Sat 9/29 - double incl. 5 mile tempo in 27:00 plus 21 minutes in Walden

AM - 60 minutes or so incl. just under 5 miles in 27:00 on the point-to-point Linclon tempo loop that was supposed to be a full 8 miles at 5:30 pace. A frustratingly flat effort, working too hard for this pace and I knew after 3.5 that I wouldn't be making it the planned 8 which would include the rest of the "classic" tempo. Rather than feeling like half-marathon pace, it felt like an effort I couldn't maintain for 10 miles if I had to, which is not indicative of my fitness right now. Mile splits of 5:34 and 5:24, then a matter of conjecture from 2 to 4. I kept track of the first (uphill) mile of the classic route that we reached at about 3.4 miles in. This mile was 5:24 which was faster than I would have expected or wanted. Sucked along by the rest of the group that picked it up to where we were going just a bit too fast for me after 2. This brought the flatness to the fore. Falling into the too late bedtime trap, esp. since Tuesday. In addition, after using the pond the last three days in an attempt reduce the amount of pounding on my legs, the hard effort today brought out every ding and dent sustained stumbling on the hill Tuesday. Particularly feeling the left hammie, where a phantom strain developed that I'm convinced has its roots in the worst stumble of them all the other night. Cooler drier air mass brought with it the usual NW wind, which was fairly strong at times. This didn't help either.

PM - 30 minutes very easy to and from pond plus 21 minutes in the pond. Left hammie definitely stuck, had to go easy on stretching it, did some work on the area after the run.

Fri 9/28 - PM 45 minutes, Walden woods plus 24 minutes in Walden

Cut back on the length of the run today both to ensure time to stretch thoroughly before darkness and the onset of bugs, and to hopefully feel more spry for tomorrow's tempo run. Humid air mass finally cleared out today, still sunny so it was a nice combo of warm and dry.

Thu 9/27 - PM 75 minutes, Walden woods plus 20 minutes in the pond

After the initial stiffness wore off, the pace was much more crisp today than yesterday's slog. Almost bit off more than I could chew but backed off a bit around 45 minutes so I wouldn't be fried for the weekend. About 10 degrees cooler than yesterday but the humidity increased so it was just as uncomfortable and the pond was just as inviting.

Wed 9/26 - PM 70 minutes plus 30 minutes in Walden

The combination of stiff sore legs and 90 degree temps with attendant filthy humid air made for a very easy run, cleaved evenly in two parts by the time spent in the pond. A no-brainer to structure things this way, as always in conditions like today's the pond was both refreshing and necessary. Right adductor took the brunt of a couple of stumbles last night on the hill and so it was twinging much of the way. No knee issues yesterday or today, looks like that can be put to bed.

Tue 9/25 - PM 80 minutes incl. 8xComm Ave hill

Following a 25 minute warmup that took the better part of an hour, ran the hill "bench to bench." First rep was 1:58, last 1:53, all others inthe 1:54-5 range. Recoveries consistently in the 2:25 range except for a 30 second wait at the bottom before the sixth. Numbers totally arbitrary, went a few yards further than where the bench at the top used to be. I may have finally figured out how to do this infernal workout properly as I made a conscious effort to run a negative split effort, hanging back until just past halfway and then trying to move out as it leveled off. The patient approach worked very well for me. Really no other way to approach a hill this long. Speaking of infernal, a hot and windy evening. Less-than-optimal air quality led to airway soreness. Cooldown a crawl, ran out of energy on top of the breathing issues.

Mon 9/24 - PM 70 minutes, Walden woods plus 21 minutes in Walden

Feeling rather spry today, I had planned on taking it easy throughout but the pace was quicker than that. Had to check myself a few times lest it get too hard given what is likely on tap for tomorrow. Knee was just a bit tight near the end but no pain. Left hip has been sore in an odd way for a few days now, like a hip pointer or something, but it loosens up with time and responds to hands-on treatment. Continued warm temps during the day, cools off quick once the sun goes down.

Sun 9/23 - double, 2 hours total plus 20 minutes in Walden

AM - 1:45 easy in Lincoln woods. Straight recovery after yesterday. Knee started twinging somewhere soon after the hour mark, not very painful as the pace was sufficiently slow as to not require much knee lift. Warm again today but not as humid as yesterday, thankfully.

PM - 15 minutes jog plus 20 minutes in the pond. Parked as close as possible to the pond w/o having to pay. Got in the water just after sunset for a twilight dip. Water felt quite comfortable after the warmth of the day.