovery, 4x400 w/400 recovery @5K (73/72/71/72), 4x200 w/200 recovery @Mile (31/32/34/33). Target splits were 5:20, 75, and 34. Not feeling great on any of them. Don't care for hell field at all. Difficulty: 3/5.

Fun Run. Super easy pace but pretty hot out there. No ride for me this week.  A good recovery run before Wednesday's fun run.

Wednesday: 8 Miles
1 Mile at race pace was slightly helpful as it got a feel for how the pace felt but it didn't simulate how long I would have to hold that. Did 5-mile race pace at the fun run to get a better simulation of how it would feel during race. Looking forward to a fun run in the rain- unfortunately got none of the rain but all of the puddles and humidity. Terrible pacing here- went out super hard at 5:08, then ran high 5:20s for the rest of it. Ended up getting a good pace overall but felt awful and very inconsistent. Cooldown was really nice- lowtide barefoot beach run and a jump in the ocean with Jonny Eckel.

Thursday: 7 Miles
Was supposed to do a track workout, but the coach didn't have us do that because it was so hot. I used the opportunity to get in a hill workout- 6xNarraganett w/2 of my teammates. I ran them slightly easier than usual because of the heat but was still feeling it just as much at the end. Difficulty: 4/5. Did a cool-down to get 7, but was swarmed by bugs on the track.

Friday: 10 Miles
Planned out another long run route in one of my favorite running places-Mystic. Explored Lords point and Wamphassuc Neck. Really humid at first and felt pretty awful running a fairly easy pace. After six miles of tired running, I finally started to feel good and pushed the last two. Wading into the Mystic River was nice but water was a little warmer and saltier than I would have liked. Overall, a fun run. Always fun running in Mystic.

Saturday: 3 Miles
A little pathetic, but absolutely brutal running out there. High 80s, super humid, and without any fuel, I felt terrible from start to finish and scrapped the original plan of five down to three. Felt like I was having serious breathing problems.

Sunday: 7 Miles. Bobby Doyle Summer Race. Still a great race, but not a great day for racing. Fell apart in the sufferfest, performing quite terribly. So brutally hot out there. Still PR'd (28:10), but about 90 seconds slower than what I wanted to run. Nearly everyone was off, even many of the elite runners. This meant my place was pretty good for a grand prix event (48th), and I think only one high-school runner (non-graduate) beat me.

It's interesting to look at the results, as it's hard to find many people who didn't fall apart after the 5K mark. I'm not sure if I want to want to write a separate post, so I'll put down some of my race thoughts and feelings here.

• Race was once again very well organized
• Ran target pace for mile one but didn't continue to push it (as hard) because I wasn't feeling great
• Felt crappy after a mile, awful after 2.5 miles
• Seriously considered walking/DNF in the back half
• Waited for 30 minutes to use bathroom, missing a quality warm-up/strides
• Not much confidence going in/excitement
• Form fell apart as well in final miles
• Took a while to cool down after race
• As hard as this was, I don't think it was as brutal as beavers (although it comes very close: while this felt more painful, the beavers pain lasted much longer)

I think three major factors killed my race today:

1. Weather conditions- the most obvious factor- everyone died out there because of humidity, heat and frequent direct sunlight.

2. Lack of confidence- was just thinking negative thoughts all weekend, dreading this race.

3. Bad pre-race: waiting around was awful, but missing the warm-up and strides was not good and I was not feeling loose before.

Weekly Total: 54 Miles

YTD Total: 1,410 Miles

Block Island Triathlon

I skipped out on some earlier tri opportunities this year, but there was no way I was missing out on some fun at Block Island. It was pretty late in the season for my first tri this year, which meant I had done practically no training for it. I did a few bikes, a swim, and two hard high tide beach runs for preparation, but that wasn't enough. I wanted to improve in all three categories, and had plenty of confidence in my swim and my run, but didn't really see anything happening on the bike. I had a great tri here in 2015, but really didn't think I was going to be able to repeat that success with the lack of training I've doing.

Pre-Race
I had some horrible stomach distress the night before and I only ended up getting 4 hours of sleep. Unfortunately, the stomach distress was back in the morning. I had a good breakfast and got some more sleep on the ferry. Next we rode over to the beach, checked in and set up our transition. We also walked out to the water. The rest of the WTAC group wanted to wait a little for a warm-up but my stomach still hurt and I didn't feel like waiting around so I started my warm-up. They joined in 10 minutes later. It was high tide again, which we had known a few days ago, but none of us were looking forward to it. It wasn't bad on the warm-up, but the tide was still coming in. After the warm-up, I got in a final bathroom break, before heading over to the start. Of course, I was only heading over for pre-race instructions as I was the last wave at 9:19 AM. I waded in the water, swam around a little, and watched other waves go off. I wasn't really nervous, as I enjoy swimming, but wasn't looking forward to the bike. The waves went by quickly and soon it was my time. There were three groups in my waves: 60+, 14 and under, and 15-19 (something like that). I recognized Mark Burbelo, but no one else in my group. There were plenty of guys in my cap color (purple) and the 60+ color (not sure) but only one under 15 (white cap, I think). I awaited the start, hoping my goggles wouldn't fog up.

