Fri 12/5 - PM 45 minutes incl. 2x 9 minute pickups

Levittown. A quick hitter that I'd planned in advance due to a previous dinner appointment that constrained the available time to go running. The dinner ended up being canceled but I stuck to the short and sweet plan for the run regardless. The accumulated fatigue from the work week influenced this decision. Aiming to get in some type of threshold effort, if the right leg would allow it. Hamstring still feeling tweaked during the day but with some more rolling and cross fiber friction after getting home from work it felt good enough to give it a try. Running totally on feel, trying to progress the effort from beginning to end of each rep. Two minutes recovery between them, with a 10 minute warmup and 15 minute cooldown.

Thu 12/4 - PM 65 minutes easy

Area 51. A bit faster paced than yesterday's run, despite the fact that the right hammie felt worse. Must be DOMS or maybe tweaked it a bit yesterday on top of Tuesday, but definitely feeling the effects of the 200s in the belly of the muscle. Mild strain in all likelihood. Did a fair amount of direct pressure on it during the day at work, probably too much in fact. Rolled out the TFL and IT band, which were also stiff, upon getting home. A little worried about how well the legs will react to training on an indoor oval. Chilly conditions but the wind was bearably light.

Wed 12/3 - 70 minutes easy

Area 51. Creaky as expected, although maybe not quite to the degree I was fearing. Perhaps due to the relatively short length of last night's workout. After a brief period of snow last night, plenty of rain during the day today which combined with warmer temps again has eliminated nearly all of the snow from the trails. Enjoying that particular freedom while it lasts.

Tue 12/2 - PM 50 minutes incl. 16x200

First workout of the season on an indoor track. While I had every intention of doing a different workout on the track in Maynard, keeping it close to home and avoiding the trip to and from Cambridge, the drop in temperature after sunset along with an ill wind blowing had me give up on that idea. In fact I ended up doing every step of the day's running inside. With the late start everything was steamlined, warmup, cooldown and the workout itself. Decided to go with simple, albeit with the swimming-style wrinkle of starting a rep every 90 seconds. In effect, took around 54 seconds rest between reps. Not the last time I'll try an interval workout with this type of setup. Splits:

35.2
36.4
36.3
36.0
35.5
35.7
35.7
35.7
35.2
35.5
35.5
35.3
34.8
34.7
34.1
34.0

I was taken aback by the first split time, then worried I wouldn't be able to make it all the way through if I didn't back off. By the halfway mark though it became clear I would and from there decided to squeeze it down the last four reps. Other than a twinge in the right soleus this went well.

Mon 12/1 - PM 60 minutes easy

Area 51. A scouting mission of sorts to see what the past 36 hours of warm weather did to the snow and ice on the trails. In fact, most of it was gone, even in the shaded spots. A reprieve of sorts for the time being from having to forgo running in the woods. Some stiffness in the right hamstring from yesterday but calf feels decent.

Sun 11/30 - AM 65 minutes incl. 4x1600, 2x800

Longfellow loop. Originally this was to be 6x1600 or three loops around with the 400m recovery jogs included. Decided on the fly to scale back the session after the fourth rep, telling myself at the time that it was because I needed to wrap things up and got a late start. In truth I overbaked the second and third reps and needed an escape hatch. Still, a relatively solid session done in clunker shoes in somewhat windy conditions. Headwind on the way out, tailwind on the way back on each loop. 200m jog between the 800s. Splits:

5:48.4 (1:47.2)
5:39.5 (1:48.4)
5:39.2 (1:52.1) the one that really fried me, thought I was more under control
5:42.9 (1:50.7)
2:46.5 (1:04)
2:42.5

Warming up rapidly over the the course of the morning, with the aforementioned SW wind being a part of that. Right leg hanging in there surprisingly well. Had vague notions of doing a short shakeout run in the evening but decided on discretion instead.

Sat 11/29 - AM 65 minutes easy

Area 51. Broadly similar to yesterday's run, only in the daylight which counts for something. Not slipping and stumbling nearly as much as I could see where I was stepping. Kept it relaxed, various stops to enjoy the wintry scenery. Took a while to get going after lounging in bed for a good while. I had every intention of going for another run in the evening but by late afternoon I could tell that wouldn't be happening.