Fri 1/16 - PM 55 minutes incl. 10x 1 minute pickups

Levittown. Looking to do a placeholder session, i.e. the workout that isn't a workout. This will hopefully fit the bill without putting me under. 90 second recoveries between the pickups. Took a long while to get out of bed and out the door following the requisite Friday afternoon nap. Also feeling a little dented from Wednesday, bill coming due for the lack of a decent cooldown then. Maybe should have stopped after the eighth one but stuck it out to the end of the planned amount anyway. Miserable conditions with temps dropping thanks to a bitter north wind bringing in the colder air.

Thu 1/15 - PM 70 minutes easy

Area 51. Relaxed putter with a few longish breaks, incl. to check out the frozen pond near the culvert. Yet another dusting of dry snow fell during the afternoon, coating the rutted ice yet again. With enhanced traction not a big issue but annoying nonetheless. Not as cold as the past few days, a few degrees makes a noticeable and welcome difference.

Wed 1/14 - PM 50 minutes incl. 4xmile, 4x100

Back to the threshold stuff, with mile reps done on a 7 minute time frame. This ended up meaning just over 90 second recoveries. Originally planned to do 4x200 afterward but a combination of being squeezed for time and feeling bit strung out made me rethink that and go with the 100s instead. The wise choice. Thought I would do the mile reps in something around 5:20 or so, but upon passing the first quarter of rep #1 in 84 I had to readjust expectations a bit. That rep was a pronounced progression, the next one too. The last two reps were more even or slightly positive split, and the last one got a bit awkward thanks to stomach issues. Splits:

5:29.5
5:26.3
5:24.2
5:23.8

Cooldown was seriously abbreviated due to aforementioned time pressure.

Tue 1/13 - PM 70 minutes easy

Area 51. A cold trudge all in all. Still desperate enough to be in the woods that I strapped on the extra traction. No issues with the footing, after yesterday's rain turned into today's ice. Quite cold with a north wind during the day that thankfully subsided by sunset. Fingers frozen for pretty much the whole thing. In theory I would have been doing a workout today but Harvard was inaccessible, so it gets pushed to tomorrow.

Mon 1/12 - PM 30 minutes easy

Levittown. Squeezed for time so this was all that was planned in terms of length of run, although I was hoping to do a bit more than jog. However, after not sleeping especially well the last two nights--caffeinated on Saturday night, overblanketed last night--anything uptempo simply wasn't in me today. Flatness accompanied by stiff legs. On top of that I thought I'd head down Rockland which was a mistake as it's pure hockey rink at the moment. Warmer temps today which is a relative thing, but along with it came mostly rain with some sleet.

Sun 1/11 - AM 90 minutes easy

Lincoln woods. The opportunity presented itself to run on these trails and I wasn't going to pass it up even with the snow on the ground. Traction varied from place to place, generally with more ruts where there's more foot traffic, but overall made it through in one piece. Some stiffness from the race but better than expected really. Cold morning but thankfully the wind wasn't nearly as strong as yesterday. Went across the pond which is completely frozen over.

Sat 1/10 - PM 70 minutes incl. track mile

First track mile since last February. In a better spot fitness-wise but as has been the case with each of the track races so far this winter, I've been incapable of getting the most out of whatever shape I'm in. This time around, felt a bit flat and tired before warming up after a somewhat restless night sleeping. In the self-sabotage department the burrito I had for lunch a good 5+ hours before the race was far too spicy, something I didn't even consider at the time. Felt like it might be my undoing while warming up and while this was not at all the case, an unnecessary added layer of discomfort and my breathing may have been affected. As for the race itself I immediately got into 4:40 pace which is what I was aiming for. Maintained this speed more or less through the first half but it was taking more effort than I would have liked. From there it was an increasingly desperate fight against an ever so gradual but inexorable slow down. Tried to squeeze out a little more effort the last 300 but if anything, the last quarter of the race was the slowest. Finished feeling vaguely dissatisfied but also had the disttinct sense that it could have gone worse. Having not been in RLTAC since the NBIGP meet two years ago, I was struck by how dry the air was, uncomfortably so. I don't remember it being that way in all the years working out there. Extended the cooldown a bit, done in two sections.

Fri 1/9 - PM 30 minutes

Aimless jog around Watertown. Wanted to do some strides perhaps but thanks to another passing snow shower band left another dusting to an inch of snow on the area, the nearby track wasn't suitable. Ended up doing a few in the road at the very end of the run but the whole thing was rather half-assed. Tromped up the hill behind Victory field which was quite slippery with the dry powdery stuff on the ground, but couldn't resist as it seems the only green space in town not along the riverbank.