Sat 12/22 - double, 1:40 total

AM - 45 minutes easy, Summerhill to Levittown. Expecting some soreness after last night's workout but not as bad as feared. Roads getting better but still slipper snow in places. Sidewalks a mess by and large. Chill dank morning.

PM - 55 minutes easy, Longfellow loop. Some tightness above left iliac crest. Some ablation during the day, but footing still varies from place to place. An ongoing theme for the foreseeable future.

Fri 12/21 - PM 70 minutes, RLTAC incl. 8k faster/slower

Every step indoors, after yesterday this was a no-brainer. 3 mile warmup on the treadmill, drills and and strides, followed by the long-awaited return of the in/out 8k. Aiming to run 5:08/5:32, actual splits for each successive 1600 were as follows:

5:09.5
5:30.2
5:06.8
5:27.4
5:03.7 (last 800 2:30)

overall time of just under 26:18. A solid effort on the whole, a bit tiring near the end as expected. While the contrast wasn't quite as extreme between the faster and slower segments, it was sufficient to allow for recovery of sorts. Took turns every 800m with the pace, I ended up with the first half of each mile. No left ankle issues to speak of during or after the workout which was a relief. Cooldown was 20 minutes very slow on the floor.

Thu 12/20 - PM 25 minutes easy, Roxbury

two laps around the Madison Park area before the kiddies' meet, mainly on Tremont and New Dudley. Awful awful awful conditions, snow showers started overnight and simply never stopped. I had no desire to go on the treadmill as I'll be on it tomorrow, so I stumbled around on slippery sidewalks instead. Unable to move faster than a crawl, wind-driven snow made it even more forgettable than yesterday's run. On the bright side, left ankle not nearly as sore as it was yesterday. No time to go for a second run after the meet as it was still snowing and I had to shovel out the driveway. Again.

Wed 12/19 - PM just under 60 minutes easy/very easy

Negotiated a route through Brookline and the Fens, searching out clear sidewalks with only partial success. Ice and packed snow all over, not fun at all. After getting home last night, left ankle became stiff and sore and this persisted through the day at work. Especially sore on stairs, very worrisome. Took a good 15 minutes or so to loosen up at all during the run, slippery uneven ice sections didn't treat it well. Soreness is located in a spot lower than where it had been sore recently, medial side beneath the talus. Another in a long string of left leg issues that goes back to September.

Tue 12/18 - RLTAC 2(800, 800, 1600)

Once again, I arrived at the track with no intention of running even a step outdoors. Warmup and cooldown were both 3 miles in 21 minutes on the treadmill, run in identical fashion. A no-brainer given the state of the sidewalks outside. After drills and strides, the workout was as follows:

first set:
2:25, 2:26, 4:55 (even split)

second set:
2:26.5, 2:24, 4:52 (2:26.5, 2:25.5)

recovery was 2.5 minutes between 800s and 3.5 before and after the 1600s. Overall the workout went well and everything was under control. I decided to go out on a bit of a limb on the final 1600 and was able to hit the number without undue extra effort, although it did take a 72 final 400 to do it. I had been leaning toward tacking on a pair of quarters at the end, but the left hip started tightening up after the last 800. Prior to that it felt fine. Not nearly as stiff as last Tuesday, esp. on the cooldown. In hindsight, assuming the hip would have held up I definitely could have tacked on a third 800 to the first set at this pace.

Mon 12/17 - PM just over 60 minutes, Longfellow loop

Roads socked in with ice and packed snow, no real end in sight. Screw shoes a must, although the traction was still far from ideal. Despite this fact, moving pretty well. I would have liked to extend the run further but there wasn't time. Seven strides on the way in.

Sun 12/16 - double, 85 minutes total

AM - 7 miles on the treadmill in just under 49 minutes post-shoveling. Snowing furiously outside which made this the only option. Road race I had entered was cancelled, no surprise there but disappointing nonetheless. Speed between 7.5 and 9.5 mph.

PM - 35 minutes in Levittown. Not especially motivated for this one but got it in anyway. I thought waiting until the evening would give the plows a chance to work their magic. They did, but the snow changed to rain and left the streets in an icy state as the temp dropped. Went with the screw shoes but there were sections that were too slippery for them.