Fri 11/9 - PM 65 minutes medium

Parker road to River Street then on to S. Acton road and back via White Pond and Summerhill. Four strides on the way in. Played out like a shorter version of yesterday's run, similar in terms of intensity. Feeling somewhat better today right from the get-go, tried to hold back a bit early on. Running at the upper end of comfortable at times in the last half hour. this left me a bit depleted for the strides at the end, not that I mind simulating the feeling of picking up the speed when tired. Similar conditions as yesterday as well, only a mild breeze.

Thu 11/8 - PM 85 minutes, Longfellow loop extended

Nursing something of a grudge after the past two days of crappy running, I wanted to take out my frustrations this evening. Legs feeling a bit better but still experiencing soreness in right hip flexor/adductor area, which has also migrated on down to the right PA. No real surprise there, and the pain is not acute but more of an annoyance. Started somewhat slowly but still quicker than yesterday from the get-go, gradually ramped it up in stages until taking a bathroom break at just over an hour. Mixed in seven pickups on the way in over the last 20 minutes. Strides felt decent enough but the recent strain on the right side makes it harder to generate turnover. Explored every nook and cranny of the Longfellow loop area, incl. forays into McMansionville and Mossman road. Seasonably chilly but without much wind (unlike last night), which overall made for pleasant conditions.

Wed 11/7 - PM 60 minutes easy, Brookline/Allston

Both legs felt like garbage from first step to the last, which put a damper on the proceedings. More sore and dinged up than I had expected (hoped) after yesterday's rather modest workout. As such, I cut the length of the run short when it became apparent they weren't going to loosen up or feel any better. Right hip flexor/sartorius feels like I may have strained it, something else to add to the litany of woe. I want my legs back, the ones I had from July through September. Much drier today than yesterday with the NW wind picking up to make things uncomfortably chilly.

Tue 11/6 - PM 80 minutes incl. 6400m cutdown in 22:43

After a 25 minute warmup and drills, successive 1600 splits of 5:55, 5:45, 5:35, and 5:28. The last number tells the story as I too quickly reached the point at which I couldn't maintain the pace progression anymore. From the beginning, every pace felt 10 sec/mile faster than what it actually was. Worth noting here that six weeks ago I was able to run the hilly 4.6m course in Lincoln at a much faster overall pace without undue stress. Still feeling flat, still tired, still running poorly. A couple of days feeling decent don't make up for the three shitty weeks preceding them. I had planned on doing either an 8k cutdown with the last mile @5:15 or the 6400m cutdown followed by 4x400. As it turns out I did neither. Attempted a 400 after a five minute break, rolled through 200 in just over 37 and it felt much harder than that. Combined with ongoing stomach issues that bugged me during the warmup and a sore right hip flexor and some lingering soreness in the left hammie, it was an easy call to bag it. This left me with a decidedly unimpressive result for the workout. Got to bed early last night feeling good and tired, yet I slept fitfully for no good reason whatsoever. Conditions for the workout were favorable for this time of year, no wind to speak of and chilly but not too cold. Cooldown was a crawl, negligible knee lift due to core fatigue and soreness.

Mon 11/5 - PM round trip to TJs, 70 minutes

Forget to get the sushi over the weekend, thus the repeat of last Wednesday's run. The biggest difference being that the trip was 10+ minutes faster this time around. While not feeling as smooth as yesterday evening's run, I was able to get moving esp. towards the end. Had to hold back at times so as not to get ahead of myself in advance of tomorrow's workout. All the superslow running last week has left me with some pent-up energy. After some tightness the first 10 minutes or so, left hammie felt reasonably good the rest of the way. I may have overdone it on the post-run stretching last night, after this evening's run I stuck to compressions on the area.

Sun 11/4 - double, 1:50 total

AM - just under 60 minutes easy, Lincoln woods. Felt relatively spry and alert for all of five minutes and it was all downhill from there. Tired and listless, much like Thursday but in this case in the morning. Cut the run short and it couldn't end soon enough. Slept fitfully last nightand I think this is what did me in. This evening will tell the tale.

PM - 50 minutes, Longfellow loop, with six strides on the way in. Complete opposite of the morning's run, moving well from the get-go and gliding right along. Added to the pace and sustained a strong efort until just after 30 minutes, then slowed it down so I could do some strides to cap things off. The strides were pain-free for all intents and purposes, a positive sign even if the legs felt a bit weak when trying to generate turnover. All this thanks to laying low and taking a nap in the afternoon. Despite some lingering soreness in iliac crest area, I think I'm ready to start running workouts again.