Fri 8/3 - double, 2 hours total

AM 75 minutes in Dry Lake Hills, loop that included Rocky Ridge trail (a favorite from last year's visit), and Brookbank, which won't be a favorite memory as it was more like running up an elevator shaft. Loop was approx. 9 miles long, started at 7200', climbed to 8300' just before halfway and spent the rest of the time descending, particularly the last 3.5 miles on FR 420 which was almost all gradual downhill. Quads got a little numb at times during this, but surprisingly didn't feel that bad afterwards.

PM Route 66 to Sinclair Wash followed by drills and strides. Mixed up the specific drills slightly, made some of them 100m long instead of 50. Quads feel vaguely swollen but not painful. We'll see tomorrow.

Thu 8/2 - double, about 2 hours total incl. drills and strides in the PM

AM about 90 minutes in Sedona, loop from Bell Rock Pathway TH that included a stop at Submarine Rock. The usual Sedona undulations, no huge climbs this time but no flat ground either. Both quads are feeling it from the ascent of Humphreys the other day, classic DOMS. Neither this nor a swollen black-and-blue toe from being stubbed on a chunk of concrete kept me from getting through the run however. Got quite hot by the time I was done, glad to be so.

PM 25 minutes very easy along Sinclair Wash followed by a set of drills and strides on Lumberjack stadium field. Perhaps the best natural grass field I've ever done barefoot drills and strides on, firm and level with uniform grass thickness. Most fields in this town aren't even remotely like that. Right hip/hammie a bit stiff and sore, haven't done enough stretching the past few days. Sore quads still an issue but not debilitating.

Wed 8/1 - AM 2 hours, Campbell Mesa to Fisher Point

back on FR 301. Took a bit longer than expected, I suppose I should have known better. Not moving particularly smoothly the first half hour, combination of legs feeling very stiff from yesterday and a difficult night sleeping thanks to snoring--of other people. Hammering in full-on get it over with mode from 90 to 110 minutes, at which point I reached the main road I was looking for and realized I still had over 1.5m to go. Puttered in from there well and truly spent.

Tue 7/31 - double, 2:45 or thereabouts total incl. AM run/hike up Humphreys Peak

AM 2 hours or so, up to Humphreys Peak - the whole experience took almost three hours including stops at various points to catch my breath/rest my legs/enjoy the view. Trailhead at 9300', summit at 12,600'. Last mile of the trail to the summit was mostly unrunnable, as it required clambering over and around angular boulders with every other step. Feeling quite beat at the summit, didn't think I'd be able to do much more than hike down, but once back to the saddle, got into the groove the rest of the way down. Although I was making every effort not to, I also jammed my left ankle hard on the way down, inevitable I suppose. Felt like garbage for the half mile or so after that, although a little better after finishing with some hands-on work.

PM - about 45 minutes very easy around Flagstaff with 8 barefoot strides on a waterlogged field in Thorpe Park. This run was all about checking to see if my left ankle still worked, at least on level footing. Worked out okay in that regard. Strides felt good, legs not as tired as I was expecting from the morning. Tomorrow may be another tale.

Mon 7/30 - double, 2:30 total

AM just under 90 minutes, Campbell Mesa. Took 15-20 minutes to get moving beyond a shuffle, and at no point did my legs feel great. Still blasted from yesterday. Overall somewhat flat from the cumulative effort of the last few days of gorging myself on altitude running. Needed an easy effort this morning. Six strides at the end, decent lift for how I was feeling up to that point.

PM 60 minutes very easy, Sinclair Wash to rt. 66, over to Thorpe Park for drills and strides. Deeply, deeply tired at the moment. I may have to back off after tomorrow, we'll see.

Sun 7/29 - AM 1:45 hilly trail run in Sedona.

Started in Wilson canyon, Jim Thompson trail to Cibola Pass, Soldier's Pass and Brins Mesa and back on the "JT." Trails were described in the map as "moderate" or "easy" and overall distance of the run around 11 miles, but neither of these descriptions take into account the fact that there was no more than 50m of straight flat ground the entire run. Climb up Soldier's Pass was particularly strenuous and momentarily reduced me to a walk. Legs rubbery after an hour, spent a lot of time slipping and sliding on loose rocks in the trail. Spectacular scenery all about only partially makes up for this. Finished feeling both tired and ticked off. Fucking map.

In the PM, I skipped doing any running and instead went back to Sedona for a hike up to Cathedral rock for views that can only be described as stupendous.