10:00. Inyo Craters (the entire loop this time) with Meb. Felt infinitely better than two weeks ago.

Footwear: Skjellyfetti (167)

12 miles in 1 session.

9:00. Two lake loops with Antonio and the guys, the second one a bit more honest than the first.
18:00. Easy eight in Shady Rest, followed by a less-than-stellar home run derby performance.

Footwear: Hunter S. (166)

18 miles in 2 sessions.
Weekly total: 88 miles in 12 sessions.

8:30. Tempo run on Green Church Road with the Irvine guys. Started out conservatively for the first two miles (5:29, 5:31), then picked it up (with Ben and Ricky) for the last two (5:17, 5:05). 21:23 for four miles. Felt spectacular.

Footwear: Sisyphus (26)

8 miles in 1 session.

8:15. One hour around the lakes (a loop and a half) with the Irvine guys. Sitler drove up last night, and by his performance this morning, seems to be acclimatizing just fine.

21:00. Half hour shakeout with the San Diego crew (complete with shenanigans from Bud).

Footwear: Hunter S. (148)

13 miles in 2 sessions.

10:00. Mammoth Rock Trail again. 53:30.

17:00. Half hour through Shady rest with Antonio.

Footwear: Skjellyfetti (155), Hunter S. (135)
Supplementals: Drills
Resting heart rate: 51 bpm

12 miles in 2 sessions.

10:30. Mammoth Rock Trail, from the house. Hot and sunny, but bearable.

17:00. One loop around the lakes with Antonio.

Footwear: Skjellyfetti (147), Hunter S. (131)

13 miles in 2 sessions.

8:15. Distance run in Shady Rest with a twenty-minute hill pickup; a joint effort with the Irvine guys. Started conservatively up the hill, then surged to catch up to Barnes near the top. Felt strong.

18:00. Three mile shakeout, starting from Shady Rest right after Antonio's bike race. Felt like death, probably on account of the free beer consumed immediately before the run.

Footwear: Skjellyfetti (139), Hunter S. (126)
Supplementals: Drills, Core

14 miles in 2 sessions.

8:30. Three loops on the southern trails of Shady Rest. Felt a bit sluggish after yesterday's effort. Last run with Jacques.

Footwear: Hunter S. (123)

10 miles in 1 session.

8:30. Long run around the lakes. Three outer loops of five miles each. We ran the first in just over 37:00 and the second in just over 31:00. (Technically, I missed part of the second loop for a rest stop, but added on the difference at the end.) On the third loop, things started to get interesting, with Antonio telling us that he was going to "pick up the pace a little." True to his word, Antonio made a strong push on the uphill to Horseshoe Lake, dropping Jacques even, but he tired a bit at the top of the hill. Keeping pace, I dropped both Jacques and Antonio in the Horseshoe Lake woods, but eased up on the final trail to Lake Mary to finish with Jacques in just under 28:00 for the loop. Probably my best long run ever.

Footwear: Skjellyfetti (128)
Resting heart rate: 56 bpm

15 miles in 1 session.
Weekly total: 66 miles in 7 sessions (1 day off).

8:30. Tempo run on Green Church Road. Set out with Jacques and Antonio, hoping to run five miles at about 5:10 pace. Passed two miles in 10:19 (5:07, 5:11), at which point Jacques started opening some distance on Antonio. I dropped back with Antonio for about a quarter-mile, but then sprinted to catch up to Jacques, who was about fifty yards ahead by that point. After two more miles in 5:18 and 5:08, I began suffering the consequences of my ambitious decision, and thus ended the tempo prematurely. All told, four miles in 20:46.

Footwear: Sisyphus (18)
Supplementals: Core

10 miles in 1 session.

8:00. A few loops through Shady Rest with the UC Irvine guys, starting and ending at Snowcreek. 73:00 total, for about eleven miles.