Swim
I ran out not super hard but wasn't going easy either. In this tri, you run 100 meters out to a flag before turning into the water. It's unique- and maybe the running before helps spread it out before getting into the ocean. The running portion felt awful on the super soft sand and I couldn't wait to make the turn. Fortunately, it was brief and soon I was jumping into the water. It was still pretty crowded and I found myself surrounded by other purple caps. There were guys around me for a minute when I started swimming but eventually it cleared up and I had a good path in front of me. It was going really smooth up to the buoy. I felt that I was taking the shortest possible path and swimming strong. When I got to the buoy, it changed a little. There were suddenly older and less experienced/slow guys in front of me completely blocking my path. I actually stopping swimming for a moment because I wasn't sure on what to do. I saw a small gap between two guys and took it, but was punched and kicked in the process. When I finally got around them, there were many more and still in my way. I had to go really wide here, especially as some were swimming diagonally towards me. I finally got away from them and swam diagonally back towards the next buoy. I was a little afraid this had cost me some time but kept focusing on getting to the next buoy. It came, and I made the turn. There were plenty around me, but no one was in my way. I swam as long as I could, while others got up not even that close to the beach. I finally got out, started running fast, and took off my cap and goggles preparing for T1.

Time: 8:29 (-1:34 from 2015)
Rank: 56th

Transition 1
I always have a horrible transition time, and this was no different. The rocky run over wasn't fun. Next was putting stuff on. I felt like I started out smooth, and then everything took forever to put on. I made it there before Dad, but he was moving at faster rate than I was. I finally finished and was ready to go, wheeling my bike out. Then I realized my shoes weren't tied. It was best to tie them now when still in the transition area, so I tried to rest my bike at the end of the rack before tying my shoes. My bike fell down anyway and Dad got out before I finished tying my shoes. I must have looked like an idiot to him and anyone else who saw me. I finished and headed out.

Time: 2:51 (-0:09 from 2015)
Rank: 168th

Bike
Now my least favorite part- the ride. I started biking, getting my feet in the pedals. I started to go but my shoelace got caught on part of the bike and I remembered this is a problem I've had before. I slowed down a lot to tuck my shoelace in, before resuming. I then started the bike. I started going out hard, but as people were passing me and I felt like I wasn't pushing hard enough. The airport hill, the worst of the course, came and I tried to go up strong but failed. My thighs felt burnt out after that and it wasn't easy either when biking against the wind. It was weird looking at my watch during the bike because it's a run watch and was displaying pace. I felt like the first few miles were tough and I slow, but I started to come back in the back half of the loop. I felt really strong on some of the downhills, pushing the pace as much as I could. Eventually, people stopped passing me, but people that I was passing were getting in the way and I constantly had to go on the left side of the road and risk death by car to pass them. This happened often and made me really upset on the extra effort I was taking instead of them just going on the right side of the road like they were supposed to. I told myself I would push it on the airport hill then slow down, take my GU and catch my breath. I was too worn out to push the hill, but still gave it a decent effort. I didn't slow down at first but was then felt how tough it was with the wind and took it easy for a little bit, consuming my chocolate outrage GU (which was actually quite good, although it left a nasty aftertaste) and getting it down with some of my sports drink. Getting some fuel and refreshment felt good, but now I had to ride hard again. Like the first loop, I felt slow and the miles were tough at the beginning of the loop. I was aware my time was 43 mins and change last year and after seeing my halfway split, I wasn't sure if I could get it. I pushed the back half again, and then pushed the last mile back to the beach super hard. I passed Mike B at the end. He started to pass me back, but I didn't want to get passed and pushed it as hard as I could. I felt like I gave it a good effort, but now I had to run.

Time: 42:07 (-1:18 from 2015)
Rank: 74th

Transition 2
My transition 2 is usually much better, and this one was fine. Hung my bike up, threw off my shoes, took off my helmet, and took off my singlet so I could run shirtless. Not a problem anywhere and I started jogging out to the beach.

