Fri 2/5 - off

The day began with a call from the big boss informing us that school was out. It didn't seem that bad outside but I was feeling unmistakably tired and needed little excuse to go back to bed. In hindsight it was the right call as the weather went downhill fast and the ride home would have been a horror show. The unexpectedly intense snow, of the heavy wet variety, led to three rounds of shoveling. After the last one I knew that would constitute the day's exercise, with roads in terrible shape and the treadmill not exactly beckoning.

Thu 2/4 - PM 50 minutes very easy

Puttering back and forth, and back, and forth around Maynard with many stops. The bill came due from the past two days for sure. Taking a long time to get out the door lately.

Wed 2/3 - PM 75 minutes

Area 51. Started relatively slowly but picked it up in the final half hour or so of the run, to an extent I wasn't expecting. This may have been due in part to a desire to get out of the weather as I timed the run perfectly to coincide with two separate waves of passing rain showers. Temps unusually warm for this time of year but not warm enough to make a driving rain enjoyable.

Tue 2/2 - 50 minutes incl. 3(4x90 seconds)

Levittown. While the track was clear I didn't feel like testing the ankle on it, plus I didn't really want to be in the position of trying to hit a certain split time for ego reasons. Went with timed pickups based on effort instead, wearing the clunker shoes. Kept recovery within each set to 30 seconds, with 3 minutes jog between set. Felt like the recovery jog was inexorably slowing as the workout progressed but other than that the effort was solid. Relatively mild conditions for this time of year.

Mon 2/1 - PM 55 minutes easy

Rockland Ave to Levittown with the CH, then tacked on a bit extra up to the track and back. Left ankle felt like crap to start, loosened up some after 10 minutes or so but still creaking (audibly even) when ankle is flexed. Needs some time away from tight curves and thin shoes to recover.

Sun 1/31 - PM 90 minutes very easy

Area 51. Relaxed putter in the mostly clear woods with the CH. Took a while to get out the door after a hike around Walden earlier in the day. All the laps on the turf field yesterday had a predictable but unexpected effect on the medial left ankle, leaving it stiff and sore. In fact it's creaking when I flex the ankle joint. Hopefully staying away from indoor tracks and thin soled shoes for a few days will be sufficient to take care of it. Right hammie feeling locked up as well, a continuation of the pinched feeling I noticed while warming up for yesterday's race. Other than those hopefully minor quibbles, an uneventful run. Some icy patches on the trail but I'll take what I can get when it comes to running on trails at this time of year.

Sat 1/30 - PM 70 minutes incl. track mile, 3x 7 minutes

Much better race than the last time at what will be in all likelihood my last crack at the mile for a while. Having people to chase was a great help in this regard. Race pattern was symmetrical between the two halves, i.e. 71/72/72/71 with assorted tenths added in there to bring the final time in just under 4:47. Moved steadily up through the field as the race progressed, and had the gumption to make a move with 350 to go that more or less stuck. The time sucks of course but in my heart I'd given up on that after last weekend, quite apparent that no miraculous gains in fitness had been made in the last month. In addition, right hamstring feeling pinched at the lateral attachment behind the knee, something that hadn't been bugging me at all earlier in the week. Stiff enough that I felt my range of motion might have been impacted to a slight degree.

The nagging question for some time now is the degree to which the ongoing never ending inability to get enough rest is ruining my races before they even happen, or if I'm just a slow putz now. Said fatigue manifested itself today in my ability to take a quasi-nap while sitting against a concrete wall with a million people going about their business nearby. Underlying fatigue has also had its effect on training volume, with this week and the two days off being the prime example.

After finishing the race took about a half hour, maybe more, certainly longer than I had intended, before heading out the door for the back half of a daily double. Certain of what to do but not where to do it. I had planned to go in the side streets of Brookline but upon seeing BU had left their turf field above the parking garage open it was impossible to resist running laps on the fake grass. Proceeded to knock out 3x7 minutes with 2.5 minute recoveries between each. This felt smooth and relaxed, going purely off effort. Wrapped up the day with a jog cooldown around Allston side streets.