Footwear: Hunter S. (113)
Music: "Bop Gun (One Nation)," Ice Cube (Lethal Injection: Priority)
Resting heart rate: 55 bpm

11 miles in 1 session.

8:30. One hour around Lake Mary; last run with Meb. Starting to feel fully acclimatized.

17:00. Ran out to Shady Rest with Ben, did a few drills, and ran back.

Footwear: Skjellyfetti (113), Hunter S. (102)
Supplementals: Drills, Core
Resting heart rate: 44 bpm

13 miles in 2 sessions.

8:30. Tempo run on the Bishop tow path with Ben. Went out in 12:30, came back in 12:18, and felt quite good.

Footwear: Sisyphus (12)
Resting heart rate: 47 bpm

8 miles in 1 session.

8:30. One hour around the lakes with Meb and Ben. My throat was burning the entire run, probably the result of dehydration, since I hadn't had any water to drink in the morning. Otherwise, felt good, but very tight from yesterday's long run.

Footwear: Skjellyfetti (104)
Resting heart rate: 49 bpm

9 miles in 1 session.

8:30. Same location as last week's long run, similar conditions, but noticeably faster. As Antonio put it, Meb was "all business" today. The original plan was to run seventy-five minutes with Meb and then cool down fifteen more, but around one hour in, the pace began to approach my threshold, and I was forced to reconsider. At seventy minutes, Meb and I had dropped even Jacques, and I decided that I was probably running too hard for my own good. So, I doubled back and cooled down twenty minutes with Ben for an even ninety. All in all, I felt much stronger than last Sunday - and after a week of much higher mileage.

Footwear: Hunter S. (98)
Resting heart rate: 54 bpm

14 miles in 1 session.
Weekly total: 77 miles in 10 sessions.

10:30. Uptown and Downtown Trails with Antonio and Ben. One hour.

17:00. Ran out to Shady Rest for some drills, then came straight back. 25:00. Wore my new racing flats for some reason. I'm going to try to stick to a cross-training program of drills and core on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, and leg strength exercises on Wednesday and Friday. This will allow me to dedicate Sunday to a single long run effort (and Monday to recovery).

Footwear: Hunter S. (84), Sisyphus (4)
Music: "Way Out," Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Show Your Bones: Interscope)

12 miles in 2 sessions.

8:30. Solid effort on the Airport Loop (59:00) with Ben, Jacques and Meb. Interestingly, this effort felt more difficult than last week's (faster) solo attempt, perhaps because of the reverse in direction?

Footwear: Skjellyfetti (95)
Music: "Celestial Terrestrial Commuters," Mahavishnu Orchestra (Birds of Fire: Sony)

9 miles in 1 session.

8:30. Forty-five minutes on the Rattlesnake Trail in Bishop with Ben, while Jacques and Meb warmed up for their 400m repeats. Stayed in direct sun the entire time, but enjoyed the run nonetheless.

17:00. Thirty-five minutes around the lakes, this time with the entire crew (Meb, Jacques, Ben, Antonio).

Footwear: Skjellyfetti (86), Hunter S. (76)
Music: "Atomic Dog," George Clinton (Computer Games: Capitol)

11 miles in 2 sessions.

8:30. An hour around Lake Mary with Meb, Jacques and Ben. Felt good, soaked in the lake afterwards.

Footwear: Hunter S. (71)
Music: "Destroy Everything You Touch," Ladytron (Witching Hour: Island)

9 miles in 1 session.

8:30. Drove down to Bishop with Meb, ran an easy five miles, then spectated his and Jacques' workout. My legs felt heavy running on pavement, but otherwise a routine shakeout.

18:00. Forty-two minutes with Ben. There was some noticeable but manageable pain in my left hip.

Footwear: Hunter S. (62), Skjellyfetti (80)
Music: "Desolation Row (Alternate Take)," Bob Dylan (No Direction Home: Columbia)

11 miles in 2 sessions.

