Weekly Jog Log: Jan. 24-30

I have recently taken pride in my ability to avoid the sickness that tends to teem in the nostrils of those of us confined to the cubicle 9-5. I think that my hours logged outdoors is reason why my immune system has been able to thwart off even the most pesky of cold bugs. Not so this time. Sunday evening I felt the tickle in the bottom of my throat that signaled the impending onset of a cold/sore throat. I did my best to load up on Vitamin C and rest but to no avail. However, after a week of ever changing weather conditions, I was able to catch up on some rest and I believe I avoided the worst of the cold. Due to the poor weather, my runs this week were rather muddy in nature.

Monday 1/24/2011
7 miles through Poplar Forest / Wyndhurst-1 mile barefoot-(59:00)
Felt pretty tired on this run. Sore throat and slight head cold made for slow going. Was really nice to get the legs moving and the weather was warm so I was able to forgo the tights this morning.

Tuesday 1/25/2011
Run home from work-5 miles-1 Mile barefoot-(38:00)
Had a great run after work. Legs felt great and I was very energized after sitting all day. Turned this into a tempo run and was very happy to sustain a fast pace over the course of about 3 miles. Did that last mile barefoot. Weather was once again very nice so I didn't need many layers.


Wednesday 1/26/2011
Candlers Mtn Rd-Camp Hydaway-Lake Trail-7 miles-(58:00)
Another great run! Ran up Candlers Mtn. to get a good hill workout in. The road then plains out for the most part of the remaining 2 miles or so to the Camp Hydaway Trail Head. I then slogged it back to my car on the Lake Trail. The trail was in decent condition but it had been drizzling most of the morning so some parts were to become very muddy. It was a good thing that I started this run early because the weather deteriorated rapidly as the day went on. Had it been 10 degrees cooler and we would have been hit with a decent snowstorm. Unfortunately what we received instead was Virginia's infamous "Wintry Mix". I have a different name for the stuff but I'll keep this post PG-rated.

Saturday 1/29/2011
Run Around Liberty Mountain-12 mi-.5 mi barefoot-(2:08)
This was a repeat of last week's long run. Not too sure of the accuracy of the distance as the trail is filled with switchbacks but this is my best guess given the time it takes and my try at mapping the run, with the help of Google of course. I had taken 2 days off due to school compounded with a sore knee and utter laziness. The rest, however, led to a strong climb up Candler's Mountain. The weather was very warm and I ended up shedding some layers by the time I reached Camp Hydaway Trail Head. The route is trails from this point forward. Due to the increasing temperatures, the trails were very soft. My hips and knees took quite a beating due to the muddy conditions. At one point, in my laziness of mid-run fatigue, I found myself wiping out in some greasy, orange, Virginia clay. Thanks to this run, my socks will be forever orange after running. Sorry Patsy. All in all, this was a great run to test my technical abilities on trails. Soon, I hope to make this a regular midweek run and double the loop on the weekends. 

Shot of the trail from my ever-so-awesome camera phone.

Not too much foot traffic yet.

Total Jogged=32 miles
Time Jogging=4:45
Time Falling on my Butt= .7 seconds

JOG ON MATES!