Sat 8/11 - double, 1:50 total incl. 5m road race in 27:18, plus 20 minutes in Walden

AM - 5m hilly road race in Sandown. A frustrating experience, beaten thoroughly by a 48 year old man which sucks even if it was Craig Fram. First three rolling miles went by in 15:45, the last two including the most sizable uphill stretch went in 11:33 which is about what they felt like as I was running to hold second place at that point. Still tired and flat, on top of which I had abundant stomach problems before, during and after the race. Not really sure what caused it. Ran the last mile fully puckered. Still not the deciding factor in losing the race, abiding exhaustion to blame for that. Currently it's overwhelming whatever fitness I've built up. Left ankle stiff and sore warming up. Cooldown was a crawl.

PM - 40 minutes very easy in Walden woods plus 20 minutes in Walden. Got in a good stretch afterwards, very necessary as the right high hammie has become tight and sore. Need to restore range of motion there. Drills would help there, but no time for them today.

Fri 8/10 - off

Got home from work at 4:30, took a nap, woke up at 8 and that was that. Woke up not knowing what planet I was on. Obviously still very tired from the trip and not doing myself any favors this week with the too-late bedtimes.

Thu 8/9 - PM 70 minutes easy

Loop that included portions of Longfellow Loop and a brief visit to Area 51, where the flies weren't as bad as I had expected. Feeling craptacular today, very tired and flat. Planned on drills and strides but no energy for it. Right hammie sore as well. Need to sleep more. Much nicer weather today than the past three days, much drier and not as hot.

Wed 8/8 - PM 90 minutes Walden woods plus 25 minutes in Walden

Disgusting steambath of an afternoon. Exactly the kind of conditions I was avoiding when I went away. Got into the pond after just under 80 minutes and it was welcome relief. Water level is noticeably lower than it was before I left. Moving relatively well for most of the run alhtough I did ding my left ankle again, and each time it happens it's more compromised and instable. Makes running on the trails a chore. Six dead-legged strides on the way in, not a lot of lift left at that point.

Tue 8/7 - PM 55 minutes in Lowell incl. 5k in 16:09

The time improvement over previous SB came entirely in the first mile, which passed in 5:00. Subsequent miles were
5:10 and 5:28, which is just about exactly what they were when I ran 16:18 three weeks ago. That first mile didn't feel especially strenuous, so I'll chalk it up to the return from altitude. Two nights in a row of insufficient sleep following the return from FLG left me feeling quite flat and tired, so the effort really wasn't going to be there to begin with and I knew it warming up. Plus I spent the first mile dealing with wardrobe malfunctions related to a woefully inadequate inner brief on my shorts, extremely annoying. Very humid tonight, like it always is, but overcast skies and a breeze knocked down the temperature from the afternoon when it was much worse.

Mon 8/6 - PM 40 minutes in Walden woods plus 20 minutes in Walden

Predictably fried after getting in way late from last night's flight home and the resultant 4 hours of sleep. Barely moving at first. As for the transition back to sea level, also predictable. The air felt thick in more ways than one, very humid conditions, and I could feel the airway irritation from breathing it as compared to the past 11 days of the cleaner drier stuff in Flagstaff. Looking forward to getting back into the regular home routine.

Sun 8/5 - 1:50 on Observatory Mesa, last run in FLG

started very early and very easy, took a good half hour to get to easy and another half hour or so after that to feel like I was moving at all. Started to feel the length of the effort the last 20 minutes. Overcast morning, and like many of my days in Flagstaff, more humid than I would have expected. The monsoon was stronger this year than last year. Still, humidity in the thin air doesn't hang nearly as heavy as it does at sea level. Overall a fulfilling trip, came close to overextending a few times after the more strenuous efforts like running up Humphreys. The cure, as ever, was running very easy until I felt better.

Sat 8/4 - double, 2 hours total

AM - 80 minutes super easy, Sinclair Wash to Ft. Tuthill and back. Puttering along both ways, slightly quicker on the way back. Got to the park, took a long break to watch a race that happened to be going on before heading back. No energy to speak of this morning, more a cumulative thing than just yesterday's runs responsible for it.

PM - 40 minutes, Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte loop. What passes for a flat, easy run in Sedona, although still plenty of undulations. Moving much better in the afternoon after a long nap after breakfast. One more day in FLG.