My online running log

Sat 1/28 - PM 65 minutes

2012-01-29T14:36:00.000-05:00

Area 51. Rolled on the lax ball before heading out the door, which helped with the chronically stiff calf. Some of the trails were more hockey rink than I would have liked, although that's looking a gift horse in the mouth considering how unusual it is to be able to get on trails at all at this time of year. Took it slowly and stuck to the edges of icy paths to avoid any wipeouts. Once back on dry pavement, felt good enough to pick up the pace to something approximating LT for a few minutes. As close to satisfying as I'm going to get right now.

Fri 1/27 - PM 35 minutes easy

2012-01-28T11:00:00.000-05:00

Fresh Pond with a modest side excursion to Danehy Park. Left calf swollen from all the poking and prodding post-run yesterday. Marginally better than yesterday but that's not saying much. As such the only appropriate venue for any kind of running, even a jog, is flat pavement. Both calves tight as drums, stretched them out at least a half dozen times during the course of the day, with a couple of stretch breaks during the run to boot. Feels like I could stretch them a few dozen times and they'd still be too tight. To add to the fun the rain that had subsided by mid-afternoon got going again just as I was starting out, dismal conditions.

Thu 1/26 - PM 40 minutes easy

2012-01-27T15:30:00.000-05:00

Lincoln Woods. Infuriating failure, yet another miscalculation/setback with the fucking calf. This is starting to get into the same ugly compulsive territory as the hip travails of '09 with the endless scab-picking, although then I knew going in the kind of damage I was doing running on the thing. With this I have no idea until it goes on me. In this case, felt a tight knot in the calf at the end of the work day, figured it would loosen up if I started out slowly, it didn't of course. Then I felt it strain on a modest grade but with slippery footing to make it worse. Stopped to poke and prod at it for a few minutes, turned back for the road. Once there, found that anything resembling a hill stretched the muscle to its limit, decided to take the shortest, flattest route back to the car. Alas there is no truly flat terrain back there, and it didn't take much in the way of slope to aggravate the leg. By the end I was gingerly walking up the last few rises to avoid catastrophe. Trails muddy but in better shape than the ones I ran on yesterday. Although the last two days' runs of course led directly to this nonsense today. Got home and immediately set to crushing the calf with the lax ball, then the butt end of the massage stick which got more focused pressure. Then the ice pack, again. Back to square one, again.

Wed 1/25 - PM 70 minutes

2012-01-26T18:16:00.000-05:00

Area 51. Somewhat more snow here than in Lincoln, esp. given that another day has passed since it fell. Slow going in places to avoid slipping on icy patches, brilliant choice of route for the calf of course. Track road in particular was borderline hockey rink, had flashbacks to the infamous groin strain of March '09. This time I stopped and walked when necessary. Can't stay away from the trails though when they're the least bit accessible. Moving much quicker on the sections of clear pavement. High temps above freezing, as has become usual for this winter.

Tue 1/24 - PM 75 minutes

2012-01-25T12:04:00.000-05:00

Lincoln woods. Calf felt much better during the day at work after yesterday's massage, but the knot reasserted itself once I got out on the trails. They were of course a sloppy mess after last night's rain on top the weekend snow. Conditions hardly favorable for the calf, not that I much care at this point.

Mon 1/23 - 30 minutes very easy

2012-01-24T13:02:00.000-05:00

Dismal jog in dismal chill overcast. Left calf stuck from yesterday's folly, not that I even tried to run fast yesterday. Went directly from run to massage table, got both calves worked on and they both needed it badly. Felt better for it afterward.

Sun 1/22 - PM 50 minutes easy

2012-01-23T16:20:00.000-05:00

Charles river path. Went in planning to actually run a race on the track, never mind the lingering soreness from Thursday's miscalculation wearing spikes. 5 minutes into the warmup felt a twinge, two minutes later felt it again and that was that. Plainly obvious that I'm incapable of running fast, running period really, in anything but the thickest gunboat type of shoe. I've actually lost count now of how many times I've reaggravated this fucking thing, it takes some real ability to stretch out a muscle strain into 2+ months of purgatory. After watching a couple hours of the meet, incl. the joke of an old fart's race I was originally entered to run, I went for an easy jog along the river. Even that caused the calf to bark a bit. Unbelievable. Back to jogging to maintain my sanity, icing, massage, etc. No running in anything but the gunboats for the foreseeable future. I fucking hate this.

Sat 1/21 - AM 30 minutes easy

2012-01-22T17:16:00.001-05:00

Easy putter on snow-covered streets of Maynard in the midst of the storm. Left calf still tight, could feel better. Slippery conditions underfoot not helping a bit. Should have done this run on the treadmill but I can't bring myself to get on the thing at this point. Did some work with the lax ball in the evening FWIW. Looks like the dry and clear trails might be over with until spring, although warm temperatures are forecast for early next week so who knows.

Fri 1/20 - PM 50 minutes easy

2012-01-21T10:25:00.002-05:00

Along the Charles, my new regular haunt it would seem. Harvard Stadium to North Station. Brief jogs from the station to the T stop and the T stop to my car as well. Left calf stayed stiff throughout, very tight after last night's workout. Still cold but not as windy as I thought it would be.

Thu 1/19 - PM 55 minutes incl. mile-1320-880

2012-01-20T15:15:00.000-05:00

Pushing the envelope, almost but not quite to an inadvisable degree. Planning on doing the mile-12-8-4 cutdown with 2-4 200s tacked on as well. Ideally the first two reps quasi-tempoish and getting closer to 3k and perhaps mile pace after that. Splits:

mile: 81.3/76.9/77.4/77.8 - 5:13.5
4R
1320: 77.4/76.3/75.9 -3:49.7
3R
880: 72.2/73.0 - 2:25.2

The mile was quicker than I had hoped, shooting for no faster than Monday's 5:17. After hitting the quarter a bit slow, overcompensated the next two laps and then settled into that faster rhythm the rest of the way. 3/4 was as I had hoped to do it, although a couple seconds quicker than expected. Before the 800 I changed into spikes. A small amount of tightness in the left calf on the first two (longer, slower) reps, but nothing that felt unmanageable. Noticed the difference right away going from flats to spikes, i.e. a thin heel wedge to almost no heel wedge. Quicker of course but more stress on the calf. Hoping to run something just under 2:30, but with zero pace sense from lack of track work I rolled through 440 much quicker than expected. Then with 100 to go I nearly trampled a pack of 10 year old girls standing in lane 1 just as they were starting en masse as I passed by. Many thanks to their idiot coach for that. I was convinced I had spiked one of them which led to profuse apologies while running while trying to get wide. In dodging them I felt the beginnings of a telltale twinge in the calf. Slowed down the last 20m to avoid catastrophe, spent the next two minutes putting direct pressure on the trigger point of gastroc. Stood up, took two steps and knew I was done running fast for the evening. Cooldown was a slow and yet still somewhat dicey affair. Avoided another reaggravation by the narrowest of margins. Quite clear that I'm not ready to be wearing spikes, which means I'll toe the line Sunday in the same shoes I wore running the marathon and up Pikes Peak. Given where I was a week ago I'm happy to be able to toe the line at all.

Wed 1/18 - 55 minutes easy

2012-01-19T20:55:00.000-05:00

Area 51. Headlamp battery went out which changed the route I chose, for the better probably. Need to cut the length of the runs at this point a little. Calf feeling pretty good, did nothing to aggravate it. Hammies still a bit sore but not as bad as yesterday. More seasonable temps.

