Fri 3/15 - PM 35 minutes easy

Outskirts of Area 51. Not much melting compared to yesterday despite sun thanks to temps at or below freezing most of the day. Not doing my legs any favors traversing the snowpack but I kept the time back there brief at least. Right thigh and hip continues to feel like garbage, as it has since Tuesday's workout quite frankly. The direction of causality between high hamstring soreness and piriformis/TFL tightness remains poorly understood but I'm not sure it would make much difference if that particular mystery were solved. Also feeling flat and tired, not getting to bed early as I had promised myself this week.

Thu 3/14 - PM 70 minutes easy

Area 51 to rt. 27. Despite yesterday's experience slogging through the snow I couldn't resist going back after seeing more bare patches in the woods next to the road on the ride home from work. Chose a different route for the most part, better footing and more clear footing although Puffer Pond Road is still socked in with no bare ground anywhere in sight. Did some half-hearted pickups on the way in, right hamstring has calmed down from where it was yesterday but I could feel it just starting to tug with the increased range of motion. Right calf remains very tight. Plenty more work with the lax ball on the glute and piriformis which are still tight as a drum. Chilly day with strong NW winds, necessitated half-tights and a facemask.

Wed 3/13 - PM 80 minutes very easy

Area 51 to McMansionville and Longfellow loop. Curiosity over the condition of the trails after three milder days of melting overwhelmed my better judgment, good ol' trail fever. While there were some clear spots, esp. Otter Alley, in general the snow remains too deep for tromping. The right leg, esp. calf didn't need the slipping and sliding but what can you do. Once back on terra firma the pace got slower and slower. Hamstring felt like garbage all day at work and not much better on the run. Somewhat better after post-run work with the lax ball but the underlying issue is going nowhere. Sunny but with a blustery breeze.

Tue 3/12 - PM 65 minutes inc. 8x80-40-20 second pickups

Levittown. I felt due for another workout, something leg preppish. Right leg made it a chore regrettably. Calf tight at work all day and once I got going felt awkward and clunky from the start of the warmup jog. Pinching in the high hamstring got progressively worse as the workout went on, the last couple of sets were probably inadvisable in hindsight but I still had the energy for it and the willpower to persist while the leg got further scrunched up. Once the last set was done the leg started tightening up in earnest as I expected. Plenty of compressions and foam roller work afterward FWIW. Not a bad session in terms of design, took one minute recoveries between everything. Rain started just before I got home and was steadily increasing in intensity as things went along. Warm enough that it wasn't anything more than a nuisance and hopefully will lead ablation of most of the snowpack.

Mon 3/11 - PM 70 minutes easy

Concord Road to River St., Red Acre, White Pond and back via Summerhill and Main St. Overshot the mark a bit early on, the pace slowed down after the first 15 minutes. Right calf tight and stiff all day at work, somewhat better during the run but the right leg remains a pinched torqued mess. Mild temps, melting continues.

Sun 3/10 - double, 85 minutes total

AM - 25 minutes very easy. Pre-breakfast shuffle, stiff-legged as expected. Could have been worse though.

PM - 60 minutes, Longfellow loop. Started out slow, gradually gathered some steam but still a hitch in the stride from yesterday's session which kept things from progressing too much. Right calf tight as well, to the degree that direct pressure felt necessary afterward. More melting of the abundant snowpack after a relatively mild day but there's plenty yet to go.

Sat 3/9 - double, 80 minutes total incl. timed pickups

AM - 30 minutes very easy. Still plenty of snow underfoot but with sun and warm temps the melting was already starting when I headed out just after 9 in the morning. Rolled the glute and piriformis on the lax ball after the run and felt like it helped loosen up the hip.

PM - 50 minutes incl. 10-8-6-4-2 minute pickups. Back to Levittown for the second day in a row. Feeling like I needed to do something of quality after so much jogging since the last workout eight days ago. Still ambivalent about aggravating the hamstring but it held up well enough through the workout, although the effort level was intentionally kept somewhat moderate at the outset. I also took great care rounding any corners that looked like they might have had anything resembling black ice after hitting the deck here back in January. Recoveries of 4-3-2-1 minutes, by the last two reps it felt like I was stalling out a bit in the second half of the rep but by then I was happy just to have survived without falling or straining my leg.