Fri 11/28 - double, 1:40 total

AM - 50 minutes easy/very easy, Area 51. Legs feel better than expected after yesterday. Still not going anywhere fast though. Drizzle turned into an obnoxious rain by the end of the run.

PM - 50 minutes easy, Levittown. Modest increase in pace over the morning run, all chalked up to evening vs. morning difference in alertness. Thought about doing strides but didn't feel quite up to it. Right foot soreness continues, but at a low level. Rain cleared out during the afternoon, leaving a borderline black ice situation on some of the streets.

Thu 11/27 - double, 1:45 total incl. 5k in 15:41

AM 70 minutes incl. 5k road race. A solid effort on a mostly flat course, same as last thanksgiving but 20 seconds faster this time around. Surprising result in that the right hammie was twinging after the run last night and I was dragging more than a bit after a restless night's sleep. Took forever to warmup as a result, still not feeling that alert even on the starting line. Finally came around after the first km. Moderate headwind the first half of the race but others were willing to lead the way so I was able to follow in their wake. Took the lead with maybe 800m to go, expecting to be passed back at some point but it didn't happen. No mile splits on the course that I could tell, felt like an evenly run effort though. Cooldown was just as slow as the warmup.

PM 35 minutes very easy. Shakeout so I could get in a good stretch afterwards. Very tired this afternoon, took a long nap.

Wed 11/26 -PM 65 minutes

Coolidge to the River, back on Comm Ave. Legs finally feeling a bit better, although it took a while for them to really loosen up. Some pent-up energy from the easy easy running of the past couple of days, able to do strides near the end as a result. Right foot somewhat sore, related to the instep problems as far back as late August, which I think might be related to the crappy shoes I just started wearing again after a month-plus break while wear-testing another model. Remains to be seen, the shoes are near the end anyways. Cooler today but still relatively comfortable, no real wind which is the important thing.

Tue 11/25 - PM 60 minutes easy

Longfellow loop. I had hoped to do some strides at the end of today's run but it wasn't happening, legs not recovered sufficiently from Sunday although they're better than yesterday. The length of yesterday's run may have had something to do with the heavy legs today. Hopefully tomorrow they'll feel better. As such, decided to keep the run at an hour today. Warmer today, rained all day but waited until it stopped.

Mon 11/24 - PM 90 minutes easy

Track Road to Sudbury Road to Area 51. A boring slog much of the way. Feeling pretty good at work other than some calf soreness, but once the rubber hit the road slow was the only gear available. Minimal knee lift. Recent cold/sore throat is on the way out, feeling better each day. Chilly evening but the wind machine finally shut off which made it much more pleasant to be outside than the past few days.

Sun 11/23 - AM 75 minutes incl. 4m in 21:00

Decided to do a road race instead of the planned tempo workout, mainly because I didn't trust myself to get out the door and slog it out by myself. The idea didn't occur to me until late yesterday afternoon, by bedtime last night I had decided I wouldn't bother with the hassle of traveling and paying an entry fee. Woke up to temps in the 20s with a growing westerly wind and changed my mind. Throat felt better again this morning, almost back to normal, which made me think I wouldn't be hurting myself if I did do a race instead of a workout. Ran the course as a warmup, between the unremitting wind, uphill second mile, stiff legs, and overall lack of motivation I was having second thoughts. As the race started into the wind the plan was to tuck in behind whoever was dumb enough to lead and hang on as long as possible. The early rush was even faster than I expected, led by the usual high school morning glories who took the first 400m or so. The fast early pace was ruinous to one of the other guys driving the train, but the eventual winner made it stick. Spent the middle 2 miles of the race trading off 2nd and 3rd place, but I wasn't feeling up to putting in any definitive moves and let the guy go just before 3. Despite this, he came back to me a bit on the gently uphill final 800m, but not enough to make a heroic rush worthwhile. Given the way I'd been feeling going in and the windy conditions it went better than expected, although the workout I had planned would have been better in terms of building fitness. In a perfect world I would have done the workout at RLTAC. Mile splits as follows:

5:05 (felt a bit short, but way too fast nonetheless)
5:24 (uphill)
5:16 (downhill, but into the wind again)
5:15

post-cooldown I downed three cups of hot chocolate, more than I've had in a decade or so, evidence of how cold it was being out in that weather.

Sat 11/22 - double, 1:35 total

AM - 55 minutes very easy, Area 51. Stumbling along, not quite as stiff as yesterday morning only because I was able to get a later start on account of it being the weekend and all. Despicable wind chill conditions, should have worn the balaclava. A few weeks early for this type of garbage. Sore throat/cold progressing along, felt better this morning than the previous two days but still coughing more than I'd like.

PM - 41 minutes on the treadmill, 5.5 miles. 7.1 to 9 mph on the gradual uptick. Desperately tired by mid-afternoon, mainly from the sore throat, as a result I ended up taking one of the longer naps in recent memory. Woke up with minimal motivation to go back outside, much less do the workout I had planned. Aforementioned wind chill had a lot to do with this as well, really unpleasant to be outside. After letting the cobwebs clear decided to dust off the treadmill instead. As usual, it felt smooth and under control.