Mon 12/26 - double, 85 minutes total incl. 2(6x40 seconds)

AM - 40 minutes very easy. Morning run with the CH, the first time in a while I've had company.

PM - 45 minutes, Levittown. Very brief on the warmup and cooldown, most of the workout consisted of the pickups which were done with a 2 minute recovery. More "workout that isn't a workout" type stuff, glorified strides, etc. Felt reasonably smooth if not particularly fast.

Sun 12/25 - off

Squeezed by travel and time constraints. Got home dead tired which led to a long nap, woke up far too late for even a short run. Sucks.

Sat 12/24 - AM 31 minutes

Treadmill. Squeezed by a combination of horrible weather and looming holiday plans which left me with no other choice than to do a short run on the treadmill instead of the longer easy run I would have preferred. Very frustrating of late trying to get in any kind of training volume on the recovery days, there's always a reason it seems why it doesn't come off. Right calf a bit sore from yesterday.

Fri 12/23 - PM 55 minutes incl. 3 mile tempo, 3x400

Combination threshold/race pace session, or so I would like to think. Started with a cutdown changing gears every half mile. Splits of 3:02.6, 2:58.9, 2:55.7, 2:51.6, 2:48.4 and 2:43.9. Mostly well under control, although a bit quick at the start and handled each step in pace reasonably well. 12 minute plus break after that which included changing into spikes and doing a few strides on the infield in anticipation of ripping off 4x400 on a 2 minute schedule, i.e. less than 50 seconds recovery. Hit the first two in under 72 as I had hoped, on the third one the effort got noticeably harder and the split slower, although only by a bit at 72.2. The short recovery was the key factor though, and I decided to pull the plug and try again another day rather than blow myself up completely. Splits are beneath mediocre but given how utterly lacking the fitness level has been of late it's a start.

Thu 12/22 - 50 minutes easy incl. 5x150

Started off by jogging over to the track, changed into spikes and ran 5 of the "speed development" 150s with the middle portion near top end. Jogged back home after that to drop off the shoes and went out for a slow putter around town. Not particularly motivated or energetic. Cold but not windy.

Wed 12/21 - PM 60 minutes easy

Easy run around Maynard, on roads as the trails are currently unmanageable in the snow.

Tue 12/20 - PM 65 minutes incl. 6x1 minute, 8x 30 seconds, 6x 1 minute

Levittown. Back and forth and along just about every street of the warren save the hilly ones. Trying to hold something in reserve the first half of the minute long reps, with equal time recovery this was a self-regulating mechanism. The 30 second reps went with 90 second recoveries, ideally more turnover without rigging. Overall a decent workout, getting a bit tired by the end. Cold but not frigid, and with little wind thankfully.

Mon 12/19 - 36 minutes

Treadmill. 5 miles starting at 8.5 and moving up to the 10 mph max. Late start and quite cold outside, which killed all desire to head out the door. This was the fallback option. Felt quite smooth as runs on the treadmill always do.

Sun 12/18 - 55 minutes easy

Strictly roads around Maynard, as the snow has the trails socked in for now. Took forever to get out the door which curtailed the length of what was supposed to be a longer easy recovery run. Instead a shorter easy recovery run. Legs felt reasonably good for the number of laps on the track yesterday. About 40 degrees warmer than it was two days ago.

Sat 12/17 - PM 70 minutes incl. 4x1000, 2(400,400,200,200)

Mixed platter of longer and shorter reps. The threshold portion of the workout went faster than planned, although I had only a vague idea going in of what pace I could reasonably hit. Short sets with short rest, 45-50 seconds after reach 400 (on 2 minutes a la swimming intervals) and just under 5 minutes between sets. Tacked on an extra 200 to the original plan for each set. Broke the magic 35 second barrier on the final rep. Forthwith the numbers:

3:32.5 (63)
3:29.3 (60)
3:27.9 (58)
3:27.5
5R
74.5-74.3-35.1-35.1
5R
73.1-72.7-35.1-34.7

While not rigging out on the short stuff it sure felt like about the limit at the moment. 

Fri 12/16 - PM 55 minutes

Area 51. Slightly longer loop than yesterday's. Similar conditions though, very cold and windy, and similar footing of course. Threw in a few pickups of modest length and intensity but hardly anything worth writing home about.

Thu 12/15 - PM 60 minutes easy

Area 51. Deep freeze arrived with a vengeance overnight with plenty of wind as well. Avoided any undue discomfort thankfully with the right selection of layers. Footing dicey in places but able to slog through regardless, slowed down on the trails of course.

Wed 12/14 - AM 75 minutes incl. 6x200, 4x150, 6x200

First time on the indoor track in ten months. Workout that isn't a workout on the docket, 200s with long recoveries, once around the exterior of the track on the flat floor which wound up taking just under 1:40 or so. Most of the 200s went in something between 36 and 37, with one each set under 36. In between sets, changed into spikes and ran the 150s with the middle third of each one at something around 95% which hopefully wasn't too much. Warmup and cooldown at a pokey pace, outside in the screeching wind.

Tue 12/13 - PM 85 minutes easy

Summerhill-Winter-Tiger Drive-Longfellow, with the briefest of incursions into McMansionville. Something of a continuation of yesterday's slog, at no point did I feel the least bit energetic or capable of anything more than a slow jog. Forced myself to do some short pickups on the way in.

Mon 12/12 - 65 minutes easy

Slow putter around Levittown. Listless and heavy-legged after yesterday, made the run something of a chore. At least it wasn't as cold today. Morning storm, like the last one snow followed by rain but more of each, made for obnoxiously slippy footing in places. Short choppy strides all the way.

Sun 12/11 - AM 65 minutes incl. 5k road race

Reality colder than the weather, as I had deluded myself into thinking I would be capable of doing this race much quicker than the deadlocked 5:30 pace I'm currently stuck at for this distance. In fact, I couldn't run faster than that for a 5k road race if my life depended on it at the moment. Not that anything I've done over the past 6 weeks, 6 months or whatever would indicate anything to the contrary. Perhaps I'll even do something about any of the number of root causes for this. It would certainly be nice if I could get something resembling a decent sleep schedule going. Chest sore afterward, to a much greater degree than I was expecting even with the cold weather. Likely the last time I'll be paying Walter's Run a visit, a race I've enjoyed over the years but the thrill is gone along with any chance of me winning the thing.

Sat 12/10 - PM 45 minutes easy

Easy shakeout with the CH after a long day, with a good chunk of the morning spent standing around in the cold. Very cold. Finished up with a few short strides up Thompson Road.

Fri 12/9 - PM 50 minutes incl. 3x8 minute pickups

Levittown. After the past two days of getting started far too late, I promised myself I'd get going far earlier today. Instead I started even later, which compressed the overall length of the run and made the warmup and cooldown decidedly truncated. Unable to muster up any form of self-discipline whatsoever when it comes to such things. The workout itself went reasonably well, other than some stomach issues and feeling a bit flat of course. Windy and cold conditions, bundled up as much as I ever would be for a hard session.

Thu 12/8 - PM 65 minutes

Area 51. Longer loop at a somewhat quicker clip than yesterday, although the first 15-20 minutes were pokey. Finished with some halfhearted hill sprints on Fairfield, nothing really organized or sensible. Still flat, still not getting to bed nearly early enough. Got started at the exact same far too late time as yesterday in fact thanks to another long nap and taking forever to get out of bed after waking up from it.

Wed 12/7 - PM 55 minutes easy

Area 51. Took far too long in getting out the door and this cut down on the length of the run by a good bit. Feeling it from not taking a nap yesterday and making no concession whatsoever in terms of bedtime. Of course. Sluggish throughout the run as well, unsurprisingly.

Tue 12/6 - 55 minutes incl. 2 (8x1 minute)

Longfellow loop. Very straightforward session of minute on, minute off, with the caveat of trying to ease into each repeat hopefully finishing at a quicker rhythm over the back half than the first 30 seconds. Effort was consistent throughout. Got a later start than I'd like which made for a slightly shorter run overall.

Mon 12/5 - PM 65 minutes

Area 51. The dreaded wintry mix arrived early in the morning, with snow followed by rain ensuring plenty of poor footing and slippery traction. The sidewalks were left a mess, while the untreated and mostly untrammeled trails of the refuge were somewhat better. Either way a drag. Wanted to get some hill sprints or drills done but ran out of time.

Sun 12/4 - PM 70 minutes easy

Area 51. Easy run down in the refuge with the CH. The wind that was blasting all day yesterday finally slacked by late afternoon, not coincidentally when we determined it was worth heading out the door.

Sat 12/3 - PM 70 minutes incl. 3.4 mile road race

Last minute decision to add another sandbag race to the list. In this case a loop around Lake Quanapowitt, a very flat and at times scenic course. Alas, the wind was raking from the NW such that most of the first 2k or so was an exercise in getting blasted with some stand-up gusts. Nearly ruined what was otherwise a decent experience. Tried to save something for the third mile when I knew the wind would be at my back, in the end though all three mile splits were within four seconds of each other, clustered just above 5:30. Controlled but still an effort, feeling fairly flat coming into the day. Cooldown was an easy jog on the neighborhood side streets in an attempt to escape the wind's not so gentle caress.

Fri 12/2 - PM 40 minutes very easy

Easy putter after a much shorter nap than has been the norm. I had delusions of doing some pickups on the way in but it became clear after 10 minutes or so that I'd do well to keep the pace from devolving to a crawl. Very tired and flat, shouldn't have been too much of a surprise after yesterday.

Thu 12/1 - PM 70 minutes incl. 8x 3.5 minute pickups

Area 51. Back to the refuge driveway, this time for shorter reps with shorter recoveries, i.e. a minute jog between each. Despite some trepidation over feeling less than energetic upon heading out the door, the session went well overall. The effort certainly felt consistent. Getting blinded by the stupid floodlight on the outside of the bathroom building, which was tripped every time I passed by due to its overly sensitive PIR sensor, was the most annoying thing about the evening in fact. Warm enough that a long sleeved shirt and shorts were sufficient.

Wed 11/30 - PM 45 minutes

With rain pouring down today harder and colder than yesterday, going outside wasn't going to happen. 6 miles on the treadmill, in two bouts of 3 miles starting out at 6 mph and ticking up to 10 mph which is as fast as the CH's treadmill goes as it turns out. Once at 10 I kept it going another couple of minutes until the 3 mile mark was reached. Longish break in between the two segments. Had I started earlier I certainly could have done another 3 miles or else done two longer segments instead and run for longer. As is the case on the treadmill, felt quite smooth.

Tue 11/29 - PM 70 minutes easy

Area 51. Waited out the worst of the day's driving rain, wound up overdressed for the dregs of it in fact. Some soreness in the right calf from yesterday plus a little bonus stiffness in the right adductor from being on the track for the first time in a while. Took the requisite long time to get out the door but at least I got started before 7 PM this time.

Mon 11/28 - PM 60 minutes incl. 10x200

An attempt at true leg prep, i.e. not what I've been calling "leg prep" the past few years but rather a workout that's not a workout. In this case, 200 meter reps with 400 meter recoveries, run continuously at a "no rig" speed. Partly this was motivated by the fact that I had to push this session up a day to avoid the horrible weather that's forecast for tomorrow, and I knew in my bones that I wasn't close to recovered from the weekend. Also dreading the prospect of doing turnover work in what were legitimately cold if almost perfectly still conditions. As it turned out the fatigue was more worth worrying about as I could definitely feel it. Took a few reps to dip under the magical 40 second barrier for the 200s, not sure if this is a measure of how atrocious my fitness is or of how hard it was to get going in the chill weather. I'm going with the former though, as I'm really out of shape at the moment.

40.4 (1:57.0)
41.7 (1:56.2)
40.7 (1:52.3)
38.9 (1:52.9)
38.9 (1:56.2)
39.0 (1:53.4)
38.1 (1:51.2)
37.8 (1:52.9)
38.3 (1:58.4)
38.2 (2:03.4)

As unimpressive a set of splits as one will ever see.

Sun 11/27 - double, 1:35 total

AM - 65 minutes very easy, Lincoln woods. Easy putter in the woods with the CH. While I knew going in that the fallen leaves would make running here more problematic, the actual experience was still annoying with the reduced traction. Tried to mix it up with clear stretches and road when necessary. Tired.

