Sat 9/5 - double, 1:45 total

AM - 75 minutes, Staddle Hill/Burt Hill/Gunn Mtn. Road. I had originally planned a 2+ hour long run this morning, but the combination of a late start and a total lack of motivation to put myself through such an effort made cutting back a no-brainer. Right leg quite stiff to start, got gradually better by the time I reached the top of Burt Hill. The descent was hardly smooth sailing but it went better than I had expected. Right calf still quite tight. Final climb felt good, very controlled in terms of effort. Warm and sunny but dry.

PM - 30 minutes in Williamstown. Knolls-Gale-43. Shakeout, served its purpose to lead in to an extended stretching routine afterwards. Leg felt better than it did in the morning by a little. More humid than in the AM as a cloud bank rolled in. Took a walk around the old alma mater before the run, replacing entire buildings always a surefire way to annihilate nostalgia.

Fri 9/4 - PM 85 minutes very easy plus 25 minutes in Walden

Woke up surprised to feel very little of the usual stiffness and soreness but that was all Vitamin I of course. That wore off eventually, plus the usual tightening that develops from being seated most of the day at work. This made for a superslow start to the run. I had been hopeful for a smoother start but in hindsight the level of stiffness in the hip and thigh was to be expected after last night's effort. In this case the hobbling period lasted a full 45 minutes. Took a brief break to stretch at this point, at a spot that typically takes around 35 minutes to reach when not in active recovery mode. After this much less pain and better range of motion although it's all relative, still puttering along. Right calf, already sore from yesterday, took the brunt of all the favoring early on. Very tight by the end of the run. Another clear sunny day but definitely a few degrees warmer than earlier in the week. Still dry though, and a nice day to be outside.

Thu 9/3 - PM 65 minutes incl. 5k in 16:35

First attempt at a hard effort since last month's nadir at Sandown. As such I approached it with a great deal of trepidation, having to deal with the ongoing right leg issues first and then the lack of any kind of race-specific fitness. Leg felt more stiff than I would have liked during the day at work, did some work on it with the lax ball which helped somewhat but the first 10 minutes of the warmup were still awkward at best. Loosened up eventually, followed the warmup with more direct pressure and this left the area feeling as good as I could hope for leading up to the race. No idea what kind of pace I could hold, hoping for something in the 5:15 range on the rolling course. As it turned out, the field was much less competitive than last year, mostly HS kids, and even running at a slower pace I was duking it out for the win most of the way. Mile splits of 5:13 (mostly down), 5:22 (up/down/flat), and 5:28 (flat then up). Unable to close the deal on one HS kid in training shoes who gapped me in the last 800m. The way the race unfolded I'd say it was an accurate reflection of my current fitness (or lack thereof), I was happy simply to have made it to the line in one piece. The race is an enjoyable affair overall although with the condition I'm in right now I could have done without the bombs away downhill start, 200m or so that we had to cover twice due to the layout. Every downhill was an exercise in awkward jarring in fact. Soon after finishing I could feel things tightening up in the hips and core, to an alarming degree. The cooldown could barely be categorized as running, more like hobbling. Didn't feel quite as bad after 15 minutes or so, and better still after a post-cooldown advil, but at first I could barely move. Can't wait to see how the adductor/oblique/etc. feel tomorrow and the rest of the upcoming weekend. Sunny cool breezy conditions along the water, very similar to last year's race.

Wed 9/2 - PM 70 minutes plus 29 minutes in Walden

Went a little longer than originally planned. VL stiff at the beginning, took a while to loosen up some. Still focused on maintaining hips in a forward-rotated posture, not easy on uneven ground. Adductor felt pretty good by and large, oblique and various other abdominals on the right side less so. Still able to do strides on the way in which didn't feel half bad. Tenderness after the run along my ribcage where said muscles attach, a novel sensation. Overall feeling it a bit from yesterday's longer run. We'll see how tomorrow goes, entered a race months and months ago, actually participating is an 11th hour decision. Another excellent weather day, 5 more of these will even out the stretch of disgusting humidity in late August.

Tue 9/1 - Pm 90 minutes plus 24 minutes in Walden

Interesting run in that I came to the brilliant realization within the first 2-3 minutes that the key to running pain-free and not aggravating adductors and obliques lies in maintaining good posture while running. Basically this means keeping the pelvis extended/forward rotated. Easier said than done of course, but it gave me something to think about. Oblique still tender and sore from the abuse I heaped on it Sunday but all things considered it could be a lot worse. Pace started relatively easy but much of the run was then done at a decent clip. Got around Sandy Pond for the first time in a long time. Great day again, recent muggies a distant unhappy memory.

Mon 8/31 - PM 75 minutes plus 24 minutes in Walden

Spent the day at work concerned over whether I'd be able to run, or jog, or crawl come afternoon given how sore and tender the oblique attachment area was in the morning. Happily, things loosened up much more quickly than I had expected and most of the run was close to pain-free. I did take it easy esp. at first, and kept the stride length short. There was some soreness in the TFL and vastus lateralis, from favoring I'd guess. Still, by the end I was able to do some strides on the way in at 85% or so which I never would have predicted a day ago. Legs not feeling as beat up as the past two Mondays, thanks to yesterday's run being flat of course. Nice day, sunny and a bit cool, much less humid as well.

Sun 8/30 - AM 150 minutes

Out and back along the Minuteman RT. 78 minutes to the Bedford depot, 72 back, although I stopped a bit short of where I had started by the Mall parking lot. Made it through the 20+ miles but it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. As I approached the 2 hour mark I didn't think there was any chance of making it back to Alewife w/o stopping and walking at least part of the way. That ended up not happening, but still faded the last 15-20 minutes in a near-bonk situation. Warmed up the second half of the run after a pleasantly cool start, humidity a consistent presence. Most troubling though is how painfully sore my right oblique became soon after finishing the run. Unlike any of the previous longer runs I've done this summer, incl. the billygoat routes in Northfield/Winchester. Adductor a bit tight during the run, but obviously the oblique had to take over for it at some point and got overworked. Given that the length of the run wasn't that much different, and the terrain was pancake-flat, it had to be the relatively faster pace of this long run. Fast being a relative term, as I took mile splits (assuming the lines painted on the trail are accurate) on the return trip. Miles 11-13 were a sparkling 7:14 average. The next five miles were all between 7:02 and 7:03, remarkably consistent but hardly earth-shattering. Those miles took a lot of effort for being that pace on a flat surface. The ongoing effects of the adductor injury make it harder to run fast, and running fast incurs more damage. Fantastic. The fact it's the oblique that took the brunt of it also a bummer, it hadn't been bothering me for some time. Of course I hadn't tried running long and relatively hard in a long time either. Not sure how quickly I'll bounce back from this setback.

Sat 8/29 - AM 65 minutes easy

To and from 10 Spencer, there via rail bed, back via rt 27. First few minutes were not pleasant, pes ansurinus stiff and inflamed and made for a hobbling start. Once it loosened up though the rest of the run was pain-free and the pace picked up some on the return trip, felt surprisingly good in fact for the relatively early hour. Tropical storm has reached the area, much cooler temps and of course wet conditions as a result.