Thu 8/7 - double, 95 minutes total plus 20 minutes in Walden

AM - 20 minutes very easy, Swellesley. On the cool side this morning. This early in the morning it's hard to tell if the calf is getting better or still a stuck mess.

PM - 75 minutes plus 20 minutes in Walden, with drills on Pine Hill. After 10 minutes I figured the drills wouldn't be happening based on the calf feeling like garbage, very frustrating. However, it loosened up just enough that I decided to give the drills a try. Not much hang time or lift but I survived the experience and I think the calf will be better after doing some post-run direct pressure and compressions. Too tired for much else though, the pace of the run remained mostly low-key throughout.

Wed 8/6 - double, 70 minutes plus 15 minutes in Walden

AM - 20 minutes very easy, Swellesley. Rain moved through overnight and the humidity was much lower in its wake, which was nice. Stiff and creaky as usual.

PM - 50 minutes easy, Lincoln woods plus 15 minutes in Walden. I was hoping to have felt a little better by now but the right calf remains a mess. Still on the slow jog protocol as a result. Ugh. Had to cut the pond time short in order to make it to another in a seemingly unending string of appointments.

Tue 8/5 - double, 95 minutes total plus 20 minutes in Walden

AM - 20 minutes very easy, Swellesley. Boulder Brook Reservation this time, a nice change of scenery. Same creaky start, right calf still in rough shape.

PM - 75 minutes, Lincoln woods plus 20 minutes in Walden. Longer and a just a bit quicker than yesterday. Not able to do much in the way of picking up the pace near the end though I half-heartedly tried. Signs that the calf is coming around after the damage I did do it on Sunday. Quite sticky and fairly gross conditions, deer flies are active and angry.

Mon 8/4 - double, 70 minutes total plus 15 minutes in Walden

AM - 20 minutes very easy, Swellesley. Quite creaky, more so than usual. Stiff in places both usual (right calf) and unusual (left instep and SI joint). The former from yesterday's race, the latter from the elliptigo I have to guess. Not exactly what I was expecting but I suppose the movement pattern is different enough to put stress on different areas.

PM - 50 minutes very easy plus 15 minutes in Walden. What became clear over the course of the day at work was that the right calf is absolutely shredded at the moment. Even more clear after the first 10 minutes of this run. It was barely a run at times, thanks to the area being borderline non-functional. No choice but to take it quite easy. Less time to spend in the pond than I'd like due to a scheduled appointment, a bummer as the weather has turned steamy again and the pond was just the respite I needed.

Sun 8/3 - double, 45 minutes incl. road mile plus 55 minutes elliptigo

AM - 45 minutes including road mile. Not feeling especially optimistic going into this race, mainly thanks to the way the right leg has been acting up the past few days and of course the underlying fatigue. Warmed up thoroughly, not feeling especially motivated up until toeing the line. The start was just as fast as I thought it might be and I struggled to deal with it just as I thought I would. Rolled through the quarter in around 65 and buried behind most of the field it seemed. Realized going in I would have to beat old pal Titus to win money and he had staked himself out to a spot just beyond being in contact. There he stayed through the half reached in 2:20, which made for a demoralizing mood on my part. The rubber band started to snap back in the third quarter, reached in 3:34 or so. Still I didn't think I was gaining quickly enough to be able to pass him and make it stick. Made my one and only move with just over 200m to go, created just enough daylight as it turns out. This move put a stunning amount of lactate in my bloodstream however, full body muscle ache as a result. Total time around 4:45, hadn't realized how much difference running point to point makes in terms of time. Still overcast, not too hot but definitely humid.

PM - 55 minutes, elliptigo. Trying out the new toy for the first time. More of a workout than I thought it would be, a little awkward at times but overall invigorating. As expected, got more than a few stares.

Sat 8/2 - PM 60 minutes

Puttering and putzing around Wayland, incl. near the high school and along the aqueduct to Greenways. Trying to figure out sites for various kiddie-related activities as that starts in less than 3 weeks. Harder than I thought, and I found out to my chagrin bikes aren't allowed at Greenways which is a pain in the butt from a coaching perspective. What this meant for the run was that it was a disjointed mess with lots of stops and backtracking. As a bonus, the right calf and hammie feel out of sorts from yesterday, which isn't a surprise but still a disappointment. Did some rolling on the hammie afterward which hasn't been necessary of late. Overcast and cool all day but still quite humid.