Fri 11/14 - PM 60 minutes very easy

Coolidge to Jamaica Pond and back. Dismal run, fatigue set in after about 15-20 minutes and it was a slog from there on out. Surprising the degree to which I was overcome by tiredness. Perhaps the relatively faster pace of yesterday's run took more out of me than I would have admitted. Whatever the case, stuck in the rut where anything beyond 60 minutes at an easy pace seems insurmountable. Overcast, muggy and unseasonably warm conditions all day, overdressed for the second day in a row.

Thu 11/13 - PM 55 minutes, Levittown

Moving better but feeling an underlying tiredness, which cut the length of the run somewhat short. Thought I was pushing the pace too hard at times, which may well have been the case but I couldn't bring myself to crawl along today after the past few days of that kind of thing. Waiting patiently for the motivation to do workouts to return, not quite there yet but I'm at least sensing glimmers of it. Still some tightness and soreness around right knee but it's steadily getting better with time. Well-timed run, avoided the showers from earlier in the day and later in the evening.

Wed 11/12 - PM 70 minutes easy

Coolidge to the river, similar to Monday's run but not as slow. Not that I was moving with any kind of alacrity either. Right knee continues to be inflamed and sore, not bothered by slow easy running but the faster the pace, the greater the strain the more I notice it. It may be a while before I can work out on it again, in the meantime just filling the days with recovery runs.

Tue 11/11 - double, 2 hours total

AM - 60 minutes very easy, Area 51. Predictably rickety what with the morning start and lingering effects of the recent half-marathon binge. Right knee still tight on the quad tendon, not moving with enough range of motion to test the goosefoot area. At least it was relaxed.

PM - 60 minutes easy, Longfellow loop. Got the illusion for the first 15 minutes that my energy levels had bounced back much sooner than they had any right to, but this ended soon enough. Spent the rest of the time slogging along. Legs less sore than the morning as expected.

Mon 11/10 - PM 60 minutes very easy

Coolidge to the Charles. About as stiff and sore as I expected, able to move with minimal range of motion. Right knee still sore, both in lateral quad tendon area and near goosefoot. Had about enough as the end of the hour approached, I had thought about going a little longer but those thoughts went by the boards. Blustery all day.

Sun 11/9 - AM 95 minutes incl. half-marathon in 1:14

Ran out of gas late, something I had a sense would happen if pressed at all. Turns out doing two half-marathons in a week isn't such a great idea after all. Although the Kenyans who ran at Manchester last weekend (and the women's winner there as well) would probably disagree, they all did a half in Monson. Of course, their times suffered as well. Disappointing and frustrating, as I should have known better. Took the opportunity to vent right after the race, the reporter got to me literally in the chute. I was chewing on bitterness at this particular moment, hence the self-absorbed pity party. Live and learn, as they say.

The course is definitely faster than Applefest or Manchester, as expected. Some exposed windy sections, esp. the last 3 miles, but an acceptable trade-off for a flatter layout. Nice layout on the whole. Got to the line with legs already feeling a bit heavy, decided from the outset to run tactically instead of leading and doing all the work. Still ended up driving the train for most of the first 5k, then settled in behind the eventual winner. Soon it was 3 of us clear of the rest of the field, then a move at 4 whittled it down to 2. I held on through the middle third of the race as the pace dropped, I had the feeling that it wasn't going to be sustainable and I was just building the gap over 3rd and consolidating my spot. Lost contact with the winner soon after 8 miles, and by 9 I was in no-man's land. The last 4 miles dragged on forever, once broken I immediately slowed to 5:40 and then slowed some more after that. Turned into the rapidly building wind for the last 5k, at which point my motivation completely evaporated. Plus my legs were dead, and the right one was getting sore, esp. on the knee. With no one in sight behind me I lolligagged it the last 2 miles at 6 minute pace and literally jogged the last 200 meters, just getting it over with. Right knee tight and sore afterwards, calves and hammies stiffened up alarmingly soon after finishing. It'll take a while to recover from the cumulative effect of these last two races. I'm looking forward to getting back into the swing of things once the legs do finally come around.

Mile splits, good for a laugh at least:

5:34
5:37
5:38
5:35
5:21 covered a cheeky water-stop surge--let the racing begin
5:24 hanging with the leader as we pulled away from third
5:30
5:27
5:41 game over, unable to maintain the relatively modest pace
5:41 playing out the string from here on out
5:48 now into the wind, wishing it was already over
6:01
6:11 ugh