September 18, Friday

So, after my successful 5K run, I did sign up for the six-week 5K series hosted by the Shore AC on various courses around Monmouth County every Saturday starting on September 26th.  Since making that commitment I have been training very well and quite consistently also. But for reasons I can’t explain I have been failing to post my workouts. Everything is recorded on my workout calendar and on Garmin Connect, but I have not added to my +70RUNNER blog.   Below is 12 day catch up attempt.

September 7th, Monday, rest

September 8th, Tuesday, 3 miles on the Cinders with 2 * 800 at 4:50 and 4:35 along the way.

September 9th and 10th, Today was the beginning of an unusual stomach event that caused me to take 2 days off to recover. I never figured out what it was, but fortunately it is not returned.

September 11th,  Friday, 4.5 mi in 1 hour on the Cinders – Back in motion!

September 12th, Saturday, 5 miles and 55 minutes on the Jackson Township roads. Felt good today.

September 13th, Sunday, 2.5 miles on the Cinders in 40 minutes with 10 moderate speed segments of 60 seconds along the way. Tired legs.

September 14th, Monday, Day of rest.

September 15th, Tuesday, Double session today – first 2 miles of work at Holmdel Park  with four times up the 400m start Hill at a moderate pace . Then  later in the day 4 miles in 47 minutes on Jackson Township roads.  Good day!

September 16th, Wednesday, 3 miles on the grass soccer fields at the senior center with 13 fast speed segments of 140m along the way!           Very good day!

September 17th, Thursday, Day of rest.

September 18th, Friday, 5 miles at the senior center in one hour. 1.5 Min warm up on the cinders. 3.5 on the grass with 7 long surges of 501 of 1000 oil at below 9-minute pace.  Very positive e day.

Up to date………….!

Thank you Richard Refi for trying to keep me on task.

Stats- I think because I am being careful to take off days to rest when needed my stats have remained solid and positive  for quite a while now.

Particularly happy with holding weight under 145lbs consistently. Getting plenty of rest and eating well also helps a lot.

September 6th,  Sunday

Today I finally got the courage to get off my butt and run a 5k for Jason’s Memorial event. I was very apprehensive with my still aching toe. I assumed that that my legs would be light after a five-day hiatus from running. I chose to stay at home and run around the block as I did with Rob a month or so ago for I different virtual race. A 5k is about 6 and a half laps around my neighborhood block.  I did about a 20 minute warm up with several 25 stride pickups along the way.  I thought my sense of timing would be way off, nut managed to keep steady  low 8 minute pace for the first mile to my surprise. Running steady and relaxed, I managed to hit 2 miles  16:48. I decided to push the pace pretty hard in 3rd mile as I was getting somewhat fatigued. The goal was to run a 3rd mile under 9 minutes, which is something I have not done yet in a 5K race. I continued to push and managed a 8:59 mile.  (25:46)  Realising that I could break 27 minutes for this effort, I pushed the final 176 yards in 53 seconds. Final time 26:40!   This surpassed all of my expectations.   I believe that  under ideal conditions in a competitive environment I may be capable of breaking 26 minutes at this time.  This performance has prompted me to want to compete in the Shore AC adult cross-country program that is conducted during late September and October.  It consists of six 5K races on consecutive Sunday mornings at various cross-country venues throughout Monmouth County, including two at Holmdel Park.  I think it will add a  heightened focus to my training for the next two months.

STATS-

Sore toe was a non-factor.

No foot or leg issues

Sleep, weight and diet are all in the 9 / 10 range.

1st week in September

This week has been all about resting to let my toe heal and prepare to run a timed 5K by September 7th. My toe is getting better but still swollen, red and sore. I ran for a few minutes yesterday but felt myself compensating for the soreness. I don’t want to get in bed habits, so I stopped. It is frustrating because the goal of my training this summer has been to run a positive 5K time in September. So, Sunday is the  day.

I have not been keeping good stats this week, but my legs feel good with five days rest.

August 23,  24, 26, 27, 29

Arthur Lydiard –  Osaka, Japan    April, 1990

Summary of lecture:

“Distance Runners hate sprinting because they think they look like fools, but if you want to be fast, you’ve got to sprint.  ….  So every week, fifty-two weeks a year runners should be doing something about their speed, conditioning for it, working on technique, and generally working on their speed.”

Sunday the 23rd-  55 minutes of MMF  over 3.78 miles in 1:08

Monday the 24th- 5 miles on cinders in 1:03.  Progressive!   Final 4 in 47:23

Wednesday the 27th- Fast speed segments of 120 yards x 10 on grass at FSML. Coverage 3plus miles.  Legs felt very good.

Thursday the 28th-  1 hour on the shady grass at the senior center with 10 good speed segments.

Saturday the 29th-  3.5 miles at the cinders. Final four hundred in  2:00. Legs feeling a little heavy after 12 workouts in 15 days.

Stats are holding steady in positive ranges.

August 20, Thursday

Thirty minutes at Turkey Swamp Park with five speed segments

Got out late. So I decided to run at Turkey Swamp Park because it’s closer to home. It was a little lonely and scary on the  forested paths as the sun began to set. But it forced to be to run a little quicker to get through, and I added 5 speed segments at the end.  No Garmen, so don’t know distance.