Tue 1/17 - PM 70 minutes easy

2012-01-18T14:45:00.000-05:00

Area 51. Relaxed recovery run, on fairly stiff legs. Soreness in left calf has moved its way down from the belly of the muscle closer to the achilles. Generally I view the migration of pain loci as a good thing as it usually means the underlying issue is on the way out, not sure how I feel about this though given the achilles is not a good place to be feeling soreness. High hammies stiff as well, to be expected after the time off from any kind of track work. The day started with snow that changed to rain, like last Thursday only with much less rain thankfully so less slush on the trails. Temperature on the rise as the evening progressed so there was plenty of fog though.

Mon 1/16 - PM 60 minutes incl. mile, 3(110-150-220)

2012-01-17T15:17:00.000-05:00

Quasi-workout on the track, something that was unthinkable four days ago. Calf still vulnerable, felt a twinge on the last 110 when I had to stop short to avoid colliding with a kid jogging in lane 1, but overall a very positive experience. Initially planning on doing glorified strides only, after getting through the warmup drills and strides in one piece wearing thin-soled shoes I decided last minute to try a steady-paced mile at the outset. Looking for something in the 5:30 range, controlled and not all out, just to see how the leg would react. Ended up running 5:17 (2:39/2:38), more effort than I would have liked at the end to run this speed but still under control. After a 3.5 minute break, 3 sets of the glorified strides with ample recovery--lap and a quarter after each 110, lap and a half after each 150 (which was less than a 150, not sure by how much). 3.5 minutes between sets. The times were nothing spectacular, basically everything around 72 pace. Not looking to do anything but survive the effort with the calf staying in one piece however. Also still digesting a too-large lunch and feeling a bit flat as a result. Some stiffness in the left ankle afterward, something that I noticed yesterday as well when the calf felt better. Hopefully, I'll be able to get some actual training in from here on out. Old fart mile this Sunday is tentatively back on, although it won't be anything pretty.

Sun 1/15 - AM 70 minutes

2012-01-16T10:00:00.000-05:00

Lincoln woods, with 6 strides (!) in the parking lot at the end. Found a knot in the calf last night that responded well to direct pressure. Following this, leg felt different from the outset on today's run. Trying not to become irrationally exuberant about it, nevertheless decided to try doing some strides at the end. No issues that I could tell, each stride slightly longer and quicker than the one before it. Fingers crossed to see how it reacts over the next few days. Glorified strides on the track tomorrow. Frigid conditions, wind made it truly miserable. Frozen fingers and especially thumbs.

Sat 1/14 - AM 75 minutes easy

2012-01-15T17:54:00.000-05:00

Area 51. Slow putter through the woods, with a long break just after twenty minutes to check out an islet near the trail that I had seen many times but never visited. Low water level made it possible. Stretched out the calf at this break and a second shorter break at about 50 minutes. Relieved some of the stiffness that had built up each time. Not as windy as last night but still windy, with temps that are more typical of this time of year.

Fri 1/13 - PM 85 minutes

2012-01-14T15:33:00.000-05:00

Charles River, round trip between Harvard Stadium and North Station with a 20 minute break in the middle. A bit over 40 minutes on the trip there, a bit under 45 minutes on the trip back. While the trip there was on the right bank and the trip back on the left, I'd say much of the time difference can be ascribed to the wind which was hammering from the WSW all afternoon. Sustained around 30 mph with gusts more than that, all alongside the flat expense of the waterway. There were moments on the trip back where I could barely make forward progress. This was as exhausting mentally as one would imagine. Calf feels better than yesterday, still light years from normal. Dry pavement is better for it than yesterday's slush of course. Both high hammies feeling tight and stiff.

Thu 1/12 - PM 70 minutes easy

2012-01-13T13:21:00.000-05:00

Area 51. Snow in the morning gave way to a driving windswept rain most of the afternoon, which of course meant slush on every uncleared surface. Hideous. I was thinking of sticking to plowed roads instead of going in the woods but soldiered on mostly due to force of habit, with predictable results. In hindsight taking another zero might have been the better move as even slow jogging did the calf no favors. Lots of poking and prodding at it after the run, incl. more lax ball work. Felt like it muddied the waters more than breaking up adhesions.

Wed 1/11 - off

2012-01-12T15:17:00.000-05:00

Calf felt like garbage after yesterday, although much better after some more intensive work with the lax ball. Besides this, feeling very tired after two days with no nap and no earlier bedtime to make up for it. Really wiped out my mid-afternoon.

Tue 1/10 - PM 35 minutes

2012-01-11T08:51:00.001-05:00

Charles River. Another setback, to add to the recent pile of them. Wore thin-soled shoes which was a mistake but didn't seem like that big a deal at the time. Felt pretty spry and snappy for the first few minutes which led to a pace that was too fast which led to another near miss with the calf almost popping. All this within 15 minutes of starting. Picking at the scab isn't a strong enough analogy for what's going on here. Unlike last Thursday or the hill drills eleven days ago, this time I was just running at a steady pace. Had I been wearing the gunboat shoes I'm sure this wouldn't have happened, but something like it eventually would. Indoor track is out of the picture, with my worst fears following the half-marathon in November realized. "Blindsided" and "hindsight" are the two words that keep coming to mind through this whole experience with the fucking calf. At every unhappy accident starting with the original injury I've been unpleasantly surprised at the severity and mere existence of the problem; on further reflection the chain of causation is quite clear. The whole mess started with reading this article and deciding that I should adopt more of a forefoot strike. In other words fixing what wasn't broken. This of course loaded up already tight calves, a week or so later I toe the line in Portsmouth wearing flats, and away we go. Since then just one miscalculation after another.

Mon 1/9 - PM 80 minutes easy

2012-01-10T14:07:00.002-05:00

Lincoln woods. Realized I could sneak a run in before sunset, perfectly timed to catch the last of the daylight as it turned out. After two days of quasi-hammering the bill came due today, as such the run was straight recovery. If anything the pace slowed down gradually towards the end. Kept it very relaxed as a result. Little stress on the calf although thanks to the length of the run there were twinges near the end. A pleasant afternoon in the woods. Dead calm with slightly warmer than normal temps, about as nice a day as one could hope for.

Sun 1/8 - AM/PM 85 minutes

2012-01-09T18:41:00.000-05:00

Out and back to Brues Woods, just under 45 minutes on the trip out and a little over 40 on the way back with a good hour in between spent checking on the camera and traipsing around taking pictures of turds. Like yesterday, pushed the pace as things went on for no good reason, probing the status of the calf. It's still no good for any kind of actual fast running of course so I settled into a sub-threshold no-man's land pace inevitably. Before bed worked on the gastroc with the lax ball, eliminated a fairly sizable knot with compressions on the area. Kind of exciting, even if the relief is only transitory. Not as warm as yesterday but still a few degrees above normal, but with a brisk breeze blowing.

Sat 1/7 - PM 70 minutes

2012-01-08T14:52:00.000-05:00

Area 51. First massage in a long time, too long of course. Entire hour was spent on the left calf. It helped to be sure, some knots got addressed that I couldn't really reach myself. The area is still a mess though, and remains quite vulnerable to reinjury with any kind of fast running. Simply put, any contraction of the gastroc while knee and ankle are flexed is inadvisable. So push-off is the problem, nothing new here but it bears pointing out. As for the run, started very gingerly and when I was convinced that jogging was no problem gradually increased the pace until I was hovering right at the edge of danger the last 10 minutes or so. Too dumb to not pick at the scab. Unseasonably warm day, although of course it's the norm for this winter so far.