Time: 0:57 (-0:07 from 2015)
Rank: 46th

Run
I was looking to run low 6s for pace here, but expected mile 1 to be a little slower since there was a rock crossing. I wasn't going very fast at first, as my thighs felt super heavy. There was huge jam at the rock section and I was forced to slow down and see my pace drop into the 7s. I passed a few more after that, grabbed a water and poured it on me, before slowing down again on the super soft sand around the flag. It was the same coming back, I ran decently until the rock section where I slowed down quite a bit and average pace wasn't great. As soon as I got past the rocks, I surged out a little before getting into the pace I wanted to. I started seeing average pace go down and this was more what I looking for. Mile 1 ended, a 7:02 split, slow, but I was actually fine with it because it I couldn't have run the rock section much faster and it gave me some recovery. I was now running low 6s like I wanted to and the surface was hard. Mile 2 was great- I cruised at a very comfortable rate, forgot about my fatigue from coming off the bike and ran exactly the pace I wanted to, thinking it would be this way for all three remaining miles. Mile 2 split of 6:15. It felt good for a little longer, but then I started to notice how soft the sand was getting. I looked at footprints ahead, and nearly the entire foot had made a mark down. I felt my feet were sinking every time. It was getting really tiring, and it looked like I still had a long way to go. There was no difference in hardness near the water than up a few feet- it was all soft and brutal running. When I got closer to the flag, I was able to spot Tom and Dad coming back. I finally made the turn myself. I had to run in a little, getting on soft sand again, but it was nice to get some water. I used most of it to cool down my head, which was relieving but hard to wipe away because I had sand on my hand. Now it was a long, long way back to the finish. Unfortunately, I could see exactly how far it was. It looked like it was three miles away and I knew the sand would be soft for a while. Mile 3 was a disappointing 6:38- way off pace and I knew mile 4 wouldn't be any better. This was absolutely awful now. I felt like I was barely moving. I might be able to go faster, but this suffering was enough. It was also pretty hot and I could feel sweat all over my body. As usual, the course ran long. I got to 4 miles, but the pavilion still felt far away. Mile 4 was 6:50, and at this point I was just ready to jog it in and finish. I pushed the last section as it started to get harder, but wasn't running anything impressive. The soft sand at the end wasn't fun but crossing the finish line was nice.

Time: 28:31 (+3:11 from 2015 but 0.5 longer)
Rank: 1st

Overall Time: 1:22:55 (+0:03 from 2015)
Rank: 14th

This year's Block Island Tri was over. Overall, it had gone pretty well and better than I expected. I was really happy with my swim, happy with my bike, but my run wasn't very good (not awful either, just way off I was expecting). My overall time was actually pretty good- not too far off of some of the faster times of the day. Like I thought, my 2016 performance didn't match my 2015 one but was still pretty good. I ended up taking 14th overall and my age group, which I only got a medal for. Post-race wasn't as enjoyable as last year either- with lots of waiting in the sun. Ice Cream, a free singlet from Jim Ortel, and lunch was nice but I also really wanted to go home and sleep. I will likely be back in next year's edition and hopefully it won't be high tide so I ran the way I want to. It'll be hard to beat my swim and bike this year, but it's also more than 350 days away. Until next year, Block Island.

Run 4 Kerri

Last week I ran a giant race in Southern Rhode Island with stacked competition. There aren't many times I can say this, but I was once again in this situation. Run 4 Kerri was a much smaller race than Blessing but still a great one and I was looking forward to it again. I was unsure whether to run it or not as the summer was already packed with races and I had Block Triathlon the day before, but I really wanted to update my 4-mile PR. Eventually I made the decision to sign up for this great race, and it was definitely the right one. Saturday evening and Sunday morning weren't as pleasant as a usual race-morning is, but after warming up I was ready to race.

Previous Four Mile PRs
Last year, after taking two years off from the distance and gaining plenty of speed, I ran a massive PR of 22:42, a pretty good race when many others suffered and were way off in the heat. I felt that I was faster than that in March, and gave it another shot at lowering that time at the Ocean's Run, hopefully by quite a bit. This was a fast and all-out effort for me, so I was hoping it would go well. The course was a flat misquamicut loop, nearly perfect for seizing PRs. The 2016 Ocean's Run was a complete disaster: I was yelled at by a course official and the course ran 0.3 miles long, resulting in a much slower time than I actually ran, which was a huge disappointment because I had crushed it at this race. I ran a 21:38 GPS split for the 4-mile distance, but officially ran over 23 minutes for the long course. This was another reason to run Kerri- to put this awful race in the past with a new PR I can be certain about.