PM - 30 minutes easy. Thought I'd do something a bit more uptempo but it wasn't happening. Still too tired and flat from the past few days. Not exactly quality volume today.

Sat 11/26 - double, 80 minutes total incl. 3k xc race

AM - 45 minutes incl. 3k xc race. Another race after Thursday's effort maybe the last thing I needed but it was worth the while nonetheless. Course included multiple sets of hay bales which I scrupulously avoided while warming up. Thankfully no real competition to speak of which made it a low-stress occasion. Warmup and cooldown focused mainly on scrounging empties. Nice bit of running at Horn Pond before the race.

PM - 35 minutes easy. Trying to boost the volume if only a little bit. Not quite as energetic as I'd like.

Fri 11/25 - AM 30 minutes easy

Easy shakeout, plan was to follow it up with an evening jog as well but too tired and too late by the time we got home.

Thu 11/24 - AM 55 minutes incl. 5k cross country race

Maudslay Park. Felt like I ran a much better race than last year, triumphed in the old fart category and rather convincingly to boot. Moved through the field throughout after dodging the kids and people dressed in turkey costumes in the initial mad dash across the field. Made good progress on people heading uphill. In terms of time though, pretty much the same as a year ago. Less amenable conditions with much colder temps and a bit of a breeze. Planned on an evening shakeout but it wasn't to be after having dinner out.

Wed 11/23 - 55 minutes easy

Area 51. Got home from work super early and still didn't get out the door for an easy shakeout until it was already well past sunset. A recurring and seemingly hopeless theme. Legs feeling fine at least.

Tue 11/22 - 65 minutes incl. 5x hill reps

Area 51, then headed over to Garfield and McKinley for some runs around the block that involved going up and over the neighborhood bump. Controlled effort at the end, trying to get some turnover on the way down and using the flat to recover.

Mon 11/21 - 45 minutes easy

Summerhill to Tiger Drive via Winter St. Typical dawdling nonsense getting out the door, even though I no longer have coaching as an excuse. Just lazy apparently. This curtailed the length of the day's run.

Sun 11/20 - AM 90 minutes incl. 4x 6 minutes

Area 51. Long warmup with the CH through the trails, followed up by running the length of the refuge driveway with 2 minute recoveries. Why I haven't thought to use this stretch of road in the past for workouts is beyond me, as it has much to offer. Next to no traffic even on their busiest of days, a modest bump of a hill about halfway along providing some resistance without being overwhelming, and just far enough from home to make for a decent but not overly long warmup/cooldown. Won't be my last time back there for sure. Blustery conditions meant that the first and third reps were into a decent headwind. In a perfect world I would have done more reps, maybe a lot more, but four will have to do for the time being given how tremendously worn down and unfit I am at the moment. Also started late enough that I had to cut it short in order to get home for lunch at a reasonable hour. No idea exactly how long the driveway was, splits got a bit quicker as I got into them:

6:01.6 out
5:51.3 back
5:55.4 out
5:43.2 back

Sat 11/19 - double, 75 minutes total

AM - 30 minutes very easy, pre-breakfast shakeout with a few uphill strides thrown in near the end.

PM - 45 minutes easy, hoping to do a little more but legs were fried from the running back and forth during the afternoon at the final kiddie meet of the season.

Fri 11/18 -

Thu 11/17 -

Wed 11/16 -

Tue 11/15 -

Mon 11/14 -

Sun 11/13 - 50 minutes incl. 4x3 minute pickups

Longfellow loop. Cut the planned session way short due to feeling like garbage, as usual. Frustrating to say the least. Mired in the rut and sleeping so poorly I see little light at the end of the tunnel.

Sat 11/12 - PM 70 minutes

Area 51

Fri 11/11 - double, 50 minutes easy

AM - 25 minutes easy pre-breakfast shakeout

PM - 25 minutes again, slightly faster than the morning. Lamest double ever in all likelihood. Dead flat tired.

Thu 11/10 - off

exhausted

Wed 11/9 - 50 minutes incl. 8-6-4-2-1 minute pickups

Longfellow loop. Typical late start caused me to cut back on the length of this session, which felt like a tired imitation of an actual quality workout. Trying to impose some sort of order and framework to get out of the doldrums, we'll see how that works. Right piriformis remains tight, something that hasn't been an issue of late because I haven't been running far enough or hard enough for it to be a concern.

Tue 11/8 - double, 65 minutes total

AM - 30 minutes very easy. Pre-breakfast run made possible by the mandatory 2 hour delay in school for the election. Which sure went well.

PM - 35 minutes incl. 6 short hill repeats on Garfield. Attempting to incorporate some kind of resistance work as the winter and track season approaches.

Mon 11/7 - PM 60 minutes easy

Area 51. Took a long time getting out the door, as usual.

Sun 11/6 - double, 80 minutes total incl. 6x200

AM - 50 minutes very easy, Area 51. Morning shakeout with the CH. Tired

PM - 30 minutes including 6x200. What passes for uptempo running these days. Pathetic.

Sat 11/5 - PM 30 minutes easy

Super late start after spending the morning at the antepenultimate kiddie meet and then much of the afternoon conked out asleep. Leaning into the punch at this point.

Fri 11/4 - off

bill came due for Wednesday night's far too late bedtime. Losing track of all the days off of late, zero training continuity.

Thu 11/3 - 30 minutes easy

Putter around Maynard after staying up far too late last night. Compelling ball game but not worth it given how fried I am right now.

Wed 11/2 - PM 45 minutes

Area 51 from Lower Village. Ran with the CH, got started far too late yet again. Typically flat.

Tue 11/1 - 65 minutes easy

Area 51.Would have gone longer but for the now usual late start. Falling hard at the end of the coaching season.

Mon 10/31 - PM 55 minutes easy

Area 51. Quite slow to start, not an especially memorable run otherwise.

Sun 10/30 - 40 minutes very easy

Stumbling around the woods near the B+B in Marion where we spent the night. Legs feel like I ran a marathon yesterday, not a half marathon. I suppose a lack of training and time on task in the weeks leading up to the big day will do that to a person. Ugh.

Sat 10/29 - AM 90 minutes incl. half marathon

About what I might have expected, which is to say a dispiriting and slow effort. Not at all surprising really, although I kept up a brave front for a good chunk of the race. Maybe starting out slower in deference to my obviously compromised fitness level wasn't a consideration, or else I'm just that tone-deaf to what an appropriate pace would be for this distance at the moment. As it was, blasted through the first three miles at 5:45 pace and each mile after that was slower than the one before. Which would have been tolerable had I not been keelhauled by a 52 year old just before the 8 mile mark. I was at least 30 seconds up on him at the halfway point. The rest of the way was an increasingly uncomfortable trudge as I bonked in earnest the last two miles. Jogged it in the last mile which is the difference between running 79 and 80 minutes.

Fri 10/28 - 30 minutes

Almost a hat trick of zeros, got home from the most stupidly and inconveniently scheduled of any of the kiddie meets nice and late. Cherry on the sundae was the wind-driven rain I got to stand around in, a continuation of last night's wind-driven rain. Unwilling to accept three days off in a row leading up to what was supposed to be the capstone race of my fall season. The beatings continue.

Thu 10/27 - off

Painted myself into a corner with yet another too long nap after coming home, awoke to a driving rain and an appointment that couldn't have been more inconvenient. Just trying to get through this time in one piece and not doing a good job of it.

Wed 10/26 - off

slept through the late afternoon and early evening. Completely underwater at the moment with regards to fatigue.

Tue 10/25 - PM 65 minutes

Area 51. Longer route than yesterday's with longer pickups at a more controlled (i.e. slower) speed than on yesterday's run. Once again a chore getting out of bed from the afternoon nap to get out the door.

Mon 10/24 - PM 55 minutes easy

Area 51. Took a long while to get out the door which made for a pokey start to the run as well. Feeling quite tired after the busy weekend. Not especially surprising. Short fast pickups on the way in.

Sun 10/23 - double, 80 minutes total

AM - 25 minutes very easy. Pre-breakfast shakeout

PM - 55 minutes very easy, Walden woods with the CH.

Sat 10/22 - double, 1:50 total incl. 5k road race

AM - 60 minutes very easy, Lincoln woods. Final Saturday morning run with the kiddies. Took it easy in light of what's coming up in the evening.

PM - 50 minutes incl. 5k road race. Unable to resist the lure of a weekend race held in the evening, a purely marketing driven move but one that worked out for me just fine. Legs not too heavy during the race and felt smooth throughout. Warmup a bit truncated, no issues though once the race started as I was in the clear after a minute or so. Course was mostly flat, including a stretch in the same office park as the other race I've done in Mansfield in the past. Cooldown longer than the warmup.

Fri 10/21 - PM 50 minutes easy

Area 51. Tired as usual, took a while to get out the door.

Thu 10/20 - off

Complete cluster. Thought I'd make up for yesterday's miss by doing a workout in the field next to Mt. Misery, drove there and realized I was running out of daylight. From there on to Concord where I tried to take a nap in the car, didn't really happen. Decided to bag trying to run there and drove home, took a nap in bed that lasted until almost nine. Completely used up at the moment by the ongoing, neverending, punishing schedule.

Wed 10/19 - PM 20 minutes easy

Failed attempt at doing some kind of workout. The fact that I had about a thousand different options swirling around in my head and yet none of them seemed attractive or compelling was a definite clue it wasn't in the cards. Also dead tired after a long afternoon and evening with no potential for any kind of nap.

Tue 10/18 - PM 75 minutes easy

Area 51. Took a longer route than yesterday and threw in a series of short quick pickups, starting out well before the final way in. Given how terrible the left hammie felt yesterday, I was pleasantly surprised at how smoothly those pickups went.

Mon 10/17 - PM 50 minutes easy

Area 51. As per usual, took forever to get going after getting home from work and taking a too-long nap. Legs feeling far too dented, particularly the left hamstring, for the mediocre at best effort that I put up yesterday.

Sun 10/16 - AM 55 minutes incl. 3.4 mile road race

Cynical sandbagging at its finest. After getting home late from an all afternoon/evening kiddie meet, and an atrociously late bedtime after that, I woke up feeling absolutely putrid. Put my trust in caffeine to get me through the lowest of low key events, but still feeling dead and flat on the warmup. Some concern about how I'd be able to answer the bell. Luckily the competition consisted of the likes of female triathletes and JV soccer captains, and as such the competitive aspect of the race was over after about 3 or 4 minutes. From there ran on feel since there was no mile split, but two and three both revealed that I was going about 5:40 pace. On this mostly flat layout that's far from impressive. Spent the rest of the afternoon running errands on a caffeine buzz.

Sat 10/15 - AM 40 minutes easy

Area 51. Thanks to my own laziness and poor planning, this run was shorter than originally intended.  Had some difficulty getting motivated to get out the door. At the bottom of an unusually deep hole in terms of not getting enough sleep, even for me.

Fri 10/14 - off

Had every intention of doing something, glorified strides or whatever, on the track at Emerson field. Started across the field to warm up and realized I had nothing. Deeply tired right now.

Thu 10/13 - PM 55 minutes easy

Lincoln woods. Out and back more or less to the new VC. Intentionally did a little less volume after yesterday's big day.

Wed 10/12 - double, 1:50 total incl. 12k progression

AM - 65 minutes incl. 12k progression, Longfellow Loop. First visit to the loop in a long while. So long in fact that certain streets on the loop have been repaved since the last time I ran here. Given how flat and listless I've been feeling of late, not at all sanguine about how this would go but decided to give it a try and quit if it went poorly. Made it through the entire thing in one piece instead, which was a pleasant surprise. Splits not overwhelming but there was a progression:

5:53.5/6:02.6/2:49.8
5:57.2/6:01.0/2:48.7
5:51.1/5:54.7/2:47.1

The last loop was noticeably harder to pull off than the first two. No way in hell this workout would have happened without the day off from work, second this week.

PM - 45 minutes very easy, Area 51. Shakeout with the CH in the late afternoon.

Tue 10/11 - PM 55 minutes

Lincoln woods. Continued flat and tired.

Mon 10/10 - PM 60 minutes easy

Area 51. Day off from work but feeling far from rested. Planned on doing something more substantive today but it was a chore just to do some pickups on the way in.

