Thu 5/1 - PM 45 minutes easy

Area 51. Wanted to do something but maybe should have done nothing. The malaise continues, flat and tired. Doing myself no favors with the overscheduled life since returning from Denver over the weekend. Left work early for the rescheduled ball game, spent the afternoon there and then the ride home in somewhat busy traffic. By the time I got out the door for a run it was on the late side, thinking I'd get in a half hour jog but it ended up longer than that. Right calf feels like garbage, like it's backslid from yesterday. Ugh. Gloomy awful garbage weather of the past two days finally and rather suddenly broke during the afternoon, as predicted. Much nicer if a bit humid.

Wed 4/30 - AM 20 minutes very easy

Pre-work shuffle down the Brook Path and back on Washington Street. Feeling pretty terrible through and through, tired flat and right calf tight and sore. Both hamstrings sore in the belly of the muscle. The afternoon/evening was a total mess, I had planned on doing something before going into town for the ball game. After getting home dead tired and taking a nap, awoke to find the game was postponed thanks to weather that went from worse to worst over the past 24 hours, dismal rain and an ill wind. Thought I'd go for an easy run, not capable of anything more strenuous still. Headed out the door and saw that the film festival I'd previously bought a ticket for, in conflict with the ball game, was about to start. Got two minutes down the road in the pissing rain before thinking better of it and turning around and heading back for the film festival. Resting pulse elevated I couldn't help noticing, more fried than I'd care to admit right now.

Tue 4/29 - PM 85 minutes very easy

Lincoln woods. Still tired and still sore, calves blasted in fact. The races Sunday left more of a mark than expected, although the trip partway up the mountain last Thursday of course set things up for a bruising in that regard. However I did something quite similar a year ago and don't remember being this sore afterward. On a more positive note the hamstring/hip/TFL area is feeling better after implementing a specific stretch for the hip flexors a few times during the day at work. Counteracts all the sitting it would seem, although time will tell of course. Weather has been bad to worse since I returned from high and dry CO, with today being on the worse end. Ill wind blowing all day and unseasonably cold temps made for exceedingly raw conditions. Ugh.

Mon 4/28 - double, 75 minutes very easy total

AM - 25 minutes very easy. Going to bed last night I had deep reservations about doing a double today, then I woke up ten minutes before the alarm went off. Figuring I might as well go through with it, went for a very easy putter on the Brook Path and Washington Street. Unsurprisingly, not much mobility in the right leg at all. Still plenty of marathon-related detritus in the gutter of course.

PM - 45 minutes very easy, Area 51. Got home from work and went straight to bed for a nap that went longer than usual and led to a later start time. Dead tired for sure, the past two days being the reason. Both legs feel like they've been hit with a hammer which made for a very very slow pace. Slow enough that the route I chose took at least 10 minutes longer than it typically would.

Sun 4/27 - AM/PM - 80 minutes incl. 5k, 10k

Another Groton double. Slower than last year in the 5k, faster in the 10, right leg absolutely shredded afterward. After feeling like I might be flat and listless during the warmup felt pretty good in the 5k, mile splits of 5:15 and 10:40. Worked the second mile to ensure at least old fart prize money. Got popped going up the only major hill in the third mile. Decided to stay put rather than give chase in hopes of saving something for the 10k later, going against my usual method in doubling situations of letting it all hang out in the first race and letting the back half suffer if need be. Right leg felt decent throughout the 5k as well, I had hopes it would hold up well to the entire thing. 10k started out much faster than I would have liked as I felt obligated to match the pace of the people I would be competing for in the old fart category. As it turns out I couldn't keep up with either of them, a fact that became clear by 4 miles and led to a fifth mile that was disinterested at best. Splits of 5:37, 5:41, 5:47, 6:00, 6:25, and just over 7:30 for the last 2k. Hamstring and calf shriveled up into a ball of spasm soon after finishing, also very tired such that the cooldown was as slow as any I've ever done. Barely faster than a walk in fact. The leg only got worse as the day progressed with the calf fairly useless. Variable weather conditions, started out cold and windy before the 5k with some sun during the 10k followed by cold showers right after I finished. The wind was a constant annoyance but could have been worse. Overall meager returns compared to previous years but that's the new normal. The magical 17 minute barrier will have to wait another week at least.

Sat 4/26 - AM 30 minutes easy

A final jog down the street to Cheesman Park before heading back home to dreary cold Massachusetts. Right leg feeling as good as it has for a long while.