Fri 8/30 - PM 85 minutes plus 20 minutes in Walden

Lincoln woods, with drills on Pine Hill. The entire summer repertoire stuffed into a single afternoon with the drills, aquajogging, and short pickups on the way in. Unlike visits to the trails earlier in the summer, on this one I was able to pick grapes off the vines just off 126 near the end of the run. After a pokey start, the pace picked up somewhat in the middle stages of the run but soon after a stop at Devil's Staircase I could feel myself running out of gas. Between this and the soreness in the right quad tendon I thought of maybe skipping on the drills. However the knee loosened up well and opportunities to visit Pine Hill will be few and far between starting next week. Really really tired from the reintroduction of the coaching season time schedule earlier in the week. This on top of being overly tired to begin with from a strung out summer. I'm hopeful some form of self-discipline can be imposed in the near future. Clear and sunny weather at the start of the run after a sticky overcast morning, alas as the afternoon went along the muggies crept their way back in the picture.

Thu 8/29 - PM 60 minutes

Weston. Mostly on roads with the kiddies, who run at a much more relaxed clip than last year's group thankfully. First 40 minutes easy, quite easy at times, then a longish break before heading out alone to the trails behind Regis. Pace picked up a bit for the last part. The unwelcome surprise of the day was the right quad tendon which somehow got inflamed and sore over the past 48 hours. What I did to cause this is a mystery but probably not a coincidence that it's the right leg. Hamstring stiffness probably contributing somehow. Whatever the case, not the way I wanted to feel after a day off. Humid conditions but also relatively cool.

Wed 8/28 - off

Unplanned zero, had notions of squeezing in a run between kiddies' practice and the nearby shoe gala by running to the shoe store from the school. The idea of running back in the dark after standing around in sweaty clothes in a store wasn't that appealing though. After a time standing around it became increasingly clear it would be a day off, although I could have gone for an easy jog down the brook path or something. Right hammie twinging, more near the lower attachment than the customary spot up high.

Tue 8/27 - PM 50 minutes plus 20 minutes in Walden

Lincoln woods with drills on Pine Hill. Late late start, so shortened run and felt rushed from the jump. All this meant that the pace was a bit quick throughout. Concerned about the pond closing up and so hit the pond before doing the drills, a first. Short pickups on the way in as well, overall felt pretty good with only minor tightness in the right hammie/glute. Sticky enough that getting in the water was welcome relief.

Mon 8/26 - PM 75 minutes plus 20 minutes in Walden

Lincoln woods. Interesting run, started out with right calf feeling like hell. Seems a bit late for DOMS from race three days ago but who knows. Decided previously to visit the Farrar pond trail, soldiered on regardless. Under a bit of time pressure thanks to dentist appointment and this was sufficient to make the pace start to pick up after crossing back over 117 into Mt. Misery. From there the pace picked up in earnest and I was actually hammering at times leading up to the pond. More of same followed on the way in from the pond back to the parking lot, the windup being a relative breeze with the calf having long since loosened up. Right hammie didn't feel that bad either, although of course some tightness regardless. Overcast rolled in overnight and along with it the stickies are back as well.

Sun 8/25 - AM 75 minutes plus 20 minutes in Walden

Lincoln woods. I had planned on doing a longer run what with it being Sunday morning and all but got started far too late for that to be possible. Instead ended up doing what amounted to a typical run, quite typical in fact for this summer, only earlier in the day. Slept enough that I was feeling better than most recent days. Some stiffness in right calf left over from the race the other day, classic DOMS. Short pickups again on the way in, a bit more turnover than earlier in the week. Very nice day with sunny skies and dry conditions.

Sat 8/24 - PM 70 minutes plus 20 minutes in Walden

Concord woods. Another lap around the sun completed, I celebrated with a mellow putter in the woods. Hapgood forest/Brister's Hill to start, quite slowly. Pace gradually picked up from there before getting in the water. Bit of a cool tinge as the sun was setting after a dry and sunny day, like Colorado without the piercingly strong sun. Hamstring and glute predictably stiff and sore after yesterday, I was hoping maybe for some progress there. Talk about wishful thinking, I don't think the issue's going anywhere anytime soon.

Fri 8/23 - PM 60 minutes incl. 5 mile road race

This seemed like a good idea when I signed up for it a while back. Had it not been on the docket I might have taken the rest of the week off from running. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing. From an athletic tourism perspective it was an interesting area to race although getting to this neck of the woods is more of a pain than I'd like. Did a relatively thorough warmup, no idea what pace would be appropriate or sustainable. Tried to be somewhat conservative early on, thought I'd picked a pace that was doable but found out otherwise soon enough. First slightly downhill mile went in 5:20, next flat mile in 5:40, then 5:44 slightly up at which point I was starting to feel the effort weighing me down. Thought I was in no-man's land by the halfway point but slowed right down into getting passed by two more people as the fourth mile went in 5:55. The only hill of any consequence (debatable really) was in the last mile and I realized coming off of it that I could get one of the lost places back. Thus motivated I finished with a stirring and given the context of the race fairly embarrassing sprint to the line which brought the final mile in just under 5:50. Without the sprint that last mile would have been a lot closer to six minutes. Disturbing how substantially I slowed in the second half of the race and even more so, the fact that the effort felt just as taxing as it did early on. I'm wondering whether I might be deficient in something other than sleep, hopefully not. Right hammie hung in okay during the race but started to stiffen afterward right on schedule. Cooldown was brief as I had to hit the road. Still somewhat sticky but humidity not as high as earlier in the week.

Thu 8/22 - 70 minutes plus 20 minutes in Walden

Lincoln woods with drills on Pine Hill. Perhaps a longer break would be in order but it was getting quite tiresome and I wanted more to get out on the trails again. As seems to be the case whenever I take more than a couple of days off in a row, felt some soreness in the core/hip flexor area but nothing too extreme. Right hammie feels somewhat better after the assiduous stretching and core work done during the layoff. Underlying issue still there though of course. Started out very relaxed, with the pace picking up a bit later on. Short pickups on the way in which felt feeble at best, unable to generate much in the way of speed. Sticky conditions continued from earlier in the week, which made the pond a welcome respite. The water was cooler than I remembered it which came as something of a surprise, although I suppose the milder temps and cool nights had a role in that.