Race Plan
I love many race distances, and while the 4-mile distance is a little different, it's still a great one. However, strategizing for it was a little different. While I had planned out what pace I wanted to run in Blessing months in advance, it wasn't until the days before the race that I figured this one out. I didn't know which distance to base my pace off of, and how close my pace should be. Considering my 16:12 effort at Sailfest on July 10th, I figured I'd shoot to be just a few seconds off that pace. I ran a 5:13 pace there, so I figured a 5:15 pace would be ideal, but I didn't really envision myself breaking 21. The main goal was not to break 21, but to run as close to 21 flat as possible. Seeing how the first mile is shaded and slightly downhill, it wouldn't hurt here to go out fast. I wanted my first mile to be between 5:05-5:10, then try to run mid 5:10s for the rest of it. I'd likely lose some time on the neighborhood hill but could hopefully make up for it on the downhill with 0.4 to go with a strong kick.

Pre-Race
Ate breakfast a little closer to race start, but still with plenty of time to digest. Also ate a little lighter. We got there, short warm-up on the back of the course, final bathroom stops and it was pretty hot. Wasn't brutal like last year's heat, but wasn't going to be fun. At least the first mile was mostly shaded. We got up to the line, and I did a few strides. Eventually, we were about to go off. I lined up in the second row, which was a big mistake and probably cost me a few seconds.

The Race
We were off, and I had lined up too far back. I quickly weaved through 3-4 people and found my place. I wanted to be 5:10 or just under for the mile and kept thinking about that. The first quarter mile was okay but then I already felt a little tired. The first mile wasn't feeling great like I expected. Will Sanders led far in the front, followed by a big pack, then our group was next. I went back and forth with the top female. I was running about 5:08 pace for most of it, which was great but didn't feel quite as easy as expected. I passed the first mile in 5:07 with a group of five or six. Not feeling strong, but certainly not dead just yet.

We soon made the first turn. I started to feel fatigue in my thighs and calves and also noticed my feet were really warm. I moved to the front of our pack and saw the leaders way up ahead. I noticed a general tick down in average pace, but it was going as planned, except for how I felt. I felt like I was going to be retaken by the pack again, but I was actually pulling away from them a little bit. By the next turn, I wasn't really part of the pack anymore. Now was the brutal open sunlight section that dragged on before the turn into the neighborhood. I had broken off so far away that I was running solo now. I was happy with that- I didn't really like running with any of them and didn't know anyone in the group. I hit mile 2 in 5:17, just before Scott Mason and others passed by in a blue car (the third of five photo locations he would be in during the race).

Now it was really tough. I was on a solid pace but felt like I was slowing a little bit. I could see the top pack, still pretty much intact, way off in the distance and much closer was Sanders, running on the far right side of the road. I was definitely gaining on him but wasn't that close to catching him. I also wasn't running tangents. The open sunlight and the fast pace made me tired and I was slightly out of it, crossing the center line a few times. After what seemed to be a long time, I finally made the turn into the neighborhood, happy to get off this sunlight section but the frequent turns that led up to the hill weren't exactly a huge improvement. I was now closer to Sanders than the pack behind me was, but not super close to either. After a few turns, I eventually reached the hill I was dreading- a short climb, but one that slows your momentum. It wasn't actually that bad, and I wasn't extremely tired (at least compared to before) after it. Mile 3 was 5:19, still close to 21 pace. Just had to hang in there for another (tough) mile.

I could see sanders before each of the turns in the neighborhood, but he was still a good 20 seconds ahead. I had completely lost sight of the top pack, and wasn't checking behind for the next people. I had dropped a few seconds in pace at the top of the hill, but tried to pick it up a little. The neighborhood section was awful and dragged on. Finally I got to the last turn, anticipating the downhill. Last I kicked hard and had a great finish, but I felt weak and crappy at this point. Like Blessing, I didn't push it extremely hard at the end but picked it up and coasted in a fast pace. I saw Sanders finish just under 21, and I was next in 21:10 (21:12 gun). 8th Overall, because many of the elites didn't show.

I was really happy with this effort. Rarely every do I run almost exactly what I planned, and that's what I did here. I was way under my ocean run's split and last year's time, so this was a pretty big PR. I took second in my age group and got my second milesplit interview. Onto Bobby Doyle.

Triathlon Time- Weekly Log: August 1 to 7

I waited a little too long to do my first triathlon of the year, choosing rest over Goddard and choosing Beavers over Fat Clam. Now there was no conflict with other racing/running priorities for the Block Island triathlon and I signed up. The back-to-back racing is tiring, but after many months of being unsure, I also signed up for the 2016 edition of Run 4 Kerri. I couldn't miss not only a great race but an opportunity to update my 4-mile PR, getting rid of the disaster of race that was the Ocean's Run.

