Mon 5/28 - PM 60 minutes easy
Tue 5/29 - PM 40 minutes incl. 5x300. Starting each rep at mile pace and hopefully changing gears to 800 pace halfway through each one. Long recoveries of 500 jog with a little water stop thrown in which wound up taking a bit over 3 minutes. A bit overheated the second and third reps but came back to earth after that. Avverage HR climbing steadily if slightly through each rep, although at least it remained somewhat stable during the recoveries. Length of the recoveries no doubt had something to do with this. Had to curtail the cooldown as I was very much pressed for time. Conditions generally favorable for a change. Splits:
53.2 (151) - 3:22 (135)
52.5 (157) - 3:17 (140)
52.0 (159) - 3:13 (143)
53.7 (161) - 3:14 (143)
53.6 (163)
Wed 5/30 - PM 65 minutes easy, Lincoln woods. Gradual pickup in pace after a pokey start.
Thu 5/31 - PM 50 minutes incl. 3k, 6x100. Cut down from 3:40 for the first km to a pair of 3:35s after that. HR gradually climbed as expected. Pressed for time which curtailed the workout somewhat.
Fri 6/1 - PM 45 minutes easy
Sat 6/2 - PM 60 minutes very easy, Area 51.
Sun 6/3 - PM 50 minutes incl. track DNF. Miserable effort or lack thereof. Hoping to run 77 pace which seemed reasonable and not overly irrational and it became clear on the third and final lap I completed that wouldn't be possible. Splits of 74, 78, and 79 and the trend was not in my favor. Paying the piper for ongoing terrible bedtime habits and I have only myself to blame for it. Shouldn't be so hard to change and yet here we are. Underlying exhaustion never feels far away and the least bit of hard effort brings it distressingly and immediately to the forefront. Breezy conditions but not overwhelming, the lack of people to run with didn't help any but I can hardly use that as an excuse. Celebrated this turd by going home and not getting to bed until 11:30, again, and not falling to sleep for some time after that thanks to the caffeine I ingested that was totally pointless in hindsight.
6/19/18
5/31/18
Week of 5/21-5/27
Mon 5/21 - PM 50 minutes very easy, rail bed to S. Acton and back. The day after running down a rail trail I ran down another rail trail. Legs are quite dented from the fool's errand yesterday.
Tue 5/22 - PM 60 minutes easy, Area 51. Still in putter mode, quads feeling stiff and heavy. Originally planned to hit the trails in Lincoln but the weather wasn't cooperating with that, gloomy and overcast.
Wed 5/23 - PM 70 minutes easy, Lincoln woods. Coming around finally from Sunday but as expected I wasn't ready for anything resembling a hard effort. Nice day for it at least.
Thu 5/24 - PM 60 minutes easy
Fri 5/25 - off. Left work early thinking I'd squeeze in a track workout before lunch but it wasn't happening. Flat, tired and listless.
Sat 5/26 - AM 40 minutes incl. 3x200, 2x300, 500. Aborted attempt at the pyramid workout that I've done at least three times since November. Not happening today as I'm still laboring under the exhaustion left over from last weekend exacerbated by terrible sleep habits since then. Beating a dead horse to be sure. Hot sticky conditions that combined with a late morning start put me behind the 8 ball from the get go. The average HR numbers tell the tale, as I wasn't really recovering at all towards the end despite the relatively generous 300 jog recoveries. Completely at the end of my rope on the 500 and fading quickly. Which I shortchanged myself on slightly (supposed to be 90 seconds) but hardly the straw that broke the camel's back. Splits:
36.7 (137) 83.6 (155)
37.8 (158) 81.1 (157)
37.3 (160) 80.3 (160)
57.6 (164) 83.8 (161)
57.4 (165) 86.5 (161)
1:40.2 (169)
Sun 5/27 -PM 90+ minuttes very easy, Concord. Meandering run around Concord center, with forays into the town forest, CCHS area, and the cemetery/reformatory branch. Gloomy gross conditions all day, about 35 degrees cooler than yesterday but just as humid. Woke up, had breakfast, thought about running in the AM and then thought better of it and went back to sleep for almost 3 hours more. Quite strung out at the moment.
Tue 5/22 - PM 60 minutes easy, Area 51. Still in putter mode, quads feeling stiff and heavy. Originally planned to hit the trails in Lincoln but the weather wasn't cooperating with that, gloomy and overcast.
Wed 5/23 - PM 70 minutes easy, Lincoln woods. Coming around finally from Sunday but as expected I wasn't ready for anything resembling a hard effort. Nice day for it at least.
Thu 5/24 - PM 60 minutes easy
Fri 5/25 - off. Left work early thinking I'd squeeze in a track workout before lunch but it wasn't happening. Flat, tired and listless.
Sat 5/26 - AM 40 minutes incl. 3x200, 2x300, 500. Aborted attempt at the pyramid workout that I've done at least three times since November. Not happening today as I'm still laboring under the exhaustion left over from last weekend exacerbated by terrible sleep habits since then. Beating a dead horse to be sure. Hot sticky conditions that combined with a late morning start put me behind the 8 ball from the get go. The average HR numbers tell the tale, as I wasn't really recovering at all towards the end despite the relatively generous 300 jog recoveries. Completely at the end of my rope on the 500 and fading quickly. Which I shortchanged myself on slightly (supposed to be 90 seconds) but hardly the straw that broke the camel's back. Splits:
36.7 (137) 83.6 (155)
37.8 (158) 81.1 (157)
37.3 (160) 80.3 (160)
57.6 (164) 83.8 (161)
57.4 (165) 86.5 (161)
1:40.2 (169)
Sun 5/27 -PM 90+ minuttes very easy, Concord. Meandering run around Concord center, with forays into the town forest, CCHS area, and the cemetery/reformatory branch. Gloomy gross conditions all day, about 35 degrees cooler than yesterday but just as humid. Woke up, had breakfast, thought about running in the AM and then thought better of it and went back to sleep for almost 3 hours more. Quite strung out at the moment.
5/23/18
Week of 5/14-5/20
Mon 5/14 - PM 60 minutes easy, Brookline/Boston. A good chunk along the river path and back through Allston. Not feeling terribly energetic. Sunny and quite warm compared to what we've endured most of this spring.
Tue 5/15 - PM 45 minutes easy. Late start after waiting out the thunder and lightning that swept through late in the afternoon into the early evening hours. Dropped the temperature about 20 degrees and made for somewhat clammy conditions.
Wed 5/16 - PM 45 minutes incl. 3(3x300). 1R between reps and 4.5-5R between sets. First set supposed to be 3k pace, then mile pace for the second set, and finally at least that quick for the final set. Plateaued on the last set which I could feel coming, a bit ambitous at the start and overbaked the third and fifth repeats. Average HR not dropping much if at all by the third set. Still, this session went a bit better than many previous ones recently. Splits:
57.1(152) - 1R(148) - 56.8(155) - 1R(147) - 55.8(156) - 5R(129)
54.1(156) - 1R(152) - 53.8(159) - 1R(154) - 54.5(161) - 4.5R(132)
53.8(156) - 1R(156) - 53.9(160) - 1R(156) - 54.2(163) max. 174
Thu 5/17 - PM 70 minutes, Lincoln woods. Took a while to get out on the trail, slow start with some stiffness from yesterday but eventually felt decent enough.
Fri 5/18 - PM 45 minutes easy, rail trail to S. Acton and back. Not terribly motivated to run this evening.
Sat 5/19 - AM 75 minutes easy, if not very easy. Rail trail to S. Acton and then on to Lower Village via Liberty/Red Acre, back via Pompositicut/Summer Street. Longer than I probably should have gone, although took it easy throughout. Mugginess has rolled in and rain started just as I was wrapping things up.
