QUE SERA, SERA

Generally speaking the years 2013 to the present have been filled with a few more notable events. There were some injuries and setbacks. My training gradually increased. My performance is improved, and I made a trip to the National Senior Games in St Paul, Minnesota.

2013

This year started with the inevitable hernia operation in January.  Almost immediately we left for st. Augustine for 2 months.  All of February was recovery with simple walking and jogging near the end of the month. Don’t know where I got the notion it was a good idea,  but I did run for the first time in the St. Augustine Lighthouse 5K.  To my surprise I broke 30 minutes and finish first in the above 70 division.  Things went downhill from there.  In my enthusiasm to restart training,  I overdid it and continued to run barefoot on the beach.  Both of those actions led to severe Achilles issues.  I was forced to attend therapy and rehab for a  month which put me back considerably.   In addition I had a very serious bike accident that tore up my knee in May.  Those two incidents forced me to withdraw from the National Senior Games to which I had qualified in September.  I also skipped the New Jersey Senior Games that year.  My Garmin shows that my training remained at no more than 20 – 30 miles a month throughout the fall and end of 2013. Clearly not my best year.

2014

Things picked back up in 2014. Had some good work in St. Augustine during February and managed to run the Lighthouse 5K in 28:38, placing second.   My Garmin tells me I was averaging 25 to 35 miles a month, and at the end of the year I was actually in the 40 to 55 mile range.  At the New Jersey Senior Games I qualified by winning both the 800m and the 1500m. That race was scheduled for July of 2015.  In October I ran 27:55 at the Atlantic City Shore Medical Center 5K race. That earned me first place in the + 70 age group. I was very excited to see a 27 in front of my final time.  Most of my training throughout this time had been 4 or 5 Mile runs around the Jackson roads.  I did make good use of the Horse Track, which has a 880yd cinder surface. This facility has been made a public park by the town of Freehold.  I began doing some intervals and 30-second pickups on the scene the track. I also did a once a week workout at the local high school rubber track.  I was taking a lot of advice from Dr Mirkin who I have referred to in previous posts. Dr. Mirkin insists that it is important to run at close to full speed at least twice a week in short bursts in order to improve performance.  I feel certain that incorporating this kind of work into my training has helped me to reach new personal bests in the last year-and-a-half.  So 2014 ended on a high note.

2015

The year 2015 got off to another rough start. Just before leaving New Jersey in January for St. Augustine injured some muscle in my right buttocks. It came to a point where I could barely walk and could not sleep at night because of the pain and had to visit a doctor. Spent another 5 weeks in rehabilitation. During that time I also fell and broke two ribs in my right chest.  Life was looking pretty bleak as I had to explain to people that I was jogging behind the mall while my wife was shopping and I tripped over a speed bump. Yes a speed bump.   Undaunted, I decided to run the lighthouse 5K.  I limped through in 31 minutes but I did finish.  After completing rehab and healing my ribs,  I returned to serious training through April, May and June.  Arlene and I made the trip to St.Paul, Minnesota where I ran in the finals of the 1500m only.   It was extremely exciting to run 6:21 and finish fourth in the Nationals.  It was a great visit to a beautiful city.

For the rest of the year I skipped racing but continued to train. I was fortunate enough to  get hooked up with the track coaches at nearby Liberty  High School . They were kind enough to  accept me as a volunteer assistant for the cross country team .  I had a very nice time working with  these  quality young men  at Liberty  cross country.  I plan to return  in the fall of 2016  to help out once again.  These coaches and athletes could not have been kinder to me.

My Garmin tells me I was running an average of 48 miles a month and my training pace had dropped below 10 minutes on a regular basis. I can still remember how impressed I was three years ago when I ran my first mile under 10 minutes on the Hillsboro track.  My weight has remained under 155 pounds throughout the year. At the end of 2015 I was a happy and a healthy Runner. Life was pretty good.

2016

So here we are in 2016. My training was going well and I was off to St. Augustine again. In the Lighthouse 5K this year I was thrilled to run 26:37,another one minute  PR.  While in St. Augustine I also began writing this blog which has been a major focus of my life for the last 2 months. I have been managed get in touch with people I haven’t seen for years.  I’ve become much more focused on my training and the outcomes.  Is exciting to me to think that there are people who are interested in reading my thoughts and experiences.  So I have become plus70runner.  I hope that my enthusiasm does not wane, and that this blog becomes a regular part of my training and competing experience.  And it is also fun now and then sharing some stories about the old days.

So this weekend I competed in another 5K right here in Freehold.  I was once again thrilled to set a new PR of 25:46.3.!!!  A 5K in 25 minutes was my original goal four years ago.

If you have read my blog of May 8th, you will know that I have no idea where I’m going from here. I know I will continue to run. I will continue to blog. I don’t know how much I’m willing to put my body through or how much it is capable of taking. I guess we will just have to find out. I hope somebody stays tuned. It should be fun!