Sat 8/6 - 65 minutes

Waldo Canyon loop. Back in the rare air after a long day of travel. Felt pretty good on both the climbs and descents, no real problems with the foot despite sitting around for much of the day beforehand. Stung by some kind of bug right under where I tie my shoes on the left instep, left an angry welt that rose almost immediately. Warm and of course dry. 

Fri 8/5 - PM 75 minutes plus 20 minutes in Walden

Lincoln woods, different route than yesterday and not as quick a pace, with drills on Pine Hill. Went with the clunky shoes in order not to further aggravate the right foot, esp. with trying the drills. Frazzled after a week of going to bed too late, incl. last night trying to get packed for the upcoming trip. Continued good weather, maybe a bit more humid today than yesterday but temp. was good.

Thu 8/4 - PM 75 minutes plus 25 minutes in Walden

Lincoln woods. Moving pretty well throughout this run. Cruising along in the trail shoes but paid something of a price for it as the right foot was sore afterward. Little toe also sore after I removed an enormous amount of dead skin the other day from the blister that had been there previously. Pleasant conditions with relatively low humidity.

Wed 8/3 - PM 45 minutes

Along the Charles, short and sweet today. Moderate progression, started slow but got going to a pretty good clip. Fairly smooth and gradual on the pace acceleration as well. Back to the clunker shoes but on terrain for which they're better suited. In need of a break of sorts and this was it. Conditions cool and dry for this time of year.

Tue 8/2 - PM 80 minutes

Lincoln woods. Petered out the last 20 minutes after a relatively strong first hour, though not quite as quick as yesterday. Unable to get in the pond as gullywashers moved in with plenty of lightning. In fact it was at its worst just as I reached the pond itself, and I didn't have the time or desire to wait it out. Kind of bitter about it quite frankly. Foot held up well enough to yesterday's run in the trail shoes, somewhat stiff in the morning but no issues on the run itself.

Mon 8/1 - PM 85 minutes plus 20 minutes in Walden

Concord woods. Pace steadily picked up, got to what is a pretty quick pace in the last 30 minutes. Moving a lot better today than expected given yesterday's effort and the atrocious humidity. Temperature not that high the but dew point just about matched it. Threatening skies all afternoon, thought for sure heavy t-storms would be rolling in but they never materialized. Back to wearing more appropriate shoes for trails, some twinging in the arch of right foot but nothing major.

Sun 7/31 - AM 2:05 long run

Three segment run with breaks at 50' and 95'. First stop a long one, 20 minutes or so, at Brues Woods to check on the wildlife cameras. Which had both fallen over, wonderful. I originally harbored grand delusions of going on to Walden from there, the time involved and rising temperature and humidity put paid to that idea. Instead I went along the rail bed to Hudson Road, then over to Area 51. After a shorter break at the boondoggle visitor center there, Took the patrol road to White Pond Road and back via track road. Moving reasonably well in the second half of the run at times. Right foot felt okay while running in the clunky super-supportive shoes, but stiffened up noticeably later on in the day. Tip of little toe is pretty much one big blister, either from the shoes or more likely from favoring the strained part of the foot. I had every intention of getting into the pond later in the day, but endless errands ate into that opportunity and I had to take a pass. Doubling on Sundays is easy enough on paper but actually pulling it off is another matter.

Sat 7/30 - double, 85 minutes total plus 20 minutes in Walden

AM - 30+ minutes very easy on track road to Sudbury Road bridge in Stow, then 3 hours of canoeing on the Assabet while plucking water chestnuts from the river, then 20 minutes or so easy jog back on track road from White Pond Road intersection. Barely able to move at first what with all the stiff spots, which have certainly been piling up lately. Foot no worse than yesterday, not that much better either, although the locus of soreness may be moving around a bit. Didn't even make a small dent on the amount of water chestnut plants in that river, despite pulling out a few hundred pounds' worth. Sunny with a breeze that kept things cooler than expected. Also drier than I thought it would be.

PM - 40 minutes easy to and from Walden, 20 minutes in the pond. Left the clunky shoes in the car, no worries about rolling an ankle in the usual trail shoes although right foot twinging on some uneven spots as a result. Moving pretty well on the return trip.