Sun 10/9 - PM 70 minutes easy

Area 51. The predicted light rain was in fact a solid 24 hours of steady showers, remnants of the hurricane. This wouldn't have been such an issue were it not for the fact I had to stand around in the weather for 4 hours in the morning getting drenched. Took a long nap in the afternoon but it wasn't enough really. Headed out the door as the final bands of rain were making their way through, with the frustration level climbing throughout. Cooler temps to go with what's supposed to be a tropical storm saw to that.

Sat 10/8 - AM 70 minutes very easy

Lincoln woods. Took the kiddies around Farrar Pond which gave me the opportunity to recover a bit from yesterday's workout. Cool start to the morning but warmed up rapidly and somewhat sticky as well.

Fri 10/7 - PM 65 minutes incl. 4k, 3k, 2k, 1k

Lincoln. After decades of running through the field next to Mt. Misery, I finally got around to using the perimeter loop for a workout. Not a bad spot for it although the footing got a bit dodgy as the sun went down and darkness took over. Timed everything but ran on feel. In fact it was a last minute decision to actually go through with this, as I was thinking about giving it a pass and just going for a run in the woods instead. Supposedly the loop is quite close to 1km around, I suppose the numbers bear that out but they're not exactly impressive:

15:25.1 - 3:54.5/3:51.4/3:52.1/3:47.1
4R
11:26.1 - 3:47.4/3:49.8/3:48.9
3R
7:29.7 - 3:45.5/3:44.2
2R
3:36

Thu 10/6 - off

Yesterday's zero somewhat unexpected, this one hit from out of the blue. Came home from work dog tired, went down for a nap and simply incapable of mustering the energy to get out the door. It appears the bill has come due from the past six weeks of overextended nonsense.

Wed 10/5 - off

Missed my window to run, which was after work and before the kiddie meet. Foolishly thought I could squeeze in something of substance after the meet was over and we returned, of course that went by the boards. Frustrating.

Tue 10/4 - PM 70 minutes easy

Area 51. Took a really long time to get out the door today after getting home from practice. Hoping to put in a few pickups on the way in but it really didn't happen.

Mon 10/3 - PM 55 minutes very easy

Lincoln woods with the CH. Feeling tired but not especially sore after yesterday.

Sun 10/2 - double, 85 minutes total incl. 8x400

AM - 30 minutes easy. Pre-breakfast shakeout.

PM - 55 minutes incl. 8x400 with 200 jog recoveries. I had planned for something more substantial but after a long day of doing errands I found myself running out of time to get in a second workout and feeling a bit peaked as well. In the end settled on doing the Deek, more or less, although the recoveries weren't quite the float they're supposed to be and closer to a jog. Still around 55 seconds or so. The reps themselves started at 82 and ended at 79 and gradually got down from beginning to end. Specific numbers gone as I accidentally cleared my watch afteward.

Sat 10/1 - AM 65 minutes very easy

Lincoln woods. Quite relaxed and I wasn't feeling like doing anything more later in the day.

Fri 9/30 - PM 55 minutes very easy

Lincoln woods. Over to the pond and back with the CH. Awfully tired, too tired to put in any extra time ahead of her arrival.

Thu 9/29 - PM 65 minutes very easy

Area 51. Feeling quite tired after yesterday's long day. Some stiffness in right quad.

Wed 9/28 - PM 60 minutes incl. 8x1000

First nighttime track session in a long while. Timed pickups on the roads also a possibility of course but I couldn't bring myself to do that. Tried to run on feel, but that didn't keep me from checking the watch at the 400m mark of every rep. Tried to stay under control the first 800 and pick it up the final 200 of each one. 200m jog recovery. Splits:

3:39.5 (57.2)
3:40.0 (53.8)
3:38.7 (55.0)
3:39.6 (67.4) changed direction
3:39.3 (59.4)
3:36.4 (57.2)
3:37.1 (58.6)
3:37.3 (62.2)

Tue 9/27 - PM 55 minutes

Area 51. Moving quicker today than in any day the past week except for Sunday's race. Spry enough to throw in some short fast pickups on the way in. A novel sensation on the whole.

Mon 9/26 - PM 75 minutes very easy

Lincoln woods. Another relaxed jaunt with the CH, which makes a post-race day recovery run all the more enjoyable. Some stiffness in right quad.

Sun 9/25 - PM 60 minutes incl. 5k road race

Another out and back trip in Allston/Brighton, slower than last year but not too worked up about it. In addition to the overweening exhaustion of late, gusty winds were raking all day and from a direction that somehow made it feel like a headwind both out and back. Unable to match the final move made by the whippersnapper wearing a t-shirt and headphones which is how it goes nowadays. Happy to make it though in one piece.

Sat 9/24 - AM 65 minutes very easy

Lincoln woods. Similar route to yesterday but with the kiddies this time. Feeling somewhat less strung out but still not close to well-rested. Nice morning to be outside.

Fri 9/23 - PM 65 minutes very easy

Lincoln woods. Feeling better than the past two days which isn't saying much but happy for any signs of life at all.

Thu 9/22 - PM 25 minutes very easy

Barely made it out the door and up the road to Tiger Drive before turning around and heading back. The evening's exercise could hardly be called a run, more like a glorified stroll. Feeling absolutely crushed from fatigue. Right calf has been sore all week and today was no different, the usual mild strain garbage that seems more stubborn than usual. Good times all around.

Wed 9/21 - PM 30 minutes very easy

Supposedly going to work out today but far too flat to see it through. Also ran out of time for it. Really tired right now.

Tue 9/20 - PM 65 minutes elliptigo arc

Framingham/Sudbury. Avoided what I'm sure would have been some degree of DOMS in the legs by using the dork bike. Tired.

Mon 9/19 - PM 85 minutes very easy

Lincoln woods. Relaxed trip to CCHS and back with the CH. Low key with various stops sprinkled in from the midpoint on. Not that sore from yesterday.

SUn 9/18 - AM 65 minutes incl. 5k road race

Successful sandbagging, which did nothing to change the fact that the 18 minute "performance" felt like a 17 minute effort. Dragging and tired from the get-go which of course had a lot to do with this, I hope. Humid and somewhat windy conditions, mildly obnoxious really. Course was also fairly obnoxious at least at the outset with many turns in the first mile. In the end, a 5:40 mile followed by two 6 minute miles. Longish cooldown that was a slow putter.

Sat 9/17 - AM 65 minutes easy

Lincoln woods. A return to the scene of yesterday's run but with the kiddies this time. Different route this time with a very easy first 30 minutes followed by a gradual increase in pace towards the end until the final 800 meters or so which was a sprint. I had hopes of getting in a second workout later in the day but it wasn't happening.

Fri 9/16 - PM 75 minutes easy

Lincoln woods. Escaped to the trails after a somewhat trying day at kiddies practice at the end of a typically exhausting week. Unable to move much faster than a crawl, alas.

Thu 9/15 - PM 65 minutes elliptigo arc

Framingham/Sudbury. Eager to get on the dork bike after yesterday's workout. If nothing else, feels more productive than shuffling through a slow jog.

Wed 9/14 - PM 65 minutes incl. 4x7 minute repeats

Wayland. Unable to get anything done between work and the kiddie race, dead tired as I was. Chose instead to wait until the meet was done before trying to do something of some substance. I had no idea where or what that would be and things only fell into place when I realized that the main loop of the WHS course would suffice for longish reps. Mostly flat but with the bump in the corner, each lap somewhere just shy of 900m I'd guess. Wound up doing 4x2 laps with about 90 second jog recoveries, starting in the twilight and finishing in the dark. Switched direction after each one as well. The last one was a bit slower but I think this was down more to not being able to see where I was stepping. Otherwise felt reasonably controlled throughout. Legs not worth much afterward. Humid all day with a passing shower that was quite strong, dropped the temp for a bit but did nothing for the mugginess.

Tue 9/13 - PM 20 minutes

2x10 minute jogs down Beacon Street from my super secret parking spot to the ballyard and back some 3.5 hours later. The last game of the season I'll be attending in person in all likelihood. 

Mon 9/12 - PM 75 minutes easy

Lincoln woods. Headed over after kiddie practice and squeezed in every remaining minute of usable daylight. Right calf tweaked as usual, hamstring a bit tight from yesterday as well.

Sun 9/11 - double, 60 minutes incl. 5k race, 40 minutes elliptigo and 15 minutes in Lake Cochituate

AM - 60 minutes incl. 5k. Another early wakeup call, this time heading into the city and on the ferry to Peddocks Island. Had enough time to run the loop we then ran in the race twice. Dripping with sweat as the humidity was ridiculous even if the temperature wasn't sky high. Threatening clouds let loose 3 minutes into the race with a cloudburst that at the very least cooled things off. Very windy as well. These things, plus a twisty windy two-loop course that I seriously doubt was actually 5k, made for an exceedingly slow time. Not that I cared. Cooldown was a leisurely extended affair checking out the rest of the island before being hustled back to shore.

PM - 40 minutes elliptigo arc plus 15 minutes in Lake Cochituate. After spending a chunk of the afternoon hacking weeds and downed trees, took a roundabout route to the lake on the dork bike and went aquajogging in some of the choppiest waters I can remember dealing with. The wind scoured out most of the gross sticky air from the morning leaving a much nicer if turbulent afteroon.

Sat 9/10 - 60 minutes elliptigo plus 15 minutes in Lake Boon

After spending the morning at Maudslay Park in Newburyport watching other people run got home bone tired. Got on the road eventually but later than I would have wanted, making the return trip a somewhat fraught affair in gathering darkness. Took the longer way to the lake, via route 27 and Hudson road, coming back via Fairbank.

Fri 9/9 - 55 minutes easy plus 20 minutes in Walden

Lincoln woods. I had planned on hopefully doing something of higher intensity today but it wasn't to be, far too tired by the end of the day. Wound up running to the pond, having a dip and then heading back. Wound up to an obnoxious level of mania by the various coaching obligations weighing on my fragile mind.

Thu 9/8 - PM 60 minutes elliptigo arc

Wayland. Took my turn on the dork bike after the kiddies had theirs. Thought I would get into the lake but it wasn't to be.

Wed 9/7 - PM 35 minutes easy

Squeezed in a quick run around the periphery of Area 51 between work and the first weekday afternoon meet of the season. Stiff and right quad tweaked from yesterday.

Tue 9/6 - PM 60 minutes incl. timed pickups

Wayland. Five sets of 3.5 minutes steady, minute jog, 30 seconds hard, minute jog. Felt pretty good all things considered. Disgustingly humid conditions have returned with a vengeance. Rolled right ankle on a tree root at one point, the aqueduct surface not as smooth as I had thought.

Mon 9/5 - PM 90 minutes elliptigo plus 15 minutes in Walden

Concord/Lincoln. Got on the dork bike at the end of a long day of traveling and unpacking. Still tired of course.

Sun 9/4 - AM 80 minutes including uphill road race

Terrible, flat effort. Like most of the others this summer. Continued inability to get anything resembling a decent night's sleep is absolutely killing me of late. When the going got tough today I was completely incapable of doing anything about it despite the presence of plenty of people to run with, at least by the standards of this sparsely attended event. To top it off I just missed breaking an hour, first time in a long time if ever that has happened. Galling. Decent conditions with fairly low humidity.

Sat 9/3 - AM 70 minutes elliptigo

Back and forth and back and forth between the old place and West Concord. Planned on heading towards Concord center but route 62 entirely closed off.

Fri 9/2 - PM 85 minutes

Lincoln woods. Running with the kiddies i.e. cat herding. Started out quite easy, then a break, then the pace picked up far more than I would like, than a break that was far too long to rustle up all the troops. Finally got rolling again and from there things stayed more or less under control until the last 10 minutes which turned into a race. But not according to the kid racing me apparently. Not as humid as yesterday, excellent evening for it in fact. Toe is a bit sore from yesterday but holding up fairly well.

Thu 9/1 - PM 75 minutes

Lincoln woods. First 45 minutes at an easy clip with the CH. Circled back to the parking lot and at that point I continued on alone and steadily picked up the pace over the next 30 minutes. The fact that I was running at all, and that I was able to have the CH join me, were both unexpected happy surprises. Toe is tender but it appears the worst may be behind me. Disgustingly humid.