Fri 1/6 - off

2012-01-07T12:06:00.000-05:00

Calf feels like garbage, not even an easy jog had any appeal. Fun times.

Thu 1/5 - 45 minutes incl. 4x 2 minute pickups

2012-01-06T15:11:00.000-05:00

Levittown. Big big mistake, cherry on the sundae of delusion I've been feasting on regarding the left calf. Since the initial injury in November, I count four incidents of reaggravating the area. Two of them (11/19 and 12/6) relatively minor, the other two (last Friday and today) more serious. With the relatively incident-free three final 3 weeks of December, which included hill drills and the whole bit, I thought I had resolved the problem. Last week's unpleasant surprise doing hill drills put paid to that, and in my desperation to build something resembling fitness for fast-approaching indoor track races I forced the issue today. Shooting for 10x2 minutes with 1 minute recovery. First three reps felt okay, some twinging on the fourth one, and I could feel it start to go about 45 seconds into the fifth rep. Back to the purgatory of icing and jogging for the foreseeable future. Indoor track is circling the drain, very doubtful of my ability to do any races worth a damn in the next six weeks. I'm still confounded by the fact that I could do track workouts and hill drills two weeks ago, incl. the 4-3-2-1 cutdown, all the while the strain was lurking and quite capable of reasserting itself.

Wed 1/4 - PM 70 minutes

2012-01-05T13:03:00.000-05:00

Area 51. Mildly encouraging overall, although the status of the calf remains problematic. The day off helped with the cold, feels like it's just about played out at this point. As expected, the day off also left me more energetic and spry than would otherwise be expected. Had to back off a bit at the half hour mark as the calf was starting to feel a bit tight. It occurred to me that stumbling on poorly seen divots in the woods not exactly the best thing for it. Better after that, taking care not to overstride. I even did four modest pickups on the way in, the effect on the calf was cumulative although not overwhelming. Getting better but still prone to being reaggravated or worse. Getting into any kind of shape for upcoming track races becoming more iffy by the day. The day started bitterly cold, atypical for this winter, and gradually moderated over the course of the afternoon. Still subfreezing temps, which had me decked out in layers and headsock. Wind was slack though so once again I found myself overdressed. Better that than the alternative of course.

Tue 1/3 - off

2012-01-04T16:05:00.000-05:00

To think I had delusions of doing a workout today too. Still bogged down by lingering cold symptoms, now firmly rooted in the sinuses with rampant mucus production. Went through a few dozen tissues over the course of the day. On the homestretch with this crap, can't get there soon enough. Calf remains a thornier issue, still vulnerable to further aggravation. To top it all off crushed by fatigue toward the end of the work day, couldn't see any way to bridge the afternoon from leaving work to being able to access the track at Harvard, not that I was going to be able to actually do anything even if I got there. In the end, went straight home and went to sleep for nearly two hours. Not the ideal choice given how much harder it was to get to sleep later that night of course. No mojo to speak of right now, feeling like a bit of a fraud athlete.

Mon 1/2 - AM 70 minutes easy

2012-01-03T15:41:00.001-05:00

Area 51. Still sick, calf still a mess. The latter concerns me more than the former, discouraging how it went from feeling fine to crap so suddenly. Seems like it might be a while before it feels any better despite all the poking and prodding. Hard to put the toothpaste back in the tube. Cold symptoms continue to progress, on the nasal congestion stage now which is always a treat. At least the throat swelling is down. I get the sense maybe I should be running less to help usher the illness on its way out. Temps warmer than normal again today, not as warm as yesterday and with a gusty wind that made it feel colder than it was.

Sun 1/1 - PM 80 minutes

2012-01-02T14:38:00.000-05:00

Lincoln woods with a fairly lengthy break halfway through at Devil's Staircase. Still under the weather, calf still a mess of course, but with the day off yesterday I was moving better than those facts would indicate. At least for the first hour, ran out of gas after that. Running on the uneven terrain around the pond and river did no favors to the calf, did some work on it while perched atop the staircase and much more work later in the day after the run. January began just unseasonably warm, just like the last two months.

Sat 12/31- off

2012-01-01T15:50:00.000-05:00

Spent most of the day in bed, trying to sleep off the sore throat. Progressing through the usual suite of symptoms, hopefully in short order it'll be over with. Second night in a row of having great difficulty getting to sleep thanks to the scratchy throat, with the added bonus of growing mucus production as well. Made for another slugabed morning. Between this crap and the calf which felt worse today after yesterday's reaggravation, the planned mini-meet went right by the boards without a second thought.

Fri 12/30 - AM 70 minutes easy

2011-12-31T13:55:00.000-05:00

Area 51, with hill drills on White Pond road. Tormented by the dry scratchy throat last night which made getting to sleep nearly impossible. Made the run a chore, no energy to speak of. If I had to drag myself to work today I don't know if I would have made it out the door for any kind of run, given how poorly I slept and how late I ended up sleeping in. More problematic was the fact that I reaggravated the left calf on the final drill. Felt relatively minor at first but of course given how bad the original strain was it proceeded to lock up more and more on the jog home and after finishing. Major downer as I thought I had put that particular issue behind me. Throws the participation in tomorrow's mini-meet in doubt, in fact it looks like I'll have to give it a pass now. Gray and dank conditions to boot, all around a shitty day.

Thu 12/29 - off

2011-12-30T13:40:00.000-05:00

Occurred to me while slogging through yesterday's run that a zero today would be both logical and humane. Finalizing the decision was the fact that I woke up in the middle of the night with a sore throat, yippee.

Wed 12/28 - PM 80 minutes easy

2011-12-29T14:53:00.000-05:00

Area 51. Feeling yesterday's workout more than I would have liked or expected. Didn't sleep well last night which likely had something to do with it. Pace wound down (not up) towards the end, running out of both energy and motivation. Right hammie remains a bit off. Gusty and blustery conditions as the mild moist air was being swept out.

Tue 12/27 - PM 65 minutes incl. 9k progression run

2011-12-28T15:04:00.000-05:00

Longfellow Loop. Not at all sure how far I'd be able to go, or should go for that matter. Came down to something in the 8-10k range, ended up splitting the difference. Still feeling an underlying tiredness esp. after yesterday's run. Took it out relaxed as a result, first 800 slower than even I thought. Pace picked up from there, pushed it a bit the second lap, to the edge of uncomfortably sustainable. Still under control throughout though. Splits:

6:04/5:54/2:50
5:50/5:52/2:50
last km 3:35

Not at all impressive numbers but in the broader context of how I've been feeling I'll take it. Mild once again, with rain threatening that had me spooked to be honest. Held off until I was just about done thankfully.

Mon 12/26 - AM 90 minutes

2011-12-27T18:29:00.000-05:00

Lincoln woods incl. drills on Pine Hill. Spent much of the first half of the run noticing how much more enjoyable it is running in these woods at any other time of the year besides winter, what with the hard frozen ground and chill breeze. Still better than the usual winter routine of pounding pavement. Ran out of gas soon after doing the drills, reduced to a jog on any non-downhill sections over the last 20 minutes. Half expected this, feeling kind of peaked.

