Thu 6/19 - off

Postwork shindig ate up the prime afternoon training time. I was originally thinking I would squeeze in at least a quick run before dark but by the time I got home I realized the prospect held no appeal whatsoever. Weather was perfect to be outside which speaks to how low my motivation was.

Wed 6/18 - PM 75 minutes plus 20 minutes in Walden

Lincoln woods. Skipped out on doing any kind of workout in favor of waldeinsamkeit and a dip in the pond. Paid a visit to Devil's Staircase which was worth scrambling up the hillside for. Once again not feeling it, and the right hammie is far too out of sorts for anything of substance. Frustrating because I haven't done a heck of a lot of intense stuff on it but at the same time I haven't done much of anything with stretching to help it either. Warm once again, very humid first thing in the morning but dried out somewhat later on in the day. Lots of sun again.

Tue 6/17 - double, 70 minutes easy plus 20 minutes in Walden

AM - 20 minutes very easy, Swellesley. Right leg torqued up much more than it should be, esp. the ankle which is really stiff. Going to be very warm today again.

PM - 50 minutes easy plus 20 minutes in Walden. Supposedly I was going to do a workout today, on the track even. Went so far as to drive up to Emerson field. After a long car nap, put on the flats and went out to warm up. Within five minutes I knew the workout wouldn't be happening. Absolutely no energy, right leg felt like garbage, it was insufferably hot, and on top of it all the wind was chugging along the back straight. Changed out of the flats and went for a putter around Brister's Hill before heading over to the pond for a supremely refreshing dip. Maybe try again tomorrow, probably not though given the forecast.

Mon 6/16 - PM 65 minutes easy plus 16 minutes in Walden

Lincoln woods, with drills on Pine Hill. Very slow to start, feeling the past two days. Did some short pickups on the way in after the dip in the pond and picked up the pace at the very end a bit. Very warm and getting to where it's a bit sticky out as well. After the endless protracted transition from winter to spring it's almost hard to believe that the conditions are genuinely summer-like.

Sun 6/15 - double, 1:40 total plus 20 minutes in Walden

AM - 65 minutes easy, Area 51. Hit the road as early as I could manage which wasn't until 10. Yesterday was a long day, barely able to keep my eyes open by the time I got home. Which segues directly into the fact that it was an easy putter, although pace did pick up somewhat the last 15 minutes. Right leg plenty stiff as usual. Nice morning, sunny breezy and dry.

PM - 35 minutes, Lincoln woods plus 20 minutes in Walden. After lunch and a much-needed nap, this run was noticeably quicker than the morning jog.

Sat 6/14 - double, 85 minutes total incl. 5k

AM - 45 minutes incl. 5k on Spectacle Island. I needed another race like I need another hole in my head but this particular event was too intriguing to pass up and lived up to the hype. Dragged my ass out of bed to drive into the city in time to get on a ferry and head over to the erstwhile garbage dump/glue factory/Big Dig fill site. The race started 20 minutes late, got far too wound up over this in hindsight as the field was less than competitive. Once the prepubescent (and one pubescent who was perhaps even more clueless than the younger kids) morning glories had given up it was an academic exercise. Feeling drag-ass tired going in I thought about gearing down at the two mile mark (reached in 11:10) but decided to keep plugging along. To my chagrin the 3rd mile went in over 6 minutes even though it felt like the first two. The stiffening hamstring and calf had something to do with this. Course was almost entirely flat and on gravel roads, which is the default surface of all tracks and trails on the island. Cooldown was significantly delayed as I got distracted into looking for sea glass (i.e. garbage from the dump rounded by the waves) and then getting the included lunch before it closed. In the end at least an hour passed between the finish of the race and a very slow cooldown jog punctuated by various photo ops. Followed that up with a meandering hike around the rest of the island not covered during the race. Morning began with dense fog and gross humidity, improved considerably as the day went along though once the sun burned it off. Photos:

 a bit foggy for the trip out

 city skyline I think

 Long Island, site of the next race I'll be doing on a harbor island

 view from the south drumlin

 Moon Island and causeway

 Thompson Island

 Deer Island and flight path

 Castle Island on the trip back

 find of the day, at least a century old as the rendering plant closed in 1910

encrusted with barnacles

PM - 40 minutes very easy, Walden woods. After spending a good chunk of the afternoon on the island before taking the ferry back, then traipsing around the city, then running errands, found myself barely able to move for the evening run. I had every intention of taking a dip in the pond but started too late and there wasn't time for it before the place shut down. Deeply tired.

Fri 6/13 - PM 65 minutes easy

Lincoln woods with drills on Pine Hill. The blahs continue. Accentuated today by dreary weather thanks to a day of showers that became heavy rain that finally stopped halfway through the run. More fun times with the teflon consciousness last night, feeling the weight of that fatigue keenly. Right hammie not as stuck as yesterday but of course it's also dented up some from yesterday's running on the track, modest as it was.