Fri 6/28 - PM 45 minutes easy plus 20 minutes in Walden

Lincoln woods. Early wakeup call tomorrow which necessitated cutting today's run short. Right TFL felt stuck from the moment I left the parking lot, an unwelcome surprise. Right leg feeling a little better than the usual garbage other than that. Did some pickups on the way in as well. Overcast broke during the day which caused the temp to zoom right up. High humidity has been a constant all week regardless of temperature.

Thu 6/27 - PM 85 minutes plus 20 minutes in Walden

Lincoln Woods incl. Farrar Pond. Back to a longer volume day after cutting back yesterday. Right hammie less tweaked than it was yesterday but still not quite all there. Calf was tighter coming out of the water than it was going in, something that seems to be a pattern. Tried to wind up the pace on the way in, which ended up being 8 minutes worth. Felt ok but legs a bit clunky still. Cooler conditions continue, with drizzly overcast. Excellent tourist repellent when it comes to the pond, I had the place almost entirely to myself.

Wed 6/26 - PM 50 minutes plus 20 minutes in Walden

Concord woods. Cooler today but after feeling a bit used up after the past few disgustingly hot days, so the volume of today's run was decreased accordingly. Finished up with a set of drills and strides barefoot on the infield of the track, with the hammie sticking the entire time. Followed this with a fair amount of time doing compressions on the corner of a picnic table which was much needed.

Tue 6/25 - PM 75 minutes plus 20 minutes in Walden

Lincoln woods. Not quite as obnoxiously hot as yesterday, still no picnic though. I could feel the energy draining from my body as the run progressed, much more so than usual for something of this length and relatively moderate intensity. Yesterday's drills left their mark on the right hamstring, locus of stiffness/soreness seems to be further down in the belly of the muscle than it had been previously. Took a break at 25 minute mark to do some cross fiber friction which helped a lot but only temporarily of course. TFL/iliac crest area also feeling stuck, likely related to the hamstring. Calf became somewhat stiff by the end as well. Tried to wind up the pace the last 10 minutes or so but between the heat and the right leg it was more of a fizzle. Still moderately uptempo compared to the rest of the run.

Mon 6/24 - PM 70 minutes plus 20 minutes in Walden

Lincoln woods with hill drills thrown in as well. The day was defined by utterly disgusting conditions, hottest day of the year with sky high humidity as well. Gross gross gross. Getting into the pond was pure pleasure after an hour of steadily melting. Went a bit quick, too quick probably, the first 20 minutes which made the next 20 a chore. Right hammie twinging, some stiffness in the glute again but mostly in the belly of the hamstring again. Calf stiff after the dip in the pond, worked on it with the foam roller quite a bit afterward.

Sun 6/23 - double, 75 minutes plus 25 minutes in Walden

AM - 30 minutes very easy. Return of the pre-breakfast shakeout, after an extended absence from the routine. Not moving well at any point, which was no surprise. Right thigh stiff of course. Already sticky and hot before 8 AM, ugh.

PM - 45 minutes plus 24 minutes in Walden. Over the course of the day the temp and humidity spiked to gross levels, which made the dip in the pond an absolute delight. For a change of pace, went up and over Emerson's Cliff from the back side which was appealingly steep and rugged, something I plan on doing more frequently. Encouragingly, no issues with right glute although the belly of the hamstring was a bit tweaked and calf tight. Picked up the pace fairly substantially the last 10 minutes upon leaving the pond.

Sat 6/22 - double, 90 minutes total incl. 5k road race plus 20 minutes in Walden

AM - dull, flat 5k in Plymouth. Not worth the trip alas, no chance at a money spot given who decided to show up this year, even if I weren't in poor form at the moment. As it was, I foolishly thought I could  hang with the chase pack for the first uphill mile of the race and realized soon after I had bitten off more than I could chew. Packed it in subconsciously soon after 2 miles and really slowed down the final 800 or so. Nothing in the past week or two to indicate I had a chance in hell of acquitting myself well, between the leg issues and sore throat that's only finally clearing up after a solid two weeks of coughing. With the multiple long days and getting to bed close to/after midnight it was another case of delusion at work. Hammie and glute stiff and tight from the first step to the last, with the added wrinkle of adhesions along the iliac crest that I noticed while warming up. Direct pressure works well on this area but there's only so much you can do 15 minutes before the gun goes off. Conditions have gradually turned more sticky over the past day or so, made it even more of a slog.

PM - 30 minutes very easy plus 20 minutes in Walden. Desparately needed dip after a long hot day. Barely shuffling along on the trip to and from the car to the pond. Glute/piriformis were massively stuck after the drive home from the race but the area responded well to work with the lax ball and foam roller.