Fri 8/28 - PM 75 minutes plus 25 minutes in Walden

Went with the flatter terrain of GMNWR for most of the run today, felt like the legs needed the break from all the rolls and uneven surfaces. Dead tired by the end of the workday, still clearing the cobwebs for the first 10 minutes or so. Much of the run was relatively up-tempo given the Friday fatigue. TFL stuck somewhat at the start of the run but not to a debilitating degree. Did five strides on the way in, first time doing strides in about four months. Felt very awkward trying to run fast, waiting for something to go in my right leg but thankfully it didn't happen. Not sure how the leg will feel in response to this. Much cooler today, clouds blowing in from the tropical storm that appears to have arrived ahead of schedule. Rain started up as I was in the pond.

Thu 8/27 - PM 65 minutes plus 29 minutes in Walden

Not as tired or sore as expected today, so the pace wasn't as slow as I had thought it would be. The usual inflammation in the right thigh, esp. in the morning, but not to the same degree as a week ago. Delightfully dry and sunny conditions, in stark contrast to the past eight days. Pond temp. felt warmer than the air and it probably was.

Wed 8/26 - PM 100 minutes plus 20 minutes in Walden

Today's run started quite relaxed and comfortable, saving something for later on down the line, then at about the hour mark legs started getting heavy. The clunky shoes and uneven terrain don't help, although I did hit some paved sections as well. Semi-exhausted feeling persisted the rest of the way, as such held back a bit on the faster finish today. I was concerned that yesterday's pace pickup would leave the right leg a mess but it wasn't thankfully, other than some twinges late.

Tue 8/25 - PM 85 minutes plus 24 minutes in Walden

Woke up with a bit more than the usual stiffness, soreness and inflammation in the right leg, so I did some compressions and cross-fiber friction on it a bit during the day at work. It worked to a certain extent in that the first 25 minutes or so of the run were nearly pain-free and much smoother than runs recently. Then I descended off Pine Hill, and that was enough to cause my sartorius to catch and the rest of the run wasn't quite as smooth after that. Still feels like gradual improvement is being made. Also picked up the pace substantially on the last 5 minutes, running fast in earnest. Not exactly comfortable in the core area but part of that doubtless can be chalked up to overall fatigue at the end of the run. Continued warm temps, kind of humid but dewpoints may finally be on the way down.

Mon 8/24 - PM 65 minutes very easy plus 29 minutes in Walden

Obvious within the first hundred yards or so that today would be active recovery what with the pounding my legs took over the weekend, esp. yesterday. Real tired in the late afternoon as well, so taking it easy a no-brainer. No adductor issues at this kind of pace needless to say. 8th day in a row of insufferable humidity.

Sun 8/23 - AM 140 minutes

Another rollercoaster long run in the Northfield/Winchester area. Route was mostly similar to last week incl. the Burt Hill/Schofield/TV tower loop, but instead of Birnam to Winchester at the start I went up and across the ridge to the reservoir and down Louisiana. Took more fluids during the run, partly due to added length and partly due to continued high humidity. While the hills were tough as always, effort-wise the run was under control, never really tired in that sense. Legs were a different matter entirely, mainly the descents being the issue. By the time I was coming down off Schofield they felt like jelly. Doing the hilltopper route two weekends in a row is definitely pushing it, if only for psychological reasons. I'll be keeping it flatter next weekend.