Training-wise, I focused more on getting in preparation for Block, but Kerri was just as important to me.

Monday: 8 Miles
Unofficial beach race as part of a Lifeguard competition. One mile at high tide. My boss had told me that me and the other Westerly lifeguard (Nick Celico) should try to take spots two and three because a sub-4 minute miler was in the competition. When I got there, I quickly learned that we were now trying to go 3-4 and Nick was somewhat injured, having to drop out of Friday night's Blessing of the Fleet and expecting me to be ahead of him. There was also another elite runner in the field- a 1:04 half-marathoner and runner in February's Olympic marathon trials (finished in 2:30). I did a mile and a half warmup to the end of the beach and back, learning that the course was only about a kilometer (super short) and the high tide was awful to run on and only getting worse. When I got back I learned that they adjusted the course back to a mile and the mile run was the last event, meaning we wouldn't run for at least an hour. I did some strides and stayed hydrated. Eventually, the race rolled around. Many seemed to be considering wearing shoes, but I instantly decided not to as I always run barefoot on the beach. I also ran shirtless, another thing I'm used to on the beach.

We were finally ready to go. Men's heat was first. We were mostly under 20, with a few 20-somethings, and one older guy. They lined us up by beach, and I was surprised that we got the last spot. It was actually better this way- I was planning on running as close to the water as possible. Nick took the spot on the front line, and I lined up behind him. The race was started. I instantly ran out hard, quickly getting a spot in the front. After just a minute, it was the two elite guys, me, and nick. Nick started to drop off and it was us three. There were small water flows through the sand that really slowed me down. I was able to stay with them for nearly the first half until my thighs started to get really tired and they pulled away a little bit. I was a few seconds behind after the flag turn. I felt like I was slowing quite a bit on the way back as they pulled far away from me. On the other hand, no one was even close to me in the 4th position. I was able to spectate their race as I came in, but couldn't see them clearly after a while. It seemed they were really sprinting hard. I came in third, pretty happy with my result, but my time was in the 5:40s with the brutal high tide. I was going to do a cool-down, not wanting to waste the opportunity to run in Narragansett, and was surprised to run with the top guys in our race which was really cool and probably the fastest people I have ever cooled down with.

Tuesday: 12 Miles
Morning workout with Tom, Dad and Jonny Hammett. Not too challenging, did it because I wanted to get in my Tuesday double. 3x(600/400/200), recovery of 3x(400/400/200). Splits- 1:53/74/36/1:55/76/36/1:56/77/32. First time at hell field, and felt tired on the uneven grass sections. Difficulty: 2/5. 7 miles for the run.

Five at the fun run. Easyish 6:10 pace, felt pretty good. Got in my first bike of the year.

Wednesday: 8 Miles, usual fun run routine. I ran somewhat hard for a warm-up in the low 6 range for pace because I was running a little late. I wasn't feeling great and didn't feel like running my usual sub-5:30 pace but didn't want to jog it either. I decided to run low 6s, but went out a little fast. I dropped back to ask Tom about Kerri and just ran the rest of it with him because the pace was pretty good.

Also got in a swim at Narragansett as part of a lifeguard surf test.

Thursday: 7 Miles
Beach brick (15 ride+3 run), also getting in some high tide mileage. Ran one mile hard, then ran in easier. Didn't feel like high tide. Later did a track workout: 12x200 (36 target pace, did most in 34) before 3x400 (target was 74, did most in 70), recoveries were about 40s and 60s. Difficulty: 2/5. Felt great.

Friday: 5 Miles. Easy local shakeout. Struggled in get in five without doing lots of out and backs and loops.

Saturday: 7 Miles. Block Island Triathlon. Went better than expected in the bike, run was really crappy in the high tide. A few seconds slower than last year, but that's due to a shorter run. Separate write-up.

Sunday: 8 Miles, Run 4 Kerri. Went really great and not feeling too much fatigue from Block. Write-up by the end of the week.

Weekly Total: 55 Miles
YTD Mileage: 1,356 Miles

Blessing of the Fleet 2016

It’s amazing how quickly a long period of time can seem to pass. This summer, so far, has blown by. Overall, I’ve done very little with my time, but specifically in running it’s been a lot of fun training and racing. Despite racing every single week of the summer there was really only one race that actually mattered. The 45th edition of Blessing of the Fleet. This race was everything. I had upped the mileage the weeks before to the mid-50s, done some of the fun runs at target pace, got used to the longer distance through long runs and long races, and taken most of the week pretty easy. I had no doubt that I would be able to break 60, so of course I wanted to be much faster. Based off other races and runs, I figured a 5:50 pace for the ten mile race would be right around an all-out effort for me. Despite the fact that I’ve done this race three times, I remembered very little about it. Each time, I felt like a first timer to the race, including Friday night’s edition.

