Today I swam for 30 minutes non-stop in our Warwick condominium pool. It is clearly the most spectacular outdoor pool on the boardwalk in Atlantic City and the centerpiece of the Warwick condominium. It is always very nice to be back. I haven’t completed a Non-Stop 30 minute swim for many months. I didn’t finish exhausted, but I was pleasantly tired.
Every time we returned to the condominium, Arlene and I question our decision to rent our place for the summer months. The income is nice. And we have two swimming pools, indoor and outdoor, at our recreation facility in Jackson. But it is hard to match hanging out at a Cabana at a pool “On the Boardwalk in Atlantic City.” The pool closes this weekend.
Today I took the opportunity to work hard and enjoy the world of Atlantic City as we have reclaimed our beautiful condominium on the boardwalk. I enjoyed an early 4 mile bicycle ride on the boardwalk. Then I worked out in the newly renovated pool for 40 minutes. I ran in the deep end for 30 minutes including 6 sets of the 30- 20-10 workout. Then I swam for 10 minutes. It was quite luxurious. My Achilles tendon is still a bit tender, although it is strangely not sore in the morning which is the most common symptom of an Achilles tendon problem. Still choosing to err on the side of caution, I am avoiding the urge to run.
Stats –
I-Mad – 2
Weight – 153#
a.m HR – 54BPM
SLEEP – lots of distractions last night- broken uncomfortable 8 hours
Feeling relaxed and quite self-satisfied after qualifying for the National Senior Finals on Saturday, I am entering an extended base-building period. Took off on Sunday to rest my aching Achilles tendon. Today’s activity included a 5 mile bike ride, lots of non-impact leg drill’s and core/upper body work in the fitness room. My plan is to totally avoid running until it can be done with a complete absence of Achilles tendon discomfort. Swimming, biking and strength building will consume my workouts until then. Achilles tendonitis cost me 3 months of training in 2014. I don’t want that to happen again. There are nine months to the National Senior finals. And so, it begins………..
Well, all went as planned at the NJ Senior Games today. I managed to struggle my way to a first-place finish in both the 800m and 1500m races. The weather was Torrid; my Achilles was screaming; but I willed my way through two races in fairly decent times and captured both titles. The only warm-up I was able to do was leg swings, as my Achilles tendon started aching from the first step I took to jog. I immediately made the decision that warm- up had to be and non-impact event. I felt aerobically sound through both races, and my legs responded easily each time I called upon them. I still did the minimum to avoid any further tendon breakdown. I could not be any happier with the outcome! Now I have time to get healed and begin my eight month training program for the Nationals. That is going to start with two weeks of biking, swimming and working in the fitness room on weights and core. I can hardly wait to get started!
I hope everybody stayed cool today and had an equally rewarding and satisfying day.
I have not posted for the last 3 days because I have not been doing any workouts. With my race tomorrow, I decided to take the 3 days off to be sure that my Achilles tendon would not prevent me from competing. I’ve been icing, I have been heating, I’ve been stretching, I have been taking ibuprofen 3 times a day, only biking and walking. At this time, 7 o’clock on Friday night, I am experiencing no discomfort, no pain, no soreness in my Achilles tendon. Hence, I believe that I will be able to compete in at least two races tomorrow, the 800 metres and 1500 metres. There is an outside chance I will also compete in the 400 meters to try and qualify there, also. I did take 3 days off before my last race in which I ran new PR . However, I was in much better shape than now. I have long believed that taking time off when in top physical shape can have a beneficial impact on performance in the short run. However, taking time off when not in top physical condition does not give me as much confidence.
So I hope you have missed my postings because I have missed writing them; but I choose not to write unless I have something meaningful to say and not just be boring. I am preparing all my gear for a very, very warm and humid day tomorrow, probably in the high nineties. I hope this does not turn into difficulty for any of the Elder Statesman that will be at this event tomorrow. My plan is to do the minimum necessary to qualify in any events that I compete. I only want to become eligible to make the trip to Alabama in June so that I can compete in the National finals and have some fun. If I am lucky, the events in my age group will be so lightly entered that I will simply have to jog to the Finish Line to qualify. I have said to many people that this is really only a good reason for a RoadTrip.
My stats have been stable, but my weight is higher than I want it to be, somewhere in the mid 150’s instead of the low 150’s where I prefer. I have to deal with that as a result of not doing enough actual running lately.
I will report details of the event tomorrow evening.
Heard this Jimmy Buffett song on the way home from practice today. It has a happy, sweet sound but always makes me sad.
https://youtu.be/8nlnKkAN6VQ
No more running this week……
Just icing after a slow 2 mile run at XC practice today. Achilles tendon on left foot hurts each time I try to run. So, I trudge on to Saturday’s race date. Checked last year’s event results for my age group in the 800m and 1500m. Less than 3 competed in those races. If that holds true this year, I can qualify by default. So, I plan to swim, bike and lift for the rest of the week and be ready to compete painlessly on Saturday.
Spent an hour in motion today. The first half was a walk with Arlene, and the second half was a slow 2.5 mile run. No soreness, but running with trepidation is no fun.
Feeling lost for words and musical inspiration these days.
Five days from my 1500 meter race I’m still obsessing over legs that seem to be too tired, too often, too easy. Yesterday, which was Saturday, I took off completely because of nagging Achilles tendon pain. Today,this beautiful fall afternoon, I spent at Holmdel Park circling the half-mile field by the starting line while Arlene searched for photo opportunities. I was in motion for 40 minutes, but I really wouldn’t call it running. I walked two laps and ran very slow for 3 laps barely getting to a full stride at any point. So, I will continue on this very weak, very conflicted and probably very ineffective training series. I keep telling myself that after this Saturday I will be getting on a smart and consistent program for the next 9 months.
After a pleasant afternoon along the Delaware River and a stop for drinks and appetizers at the Washington Crossing Inn, Arlene and I returned home as the sun was painting the western sky line a bright scarlet. We shared a short walk and then I continued onto a 30 minute comfortable run as night fell over the neighborhood. Starting to hear unwanted noise from Achilles tendon that will have to be monitored carefully.
Today I did a little work on the track at Jackson Liberty High School during the cross-country practice. After a short warm-up and some drills I began to do a few pickups starting at about a hundred metres and eventually getting up to 200 meters. I did this for about two and a quarter miles and was feeling pretty wide open and strong. I decided to cut this short after I began to feel some pain in my left foot particularly in the Achilles tendon area. It has been such a long time since I’ve had any discomfort in that area I was acting out of an abundance of caution. I had actually disregarded my promise to myself that I would not try any extraordinary workouts before I got to run the 1500 meters next Sunday at the New Jersey Senior games. So I went home and ate and got ready to play cards as the card game was scheduled for my house this week. I’m writing this actually on Friday morning the 2nd of September. Fortunately my left foot did not demonstrate serious soreness or pain this morning. So I may have dodged that bullet. Maybe I can be disciplined enough to stick to some slow aerobic miles for the next 7 days and get past this self-imposed deadline on my training schedule.
