Fri 12/24 - AM 1:55 easy/very easy

GMNWR, with a brief foray up to Walden to see if Pine Hill access road was clear for hill drills, which of course it wasn't. The length of the run is a little fuzzy with a few breaks in there and all, the whole thing took just over 2 hours though. Mix of clear pavement and packed snow surfaces, slow easy going no matter what with the ninja slippers on. Left glute/SI joint/hammie which was fairly problematic by the end of last night's workout feeling better today, not that I put any stress on it other than the hill drills at the end. These were done on the CCHS driveway which is not nearly as steep as either Pine Hill or White Pond road. The gradient does indeed make a difference. Cold but not as windy as I thought it would be.

Thu 12/23 - PM 70 minutes incl. 2400-2000-1600-1200-800

RLTAC. Long reps, short recoveries. 2.5 minutes after first rep, cut 30 seconds from that with each subsequent rep. Looking to negative split each rep, pace getting gradually faster. Times as follows:

8:11 start at 42/lap, down to 40
6:44 same as 2400
5:20 41 down to 39
3:58 40 to 39
2:35 whatever was left

Hit the planned splits overall although it did get harder than I expected on the last two. Left hammie and glute became progressively tighter and stiffer, which became the overriding concern. Finished the workout feeling like I was dragging the leg, responded to some on the spot direct pressure but the cooldown was a crawl nonetheless.

Wed 12/22 - PM 55 minutes very easy

Brookline, Comm Ave to Muddy River path and back to Coolidge. Had plans to do a lap around Jamaica Pond but I was going too slow to get to it in time. Also planned on doing drills up Summit Ave, which will have to wait until Friday. Left ankle stiff at the end of the day after neglecting stretching.

Tue 12/21 - PM 65 minutes very easy

Levittown. Very easy putter today, straight recovery. Yesterday's workout left a mark on the left leg, psoas, adductor, hamstring, SI joint all affected. First workout in a long long time that was at any kind of speed and longer than 2 miles total, so not a surprise. Felt a bit better by the end of the run, better still after some direct pressure and cross fiber friction post-run, but still sore. Enough snow on the ground to close the trails for now.

Mon 12/20 - PM 80 minutes incl. 4(3x440)

At Harvard, hence the 440s. A delightful experience if only because I was able to complete the entire workout by the time I would have just been getting on the track at RLTAC. Worth sharing the place with rugrats of various ages. Every step run inside as the weather went completely to shit with windblown snow. Ninja slippers not made for running in that crap. Hoping to run alternating sets of slower and faster 400s with a five second spread, ideally 76/71. Slower went at 75-6, with one outlier at 74.5. Faster sets ranged from 70 to 71.5, although I missed the button on one of them and had to estimate. Recovery interval just under 80 seconds on average between reps, with 4.5 minutes+ between sets. Got somewhat easier as the workout wore on, although the last two reps were teetering right on anaerobic and definitely not a glorified stride. Left hammie was somewhat stuck from the start, as the workout progressed the psoas, adductor, and lateralis got involved and by the end I was more worried about the leg than the fatigue. Did a few moments of direct pressure between the final rep and cooldown, this made it feel better but still in no condition to do anything but crawl on the cooldown.

Sun 12/19 - 1:45

Walden woods, with a set of hill drills on the Pine Hill reservoir road near the end. Missed the Walden trails more than I had figured, even though it hasn't been that long and they're more of a chore terrain-wise than Area 51. Needle ice everywhere, in some places thick and widespread enough to cause instability underfoot. Cruising right along until just before the hour mark when it started to become clear that running in the ninja slippers on the uneven surfaces was wearing out my legs. Soldiered on but held back a bit so as to make it through. Drills were productive but not at all easy on the much steeper grade of the Pine Hill road. Left ankle feeling a bit tweaked afterward. Gray and blustery day, with the storm passing by but thankfully staying out at sea.

Sat 12/18 - PM 80 minutes easy

Area 51. Thought about doing an easy double today but had to have blood drawn in the morning which made the logistics far more complicated than I wanted to deal with. Pace on the run started slow but gradually increased to a level I wasn't expecting. A bit warmer today.