8:30. Ran with Meb at Inyo Craters. Covered about eleven miles in 72:30. (Bob said it was ten, but if that's the case, I'm going to quit running right now and spend the rest of my life bewailing my pathetic unfitness.) The first half hour was comfortable and even enjoyable, but between thirty and fifty minutes we picked up the pace to what seemed like my physical limit. Fortunately Meb eased off for the last few miles, and I was able to make it back to the car alive - barely.

Footwear: Skjellyfetti (74)
Music: "Sunflower," Low (Things We Lost in the Fire: Kranky)

11 miles in 1 session.

8:00. Long run down Owens River Road with Meb and Antonio. Jacques ran solo for most of the run, first behind and then ahead of us. For the first few miles, I felt starstruck, but that feeling was quickly supplanted by various other pains. By the end of the run, I was checking my watch every few minutes. At thirteen (according to Bob) miles in 85:00, I was sure that I had run fifteen, but in any event, decided it was a good point to stop.

Footwear: Skjellyfetti (63)
Music: "I Get Around," The Beach Boys (All Summer Long: Capitol)

13 miles in 1 session.
Weekly total: 65 miles in 7 sessions.

8:30. Met Antonio, Meb and Jacques for a trip out to Green Church Road. Those guys did a tempo run (Jacques five miles, Antonio six, and Meb ten in 49:30), but I opted for a slightly easier run around the Airport Loop. My time for the loop was solid (58:45 compared to 62:00 last year after one week at altitude), but the first real test of fitness will be tomorrow's long run.

Footwear: Hunter S. (57)
Music: "Dramamine," Modest Mouse (This is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About: Up)

9 miles in 1 session.

19:00. The drive down Route 395 was more a spiritual journey than a bus ride, as usual. There's snow on the mountains now, which gives them a more austere appearance, especially from my new, higher vantage point on Davison Street. Today's run was easy, straight down Main Street into Shady Rest, but on the way back I came to the painful realization that the guest house where I'm staying is uphill from every point in town. I can't complain, though. The woods around the guest house are quiet and tranquil; there's little light pollution and the moon has never been this bright. Maintaining sanity will be a challenge up here, but then again sanity is no prerequisite for running fast.

Footwear: Hunter S. (48)
Music: "Enema Syringe," Jukka Hauru (Episode: Love)

8 miles in 1 session.

16:00. On the roads through Boulder with Rob. Ran into Ali Kelley at a coffee shop in town, which was a pleasant surprise. My right knee started hurting halfway through the run, but felt fine by the end.

Footwear: Hunter S. (40)
Music: "Fresh Azimiz," Bow Wow (Wanted: Sony)

8 miles in 1 session.

16:00. Met Rob for a run around Boulder on the Wonderland Lake trail. The first mile had a few serious climbs, and I found myself immediately struggling with the altitude, but once the run flattened out I started feeling much better.

Footwear: Skjellyfetti (52)
Music: "Ballad of the Lonely Argonaut," Beulah (When Your Heartstrings Break: Sugar Free)

11 miles in 1 session.

10:00. Followed a trail alongside Tower Road in Denver for a few flat, treeless miles before turning back to return to my hotel. Less than exciting.

Footwear: Skjellyfetti (41)
Music: "East," Psychic Ills (Dins: Social Registry)

7 miles in 1 session.

15:30. Ran out around Ball Pond and back around Salmons Hollow, for just under an hour and somewhere around nine and a half miles.

Footwear: Hunter S. (32)
Music: "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us!" Sufjan Stevens (Illinois: Asthmatic Kitty)

9 miles in 1 session.

16:30. Ran to the hill on Gage Road and back, which I would guess is six miles.

Footwear: Skjellyfetti (34)
Music: "In the Valley," Lovely Feathers (Hind Hind Legs: Equator)

6 miles in 1 session.
Weekly total: 37 miles in 5 sessions (2 days off).