Fri 11/26 - PM 80 minutes easy

Area 51. Very tired, took a while for this fact to sink in so the pace got slower by the end of the run. Left hip tight and stiff, esp. glute. Right ankle also sore, no idea where that came from. Cold rain in the morning, gave way to a steady breeze and chilly temps.

Thu 11/25 - AM 80 minutes incl. 5k road race

Not a great effort even by the current standards of diminished fitness. Didn't feel truly awake by the time the race started even though I took plenty of time to warm up. This went hand-in-hand with the first half mile of the course grinding gradually uphill to make for a less than pleasant experience. Pace didn't feel that fast because it wasn't that fast, nevertheless I was unable to maintain contact with the group that would have given me protection from the steady headwind on Cambridge Street. As such ran alone for most of the way. Left hip about as sore afterward as it was on Sunday, only in different places. Lower back in particular just above SI joint felt tender. Chilly but not arctic, but the wind made it feel colder than I would have preferred.

Wed 11/24 - PM 60 minutes

Along the Charles, from Coolidge Corner. Stiff at the beginning, started out slowly, but moving much better after 30 minutes or so. Colder today, with a strong wind hammering away.

Tue 11/23 - PM 60 minutes incl. 12x200

Stepped out the door thinking it was a bad idea to try anything fast, as left thigh still problematic. The locus of soreness had shifted from lateral aspect to psoas/adductor area overnight. It loosened up enough in 25 minutes of jogging for me to give it a go. Psoas got sore after 9th rep, tightness all around by the end but overall not nearly as bad as it could have been. 100m jog interval, didn't bother timing any of it. Warm and sticky, at least by late November standards.

Mon 11/22 - PM 70 minutes very easy/easy

Levittown to Summerhill. Not my day of days, limping most of the way despite a break at 15 minutes or so to do some stretching and compressions on the left thigh which was a mess after yesterday's effort. Affected area included lateralis/IT band, and all the other usual spots besides. Improved somewhat towards the end but at no point was it comfortable. Spent a long while after the run doing more compressions on the stool. Left thigh still too weak for much in the way of fast running.

Sun 11/21 - AM 75 minutes incl. 4 mile road race

More sandbagging, unable to resist doing this one after getting a money slot two years ago. Felt more sluggish than sore warming up, from staying up too late in general and much too late on weekends. Did almost the entire course as a warmup to shake out the cobwebs. Feeling alert enough after doing some drills on top of that. The race itself was quite tactical, five people going for three slots. Soon after the mile mark the course went up the most significant hill, which was enough to cause to be dropped by the top two. Soon after two miles I found myself in fifth and working harder than I would have liked not to get dropped. Hung in for the third mile, hoping to make a late move to get back into third. Soon after 5k the pace lagged enough at the bottom of the main downhill and I was more or less forced into taking third a little earlier. Spent the next 600m trying to reel in second who got tantalizingly close, but not close enough. In the end the limits of my fitness were quite apparent, no surprise given how spotty and inadequate the training has been the last six weeks. Held on for third and was relieved to do so. Happily, the left ankle which has been so bothersome this week didn't bother me much at all. However, the adductor, TFL and thigh in general started stiffening up immediately upon finishing. Not as bad as it has been in the past, but unable to do more than a crawl on the cooldown. As it has been since August, the left thigh is aggravated easily by fast sustained running. Chilly day, a bit windy but not as much as the last time I did this race two years ago.

Sat 11/20 - double, 1:40 total

AM - 70 minutes easy, Area 51. Easy shakeout, my chance to run in the daylight. Left foot somewhat sore from last night's run, more on the instep than the lateral ankle.

PM - 30 minutes incl. drills on the track. Hemmed and hawed about heading out the door again after a long nap, came very close to using the treadmill. Heading to the track was worth it for the drills, which loosened up the legs.