Sat 8/18 - double, 2:10 total, incl. drills and strides

AM Northfield/Winchester 90 minutes, Staddle Hill to Old Wendell - started from Pauchaug Brook boat ramp, ended at the intersection of Old Wendell and So. Mountain road. Passed through the NMH ghost campus en route. Took a while to get going, bathroom break at 50 minutes and soon after, 20 minutes of climbing up Old Wendell. Once again, a thorough ass-kicking, although the cooler temps this morning made the effort easier.

today's route

PM - 40 minutes out and back on the Norwottuck RT, plus drills and strides on the Amherst football field. Moving very stiffly and slowly at first, the drills helped loosen them up and improve their range of motion. Right hammie locked up as well, got somewhat looser. After the morning run, left psoas twinging and at times feeling quite sore.

Fri 8/17 - PM 65 minutes in Northfield

Loop from the library, Birnam to Louisiana Road, up and over Birch Point and down the powerlines to the dirt road that leads back to School street. Extremely focused purposeful running this evening, on a tight schedule all afternoon starting the moment I left work in order to get to the campsite in time. Moving well on the whole, especially the last two miles. Some of the trails were more rutted out than I remember from previous visits.

today's route

Thu 8/16 - PM 75 minutes in Walden woods plus 20 minutes in Walden

Somewhat more spry than yesterday but still not feeling totally chipper. Had to gradually work into it over the course of the run. Six strides on the way in which felt okay. In addition to the relentless march of the work-week I think I'm still feeling the effects of all the training while on vacation and the transition back to the daily grind. Dragging a bit at work as well. Same conditions as yesterday, breezy warm and more humid than I would like but not unbearable.

Wed 8/15 - PM 100 minutes, Walden woods plus 20 minutes in Walden

Slower today than Monday's run in the woods, legs feeling flat and overall tired. Also not navigating the rocks and roots as adroitly. Left hip flexor twinging a bit, I've noticed it before recently toward the end of longer runs but today it was noticeable from early on. Reached the base of Pine Hill at about 80 minutes and the wheels sort of came off on the climb up as pace slowed dramatically until I got to the pond. Slightly warmer and more humid today than yesterday.

Tue 8/14 - PM 60 minutes in Lowell incl. 5k in 16:02

Mile splits of 5:05, 5:05 and 5:22. Felt much better warming up this week than last week, then went out and ran the first mile slower which was an unwelcome surprise. I knew I could make up the difference with an applied effort which is exactly what happened. In fact I knew about what the final time would be once I passed the two mile mark. Recovered much better after the race, cooldown wasn't the shuffle that it has been in previous weeks. The difficulty in getting going early I'll chalk up mostly to the last two days and more generally the lack of speedwork, both of which are entrely by design. I also had an unexpectedly large lunch (free pizza at work) which I was still feeling while warming up. Conditions were almost perfect, dry and still, warm but not hot. I'll go for the magical 16 minute barrier next week.

Mon 8/13 - PM 85 minutes in Walden woods plus 20 minutes in Walden

After a sluggish first five minutes, the cobwebs disappeared and I felt surprisingly good the rest of the way. Had to take care not to overextend myself at about 45 minutes as the pace was starting to get out of hand. Even better was the fact that I had no trouble to speak of with the left ankle on the uneven trail surfaces, something that has been bothering me of late. Finished up feeling quite tired but in a good way, I hope. Fairly dry conditions, a bit on the warm side.

Sun 8/12 - double, 2:30 total plus 25 minutes in Walden

AM - just under 2 hours, Pratt's Brook to Great Hill, then over to Acton Arboretum and on to Mt. Hope. Finished up on Rockland Ave and Acton Street. A warm morning, started a bit later than I would have liked but didn't suffer unduly for it. First half hour was at a very easy pace and not by choice, took a long time to fully wake up and for legs to feel good at all. Eventually got to a point where I was moving along at a more steady clip. Thought I was fading at about 90 minutes but a quick break w/fluids and I was able to get through the rest of the run in one piece and even do five strides on the way in. Left hip flexor got increasingly sore the final 45 minutes or so. Right hip/hammie not as tight as it was last night.

PM - very easy to the pond, 25 minutes in the pond, very easy back to the car. Debated whether to do a second run but I decided to go through with it in order to stretch out afterwards as much as anything else. A pleasant evening to be in the water, not so much for running. Humidity building up again.