Chaire Herodikos Selymbriaios!

Started off the taper week with 5 mi + 6 x 100m strides. I guess I was feeling a bit frisky though, they turned out more like short intervals--topping out at what Garmin claims was 16.1 mph! Probably shouldn't do too many of those before Sunday, but it was fun while it lasted, like running on springs.

One very relaxed PM lap around Greenlake, 8:00 pace. Everything feels good.

530 w DG + Fremont to 90th. Poor sleep, didn't feel great. Some weakness/soreness in the left tensor fascia latae. Took it easy.

530 with DG. Slept better, felt good.

Okay, so I'm officially freaked out. We got a load of Palm Springs going on here, sunny and 60ish, and all I can think as I do my lap around the lake before heading out to the old T-Give is: when will we pay our karmic debt to the weatherman? If it's on Sunday then I am officially bummed.

No strain no pain (actually a bit of a cramp in the same left arch, the one that always goes away by mile 3). Pace was 7:45 or so, which seems to be the new super-easy.  I think that may be more about form than fitness.

I have mixed feelings about this holiday, as anybody who's read Nathaniel Philbrick's Mayflower might well do, but politics aside it's good and right to give thanks. It reminds me that the self is a helpful delusion, that our being and consciousness are intertwined with family; with friends; with social relations; with whatever God or transcendent higher cause we worship; even with fastrunningblog.  Giving thanks is nothing more or less than an acknowledgement and an exaltation of our intimacy with the rest of the universe.

Here's to high quality carbo-loading! 

Rest day. Rode very hard on a cold Thanksgiving afternoon, and the right ITB was complaining; had to take a couple courses of IP to get the inflammation down. Nothing serious, but that made seven days of running without a rest, so it was probably time. Will do a couple miles tomorrow just to keep sharp. Still hoping against hope for dry weather.

Greenlake. Feeling good.