Wed 8/31 - PM 60 minutes elliptigo arc

Wayland/Framingham. Good exercise if nothing else.

Tue 8/30 - PM 75 minutes elliptigo arc

Wayland/Lincoln/Sudbury. Decided on the spur of the moment to take in the idyllic scenery of Water Row. Able to get back to home base before darkness fell. A solid ride.

Mon 8/29 - 60 minutes elliptigo arc

Wayland/Framingham/Sudbury. Venting my frustrations over not being able to run for such a stupid reason. A decent workout at least, although the short stride length on the arc can be mildly annoying.

Sat 8/27, Sun 8/28 - off

Tried aquajogging in the morning Saturday, with the swelling under my toenail it felt like the thing would pop off at any moment. Thus all exercise options were unavailable and with the hematoma under the nail spreading to adjacent regions it was time to get it checked out. After having it lanced, irrigated and packed with gauze I was on my way but not doing a damn thing exercise wise the rest of the weekend. Thankfully the pressure was relieved and x-rays on the toe were negative. No way the toenail won't fall off at some point and no idea when and how I'll be able to return to running but for now more worried about it not getting infected.

Fri 8/26 - 55 minutes elliptigo arc

Similar to yesterday but on some different roads in Sudbury. Toe continues to swell and I'm getting the inkling that maybe it needs to be looked at.

Thu 8/25 - PM 60 minutes elliptigo arc

Wayland/Framingham. After the first day of practice which only took a solid 3 hours or so, took to the roads on the modified dork bike. Running doesn't appear to be an option for the near future as the toe is still swollen, looks terrible and doesn't feel much better.

Wed 8/24 - PM 20 minutes plus 60 minutes elliptigo and 16 minutes in Walden

Dork triathlon on my birthday. Also, had another heavy object dropped on my foot very similar to just over a year ago. This time it's the big toe and the prognosis isn't good. As expected, running downhill was awkward if not painful. In general, painful. And stupid. The self-inflicted injuries are always the worst ones.

Tue 8/23 - 1:50 plus 15 minutes in Walden

Lincoln woods. Ran for an hour on my own, at a fairly crisp pace that picked up to a reasonably hard effort. From there met with the CH in the parking lot and we ran to the pond together at a more sedate pace. Not a bad way to do it all things considered. Warm but reasonably dry.

Mon 8/22 - 70 minutes elliptigo

Replaced the tube for the umpteenth time on the rear wheel and it was off to the races again. Except this ride was far from a speedy one, took it easy as I felt like garbage following another too rough re-entry Monday. Not enough time after tire repair for a trip to the pond and back so the aquajogging was cut.

Sun 8/21 - PM 80 minutes plus 20 minutes elliptigo

Lincoln woods. Took forever to get out the door today. Combined with the busted elliptigo (my elliptigo, that is not the team's that I rode yesterday) my options were constrained.

Sat 8/20 - AM 45 minutes elliptigo plus 20 minutes in Lake Cochituate

Trying out the new toy, i.e. bargain model elliptigo. That term being relative of course. Looped around neighborhood side streets in Framingham and the rail trail as well. A decent enough workout especially on hills which bring the heart rate right up. Finished up near noon and it was getting quite hot, thought I might run over to the lake and back but that would have taken too much time plus feeling a bit peaked from the past two days. Hot.

Fri 8/19 - PM 80 minutes very easy plus 16 minutes in Walden

Lincoln woods. Put in the time but didn't get very far as I was moving quite slowly until after the dip in the pond, and even then the pace was nothing to write home about. Predictably stiff from the racing on pavement yesterday. Quite warm conditions but manageable, less humid than last weekend.

Thu 8/18 - 65 minutes incl. 10k road race

Having entered this event last year but not able to run after breaking my toe like an idiot two days before the race, this represented some form of redemption I suppose. Failed to recognize just how awful the trip there would be, 2+ hours of mostly bumper to bumper homebound commuting gridlock. All this between 3 and 5 PM, one can only imagine what the highway is like from 5-7. Arrived with about 45 minutes before the gun went off feeling quite frazzled and crispy. Warmup was fairly disinterested and inadequate as a result. While warm, the conditions were nothing like Saturday in Shelburne Falls thankfully. Combined with a flat course I figured the experience would be more palatable. As it turned out, stalled out a bit in the second half of the race which was about 20 seconds slower than the first half. At no point was I making anything resembling a stiff pace, but in light of the circumstances I'll take it. A shame this race is such a hellish drive on a weeknight for where I'm coming from.

Wed 8/17 - PM 65 minutes plus 20 minutes in Walden

Lincoln woods. After yesterday's day off, felt the need to put some amount of time in on the trails despite the race coming up tomorrow. Still muggy but not as bad as yesterday thankfully.

Tue 8/16 - off

Replaced the defective tube on the dork bike, got the new one back in place, tried to remove valve to top off air pressure and the entire valve blew off. A solid hour wasted. On top of that, disgusting humidity which had moderated somewhat yesterday came back with a vengeance. Went home and took a nap in the end, thoroughly beaten.

Mon 8/15 - PM 55 minutes easy plus 15 minutes in Walden

Lincoln woods. Dearly would have liked to use the elliptigo today but found to my chagrin that the rear tire had gone flat--again--since the last time I rode it. Went to Lincoln instead and shuffled through an easy jog to and from the pond. Dead on my feet.

Sun 8/14 - AM 85 minutes

Northfield/Winchester. Both the length and the route of this run changed on the fly, with the duration dropping from an ambitious 2+ hour goal to a much more modest hour and a half. Also skipped out on going up and over Burt Hill to Ashuelot in favor of starting out on the ridge in East Northfield wandering around the woods. Overall the run was far from impressive but it had to be edited as a result of the continued oppressive conditions. I did finish up with the climb up to the TV tower, so there was that, but at no point was I trying to do anything other than simply finish.

Sat 8/13 - double, 1:40 total incl. 10k road race

AM - Bridge of Flowers. Combination of horrendous humidity and being completely strung out from lack of sleep made for a fairly terrible experience. Felt the oppressive weight of the conditions the moment I arrived, and tried to hold something back early on as a result. Didn't matter one bit, as I cratered before cresting the big hill in the third mile (which took almost 8 minutes, probably a new personal worst). Spent the final five miles of the race getting passed by people one after the other and hoping it would end before heat exhaustion really took over. From the looks of the people who reached down deep and truly went for the gusto I think I made the right choice, there were some fairly frightening reactions to the conditions. Which to sum up, were 80 degrees at the start, 83 at the finish, and most importantly an 80 degree dewpoint. I might have done a little better with more sleep the past few days but sleep has been fitful at best, even more so than usual, and I found myself pre-waking the alarm by a good 45 minutes.

PM - 35 minutes very easy, rail trail from Hadley to Northampton with a bike ride back. No comfort to be had today outside of two places--a room with AC, and standing in the Connecticut river up to my neck at the end of the run. Doing the latter was by far the best ten minutes of the day by far. Legs stiff from the downhill pounding of the morning's effort.

Fri 8/12 - PM 35 minutes incl. 10x100, 9x150

Pressed for time and squeezed in some glorified strides on the track before leaving for the ballgame. Horrendous conditions throughout the day with triple digit heat index, thankfully a t-storm moved through just as I was getting home which cooled things off. Did nothing about the humidity of course.

Thu 8/11 - PM 80 minutes plus 20 minutes in Walden

Moving better than yesterday after a somewhat pokey start. Disgustingly humid.

Wed 8/10 - 30 minutes plus 60 minutes elliptigo and 20 minutes in Walden

Legs stiff on the run portion, other than that an enjoyable time. Got finished as the sun was setting.

Tue 8/9 - off

Pressed for time, and the only time available for a run was decidedly unappealing in terms of baleful heat and humidity. Wound up taking a nap instead.

Mon 8/8 - PM 70 minutes plus 15 minutes in Walden

Lincoln woods. Moving rather stiffly, more tired than I had expected.

Sun 8/7 - AM 40 minutes plus 60 minutes elliptigo and 20 minutes in Walden

Weekend dorkathlon.

Sat 8/6 - AM 60 minutes easy

Portland ME. Squeezed in a run during a day trip up the coast that included various other activities afterward. Back Cove with a side trip out and back along the Eastern Promenade. Other than the supremely redolent sewage treatment plant near the path at one point, a very nice route. Started out with the CH and the pace remained quite relaxed until the last couple miles at which point I realized the end wasn't as close as I thought and so I picked it up more than I was planning.

Fri 8/5 - PM 75 minutes plus 20 minutes in Walden

Lincoln woods. Moving a lot quicker today than Wednesday, though still feeling some dings from Tuesday. Not suprisingly. The dip in the pond was quite refreshing as the conditions were on the warm side.

Thu 8/4 - PM 65 minutes elliptigo plus 16 minutes in Walden

The workout I wanted to do yesterday. A bit pressed for time but otherwise an enjoyable experience.

Wed 8/3 - PM 50 minutes very easy plus 20 minutes in Walden

Lincoln woods. I would have liked to ride the elliptigo instead of running today but it wasn't in the cards. Movng glacially slow as expected. Right calf and lower leg, which held up reasonably well to the insult of yesterday's effort, a bit cranky today.

Tue 8/2 - PM 70 minutes incl. 10 mile road race

Summer of Suck continues. Decided last week that I could handle an event of this duration and do it in 58-59 minutes given favorable conditions. While the weather indeed held and was reasonably dry and not too hot for this time of year, I overestimated my fitness substantially. Ran the first mile too quickly in 5:40, the next one in 5:50, and the next three in an average of 5:55 or so. This was the first indication that things might go sideways as those three miles were relatively flat. Sixth mile trended up and just as I was starting to struggle with that two guys who were obviously at least as old as me cruised on by looking like a million bucks. Last two miles went in 12:45 which is almost two minutes slower than the same stretch went the last time I did this race four years ago. Once the effort pushed back I crumbled to put it bluntly. Tired and flat is no way to go through life.

Mon 8/1 - PM 75 minutes elliptigo

Meandering easy ride around S. Acton and Stow. Cool enough that visiting the pond wasn't an appealing option. Trying to lay low before tomorrow's long hard effort, combined with feeling distinctly low energy it made for a very pokey ride with lots of stops.

Sun 7/31 - AM 2 hours very easy

What passes for a long run these days. Pathetic effort that took forever to get started, saved by overcast and showers that kept the temperature down 20+ degrees lower than what it has been of late. Puttered around Concord Center then puttered around Walden. In the last 30 minutes the pace maybe, perhaps, progressed beyond a shuffle but other than that it was hobbyjogging. Incapable of doing anything resembling decent training at the moment, dug myself into a hole. As usual lack of decent sleep is the root cause and I'm doing little to nothing about it.

Sat 7/30 - PM 25 minutes plus 60 minutes elliptigo plus 16 minutes in Walden

Scaled back/avoided doing anything of substance in favor of repeating what I had done yesterday more or less. Baleful heat and humidity not helping but more importantly I continue to feel fried in general. Going through the motions.

Fri 7/29 - AM 30 minutes plus 50 minutes elliptigo plus 20 minutes in Walden

Hauling on the dork bike. Not so much the running part.

Thu 7/28 - PM 80 minutes plus 20 minutes in Walden

Lincoln woods. Celebrating the last day of the horrible no good 4 day work week schedule with a putter in the woods. Right lower leg continues to be stiff and sore around the chronically strained calf which puts a damper on picking up the pace.

Wed 7/27 - PM 35 minutes incl. 10x400

Pressed for time once again, next to last day of the horrendous long work day schedule. With a trip to the lake on bikes with the CH in the offing not much time to run and so tried to make the most of it by doing intervals on the track. 200 meter jog recoveries, with a pickup in pace the last 100 of each rep. Overbaked most of them going on feel, what else is new. Really fried right now.

Tue 7/26 - PM 65 minutes elliptigo plus 24 minutes in Walden

Originally thought I was going to do some running as well but with the late start thanks to long work day it became clear that wouldn't be happening. Made it a cross-training day instead, with an extended dip in the pond. Much needed on an exceedingly sticky day. Right calf tight and feeling something in the piriformis as well, no doubt the two are linked.

