Fri 7/31 - PM 20 minutes incl. hill drills plus 65 minutes elliptigo and 20 minutes in Walden

With the day off from work I had every intention of doing this in the morning in cooler conditions. Not to be as I was unable to pry myself out of bed until after 9 AM. That set in motion an inevitable chain of events that led to the decision to bag on a morning workout and go in the afternoon instead. Hot but thankfully the front that came through last night cleared out the humidity to a great extent. In its place was a gusty breeze from the west that made both the aquajogging and the return trip on the elliptigo a bit more of a chore.

Thu 7/30 - PM 70 minutes easy plus 15 minutes in Walden

Lincoln woods. Plans of using the elliptigo went by the boards with afternoon showers that rolled in and set up shop. While this lowered the temperature a bit the humidity of course remained sky high after another punishing day of it. The pond was only slightly wetter than the air today. Deer flies in their element and completely demonic. Moving slowly and creakily most of the way until the final 4 minutes or so. At least there was that.

Wed 7/29 - PM 30 minutes incl. 8x300, circuits

Back to circuits after a week off. High heat and humidity combined with the effects of another long day at work made for low low energy and motivation levels. Thought I was going to extend the volume of the workout a bit tonight but thought better of it as a result. Dragging ass throughout of course. The conditions have steadily worsened with each passing day since returning from the high dry weather of Colorado on Sunday. Seems like a distant memory.

Tue 7/28 - PM 20 minutes plus 60 minutes elliptigo and 20 minutes in Walden

Return to the dork cross-training triathlon. Pushing a higher gear on the whole while riding the elliptigo, although maybe I shouldn't have at times. Knew time was short at the pond and kept the run short as a result, but picked up the pace somewhat. The dip in the pond was much needed as the heat and humidity have increased since yesterday.

Mon 7/27 - 60 minutes easy

Swellesley. Back to the grind of long work days, plus a doctor appt. that made visiting the pond impossible which was a bitter pill indeed. Felt only a little bit better than yesterday, still suffering under the increased gravity of travel and jet lag. The sticky air didn't help.

Sun 7/26 - PM 70 minutes easy

Fresh Pond. After a day of travel back to MA, took a loop around Danehy Park and a couple loops around the pond in the thick sticky air of sea level. Quite the contrast from the high dry conditions of the past week. Very tired, legs stiff from the travel, which along with the heat and humidity made for a pokey pace throughout.

Sat 7/25 - double, 85 minutes total

AM - 50 minutes very easy, Lodo to Washington Street mostly via the creek path. One way trip after dropping off the rental car. Warm morning, took it easy and kept it relaxed.

PM - 35 minutes, Cheesman Park. Looking to do some kind of progression, which ended up being 2.5 laps around the park with the last lap being decidedly faster than the first. Spent the afternoon resting and relaxing which was most necessary as I've crammed in the activities over the past week. Some stiffness in the legs to start out but moving better by the end. A relative term of course thanks to the thin air, which has left me actually looking forward to returning to sea level.

Fri 7/24 - PM 50 minutes

back in Denver, out and back to Washington Park with one loop around. Drove all morning and much of the afternoon to return from the Dunes which made for some fatigue and stiff legs. Predictably though the loop around the park ended up being a hammerfest, ending once I left the park and started the trip back via Downing.

Thu 7/23 - PM 25 minutes very easy plus 4+ hour hike

Another morning hike in the mountains, this time up the South Zapata Lake trail. Didn't reach the end of it alas as it took longer than expected to get as far as we did. The meadow and lake at the end will have to remain a mystery for now. Rugged terrain and plenty of elevation gain. After a late lunch and attempt to nap inside a tent that was more like a convection oven, tried to do a barefoot run along the creek bed. While splashing among the wave surges was a great thrill it was plainly clear the legs were dead and I had no energy to boot. Called it a day early and trudged back up the trail to the campground for a well-deserved rest.