Sat 7/14 - double, 1:40 total plus 20 minutes in Walden

AM - 35 minutes very easy, a morning shakeout. Giving it a try w/o orthotics today, no undue discomfort.

PM - 65 minutes with 20 minutes running in the pond, the new wrinkle to add a little volume while avoiding the pounding on the legs. We'll see if it makes any difference, as much as I loathe running in the water it's tolerable in small chunks. Moving quicker on the run this evening, picked up the pace the last 10 minutes as well. Any discomfort in the shin from not wearing orthotics is manageable, but landing on tree roots just under the left ankle remains quite unpleasant. Warm but relatively dry conditions today.

Fri 7/13 - PM just under 80 minutes

Pratt's Brook, briefly through Great Hill, on to Mt. Hope and back via Rockland. More energetic at times today, but while legs felt fresh at the start they became progressively more tired, tight and sore. Hip flexors in particular not feeling great. Picked it up on Acton road at the end. Overall I'd say the week has had a cumulative fatigue effect, thanks to not sleeping enough. Vacation begins today and the next three weeks will be big volume.

Thu 7/12 - PM 80 minutes easy w/drills and strides

Walden woods, moving a bit better than yesterday but still more stiff than I would like. Picked up the pace a bit towards the end, other than that just puttering. TFL on the left side sticking, some direct pressure on it aftwerwards helped a bit. Still warm but much drier than the past few days which is a welcome change.

Wed 7/11 - PM 1:45 very easy to easy slog

Walden woods. Legs blasted from yesterday, at no time was I moving at all quickly. Continued humidity didn't help matters. Underestimated how long it would take me to cover the loop I had in mind in my diminished state, which made things drag out longer than I would have liked. As it was I could have gone for 4 hours at the pace I was going. Tight sore areas in left hip region, flexors and iliac crest especially, that got progressively tighter after the hour mark. An unwelcome distraction, felt better after stretching post-run.

Tue 7/10 PM - 60 minutes incl. Lowell 5k in 16:24

25 minute warmup and strides, left soleus feeling tight and sore. Still able to run the 5k w/o orthotics and not suffer for it during or after. Much cooler tonight than two weeks ago but still quite humid. Mile splits of 5:09, 5:12, and 5:31. I'd like to think the third mile is a little long. Effort certainly felt consistent over the last two miles, after perhaps getting a little ahead of myself early. Overall a bit faster than what I had expected, but not a surprise. Very slow cooldown. Tired by the end of the work day, haven't slept well the past couple of nights.

Mon 7/9 - PM 75 minutes easy incl. drills + strides

Walden woods, in a steambath. Cool overcast morning with showers gave way to more seasonable--which is to say disgusting--ambient conditions. As ever, the dip in the pond was a highlight. Drills in barefeet again, looking to incorporate this into the regime on a regular basis the rest of the summer. Mild soreness in shin, still some weakness in tib anterior muscle. Feeling like the ball is starting to get rolling finally with regard to building fitness back up.

Sun 7/8 AM - 110 minutes

Walden woods, starting with a loop around Farrar Pond. Tiring but not overly so, able to pick it up the last 30 minutes. While I could feel my tib anterior muscle getting fatigued as the run progressed, the pain and discomfort in the area is definitely on the way out. Warm humid comditions despite the relatively early hour, I was prepared for it but still sapped the energy and I had to focus on hills especially. Quite tired later on in the day, it's been a higher volume week. Less airway soreness than I would have expected after the run was over for a day like this.