Fri 3/1 - PM 60 minutes incl. 8x3 minute pickups

Levittown. Another relatively late start to the day's run, stepped out the door with every intention of doing timed pickups but ambivalent about how it might affect the right leg, particularly the calf. This is the type of workout to do in such circumstances, not tied to any specific pace but running on feel instead. With short recoveries I set the bar relatively low in terms of how hard to push the pace. Got through the entire thing but it felt tired and the pace felt rather modest. The two feelings are of course related. I tried to keep the first two minutes at such a level that I wouldn't wilt in the last minute of each repeat, by the last three though it felt like I might have been fighting a losing battle. Finished feeling quite tired, took very little of an effort to get to the underlying fatigue left over from recent vacation of lots of running/too little sleep patter. No real issues from the calf but the high hammie became progressively more tight as things went along.

Thu 2/28 - double, 70 minutes total

AM - 30 minutes very easy. Post-breakfast, post doctor appt. shakeout. No work today, completely unable to get out of bed at the usual time. Took a very mellow putter mid-morning instead. Right calf still feeling dodgy and got some attention afterward. Overcast but temp climbing as the day progressed.

PM - 40 minutes. Levittown to Summerhill. After a long afternoon nap I had vague notions of doing timed reps but felt the calf wasn't ready for such work. Still, it felt much better than it did in the morning. Also got an even later start than yesterday's run, with no passing rain showers as an excuse for taking so long to get going. After a dawdling first few minutes the pace was more solid on this run overall. Threw in some short relatively quick pickups on the way in. Hopeful I can get back on the horse soon. Taking a while to recover from the vacation.

Wed 2/27 - PM 65 minutes

Tiger Drive to Longfellow loop. Got a late start thanks to waiting for heavy rains to pass through, after a day of abysmal wind-driven rain. After doing a lot of post-run compressions on the right leg, the hammie felt much better today to the point that I was able to do strides on the way in, but the calf remains dodgy. Working my way down the chain it appears.

Tue 2/26 - PM 60 minutes easy

Levittown via Rockland Ave. An improvement over yesterday, albeit a modest one. Left leg not bothering me after all the post-run work on it, but the right hammie was good and tight and felt pinched the entire time. Affected range of motion and made the entire run a chore really. Given the persistence of this issue, almost two months off and on, it's mind-boggling to think I was able to fit in any kind of fast running on an indoor track in the past month. Seems like a faraway fantasy at the moment. I'd be happy with doing strides pain and irritation free. Calf also quite tight. Snowpack is going nowhere anytime soon so the trails won't be an option for a good while. A depressing realization.

Mon 2/25 - PM 40 minutes easy

Summerhill to Tiger Drive. Planned on reaching the Longfellow loop but it wasn't happening today, turned back and trudged home upon reaching Old Marlboro Rd. Mainly this was due to the left thigh locking up on me, similar to last week's slog along the bike path in Tucson but with more of the hamstring involved. Spent a good deal of time after the run working out the various kinks on the foam roller and doing compressions as well. While not a total surprise, the stiffness did come on suddenly and got a lot worse the slower I got. Said slowdown was a result of the realization that I had no energy after 10 minutes or so. In the back of my mind I was probably expecting to feel as I typically would on the day after an off day but this is not the usual circumstance. It's become clear a recovery period from the vacation is necessary.

Sun 2/24 - off

A long time coming, over a month if I'm right. The pattern of sleeping far too little reached its manic extreme overnight, as I had an obscenely early wakeup call to get to the airport. Held it together relatively well for the various legs of the journey home, but once there ran out of gas soon after unpacking and took a 2+ hour "nap" before dinnertime. Not surprisingly, right hammie and calf are stiff after all the time spent sitting in cramped conditions.

Sat 2/23 - AM 2 hours

White Tank mountains, Mesqute Canyon to Ford Canyon trails. Did a very similar if not identical run last year but in the opposite direction. Overall an enjoyable experience despite taking a rather hard fall about 15 minutes from the end. Scraped one finger and bounced off my chin, but avoided a nearby cactus which would have been a lot worse. Enjoyed the trip up Mesquite Canyon very much, steady gradual climb on relatively good footing. There was actually some water in the wash this time unlike last year:

Some stiffness in the SI joint and right hamstring which I chalk up to the somewhat jarring descent down Ford Canyon. Did stretching in the evening and the SI joint was popping to a degree I haven't felt in a long while. Fairly sleep starved by this point. not napping at all as originally expected.