Mon 7/25 - PM 75 minutes plus 16 minutes in Walden

Lincoln woods. Back to the cloying embrace of humidity. In fact it was less of an issue than the right calf/peroneal area which is stuck in an obstinate place that's tough to release. Not hobbling but difficult to get moving.

Sun 7/24 - double, 25 minutes plus 40 minutes elliptigo

AM - 25 minutes incl. 10x100. Not a planned thing but I found myself awake in the pre-dawn hours with little prospect of going back to sleep. Rather than lie in bed waiting for the alarm to go off went for an out and back jog down the street with strides at the end. On to breakfast and travel back home.

PM - 40 minutes elliptigo. Roughly 12 hours and 2,000 miles flown after the morning run. To the lake and back for a quick cool off. Somewhat tired but not as much as I was expecting.

Sat 7/23 - AM 50 minutes very easy

Lakewood, attempted to run in Green Mountain Park but found the trails near where we were staying to be both too steep and choked with vegetation. In fact I was in need of a gentle effort after yesterday's climbing and the park was simply too hilly. Headed back to the roads and wound up doing a loop around the local high school's ballfields before tooling aimlessly around some neighborhood streets. Mostly unsatisfying and happy to cut it shorter than planned. Already getting quite hot early in the morning as well.

Fri 7/22 - AM 80 minutes

CR 3 to Mosquito Pass, or nearby to it. Made it to the ridgeline anyway, just below to be accurate as I caught up to the CH who was hiking the same route with headstart. Immediately felt the effects of the thin air upon heading up the road. As it got higher, the road got steeper, and the footing more problematic, which made for a triple whammy. Kept up the running until reaching the first major switchback crisscrossing the steep sides of the ridge, at which point I had to mix in walking breaks on the steepest pitches or else risk losing consciousness. Topped out somewhere a little below 13,000' which will certainly do. I had plans of trying to tackle one of the local 14ers but in hindsight the views were just as spectacular from the pass and the route smoother and more compelling. The CH and I hiked back down to the point at which the road changes from smooth wide gravel to rocky 4WD, where the car and lunch were waiting for us.

Thu 7/21 - AM 75 minutes

Out and back along the Difficult Creek Trail. First run of any substance since the race four days ago, finally feeling like something other than slow jogging. A junior version of the race in fact, with half the climbing and 2/3 the distance. And I wasn't racing which was the key thing, although at times I was rolling along at a pretty good clip. Some gnarly footing and steep pitches, more of an issue on the way up than down. In the afternoon drove back over Independence Pass and on to Leadville, soon after our arrival the daily rains rolled in harder than any of the previous days.

Wed 7/20 - PM 50 minutes easy plus 4.5 hour hike

After a strenuous morning hike in the Maroon Bells, up to near Willow Pass and back down, feeling rather strung out. Rallied enough to head back out on the bike path before dinner. Timed it just right to coincide with heavy rains, with big winds and the light show as well. The monsoon pattern has been both reliable and strong wherever we've gone it seems. Not unexpected but still it rained an awful lot. Legs tired after the hike.

Tue 7/19 - double, 80 minutes total very easy

AM - 40 minutes very easy, out and back at San Luis SP. An easy shuffle along the main drag next to the lake that's spawned the bugs that have been eating us alive the last two days, plus a short stretch on the highway before turning around and heading back in. First 15 minutes or so with the CH then the rest by myself, with only a very minor pickup in pace the last couple minutes. Legs still sore unsurprisingly. 

PM - 40 minutes easy out and back along the East of/East Aspen trail. As luck would have it, a dirt sidewalk/bike path/walking trail starts up at the entrance to the campground where we're staying, ever so gradual downhill heading into town then slight incline heading back to camp. Very relaxed putter and just the type of recovery I needed. Plus I got to avoid going into Aspen itself. Beat the afternoon rains. 

Mon 7/18 - 5 hour hike

Return to the infamous South Zapata Lake trail which humbled and dismissed the CH and I a year ago. This time we made it to the trail's end, a nice spot if ever there was one but a journey that seemed neverending at times. I had entertained notions of doing an evening run, which went right out the window given the length of the hike and the soreness in both legs from yesterday's pounding. Seemed gratuitous in fact, plus given how late we finished there really wasn't time for it anyway.

Sun 7/17 - AM 2 hours trail race Barr Trail

A stinker of a race and about what I expected. Simply too flat and tired to be in any condition to race up and down a mountain at altitude. Not using the rebreather in the lead up to this trip likely played a role as well but no gimmick or performance aid was going to make up for the crap way I felt right from waking up in the morning. Tried to hold something back early in deference to how flat I felt, still overdid it and felt myself give in a bit at about 25 minutes. As it turns out it was the first of multiple tactical retreats on the day. In fact the whole thing resembled a fartlek workout as there were (brief) moments of being motivated and interested bracketed by longer stretches of just not caring and trying to get through the thing without injuring myself. By far my worst time on this course, both up and down. While it was nice to be on the trail as always, I wish I had just been out for a run and not trying to race it. Finished feeling more used up and depleted than last year when I ran almost four minutes faster. Ugh.

Sat 7/16 - PM 30 minutes very easy

Garden of the Gods. Stop and start putter around the southwest corner of the park with the CH, with various photo ops along the way. Feeling spectacularly listless and unmotivated after both the day's travel and yesterday's long session in steambath conditions. Tired to the bone.

Fri 7/15 - AM 30 minutes incl. intervals plus 60 minutes elliptigo and 20 minutes in Walden

The full trifecta In what passes for a long hard effort these days. Got started later than I would have liked which made for very sticky conditios, although I felt much better after getting in the water. Stuck to shorter reps on the track and quit after four sets. Made excellent time on the trip over to the track, even quicker I think than the other day.

Thu 7/14 - 95 minutes easy plus 20 minutes in Walden

Lincoln woods. Took the roundabout route around Farrar Pond.. Not moving well at any point during the run as the right hamstring continues to be stuck. The heat and humidity which have been building over the past few days aren't helping any either. Dip in the pond a small slice of heaven.

Wed 7/13 - PM 10x100 plus 55 mnutes elliptigo and 20 minutes in Walden

Gave the track a try which was ill-advised, cut out after doing the initial low-key strides. From there headed directly to the pond to cool off. A bit cooler than yesterday but also more humid, not a good trade-off.

Tue 7/12 - PM 80 minutes easy plus 16 minutes in Walden

Lincoln woods. Did the first 45 minutes or so wih the CH as we slowly got cooked in the very warm conditions. Shade could only help so much. After that I headed over to the pond for a dip, which was sublime. Right hamstring somewhat stuck.

Mon 7/11 - PM 30 muntes incl. intervals plus 50 minutes elliptigo

Made the trip to Emerson Field in near record time, then three sets of repeats on the track. The centerpiece was 10x400 with 100m jogs that was quite unimpressive. Unlike most of the interval work of late I actually timed this and found myself running close to 90 seconds per rep. Wrapped things up with some 150s and then headed home. The gloomy overcast of the weekend gave way to more seasonable conditions, hot but dry.

Sun 7/10 - PM 60 minutes easy

What was originally slated to be an ambitious workout at marathon pace was revised to a long run, something that hasn't happened in forever really, which then got revised into getting in a run of any type or length before darkness fell. Spent the morning and a good chunk of the afternoon in the city incl. a long time running errands, much longer than expected and this completely wiped out any chance to rest before a planned afternoon run. Very frustrating experience and as it stands, training is utterly lacking in cohesion and direction. Going through the motions constantly pressed for time and compromising on length and intensity of workouts. Continued gloomy weather as well.

Sat 7/9 - double, 70 minutes very easy

AM - 40 minutes very easy. Shuffle around Maynard, feeling completely frazzled from the work week and yesterday's day off that included a longish workout.

PM - 30 minutes very easy. Hoping to feel more energetic in the afternoon, it didn't happen. The nap that was going to restore some of that energy also didn't happen, not a coincidence. Feeling like utter garbage, with weather to match, overcast cool and drizzly.

Fri 7/8 - AM 45 minutes intervals plus 60 minutes elliptigo

Two legs of the intended dork triathlon, unable to get in the pond due to being pressed for time as usual. More sets of reps on the track compared to Wednesday.

Thu 7/7 - PM 80 minutes plus 15 minutes in Walden

Lincoln woods. Late start thanks to the horrendous summer work schedule. Started out quite easy and eventually got going in the second half of the run. Right calf still sore. Made time for the pond even though it meant finishing in the twilight.

Wed 7/6 - PM 25 minutes intervals plus 50 minutes elliptigo

Feeling a bit better than yesterday and tried a bit of faster running as a result. Right calf not too pleased by this but other than that made it through in one piece.

Tue 7/5 - PM 45 minutes elliptigo

Trip to Pine Bluff on the dork bike with the CH, same route as yesterday. Totally wiped out from overdoing it yesterday plus the usual lack of discipline when it came to getting to bed at a decent hour. Had plans of going for a brief run once at the lake but it wasn't happening. In fact it took some effort to get back on the road for the trip back, inertia setting in fast. Very flat right now.

Mon 7/4 - double, 50 minutes incl. road race plus 45 minutes elliptigo

AM - 50 minutes including 4 mile road race. Return (for the last time) to Bridgton for the race I once won a million years ago. Such an accomplishment made me an invited dignitary for the 40th anniversary edition or else I wouldn't have taken part. Slept very poorly after napping too late yestrerday afternoon and the this made the race a foregone conclusion. To top it off, no chance to warm up with a ceremony I had to take part in. Not that it would have mattered much, I was cooked by the mile mark. Ran like crap and far outside the somewhat arbitrary 22 minute time goal going in. Particularly galling was the inability to run the final mostly downhill mile any faster than the rolling third mile. Hot but dry conditions. The efforst did no favors for the right calf which is still a bit off from the scare last month on the track. Decent cooldown afterward with the CH which was the unquestioned highlight of the morning.

PM - 45 minutes elliptigo. Out and back to Pine Bluff via Winterberry Way. Taking out my frustrations on how the race went, plus trying to get something resembling training volume after doing little to nothing the past two days. 

Sun 7/3 - AM 40 minutes easy

Another easy run in the flats near the river next to the hotel, this time before breakfast. Later in the day the CH and I went for a hike along Frankenstein Cliff and Arethusa Falls which had a lot more change in elevation. Dry and sunny, nice conditions with a cool start to the day.

Sat 7/2 - PM 45 minutes very easy

North Conway. Easy putter with the CH along the only flat area around, i.e. the fields next to the river. Unable to locate the trail we were looking for which made for much aimless wandering. Not quite as fried as yesteday but close.

Fri 7/1 - AM 30 minutes incl. intervals plus 60 minutes elliptigo plus 16 minutes in Walden

Another dork triathlon with track work thrown in for good measure. Disgustingly hot which made the running on the track feel like being broiled alive, but the dip in the pond all the more satisfying. Not as tired as yesterday thankfully.

Thu 6/30 - PM 90 minutes very easy

Originally intending to run to Pine Bluff and back, realized after about 10 minutes that I wouldn't make it that far. Made a loop instead from Winterberry Way to Hudson Road and back via Fairbank and route 27, an uninspired route if ever there was one. Completely utterly flat, with the pace getting slower as the run went along if anything. Many stops along the way for aluminum mining.

Wed 6/29 - PM 15 minutes plus 50 minutes elliptigo

Round trip to Pine Bluff with some running on Sudbury road--straight, smooth, paved road--in between the two legs. Did some 100s and 150s while going back and forth along the road, ankle sore and a bit stiff but held up to it well. Sticky and gross conditions.

Tue 6/28 - PM 80 minutes

Lincoln woods. First run of any length in some time it seems. Started slowly feeling rather stiff and awkward and then got going after that. Getting ready to round into a strong final 20 minutes when I rolled my left ankle fairly badly on an unseen tree root. Incredibly frustrating and had to walk a few steps while the joint snapped back into shape. I was able to finish the run, in fact once on smoother terrain I could even pick up the pace rather substantially. However not at all sanguine about how it might feel tomorrow.

Mon 6/27 - 30 minutes incl. intervals plus 50 minutes elliptigo

Pressed for time on the run due to getting home late after running errands, and had to stop after doing the "warmup" 100s and a set of 5x400 with 100 jog recoveries. From there it was on to the dork bike to join the CH for a trip to the lake.

