Enter Winter 12/12 - 12/18

Monday - Rest

Tuesday - Blackstrap 6 miles.  Power hiked the hills and took it easy on the downhills and flats to give my tired legs and achy body a comforting ease in to the week.

Wednesday - Back Cove 8 miles.  Supposed easy run with Zak but we cruised at a quicker clip than I was expecting. Went from his house around the Cove, up the Prom and out-and-back on the causeway.  Still felt pretty tight from the race and the fall I took, a bit like I played hockey all weekend.

Thursday - Fitzpatrick Stadium 9 miles.  Hit the track close to dark on a rainy and windy evening. After warming up two miles I hit three 1.5 mile repeats at 5k pace. Recovered a 400 in between and cooled down 2 miles.

Felt OK but not real confident I'd be able to make it through the workout after the first interval.  Kept on the pace as close as possible each lap and finished strong.  Absolutely toast afterward though.  Another surprisingly fun track workout.

Friday - Stroudwater 6 miles.  Mellow run making sure not to go out fast in the beginning like I really wanted.  I was glad I didn't as I was definitely sluggish at the end.

Saturday - Robinson Woods 8.25 miles.  Ran steady throughout the run, albeit not as hilly as it could have been, I tried to keep a solid pace.

Sunday - Jungle Run 20.4.  Excellent run with Ian, Zak and Joe.  Met up with Zak at his house and then pooled over to Ian's where Joe arrived shortly thereafter.  It was stupid cold out with temps hovering around 15 and I'm guessing wind chill below zero, had to be.

We headed down the road a bit until hitting the trails I've heard so much about.  They were a mix of single-track, power lines, dirt roads and lots of glorious hills mixed in.  It was surprising with the temperatures so bone-chillingly cold that not all the water was frozen.  We had a tough time avoiding the wetness in between slipping on ice and crunching through permafrost.

We all had done a few miles the day before, but Joe trumped us having run 21.  So when we got back to Ian's house in between loops and Joe's bottle was frozen, he decided to call it a day.  The rest of us took off down the road again with the wind directly at our faces.  This part of the run was no joke as my hands were frozen solid with no feeling for about two miles.  It warmed up enough though once we hit the hills again and got out of the direct wind.

We did a few variations on the second loop but still ended up hitting the big bitch hill, and another close to the end which meanders on for what felt like three quarters of a mile.  Really fun adventurous run with conditions making it all the more tough.  Had an absolute blast and can't wait to hit the route again.  Thanks to Ian for showing us the area and posting the elevation profile so I could use it.

57+ miles for the week.