Fri 10/1 - AM 25 minutes very easy

Overnight neither the temperature nor the dew point dropped below 70, which pretty much says it all. Got the morning jog in, the planned afternoon run drowned in a sea of errands, fatigue and apathy.

Thu 9/30 - PM 70 minutes

Area 51, feeling quite tired at the start and sore of course in the ankle, pace dawdled for 20 minutes or so before finally getting going. Somewhat surprisingly I was able to do pickups on the way in, my expectations have been getting more and more modest what with all the mounting trouble spots. The needle is closer to injured than healthy right now. Gloomy overcast and disgustingly humid, really just gross. Climatically the month of September has been a disappointment with the heat wave to start and muggy garbage at the end, with a lot of overcast and vaguely dank in between. A bummer.

Wed 9/29 - double, 90 minutes total

AM - 25 minutes easy. Left ankle becoming the source of much worry. Especially stiff in the morning of course which doesn't help. Humid, of course.

PM - 25 minute jog to Elm Bank from WMS, watched the HS meet for a good long while, 40 minute roundabout jog back.  Troubled all day by how sore the ankle was this morning, did a lot of pressure, cross fiber friction, you name it, on the soleus. First few steps out the door were difficult to say the least. In time it loosened up enough that  I was moving reasonably well but far from okay. Quite warm and humid.

Tue 9/28 - double, 60 minutes total

AM - 25 minutes easy. Ankle stiff and creaky, which has become the norm. Ugh.


PM - 35 minutes. Planned on doing a workout of 2k reps, but it wasn't happening. Did the warmup jog up Waltham Street and some half-assed drills, feeling flat and listless all the while. Got 300m into the first rep before realizing it was pointless. Energy levels really low, surprisingly so. Left ankle becoming an all-consuming concern, stiffness taking longer and longer to dissipate after starting a run. Adductor area felt great at work all day, felt alert and awake as well, but not so much on either count once I started actually running. Humidity continues on and on, with rain to boot. Heavy downpours on the drive home. Not pleasant, and not drying out anytime soon.

Mon 9/27 - double, 90 minutes total

AM - 30 minutes very easy. Left ankle and right knee tight and sore, took a few minutes to loosen up.

PM - 60 minutes, round trip to and from 10 Spencer. Stiff and sore on the trip out, but the return trip felt much better and smoother than I ever would have expected. Feeling good enough to do five pickups on the way in, didn't feel that bad on the left  leg.

Sun 9/26 - AM 80 minutes very easy

On the flats of GMNWR. About as sore as expected, but motivation and energy levels lower than I thought they'd be and so the length of the run was cut short. Went to bed early last night and slept soundly, but it'll take more than one night of this to make a dent in the underlying fatigue I've been feeling. Left thigh tight and sore, couldn't have gone much faster than the putter I was doing. Much cooler today, not as humid either but still more sticky than I'd like. Did some biking in Cambridge after the run.

Sat 9/25 - double 95 minutes incl. half marathon in 1:19 plus 24 minutes in Walden

Poor effort, exacerbated by truly awful weather. The conditions more typical of mid-August prevalent through the night as well, had a difficult time sleeping as a result. Feeling flat and low energy from the moment I got out of bed. Strike two was of course the left leg, which has been going downhill the past two weeks, since the 20 miler I suppose. Last weekend's misadventure didn't help any. Ankle/achilles also not right, can't pin it to a specific day or run. The whole leg is not right at all, and if it doesn't improve over the next month the marathon will be no fun at all. Weather completed the gloomy picture, seemed warm while warming up but at least the sun was behind clouds then. Soon after the race started the clouds moved out and it got a lot more uncomfortable. Didn't seem quite as bad as I remember it being 3 years ago, but still no picnic. Gusty wind served only to offer resistance, no cooling effect whatsoever with the humidity so high. Stayed as conservative as I could early on, tried to hang on to the last money spot but it became clear by mile 3 that it wasn't to be. Get it over with mode started no later than mile 5. I was fully aware that the pace was going to go straight to hell and didn't care one bit, just trying to minimize the damage. At about halfway I dialed it back so as not to overextend myself and melt down and end up in an ambulance. That thought process doesn't happen with me typically. Used the last 10 miles to practice drinking water from cups while on the run, which was valuable I suppose. Last 3 miles, which included the worst  of the climbing, went in 19 minutes. I'd like to say it was a cooldown, because I didn't run a step after crossing the finish line, but in truth it was somewhere between racing and jogging.  Finished 2 minutes out of the money and almost five minutes ahead of the next finisher after me, which is ridiculous. After finishing, I watched multiple ambulances going back and forth along the course fetching people who had wilted, and the awards ceremony was delayed while the race director got more water.

PM - 24 minutes in Walden. Rode the bike over from Emerson field for what will in all likelihood be the final aquajog of the season. The water is definitely getting too chilly to take without a wetsuit, which I realized about two thirds of the way along. The first 10 minutes were glorious though, shedding all the heat from the stultifying and gross day.