Sun 5/20 - AM 90 minutes incl. half marathon. Uninspired effort on maybe 3.5 hours sleep. My pipe dream goal of running something close to 6 minute pace went by the boards after the first 3 miles. From there after shedding my annual nemesis/barnicle who glued himself to my back from mile 1 to a bit after mile 3 the focus was on winning the old fart prize. Even that wasn't to be as I was stalked and taken down soon after the 8 mile mark and left to spend the last third of the race in full on get it over with mode. Surprised that the last 3 miles went in under 21 minutes, it was that bad. A good 8 minutes slower overall than my first try at this course four years ago. As an added bonus developed a serious hot spot on the bottom of my right foot, similar to every time I try to run a long hard effort it seems. Rain came just after I finished which would have been nice during the race but what can you do. The true punch in the nuts came when I realized that the generous prize structure of the past had been yanked by the race director. Which means I spent five hours driving and ran a hard 13 miles for nothing. On the bright side, I won't ever have to bother with this event again. With the carrot of the prize money it was worth the trip but otherwise something of a chore. Never again will I have to run around the depressingly decrepit Berkshire Mall parking lot so there's that. Splits:
5:59 (big mistake)
6:20
6:01
6:20
6:17
6:24
6:30
6:21
6:35
6:51
6:38
6:32
7:02
Tue 5/15 - PM 45 minutes easy. Late start after waiting out the thunder and lightning that swept through late in the afternoon into the early evening hours. Dropped the temperature about 20 degrees and made for somewhat clammy conditions.
Wed 5/16 - PM 45 minutes incl. 3(3x300). 1R between reps and 4.5-5R between sets. First set supposed to be 3k pace, then mile pace for the second set, and finally at least that quick for the final set. Plateaued on the last set which I could feel coming, a bit ambitous at the start and overbaked the third and fifth repeats. Average HR not dropping much if at all by the third set. Still, this session went a bit better than many previous ones recently. Splits:
57.1(152) - 1R(148) - 56.8(155) - 1R(147) - 55.8(156) - 5R(129)
54.1(156) - 1R(152) - 53.8(159) - 1R(154) - 54.5(161) - 4.5R(132)
53.8(156) - 1R(156) - 53.9(160) - 1R(156) - 54.2(163) max. 174
Thu 5/17 - PM 70 minutes, Lincoln woods. Took a while to get out on the trail, slow start with some stiffness from yesterday but eventually felt decent enough.
Fri 5/18 - PM 45 minutes easy, rail trail to S. Acton and back. Not terribly motivated to run this evening.
Sat 5/19 - AM 75 minutes easy, if not very easy. Rail trail to S. Acton and then on to Lower Village via Liberty/Red Acre, back via Pompositicut/Summer Street. Longer than I probably should have gone, although took it easy throughout. Mugginess has rolled in and rain started just as I was wrapping things up.
Sun 5/20 - AM 90 minutes incl. half marathon. Uninspired effort on maybe 3.5 hours sleep. My pipe dream goal of running something close to 6 minute pace went by the boards after the first 3 miles. From there after shedding my annual nemesis/barnicle who glued himself to my back from mile 1 to a bit after mile 3 the focus was on winning the old fart prize. Even that wasn't to be as I was stalked and taken down soon after the 8 mile mark and left to spend the last third of the race in full on get it over with mode. Surprised that the last 3 miles went in under 21 minutes, it was that bad. A good 8 minutes slower overall than my first try at this course four years ago. As an added bonus developed a serious hot spot on the bottom of my right foot, similar to every time I try to run a long hard effort it seems. Rain came just after I finished which would have been nice during the race but what can you do. The true punch in the nuts came when I realized that the generous prize structure of the past had been yanked by the race director. Which means I spent five hours driving and ran a hard 13 miles for nothing. On the bright side, I won't ever have to bother with this event again. With the carrot of the prize money it was worth the trip but otherwise something of a chore. Never again will I have to run around the depressingly decrepit Berkshire Mall parking lot so there's that. Splits:
5:59 (big mistake)
6:20
6:01
6:20
6:17
6:24
6:30
6:21
6:35
6:51
6:38
6:32
7:02
5/14/18
Week of 5/7-5/13
Mon 5/7 -PM 70 minutes easy, Lincoln woods. A nice day for being outside. Feeling a bit more energetic than yesterday.
Tue 5/8 - PM 45 minutes incl. 4x400, 2x400, 400. A minute rest between reps and five minutes between sets. First set supposed to be at mile pace, which I suppose it was and the short recovery time stripped away any delusions otherwise. Flailing more than a bit on the fourth rep. Saved something for the final "set" of one. Avg. HR didn't quite make it back under 120 over the long breaks between sets but it came close. Splits:
74.6 (154) - 1R (153) - 74.2 (161) 1R (157) - 75.4 (163) - 1R (158) - 76.4 (164)
5R (122)
74.1 (156) - 1R 9158) - 74.1 (164)
5R (124)
71.5 (159)
Wed 5/9 - PM 75 minutes easy, Lincoln woods. Breezy and sun drenched day, trails impossible to resist.
Thu 5/10 - PM 60 minutes easy.
Fri 5/11 - PM 50 minutes incl. 4(1200, 200). A long while since the last time I did this particular session, theoretically a mix of elements. 200m jog recoveries throughout which became increasingly stressful. Average HR topped out over 160 starting with the third 200, in hindsight a sign that my goose was just about cooked. Thought there was more in the tank for the final 200 but that wasn't the case. I wonder how much that could have been forestalled had the recovery jogs been a bit slower, like 60 instead of 55 seconds. Cool and fairly still conditions. Took a long time to get out the door. Splits:
3:39.4 (146) - 53.8 (151) - 39.2 (154) - 54.9 (155) - 6:07.2
3:38.2 (157) - 54.6 (155) - 38.8 (157) - 56.3 (158) - 6:08.0
3:37.5 (161) - 54.4 (158) - 38.5 (162) - 55.4 (161) - 6:05.8
3:37.1 (163) - 55.2 (160) - 39.0 (163) - 62.4 (157) - 6:13.7
Sat 5/12 - AM 50 minutes, started out easy, eventually picked up to something quicker than that.
Sun 5/13 - AM 1:45 or thereabouts, very easy to easy. First 45 minutes or so with the CH in Area 51, in gloomy chilly conditions. Returned to home for an extra layer before heading out alone for round 2 which was a mostly lazy and at times wandering jaunt to South Acton incl. a spell on Great Hill. Took plenty of breaks throughout and threw in 5 short pickups on the way in.
Tue 5/8 - PM 45 minutes incl. 4x400, 2x400, 400. A minute rest between reps and five minutes between sets. First set supposed to be at mile pace, which I suppose it was and the short recovery time stripped away any delusions otherwise. Flailing more than a bit on the fourth rep. Saved something for the final "set" of one. Avg. HR didn't quite make it back under 120 over the long breaks between sets but it came close. Splits:
74.6 (154) - 1R (153) - 74.2 (161) 1R (157) - 75.4 (163) - 1R (158) - 76.4 (164)
5R (122)
74.1 (156) - 1R 9158) - 74.1 (164)
5R (124)
71.5 (159)
Wed 5/9 - PM 75 minutes easy, Lincoln woods. Breezy and sun drenched day, trails impossible to resist.
Thu 5/10 - PM 60 minutes easy.
Fri 5/11 - PM 50 minutes incl. 4(1200, 200). A long while since the last time I did this particular session, theoretically a mix of elements. 200m jog recoveries throughout which became increasingly stressful. Average HR topped out over 160 starting with the third 200, in hindsight a sign that my goose was just about cooked. Thought there was more in the tank for the final 200 but that wasn't the case. I wonder how much that could have been forestalled had the recovery jogs been a bit slower, like 60 instead of 55 seconds. Cool and fairly still conditions. Took a long time to get out the door. Splits:
3:39.4 (146) - 53.8 (151) - 39.2 (154) - 54.9 (155) - 6:07.2
3:38.2 (157) - 54.6 (155) - 38.8 (157) - 56.3 (158) - 6:08.0
3:37.5 (161) - 54.4 (158) - 38.5 (162) - 55.4 (161) - 6:05.8
3:37.1 (163) - 55.2 (160) - 39.0 (163) - 62.4 (157) - 6:13.7
Sat 5/12 - AM 50 minutes, started out easy, eventually picked up to something quicker than that.