Sun 12/25 - AM 50 minutes easy

2011-12-26T09:47:00.000-05:00

Area 51. Taking the path of least resistance for one more day at least. Underdressed for the first time this season, made it fairly miserable. Sunny but cold with a brisk breeze.

Sat 12/24 - AM 80 minutes very easy

2011-12-25T18:23:00.000-05:00

Area 51 to White Pond Road/Lower Village, back via Summer St. Took a while to get going this morning, after it took forever to get to sleep last night. Wired from the workout more than I thought I'd be. Easy putter throughout today. Stiff-legged the first few minutes but nothing out of the ordinary. Conditions much more seasonable, i.e. cold and windy.

Fri 12/23 - PM 70 minutes incl. 4x1600, 4x150

2011-12-25T18:21:00.000-05:00

Outdoors at Harvard. 5:21.5, 5:19, 5:19.5, 5:19.5 with 300 jog (90 seconds) between each. Indoor facility not available. For this particular workout it was better in all honesty to be outside with fewer turns. Would have been near-perfect conditions with mild temps for this time of year, except for the fact that the session coincided with a colder air mass being ushered in on NW winds that were gaining strength with each passing minute. Ordinarily a loser's lament doing track work outside that it feels windier at the end than the beginning but this evening it was absolutely the case. Getting crushed on the home straight the last two reps in particular. As such the times which look monotonously consistent don't quite reflect the effort level that was required. Also unable to do anything other than try to maintain 80 second laps, no progression to each rep. After finishing the fourth one, jogged two laps and then ran the 150s with the wind at my back, which of course felt great from an effort perspective. Jogged the rest of the way around. Moderate twinging in right psoas but overall legs held up well to the effort. Slowpoke cooldown.

Thu 12/22 - PM 45 minutes

2011-12-23T16:04:00.000-05:00

Area 51 to White Pond Rd., hill drills there and then back via Track road. Took a good long while to get going, motivation not exactly at a high point. Feeling a bit peaked after the last two days. Kept the run on the short side as a result. Right hammie stuck which was particularly clear when doing uphill bounding, but felt much better after doing compressions post-run. Warmer conditions prevailed through the day but the wind slacked after sunset and temp dropped a bit as a result. Still warmer than normal.

Wed 12/21 - PM 70 minutes easy

2011-12-22T17:44:00.000-05:00

Along the Charles from N. Station to Fresh Pond, cutting through Harvard Sq. near the end. Started out very easy, eventually picked up a little bit from there. Nothing earth-shattering however. Feeling yesterday's workout in the right hammie, not as much the left happily. Wind changed to SW again, with attendant rise in temperature. Downright mild conditions continue to dominate.

Tue 12/20 PM - 65 minutes incl. 3(440-330-220-110)

2011-12-21T14:59:00.000-05:00

First indoor track workout of the season. General lack of any work of this type over the past two months left me quite unsure of what to expect. Old standby quasi-leg prep session of 4-3-2-1 with 3-2-1 jog recoveries chosen because I'm sharp as a butter knife right now with not a lot of time to do something about it before the end of next month. After last Tuesday's rather slow 200 reps outside I had no clue what a given pace would feel like, rolled through the first lap of the first 400 in under 35 which was a lot faster than what I wanted. Made for a jelly-legged recovery jog after that rep. I was able to lock into a fairly consistent groove after that though. Tried not to press or force the pace. Felt only moderately unsustainable at worst. Changed into spikes for the last one which made a noticeable difference--in the recovery times, as seen below. Maybe I was just warming up by then.

70.7(87)/53.4(56)/35.3(28)/17.3 = 5:48
71.3(85)/53(54)/35.3(27)/17.2 = 5:42
70.5(81)/52(51)/35.2(25)/17 = 5:31

A bit under 4 minutes recovery between sets. Legs held up relatively well to it all, although there was a noticeable twinge in the right psoas towards the end of the second set.

Mon 12/19 - PM 65 minutes

2011-12-20T14:43:00.000-05:00

Area 51, hill drills on White Pond Road, back via Summerhill. Moving better than yesterday overall, at times had to rein it in to avoid overdoing it. Still feeling tightness in high hamstrings, alleviated somewhat by post-run compressions. Can't help but think it's reducing range of motion, time will tell I suppose. Much warmer than yesterday, after a frigid start to the day.

Sun 12/18 - AM 90 minutes

2011-12-19T10:05:00.000-05:00

Out and back to Brues Woods to check on the camera. Not the run I originally had planned but time constraints after sleeping in again left me with little choice. Took a while for legs to loosen up. Sub-freezing temps, coldest so far this season, didn't help any with that. Hamstrings still feeling somewhat tight, did strides on the way in anyway. Feeling more tired afterward than I would ordinarily expect for a run of this duration and intensity, still absorbing the stressors from earlier in the week.

Sat 12/17 - AM 75 minutes easy

2011-12-18T17:09:00.000-05:00

Area 51. Started out very easy, legs stiff from yesterday's workout. Eventually range of motion increased somewhat and as a result moved a bit quicker, although at no time did it get beyond a slow jog. Major slugabed morning, took forever to get off my back never mind out the door. Followed that up with an extended nap in the mid afternoon. Not surprising in the least, feeling a bit overextended by the end of the work week. Surprising that I was able to complete the workout yesterday in fact, although doing it by time instead of trying to hit a particular pace helped there. Cooler this morning than yesterday. First run in Area 51 for some time that wasn't in the dark, got a chance to check out the clear cut just off Patrol Road near the town well. Why they did it is anyone's guess.

Fri 12/16 - PM 70 minutes incl. timed pickups

2011-12-17T13:56:00.000-05:00

Return of both the Levittown loop and the 10-8-6-4-2-1 minute workout with 5-4-3-2 minute recoveries. I had forgotten how much I enjoy doing this workout. The streets of the warren are a perfect area for it. First three reps felt under control, extended myself a bit more for the shorter ones after that. Right thigh held up okay early on, got fatigued near the end which was no surprise. Had doubts during the day about my ability to do any kind of workout after a less than restful night of sleep. Lately I've been waking up in the wee hours for no reason I can tell and falling back to sleep has been difficult at best. Still on the warm side but with gusty winds. I ended up overdressing again.

Thu 12/15 - PM 45 minutes easy

2011-12-16T19:12:00.000-05:00

Area 51 with hill drills on White Pond, back via Summerhill. A chore thanks to feeling more tired than expected plus right leg still not quite there although it felt better than yesterday. Unusual warmth continues, today with rain showers and gusty SW winds all day. Made for a rather dreary experience.

Wed 12/14 - PM 85 minutes easy

2011-12-15T18:14:00.000-05:00

Area 51. Dragging the right leg much of the way thanks to the adductor being quite stuck. Did some work on it after 40 minutes or so which helped to a degree. Still definitely feeling it from yesterday. Started out a bit too quick for the type of recovery run I was looking for, felt better after reeling in the pace after the break. Similar conditions to last night only a few degrees warmer. Overall the mild November has given way to a mild December.

