October 25, Sunday

#4 5k on October 17th at Big Brook park was another hilly course.  I managed a 28:23, fastest time yet.  Still weak on the hills, quadriceps burn and stride is reduced to mere inches as I struggle to crest the incline.  Recovery occurs quickly enough and stride returns to normal until the next hill.  Mile splits were 8:09, 9:57, 10:03.  Maybe I’m going out too fast. The early mile was basically flat

#5 5k returned to Tatum Park on October 24th.  I ran a 1I:29, 57 seconds faster than last time, admittedly on an altered course that could be judged as slightly easier.  The positive takeaway from this one was that on the Hills I did not experience what I described in the foregoing paragraph. I crested the hills rather easily with no burning and in semi normal stride.   I did start out much more under control, maybe that was a factor.  I also did a much less intense warm up than I did in all the previous races. I approached the race with no intention of trying to run very fast, only to make it a good Saturday morning workout.  I also experienced some pretty severe pain in my left calf muscle for the first mile. At one point I wondered if I was actually going to finish the race. Somewhere along the way the pain subsided and I managed to finish, but my calf muscle was very sore after the race and still is 24 hours later.  I plan to have a very light recovery week and run a killer 5K at Holmdel Park on Saturday to conclude this six-week series with a bang. The goal from the beginning has been to refocus my training which had lost its sharpness during the pandemic months.  I am convinced that I have become more fit, but it has also taken a toll on my body.  That was also evidenced by my lack of enthusiasm for posting my workouts over this period.  Failing to post about my daily workouts was rare during the past 5 years of this +70Runner experience.  Most nights I could hardly wait to describe the fun, the joy, the weather, the topography, my times and splits and distances in great detail, not to mention bragging about my race performances whenever possible.  I feel that I am beginning to reignite that “Schoolboy Heart” attitude.   With regards to Jimmy Buffet: