Made a decision yesterday to plan to run the pan-am Masters games in July in Cleveland. It’s 100 days away so it seems like a cool idea to put together a 100 day plan to see if I can run a fast 800 m in July. I was able to run 3:15 at Ocean breeze two weeks ago. That time would have won the USATF national championships 80 year old category by 38 seconds. So, I think I am one of the better 800 runners in the country right now. I believe that I have accomplished that with rather moderate training for mid distances. The plan is to up the level of my middle distance training in the next 100 days with the goal of running a fast 800m, maybe close to three minutes, at the outdoor masters Pan-American meet in July. It seems like a fun thing to try.

Yesterday, Wednesday, I spent 45 minutes in the exercise room at our clubhouse. (ER) Today, Thursday, I ran a steady 45 minutes on the Cinder track at the senior center. (SS) Tuesday was a total washout.

During the previous 10 days, over Easter, I did a surprising Amount of work comprising over 10 miles and included some middle distance intervals and speed segments. I ran an 8:45 mile during one workout and have done a good number of 200s on the track.

The next few months should be interesting if I survive.

My stats have been holding up well. At one point during that 10 day stretch I did have an elevated basic heart rate. That led me to take two days off to make sure I was not overtraining. Everything else is holding up.

Easter Sunday with the family. Spectacular Ukrainian Easter feast!

Too much food and drink, but it is a day that was tagged as a recovery day.

After two pretty serious workouts on Friday and Saturday I noticed that  my resting heart rate was higher than normal, a signal that I needed to slow down for additional recovery.

Friday was  a one hour ago workout on the track with 6 x 200m strong  in between 2 x 20 minutes easy.

Saturday was  a 8:45 mile and a 5:00 800m between two easy runs on the cinders.

Committed to upping my training level to run fast 800m  without injury.  I can be a major play in the National Masters world if I can do it.  The 3:14 800m  that I ran at Ocean Breeze last week would have won the USATF MASTERS Nationals by 38 seconds.

February catch up

2/5 thru 3/1

Saint Augustine, as expected, provided ideal conditions for winter training.  During the previous 25 days I have had 15 days of serious training  with 10 days of resting and walking.  I competed successfully in an 800 meter run finishing in a respectable 3:21.  I also ran the Saint Augustine Lighthouse 5K in 30:03.  OK but somewhat disappointing.

I am feeling strong during workouts and experiencing no leg or foot issues. My workouts consist of 3-5 miles, mostly on the beach,  including frequent speed segments of from 30 seconds to two minutes.  Lately I’ve been adding hills.  Today I did the most purely speed workout probably ever.  What was 10 x 100 meters at a 6:00 per mile pace on a friendly boardwalk.   I was pretty surprised by those numbers when I checked my watch. That included 1.5 miles out and 1.5 miles back.

We head home in one week from today. So, I am seeking one more competition to test my fitness level.

Stats are sound!

Well, I turned 81 last week and a few thoughts have been rolling around in my head .

The 1st is that I feel great. So far growing old has not kicked my ass the way I thought it might. That’s good.

Second, 81 sounds a lot older than 80 it  seems to me.   Age 80 is kind of a milestone, “Hay, I’m 80!”, but 81 just sounds like an old guy. I’ll just have to get used to it.

The 3rd, I’ve gotten into the habit of doing age calculations as it might have occurred in my mind as an 18 year-old senior in high school. I never actually knew anyone who was 81 years old when I was a senior high school.  But if I did, I would have come to the realization that this person was born in 1880.  Rutherford B. Hayes was president in 1880.  Who?  It could just as easy have been George Washington or Julius Caesar . There is just no perspective for such a thing to an 18 year-old. So, I have pledged to try to remember that when I encounter young people. Just thoughts…….

Hoping to post more often in the future

ood walk that I found.

February 4,  Rainy Sunday

Our 1st week at the beach has been very positive for training. The temperature has been consistently in the 60s and the beach, as usual, is very comfortable and safe. The result has been 7 consecutive days of +40 minute runs  with 1 biking session in the middle.  I continue to add speed segments along each run, becoming more confident everyday.  Today is the 1st rainy day we’ve seen so far in Florida and a good time for a recovery break.

January 30, Monday

Well,  it’s been way too long since I posted and logged .  So, here goes from Florida.

We just arrived Saturday evening. I did a shake out run on Saturday night after 2 days of driving.

Yesterday I ran 4 miles on the beach kind of moderately but with a series of speed segments thrown in along the way.  It was 61*.  The endless beach was firm and flat.  The sky was a cloudless deep blue. The sun and the surf and the seagulls screamed, “Beach.” The wind out of the north was perfect, and I got that old “St.  Augustine Training”  vibe back again.