The first blessing I ran was in 2012. Back then, it was one of my longest runs ever. I came back the next year and ran 10 minutes faster. I apparently didn’t like the race and didn’t run it in 2014, but returned in 2015 and ran a six-minute PR of 1:01:42. A big PR was pretty inevitable, but I’d have to break 59 to be satisfied. I partially thought I would crush my expectations and run high 57s, but part of me thought I’d completely fade in the last few and barely be under 60. I wouldn’t know until Friday night, and the 29th eventually rolled around.

I didn’t do much race day, despite not being extremely nervous like last year. In fact, I wasn’t nervous at all. Around 4, Mikey and The Tallardys (separate car, they followed us) arrived and we began the trek to Gansett. I had carefully laid out my race gear, making sure I had everything I needed.

We got there, walked to the start, emptied our bladders, and scanned the crowd (or at least I did). I saw plenty of high school and college athletes, as well as a few I knew. Our warm-up was brief and relaxed, with a final bathroom stop at the intersection of Boon and Continental street. Looking back at last year’s warm-up, I noticed that the two were nearly identical (with the same bathroom stop, too). We got back, and the final pre-race moments were here. Now, many runners were gathered near the start. I saw many doing strides, including Blessing champion Matt Pelletier. I did one- not because I felt I needed it, but because I wanted to check if my shoes were tight enough. They felt slightly loose, so I tightened them, but a little worried I had put them on too tight. Next, we went to the start. I was actually very nervous at the time, but for the wrong reasons. I was worried I’d be uncomfortable because my shoes were on too tight and also worried I might have to use the bathroom mid-race. I was able to dismiss my thoughts and get to the top 100 corral, but wasn’t really psyched to run this race. Another worrying factor was the weather- it was low 80s and humid. I wasn’t as worried as others, but it’s never fun to run in the heat. I talked a little to some of the other WTAC runners at the start, especially Jonny Eckel. I thought we had more time than we did, but suddenly the race was started.

I'm tucked in a few rows back towards the right.

Blessing 2016- The Race

First Mile (To the Ocean)

I had lined up in the third row so I wouldn’t sucked into going out faster than I needed to, but it was perhaps too far back. The pace felt so easy. At the very beginning, I was right behind Jonny Hammett and Justin Bentley, but felt a little too close to them and went around. The first mile was so easy, it might as well have been part of the warm-up. In some ways, it was like one. I had planned to go out slightly faster than my 5:50 goal on this mile, because of the downhill. I saw 5:50 pace a quarter mile into the race. I picked it up and went around people, talked a little to Nik Reygadas (mid-distance high school runner) who said he was shooting for about 60-flat, and Alex Campagna (distance runner who graduated from LaSalle in June) who said he was running easy. I was trying to run my plan of a faster first mile, and went by them. At one point, Tom was right behind me, but then dropped off. After that, I felt alone. There were still people all around me, but the ones I knew were behind me and I wasn’t intentionally running with anyone. The only people I could recognize ahead were Mike Kiernan and Jake Cardello (two recent graduates from Hendricken who ran distance), running in a big pack with others. I had beat both of them before, but wasn’t sure if I could catch either because they excelled in long distance. I was cruising comfortably most of the mile, but had underestimated how easy it would feel and went a little too fast at a first split of 5:37.

Running easy a quarter mile in

Starting the long ocean road section

To the Highway (Miles 2-4)

This was the part of the course I didn’t remember. I remembered running several miles on Ocean Road, but didn’t remember that you couldn’t really see the ocean for most of it. I tried to slow down to my target pace of 5:50 during Mile 2, and was somewhat successful, producing a split of 5:48. I was solo running, but after being passed by a blue-singlet runner, I tried to stay with him. I’m not sure why- maybe I felt like I was slowing down and needed a boost back up. Either way, it ended up in a very fast third mile of 5:37. Just three miles in, I was starting to feel crappy. I noticed that my shoes were tight and hot, I didn’t feel very strong, and my thighs felt a little worn out. It wasn’t difficult to run my splits, but I was worried I may have gone out too fast and have made the back half really hard for myself. After seeing such a fast third mile, I backed off the blue singlet runner a little and started running solo again. Mile 4 was awful- I still knew I had plenty to go, grew more and more weak and really, really wished I was at mile 8+. I took water from about every other station, but never saw the bags of ice that are usually handed out. Before the end of mile 4, we turned off Ocean Road and there was a man calling out places. I think I was about 25th place, a little surprised to be up so high, but I knew it was also still pretty early in the race. There was a slight hill at the end. Mile 4- 5:48.