Tue 12/13 - PM 60 minutes incl. 15x200, 400

2011-12-14T15:21:00.001-05:00

Took a bit of a risk trying to do any kind of track work so soon after Sunday's leg issues. Happily, made it through in one piece, although it became increasingly clear as things progressed that the right adductor is mildly strained right now. Settled on what is fast becoming a comfortably familiar quasi-leg prep session with rotating 300-200-100m recovery jogs between 200 reps. Compared to previous iterations this one was noticeably slower, although it didn't feel that way at the time. Reps went by mostly in the 39-40 range, with the last two sets mostly just under 39. Final 400 in just over 78. 300 jogs avg. 87, 200 jogs avg. 59, 100 jogs avg. 32. Total time 26:10. While the chilly conditions required more clothing this time than the last time I did this just after Labor Day, it was mildly disappointing to see the slower numbers. Especially when the overall time then was just over 24 minutes with noticeably faster recoveries (80-55-28 vs. 87-59-32). Then again given where I was 48 hours ago I'm glad I was able to complete the thing in one piece and feeling relaxed and under control throughout. No wind to speak of.

Mon 12/12 - PM 55 minutes

2011-12-13T13:50:00.000-05:00

Area 51 to White Pond Road, hill drills there, then back via Summerhill. After yesterday's dismaying shutdown of the right hammie, this run went as well as I could have hoped. Some stiffness at first in the right adductor but I was able to do the run at a decent pace without the tightness developing. Calf was fine for the drills, after last week's aggravation I think the worst is behind me. Getting back to doing some of the post-run exercises I had let slip will help.

Sun 12/11 - AM 60 minutes incl. 5k road race

2011-12-12T15:30:00.000-05:00

Not a good time, literally or figuratively. Feeling fairly spry on the warmup and the first half of the race, under control and not having any undue issues with the calf apart from a tweak when I stepped in a small pothole. However, the larger problem surfaced in the second half of the race as the right high hammie got tighter and tighter. I was planning on cruising it in the last mile once I saw that a gap had been established, however with the leg stiffening up it was more of a forced deceleration (to 6:00 pace from 5:20) than a controlled one. The area stiffened up even more immediately after finishing and made the cooldown a half-limping crawl. I'm doubtful that the damage was done totally during yesterday's run in the woods, as that run was so slow. More of an accumulated thing. The fitness train won't be leaving the station until/unless I get the calf and core issues dealt with. Far more optimistic about the former than the latter right now. Clear conditions, breezy but not overly windy with temps just above average. Overall a nice day to be outside.

Sat 12/10 - AM 90 minutes easy

2011-12-12T10:12:00.000-05:00

Walden woods. Feeling tired and flat throughout, never got going. Cut the planned route short, which would have taken 1:45 at least at the pace I found myself running. I had hoped to do some strides on the track towards the end but it just wasn't happening. No stress placed on the calf at least. More frustrating was how locked up both high hammies were. Felt like utter garbage, and the resultant reduced range of motion had an affect on the pace of course. Hopefully just from running on uneven terrain, it's hard to tell though. Temps a bit above average but with enough wind to make it uncomfortable in the open.

Fri 12/9 - PM 55 minutes very easy

2011-12-10T10:37:00.000-05:00

Area 51. No issues with the calf today, I was going too slow. The main issue was getting out the door in the first place. I was feeling more tired than I thought I would be. Given it's Friday I suppose I should have known better. Pace petered out towards the end, simply ran out of gas. Wasn't looking to do much more than an easy putter after yesterday's frustrating day but even so, it was damn slow by the end. Milder temps than yesterday, mugginess making a comeback. Left SI joint stiff, rolled on it with the lax ball after the run. Feels like it would the day after an honest to goodness hard session as opposed to yesterday's underwhelming fool's errand.

Thu 12/8 - PM 60 minutes

2011-12-09T15:21:00.000-05:00

Failed attempt at some kind of threshold running, thanks to left calf being fried again. Unable to run at any kind of speed faster than a jog w/o aggravating it further than it already is, which became abundantly clear after running 2k on the track at a hardly robust 90 seconds/lap. Called it a day and jogged an easy half hour on the bad wheel after that. In hindsight, this isn't from the recent fool's errand of a race from Sunday, but rather the step-ups, hill drills and finally lunges I've done between now and then. The vulnerable area isn't ready for the stresses inherent in those types of movements. Should have known better but in my defense I've suffered this type of injury so infrequently. Hamstring strains are more up my alley, esp. since it seems I can bounce back from them much sooner. Yesterday's miserable weather replaced by a different kind of miserable, windy vs. rainy. Could have been worse I suppose.

Wed 12/7 - PM 75 minutes easy

2011-12-08T17:52:00.000-05:00

Area 51. Rained all day, inescapable and gross. I had delusions of doing a workout today, the weather convinced me not to try but once out there I found that it wouldn't have gone off had I tried. Too flat and legs still too sore. Right adductor stiff and left calf is feeling like I might have aggravated it. The hill drills yesterday were in hindsight premature. All in all a frustrating day, sick of the generally wet weather we've had since I got back from Colorado in late August.

Tue 12/6 - PM 55 minutes easy

2011-12-07T12:40:00.001-05:00

Area 51, with a somewhat rushed set of hill drills on White Pond Road. Right leg remains sore, although not so much in the IT band as yesterday. Hip flexor/psoas stubbornly twinging though, did some direct pressure on it after the run and found it to be quite tight. Not as tight as both calves feel though. Length of run somewhat less than what I had originally been shooting for. Spitting rain but still unusually warm out, shorts weather in fact.

Mon 12/5 - PM 75 minutes very easy

2011-12-06T19:05:00.000-05:00

Area 51. Painfully slow putter, energy levels low and right leg feeling like garbage. Hip flexor was sore at the start, within fifteen minutes it was more a TFL/IT band thing that got worse if anything over the rest of the run. Shuffling along for most of it as a result. Straight recovery, but a chore nonetheless. Temperatures back up to unseasonably warm, confounding my attempts to dress appropriately.

Sun 12/4 - PM 60 minutes incl. 5k road race

2011-12-05T15:32:00.002-05:00

The race went well enough, better than I thought it would, the awards ceremony was another matter. Feeling flat and justifiably concerned about how good an idea it was to have entered this thing in the first place. Not sure how the right leg would hold up to any kind of fast running. Ran the course as a warmup at a fairly quick tempo, feeling lethargic the whole way. All signs pointing to a lackluster performance. Dragged out from the gun, controlled but only barely. Thought at various times in the first half of the race that I would be dropped eventually, esp. as the early leader seemed to make some surges. However, I'm guessing he didn't preview the rolling course beforehand because the second of two gradual climbs in the second mile softened him up sufficiently that I took the lead without trying or wanting to. Decided to maintain the effort level until near the end so as not to blow up, and put my hopes into holding him off with a final sprint. Took a peek with about 300m left and to my surprise I was in the clear. With no small sense of relief, took the foot off the gas pedal and slowpoked it in. Cooldown was a very slow 20 minutes or so around the former hospital grounds.

Sat 12/3 - AM 65 minutes easy

2011-12-04T15:46:00.000-05:00

Easy putter through Mine Falls, mostly east of the route 3 underpass. More extensive than I had realized back there. Right leg bothersome pretty much the entire way though which took away from the enjoyment of it some. Reduced range of motion in hip/thigh and soreness in the hammie after yesterday. The post-run foam roller stuff, while good in the long run, left its mark for today. Temps remain somewhat milder than normal for this time of year, the low sun and chilly mornings have been leaving me overdressed on some of these runs.