Today I rode the bike for 30 minutes.

I am registered for two races in a near future. The 1st is an 800m indoor meet on 2/11 in Gainesville, Florida.  I believe it is called the USA track and field south east  regional masters championship.  (long name). I am anxious to test what kind of 800 meter fitness I have right now.  The second is the annual Saint Augustine Lighthouse 5K run in which I have competed for the last 10 years.  That race is on 2/18,  and I will run it basically as a hard workout day with no real goal.  It is an attractive community event.

Fortunately, my body has held up during  the posting hiatus, and all measures of fitness have been positive and steady.  Looking forward to a productive 6 weeks in St. Augustine.

My first indoor mile in over 60 years went reasonably well. On Monday at Monmouth University I ran 7:46. Since the modest goal was to finish healthy, we are calling it a success.

December 1 – 16

1- 2 easy miles around the neighborhood

2- 3 miles on the track with multiple speed segments

3- Rest

4- 30 minutes in the pool running and swimming + weights

5- Green 4 miles +3 hills

6- Rest

7- Rest

8- 4 miles on cinders with multiple speed segments

9- 25 minutes at Turkey Swamp Park with seven speed segments

10- Rest

11- Rest

12- Race mile in 7:47

13- Rest

14- 3 miles on treadmill in weight room in 35 minutes plus weights and bike on warm up

15- 3 miles in 38 minutes at Turkey Swamp Park with 11 speed segments

16- rest, tired, legs, and body

Stats are steady and legs and feet are without issues

😊

I have had to come to accept the fact that two days of work leaves the 80 year old legs in need of 48 hours recovery to get back on track. I will have to work on upper body strength on those recovery days. It will make me a better quarter miler!🔥

Tuesday, November 28

“Man is never more human than when he plays”.  Friedrich von Schiller

The Swedish word fartlek  translates as Speedplay
Lately I have been more inclined to do workouts that include speedplay.

My version of speedplay is modified to include segments of running, jogging And walking.  I manage to log more miles with fewer heavy foot strikes and plenty of speed segments.  These demanding yet playful workouts have been performed on the cinder track, the rubber track at Jackson Liberty high school and on the trails and in Turkey Swamp Park. I have managed to maintain fitness during the month of November logging 14 out of 28 days so far. Also, by alternating running days, I have manage to allow my Achilles tendon issue to resolve itself and enjoy the training.

Stats have been consistently positive!  Still under 145lb even after Thanksgiving weekend!

Stats:

Today, in the final 5K race of the season sponsored by the Shore AC, I ran a very comfortable 35:00 on the picturesque course at Huber Woods Park. It was a perfect Saturday morning for a cross country run. My main purpose for running was to test my Achilles tendon. It turns out that all is well at this time. That will be my last 5K on the trails of Monmouth county this year. The next effort will be the 8K at the Philadelphia marathon with Kristen on November 18. I will need to log a few more miles over the next two weeks in preparation for that one.

Sleep- 9/10 hours daily. Frequently even more 🛏️

Diet- Eating healthy and moderately 🍎🫑🫛🧅🥦

Weight- 144lb 🍺

Resting heart rate stays at 54 BPM ❤️🤓

No issues with legs or feet 🤾🏿‍♂️

Monday, October 23rd

On a perfect autumn, sunny, 64° afternoon I headed to the Cinder track with the intention of running for Progressive miles. I used the first mile as a warm up in 12:20 and began to strip down my sweatshirts. My Sunday joggers remained on for the entire workout. My right Achilles tendon had my attention for the four miles but seemed to survive the total effort. This was the longest workout in 2 weeks. So,I was a bit nervous. Tomorrow will definitely be a pool day.

The final three miles were 10:08, 9:50 and 9:33.   I am very satisfied with that progression.

STATS are stable and positive.

Bah, Humbug

So, I left Florida after my 5K nationals race with a slightly inflamed Achilles tendon. I am very confident that wearing my track spikes for that 5K run is what brought on the Achilles problem. Having experienced Achilles tendon issues that lasted almost a year in past, I decided to be ultra conservative about this situation. So for the next two weeks I stayed off impact running and spent time in the pool and the weight room. I had forgotten that how much I actually enjoyed swimming and pool running. In fact over the last 2 weeks I did not miss a day of training, and I think I have maintained much of my fitness.  The good news that during a 3 Mile Run on the cinders yesterday I had no discomfort in my Achilles tendon. !!

My only goals going forward are to remain healthy and fit and maybe run a decent 5K before winter arrives. Plus find a quality cross-country, non-spike, racing shoe somewhere along the way…..

All stats holding steady and positive.  🙂