Fri 5/4 - PM 75 minutes easy

Area 51. Another late starting Friday evening run. Continuing sluggishness, no real mystery as to why but getting out of the hole is easier said than done. Puttered along as a result with minimal impetus, motivation or desire. Not that it was an entirely unpleasant experience, although right calf is more sore than I would like following yesterday's attempt to run faster on the track. The weather continues to be gray and gloomy with no real end in sight. With the cloud cover comes the greasy clammy humidity of course. The bright clear dry days in Colorado seem like a distant memory.

Thu 5/3 - PM 55 minutes incl. 1600-1200-800-400

Fitness check that became a reality check, alas. I had grandiose plans of doing a 3k time trial, starting at 73 pace for the first km then 72 then 71. Plan B was the cutdown that I did instead, however the idea was that I'd commit to one or the other and stick with it. Instead I got through 600m of the putative time trial before realizing that increasing the pace wouldn't be happening, and 200m later I realized that maintaining the pace for that long wouldn't be possible either. This led to the latest course correction ever, where I switched over to the cutdown interval workout in in medias res. Had I done the cutdown from the get-go I never would have gone out so fast however, the 1600 would have started at 77 or so with a goal time of 5:05 for the whole thing. Instead, the splits went as follows:

73.3/73.7/73.4/74.7 - 4:55.1

4R

75/74.5/74.8 - 3:44.3

3R

74/74.2 - 2:28.2

2R

73.1

Not exactly scintillating splits. Overall feeling quite flat. Unlike the last time I did this workout it was a matter of holding on to the pace and trying not to fall apart too much. I'd like to ascribe this dud to underlying fatigue and leftover effects of the busy long weekend incl. the various extracurricular activities. However I'm guessing that's only part of it, and there's also a little overestimation of fitness going on here.  Until and unless I get some more rest it's difficult to know how much it's the former vs. the latter. Whatever the case, expectations for upcoming races will be adjusted accordingly, and the track 10k is doubtful at best. While the adductor was a cause of concern during the warmup, it held up well enough to the workout itself. Weather conditions continue to be rather gloomy with stubborn overcast and temps that refuse to be nudged over 50 degrees despite the forecasts to the contrary. However the wind wasn't that bad. 

Wed 5/2 - 80 minutes easy

Lincoln woods. Feeling somewhat better than yesterday thankfully, less tired at least. Adductor much better than it was yesterday, after some work on it last night. Right medial knee/VMO attachment has been sticking lately more than usual at the start of runs and it was no different today. Kept the pace relaxed throughout, straight recovery. Not raining today, although it was threatening most of the afternoon, and the gloomy overcast continues.

Tue 5/1 - off

Long time coming, though not exactly planned. The effects of the long weekend came due today, combined with miserable weather conditions it eventually was a no-brainer to take a zero. Left adductor feels like I tweaked it, probably from the concert Sunday.

Mon 4/30 - AM 1:40 very easy

Area 51. Got to bed absurdly late last night, although it was certainly worth it. Taking the day off from work after all this was a planned for necessity. Took a while to feel at all functional, still able to get out the door before 10 AM. What followed was about what I expected, a meandering shuffle in the woods with various stops of various lengths. At a certain point near the end it felt more like a glorified hike. Weather continues to be quite cool for this time of year, more like early April, clear with the ongoing brisk wind blowing incessantly.

Sun 4/29 - PM 70 minutes incl 5k and 10k races

Productive day in Groton for sandbagging, unlike last year when I was on antibiotics for strep. Feeling somewhat flat while warming up, thanks to staying up too late last night. Resulted in some mild concern but on the starting line of the 5k it was apparent there was only one person worth worrying about. Separated from the rest of the field by the mile mark reached just over 5 minutes, in the clear by 2 miles which went by in 10:17. Took the initiative in the second mile although I wanted to wait a little longer. Tried to extend the lead on the final uphill stretch right after 2 mile mark, with the idea of coasting the rest of the way. Finished with the usual 8 second gap before the next guy. It's worth noting that the wind was once again blasting away, and got worse as the day progressed. Gusting, swirling, and as ever seemed always to be in our faces. Cool temps but not worth the trade-off, the wind has been obnoxious all week.

Tried to keep it under control at the start of the 10k with partial success, hitting the mile in 5:40. Next three miles were all around 5:55 and didn't feel so great for the slow number. Getting crushed by the wind all this time though. In the 5th and 6th miles, when I might otherwise have been content to play out the string, I found myself stalking one and then another guy struggling with anything resembling an uphill. No need to reel either of them in as I was running for age group glory only, but the competitive juices took over and I went after each of them. This resulted in splits of 5:43 and 5:30. The latter split came as a surprise as that mile is net uphill. Felt controlled though, and finished with the same 8 second gap over the next finisher. Skipped the cooldown entirely other than a walk to the car, as I had to get home for a late lunch.

Sat 4/28 - PM 50 minutes easy

Area 51. Spent a good chunk of the morning pulling weeds at Drumlin Farm. I had some ambitious plans of doing a brief run in the woods beforehand but I knew when I initially woke up that wouldn't be happening. Lolligagged about all afternoon before getting around to the run, which was a glorified shakeout. Quite easy with the exception of a decent pickup around the 35 minute mark which lasted for a few minutes before I throttled it back. Continued windy conditions, hammering out of the NW all damn day. Cloud cover got scoured out by midday.