June 26, Saturday

My performance at the Big Bang Mile yesterday left me with a good deal of confidence about my level of fitness.  On a very humid morning with the temperature already in the upper 70’s I made the decision to warm up in the gigantic, air conditioned Bell Labs building. To begin with the rest room facilities inside were far more civilized than the Portapottys at the starting line of the race.  The cavernous center space was about 68* and had a carpet around its almost 400 meter  circumference.  I had promised myself to do an extensive warm up in preparation for this race as I described in my previous post. So, I ran with sweats on around this carpeted surface doing long pickups for 30 minutes.  I should note that this space was essentially empty on a Saturday morning providing a completely clear  warm up opportunity.   I lay on my back with my legs elevated for 10 minutes before I jogged to the starting line about 200 meters from the building.

I approached the race with trepidation because I had no  confidence in my ability to judge pace after over a year without a competitive race. The goal was 7:00 with even 1:45 quarters. I ran a comfortable 1:37 and 1:48 to arrive at the half in a respectable 3:25.  (There were clocks at each quarter mark.) That half mile time gave me confidence that maybe I could break 7 minutes. I tried to push the 3rd quarter.  But I would describe a similar performance by one of my runners as a weak effort.  1:55     I managed to recover and run a 1:45 final quarter to finish at 7:05.  I was left feeling somewhat disappointed, but convinced that I am capable of running much faster.

Stats remain consistent and positive.

June 24, Wednesday

On a delightfully crisp evening at the cinder track I chose a quick workout as my final preparation for Saturday’s one mile race.  The goal was to run a few repeats a goal raceP pace which is  under 7:00. (1:45 per 400m).  A secondary goal for the day was to monitor how long and how intense my warm-up needed to be before I felt comfortably, wide open.  After a mile in motion including  several accelerations, I felt  ready.  The first 400m timed at 1:52, a little too slow and somewhat labored. The next two were quicker (below 1:45) and more comfortable.  I ended the workout with two times 200m out of an abundance of caution.  By that time I did feel completely wide open and ran easily at a pace well under 1:40. So, what did I learn?  It takes an extensive amount of work to get the old body completely warmed up. The question is, “Do I dare doing that much work before going to the starting line for a race?” I don’t know.  Maybe, because it frightens me, I should do it on Saturday. 

June 18, Friday

With two days rest and eight days to my mile race, I decided that something harder was in order. I started out for the cinder track. But I soon realized that it was around 12:00 noon and the sun was high and hot. So, I changed course and headed for the shaded trails of Turkey Swamp Park.  The 12 minute Crank and Cruise workout seemed like a good choice for this day. It’s quick and it’s short. After a one mile warm up with five  progressive pick ups, I started the 12 minute run.  It was just the right intensity and duration for this day. With about five minutes of recovery I added four times 100 meter straight-a-ways.  The entire workout was demanding but not draining. I drove to the pool and swam for 20 minutes more.  I was pleased with the bricks that I added on this day.

Stats- stable

June 15, Tuesday

Began with a very nice 15 minute swim. After a short break I went to  Turkey Swamp Park and ran a comfortable 3.38 miles in 41:55 with some significant speed segments along the way.  A good day….  Tomorrow I will rest and have a tooth pulled.

Stats on target

June 8th through June 14th 

This week was marked by a serious return to our pool at Four Seasons. I managed three productive sessions in the water. It had been more than a year, and it felt terrific. I walked 6 miles around the city of Hoboken with Robert on Thursday. In four sessions throughout this week (on cinders, on dirt trails and on roads) I covered 16 miles at various intensity. The long runs were peppered with a series of  Speed Segments throughout. And today I completed a workout on the Cinders with 6 x 400 meters.  1:48, 1:48, 145, 1:37, 1:54, 2:05.

With 12 days remaining before I try to run a quick mile at the Big Bang Mile in Holmdel, New Jersey I’m feeling pretty good about my training and fitness. I’ve managed to get through a sore knee and not lose too much training time.

Stats-

Weight  = 143 lb

Diet  = 9 / 10

Sleep = 9 / 10 hours daily

Resting heart rate equals 54 beats per minute of course open to the idea

Feet and legs are injury-free, though muscles are sore from good book

So-called “Frozen Shoulder”  (actual diagnosis) remains sore in bed and on rising but does not affect running or swimming.

Even though the temperature was in the low 90s yesterday, found a very shaded area along the Wooded Trail at Turkey Swamp Park. After a 1-milIe warm up I ran 20 * 150 yards at  pretty sustained pace.  (One of the better workouts I’ve done in the past week)

A slight ache in my left knee at the beginning of each workout has put a damper on my desire to run anything that is demanding. So, I do more walking than anything else because walking doesn’t cause pain. I’m not happy with the inconsistency, but even more concerned about losing time through severe injury. So. I muddle alone trying not to lose too much Fitness.

Stats are consistent.