Fri 12/7 - PM RLTAC 75 minutes incl. 3(400,400,800)

Like Tuesday, ran every step indoors, as a snow shower made the sidewalks quite slippery and thoroughly unappealing. 5k warmup on the treadmill followed by a set of drills. Splits on the workout as follows:

first set:
70.9
69.8
2:26.7 (73/73.7)

second set:
68.7
69.2
2:24.7 (73.2/71.5)

third set:
69.3
69.3
2:26.3 (73.4/72.9)

1.5R between 400s, 2R before the 800s and 2.5R after each 800. Consistent and a bit quicker than what I thought would be running, although the 400s were too fast overall which left me sapped for the 800s somewhat. Tried to run negative splits on the 800s after the first one. Legs a little rubbery on the final rep and definitely tired when it was all over. Cooldown 20 minutes very easy on the floor.

Thu 12/6 - PM 75 minutes, Longfellow loop

Took the full tour of McMansionville for the first time which was a hoot. Also hit the Loker-Ruddock extension. Left hip felt like garbage all day at work, I knew the first few minutes of the run would be a chore and they were. Thankfully it loosened up somewhat after that although never pain-free. Hopefully it will remain manageable from here on out. I was able to do strides at the end which was more than could be said yesterday. Moving fairly well at times, the mantra helped. Many of the roads were in worse shape than I had expected. Continued colder than normal temps, three days now of 24/7 below freezing. Given this I should have expected the icy patches on the side streets.

Wed 12/5 - just under 60 minutes, Levittown

All but the last few minutes of the run were quite easy, picked it up to a moderate pace for the run down Main St. near the end. Left hip obnoxiously sore all day at work and for the most part, it remained so during the run. Most definitely aggravated from last night's workout on the track. As such, this doesn't bode well because it was sore as a bastard. Swelling just above iliac crest, tenderness and spasm both above and below this spot. Fingers tightly crossed going forward. Continued cold but not as windy today which makes a big difference. Some of the side streets in better shape than others.

Tue 12/5 - PM RLTAC 75 minutes incl. 2(8x200)

The weather and footing outside continue to be frightful, no real end in sight. Lots of ice underfoot to go along with colder than normal temps and a wind chill. I knew from the moment I parked my car that I would be doing all my running indoors. Warmed up on the treadmill (no longer so wretched after the day off yesterday), 4 miles in 29 minutes, followed by a set of drills and then two sets of 8x200 with 100 float (crawl). Five minutes recovery jog between sets. I took splits w/o looking at the watch, running on feel. It could have felt better quite frankly. Legs felt somewhat clunky and awkward, beyond what I would expect for any readjustment to running indoors. Left hammie was sore on the warmup as well and I didn't want to tweak it any worse. Nature of the workout forced me to find a sustainable level of turnover which was a little less than what I had thought myself capable of. The numbers bear this out:

first set
8:12.6 avg. rep 35.8 interval 25.8
second set
8:18.8 avg. rep 36.0 interval 26.3

the intervals slowed down to the 27 second range towards the end of the second set as I squeezed out every last drop of recovery from a scant 100m jog. I knew the first set was just a bit quick, but overall it was fairly consistent.

Cooldown was 25+ minutes on the floor and treadmill, followed by stretching. Left hip felt somewhat sore afterward, as it has off and on since the end of September.

Mon 12/3 - off

first day off in a while, although there have been some light days sprinkled in there as well. White hell arrived overnight, snow followed by rain which made for a mess everywhere. Perfect conditions for a run on the treadmill but I couldn't bring myself to use the wretched thing. Got home late , feeling tired and sore after the weekend's efforts. Combined with the other factors taking the day off was a no-brainer.

Sun 12/2 - AM 1:45 round trip to bakery

Took it easy on the trip out which involved various stops as well. Checked out the paths behind Woodlawn Cemetery for the first time in years, and found some of them fading from disuse or eliminated by sprawl. So much for nostalgia. Gradually picked up the pace on the way back, more to get it over with than anything else. The weather wasn't as miserable as last night but no picnic either. Continued cold and overcast. The approaching storm's presence is palpable.

Sat 12/1 - double, 1:45 total incl. 5x5 minute reps

AM - just over 40 minutes easy, a morning shakeout. Legs have bounced back somewhat from how they felt last night, thankfully. Cold with an intense NW wind.

PM - just over an hour, Longfellow loop. Warmup just under 20 minutes then 5x5 min. pickups with 2 minute recoveries. Resting pulse on the high side much of the afternoon, had reservations about doing the workout this evening. It went well enough despite this, although legs felt a little rubbery at the start of the last rep. Despicable wind chill to go along with the coldest night of the season so far which enlivened the proceedings.