Relentless

AM - 8.3 a SORE 4.5 out and back w/ James then a little before practice, finished off with 2 during practice to round it out. Legs really are pretty trashed. But it was a lot harder to start than to keep going. Tried to use the stick and then my usual daily core stuff. (Cumulus blue 323.5)

afternoon - 5.7 Sienna Hills Park and 2 miles barefoot running on the grass. I am sure am much more sore than last year after Bryce. This afternoon felt a little better than this morning, however. (Cumulus red 593.55)

AM - 10.25 Green Springs w/ James. Then XC 3 miles up Tortoise Fence ran w/ Austin then Danny. Felt a little better than yesterday. The quads are coming around, but the calves are still a bit tender. (Stratus Bee 111.7)

PM - 5.75 Sienna Hills Park by way of lower Parkway and back.  8x100 grass striders.  Feeling noticeably better this afternoon compared to morning.  The striders were good and got my legs moving as I worked on having a quick pull-through of the foot.  Ave. for run was 7:40, first time under 8 since the race; so legs are showing signs of improvement.  (Cumulus Silver 548.85)

AM - 12.15 Fields w/ James and then XC to Sienna Hills (they did some barefooting) and back. The occasional pain I have in the tendons behind the knee was back today in my right leg. I think it is from continued tightness and soreness in my legs. Add to that the fatigue I am still feeling and I am not sure about tomorrows Big Workout. I think I'll be alright though to at least give it a shot. (Cumulus white 116.1)

PM - 7.85 Treadmill.  Because of some family stuff, I planned on running this evening, but Ally had to go to the doctor for an ear problem and that meant treadmill time.  I really struggled to get through it.  I do better on the treadmill if I have been running on it a lot; then it seems less tedious.  But I haven't been on it much this summer, so it is grinding.  But I am sure it is not as bad as Al's ear pain.  (Stratus red 473.35)

AM - 15.2.  Big Workout #19 - 4 mile warmup, 7 Tinman Tempo (6:00), 4 cooldown w/ Clyde and Logan at DC.  Started off with the warmup and my body was sending signs of distress.  About 100 meters into it, a sharp pain sent through my butt and all around my left leg causing it to give out and forcing me to stumble to stay upright.  But I hope it would all work out.  Heading back onto the Bloomington Loop we began out Tempo - I was supposed to hit 6:00, and I hoped I could do it (things still aren't really recovered from Bryce.  1-6:03; 2-6:00 the two slowest were down the trail! 3-5:56 pushed harder up the hill around Bloomington and Clyde and Logan pull away a little; 4-5:54 just try to keep focused and not worry about how tired I felt.  It was weird, the pace wasn't hard, but my legs just wouldn't respond and move (an oxymoron); 5-5:59; 6-5:51; 7-5:55 worked pretty hard to keep those last few under 6:00 up the trail, but I made it.  Then 4 cool.  Not a bad workout considering how I felt.  It actually gives me a little confidence - although the pace isn't supposed to kill you, it was nice to accomplish it when I am trashed.  (Landreth 342.6)   

AM - 12 Highland from bottom up w/ James. Then XC Canal Trail and Rollercoaster from the two churches in the fields. Had to add a couple at the end to hit the 12 and did my striders during the last mile. (Cumulus white 128.1)

afternoon - 7.8 NEW TRAIL ALERT! James and I had spotted what we thought be a new trail, so I went and checked it out this afternoon - it is (although it is still under construction and "no trespassing"). It goes from the bottom of the Parkway through the gap to the river - I'll call this section the Indian Point Trail - after some Indian ruins I found when I hiking last year on the point way above the trail. Halfway down this access trail, there is another trail being made that goes up the quarry around the backside by the hill to the dump (I only went up a little bit of this because I didn't want to hit too many miles - I'll do it another time). At the river, the trail goes north and is bulldozed all the way up to Sunrise Valley bridge 3.8 miles from my house (eventually the trail is supposed to go all the way up to Zion). I've always wanted a trail here, but the tammies made it too thick to even hack one through - so this is a fun discovery. The new trail helped me not think of the toe nail I ripped off this morning moving stuff around in the garage and the pain it was causing (not to be too gruesome, but I tore my middle nail on my left foot right off to the place it comes out the skin.  I pushed it back down and bandaged it up.  The pain was there, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be.  Hopefully it will hold up on the downhill of the course tomorrow.).  Also, it was hot today! (Cumulus blue 331.3)

AM - 18.5 Big Workout #18.  SGM course 8 mile easy then 10 tempo progression from Tinman to MP to LT.  Legs are just gone.  This 103 week has been harder than my 130 week.  Got into the tempo section and could barely make my legs go - quads are just spent.  So I stopped for a minute around 4 miles into it to just reboot.  I finished up my water, stretched, and just tried to focus mentally for a minute and tell myself I could finish it up.  It worked well enough to be able to continue the progression down to 3 MP (5:45's) and 3 LT (5:30) miles to finish up.  On the positive side, I told myself that if I could hit the times when I am this spent (and faster than I have ever finished SGM), I should be headed in the right direction once I get my legs back.  Toe hurt a little, but I survived.  (Stratus Bee 130.2)