Fri 7/1 - PM 80 minutes incl. 2(5x1000)

Glorified tempo run with breaks. Made it through the entire planned workout which is a positive in itself given the warm and somewhat sticky conditions. 200 jog between reps with a longer break of almost 5 minutes halfway through. More about cooling off than catching my breath. The pace was slower than I would have liked:

3:31.4, 3:31.7, 3:32.5, 3:31.3, 3:29.8
3:30, 3:31.9, 3:30.8, 3:31.2, 3:25.3

no issues finding the range, started at right around 85 pace and stayed there. The final rep, while controlled, was most definitely at a pace I would not have been able to hold for the entire thing. First set recovery jogs all under a minute, second set all but one just over a minute. Not much of a progression though, had to settle for "kicking" in on the final 200 for most of them. Some stiffness in right thigh and hammie, nothing much from the adductor though. Can't help feeling that I still haven't bounced back fully from Tuesday's workout.

Thu 6/30 - PM 70 minutes plus 24 minutes in Walden

Lincoln woods plus drills on Pine Hill. The right adductor/ab thing still feeling strained, because it is of course. Moving better today than yesterday despite this, and without really trying to. Another pleasant day like yesterday, maybe a bit cooler but still dry more importantly.

Wed 6/29 - PM 85 minutes easy plus 20 minutes in Walden

Similar in most respects to Monday's run, but with some soreness in right adductor and lowermost ab muscle from yesterday. Not totally surprised given the effort that session required. Usual stiffness in left ankle and right medial knee. Got to the pond and found the western shore utterly thronged with tourists, something of a surprise even given the nice day.

Tue 6/28 - PM 65 minutes incl. 1600-1200-800-400

Demanding session given the pace I ran for the reps. Glad I chose to do this today instead of later in the week, don't know that I'd recover in time for next week's races. Left ankle stiff as usual on the warmup, took longer than normal to work out the kinks. Mild stomach upset combined with sticky warm conditions had me feeling quite nervous upon launching into the 1600. Definitely looking at this workout as an important marker for next week, as such I'd been thinking about it for over a week now. Times as follows:

4:52.5
(4.5R)
3:37.4
(3.5R)
2:23
(2.5R)
69.6

Aiming for a gradual progression within and between each rep. Mostly successful, although the 1200 was more like 72/73/72. Also thinking I would tack on an extra 400 and 2x200 at the end to make the session a little longer. I knew after the 800 that wouldn't be happening, as it would have meant pushing things well beyond what was advisable. Working hard all the way through, kept it as relaxed as I could but it didn't feel especially smooth thanks to the effort required. Cooldown was superslow, nothing left in the tank and felt ready to melt.

Mon 6/27 - PM 80 minutes easy plus 24 minutes in Walden

Mostly relaxed run, albeit with some stiffness in hip flexors that came and went at various times, somewhat confounding. Warmer today, still not oppressively humid but the dip in the pond was very refreshing.

Sun 6/26 - 65 minutes easy plus 20 minutes in Walden

Relaxed saunter in the woods, with a longish break at the devil's staircase after skipping out on it Friday. After a four day absence the sun returned, higher temps and somewhat sticky air as a result. The water is still bracing of course, although it also stank of dead fish in the back corner. Planned on doing a double, but lost interest in the back half of it come late afternoon. Still vaguely tired, no big surprise.

Sat 6/25 - AM 60 minutes incl. 5k road race

Dropped into bed last night feeling utterly exhausted. Woke up 3 hours later (of course) from a deep sleep not knowing what day it was or what planet I was on. Fell asleep again after that but woke up for good still feeling somewhat listless and tired. Hoping fervently that caffeine would do its magic but it was only partially effective in clearing the fog. Warmed up on the course and charged through that at a quick clip but still feeling the tiredness with every step. Despite all this, underlying fitness shone through at least enough to pull away from the only challenger around the 2.5 mile mark and create enough of a margin that the finish was blessedly drama-free. Overall time faster than expected, esp. given the upward-trending first mile where I kept my head down and hung on for the ride. Took no splits as they were pointless anyway. Used up all my energy on the warmup and race itself, cooldown was barely faster than a walk with various stops to admire the scenery. Continued overcast and cool temps, very sticky air.