The Awful Highway Miles (Mile 5 and 6)

I was at about a 5:42 average pace, and I knew if I ran decent splits on the highway I'd probably go under 59. Unfortunately, I had to get through two awful miles before then. It wasn’t just two miles where I felt weak and tired, but two miles where I could see a long road ahead, had a view of cars passing by, and melted in the sun. Despite this, I kept the pace going strong when others didn’t. Mile 5 didn’t feel too bad, and I somehow clocked a 5:41 split. I passed the blue singlet runner and saw ahead that the Bishop Hendricken pack had fallen apart. Mile 6 was brutal. The highway just dragged on with a full view of how much I still had to run. The sunlight was direct, because most of it was pretty open despite a few moments of shaded relief. Before making my exit off the highway, I passed Bishop Hendricken graduate Jake Cardello, who looked like he was struggling. Mile 6 was 5:56, my slowest so far.

Some Shade (Mile 7 and 8)

It was nice to get out of the sun, but I still felt worse than ever. I was still able to run quality splits, but was really tired. I was also presented with another problem- I might seriously have to go. I caught up to Mike Kiernan and ran with him for a quarter mile. He told me that he ran out in 5:20s pace. I passed him, he passed me back, I passed him back. I saw the portapotty up ahead and was very tempted to use it, but wasn’t willing to slow down, stop, get in there, go, get back out and then try to continue 5:45 pace. Mile 7 ended (5:43), and I no longer had bathroom opportunities. I was surprised to hear Sean McDonald cheer for me at the end of the mile, one of the many cheers I heard, but one of the few times I was able to recognize the face. We eventually got off the super shaded road. I was passing people and no one was passing me. I splashed water over myself, resulting in temporary relief but a heavy and wet singlet. Don’t know if it was worth it. Mile 8 was finishing up on South Pier Road and even though repassing the school was a good sign because I was almost done and had nearly secured a sub-59 finish, every step I took was with weakness, fatigue, pain, and unhappiness. Mile 8-5:47.

Last Two (Mile 9 and 10)

Last year the last two miles were the hardest for me, and it was the same this year. I was so tired, so weak, and so ready to just quit. I kept going, but it was very unpleasant. Nothing provided any relief anymore- everything felt the same in my weak state. Not even the rain would have helped me here. My south pier road experience was a little strange. Running by Scott Mason was normal, but seeing Eric Lonergan and Sam Alexander was unexpected. For a second, I thought Lonergan had dropped out but then I realized he was here to watch- and he yelled something out to a Rhode Runner near me who I had been going back and forth with. Eventually, the race went up the final hill, and final section of South Pier Road. Despite the hill being very small in size, it still made me tired and I saw my watch tick up a few seconds in average pace. Mile 9 was another 5:47. I was trying to figure out my pace, and was wondering if sub-58 was possible. We made the turn onto 1A. Even though I had less than a mile to go, the horrible feeling I had lingered and I still felt really unpleasant. I couldn’t wait to get off this road, but the turn didn’t feel like it was coming. Fortunately, I was able to cruise on the downhill, which kept me going. I made the final turn of the race- and I wasn’t ready to kick. I didn’t kick. I certainly picked it up but the weakness I still felt kept me from putting everything out there. I wanted to finish, but didn’t want to feel any worse than I did at that time. I still gave it a decent effort at the end. It looked far away but I picked it up some more and crossed the line somewhere in the 57:40s. Big success, unpleasant experience.

Post-Race

Part of me wanted to wait to watch everyone I knew finish, but I had an extreme desire to get away from the finish and head for refreshments. I walked around weakly and was given a massive lemonade-flavored Gatorade by the Ponagansett coach which was really nice. I walked further down and saw the milesplit website official photographer/writer/interviewer Steve Mazzone, who was talking to Pelletier (overall winner for the third straight year and seventh time) in a video interview. I continued walking around, got some cold water and removed the contents on my head, which was very relieving. It was disappointing to see many runners I knew be off their goal times, but it made sense with the heat. There were still some very solid performances out there. I ended up snagging 12th overall, 2nd in age group. A long wait for awards- filled with conversation, a unique sports drink, fruit, and extreme tiredness. I picked up a $50 certificate for Wakefield Running Company, which was pretty nice to get. The rest of the evening consisted of happiness, stomach distress, a quality dinner, and weakness. Even though I suffered for about 45 minutes, it was completely worth it. The 10 mile is a really great distance and even though I like to run 5Ks this seemed so much better. I’m already excited for next year’s edition (I don’t plan races this early, but I think I can confirm my presence at this one for years to come), with no time goals in my mind just yet.

