Sat 7/28 - double, 2:15 total

AM 85 minutes, Observatory Mesa. Started very slowly, took a long time to feel at all awake today. Room gets extremely stuffy in the middle of the night and this has been making sleeping difficult, more so than the nearby train whistles. 50 minutes out, 35 minutes back. Needless to say, all gradually up followed by all gradually down, so flying on the way back in. Stopped 5 min from hostel to do some stretching. Legs are feeling pretty good so far, unlike last year in FLG I won't be doing any all-out 200s so I plan on keeping it this way. Need to get more rest, ambitious plans coming up the next few days.

PM 50 minutes, Buffalo Park loop and back via FHS. Six strides on the way in. Planned on doing drills and strides barefoot on the athletic fields but strong t-storms forced a change in that plan. Sucking wind on the climbs, no surprise, but otherwise feeling pretty good.

Fri 7/27 - double, 2 hours total incl. Grand Canyon Rim Trail run

AM - along the rim of the big hole, distance about 7.5 miles, time who knows. The whole journey took almost 2 hours but I spent about half of that time gawking. Pace fluctuated between stops, the path became twisty and narrow at times which slowed me down. Also woke up at 4 AM to make it there by sunrise, so I wasn't feeling that spry. Occasional twinges in high right hammie, first noticed this yesterday. Right hip as a whole doesn't feel any more inflamed than usual however.

PM - just under an hour, NAU to Sinclair Wash. Finished off with three laps of ins and outs on the track and a full stretching routine. Overall feeling better than expected after an exceedingly long day.

Thu 7/26 - double, 2 hours total in Flagstaff

AM - 65 minutes, Buffalo Park to Oldham. Slept maybe 4 hours after getting in late following the flight out, this after the previous night where I slept maybe two hours. At a loss to understand how I was even conscious, but I'm sure getting out at 7 AM MST has something to do with the fact my body still thinks it's 10 AM. Delightful cool dry morning, familiar hypoxic feeling on the uphills. Finished with a small pickup. Left ankle still giving me problems after rolling it slightly Tuesday.

PM - 55 minutes very easy, Campbell Mesa. Feeling the travel-related exhaustion a bit more, maybe the altitude, probably both. Legs feel odd, not heavy but very weak and lifeless. Had to back off on the pace a couple of times. Despite all this, able to get in six short strides at the end on the dirt road near the trailhead. Emphasis on short. Breezy afternoon.

Wed 7/25 - 35 minutes easy

Definitely in need of an easy day today after feeling somewhat peaked since the weekend. Left ankle more sore than I would like after slightly rolling it last night. Had great difficulty sleeping last night, flying w/o the plane before flying in the plane later today. On to Flagstaff.

Tue 7/24 - double, 90 minutes incl. Lowell 5k in 16:30

AM - 30 minutes easy. Moving along fairly well for a morning run and then sputtered a bit with a sudden sense of fatigue near the end. Definitely not quite out from underneath the past weekend just yet.

PM - 60 minutes total in Lowell, incl. the 5k in 16:30. Actual time was 21 seconds slower than that due to a brief detour just after 2m for a mystery envelope which ended up having a dollar in it. Whoop-de-damn-do. An interesting wrinkle though, and I was the only one in the top five to go for it. Regrettably I did ding my left ankle going off the road, the roll in February compromised it. Splits of 5:12, 5:11 and then 5:36 (5:57 counting the detour). Effort felt quite similar to Saturday, relaxed the first mile, pushing it the second mile and then a bit of a fade. Very slow cooldown. Warm, dry, some breeze but overall a nice evening, not too humid.

Mon 7/23 - double, 1:30 total, all of it quite easy

AM - 40 minutes, woke up with a few very stiff steps out of bed but not as bad as I initially thought. Legs not so much sore but still feeling flat overall, carryover from yesterday afternoon. Kept the effort quite mellow as a result.

PM - 50 minutes, Lincoln woods. Similar to the morning, a little more awake of course. Wanted to do some strides, legs actually feeling up to it, but still too tired. Waiting for the souffle to rise again after the weekend's efforts and it won't be rushed. Also wanted to do some time in the pond but it was too late after spending the afternoon in the city, incl. a fair amount of walking. Cooler in the afternoon than it was this morning, very cool in fact, drizzling much of the day.

Sun 7/22 - double, just under two hours total plus 20 minutes in Walden

AM - 65 minutes in Winchester/Northfield, incl. Burt Hill Road to Gunn Mtn. road. Cut this run short so as to get back home in time to attend to errands, but I think I could have handled a longer efffort. A better night's sleep, even on the scant cushioning of the sleeping pad, had something to do with it. Moving well up the initial big climb on Burt Hill, somewhat surprising given yesterday's exertions. Under control up the final ascent as well although the last steep pitch before the very top had me breathing quite hard. Some soreness and pinching in right hammie.

PM -50 minutes very easy in Walden woods plus 20 minutes in Walden. The debt for the past 36 hours came due after the drive home from Northfield, no energy whatsoever in the legs. Went quite slowly as a result. Didn't feel anything in the hammie because I wasn't moving my leg through a wide enough range of motion to affect it.