Fri 7/11 - double, 90 minutes total plus 20 minutes in Walden

AM - 20 minutes very easy, Swellesley. Overcast and cooler still this morning. Much nicer than earlier in the week. Ankle feels like it might finally be loosening up.

PM - 70 minutes easy, Lincoln woods plus hill drills and 20 minutes in Walden. Very tired after another day of clambering up and down ladders, work as tiring as any I've done while employed by WPS. I had hopes of picking up the pace the last 10 minutes of the run but I could tell from the moment I left the pond that wasn't happening, no energy for it. Right calf and ankle feeling as good as they have for a couple of weeks, although the ankle is still more stiff than I'd like. Fantastic conditions, sunny and dry.

Thu 7/10 - double, 75 minutes total plus 20 minutes in Walden

AM - 20 minutes very easy, Swellesley. Somewhat cooler and drier than yesterday. Stiff right ankle feels like it might be improving. Might.

PM - 55 minutes, Lincoln woods, plus 20 minutes in Walden. Much later start than I would have liked after a day spent going up and down ladders, work that was both exhausting and frustrating. Despite this, felt better than expected which likely is down to backing off the volume a bit yesterday. Nice conditions didn't hurt. Threw in some short pickups near the end and finished moving fairly well.

Wed 7/9 - double, 50 minutes total plus 20 minutes in Walden

AM - 20 minutes very easy, Swellesley. The routine is comforting of course, but it would be nice if my ankle had anything resembling a normal range of motion for these jogs.

PM - 30 minutes, Walden woods plus 20 minutes in Walden. Got a supremely late start after waiting around for the cable guy after work, but couldn't pass up the opportunity for a dip in the pond after a long hot day. Legs starting to come around, even the ankle which loosened up over the course of the day.

Tue 7/8 - double, 75 minutes total plus 20 minutes in Walden

AM - 20 minutes very easy, Swellesley. Feeling barely better than yesterday but at least it's something. Right ankle still distressingly locked up. Slept better last night than I have for some time, but it was mostly because of no nap yesterday and being utterly exhausted by 10:30.

PM - 55 minutes easy plus 20 minutes in Walden. Forgot to bring a hat which meant I could feel every deer fly bouncing off the back of my skull. Thankfully there weren't that many but certainly enough and the weather was much more to their liking than mine. As such getting into the pond was a welcome respite and after yesterday not something I was going to pass up. Some serious erosion at the boat ramp from yesterday's microburst.

Mon 7/7 - double, 90 minutes total very easy

AM - 20 minutes very easy, Swellesley. Right ankle locked up in a vise. Not a surprise after yesterday. On top of the "race," all the time spent driving didn't help any.

PM - 70 minutes very easy, Lincoln woods. An unplanned meeting had me starting later than expected. Hobbled down the trail with thunder booming in the distance and a fairly menacing sky overhead. It became increasingly clear as the run went along that going in the pond wouldn't be happening. Visited Devil's Staircase (hair of the dog after yesterday) for the view and saw lightning off to the west. Said lightning got very close very fast as things turned apocalyptic before I got to the hayfield at the end of Old Concord Road. Lightning everywhere, torrential rain for about 10 minutes. Waited it out in the woods as I didn't feel like crossing an open field in such conditions. Returned to the parking lot to find the train crossing gates stuck in the down position, alarms going off, and trees down all over the place including a snag in the parking lot median two spaces down from where I parked the car. I really would have liked to go for a dip. Legs flat and tired as is the rest of me at the moment.

Sun 7/6 - AM 80 minutes incl. mountain race

The most foolish of fool's errands. Got far too greedy with all the unnecessary racing of late, on top of being strung out on far too little sleep, on top of having used the rebreather Monday through Friday. It all added up to an effort that I'd be hard pressed to call a race. Knew from the moment I finished Friday's fool's errand that this would be an ever loving turd today and it certainly was. In fact given my compromised state this particular type of event is the worst type of thing to try and attempt what with the added resistance of running up (and down) and up a ski hill. Feeling flat and disinterested while warming up, and once the going got tough (roughly 2 minutes into the race) I started falling back through the field. The people I should have by rights been racing with were out of sight after a mile or so, followed soon after by people I rarely see in any race at any point. With my bag having been taken to the top in the gondola I saw no choice but to persist anyway. Racing instincts remained resolutely intact despite having nothing to drive them. Eventually I passed a couple of people having even worse days than me on some of the more torturous climbs before the long and extremely annoying descent to the base of the infamous Upper Walking Boss trail. I was actually happy to see the UWB because it meant no more treacherous descents and based on previous experience two years ago I knew it was pointless to try and run the thing so I could walk the rest of the way. Power walk that is. In fact this final stretch was by rights the best part of the entire thing for me as I passed five people with only one of them getting me back near the very end. Like I cared at that point. Speaks to how utterly ridiculous the course, the event and the whole niche of mountain running is that one can be walking and passing people. Should have learned my lesson two years ago when I last raced here, but I can say with confidence now I won't be coming back. That being said, it was a great day to be outside and I enjoyed my time spent in the area before and after the race itself. Great views from the top of the mountain:

 it's a bird, it's a plane, it's a guy wearing superman underwear in public

Sat 7/5 - AM 50 minutes easy plus 18 minutes in Walden

Walden woods, an easy jog after yesterday's nonsense. Calf soreness lingering on from last Sunday's track race, I did it no favors yesterday. Did some serious direct pressure on it after the run which was painful but felt effective. The hurricane cleared out and clear dry air took its place. Very windy as well of course with the low pressure being chased out of town. This made for some serious chop on the water. Went out against the current for 11 minutes, turned around and it took 7 minutes to get back. I could feel the current pushing me along. Slept in somewhat but still very tired of course. After lunch made the trek up to NH for the second race of the holiday weekend. Maybe not such a great idea, even at the time.