Sun 6/26 - AM 40 minutes plus 60 minutes elliptigo plus 16 minutes in Walden

Another dork triathlon, similar to last Sunday but a bit longer of a run. Overall felt a bit better as I started earlier and got it done before the worst of the heat set in.

Sat 6/25 - double, 50 minutes plus 65 minutes elliptigo

AM - 50 minutes easy. Hit the outskirts of Area 51, windy enough that the flies weren't much of a problem. Moving quicker than yesterday but not by much

PM - 65 minutes elliptigo. Originally planned to stop for a dip in the pond but ended up riding right past as there wasn't time for it. The harder of the two sessions today by far.

Fri 6/24 - PM 85 minutes easy

Out and back to Pine Bluff via Track Road. The CH and I braved the deer flies, which weren't a problem on the trip out but most certainly were on the trip back after some time spent at the pond cooling off. Feeling quite tired even by Friday standards.

Thu 6/23 - PM 15 minutes elliptigo

Felt like garbage, as flat as the tire on the rear wheel ended up being after getting a few miles down the road. Both tire and tube shredded somehow, perhaps it got nicked riding on Winterberry Way the other day. In hindsight it was for the best, should have taken the day off completely.

Wed 6/22 - PM 80 minutes plus 15 minutes in Walden

Lincoln woods. Ran with a bit of a hitch in my stride for a good 30-40 minutes thanks mainly to the calf being sore from yesterday but eventually things smoothed out a bit. Fairly tired which kept the pace on the mellow side just about the entire time. Humid enough that I was sweating a lot by the end. 

Tue 6/21 - PM 30 minutes incl. intervals

Squeezed in a brief run in the little time I had available. 100s, 200s and done. Calf held up to this, thanks in part to wearing more supportive footwear than the spikes last Friday.

Mon 6/20 - PM 50 minutes easy plus 50 minutes elliptigo

Split session beginning with an easy putter around Maynard then followed by a trip to Pine Bluff with the CH. Calf still sore but improving by the day. Very warm day.

Sun 6/19 - AM 30 minutes plus 65 minutes elliptigo plus 15 minutes in Walden

Full on cross-training triathlon, something I hope to repeat on upcoming weekends as well. Got started about 90 minutes later than I had wanted which meant being out with the sun at its highest. Still, not humid so the warmth was manageable. Pond was as ever a refreshing break.

Sat 6/18 - double, 45 minutes very easy plus 50 minutes elliptigo

AM - 45 minutes very easy. Inadvisable to run on the messed up right calf but a chance to join the CH was not something I could resist. Took it very easy and avoided any aggravations of the problem area.

PM - 50 minutes elliptigo. Still feeling the calf somewhat but not that bad on the dork bike. Likely to be my preferred mode of exercise for the next few days.

Fri 6/17 - PM 40 minutes incl. track mile, 400

Underwhelming performance undermined completely by a recurrence of the ever-present right calf strain. All it needs is the right conditions to rear its ugly head and last weekend's track 5k in spikes followed by a 5k in flats the following morning did the trick. While the calf felt tight warming up, I thought little of it and it seemed much better after doing some compressions on the affected area. This was all before putting spikes on which made all the difference as it turns out. To be more precise, running turns in spikes, as even the fast pre-race strides on the back straight weren't an issue. However, 500m into the race I could feel the thing start to spasm and from there it was a desperate attempt to not pull it completely. It's difficult to express how blindsided I was by the calf stiffening  up like this, not something that entered into my thinking in any way going in to the race. While I wasn't headed for an all-time effort to begin with thanks to being completely fried from the past two weeks of move-related nonsense and super late bedtimes, I certainly could have run a lot better if I had both legs under me. Particularly galling to get passed in the final 600 by a couple guys who I could handle with relative ease otherwise. From there I had about half an hour to prepare for the first relay in 20 or so years, as I was pressed into service to round out the DMR the club had entered. If a list were made of every single person in the club in order of preference to fill out a DMR by taking the 400 leg I would be the last person on that list but there was no one else available. Worried if not terrified over what would happen to the calf trying to run fast. Ran in trainers, pleasantly surprised by the fact that I made it through and ran under 70 seconds which was legitimately what I thought I'd be capable of. In fact I was close to 65.

Thu 6/16 - 40 minutes plus 10 minutes in Walden

Lincoln woods. Quick hitter on the trails with the first dip in the pond of the season thrown in for good measure. Legs felt a bit awkward until near the end when I got to Old Concord Rd, i.e. on pavement. Decision to go in the water a last-minute choice, still on the chilly side at this early point in the summer.

Wed 6/15 - 30 minutes intervals plus 50 minutes elliptigo

Ride over to Emerson field, then 10x100, 12x150, 6x200, 10x100. As usual, pressed for time which explains the short reps and only four sets. Calves not nearly as sore but still somewhat stiff.

Tue 6/14 - PM 30 minutes

run to track, set of 100s, set of 150s and back home tout suite as I was extremely pressed for time. Calves still sore but not nearly as bad as yesterday.

Mon 6/13 - 60 minutes very easy

Area 51. Planning on using the elliptigo but it didn't come off in the end for reasons I don't entirely grasp. Most notable thing about today was how completely stiff and sore my calves felt. Really tight. Perhaps not wearing spikes for four months and then breaking them out for a 5k isn't such a great idea.

Sun 6/12 - AM 40 minutes incl. 5k

Back half of the same ill-advised weekend double I did a year ago, but the trip to the island was once again irresistible. Late arriving ferry and little flexibility in the schedule meant that there was almost no time to warmup. In fact the warmup was doing a set of strides back and forth near the starting line. Steady and relentless WNW winds raking across the harbor made for a distinctly tactical experience, with a couple decent stretches of getting absolutely blasted by the wind coming head on. Thankfully, the field was far less competitive than a year ago and after a mile it was clear it would be a two-horse race. Found myself in the lead just before completing the first of two laps even though I didn't yet want to be given how windy it was. From there, I decided to press on and not look back until cresting the one small hill just after the two mile mark. At that point I was surprised to see no one in sight. With that breathing room established I backed off the rest of the way. Two miles in around 11:40 or so, the last mile a lot slower than that. Not much of a cooldown before grabbing lunch and hiking over the island for the rest of the afternoon.

Sat 6/11 - PM 50 minutes incl. track 5k

Marginally better effort than the last track 5k I ran four months ago. Still, too frazzled from the recent move to do much more than shade 80 second pace. I have to wonder if I'm still dealing with being jet-lagged as well even though it's been a week. Warmup was barely adequate. Somewhat breezy conditions which was less than desirable but relatively cool with overcast skies. Km splits of 3:15, 3:16, 3:18, 3:21, and 3:20. As those numbers suggest, a modest but inexorable fade that was irreversible. It could have been worse I suppose. Short cooldown with the CH afterward.

Fri 6/10 - PM 45 minutes

Area 51. Started easy, got a bit quicker as the run went along. Finished with pickups on the track before heading in.

Thu 6/9 - PM 50 minutes elliptigo plus 25 minutes intervals

Direct route to Emerson field, then sets of 100s, 200s, and a few 400s before wrapping up with the final set of 100s and heading back the way I came. Somewhat sore from moving yesterday.

Wed 6/8 - PM 45 minutes incl. intervals

Even more exhausted than I thought I would be at the end of a long day of moving with all the walking back and forth and lugging heavy items that it entails. Slogged my way through a jog warmup then a sluggish set of 100s, a short set of 150s and got the heck out of there.

Tue 6/7 - PM 70 minutes easy

Area 51. I had wanted to use the elliptigo but there wasn't time in the end. Things will get hectic the next few days. Tired.

Mon 6/6 - PM 65 minutes easy

Area 51. Feeling quite frazzled after a long day at work followed directly by errands. Late start as a result. Tired as expected from the time shift.

Sun 6/5 - PM 35 minutes easy

Maynard. A very restless night of little sleep followed by a plane ride back across the country left me feeling exceedingly strung out. Needed to do some jogging to stretch the legs out if nothing else. Puttered over to the track, 12x100 fairly lethargic from there and then puttered back home.

Sat 6/4 - AM 70 minutes

Out and back run along the trails beyond Gov't Camp. Apart from an annoying number of blowdowns the trail was fairly smooth. Turned around soon after encountering the first signs of lingering snowpack. Feeling the altitude just a bit but probably not much higher than 5500' elevation anway.

Fri 6/3 - double, 60 minutes total

AM - 30 minutes, back and forth along the highway adjacent to the campsite. A stretch of road straight and flat enough to do a series of short repeats, mix of 100s and 150s. Felt reasonably good, not too stiff after yesterday's fairly quick run.

PM - 30 minutes easy, Gov't Camp. After an afternoon spent driving up to the Mt. Hood area, went for an afternoon jog with the CH. Alas we had no idea where to go and thus improvised a route that left something to be desired.

Thu 6/2 - PM 70 minutes

Out and back along the Mckenzie River trail. Triumphant return to a spectacular trail after 3 years away which is too long. Started with the CH, further downstream than where I began my run along this trail in 2013. After a relaxed start to the run we parted ways and from there the pace steadily picked up until I was moving really well the final 10 minutes or so. Felt great and the left leg held up well to it.

Wed 6/1 - double, 85 minutes total

AM - 60 minutes easy, Cape Falcon with the CH. Sloppy conditions at times on the out and back trail, downright treacherous in a few spots but well worth it for the spectacular views where the path ended at the edge of a precipice overlooking the water.

PM - 25 minutes. Returned to Portland and squeezed in a quick workout before heading out for the evening. Supremely pressed for time and hoping to do some light interval work which meant finding a suitable location ASAP. This turned out to be perhaps the most godforsaken industrial area of NE Portland along the river under the highway overpass far overhead. Did a set of 100s and 200s and then headed back.

Tue 5/31 - double, 80 min total

AM - 40 minutes easy, Stevens Point. Loop around the long skinny pond near the campground. Trail was quite overgrown in places and made for a slog at times.

PM - 40 minutes, Nehalem Bay. Less than totally successful attempt at a Chariots of Fire style run along the beach. Compromised by the sand being too hard near the water and too loose further up. and incessant wind off the water that was blasting away all day. Made the only choice which was to start out with the wind in my face which was just as awkward and slow-going as I thought it would be. Did some pickups on the way back, taking care not to aggravate the left hamstring.

Mon 5/30 - AM 80 minutes easy

Out and back along the rail bed in Astoria. Still taking it easy as legs are still beat up from Saturday, mostly the left hamstring. The flat terrain was most appreciated. Took various breaks including to gawk at the sea lions congregated on the pier.

Sun 5/29 - PM 40 minutes very easy

Fort Stevens SP with the CH. Left Portland for the coast. As expected, the ups and downs of yesterday's course left their mark on my legs as I was barely able to move. Left hamstring in particular was stuck. It occurs to me that all the elliptigo training of late might have made me more susceptible to the effects of the downhill pounding from a hilly course. Regardless it was a fairly miserable attempt at a shakeout. At least I got to see the Pacific near the end.

Sat 5/28 - AM 1:45 incl. trail half marathon

The back half of what could surely be described as an ill-advised plan to do two half marathons six days apart. Went off as well as I could hope given that I spent the afternoon and evening yesterday traveling across the country. Compared to the last time I raced in Forest Park three years ago the conditions were infinitely better with sun and most importantly dry trails underfoot. Course changed somewhat from the last time but the same general idea, roller coaster of climbing and descending. This time there was a much longer flat stretch from about 7 to 9 miles which was welcome respite after a thudding descent that was far too steep for my tastes. Caught and nearly passed on the first major descent by the only other old fart worth worrying about, which had me worried that I'd be spending over an hour trading places with him. However, a long climb up Holman Lane put away both him and the next guy ahead of us and I never saw either of them again. From there it was a relatively controlled effort, trying not to overdo it as it seemed like we hit every nook and cranny of that park in both directions. No falls this time thanks to much better footing and shoe choice than in 2013, but there were a few stumbles, left hamstring tweaked by one of them.

