Thu 11/5 - PM 55 minutes very easy

Area 51. Started from Lower Village and headed down White Pond Road to access the refuge. Harry's Way to Otter Alley and back along the Patrol road to White Pond again. Relaxed recovery run after yesterday's workout, once again in company of the SO. Downright warm even after sunset, t-shirt and shorts weather throughout the day.

Wed 11/4 - 50 minutes incl. 4x(1000,200)

With the Maynard track in use, headed over to Concord for a workout under the starlit skies of Emerson Field. That is to say, not well lit at all. Making this workout especially thrilling was the presence of the SO who joined me on the warmup and cooldown. Looking to get in a session with the most bang for the buck and the alternating long and short reps with 200m recoveries fits the bill for that. Feeling somewhat tired and strung out at the start but once I got going it felt under control. Ran on feel without checking splits which were as follows:

3:30.2 (55.1) 38.6 (54.9)
3:33.8 (52.3) 38.3 (54.0)
3:31.0 (53.2) 38.8 (55.2)
3:31.9 (55.8) 38.5 (30.5-18.4 last 100m)
23:50 total

not that impressive but given the underlying fatigue I'll take it. Somewhat surprised at the recoveries which I thought would be closer to a minute. Cool evening after another unseasonably warm day.

Tue 11/3 - PM 55 minutes

Out along the Hultman to Getchell trail, back via Weston aqueduct. Capped things off with 6x60 sprints on the turf field with a jog recovery around the perimeter of the field for a bit of turnover. Novelty provided by running along the aqueducts in the dark, something I haven't done in the past. Strides on the spongy turf felt decent, legs not terribly busted up from Sunday. Cool with sunset but not unduly so.

Mon 11/2 - PM 65 minutes easy

Area 51. Not the most memorable run ever. Predictable stiffness in legs from yesterday. Unusually mild.

Sun 11/1 - AM 65 minutes incl. 5k road race

Tyngsboro. Back to the hinterlands for this race which I swore off doing after finishing one spot out of the money two years ago. Of course, last year no one showed up and I could have won with ease. This in turn convinced me to give it one more go. Saw the eventual top two within moments of arriving and then old pal Ben a few minutes after that, and figured I had stepped in it again and would be going home empty-handed. Given that I loathe this course with its winding hilly nonsense, I warmed up in a fairly foul mood as a result, and within the first 600m found my fears being realized as I was getting gapped by the aforementioned trio. Pushed it as hard as I reasonably could to try and maintain some sense of contact, my only hope that Ben had bitten off more than he could chew. As we headed up the hills past the mile mark he started to sag, although I didn't think it would be enough for me to catch him. However, by the turnaround I had caught up and went by. With the downhill second half I figured chances were good of being hauled back in, which made the next mile or so a very nervous stretch listening for footsteps. Made it stick in the end and reached the 3 mile mark in the clear, at which point I packed it in and cut the engines. First mile went in just under 5:20, next mile in around 5:40, third mile about 5:30 or so. Finished feeling quite spent, esp. after a less than refreshing night's rest. Overall quite relieved to have avoided winning the wood medal again, although finding out that Ben has only been training for a couple of months makes me think I should give the race a pass next year. Overcast morning with variable conditions, winds at times blustery but while we were racing not so bad.

Sat 10/31 - AM 75 minutes easy

Area 51 to Old Marlboro Road and route 27. Relaxed amble through the woods with a couple stops including a longish one at the refuge VC. High hammies a bit tight from yesterday's session. Cool and crisp morning.

Fri 10/30 - PM 55 minutes incl. 6x200

outskirts of Area 51 then over to the track for six laps of alternating faster and slower 200s. Made possible by the fact that finally, at long last, feeling like something other than pure garbage. Shooting for a 40/50 split, ended up with

50.4/40.5
51.1/39.2
50.1/39.3
50.6/38.7
50.6/38.8
50.1/39.1

Felt good to do something other than jog very slowly for once, as modest as the quicker stuff was. Didn't overdo it although I could feel the fatigue underneath it all. The not-quite-recovery recovery intervals are the current toy I'm enjoying playing with. Cool and still conditions. 

Thu 10/29 - PM 50 minutes very easy

Longfellow to Tiger Drive. Headed out the door thinking I'd do some kind of faster paced running, anything really, but within five minutes of setting out I knew it wasn't to be. Despite yesterday's off day feeling no more refreshed or energetic than earlier in the week. As such, the run started slow and tailed off from there. Again, a week going by the boards without any training to show for it. Mild conditions after yesterday's rain at least.

Wed 10/28 - off

Rain started in the mid-afternoon and didn't quit all evening. With temps cold enough to make it truly miserable, I got home from kiddie practice feeling even more tired than the past few days which is saying something. Then the nonsense with the tv service started, which sucked up well over an hour and I knew I'd be taking a zero.

Tue 10/27 - PM 55 minutes easy

Area 51. The tiredness continues.

Mon 10/26 - PM 70 minutes easy

Area 51. Not feeling much better than yesterday after returning to the workaday grind. Tired and flat in other words.

Sun 10/25 - PM 75 minutes very easy

Track road to Area 51, returning via radar station hill. After yesterday's super long day and attendant late bedtime, found myself buried by errands for much of the day. Finally got out the door in the late afternoon with my lovely SO for company and we headed to the refuge via track road with nice views of the river en route. Long stop at the now decommissioned radar tower, it's been long enough since I had visited this part of the area that I assumed it was still in operation. No longer. Moving very gingerly overall after yesterday and in no particular rush. Cool and still conditions as the sun was setting.