Beavers '16

I usually go on and on in my race reports, but after several failed attempts at creating one, I've lost of a lot of interest in this one and focused on writing on my Blessing report (which is finished, but I still need to edit and add photos). It's almost two weeks late (which is still better than most WTAC runner's race reports), but I finally got it done.

This wasn't a big race for me. Just a fun RI event that I had been wanting to run for a while and a good place to race with fellow WTACers. Couldn't resist not running it and jumped in at the last minute. I ignored the weather forecast because I usually run well regardless of temperature and felt ready to give a hard effort for the ten-miler race, even though I wasn't looking forward to the ten-mile format. The warm-up went a little long and had far too deerflies in our company, but we were soon on the line, awaiting the start.

Trying to get a good starting position next to trail master Steve Brightman.

But then making the mistake of going out too fast right behind him.

Lap 1
I had been given advice to run harder than usual at the start to get a good position going into the singletrack. It was a good idea, but I didn't really think it through. Steve Brightman took it out hard and the pace was around low 6s for the first quarter mile. I tailed right behind him but then realized I had plenty of room behind and that I still had the whole race ahead and backed off a tiny bit. We entered the woods 1 and 2. I was a little surprised how rocky and technical some of the trail was but felt pretty good the first mile. Brightman had about 10-20 meters on me, but eventually that gap disappeared and I was close behind. Shortly after, another gap closed- there were people right behind me and a pack had formed. Before eventually exiting single-track at about 2.5 miles in, I was starting to feel tired and I dropped to fourth but we were all pretty close to each other. At the waterstop, I saw Brightman pour water on his head and I did the same. It was some nice relief but also soaked my shirt. Orange Singlet and Brightman got a little ahead before going on another singletrack, and I took the opportunity to surge ahead and grab third place as yellow singlet was slowing a little. The trails weren't as hard now (if I remember correctly), but I started to feel really awful. It was hot and I was weak. The rest of the lap was awful- we all maintained the same positions except yellow singlet was swapped out by another yellow singlet (I didn't realize it until looking at Scott Mason's photos). My favorite part was the non-technical section by the pond, but that fun was ended with a steep climb. I felt pretty horrible (and was off the pace I should've been running) at the end of lap 1 and starting lap 2 wasn't fun at all.

(Miserably) starting lap 2.

About to slow down on this hill.

Lap 2
Brightman was far ahead now, but the yellow singlet guy wasn't too far behind. I eventually lost sight of Brightman as I was fading in the heat with my lack of strength, so eventually the yellow singlet guy passed me and ran away from me. The entire lap was horrible. I kept slowing down more and more and felt like I was in hell. I couldn't wait to get to the waterstop but it was a grueling mile and a half before that. During that mile, I was able to spot Muddy not too far behind. I finally got to the waterstop, barely even moving at that point. I looked back at the sharp turns and it seemed like Muddy was catching up quickly. I crossed the log bridge slowly and with the caution then looked back at the turn into the woods. Now it looked like Muddy was way behind (and had possibly fallen off the bridge). In the last mile, I was just waiting for him to pass. I felt like I was running 12 minute pace. He finally came up behind me, but much later than I anticipated and he wasn't making much of a move. I was able to pick it up the final quarter mile and hold him off, but that and the first quarter mile were the only times I was actually running somewhat fast.


I don't even remember my time because it was pretty pathetic and not even close to what I originally anticipated. I guess it made sense I'd be a little off when it's this hot but I felt like I completely died out there. I've run many 3Ks that felt terrible, but this was a new experience. The last eight were just completely suffering as I melted and my soul was sucked out of me while it seemed to take ages to finish. After finishing, I took a few moments to catch my breath and not topple over. I enjoyed the shade around me, but it was not fun to see that I had to walk over to a hot spot to get water. It was worth it- ice cold refreshment to the head, mouth and body.

I actually didn't plan on writing this much, but my original idea was to do a brief summary and have a list of pro and cons, so I'll conclude with that.

Pros

• Variety of Terrain
• Extremely Well-Marked
• Easy Bathroom Access
• Cold Refreshments

Cons

• Extremely difficult to keep going
• My Performance
• Two Laps

Considering how painful and unenjoyable this race was, I can't say I want to come back anytime soon. On the other hand, I also have a slight interest in establishing a much better course PR for myself so maybe in a long time, I'll be ready for this one again.