August 21, Friday

An 80* night at the cinder track……

After a 20 minute warm up I decided to try to run some 800-meter repeats at better than 10 minute pace. I felt better as the workout progressed,and so it turned into a progressive workout.  I completed  five with 2 minutes walking between each. The progressive times were 4:55, 4:51, 4:40, 4:24 and 4:16.  I felt like I could have done one or two more rather comfortably, but I stopped out of an abundance of caution for my recently sore muscles.

51 minutes in motion covering 4.08 miles

Troublesome muscles were much less apparent tonight.

COMMENDABLE STATS ALL AROUND!

August 19th, Wednesday

How would you describe the worst run you’ve ever had?  Precious!    HAL HIGDON

As the day wore on yesterday, I debated with myself about giving my legs a day off after five runs in a row. It was almost dark when the idea of continuing my running streak overcame back-off instincts. I may have been motivated by thoughts of some of my best runners from our 1983 championship team who bragged of running streaks that stretched into the hundreds of days. I decided to try for a local 30 minute run. The streets were empty as darkness enveloped the neighborhood.  My legs began to respond after about 15 minutes in motion. Seemingly captivated by the silent isolation, I floated  through four miles in 49:00+.  I was proud of the decision and the effort. 6 days

STATS  generally in very good shape.

August 17 & 18,  Monday  & Tuesday

Monday – 4 Progressive miles

1 – slow warm up with sweats on and stretching 15 minutes

2 – 10:13

3 – 9:45

4 – 9:38

Still being careful of right hamstring and left quadricep muscles. Not doing  any speed segments.

Tuesday– 4 comfortable miles in 52 minutes with no stops. Still being careful of whining right hamstring and left quadricep. Still no speed segments.

5 days in a row running. Also staying current on posts.  🙂    🙂

Stats stable with special attention for sore muscles.  Heating and rolling….

August 15,  Sunday

It felt a little like autumn this afternoon running in the fine mist, brushed by a brisk breeze at about 68* giving rise to thoughts of cross country days past.

Saturday’s muscle issues did not become a factor as I ran the first 2 miles covered in sweatpants for the first time in maybe 3 months. On Saturday evening I spent a considerable amount of time rolling all of my leg muscles enthusiastically. I think that was very beneficial. I was happy to get some work in for the third day in a row. It was a very steady 3.2 miles with a full set of leg drills in the middle.

It is a pleasant Monday morning as I write this on my shaded patio.

Stats are steady

August 14 & 15,  Friday & Saturday

I noticed yesterday that first 15 days of August on my calendar show only four serious work days. I need to get back to a more consistent approach. Friday and Saturday got me started in the right direction.

On Friday I found a very shady area over by the cinder track to run some good MMF on a sunny afternoon. The weather was more cool than it had been for many weeks. I ran a total of 13 speed segments in a 3.11 mile total effort. I added lots of drills and stretching along the way for what I consider a complete workout.

On Saturday I went to Manasquan Reservoir and covered and entire 5 Mile Loop in 1:05.  I used the term covered because I had to stop a few times to stretch and walk  on the uphill segments because of some cramping muscles.  But I was happy to get back to the five mile range. I have been shying away from the pure distance runs lately in favor of repeat workouts on the cinder track.

Today is a rainy Sunday morning that feels a little bit like autumn. Hamstring muscles, quadricep muscles and calf muscles are feeling uncharacteristically sore and tight. I will have to see what kind of work I can get accomplished this afternoon when the rain subsides

Stats –

Weight is 144 lb.

Diet is very solid. 9 or 10

Feet indexes are also very good.  1

Leg muscles have been a little touchy since I ran a time trial two weeks ago.  3 or 4

Getting at least 9 hours of sleep most nights.

AUGUST 1st to 9th

August 1st to August 8th I only had two days of serious work because of calf muscle soreness and quadricep soreness. One was a 30-minute swim on Monday the 3rd. The other was a very slow 5 miles in 70 minutes while my calf muscle was still aching a little on Friday the 7th. The other days I did a lot of walking with Arlene and the dog and some drills but not much else. I have come to the conclusion that running a 3:22 800m time trial had more detrimental impact on my legs than I ever anticipated. But I will press on.

August 9th, Sunday- 4.92 miles  in 50:15. with 17 SS of 120m+   This was a really hot day. I decided to go out in the hottest part for some reason. When I got to the cinder track I realized it was a little too much sun for this old guy. I scoped out a long section of shade on the far side of the soccer fields and headed in that direction for a warm-up run. The grass on this area was extremely soft and cushiony on my legs, so I decided to run some 120m pickups with 30 seconds rest. Over the course of the next 45 minutes Iran 17 pickups many of which were quite fast. I was very happy that none of the latest leg issues that I have been experiencing for the past 10 days were apparent. I had heated the sore muscle in my upper thigh for almost half an hour before I left home. I think that had a major influence on the lack of pain in that area. As Rich Refi always tells me, “Follow your own advice. Do what you tell your kids to do.”  I think I will be spending a lot more time heat and running on that soft grass during future workouts.