Sun 5/13 - AM 1:45 or thereabouts, very easy to easy. First 45 minutes or so with the CH in Area 51, in gloomy chilly conditions. Returned to home for an extra layer before heading out alone for round 2 which was a mostly lazy and at times wandering jaunt to South Acton incl. a spell on Great Hill. Took plenty of breaks throughout and threw in 5 short pickups on the way in.
5/10/18
Week of 4/30 - 5/6
Mon 4/30 - PM 70 minutes easy, Lincoln woods. Tired
Tue 5/1 - PM 65 minutes easy. Still tired.
Wed 5/2 - PM 55 minutes incl. 4x1200, 4x200. In need of something a little less intense than the sesssions I tried last week and this fit the bill. Cruise pace on the 1200s with 60 second recoveries after each, then quicker for the 200s but not as quick as I'd like with 200 jog recoveries. The average HRM per lap data lends an added dimension to the numbers not that I'm actively adjusting the pace or effort during the workout based on what it's spitting out. Not thrilled with how high the heart rate got toward the end of the 1200s given how pedestrian the pace was. Splits:
4:27.2 - 90.6 (142), 88.8 (158), 87.8 (161)
1R (134)
4:26.2 - 87.6 (153), 89.4 (164), 88.2 (166)
1R (141)
4:25.5 - 86.9 (154), 89.1 (165), 88.5 (167)
1R (143)
4:24. 0 - 87.8 (157), 88.1 (168), 88.1 (168)
1R (146)
37.0 (155)/75.2 (160)
37.6 (162)/75.1 (160)
37.9 (164)/75.1 (160)
37.3 (163)
Thu 5/3 - PM 60 minutes easy
Fri 5/4 - PM 70 minutes easy, Lincoln woods. Not up for anything more than jogging.
Sat 5/5 - AM 50 minutes incl. road mile. Dragging terribly during warmup, felt completely listless. Took the first quarter of the race to get going. Did a decent job of measuring effort throughout and made my move when the early leaders faltered just before 3/4 but one of them was able to rally and get me back. Windy morning
Sun 5/6 - PM 80 minutes easy. Took a while to get going today.
Tue 5/1 - PM 65 minutes easy. Still tired.
Wed 5/2 - PM 55 minutes incl. 4x1200, 4x200. In need of something a little less intense than the sesssions I tried last week and this fit the bill. Cruise pace on the 1200s with 60 second recoveries after each, then quicker for the 200s but not as quick as I'd like with 200 jog recoveries. The average HRM per lap data lends an added dimension to the numbers not that I'm actively adjusting the pace or effort during the workout based on what it's spitting out. Not thrilled with how high the heart rate got toward the end of the 1200s given how pedestrian the pace was. Splits:
4:27.2 - 90.6 (142), 88.8 (158), 87.8 (161)
1R (134)
4:26.2 - 87.6 (153), 89.4 (164), 88.2 (166)
1R (141)
4:25.5 - 86.9 (154), 89.1 (165), 88.5 (167)
1R (143)
4:24. 0 - 87.8 (157), 88.1 (168), 88.1 (168)
1R (146)
37.0 (155)/75.2 (160)
37.6 (162)/75.1 (160)
37.9 (164)/75.1 (160)
37.3 (163)
Thu 5/3 - PM 60 minutes easy
Fri 5/4 - PM 70 minutes easy, Lincoln woods. Not up for anything more than jogging.
Sat 5/5 - AM 50 minutes incl. road mile. Dragging terribly during warmup, felt completely listless. Took the first quarter of the race to get going. Did a decent job of measuring effort throughout and made my move when the early leaders faltered just before 3/4 but one of them was able to rally and get me back. Windy morning
Sun 5/6 - PM 80 minutes easy. Took a while to get going today.
5/7/18
week of 4/23-4/29
Mon 4/23 - PM 70 minutes easy
Tue 4/24 - PM 55 minutes incl. 2(3x200), 400. Short workout with short rest between reps (40 seconds) and longer between sets. That said the splits were the quickest thus far this season, although the final 400 was a bit of a letdown. Breeze blowing as usual but from a different direction. Splits:
33.7/35.2/34.7
5R
33.3/35.3/35.7
7.5R
72
Wed 4/25 - PM 65 minutes very easy. Left leg stiff from yesterday.
Thu 4/26 - PM 50 minutes easy. Late start.
Fri 4/27 - PM 45 minutes incl. 11x200. Aborted attempt at another Centro style workout, with the idea being 8 laps worth of 200 hard 100 float followed by a 20-25 minute run then some kind of faster turnover stuff. The first part is the only thing that actually happened. Too late a start and feeling far to wrung out from a week of solidly late bedtimes to get through the whole thing. 200s felt harder than they should have for that speed and the floats were more sink than float. Making things more interesting was the use of a heart rate monitor for the first time in about 20 years. Looking to see what the patterns emerge in the course of interval and threshold workouts, for tonight's the steady upward climb and the fact I maxed out in the mid 160s (average HR for the split) were both telling. Splits:
40.6 (130) 27.8 (151)
41.3 (154) 27.3 (155)
40.8 (155) 25.9 (157)
41.0 (158) 27.0 (159)
40.6 (159) 25.6 (162)
40.5 (161) 26.3 (163)
40.8 (162) 26.3 (163)
40.6 (163) 26.1 (164)
40.2 (165) 26.3 (165)
39.8 (166) 28.3 (165)
40.3 (163)
Sat 4/28 - AM 60 minutes very easy, Area 51. Sunny and somewhat warm for once. Tired and not moving quickly at all. Left hamstring and glute not stuck terribly bad from yesterday at least.
Sun 4/29 - AM 70 minutes incl. 5k road race. Umpteenth time at Groton, not my best or most inspired effort here or in general but good enough on the day. Flat and tired as per usual, feeling particularly drag-ass during the warmup jog. Kiddies took the lead early on, one of them looked like he might stick but he crumbled soon after the mile mark. From there it was playing keep away with the other old fart who was trying to stalk me. The hill just after the two mile mark helped in maintaining/extending that separation. If mile markers are to be believed the first two miles were relatively consistent and the third mile was much slower, even accounting for the change in terrain. I was also likely running out of gas. End result was the same mid 17:30s sub-mediocrity. Longish puttering cooldown. Spitting rain showers with clammy cool conditions.
Tue 4/24 - PM 55 minutes incl. 2(3x200), 400. Short workout with short rest between reps (40 seconds) and longer between sets. That said the splits were the quickest thus far this season, although the final 400 was a bit of a letdown. Breeze blowing as usual but from a different direction. Splits:
33.7/35.2/34.7
5R
33.3/35.3/35.7
7.5R
72
Wed 4/25 - PM 65 minutes very easy. Left leg stiff from yesterday.
Thu 4/26 - PM 50 minutes easy. Late start.
Fri 4/27 - PM 45 minutes incl. 11x200. Aborted attempt at another Centro style workout, with the idea being 8 laps worth of 200 hard 100 float followed by a 20-25 minute run then some kind of faster turnover stuff. The first part is the only thing that actually happened. Too late a start and feeling far to wrung out from a week of solidly late bedtimes to get through the whole thing. 200s felt harder than they should have for that speed and the floats were more sink than float. Making things more interesting was the use of a heart rate monitor for the first time in about 20 years. Looking to see what the patterns emerge in the course of interval and threshold workouts, for tonight's the steady upward climb and the fact I maxed out in the mid 160s (average HR for the split) were both telling. Splits:
40.6 (130) 27.8 (151)
41.3 (154) 27.3 (155)
40.8 (155) 25.9 (157)
41.0 (158) 27.0 (159)
40.6 (159) 25.6 (162)
40.5 (161) 26.3 (163)
40.8 (162) 26.3 (163)
40.6 (163) 26.1 (164)
40.2 (165) 26.3 (165)
39.8 (166) 28.3 (165)
40.3 (163)
Sat 4/28 - AM 60 minutes very easy, Area 51. Sunny and somewhat warm for once. Tired and not moving quickly at all. Left hamstring and glute not stuck terribly bad from yesterday at least.