Fri 12/2 - PM 80 minutes easy

2011-12-03T16:36:00.000-05:00

Track Road to Sudbury Road and Area 51 from there. Strongly considered doing 2-3 laps on the Longfellow loop but in hindsight it wouldn't have happened, too flat and tired. A cumulative thing from pushing the pace late in runs the past few days and of course staying up too late. Another long nap upon getting home from work evidence of that. Calf ever so stiff during the day at work but no issue during the run. More annoying was the right hammie and TFL which were both stuck by run's end. Possibly from hill drills yesterday but I didn't notice anything at the time. Quality time with foam roller helped but only so much. Modest comeback of milder temps for the day.

Thu 12/1 - 50 minutes easy

2011-12-02T15:15:00.000-05:00

Area 51, with hill drills on White Pond Road. Happily, the calf is at a point where I can do drills on it again without damaging myself unduly. Using the gentler slope of White Pond instead of Pine Hill or Rice Road probably the best thing for now. Right hammie also feeling better than it was a few days ago, no longer pegged as tightly in the uppermost reaches. Got home from work feeling tired but I didn't realize how tired, brief nap turned into an hour and I woke up in a total fog. Took a while to come around from that. The mild interlude continues to slide gradually into more typical conditions, with a chilly breeze.

Wed 11/30 - 80 minutes

2011-12-02T10:37:00.000-05:00

Walden woods. Got an early start, able to run on the trails before dusk fell. Started out slowly, felt as if yesterday's relatively faster-paced run may have left more of a mark than I thought. Eventually loosened up though and finished off the last 20 minutes or so at a good clip. Calf held up fine and felt much better than Sunday's run in these woods. Right hammie and glute became stiff after the run, hammie feels tight. Gradually becoming more seasonable conditions over the past three days, cooler today but still not uncomfortable.

Tue 11/29 - PM 65 minutes

2011-12-01T12:05:00.000-05:00

Area 51, a little quicker than yesterday overall. Progressively faster, esp. over the last 15 minutes. Calf is feeling better by the day and the worst of it appears to be behind me now. Cooling off a bit from yesterday, i.e. I wore pants instead of shorts, but still on the warm side for this time of year.

Mon 11/28 - 60 minutes

2011-11-30T07:42:00.000-05:00

Area 51. Slow to start, not so much by the end. Getting the feeling that the calf may be coming around, but still too early to say for sure. All the poking and prodding of it seems to be having an effect though. Unseasonably warm.

Sun 11/27 - AM 85 minutes

2011-11-29T13:37:00.000-05:00

Walden woods. Moving much quicker today than the last two days, picked up the pace further the final half hour. The uneven footing and terrain while wearing trail runners not the best thing for the calf but I didn't care. Stops at 30 and 60 minutes for some compressions on it which helped some. Thick fog in the morning, dank conditions which eventually gave way to warmer but still sticky weather.

Sat 11/26 - AM 55 minutes very easy

2011-11-27T17:03:00.000-05:00

out and back in Fishkill and Beacon, drab and not especially scenic terrain. Woke up obscenely early, didn't really get back to sleep after that. Something that's happened a few times lately incl. yesterday. Very stiff out the door of course given the early hour. No attempt to do anything with the pace. The plan was to do a second run upon returning from the swooshocalypse but as I should have known, it took fucking forever to get back. By the time I got home, so tired I could barely keep my eyes open. Unseasonably warm day.

Fri 11/25 - double, 70 minutes very easy

2011-11-26T21:03:00.000-05:00

AM - 55 minutes very easy, Area 51. Really, really rickety this morning. Kept it relaxed of course, calf still a mess of course. Right hammie pegged as well, something I noticed warming up yesterday. The beast goes on I guess. Chilly at the start, but warming up rapidly as the sun came up.

PM - 15 minute shakeout jog at Bowdoin Park after 3+ lovely hours in the van with the Wild Kittens. Legs felt like garbage. Very warm day.

Thu 11/24 - AM 70 minutes incl. 5k road race

2011-11-25T21:35:00.000-05:00

Not an especially pleasant experience, although any major health disaster with the calf was averted. Too early start time (with attendant freezing temps) combined with no caffeine only added to the fun. Given a choice I would have given anything resembling a race a wide berth with the condition of the calf still not close to right, but I had 150 reasons to show up. Still, there was no need or reason to go any faster than a canter. As ever, foolish pride took over after an incredibly awkward start stepping gingerly off the line. Reeled in various morning glories and weekend warriors until I reached my level, which was a depressingly slow 5:40 pace or so. Duked it out with two of the hoi polloi for the all important age group win (in hindsight, worth absolutely nothing) including something resembling an actual sprint the last 100m or so. Still not sure how I pulled that off without straining the calf massively. It of course proceeded to to stiffen up as soon as I was through the chute. Very slow 30 minute cooldown on the rail trail (its proximity for warmup and cooldown being the best thing about the location of this race). Surely set things back yet again with this, hopefully the overall trend remains oriented toward recovery though.

Wed 11/23 - PM 45 minutes

2011-11-24T15:38:00.000-05:00

Quick hitter relatively speaking. Very tired after getting home from work, nap was too long as a result. Going pretty well on the whole, calf still not close to being right so still forced to hold back on the pace.

Tue 11/22 - PM 70 minutes

2011-11-24T15:37:00.000-05:00

Area 51. Different route than last night, generally a bit quicker as well. Calf was feeling better from the start so of course I got greedy and pushed the pace just enough to tweak it. Backed off before doing any major damage. Not as cold as yesterday, rain on the way.

Mon 11/21 - PM 70 minutes

2011-11-23T07:43:00.000-05:00

Area 51. Moving much quicker than yesterday, with less pain and stiffness. After feeling like utter crap all day at work, mainly because of all the time spent sitting with my knee and ankle flexed, calf loosened up once I was able to do a bit of walking around in the afternoon. Of course, got a little greedy 2/3 of the way through and picked up the pace just enough to cause the soleus to stiffen up a bit, had to back off from that point on. Chilly and windy conditions.

Sun 11/20 - PM 70 minutes very easy

2011-11-21T11:04:00.000-05:00

GMNWR and Concord center. If anything the calf felt worse than it did at the end of yesterday's run upon waking up this morning. Back to compressions and icing but to no avail thus far. Unable to do anything more than jog very lightly and gingerly on it, even that's probably too much of course. Blindsided is a fair description of my state of mind, tripping over a fucking branch shouldn't have resulted in this. To say nothing of how the hell it got strained in the first place last weekend--one minute I'm chugging along at a crappy slow pace in the half marathon, the next I'm limping on one leg. WTF indeed. Unseasonably warm day.

Sat 11/19 - PM 85 minutes

2011-11-21T11:00:00.000-05:00

Track Road to Area 51 via Sudbury Road. Reaggravated left calf after tripping on a fallen tree limb that I didn't pick up with the headlamp. Took a few minutes for the full effect to sink in but one ill-advised quasi-surge about 10 minutes later made it abundantly clear that the whole fucking thing was back in spasm. Shuffled it in from there, extremely frustrating to say the least. Even putting aside the freak nature of the precipitating incident, it certainly looks like I had overestimated the degree to which I had recovered. Feels like almost back to square one when I thought the worst was already behind me. Not even close.

Fri 11/18 - PM 80 minutes easy

2011-11-20T10:58:00.000-05:00

Out and back to TJs, first time doing this in a good long while. Pace picked up gradually on the way back, esp. the last little bit once back in Maynard. No issues from calf, not doing anything to stress it unduly of course. Hammies got tight again, felt better after post-run compressions. Temperature dropped with the sunset, wind persisted.