Fri 5/27 - AM 15 mnutes track work plus 45 minutes elliptigo

Ride over to Emerson Field followed by

10x100 20 second walk @ f
4x400 100m jog @ f
10x100 20 second walk @ f

Another hot day although I avoided the worst of it. Legs loosened up somewhat from feeling a bit stiff at the start. Part of this is from not sleeping as well as I would like the past couple of nights, despite being off work. Plenty of other things on the mind at the moment.

Thu 5/26 - AM 50 minutes very easy plus 50 minutes elliptigo

First the ride, a round trip to Acton for a quick shopping trip. Immediately went into a slow putter of a run in Area 51 under a blazing sun. Took along water at the last minute before heading out and glad I did as it was getting quite sticky out. Dramatic change in the weather from two days ago.

Wed 5/25 - PM 35 minutes intervals plus 60 minutes elliptigo

Ride over to Emerson field followed by

10x100 brief walk @ "fresh"
12x150 buildup 50m walk @ f, fg, fgh
4x400 buildup 100m jog @ f to g
4x200 buildup 200m jog @ f the first 100 then g, then h
10x100 brief walk @ f

Still can't imagine doing this type of thing on a daily basis but it's certainly more manageable than the longer race pace stuff. Remains to be seen what kind of fitness it yields.

Tue 5/24 - off

Quite tired upon getting home from work, with a very narrow window of time in which to squeeze in a hypothetical workout. That window ended up being a nap that went longer than planned.

Mon 5/23 - PM 85 minutes elliptigo

From Stow into South Acton and back into Stow, heading on to Sudbury Road and from there back via Fairbank and route 27. Made a conscious effort to not overdo it on the effort level, something I feel has happened on recent dork bike jaunts. Also tried to avoid some of the bigger hills around.

Sun 5/22 - AM 1:40 incl. half marathon

Third trip down the Ashuwilticook RT, closer in time to the first time two years ago. It helped that I had someone to chase from  the 2 mile mark on. For the longest time he remained the same frustrating distance out in front, until I eventually was able to reel him in precisely at mile 10. To my surprise he rallied and put me away in the next mile but it didn't matter in the grand scheme of things as the age group results were in the bag anyway. Hit a rhythm early on that I figured would be unsustainable but kept plugging away nonetheless. To my surprise the mile splits stayed relatively consistent until the last one which was playing out the string. To wit:

5:48
5:46
5:47
5:55
5:46
5:49
5:52
5:48
5:55
5:50
5:52
5:48
6:07

About as well as I could have hoped to run esp. given the two plus  hour drive to get there. Conditions were generally favorable, not much of a headwind and cooler than last year.

Sat 5/21 - AM 15 minutes plus 60 minutes elliptigo

dork biked over to Emerson field, then 4x400 at something approximating half marathon pace with 100m jogs bracketed by 10x100 on each end. Almost certainly biting off too much before tomorrow but I couldn't resist after feeling somewhat more like an actual human being after days of being a sleepwalking drone.

Fri 5/20 - PM 75 minutes easy

Area 51. Unable to muster enough energy to do anything other than an easy jog in the woods, alas. Waiting for the doldrums to clear.

Thu 5/19 - PM 45 minutes easy

Failed attempt at a workout on Longfellow loop. After a piddling jog up the street I tried doing a pair of 3200m reps, 800 into the first one laboring to run 3 minutes was sufficient to convince me to pull the plug. Jogged back the scenic route and called it a day. The weekend plus Monday and Tuesday took more out of me than I had realized.

Wed 5/18 - PM 70 minutes very easy

Area 51. Yesterday,s track work left more of a mark on my legs than I was hoping, felt it from the moment I got out of bed in the morning. Took it easier than I had planned as a result.

Tue 5/17 - PM 65 minutes incl. short reps

20+ minute warmup around Concord Center followed by multiple sets of Igloi style intervals that added up to around 10k of running with the recoveries factored in. Included were 10x100 to begin and end along with a set of 150 buildups, and two sets of 200s. The first of these was slower overall with more reps and shorter recoveries, the second quicker with longer recoveries and fewer reps overall. Ran out of time for any kind of a jog cooldown after completing the final set of 100s. Overall everything felt contained and quite reasonable. Much warmer than yesterday and less windy as well.

Mon 5/16 - PM 90 minutes elliptigo

Rousing tour of Stow and Boxboro with the CH, her on the bike and me on the dork bike. Wind slightly less despicable than yesterday but still incredibly blustery and cold for this time of year. Bundled up again to a much greater degree than I would like. I had this pegged in my mind as a recovery effort but given the wind and the rollng terrain it wound up being more exertaion than I had originally bargained for. Finished feeling more spent than anticipated. Nice long break at the Delaney Project boat access ramp with a 10-15 minute walk along the main path at about the half hour mark. After that over to Codman Hill Road before coming back on Burroughs and Flagg Hill to Taylor and Crescet. Scenic and rolling route.

Sun 5/15 - double, 45 minutes incl. 5k road race plus 45 minutes elliptigo

AM - 45 minutes incl. 5k road race. Got to bed far too late after a busy day and evening yesterday and felt it upon waking up. This was the least of my concerns however as yesterday's gusty breezes became a steady, punishing westerly wind overnight and made for particularly loathsome racing conditions. Spent the first half of the race getting blasted in the face by it, which I suppose is better than having this happen in the second half but still. To top it all off, I misjudged the competition and found myself in front of people I should have been tucked behind for that headwind-plagued first half. Those two patiently waited for me to sputter out and then passed and pulled away despite my best efforts to latch on. I may not have been able to beat either of them regardless of strategy but certainly did myself no favors running alone and getting blasted for a mile and a half. Overdid it for sure yesterday but that was compounded by the late bedtime and lack of sleep overall.

PM - 45 minutes elliptigo. Not as fast paced as yesterday's ride and with many stops as well. Tried unsuccessfully to take a nap after getting home from the race thanks to caffeine. Still despicably windy, bundled up to a ridiculous degree for this time of year.

Sat 5/14 - AM 40 minutes short intervals plus 65 minutes elliptigo

Rode over to Emerson field, disembarked for short intervals a la Igloi (the new training toy), then back on the dork bike to head back via rts. 126 and 117. Intervals were short sets with short rest, untimed and done on effort, slower medium faster or in the terminology "fresh" "good" and "hard." Mostly in the fresh/slower category though. Started and ended with 10x100 with 100 jog then 150 buildups with 50m walk then 4x300 progressing through all three levels of exertion. Interesting experience and one that bears repeating if not every day the way they used to do it in the 50s and 60s. Warm to the point of being hot for a change.

Fri 5/13 - off

Another unintentional zero. Simply too tired to get out the door upon getting home from work, and pressed for time as it is.

Thu 5/12 - 1:40 elliptigo

File under better late than never. A year ago I had been riding the thing for almost a month by this point but consistently gloomy conditions (esp. last week) made riding the dork bike an impossibility. Looking to tackle some hills and ended up in Littleton via Nagog Hill Road to Goldsmith. Eventually got my fill of climbing, finished off with much flatter riding in Stow to get back home. Delightfully warm conditions at long last.

Wed 5/11 - PM 80 minutes very easy

Lincoln woods. Easy putter after yesterday's workout. Legs took a while to feel less than really stiff.

Tue 5/10 - AM 70 minutes incl. 2x1600, 2x1200, 4x400

Day off from work meant I could sleep in a bit and still get out the door before lunchtime for a track session. Sunny and warmer finally but still the wind of course, although it has been worse lately. Original plan was to stepping down pairs of reps starting at 4 laps to 3 then 2 then 1, but it became abundantly clear after the second 1200 that attempting an 800 at any faster a pace would be inadvisable so I skipped directly to 400s and doubled the number of them instead. Recovery was 800 meters after each 1600, 600 meters after each 1200, and 400m after each 400. The numbers tell the not totally surprising tale:

5:34.7 (3:22.7)
5:34.3 (3:33.0)
4:01.8 (2:34.5)
4:03.1 (2:50.4)
76.6 (1:47.3)
77.2 (1:47.7)
77.2 (1:51.0)
76.5

I wish I could call the recoveries floats but they were too slow for that, and the discrepancy between the first and second interval for each of the longer rep pairs suggests I bit off more than I could chew. Of course not being able to progress to 800s as originally planned is suggestive of that as well. Did my best to negative split most of the reps, if only a little in some cases. With the recoveries it was 28 laps of running at an average of just a shade over 90 seconds per lap, which felt like an accomplishment in itself.

Mon 5/9 - PM 40 minutes

Pressed for time and thus ran for shorter time, again. Somewhat warmer at least. Legs feeling better but no time for a longer more substantive workout.

Sun 5/8 - PM 75 minutes easy

Area 51. Not as far a run as I was planning originally. Pace picked up slightly over time but never got that quick. Weather continues to be terrible.

Sat 5/7 - PM 65 minutes very easy

Area 51. Originally planned to run in the morning while visiting in CT but that went by the boards with heavy rain showers passing through there. The run, when it finally came off, was most notable for the lunch buffet that I had yet to fully digest. This made for a less than comfortable experience even at the pokey pace. Calves somewhat sore from yesterday's workout but could have been worse after all the sitting between then and today.

Fri 5/6 - PM 75 minutes incl. 12k progression run

Longfellow loop. Pressed for time and trying to figure out what kind of timed pickup workout to do right up until I was heading up the street to the start of the loop, when I realized a continuous effort would be both more effective and a more effective use of the limited time available. No time for any kind of nap, thankfully not as tired as I have been lately though so I was able to dodge that bullet. Finally something of a break in the miserable awful weather, warmer and not quite as windy. Still not exactly ideal and somewhat blustery. Tried to hold something back on the first two laps, thought I had gone out too quick early on but the last lap was a pleasant surprise. Splits:

5:56/5:58/2:49
5:52/5:58/2:49
5:46/5:46/2:42

It occurred to me while out on the loop that I could just as easily do splits by km and not miles and have more data points.

Thu 5/5 - off

The nadir of this week's omega block weather pattern, driving rain with gusty winds. Utterly exhausted upon returning home from work after sleeping exceptionally poorly last night. In lieu of running went for a skate on the rollerblades at the local rink, which was interesting if not particularly tiring.

Wed 5/4 - PM 55 minutes easy

Area 51. The beatings continue, fourth day in a row with rain and the sun is but a distant memory. Trying to muster up the motivation to put in something of quality but it simply isn't happening, too strung out and tired to do anything but jog at the moment.

Tue 5/3 - 80 minutes easy

Area 51. Earlier start than yesterday but still took a while to get out the door, with continues gloomy overcast showery conditions not helping one bit. Finally headed out with the express purpose of putting some more time. Very easy at the outset, got moving a bit quicker by the end but not to an excessive degree.

Mon 5/2 - PM 60 minutes easy

Area 51. Pleasant recovery run with the CH in less than pleasant conditions. Spitting rain and gloomy overcast all day. Lots of stops on the way in as well. Legs feeling somewhat dinged up, patellar tendon tender but not aggravated by the low intensity of the effort.

Sun 5/1 - PM 75 minutes incl. 3(4x800)

Finally something of quality to cap off a lost week. Took a good long time to get out the door though, and multiple naps over the course of the day which is ominous. More ominous was the soreness in the left patellar tendon, something I first noticed after the 5k race six weeks ago. Since then it's cropped up after races but not so much during workouts but a noticeable tenderness there that I could feel throughout. Will bear watching and hopefully will respond to some manipulation of the quad muscles and whatever else might be tugging on it. Goal of the workout was to get through it in one piece and beyond that to run the second lap of each rep a bit faster than the first. In this it was a success straight through, with the fastest lap of the workout being the last one. Recoveries (200m jog) within sets got a bit slower as the effort caught up to me in the second and third sets. Splits:

2:47.4 (51.2)
2:45.1 (51.8)
2:44.0 (51.5)
2:42.1 (48.9)
4.5R
2:45.5 (51.8)
2:45.7 (54.3)
2:46.5 (52.9)
2:46.0 (53.3)
4.5R
2:45.3 (51.3)
2:44.8 (52.0)
2:44.8 (53.0)
2:42.8 (54.1)

Sat 4/30 - 65 minutes easy

Area 51. Another day another easy run in the refuge.