Sun 4/29 - AM 70 minutes incl. 5k road race. Umpteenth time at Groton, not my best or most inspired effort here or in general but good enough on the day. Flat and tired as per usual, feeling particularly drag-ass during the warmup jog. Kiddies took the lead early on, one of them looked like he might stick but he crumbled soon after the mile mark. From there it was playing keep away with the other old fart who was trying to stalk me. The hill just after the two mile mark helped in maintaining/extending that separation. If mile markers are to be believed the first two miles were relatively consistent and the third mile was much slower, even accounting for the change in terrain. I was also likely running out of gas. End result was the same mid 17:30s sub-mediocrity. Longish puttering cooldown. Spitting rain showers with clammy cool conditions.
4/30/18
Week of 4/16-4/22
Mon 4/16 - PM 50 minutes easy
Tue 4/17 -PM 55 minutes incl. mile, 6x400. More overtired garbage, had to cut short another weeknight session at Bentley. Supposed to do 8 reps but I was cooked after 6. This with relatively long recoveries of 2 minutes between the 400s as well. The numbers don't lie and they're far from impressive. Linden loop to start, just a bit slower than the pace I was running when I did the two-lappers on this same course a few Saturdays ago. Then 5.5 minutes rest before starting the 400s which were supposed to start at 3k pace and get faster from there. Mine went the other way. Splits: 79.3, 78.5, 79.7, 78.3, 80.1, 80.5. Really flat right now.
Wed 4/18 - PM 55 minutes easy
Thu 4/19 - PM 60 minutes easy
Fri 4/20 - PM 60 minutes incl. 3x200, 2x300, 500, 2x300, 3x200, 3x200. A step forward from Tuesday's dud, although still far from impressive. Made it through in one piece and did a bonus set of 200s after the main body of the workout as well. Recovery supposed to be 90 seconds after every rep which I took as a 300 jog which wound up taking between 83 and 88 seconds. The 500 was terrible, but any faster and I would have come apart at the seams on the back half of the session. Splits:
37.2, 38.2, 38.0
58.1, 57.0
98.4
56.7, 57.5, 37.7, 37.2, 37.1
10+ minute recovery jog then
34.2, 33.9, 34.5 with 2R
Sat 4/21 - PM 65 minutes easy.
Sun 4/22 - AM 85 minutes easy, Lincoln woods.
Tue 4/17 -PM 55 minutes incl. mile, 6x400. More overtired garbage, had to cut short another weeknight session at Bentley. Supposed to do 8 reps but I was cooked after 6. This with relatively long recoveries of 2 minutes between the 400s as well. The numbers don't lie and they're far from impressive. Linden loop to start, just a bit slower than the pace I was running when I did the two-lappers on this same course a few Saturdays ago. Then 5.5 minutes rest before starting the 400s which were supposed to start at 3k pace and get faster from there. Mine went the other way. Splits: 79.3, 78.5, 79.7, 78.3, 80.1, 80.5. Really flat right now.
Wed 4/18 - PM 55 minutes easy
Thu 4/19 - PM 60 minutes easy
Fri 4/20 - PM 60 minutes incl. 3x200, 2x300, 500, 2x300, 3x200, 3x200. A step forward from Tuesday's dud, although still far from impressive. Made it through in one piece and did a bonus set of 200s after the main body of the workout as well. Recovery supposed to be 90 seconds after every rep which I took as a 300 jog which wound up taking between 83 and 88 seconds. The 500 was terrible, but any faster and I would have come apart at the seams on the back half of the session. Splits:
37.2, 38.2, 38.0
58.1, 57.0
98.4
56.7, 57.5, 37.7, 37.2, 37.1
10+ minute recovery jog then
34.2, 33.9, 34.5 with 2R
Sat 4/21 - PM 65 minutes easy.
Sun 4/22 - AM 85 minutes easy, Lincoln woods.
4/27/18
Week of 4/9-4/15
Mon 4/9 - PM 60 minutes easy
Tue 4/10 - PM 50 minutes incl. 3x200, 2x300, 3x200. In theory this was to be done at 800 pace which felt like a serious ask given how little of that kind of thing I typically do. Short recovery within each set--40 seconds between 200s and a minute between the 300s--with 5 minutes break between the sets. Locked in to roughly the same pace throughout, glad that I was consistent even though the numbers are hardly impressive. This was mile pace not so very long ago. Splits:
34.6/35.2/35.0
52/1/53.6
34.9/35.3/35/4
Wed 4/11 - PM 60 minutes easy.
Thu 4/12 -PM 70 minutes easy. Legs still not feeling so hot.
Fri 4/13 - off. Not an ideal piece of scheduling but somewhat unavoidable as I went to the ballgame.
Sat 4/14 - AM 65 minutes incl. 5k road race. Went somewhat as expected, in that I felt tired and dragging from the word go. Got to bed late last night after a solid week of getting to bed too late to start with. Not much mojo to apply to the proceedings as a result. Focused solely on being top old fart which seemed to be going swimmingly until I took a peek at the halfway turnaround mark to see the only potential competition stalking me. I had been looking forward to letting up a bit in the last mile but wasn't able to as a result. Typically breezy along the shore but not overwhelming. A bit chilly but not dramatically cold or anything. Longish wandering cooldown which was a putter.
Sun 4//15 - AM 90+ minutes very easy, Lincoln woods. Meandering run back and forth in the woods similar to last Sunday in most respects.
Tue 4/10 - PM 50 minutes incl. 3x200, 2x300, 3x200. In theory this was to be done at 800 pace which felt like a serious ask given how little of that kind of thing I typically do. Short recovery within each set--40 seconds between 200s and a minute between the 300s--with 5 minutes break between the sets. Locked in to roughly the same pace throughout, glad that I was consistent even though the numbers are hardly impressive. This was mile pace not so very long ago. Splits:
34.6/35.2/35.0
52/1/53.6
34.9/35.3/35/4
Wed 4/11 - PM 60 minutes easy.
Thu 4/12 -PM 70 minutes easy. Legs still not feeling so hot.
Fri 4/13 - off. Not an ideal piece of scheduling but somewhat unavoidable as I went to the ballgame.
Sat 4/14 - AM 65 minutes incl. 5k road race. Went somewhat as expected, in that I felt tired and dragging from the word go. Got to bed late last night after a solid week of getting to bed too late to start with. Not much mojo to apply to the proceedings as a result. Focused solely on being top old fart which seemed to be going swimmingly until I took a peek at the halfway turnaround mark to see the only potential competition stalking me. I had been looking forward to letting up a bit in the last mile but wasn't able to as a result. Typically breezy along the shore but not overwhelming. A bit chilly but not dramatically cold or anything. Longish wandering cooldown which was a putter.
Sun 4//15 - AM 90+ minutes very easy, Lincoln woods. Meandering run back and forth in the woods similar to last Sunday in most respects.
4/24/18
Week of 4/2-4/8
Mon 4/2 - PM 50 minutes incl. 8x60 second hills. After much hemming and hawing I decided to go with Adams Road, right around the corner from the stretch of High Street I originally had in mind. The hill in question wasn't a uniform slope and leveled off near the top but overall it felt like it served the purpose.