Thu 11/17 - PM 80 minutes easy

2011-11-18T13:36:00.000-05:00

Area 51. The recovery continues apace. Started out slowly, but gradually picked up steam and doing some actual running in the last 10 minutes. Calf held up to it fine. Also somewhat less soreness in the high hammies than yesterday, took a bit longer for it to become noticeable this time. Much cooler today than yesterday, chilly after lingering showers cleared out.

Wed 11/16 - PM 75 minutes very easy

2011-11-17T13:57:00.000-05:00

Area 51. Not quite as slow as yesterday, but still puttering to be sure. Calf coming along, full recovery still nowhere on the horizon of course. Easy jogging until then. Obnoxious rain all afternoon, failed insofar as dressing for it. High hammies got sore right around the hour mark which was disappointing but not surprising, that area remains a mysterious subtle mess.

Tue 11/15 - PM 60 minutes very easy

2011-11-16T20:13:00.000-05:00

Tiger Drive to Old Marlboro and Longfellow, back via Waltham. About what I expected, in that the calf is still very vulnerable but going superslow on flat ground didn't bother it. Felt better by the end as well. Continued icing and compressions are helping a great deal with the recovery from the strain.

Mon 11/14 - off

2011-11-15T08:42:00.000-05:00

Figured there was no way I would be running today after yesterday's damage. Did enough icing and compressions on the calf over the past day and a half (incl. at 5:30 AM) to get to a point where I felt like a superslow jog on flat smooth ground was doable. That went by the boards due to being overwhelmingly tired (see 5:30 icing session). Barely able to keep my eyes open on the drive home, went straight to bed for a too long nap once I did.

Sun 11/13 - AM half marathon in 1:21

2011-11-15T08:37:00.000-05:00

Ugly ugly effort on the NH seacoast. Started out feeling relaxed but also with a strong inkling I had bitten off more than I could chew even though the pace was modest at best. The real bs started just after five miles when I slowly came to realize my left soleus was locking up. This came as quite a surprise although maybe it shouldn't have been given the stiffness in the left ankle/heel over the past week or so. It got tighter and stiffer with each step from there on out. Layout of the course is such that I could have stopped around 7.5 mile mark and gotten a ride back to the start but instead I stubbornly soldiered on. Lost the last money spot soon after that, no real surprise given I couldn't run anything resembling a decent pace anymore. Still persisted for a pair of shoes, which I ended up winning because the race was (as expected) quite non-competitive after the top 3. Limped through the last 5k and jogged it in across the line. Did some work on the calf after the race, very tender and sore of course, remains to be seen how much of a setback this will be. More worrisome even than the calf which will heal in time was the tight heavy feeling in both hammies that got progressively worse as well. Something that's been bugging me for six weeks or so.

Sat 11/12 - AM 25 minutes very easy

2011-11-13T15:00:00.000-05:00

Another early slog, took some doing to get out of bed and out the door. Left ankle/heel quite stiff for the first couple of minutes, then it suddenly loosened up similar to how the right VMO attachment behaves most of the time. Ahh, aging. Breezy morning.

Fri 11/11 - AM 75 minutes easy

2011-11-12T16:05:00.000-05:00

Lincoln woods, with drills on Pine Hill. A dreary putter, barely awake and both legs stiff and sore as well. Couldn't help thinking that an easy easy run yesterday might have helped alleviate some of the soreness today. Ended up doing all manner of direct pressure and cross fiber friction on the left SI joint as well as right hammie, and some rolling on the right IT band/TFL. Blustery conditions, trees blocked the worst of it but still not the greatest.

Thu 11/10 - off

2011-11-11T16:49:00.000-05:00

tiredness and crap weather combined for a predictable result. Had a thought during the day that taking the zero wouldn't be a bad idea and the downpours on the drive home did nothing to change my mind.

Wed 11/9 - PM 70 minutes incl. 10x800

2011-11-10T13:14:00.000-05:00

Something of an upset, able to complete the planned workout and then some. Originally planned on doing this on the Longfellow Loop but the darkness made me think better and so headed to the track instead after getting part way down Waltham Street. Given how flat I've been feeling lately, set the bar extremely low at 2:50 per rep to start, hoping to get through eight of them. After five it became clear the effort was sustainable enough to do ten instead. Splits:

2:49.6, 2:47.8, 2:47.5, 2:46.7, 2:44.3, 2:46, 2:42.6, 2:44.9, 2:42, 2:43.3

recovery was a 200m out and back jog which took between 65 and 67 seconds. Relaxed and under control throughout, although I was worried I may have dug a little too deep on the seventh rep. Nothing spectacular overall but I'm happy just to get through a longish workout in one piece. Right hammie sore during the day but not an issue during the run. Continued warm temps, something of a breeze but not overpowering.

Tue 11/8 - PM 45 minutes easy

2011-11-09T13:31:00.000-05:00

Area 51. The malaise that's plagued me of late continues unabated. Mostly of my own making, although it does seem to be something of a November tradition as well. With the recent marathon thrown in the mix as well, who knows. Energy levels remain low although not as disastrously low as yesterday. Plenty of aches, right hammie, left SI joint, left ankle all stiff and sore through most of the day and then most of the run. Out of obligation, did some strides on the way in but they were much shorter and slower than the norm. Trying to dig myself out of the hole by getting to sleep earlier, with mixed results so far.

Mon 11/7 - PM 30 minutes easy

2011-11-08T13:32:00.000-05:00

Caught by surprise at how flat I felt today. Had trouble getting out the door and within a few minutes it was clear that the length of the run would be cut short. Ended up walking it in. Calves sore from yesterday but really it's more about the overarching tiredness. Too tired even to bother with the full post-run stretch and core routine. Ended up crawling into bed "early" although that in part is due to the time changing yesterday.

Sun 11/6 - AM 70 minutes incl. 5k road race

2011-11-07T12:43:00.000-05:00

Second time around for this particular race, felt like I had to work much harder this year although the time wasn't that much faster. Course just as I remembered it, a pain the butt with almost no straight sections and two decent stretches of climbing in the second mile. In fact, from about 1000m to the turnaround the course was mostly uphill and into a pretty stiff wind. More company than last year, as suspected. Tried to play some tactics by letting others lead on the windy headwind stretch. Shook all but one by the turnaround, quickly gapped on the way down and by two miles it was over. Packed it in for good with about 400m to go. As expected, underlying fatigue presented itself when the going got tough. Still a worthwhile sandbagging experience and served my purposes. The most excitement of the day resulted from coming across one of these sunning itself in the street while on the cooldown.

Sat 11/5 - AM 70 minutes easy

2011-11-06T12:33:00.000-05:00

Lincoln woods with drills on Pine Hill. As early as I've started in some time, not really awake yet but this was the only time of day available. Ran out of gas on the run back from the hill, not that I was going great guns before that. Very flat and tired, not surprising at all. Right patellar tendon sore after yesterday's uneven terrain. Brisk and breezy morning.

