I felt great about Week 4 and the miles I got in, I thought they were quality and though I moved the days around a bit, I was able to get in all my miles plus some.  So far I am really happy with the training plan and the variation in schedule that it has.

Monday: 3.1 Miles (Pace 8:11)

Another travel day, off to Providence.  I wasn’t sure what the plan was for the evening, it was between dinner with friends or co-workers an no one could decide what to do.  Knowing that a decision wouldn’t be made till late I figured it was best to run before I got on the plane.  I hadn’t packed but I’ve moved half way around the world and packed in 2 hours so I knew I had enough time to run around the neighborhood.  The weather was already warming up at 1000 hrs. when I ran and like a typical Baltimore day the humidity was high.  I was happy to only have to run 3 miles today, I was a bit tired from Week 4 even though it felt good, plus I had run less than 12 hours before.  After the 3 miles I packed for the week and I was off to the airport!

Tuesday: 3 Miles (Pace 8:37)

Seven miles was not in the cards today. I had been in meetings from 0800 to 2000 hrs. I was worn out after 12 hours of meetings.  I had thought about trying to get in 7 miles but my stomach was a bit full after having dinner, plus I didn’t start running until close to 2045.  I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t get in 7 miles and knew I would have to make it up Wednesday.  It was an enjoyable run along the canal in Providence and it reminded me of running in Baltimore, just a bit cleaner and less crowded.  Normally WaterFire is only held every other Saturday in the summer, but for some reason they had a special showing tonight and they were starting just as a finished my run.  I showered quickly and then went over to walk around the river and listen to music before calling it a night.  Three miles and WaterFire was a good way to end a long day!

 

Wednesday: 7 Miles (Pace 8:32)

Well I had to do 7 miles today since I didn’t yesterday.  Our meetings ended earlier, at 1730, but when we went outside the sky looked ominous.  I checked the radar and clearly a storm was moving in from the south.  I wanted to run before dinner but I didn’t want to get soaked.  A few of my co-workers wanted to get dinner so I decided to go, thinking that after dinner the rain would have passed.  It is restaurant week in Providence so we went to the Capital Grill.  I ordered brussels sprouts (my favorite) and mashed potatoes.  Pretty much the only things I could eat on the menu.  I was less than impressed, the brussels sprouts weren’t seasoned very well and were soft instead of crunchy, the mashed potatoes were okay.  All through dinner I kept looking out the window but the rain never came.  It was still overcast when we finished dinner around 2000 hours, but it didn’t look like it was going to rain.  I quickly changed and hit the pavement.  In the nearly six years I’ve been coming to Providence I have never ran the hill that leads up to Brown University, it looks like a beast!  I decided today would be the day. About a mile into my run mother nature had it in for me and the sky opened up, it started raining pretty hard.  I rounded the corner and stared up the hill towards Brown.  I glanced down at my Garmin 220, I wanted to know how long the hill was, in my mind it was miles long. Surprisingly it was only .2 of a mile but the elevation climb was 111 ft. with an average incline of 13-16%.  Once I was at the top I was relieved and winded, but I had made it.  I looped the University property twice and ran back down the hill.  Going down was almost as hard, I needed to lean way back and slow my pace.  Not only because of how steep the hill was but because of the rain. I was happy to get back down without falling.  I looped around the canal and back towards the hotel, finally in mile 6 the rain let up but the wind picked up.  Mother Nature made sure she made me pay for not running the 7 miles on Tuesday.  Even though I was soaked it was a good run and my legs felt great!

Thursday:  1.1 Mile (Pace 8:08)

After running in the rain last night I wanted to give my legs a rest before doing a tempo run and let me shoes dry out, but today was a travel day from Providence, back to Baltimore, then on to Deep Creek Lake.  I was going from a work trip to a weekend with my friends.  Time was not going to allow me to rest my legs before a run, nor did I have time for a tempo run.  I hit the snooze once and reset my alarm once before I woke up.  I had to be ready for meetings at 0745, I finally walked out of the hotel lobby at 0700 to run.  The morning air was unusually cool even for Providence.  I did a quick mile around the city and it was off to meetings.  I figured I would try to make miles up later this week, but I also felt a cold coming on.

Friday:  1.1 Mile (Pace 8:11)

After a plane ride, shuttle trip, and a cab ride I arrived in Deep Creek at 0030 hrs.  My friends had arrived earlier in the day, I spent some time catching up with them and went to bed around 0300.  The next morning, we went white water rafting at Wisp Ski Resort.  It was a blast!  The plan was to get lunch and go out on the lake next.  My friends had towed a pontoon boat from home.  So much for making up some miles, my week was really getting derailed by other activites.  The area around the cabin where we were staying was a bit hilly but not hilly enough to make up for low mileage.  The run streak stayed alive!

Saturday:  4 Miles (Pace 10:36)

Long run was the plan today but by now you have probably guessed the training plan was out the window this week.  Today we planned to play disc golf and went out on the lake again.  Right after breakfast my best friend asked me if I wanted to run.  I figured it would be better to get the run in before the day really started.  We ran a slower pace than I normally do but it was good to run with him and chat about the last couple of weeks since I have been traveling.

Sunday:  1 Mile (Pace 7:58)

Today we had to pack up, load the boat, and drove back to Baltimore which is about a 3.5 hour drive.  On the way we made a 2-hour pit stop at the casino and ate lunch.  We got back to Baltimore around 1830 hrs, we still needed to put the boat back in the water, tie it up, and drop everyone off.  After a long day of traveling and not feeling the best the past few days (I think I have a slight cold) I didn’t feel up to a long run, it was a quick mile around the neighborhood.

Total Miles:  20.3

-Veggie Fueled Runner