Tue 4/3 - PM 60 minutes easy
Wed 4/4 - PM 55 minutes incl. 8x300. Supposed to run 3(3x300) starting at 3k pace and getting down to mile pace. A minute between reps and 3 minutes between sets. Really there was no getting down to speak of and I had to bag out of the last repeat. Flat and tired from the jump and felt listless. Started the warmup in a downpour which was followed quickly by stiff winds as the cold front arrived. Not exactly delightful conditions. Splits:
57.9, 57.7, 58.2
57.4, 56.6, 57.8
56.8, 58.4
Thu 4/5 - PM 60 minutes easy
Fri 4/6 - PM 45 minutes
Sat 4/7 - AM 60 minutes incl. 8k on Longfellow loop. Absolute garbage, no progressing of the pace to speak of and running laughably slow to begin with. At no point did the 6:15 pace feel like it should have. Splits:
6:13/6:20/2:58
6:13/6:16/2:56
Sun 4/8 - AM 90 minutes easy, Lincoln woods. Wandering putter back and forth on the trails.
Tue 4/3 - PM 60 minutes easy
Wed 4/4 - PM 55 minutes incl. 8x300. Supposed to run 3(3x300) starting at 3k pace and getting down to mile pace. A minute between reps and 3 minutes between sets. Really there was no getting down to speak of and I had to bag out of the last repeat. Flat and tired from the jump and felt listless. Started the warmup in a downpour which was followed quickly by stiff winds as the cold front arrived. Not exactly delightful conditions. Splits:
57.9, 57.7, 58.2
57.4, 56.6, 57.8
56.8, 58.4
Thu 4/5 - PM 60 minutes easy
Fri 4/6 - PM 45 minutes
Sat 4/7 - AM 60 minutes incl. 8k on Longfellow loop. Absolute garbage, no progressing of the pace to speak of and running laughably slow to begin with. At no point did the 6:15 pace feel like it should have. Splits:
6:13/6:20/2:58
6:13/6:16/2:56
Sun 4/8 - AM 90 minutes easy, Lincoln woods. Wandering putter back and forth on the trails.
4/10/18
Week of 3/25-4/1
Mon 3/26 - 55 minutes easy
Tue 3/27 - PM 50 minutes incl. 4x500. Aiming to run mile pace with recoveries double the time of each repeat. As hard as I thought it would be, particularly in light of not feeling particularly energetic going in. 93.4, 93, 92.8, and 93.4, not terribly impressive. Happy to make it through in one piece.
Wed 3/28 - off. Super tired.
Thu 3/29 - PM 60 minutes easy
Fri 3/30 - AM 65 minutes incl. 8x300, 4x200. Tried out a "Centro" style workout with the 300s being run at something theoretically around 5k pace with 100 meter float recoveries. This became predictably challenging near the end but still manageable. Then a 15 minute jog followed by the 200s. I would have liked to have done 6 reps but as usual I was pressed for time and in addition didn't want to do anything untoward to the right calf. 300s were mostly between 61 and 62 with the recoveries taking around 25 seconds. I was hoping for a second faster for each part. End result was 3200 meters in 11:33. 200s went in 34, 35.5, 34.6, and 34.7. 400 meter jogs in between each which for me is like doing full recovery. Second and last rep had the wind in my face, it was obnoxious all morning but got stronger by the end. Sticky and somewhat gross conditions overall.
Sat 3/31 - AM 45 minutes very easy, Lincoln woods. Not feeling particularly spry and so the run was cut short. Took a nap after lunch in hopes I might feel better for an evening run. PM 35 minutes easy. Late start and nothing to write home about but picked up some steam in the last 10 minutes.
Sun 4/1 - PM 75 minutes easy. Supposed to be a long run, but after the last two days the length got cut back and it became a full-on foraging expedition along South Acton and Tuttle Road in Stow. That time of year.
Tue 3/27 - PM 50 minutes incl. 4x500. Aiming to run mile pace with recoveries double the time of each repeat. As hard as I thought it would be, particularly in light of not feeling particularly energetic going in. 93.4, 93, 92.8, and 93.4, not terribly impressive. Happy to make it through in one piece.
Wed 3/28 - off. Super tired.
Thu 3/29 - PM 60 minutes easy
Fri 3/30 - AM 65 minutes incl. 8x300, 4x200. Tried out a "Centro" style workout with the 300s being run at something theoretically around 5k pace with 100 meter float recoveries. This became predictably challenging near the end but still manageable. Then a 15 minute jog followed by the 200s. I would have liked to have done 6 reps but as usual I was pressed for time and in addition didn't want to do anything untoward to the right calf. 300s were mostly between 61 and 62 with the recoveries taking around 25 seconds. I was hoping for a second faster for each part. End result was 3200 meters in 11:33. 200s went in 34, 35.5, 34.6, and 34.7. 400 meter jogs in between each which for me is like doing full recovery. Second and last rep had the wind in my face, it was obnoxious all morning but got stronger by the end. Sticky and somewhat gross conditions overall.
Sat 3/31 - AM 45 minutes very easy, Lincoln woods. Not feeling particularly spry and so the run was cut short. Took a nap after lunch in hopes I might feel better for an evening run. PM 35 minutes easy. Late start and nothing to write home about but picked up some steam in the last 10 minutes.
Sun 4/1 - PM 75 minutes easy. Supposed to be a long run, but after the last two days the length got cut back and it became a full-on foraging expedition along South Acton and Tuttle Road in Stow. That time of year.
4/4/18
Week of 3/19-3/24
Mon 3/19 - PM 55 minutes easy
Tue 3/20 - 65 minutes easy
Wed 3/21 - PM 45 minutes elliptigo. Super late start, forecast snow storm didn't quite materialize to the degree forecast but still miserable enough that I didn't feel like going to all the trouble of dressing up to head outside.
Thu 3/22 - PM 65 minutes. Tried to muster up the initiative to do something of substance, it wasn't happening.
Fri 3/23 - PM 50 minutes easy incl. some brief pickups near the end. Left hamstring feeling a bit off. Started later than I would like.
Sat 3//24 - AM 70 minutes incl. 3x3k with 4 minute recoveries. First workout at Bentley in a long long while. Ran the workout on the Linden loop which is just under a mile long, two loops apiece for the repeats. Did the first one too quickly and paid for it the rest of the way. Left leg held up well enough. Warmer than expected.
Sun 3/25 - PM 80 minutes easy
Tue 3/20 - 65 minutes easy
Wed 3/21 - PM 45 minutes elliptigo. Super late start, forecast snow storm didn't quite materialize to the degree forecast but still miserable enough that I didn't feel like going to all the trouble of dressing up to head outside.
Thu 3/22 - PM 65 minutes. Tried to muster up the initiative to do something of substance, it wasn't happening.
Fri 3/23 - PM 50 minutes easy incl. some brief pickups near the end. Left hamstring feeling a bit off. Started later than I would like.
Sat 3//24 - AM 70 minutes incl. 3x3k with 4 minute recoveries. First workout at Bentley in a long long while. Ran the workout on the Linden loop which is just under a mile long, two loops apiece for the repeats. Did the first one too quickly and paid for it the rest of the way. Left leg held up well enough. Warmer than expected.
Sun 3/25 - PM 80 minutes easy
3/29/18
Week of 3/12-3/18
Mon 3/12 - off. Laid low by the time change, which is what I'm going with.
Tue 3/13 - PM 55 minutes easy
Wed 3/14 - AM 50 minutes incl. 3xmile, 4x200. With another snow-related day off work I had the opportunity to run at Harvard in the morning before lunch. Waffled over what specifically to do, in the end I thought I would do the 3xmile at something around threshold pace followed by a 4-3-2-1 cutdown. The mile repeats were all negative split with the first half a bit over 2:50, overall splits of 5:36, 5:33.4, and 5:33.5 with 2R in between. In hindsight this took too much out of me as when it came time to start in on the cutdown following a 6 minute break, I could tell it wasn't happening. Opted for 200s instead with a 1 minute recovery, splits of 36, 36.4, 36, and 36.1. Overall not terribly impressive but hopefully somewhat worthwhile. Windy and cold outside.
