Sun 1/6 - double, 75 minutes easy

AM - 30 minutes very easy. In a bit of an upset, it's the right leg that's more bothersome than the left after last night's collision with the pavement. No doubt because the right leg is the one that slipped, but the stiff sore high hamstring was even more pronounced on this easy jog. Road rash wound on the left knee is exactly the sloppy weeping mess I figured it would be.

PM - 45 minutes easy, Tiger Drive to Longfellow loop. Between the runs today was another hike in the Lincoln woods, this time around Mt. Misery and without snowshoes, using yaktrax on packed snow instead. Hopefully leaving the snowshoes behind means no stealth aggravation of either hamstring. Most of the heavily traveled trails were impressively packed down, tempted to give it a try but I doubt I'll go through with it. Today also kicked off what looks to be a string of warmer than normal days, with very little wind it was quite pleasant to be outside sharing the trail with various rug rats and dog walkers.

Sat 1/5 - double, 80 minutes incl. 6-5-4-3-2 minute pickups

AM - 30 minutes very easy. Barely moving to be honest, it was good to get outside regardless. On the chilly side but little wind.

PM - 50 minutes incl. 6-5-4-3-2 minute pickups in Levittown. Changed my mind twice about whether or not to test the hamstring and try something uptempo. After a long afternoon nap, headed out the door figuring I'd just go for a run, but after 15 minutes of jogging, decided that it was back on and started in on timed pickups. 2 minute recovery jogs between the first three reps, then a minute before the last two shorter reps. The hamstring held up well to this which was a happy surprise. The unhappy surprise was slipping on a patch of black ice going around a corner and landing on my left knee like a sack of potatoes 3.5 minutes into the 5 minute pickup. After getting up, dusting myself off, and checking the scrape on my knee, I resumed the workout figuring that if the leg stiffened up I'd have no choice but to stop. Enormously frustrating to say the least, slippery winter conditions continue to be the bane of my existence. Still, able to finish the rest of the workout. Found upon getting back home that the scrape was a bloody mess, sure to become a gross weeping scab over the next few days.

Fri 1/4 - PM 80 minutes easy

Out and back along the Charles with a 5-10 minute break at the turnaround. Started slowly, stayed that way for a time. Eventually pace picked up a bit on the return trip. Hamstring is indeed coming along better than I had reason to hope it would three days ago although still sore. Right calf felt tight and stiff however which was disappointing to say the least. Perhaps not stretching enough the past few days, who knows. Compared to the past two days it was milder today, although with the wind along the water I was wishing I had worn the facemask at times.

Thu 1/3 - 70 minutes very easy

Tiger Drive to Longfellow loop. Just what was needed in terms of spending time moving w/o putting undue stress on the convalescent left hamstring. Had to keep it very mellow throughout and stick with areas that were well-cleared of snow and ice. The leg has improved markedly from yesterday, the day off having the desired effect. Still not ready for prime time, hopefully by the beginning of next week perhaps. Continuing to put ice on it during the day for now. Very cold temps outside but thankfully almost no wind.

Wed 1/2 - off

A no-brainer after yesterday's trauma, although perhaps unbelievably (stupidly?) I was originally planning on some kind of superslow walk/jog just to get some gentle movement to hopefully flush out the hamstring a bit after getting a massage. As it turned out, between a lack of energy and bone-chilling cold conditions I had no desire whatsoever to head out the door upon getting home after the massage. Hamstring starting to feel better already after getting the work done, plus I put ice on it 5 or 6 times throughout the day.

Tue 1/1 - AM 60 minutes incl. 5k road race

Quite possibly a disaster as what was supposed to be a low-key sandbagging effort resulted in yet another muscle strain. This time, seemingly out of the blue, the left hammie went on me just after the mile mark, after doing a warmup, after doing drills, after spending most of the first mile of the race trying to get into some kind of rhythm after feeling quite flat and tired from the word go. In hindsight all the time spent in the snowshoes yesterday certainly played a role but at the time I was dumbfounded by it. Stubborn idiot that I am the thought of stopping didn't really occur to me and I continued to slog it out, no doubt aggravating the strain with each step. I was going only fast enough to keep the rest of the field at bay, but every penny of the prize money I earned (and then some) will be going towards a much-overdue massage in the near future. Crawled through a very gentle cooldown and then spent most of the rest of the afternoon poking and prodding the area of course. I even got out the icepack. Suddenly the right calf is only the second most pressing health concern, fantastic. Chilly morning with a brisk wind.

Mon 12/31 - AM 45 minutes easy

Taking it quite easy thanks to the early hour and of course, less than perfect traction on many of the roads in Maynard. Some stiffness in calf, not sure if it's DOMS from the race or from the jogging on slippery streets. In lieu of an afternoon jog, went for a snowshoe hike of epic proportions in the Walden woods. Covered as much ground as I would in a typical 70 minute run or so, incl. Devil's Staircase and Andromeda trail, but with the leisurely pace it took about 3 times as long as that. Cold feet but other than that an enjoyable time.