Fri 7/4 - AM 55 minutes incl. 4 mile road race

Hindsight's always 20/20 but I should have stayed at home in bed. Thought I could sandbag my way to a pair of shoes I don't even need but it became clear by the halfway mark that wasn't going to happen. This is partly the reason why the first 2 miles went in just over 11 minutes and the last two in just under 12. With smarter pacing I might have been able to run a few clicks faster but it would have been pointless as I was almost 30 seconds back of the last winning slot. A gap that might as well have been 2 or 3 minutes. In fact based on the recent 5k on the track, 5:30 pace or thereabouts was theoretically doable but a combination of being really tired and disgusting humidity said otherwise. In fact the exhaustion was palpable during the warmup which was the first sign of trouble. Thus this race takes its place with the fool's errands from previous months. One from each month going back to March actually. To top it all off I had to clear my name afterward as they initially had my time completely wrong. Cooldown was brief and very slow, I thought I'd do an easy jog later in the day but by the time I got home after lunch the hurricane related weather had arrived and a cool rain was falling hard.

Thu 7/3 - double, 80 minutes total easy plus 25 minutes in Walden

AM - 20 minutes very easy, Swellesley. Somehow the air has gotten more insufferably thick over each of the past three days.

PM - 60 minutes easy, Walden woods, plus 20 minutes in Walden. Headed out with an evil-looking cloud bank rolling in with downdrafts and thunder off in the distance. I was worried that the pond might be closed by the time I got to it, instead the rough weather moved off to the northeast and the air behind it was a bit cooler and drier. Made the second half of the run more tolerable. Moving reasonably well the final 5 minutes or so, for the first time in days. The real crazy weather came later on well after sunset with huge wind gusts and sideways rain, hail nearby and downed trees and power lines all over the place.

Wed 7/2 - double, 70 minutes total easy plus 25 minutes in Walden

AM - 20 minutes very easy, Swellesley. Thick gross air everywhere. Ugh.

PM - 50 minutes easy, Lincoln woods plus 25 minutes in Walden. With the conditions worse today than yesterday, made sure to take a quicker route to the pond. In fact, clouds had developed as the atmosphere was so unstable during the morning, leading to pop-up t-storms in the area. Which meant thunder off in the distance which meant scrawny barely pubescent lifeguards telling me I was swimming at my own risk. While I didn't get out or anything I did stay close to the shoreline. Clouds in fact looked fairly threatening but not that close and the only rain was spitting showers later in the evening that barely cooled things off. Calf continues to be bothersome, while it is improving ever so gradually the effect of racing 5k in spikes on such a vulnerable messed-up muscle area is not to be understated.

Tue 7/1 - double, 75 minutes total very easy plus 20 minutes in Walden

AM - 20 minutes very easy, Swellesley. On top of the heat that could be felt yesterday at this time, today the humidity was palpable as well.

PM - 55 minutes easy plus drills on Pine Hill and 20 minutes in Walden. Took what I thought was a fairly direct route to the hill but still it took longer than expected. Between the calf still feeling weak and stiff and the horrendous conditions dripping with humidity, it was strictly go slow time. Doing any kind of plyos on the right calf not the best idea ever not that it stopped me. Pond was deeply refreshing.

Mon 6/30 - double, 1:40 total very easy plus 20 minutes in Walden

AM - 20 minutes very easy, Swellesley. The building heat was already perceptible by 6:45. Right calf close to useless after yesterday's race in spikes. First couple of minutes were not a pretty sight.

PM - 80 minutes very easy, Lincoln woods plus 20 minutes in Walden. Barely able to move so the run, such as it was, was extremely low key. Very relaxed at least. Calf certainly took the brunt of yesterday, more sore and tender than what I was expecting and I was expecting it to feel pretty bad. Picked up a cloud of black flies that are annoying albeit not biting. I don't remember this particular species from last year at this time. Deer flies not yet out apparently.

Sun 6/29 - AM 55 minutes incl. track 5k

Wrapped up the outdoor campaign, all 3 races of it, with a well-run but undeniably mediocre 5k under a merciless sun. Seemed like a good idea at the time I guess. The humidity continues to hold off for the most part but hot is hot and this particular race, while a morning affair, had a start time closer to noon than sunrise. Sweating profusely after a decidedly mellow warmup in the shade so I knew any previous pace goals would have to be adjusted. In the end decided to try and maintain 78 pace as long as possible. That lasted 2k, during which time I had an escort to follow. By halfway though it was becoming clear that I'd have to make the pass as the pace was sagging. Not that I maintained the pace after that, but slowed down less than some of the people around me. By the fourth km, which was noticeably slower just on feel, the track itself felt like a griddle. There were people who raced without sunglasses and I can't imagine how they did it. Finished up with a last lap around 75 which is the only thing that reversed the slowing pace trend. Desultory but controlled. As unimpressive as the race is it felt reasonably satisfying as I suppose the conditions affected me a bit less than some others. Maybe. Splits:

3:16.1
3:15.2
3:18.8
3:23.8
3:18.5

Cooldown a slow jog in the woods long long after the race had ended. Like at least an hour. Don't try this at home kids. Right calf already feeling shredded from wearing spikes.

Sat 6/28 - AM 30 minutes plus 20 minutes in Walden

Walden woods. Backing off on the volume, for at least one day, in an effort to give myself a chance tomorrow. Got a bit of a later start than I would have liked due to errands. Right ankle stubbornly stiff thanks to the calf being so tight I'm sure. Perfect morning for a dip in the pond, more warm and sunny weather. After lunch got a massage which was even more necessary than I had realized. From what I could tell some of the muscles involved in shin splints are the ones locking up the ankle. After the massage had a 2.5 hour nap which I desperately needed.

Fri 6/27 - PM 60 minutes plus 20 minutes in Walden

Lincoln woods with drills on Pine Hill. Moving reasonably well at times but the right hammie is putting more of a hitch in my giddyup than I'd like at the moment. The leg felt better after the dip in the pond of course. Another fantastic day with sunny dry conditions, breezy in the morning but most of that cut down by afternoon. Feeling enormously tired even though I've slept somewhat better the past couple of nights. Most of this attributed to work being much more physically strenuous this week. Earlier bedtime still needed.