Fri 9/25 - PM 60 minutes

Out and back along the Hultman, with a side excursion on the loop trail crammed between the aqueduct and Comm Ave. Some of the heavy-legged stupor has lifted, thankfully. In fact the pace got going at times in the second half of the run and in particular the last 5 minutes or so. Sunny breezy day gave way to dropping temps with sunset.

Thu 9/24 - PM 50 minutes very easy plus 20 minutes in Walden

Lincoln woods. Kiddie practice ended early enough that I found myself with the time to head to the trails again. The happiness over this was tempered by the realization that I had absolutely nothing in the tank. It would appear that in my current vulnerable and fatigued state something as nondescript as yesterday's longish run at a moderate pace was enough to put me over the edge. Doing any actual training this week appears to be an impossibility. Last week's unbroken string of atrociously late bedtimes is certainly not done with me. Not quite as warm as yesterday but warm enough to get in another dip in the pond. Not many chances left for that alas.

Wed 9/23 - PM 80 minutes plus 20 minutes in Walden

Lincoln woods. Another day off, latest in the string of them this month. Coincided with a fantastic day to be outside. Celebrated the opportunity by visiting the horse paddock for the first time in a long while. Originally I had vague notions of doing some kind of workout today but as so often happens when it's just vague, these notions went by the boards. In hindsight it was the right call to go in the woods instead, particularly since the right leg was feeling off most of the way. Did a few pickups on the way back from the pond which felt quite fast even though surely they weren't. Leg felt better after some direct pressure after the run.

Tue 9/22 - off

Straight from work to the ballgame. A bit of bike riding but that was it.

Mon 9/21 - PM 35 minutes

Weston aqueduct to Greenways and back via OCP. Second of the weekday dual meets, not planning on a workout of course after yesterday's fail but I was hoping to get a run in during the lunch hour. Instead I got stuck at work and that window rapidly closed. Ended up squeezing in a shakeout of sorts as the sun was setting over the picturesque vistas of the meadows and trails near the river. Still more tired than I'd like.

Sun 9/20 - AM 65 minutes incl. 4x1600

Longfellow loop. Another case of reality trumping delusion, as the workout I had hoped to accomplish was in no way achievable thanks to an overextended week of too late bedtimes and feeling generally frazzled. After last week's 12k progression I thought 8x1600 with 400m jogs was doable. Realized on the third one that I would have to scale back those aspirations and upon finishing #4 it became abundantly clear I was done as I was unable to crack 6 minutes. Splits of 5:45, 5:57, 5:50, and 6:03. The idea was to keep it at a level where I would have no problem getting through the whole thing and in that sense it was certainly a failure, not sure how much slower it would have needed to be in order to do 8 but I'm thinking somewhere in the 6:20 range. Ego and vanity wouldn't allow for that of course. Dug myself a nice little hole here, hopefully not too hard to get out of it.

Sat 9/19 - AM 90 minutes easy

Lincoln woods. First 60 minutes were very easy with the kiddies, then a bit of a break as they all left, then another half hour at a higher intensity. Backed up all the nights of late bedtimes with a spectacularly late bedtime last night for absolutely no good reason. Left me feeling a bit rough around the edges when it came time to hit the trail. Eventually the jogging woke me up enough to do the last bit alone at a higher tempo. Overcast morning gave way to a delightful sunny day, which I enjoyed with the SO at the pond after the run was done--more diving to the bottom than aquajogging.

Fri 9/18 - PM 30 minutes easy plus 20 minutes in Lake Cochituate

Long-ass day, with clearing the course of weeds coming after practice standing in the sun after the day at work. Sun had already set by the time I shoved off from Danforth Park. Direct to the Wayland town beach from there then in the water for a much appreciated dip in the gathering darkness. Pace picked up a bit on the trip back but still nothing overly impressive. Finished quite late capping off a work week of such things.