Sat 10/6 - AM 100 minutes total incl. Applefest half marathon in 1:16

Where to begin with this nonsense. For the first time in about six tries I actually won the race and the loot that goes with it. Not the triumphal march I expected. Woke up feeling a bit fatigued, not that confident in the depth of the well from which to draw. Tossing and turning Thursday night didn't help matters. Of more importance was the fact that yesterday's warm day became today's steambath, temps that ended up in the mid-80s with humidity. Warmest day ever for this race. Then of course there was the left hammie, felt worrisome upon waking up but thankfully loosened up some while warming up. Combination of the leg and the adverse weather had me thinking very conservatively, held back on the effort at first which in hindsight wasn't conservative enough, but did the job. Ended up leading from 4 miles onward, and lead only expanded until the last mile. This despite the fact that after reaching five miles in just under 28 minutes (feeling very relaxed) and nine in just under 51(still relaxed, but tired), I brought it home at 6:10-6:15 pace over the last four mostly uphill miles. Just wilted, had anyone bothered to run who was any good at all I would have been left in their dust. In more humane conditions I certainly could have run a minute or so faster but undeniably, another lackluster effort, what with feeling tired on the starting line. Finished, took a cold shower, jogged for 10 minutes (a mile, tops) and took another cold shower. Proceeded to take my enormous fruit basket and get the hell out of there. On to FLG.

Fri 10/5 - PM 35 minutes, Walden woods plus 24 minutes in Walden

Easy run, left hammie continues to be an area of concern. It's better than it was two days ago, but not close to whole. Not entirely sure about getting through a hilly half-marathon on it to be honest. The timing of this latest ding couldn't be worse. Did some very tentative strides near the end, nothing snapped but again, it could certainly feel better. Today was in all likelihood my last dip in the pond for the year, although with air temps like they have been, who knows. So warm today that the water was a welcome relief.

Thu 10/4 -PM 65 minutes, Walden woods plus 20 minutes in Walden

In a foul mood all day at work due to the left hammie feeling like garbage. Fearing the worst when it came time to run, but thankfully it has improved somewhat over yesterday. All the compressions had something to do with it, although the immediate aftermath didn't feel so great. Took it quite easy at first, able to move with a little more range of motion after 30 minutes or so. Still not going hard at all at any point, except for maybe in the water and that doesn't really count. I would have liked to do some strides but that was off the table, hopefully tomorrow. Not approaching Saturday's race in the fashion I would prefer, expectations will likely have to be tempered accordingly.

Wed 10/3 - PM 45 minutes very easy, Walden Woods plus 20 minutes in Walden

Left hammie feels awful, completely gummed up and stuck after yesterday's workout. Planning to run a little longer but that wasn't happening. Extremely frustrating, unable to get any kind of range of motion while on dry land. Even better, the tightness is fairly diffuse along much of the length of the back of my leg. It will improve by Saturday, but if it doesn't improve drastically the race will be more of a chore than it needs to be. Post-run I spent the time I would normally use for stretching doing many many compressions using the edge of a chair. I know in my bones what the root cause is, stumbling in the dark on the rutted bumpy "path" up the hill on Comm Ave last Tuesday. It's just not suitable for running hard in the dark, not knowing what your foot's going to land on because you can't see a damn thing with the car headlights shining directly in your face. I hate that fucking path, at least at night. Although it's not much better in daylight quite frankly.

Tue 10/2 - PM 80 minutes incl. 6x4 minutes with 2R

Longish warmup with a break to do drills on the MHS track, then over to the Longfellow loop. Much to my chagrin, left hammie back to feeling like crap after it seemed improved yesterday. Gummed up and twinging on the warmup, did some last-minute compressions that helped a bit but still had to take care not to overextend with my stride and strain it further. Tried on each repeat to leave a little effort for the last minute, this worked out for the most part although I wilted a bit on the final repeat. Very slow, and short, cooldown with minimal knee lift, protecting hammie. Warmish evening, warmer still in coming days.

Mon 10/1 - PM 65 minutes, Area 51

Flat run, started easy and kept it under control as I felt better after 20 minutes or so. Six strideds on the way in that felt better than expected given how tired and sore I was yesterday. Felt pooped all day at work, the relaxed effort hit the spot. Left hammie feelign better, some tightness and soreness in right hammie early on. Cool breezy day.

Sun 9/30 - double, 1:50 total plus 20 minutes in Walden

AM - 60 minutes very easy, Lincoln woods. Cut the run short, barely awake and left hammie gummed up with very little effective range of motion. Had it been just one or the other I would likely have soldiered on but the two of them together made a compelling case to not bother wasting my time.

PM - 50 minutes easy, Concord center to Walden via Fairyland plus 20 minutes in the pond. I found some sticking points just below left ilium that helped alleviate some of the issues with the left hammie, a welcome relief. Due to a relentlessly cool and breezy day, I had decided to skip the aquajogging today but I was unable to stay away. The water is still reasonable, but coming out of it to air temps below 65 degrees and fading daylight is problematic.