Thu 3/15 - filler
Fri 3/16 - 45 minutes easy
Sat 3/17 - AM 50 minutes incl. 5k road race. Defended the home turf from all comers which isn't saying much in this case. Course was very familiar both from various iterations of the local road race and of course covering these same roads many many times in training as well. Cold with a baleful west wind raking all morning. I had thought I might be able to squeeze in a second easy run in the evening but it wasn't to be.
Sun 3/18 - 85 minutes easy. With the trails snowed in completely I was forced to stick to roads and so took the scenic route to South Acton via Parker and River streets. From there on to Lower Village via Stow Road, Tuttle and Red Acre. A plodding if consistent effort. Woodcocks are out and about, heard but not seen at various points including Jones Field.
Tue 3/13 - PM 55 minutes easy
Wed 3/14 - AM 50 minutes incl. 3xmile, 4x200. With another snow-related day off work I had the opportunity to run at Harvard in the morning before lunch. Waffled over what specifically to do, in the end I thought I would do the 3xmile at something around threshold pace followed by a 4-3-2-1 cutdown. The mile repeats were all negative split with the first half a bit over 2:50, overall splits of 5:36, 5:33.4, and 5:33.5 with 2R in between. In hindsight this took too much out of me as when it came time to start in on the cutdown following a 6 minute break, I could tell it wasn't happening. Opted for 200s instead with a 1 minute recovery, splits of 36, 36.4, 36, and 36.1. Overall not terribly impressive but hopefully somewhat worthwhile. Windy and cold outside.
Thu 3/15 - filler
Fri 3/16 - 45 minutes easy
Sat 3/17 - AM 50 minutes incl. 5k road race. Defended the home turf from all comers which isn't saying much in this case. Course was very familiar both from various iterations of the local road race and of course covering these same roads many many times in training as well. Cold with a baleful west wind raking all morning. I had thought I might be able to squeeze in a second easy run in the evening but it wasn't to be.
Sun 3/18 - 85 minutes easy. With the trails snowed in completely I was forced to stick to roads and so took the scenic route to South Acton via Parker and River streets. From there on to Lower Village via Stow Road, Tuttle and Red Acre. A plodding if consistent effort. Woodcocks are out and about, heard but not seen at various points including Jones Field.
3/19/18
Week of 3/5-3/11
Mon 3/5 - PM 55 minutes very easy. Quite tired from the reentry to workaday routine.
Tue 3/6 - filler
Wed 3/7 - filler
Thu 3/8 - PM 65 minutes mix of running and snowshoeing, to and from 10 Spencer. Used the rail trail to get into Acton, it was just as much of a slog in the snowshoes as I expected. Heart rate revving despite a slow trudge.
Fri 3/9 - PM 60 minutes incl. 8x1000 with 1 minute recoveries. I wasn't planning on doing any more running on the indoor track this season but the weather had other ideas and I see no other way to get back on the horse of doing something other than aimless jogging. Slightly less ambitious pace schedule than the last time I did this workout. Idea was for the first three to be a bit under 3:40, next three under 3:35, then whatever was left for the last two. A bit quick at the outset but pulled it off. Splits of 3:36.3, 3:36.4, 3:36.9, 3:34.4, 3:33.7, 3:33.5, 3:32.8, 3:29.8. Woke up in the morning with surprisingly stiff ankles from the snowshoe use yesterday.
Sat 3/10 - filler
Sun 3/11 - filler
Tue 3/6 - filler
Wed 3/7 - filler
Thu 3/8 - PM 65 minutes mix of running and snowshoeing, to and from 10 Spencer. Used the rail trail to get into Acton, it was just as much of a slog in the snowshoes as I expected. Heart rate revving despite a slow trudge.
Fri 3/9 - PM 60 minutes incl. 8x1000 with 1 minute recoveries. I wasn't planning on doing any more running on the indoor track this season but the weather had other ideas and I see no other way to get back on the horse of doing something other than aimless jogging. Slightly less ambitious pace schedule than the last time I did this workout. Idea was for the first three to be a bit under 3:40, next three under 3:35, then whatever was left for the last two. A bit quick at the outset but pulled it off. Splits of 3:36.3, 3:36.4, 3:36.9, 3:34.4, 3:33.7, 3:33.5, 3:32.8, 3:29.8. Woke up in the morning with surprisingly stiff ankles from the snowshoe use yesterday.
Sat 3/10 - filler
Sun 3/11 - filler
3/16/18
Week of 2/26-3/4
Mon 2/26 - 80 minutes, Sonoita Creek. Hillier than expected getting into and back out of the creek itself. Followed up the run with a hike that probably covered more distance than the run.
Tue 2/27 - PM 25 minutes very easy errand run to the local Safeway and back. Very tired.
Wed 2/28 - rainy garbage
Thu 3/1 - AM 65 minutes, Douglas Springs trail. Mostly uphill to a point somewhere beyond the Bridal Wreath falls trail junction, then backtracked to the falls and hiked down with the CH. A solid effort to be sure. Yesterday's cold and rainy mess replaced by sunny warm conditions.
Fri 3/2 - PM 50 minutes, A mountain. Spent much of the morning and early afternoon hiking in Aravaipa creek, a pleasant and cool experience although it left the shoes surprisingly full of sand.
Sat 3/3 - AM 4 hours up and back along the Tanque Verde trail in Saguaro NP. Thinking I might head to the summit but the extra $10 it would have cost to drive to the trailhead vs. get there on foot, along with a 10 AM start put paid to that idea. As it was I got as far as Juniper Basin which was high enough to see snow left over from Wednesday's weather. The trip up was just as obnoxious as I had remembered with the various false summits and rollercoaster stuff once above the steep climb out of the bajada. Took a good long break, nearly 30 minutes, before heading down. The trip down was not my finest effort, threw in some walking breaks thanks to rubbery legs and general fatigue. Plenty warm at the bottom of the hill. No gila monster sightings this time.
Sun 3/4 - off, travel back home which took all the live long day. Worth it for the time spent in a warm and mostly dry climate.
Tue 2/27 - PM 25 minutes very easy errand run to the local Safeway and back. Very tired.
Wed 2/28 - rainy garbage
Thu 3/1 - AM 65 minutes, Douglas Springs trail. Mostly uphill to a point somewhere beyond the Bridal Wreath falls trail junction, then backtracked to the falls and hiked down with the CH. A solid effort to be sure. Yesterday's cold and rainy mess replaced by sunny warm conditions.
Fri 3/2 - PM 50 minutes, A mountain. Spent much of the morning and early afternoon hiking in Aravaipa creek, a pleasant and cool experience although it left the shoes surprisingly full of sand.
Sat 3/3 - AM 4 hours up and back along the Tanque Verde trail in Saguaro NP. Thinking I might head to the summit but the extra $10 it would have cost to drive to the trailhead vs. get there on foot, along with a 10 AM start put paid to that idea. As it was I got as far as Juniper Basin which was high enough to see snow left over from Wednesday's weather. The trip up was just as obnoxious as I had remembered with the various false summits and rollercoaster stuff once above the steep climb out of the bajada. Took a good long break, nearly 30 minutes, before heading down. The trip down was not my finest effort, threw in some walking breaks thanks to rubbery legs and general fatigue. Plenty warm at the bottom of the hill. No gila monster sightings this time.
Sun 3/4 - off, travel back home which took all the live long day. Worth it for the time spent in a warm and mostly dry climate.
3/15/18
Week of 2/19-2/25
Mon-Thu 2/19-2/22 - filler, i.e. 50-65 minutes easy running each day.
Fri 2/23 - off. Travel to Arizona for a desert respite from the depredations of late winter.
