Buttsweat Towel© season has begun

54F, NNE 22-34 mph.  8:28 AP.  Just 6 easy today, no workout.  We had some squalls come through and I would've failed miserably trying to run fast through the wind.  Tomorrow will be perfect running weather and Boston is on a Monday anyway, right?

But yeah, I wimped out.

46F, no wind!  7:06 AP.  It was definitely the right move to push this workout back to today.  I went down to the track and did 3 x 3200m with an easy lap (~2 min jog) between the repeats.

12:34  (6:17, 6:17)

12:30  (6:17, 6:13)

12:16  (6:11, 6:05)

6:13 AP on the repeats overall, right in the LT sweet spot.  Felt good, very smooth.  And it better have, I had like 4 days off.  I was going to do 16 total miles, but the achilles griped a little so I just ran straight home and it worked out to 14.  Not worried about it - I'm jogging around in trainers for the next few days anyway, and only have 1 workout left.  Taper time!

AM:  nothing.  I woke up and it was 36 degrees with howling wind and pouring rain.  All I wanted to do was get in an easy 4 miles, and decided another hour of sleep would be better.  I'll get something in this evening, so I'm not a complete slacker.

PM:  39F, NE 17 mph, drizzle.  4 @ 8:28 AP.  something...avoided the goose egg.

38F, NNE 17 mph, rain held off until the last couple miles.  7:56 AP.  I was going to do some strides, but the achilles popped up about halfway through the run (I'm quite sure it's an achilles issue now).  It's just never smooth sailing when you train for a marathon.  Again, I think it'll be fine; I'd be a lot more worried if I had a bunch of difficult training ahead, but I'm tapering.  Last workout is Friday, I'll have to kinda play it by ear.

AM:  37F, N 11 mph, drizzle.  6 @ 8:10 AP.  Achilles didn't gripe too much.  I think it's because the heel is a lot more lifted with these shoes.  I'll probably give the workout a go tomorrow and be ready to pull the plug if I get some discomfort.

PM:  46F.  4 @ 8:08 AP.  Legs should be ready to go tomorrow.  Probably 8-9 @ MP with the goal to make 6:35-6:40 feel like a jog.

34F.  6:53 AP.  Ended up doing 8 @ MP today.  It went ok, I guess.  A "meh" workout if ever there was one.  I think I let my imagination get the best of me yesterday; I pictured myself effortlessly gliding along at 6:30 pace, which didn't happen.  Achilles felt pretty good in the racing flats today though, so I think I dodged that bullet.

8 MP @ 6:34 AP - (6:31, 6:35, 6:29, 6:38, 6:37, 6:34, 6:44 [heartbreak], 6:25).

Felt harder than MP...I don't know, I haven't been quite able to recapture that feeling of my first 2 long MP runs of the cycle that were quicker AND with less effort.  I do realize this is still kind of end-of-cycle, and my legs will have more pop in 10 days.

If anything, maybe this was a good slap on the wrist that will keep me from going out like a maniac in the first half of the race.  I'm thinking 1:27:00 for the first half right now, since it's easier than the 2nd half.  That way, if I have a great day, sub-2:55 is definitely in play.  If it's not my day, and I have to limp in with a 1:30-31, it's still a sub-3 and a PR.

Now I can focus on what really matters - obsessing over all the weather websites for the next 10 days.

55F, S 20-27 mph.  8:08 AP.  I can definitely tell I'm tapering...these recovery runs, which are purely effort-based, are getting faster.  There were some in the 9's this cycle.

Weather for Boston (not that it matters 9 days out) is looking decent so far  No one's predicting a headwind or a heat wave.....yet.