Fri 8/31 - PM 80 minutes plus 22 minutes in Walden

Looking forward to this visit to the woods and pond for a couple of days, but when the day did arrive too tired to enjoy it properly. Adjusting to the more rigorous fall schedule is never easy. Hill drills were also part of the plan, and I dutifully did them on Pine Hill even though legs felt flat as can be and energy level was flagging by the time I got to the hill. Prior to all this was a stop at Devil's Staircase, about 45 minutes in when I realized I had maybe bitten off more than I could chew. Hotter today that the past couple of days by a few degrees but the humidity remained relatively low. Now that I'm only able to visit the pond every so often instead of every day, its dropping level is even more apparent. The shore has been receding all summer and things are exposed that I haven't seen exposed for years. I don't see the trend reversing itself for a good while either.

Thu 8/30 - PM 50 minutes

10 minute jogaroo with the kiddies at the start of their practice then 4 strides, and finally another 40+ minutes much later on, most of it at a much faster pace. Every day seems a tempo run for them, but what do I know. Some of the same route as yesterday, but done in the opposite direction. Sunny, warm and relatively dry again today. Right hammie not as bothersome as yesterday but still noticeable.

Wed 8/29 - PM 60 minutes

An hour of relatively uptempo running in Weston, mostly on roads. Aqueduct to Meadowbrook, back via Wellesley Road. Did some biking around the fields beforehand chasing after kiddies running their field loops. Keenly feeling the absence of the pond, it would have been a fantastic afternoon for a dip with dry sunny conditions. My lot is cast though, very little pond time in my future after tomorrow. Right hammie feels off, as it has for much of the summer quite frankly, but never to the extent that it's been debilitating or anything. Still, certain eccentric movements provoke a noticeable twinge. I've been doing some compressions and c.f.f. on the edge of a chair which seems to have some effect at the time but not so much long term.

Tue 8/28 - PM 75 minutes easy plus 22 minutes in Walden

Very apprehensive this morning due to soreness in right foot. Focus of the pain underneath the middle "knuckle" with tingling in my toes. As ever, there are other things involved as I realized when I noticed stiffness in the calf much further up. Did some hands-on work on the calf and it helped to release whatever is wound up/stuck. By mid-afternoon I knew that I'd be able to at least do an easy run in the woods which is exactly what happened. In part the easy effort was in deference to my not being able to sleep well thanks to the foot being sore. Jogging hopefully helped loosen it up further. I had planned on doing hill drills and was even able to pull this off without incident. On top of that, did a few short pickups on the way in which felt well under control. Another disaster averted I guess.

Mon 8/27 - PM 80 minutes plus 24 minutes in Walden

Felt better during the run than I thought I would after yesterday's race up the mountain and subsequent butt-numbing ride home across northern New England. I did make a point to take it easy early on, with an eye towards going straight recovery throughout if necessary, but the pace quickened gradually anyway after a half hour or so. Moderate windup at the end, which was not something I planned on doing. Post-run my right leg and foot let me know that I probably overreached. Soreness in the hammie, feels like a modest strain, but also in the foot esp. lateral side of the ball of the foot. Pronounced soreness there that only got worse as the evening wore on, eventually becoming painful enough to keep me from enjoying a well-deserved night's rest. Extremely frustrating--both the sore foot and the fact it kept me awake when all I wanted to do was sleep. Warm with gradually increasing humidity, by bedtime it reached stultifying levels.

Sun 8/27 - AM 50 minutes incl. 4.3 mile uphill race

Another vaguely unsatisfying race to the top of Vermont. Given the length of the trip, I likely won't be back which is a bummer because it is a nice area to visit. Not as tired as last year coming in, but still feeling fatigued both from lack of sleep during the week and the aforementioned trip up. A year ago I figured I was stuck on mountain time for the week following the return from Colorado. It didn't feel that way this year, but whatever the reasons I've been getting to bed too late on a consistent basis with predictable effects. Warmup was skimpy at best. After starting out foolishly fast last year I tried to hold something back this time around. By about five minutes into the race I could see a lead group of 3 emerging, and see that I'd bury myself if I tried to join them. The rest of the race was mostly a death match with a teenage state nordic ski champ who walked on the steepest switchbacks then surged on the flatter segments. Later on another older wiser nordo blew by both of us, and the guy in third as well.  Never really gave up on it but it was frustrating in that I knew I wasn't in a position to put my best foot forward, and once again the last couple miles became an exercise in getting it over with. The last half mile or so in particular were obnoxiously interminable, and I finished feeling utterly spent. Overall the time was 20 seconds or so faster than last year, in broadly similar conditions (slightly hotter this time not that it made much difference higher up). Despite the fact that none of the 3 guys who beat me a year ago returned, I still didn't crack the money slots and in fact finished one spot lower than a year ago. Whoop de doo. To top it off, I was skunked at the raffle after buying $20 worth of tickets. WTF. Like last year, cooldown was a hike rather than a run, along the long trail and down the steep chute of the Cliff Trail to the gondola, then down the ski slope which I wasn't about to even attempt running. I had vague thoughts of jogging around the parking lot of the lodge but by the time I got there the post-race feed had already started.

Mile splits, FWIW:
7:56
8:40
9:26
9:57

As it got harder, I got slower.

Sat 8/25 - AM 60 minutes easy plus 15 minutes in Walden

The day's running started with a very slow jog directly to the pond. Barely able to move the first few minutes, way too early and way too stiff. Unwelcome excitement was introduced via an enormous insect, must have been a horsefly, that was resting in a spot I stepped next to, it jumped onto my shin and bit for all it was worth. Hurt like a bastard and drew blood, lovely. Moving much better on the return trip from the pond, unsurprisingly. From there, drove down the street to Cat Rock Park for my first ever visit. Did 20 minutes with the kiddies, as ever they sprinted away from me on an "easy" warmup. Then watched them climb the former ski hill multiple times, which I climbed myself once. Which was plenty. Humid but not overly hot given how early it was.