Sat 2/24 - filler
Sun 2/25 - 70 minutes out and back to A mountain. Not terribly creative choice of route but it never gets old either.
Fri 2/23 - off. Travel to Arizona for a desert respite from the depredations of late winter.
Sat 2/24 - filler
Sun 2/25 - 70 minutes out and back to A mountain. Not terribly creative choice of route but it never gets old either.
Week of 2/12-2/18
Mon 2/12 - filler
Tue 2/13 - 3(600,400) 90 seconds after each 600, 2 minutes after each 400. Splits: 1:54.5, 74.5, 1:54.6, 74.4, 1:53.9, 73. As I write this it happened a long time ago but I remember being pretty gassed by the end of what was a relatively short workout.
Wed 2/14 - filler
Thu 2/15 - filler
Fri 2/16 - filler
Sat 2/17 - 50 minutes easy
Sun 2/18 - USATFNE meet, 3k in just under 9:42. A result exactly in line with the uninspiring mile races of the past two weeks. At least I raced smartly, helped in no small part by wearing my watch during a track race for the first time in a very long time. Exact km splits hard to get down on Harvard's imperial track but I can say the last one was the fastest one. Worked steadily through the field of mostly teenagers as well. The inability to do anything approaching what I was able to do even a couple of years ago remains annoying and confounding but the amount of training and focus on it have been lacking for some time now.
Tue 2/13 - 3(600,400) 90 seconds after each 600, 2 minutes after each 400. Splits: 1:54.5, 74.5, 1:54.6, 74.4, 1:53.9, 73. As I write this it happened a long time ago but I remember being pretty gassed by the end of what was a relatively short workout.
Wed 2/14 - filler
Thu 2/15 - filler
Fri 2/16 - filler
Sat 2/17 - 50 minutes easy
Sun 2/18 - USATFNE meet, 3k in just under 9:42. A result exactly in line with the uninspiring mile races of the past two weeks. At least I raced smartly, helped in no small part by wearing my watch during a track race for the first time in a very long time. Exact km splits hard to get down on Harvard's imperial track but I can say the last one was the fastest one. Worked steadily through the field of mostly teenagers as well. The inability to do anything approaching what I was able to do even a couple of years ago remains annoying and confounding but the amount of training and focus on it have been lacking for some time now.
2/16/18
Week of 2/5-2/11
Mon 2/5 - PM 60 minutes easy.
Tue 2/6 - PM 50 minutes incl. 2x600, 4x200. Two days after running the whole workout at race pace I tried to go out and do a couple more 600s at race pace which was plainly a mistake. Still not recovered sufficiently from Sunday's effort. Alas this only became clear after the first repeat. In hindsight a mile at threshold pace followed by the glorified strides would have been a much more sensible choice.
Wed 2/7 - PM 55 minutes easy. Snowstorm led to an early dismissal from work which I celebrated by napping for almost 3 hours. Awoke in a confused daze. Snow was followed by rain which left the roads and sidewalks in predictably awful condition. Plenty of slush and large puddles, something of a nightmare.
Thu 2/8 - PM 65 minutes easy. Longest run of the week. Threw in some pickups near the end which felt terrible. Very cold after yesterday's horrible wintry mix which has left plenty of places resembling a hockey rink.
Fri 2/9 - PM 45 minutes, back and forth along the rail trail.
Sat 2/10 - PM 60 minutes incl. track mile. Two weeks after my previous attempt at this distance I went out and ran pretty much the same race, faster by less than a second. I had hoped to have gained some fitness over the intervening fortnight but whatever ground may have been gained in that department was surely erased by my continued folly with the poor sleep habits. By the time the weekend comes around I'm dragging ten tons of ass. More resigned than frustrated at this point. If nothing else I certainly know my current limit for the mile. The backward regression continues unabated.
Sun 2/11 - PM 60 minutes elliptigo. Brutal weather with cold and persistent rain which I tried to wait out without success. Just looking to do some kind of recovery effort after yesterday, in the end this took the form of riding the elliptigo. No pounding on the legs at least. Came close to taking a zero after taking a long nap in the afternoon. Late start as a result.
Tue 2/6 - PM 50 minutes incl. 2x600, 4x200. Two days after running the whole workout at race pace I tried to go out and do a couple more 600s at race pace which was plainly a mistake. Still not recovered sufficiently from Sunday's effort. Alas this only became clear after the first repeat. In hindsight a mile at threshold pace followed by the glorified strides would have been a much more sensible choice.
Wed 2/7 - PM 55 minutes easy. Snowstorm led to an early dismissal from work which I celebrated by napping for almost 3 hours. Awoke in a confused daze. Snow was followed by rain which left the roads and sidewalks in predictably awful condition. Plenty of slush and large puddles, something of a nightmare.
Thu 2/8 - PM 65 minutes easy. Longest run of the week. Threw in some pickups near the end which felt terrible. Very cold after yesterday's horrible wintry mix which has left plenty of places resembling a hockey rink.
Fri 2/9 - PM 45 minutes, back and forth along the rail trail.
Sat 2/10 - PM 60 minutes incl. track mile. Two weeks after my previous attempt at this distance I went out and ran pretty much the same race, faster by less than a second. I had hoped to have gained some fitness over the intervening fortnight but whatever ground may have been gained in that department was surely erased by my continued folly with the poor sleep habits. By the time the weekend comes around I'm dragging ten tons of ass. More resigned than frustrated at this point. If nothing else I certainly know my current limit for the mile. The backward regression continues unabated.
Sun 2/11 - PM 60 minutes elliptigo. Brutal weather with cold and persistent rain which I tried to wait out without success. Just looking to do some kind of recovery effort after yesterday, in the end this took the form of riding the elliptigo. No pounding on the legs at least. Came close to taking a zero after taking a long nap in the afternoon. Late start as a result.
2/12/18
Week of 1/29-2/4
Mon 1/29 - PM 65 minutes easy.
Tue 1/30 - PM 65 minutes incl. 8x1000. Cruise reps with 1 minute recoveries. The plan was to do the first two in 3:40, then the next two in 3:35, then two @3:30 and finally the last two in 3:25. That pattern held through the first six but the final progression proved a bridge too far and I had to hold at 3:30 for the seventh rep before finishing off the workout with a 3:28. Overall a solid workout.
Wed. 1/31 - PM 55 minutes easy. Late start as usual.
Thu 2/1 - PM 60 minutes easy. Had hoped to go a bit longer.
Fri 2/2 - PM 30 minutes elliptigo. No time for anything more as I was pressed for time as it is. Quite cold and windy outside so staying indoors was a welcome respite.
Sat 2/3 - PM 65 minutes easy, back and forth along the rail trail mostly after starting out up Thompson to Sudbury Road. Not feeling terribly energetic after a day spent outside freezing my ass off. A brief nap helped a great deal to warm up at least. Workout gets pushed back a day, no chance to do it today. Cold.
Sun 2/4 - PM 50 minutes incl. 600, 800, 600 on the track. Short workout with long recoveries, 4.5-5 minutes in fact. Shooting for mile pace on each one. The 600s went in 1:48.8 and 1:47.7 which was good but the 800 was 2:27 which was disappointing. That extra lap made quite the difference apparently.
Tue 1/30 - PM 65 minutes incl. 8x1000. Cruise reps with 1 minute recoveries. The plan was to do the first two in 3:40, then the next two in 3:35, then two @3:30 and finally the last two in 3:25. That pattern held through the first six but the final progression proved a bridge too far and I had to hold at 3:30 for the seventh rep before finishing off the workout with a 3:28. Overall a solid workout.
Wed. 1/31 - PM 55 minutes easy. Late start as usual.
Thu 2/1 - PM 60 minutes easy. Had hoped to go a bit longer.
Fri 2/2 - PM 30 minutes elliptigo. No time for anything more as I was pressed for time as it is. Quite cold and windy outside so staying indoors was a welcome respite.