Fri 11/4 - PM 70 minutes incl. repeats

2011-11-05T16:34:00.000-04:00

Franklin Park. First time I've run fast here in years, today with the wildcats of course. Very brief warmup jog, 10 minutes at most. Then 2 trips up and over Bear Cage down to the backstop, a little short of 800m probably, followed by two trips around Wilderness loop that were probably a bit short of 1k. One final run around Plaisted, something a bit less than 600. As I did last week, worked my way through the groups from slower to faster. Very relaxed and easygoing at first of course, the last two reps done with the top two boys who were in well over their heads and racing each other as teenagers are wont to do. Relaxed but I can't say it was controlled, stretched right to the limit. Of course with 4-5 minute recoveries this behavior was enabled if not encouraged. Long mellow cooldown of 30 minutes afterward. Left glute feeling better after last night's work on it, but left hammie feeling off in the belly of the muscle. Cool and windy, if anything the wind picked up after the sun set.

Thu 11/3 - PM 50 minutes easy

2011-11-04T14:14:00.000-04:00

Area 51. Would have run longer but schedule constrained my options. Predictably stiff after yesterday, even though it wasn't much of a session. Not quite as tired as I was feeling earlier in the week. Left high hammie feeling quite tight, realized just before bed the likely source was up in the glute. A few minutes of rolling on the lax ball left the area in much better shape.

Wed 11/2 - PM 50 minutes incl. 8x400

2011-11-03T15:20:00.000-04:00

Semi-successful attempt at doing an actual workout, despite mojo still not back after the marathon and recent issues with getting to bed early enough. Set the bar intentionally low, 400s with 100 jog recoveries at something around tempo pace. Repeats avereaged around 80, recoveries 30 seconds. Also flexible going in as to pulling the plug if necessary after fewer repeats than planned. As the original plan was to do 16 reps the plug was indeed pulled. I also thought it would be a good idea not to check the watch so as not to get discouraged by what would surely be slow numbers. In hindsight I would have been better served checking the splits, as I thought I was going 2-3 seconds slower than actual. Tried to keep the effort relaxed and hold something back for later but it became clear that I had bitten off more than I could chew by #8. In the end it was a version of the Deek with truncated rest breaks.

Tue 11/1 - PM 65 minutes easy

2011-11-02T14:54:00.000-04:00

Area 51. Took some doing to get out the door today. Still tired, although not as much as yesterday. Took it quite easy to start, showing some signs of life near the end. Enough to do strides but they were pretty mediocre as strides go. The slipping and sliding has left its mark on the hammies and stabilizing muscles, unforeseen but totally predictable. Avoided the stretch of Patrol Road that had all the downed trees yesterday, no idea if those had been cleared. Chilly and breezy, snow that's still on the ground adds enough moisture to make things dank as well.

Mon 10/31 - 40 minutes very easy

2011-11-01T15:08:00.000-04:00

Area 51. A fool's errand of a run, dragging much more than anticipated and cut things short as a result. In fact, walked it in the last few hundred meters once I got back to downtown. Feeling the effect of the weekend, as much the underlying fatigue as the runs themselves which weren't all that. No energy whatsoever. Left hip tight again, rolled the SI joint on the lax ball as a result. Felt better for it but a holding action at best. Many, many trees down across the patrol road from the storm, stopping every 50m or so on average to clamber around them. Interesting to see but a pain nonetheless. At least I didn't step on any live power lines.

Sun 10/30 - 90 minutes

2011-10-31T13:56:00.000-04:00

Walden woods. Mostly different route, utterly different footing after yesterday's storm which left the trails in varying degrees of snow, slush, and/or standing water. Made for quite the messy slog. Legs responded exactly how I thought they would, i.e. hammies got stiff and range of motion decreased as the run progressed into the final half hour. Still, not quite as bad a fade as yesterday's run on dry ground. Third morning in a row of being glued to the bed come wakeup time, took forever to get going.

Sat 10/29 - AM 90 minutes

2011-10-30T13:48:00.000-04:00

Walden woods, with drills on Pine Hill. Moving at a decent clip for the first hour and then hit something of a wall after that. The run in from the hill after doing drills was especially slow, I was done by that point. Possibly the uneven footing had something to do with the fade, whatever the case both hammies felt tight by the end and I was pooped. Overcast conditions, but at least I avoided the weather bomb that showed up later on in the afternoon.

Fri 10/28 - AM 60 minutes easy

2011-10-29T15:34:00.000-04:00

Major slugabed morning, great difficulty in peeling myself off the mattress. Still getting over that gd town meeting. Planned on doing some sort of threshold pace workout on the Longfellow loop this morning, first real workout of substance since the marathon, but I knew before I had gotten 3 minutes down Waltham St. that it wasn't to be. Turned off at Old Mill and eventually made my way over to Area 51 for an easy jog back there instead. Right medial knee area was gripping and tight all day yesterday, felt like crap, somewhat better today but still majorly stiff to start. Overall not feeling particularly spry. Clear, breezy and unseasonably cold, definite chill in the air.

Thu 10/27 - off

2011-10-28T20:56:00.000-04:00

This zero caused equally by the exhaustion from going to that stupid town meeting last night and the abysmal weather all damn day, cold hard rain that turned briefly to snow. Barely made it home from work without falling asleep at the wheel, straight to bed after that. Disgusting weather, rained harder and longer than I thought it would.

Wed 10/26 - PM 60 minutes

2011-10-27T14:20:00.000-04:00

Area 51. Started out easy, pace progressed somewhat over the second half of the run but stiff legs kept the speed modest throughout. Dragging during the day at work once again, even though I thought I'd slept reasonably well the past two nights. Apparently not. Spending 4+ hours participating in democracy isn't going to help this one bit either, no chance to stretch post-run and got to bed far too late for a weeknight.

Tue 10/25 - PM double, 80 minutes total

2011-10-26T11:35:00.000-04:00

Another split afternoon run, earlier in the daylight with the wildcats, 5x800 at progressively faster pace starting at around 3:30 or so and ending at 2:45ish. Longish recovery between each rep with a 10 min jog warmup and cooldown. Right hammie tight during this, also feeling some tightness over hip trochanter. Later on in the evening, 45 minute easy run through Area 51. Toyed with the idea of doing hill drills but decided against it. Did some work on the right hammie beforehand, made it feel a bit better. Afterward though both hammies sore. Blustery conditions in the afternoon, wind calmed down a bit after sunset. Otherwise cool and clear.

Mon 10/24 - off

2011-10-25T13:37:00.000-04:00

Laid low by tiredness, to an unexpected degree. Tempting to say the post-marathon hangover has asserted itself, but more likely just fatigued from the weekend in particular Saturday.

Sun 10/23 - PM 60 minutes easy

2011-10-24T15:10:00.000-04:00

Walden woods, with drills and strides on the track afterward. Planned on running much longer, but took forever to get out of bed and get going, so much so that it was already the noon hour by the time I hit the trail. Legs still stiff and dead although maybe not as bad as the past couple of days. Took a brief break at Devil's Staircase, dismal overcast took the edge off the view though. Did drills to try and get the legs looesened up and feeling a bit of life in them, passably successful at this.

Sat 10/22 - AM 80 minutes very easy

2011-10-23T11:03:00.000-04:00

Lincoln woods, with drills on Pine Hill. Both legs sore in awkward and unexpected ways. Stiffness in upper hammie area appears to be the lasting legacy of last week. Easy jogging until further notice, hopefully I can fit in some strides here and there as well. Probably shouldn't be running this much so soon after a marathon. Tough to stay out of the woods at this time of year though. Cool and breezy conditions, pleasant overall.

Fri 10/21 - PM 70 minutes easy

2011-10-22T10:07:00.000-04:00

Area 51. More jogging. Pace petered out a bit toward the end.