Fri 4/29 - 85 minutes

Lincoln woods. A longish run at a decent pace with some pickups near the end will have to suffice as far as "quality" training in this lost week of feeling like crap. Feeling kind of desperate to have some kind of reminder that I'm capable of more than just aimless jogging and this run sufficed in that regard. Moving reasonably well from the outset, headed over to Farrar Pond for the first time in a long time which of course kept the pace from winding up too early. From there it was a steady build. Weather continues to be on the cool side with the usual annoying breeze to make it feel cold.

Thu 4/28 - 60 minutes easy

Area 51. Stuck in the overtired holding pattern. Doing myself no favors with afternoon naps that are stretching on far too long and leading to late starts and feeling groggy heading out the door.

Wed 4/27 - PM 50 minutes incl. 2x800

Misbegotten attempt at a workout on the Longfellow loop, in theory I was going to do at least 12x800 with 200 jog recoveries. In reality, I got through two in just under 2:50 that felt much harder than that and gave up 300m into the third. Persistent fatigue and feeling like utter garbage right now. I had a feeling I'd be paying for the past weekend with jam-packed days and far too little sleep. This is getting ridiculous though.

Tue 4/26 - PM 60 minutes easy

Area 51. Still tired, not reacting well at all to the resumption of the workaday schedule after having most of last week off.

Mon 4/25 - 50 minutes very easy

Area 51. Relaxed jog with the CH that took forever to get started. Not feeling particularly dinged up from yesterday's race but quite tired and strung out.

Sun 4/24 - double, 75 minutes total incl. 5k road race

AM - 50 minutes incl. 5k road race in Groton. Same time as last year, not that I was aware of this at the time or was trying to do so. In fact I thought I was in better shape this time around but a couple of late nights in a row doomed this effort from the outset as far as that goes. Unlike last year, I didn't cruise to an easy victory and was instead a distant third, with no drama whatsoever as to where I'd end up. In fact spent 2.9 miles of the race in no-man's land. As per usual the wind was raking, today from the WNW, which made it a chore from just after 3/4 mile to a bit before the 2 mile mark. In light of the circumstances, not really that disappointing, just kicking the can down the road.

PM - 25 minutes very easy with the CH on the riverwalk trail. Closest path to my door but one I almost never visit due to the often muddy conditions and somewhat dodgy footing. A nice time though with the company. The cooldown I didn't do after the race earlier in the day.

Sat 4/23 - PM 35 minutes very easy

Brief shakeout run, quite late in the day after a fair amount of hiking earlier in the day. Not exactly energetic at the end of a fairly long day.

Fri 4/22 - PM 80 minutes

Lincoln woods. Took it somewhat easier at the outset but by the second half of the run the pace had quickened as I had planned (and hoped).

Thu 4/21 - PM 55 minutes incl. 1600-1200-800-400

Finally able to do something other than jog, although it took a good long while to get out the door. As a result, went with an option that was shorter and seemed more doable. In contrast to previous times that I've tried this workout, where it felt overbaked and I failed to meet pace goals going in, this time I decided that the recovery would be a float equal in distance to the upcoming rep and I wouldn't expect as much of a pace drop from one rep to the next. With no timed stuff on the track for a couple months now I had no idea what sort of pace to shoot for. Blasted through the first 200 of the first rep in under 40 seconds which I knew to be too quick and adjusted from there as best I could. In the end both the reps and the recoveries followed an orderly if very incremental progression:

5:23 (4:45)
4:01 (3:13)
2:39 (1:37)
78.1

On the plus side the pace did pick up as the rep length decreased, but that 78 felt more apocalyptic than I would have liked. Less windy today than the previous three days which was a nice change.

Wed 4/20 - PM 65 minutes easy

Area 51. I had plans of doing something of substance today but legs are still too dinged up from Monday plus I had little energy for it after a fairly late night. Weather continues to be obnoxious with the below average temps.

Tue 4/19 - PM 60 minutes easy

Area 51. Legs feeling a lot more dented than I would have expected or would like, given the relatively modest pace yesterday. A combination of all the miles on pavement and wearing thin soled shoes I suppose. Right hamstring also feeling stiff. Continued windy conditions and cooler than it should be.

Mon 4/18 - PM 1:40

Natick to Boston, i.e. the final 14+ miles of the marathon course guiding a blind runner. Not entirely sure what to expect having never done this before. Much more crowded than I was expecting which made for a lot of dodging back and forth. Trying to take my pace cues from the guy I was running with, thought he was a little behind the projected pace when he reached me on what looked to be a warm day with a bit of a headwind. It didn't occur to me that he expected me to set the pace as well as guide him, which meant we went slower than he would have liked in hindsight. It didn't seem like he was capable of going much quicker up the hills, but certainly hammered the downhills and the last 2k we were flying passing everything else on the road. Headwind got steadily stronger and the temperature cooler as we approached the city. Pace was never an issue, although it would have been more so had we gone at the suggested pace on the hilly second half of the route. Feet sore from wearing the wrong socks and somewhat stiff-soled racing flats.

Sun 4/17 - AM 45 minutes easy

Area 51. Both pressed for time, and recovering from yesterday, and girding for tomorrow. As such, a relatively short and definitely short sojourn in the woods. Legs not as stiff and sore as I thought.

Sat 4/16 - PM 80 minutes incl. 8x1600

Longfellow loop. Got through the entire planned session unlike the last time at this venue, and with the last split being the fastest it went well. 400 jog recovery between reps. Splits:

5:40.4 (1:48) 5:44.2 (1:37)
5:40.2 (1:46) 5:46.0 (1:50)
5:39.7 (1:46) 5:48.2 (1:45)
5:39.4 (1:50) 5:36.0 

Fri 4/15 - PM 50 minutes easy

Area 51. Legs feeling sore and wobbly after yesterday's run in the thin shoes. Took it easy today as a result and in deference to tomorrow's planned workout.

Thu 4/14 - PM 85 minutes

Lincoln woods. Plan was to progress the pace gradually over the course of the run, in fact it was less gradual but did get faster as I went along more or less. Saved a little something for the last 15 minutes which were the quickest of the whole thing. Another in an unending string of colder than normal days of late, with the requisite wind.

Wed 4/13 - double, 90 minutes total incl. 8x300, circuits

AM - 50 minutes including 8x300, circuits. Later start than I would have liked. I also would have liked to do something more typical of a track session but the chilly windy conditions made that completely unappealing.

PM - 40 minutes very easy. Moving quite slowly after the morning's effort.

Tue 4/12 - off

Narrow window of time in the afternoon which I spent taking a nap instead of running. Another windy day, this time from the south though and bringing rain.

Mon 4/11 - 75 minutes very easy

Area 51. Legs feeling quite dented after yesterday, right hammie in particular. Run was a putter as a result, as expected. Not as windy as yesterday but still plenty of it to go around. Typical for the season I suppose but it feels like it's even more persistent than usual. Continued colder than normal temperatures.

Sun 4/10 - AM 75 minutes incl. 8 mile road race

Ron Hebert race, which unfolded in a completely different fashion than a year ago. Then it was a cakewalk on a delightfully mild morning, this time around I had plenty of company and the weather was chilly with a bitter NW wind blasting away. The wind was at its worst in the first 2.5 miles along route 9, which I spent trying to hide behind the leader. Pace was quite reserved as no one wanted to extend themselves going into the gale. Once we turned a guy who had no business doing so made a move to try and break things up which the rest of us were obligated to respond to. As soon as we started up the second major bit of climbing just past halfway I could feel the screws being turned and contact was lost gradually but inexorably from there. Tried in vain to keep things close on the downhill sixth mile but it wasn't happening and this led to a dejected march to the line the last two miles. Overall the time was 20 seconds or so slower than last year but given the tactics and conditions involved any comparisons are worthless. Splits:

6:04
6:05
5:53
5:46
5:56
5:19
5:49
6:07 - dragged on forever

Cooldown was an out and back jog along the last mile or so of the course, heading in with the CH who also tackled this challenging layout. We both needed a nap afterward.

Sat 4/9 - PM 75 minutes

Lincoln woods. After a somewhat decent night's rest, feeling energetic enough to put in a run of more quality than the past couple of days. Were it not for tomorrow's planned race I would have done something more substantive still. Cloudless sky with plenty of light if not warmth. Wind from the NW took some of the fun out of things.

Fri 4/8 - PM 45 minutes very easy

Area 51. I had plans of doing something of substance today, but feeling far too flat for it. Pressed for time so the run length was going ot be diminished no matte what. Really tired today.

Thu 4/7 - PM 75 minutes easy

Area 51. Pleasant recovery effort with the CH after a somewhat late start. Finally a bit warmer and with that came rain for much of the day.

Wed 4/6 - PM 50 minutes incl. 8x300, circuits

Day off from work after a late night CH pickup, well worth the trip of course. I had considered doing this in the morning but unable to pry myself out of bed plus the cold conditions made it a less than hospitable prospect. As for the circuits, felt like I overextended myself a bit on some of the early reps but rallied at the end after adjusting the effort. Crosswind blowing, in fact the wind has become particularly insistent of late.

Tue 4/5 - PM 75 minutes

Area 51. Snow melted enough for it so to the woods I went. Started out at a relaxed clip but picked it up the second half of the run, by the end going a bit quicker than I had expected. Yesterday's unplanned day off had something to do with it no doubt. Still obnoxiously cold.

Mon 4/4 - off

Disgusting weather as snow and wind with temps a good 20+ degrees below the average for this time of year descended in the morning and didn't budge all day. Also feeling more pooped than I'd accounted for from the past two days. After the second round of shoveling and looking at the shit condition of the roads I knew the treadmill was the only option and it was one I wouldn't be taking.

Sun 4/3 - PM 90 minutes

Lincoln woods. Took a while to get going but the last half hour was moving along at a decent clip. Some doubt about the advisability of running on the trails after a quick moving storm left a coating of snow on the ground. Worried I'd be slipping and sliding all over the place but most of the trails were clear and relatively dry. Ridiculously windy for the third day this week, spring thus far has been a rough go.

Sat 4/2 - PM 70 minutes incl. 3200, 2x1600, 3200

Longfellow loop. Dreading this session a bit more than usual and certainly more than I should. This due mainly to the fact that the original plan included another pair of 1600s tacked on to the end. Feeling so flat yesterday didn't help matters any. Decided after the second 1600 that I'd be curtailing the workout and with it came a sense of relief. Perhaps if I had taken a more conservative tack at the outset I might have made it through the entire thing but that didn't happen. Instead, I resolved to hit the second 3200 in under 11:30 which seemed a tough but reasonable goal. Not a problem thankfully. Splits:

5:45/5:49
3.5R
5:34.6
2R
5:43.0
2R
5:39/5:44

The "speed" such as it is on the final rep opened up the idea that maybe, possibly I could handle some faster paced training with longer recoveries in the near future. We'll see. Gloomy overcast and rain in the morning and early afternoon gave way to a surprisingly nice late afternoon/early evening, with the sun poking through and not nearly as windy as I thought.

Fri 4/1 - PM 75 minutes very easy

Rail bed to South Acton, on to Lower Village and back via Summer Road. Not the route I had in mind when I headed out the door. In fact I toyed with the idea of doing the workout I didn't do yesterday, as today would have been a good day schedule-wise but simply wasn't feeling it. Thought I'd go out to the refuge but found myself following the rail bed north instead, and the pace a dawdle. Thought the pace might increase a bit over the course of the run but it didn't happen. Didn't get as much rest on my day off yesterday as I should have and feeling it today.

Thu 3/31 - PM 90 minutes

Lincoln woods. Day off from work, had all kinds of delusions of doubling, maybe doing a workout on the Longfellow loop. Legs too dented and far too windy for a timed workout and stayed up too late last night to get in a morning run. So a longer afternoon run had to suffice. Unlike other recent visits to the woods I left the thin soled shoes at home and went in with less of an emphasis on hammering the pace. Pace did quicken somewhat in the latter stages but much more sedate to start. Very warm and very windy conditions, wind advisory again like Tuesday but a good 25 degrees warmer.

Wed 3/30 - PM 50 minutes easy

Area 51. Somewhat pressed for time or else I would have gone for a bit longer. Soreness in right hamstring, while not acute, has persisted since Saturday. Likely some tightness in the piriformis/glute area has something to do with it.