Sat 2/3 - PM 65 minutes easy, back and forth along the rail trail mostly after starting out up Thompson to Sudbury Road. Not feeling terribly energetic after a day spent outside freezing my ass off. A brief nap helped a great deal to warm up at least. Workout gets pushed back a day, no chance to do it today. Cold.
Sun 2/4 - PM 50 minutes incl. 600, 800, 600 on the track. Short workout with long recoveries, 4.5-5 minutes in fact. Shooting for mile pace on each one. The 600s went in 1:48.8 and 1:47.7 which was good but the 800 was 2:27 which was disappointing. That extra lap made quite the difference apparently.
2/6/18
Week of 1/22-1/28
Mon 1/22 - 65 minutes easy.
Tue 1/23 - PM 50 minutes incl. 4x500 with 2.5R. Trying to hit mile pace, which in theory is something a bit over 90 seconds. Wound up doing all four reps within a half second of each other, from 91.5 to 92 seconds. Had the unmistakable feeling of being fully extended by the end of the workout which tells me this is indeed my race pace or thereabouts.
Wed 1/24 - 55 minutes easy.
Thu 1/25 - PM 60 minutes incl. 6x100 on the track. Fairly low-key effort for the most part, the pickups on the track felt somewhat stiff but I've had worse. Cold and windy.
Fri 1/26 - PM 40 minutes easy.
Sat 1/27- PM 65 minutes incl. track mile. Able to exceed vanishingly low expectations after last weekend's turd of an effort. Hoping to not drop out again, and come within five seconds of the 4:50 seed time so as not to embarrass myself. Warmup was truncated somewhat due to my not showing up with enough time to spare beforehand, a stupid miscalculation. This did not make for a terribly positive attitude going in but I had resolved to hang out at the back of the field and hope that others in front of me slowed more than I would. Rolled through the first half in 2:25 running roughly evenly paced, next quarter went in 75 which came as no surprise. Held together through the end in the sense that I didn't slow down any further, with overall splits of 2:25/2:30. Long cooldown jog afterward.
Sun 1/28 - PM 80 minutes easy.
Tue 1/23 - PM 50 minutes incl. 4x500 with 2.5R. Trying to hit mile pace, which in theory is something a bit over 90 seconds. Wound up doing all four reps within a half second of each other, from 91.5 to 92 seconds. Had the unmistakable feeling of being fully extended by the end of the workout which tells me this is indeed my race pace or thereabouts.
Wed 1/24 - 55 minutes easy.
Thu 1/25 - PM 60 minutes incl. 6x100 on the track. Fairly low-key effort for the most part, the pickups on the track felt somewhat stiff but I've had worse. Cold and windy.
Fri 1/26 - PM 40 minutes easy.
Sat 1/27- PM 65 minutes incl. track mile. Able to exceed vanishingly low expectations after last weekend's turd of an effort. Hoping to not drop out again, and come within five seconds of the 4:50 seed time so as not to embarrass myself. Warmup was truncated somewhat due to my not showing up with enough time to spare beforehand, a stupid miscalculation. This did not make for a terribly positive attitude going in but I had resolved to hang out at the back of the field and hope that others in front of me slowed more than I would. Rolled through the first half in 2:25 running roughly evenly paced, next quarter went in 75 which came as no surprise. Held together through the end in the sense that I didn't slow down any further, with overall splits of 2:25/2:30. Long cooldown jog afterward.
Sun 1/28 - PM 80 minutes easy.
1/29/18
Week of 1/15-1/21
Mon 1/15 - PM 45 minutes easy plus 30 minutes elliptigo. Cold, windy and gross all around. Cut the run short to get inside and the elliptigo was a welcome option which I was glad to take advantage of.
Tue 1/16 - PM 55 minutes incl. 7x600. Idea was to start at 3k pace and work down from there. While the pace at the start was slower than 3k (I hope) and the 3.5 minute recoveries seemed extravagantly long, the pace did drop particularly on the third rep and again on the last two. Ran the final rep alone after having company the first six and the difference was telling, at my limit and not able to match the penultimate split time. Splits:
2:00, 1:58.8, 15:4.8, 1:53.7, 1:52.8, 1:48.1, 1:49.8
Wed 1/17 - PM 40 minutes very easy. Puttering around after a very late start following another drag-ass tired Wednesday. The typical pattern after these late workouts on Tuesday nights I'm afraid. Taking the zero would have been the more sensible option in hindsight. Ran some on the rail trail which is covered in snow again after the morning's weather. Not too deep but deep enough to be a nuisance.
Thu 1/18 - PM 55 minutes easy. Similar to yesterday but stayed off the snow-covered rail trail. Realized within the first few minutes I was still quite fried and took it easy from there.
Fri 1/19 - PM 50 minutes incl. 6x35 second pickups, Longfellow loop. Not feeling particularly inspired or energetic. Left piriformis and hamstring have felt better as well.
Sat 1/20 - AM 45 minutes easy, similar to Wednesday's run with a mix of rail trail and roads in Maynard. Less snow to deal with, or at least it's more packed down.
Sun 1/21 - AM 40 minutes incl. track DNF. Disappointing and to be honest demoralizing stinker. Not that I've been feeling like a million bucks lately but I thought I had developed some modest fitness. Even if that's the case, it's clear that I'm too tired to use it at the moment. Felt the fatigue from the moment I woke up and no amount of caffeine was going to help. Still, I had no idea it would be so hard to run 38 second laps, something that lasted for the first km before I could feel myself starting to fade. Hit the mile in around 5:08 or so, not that far off my seed time in fact. However, given I thought the seed time was conservative and I was running DFL by a solid 20 yards at that point there was no reason to continue. The unimpressive effort felt like it was much more strenuous in terms of the aftermath, with the post-race headache and general muscle soreness.
Tue 1/16 - PM 55 minutes incl. 7x600. Idea was to start at 3k pace and work down from there. While the pace at the start was slower than 3k (I hope) and the 3.5 minute recoveries seemed extravagantly long, the pace did drop particularly on the third rep and again on the last two. Ran the final rep alone after having company the first six and the difference was telling, at my limit and not able to match the penultimate split time. Splits:
2:00, 1:58.8, 15:4.8, 1:53.7, 1:52.8, 1:48.1, 1:49.8
Wed 1/17 - PM 40 minutes very easy. Puttering around after a very late start following another drag-ass tired Wednesday. The typical pattern after these late workouts on Tuesday nights I'm afraid. Taking the zero would have been the more sensible option in hindsight. Ran some on the rail trail which is covered in snow again after the morning's weather. Not too deep but deep enough to be a nuisance.
Thu 1/18 - PM 55 minutes easy. Similar to yesterday but stayed off the snow-covered rail trail. Realized within the first few minutes I was still quite fried and took it easy from there.
Fri 1/19 - PM 50 minutes incl. 6x35 second pickups, Longfellow loop. Not feeling particularly inspired or energetic. Left piriformis and hamstring have felt better as well.
Sat 1/20 - AM 45 minutes easy, similar to Wednesday's run with a mix of rail trail and roads in Maynard. Less snow to deal with, or at least it's more packed down.
Sun 1/21 - AM 40 minutes incl. track DNF. Disappointing and to be honest demoralizing stinker. Not that I've been feeling like a million bucks lately but I thought I had developed some modest fitness. Even if that's the case, it's clear that I'm too tired to use it at the moment. Felt the fatigue from the moment I woke up and no amount of caffeine was going to help. Still, I had no idea it would be so hard to run 38 second laps, something that lasted for the first km before I could feel myself starting to fade. Hit the mile in around 5:08 or so, not that far off my seed time in fact. However, given I thought the seed time was conservative and I was running DFL by a solid 20 yards at that point there was no reason to continue. The unimpressive effort felt like it was much more strenuous in terms of the aftermath, with the post-race headache and general muscle soreness.
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