Fri 6/10 - PM 40 minutes easy

along the Charles. Shuffling along for 25 minutes or so before legs finally did open up somewhat. SI joint less stiff than after yesterday but still in need of lax ball treatment. Much cooler today with a steady breeze off the water.

Thu 6/9 - PM 60 minutes incl. 8x200

Glorified strides, or so I would hope. The predicted heat apocalypse didn't quite materialize after rain much of the morning but it was still quite warm and humid. Had to wait to get started as a fairly violent line of t-storms passed through. Not nearly so warm after that, rain subsided during warmup then got going again just as I finished doing drills. There was lightning as well, rolled the dice on that one and lived to tell the tale. Very little wind though after the initial storm front passed through. First 4 reps looking for 37 with 200 jog, next 4@34 with 300 jog. Actual numbers 37.6, 36.7, 36.3, 35.7 for the first four, no feel for that pace whatsoever. Then 34.3, 35.1, 33.7, 32.8 overcompensating at the end but at least closer to the mark. Felt fine on the cooldown but some stiffness in lower back/SI joint after I got home which was disappointing.

Wed 6/8 - PM 55 minutes easy plus 12 minutes in Walden

Lincoln woods, with drills on Pine Hill. Oppressively hot and humid. No question about both taking it easy, and keeping the overall length down after yesterday. Some kind of work going on next to the road up the hill with dirt everywhere, less than ideal conditions for the drills. Went right into the drink after that and it was sublime as ever, still on the brisk side at this point.

Tue 6/7 - PM 1:40 easy

Lincoln woods. Relaxed run, legs held up okay, but ran out of gas after an hour or so. Realized at that point I had gone a little further out than I should have, but by then there was nothing for it. Warmer today than yesterday, getting into uncomfortable territory but the worst is yet to come.

Mon 6/6 - PM 60 minutes incl. 6x800

First and perhaps only workout of this type so far this year. A return to faster paced reps with a longer recovery interval. Better late than never, although not the type of session I think I'm capable of doing on a weekly basis anymore. Left hip still feeling stuck during the day at work, a source of some concern. Took some work with the lax ball on the SI joint last minute (i.e post warmup pre drills) to really feel comfortable. Looking to get gradually faster from beginning to end, which happened although I was convinced I had bitten off more than I could chew through the first 3:

2:30
2:28.4
2:26.4
2:24.5
2:23
2:21.8

looking to run more like 2:32 at the start, that went by the boards with a 37 second first 200. No idea what a given pace felt like. First four reps were even-paced at best, to slightly positive split. Recoveries started around 2:20 and wound up at 2:30. That extra 10 seconds makes a difference. The whole thing was a grind, vaguely tired going in. Smooth but not especially relaxed as a result. Despite some doubts about being able to finish off all six, doubts that persisted until just before starting the sixth rep, they all did get done. Last two in spikes;. Warm temps but still on the dry side, modest breeze but not too bad.

Sun 6/5 - PM 60 minutes

Walden woods. Left leg pinched and twinging most of the way, very frustrating. Lots of time on the foam roller after the run trying to work out the kinks in vastus lateralis and TFL. Did something to tweak it in the past day or two, more likely the stretching I didn't do while traveling in cars and planes. A shame as other than the tight TFL/glute/QL area, felt quite smooth and of course moving faster thanks to being back in thick air. Dry sunny day, on the cool side and overall quite pleasant.

Sat 6/4 - AM 80 minutes

Last run in Denver, wo loops around Washington Park, one around Cheesman. Started out as straight recovery but eventually turned into a moderate progression run for about 30 minutes or so. Left hip/QL felt tight afterward, thanks to picking up the pace no doubt.