December 2, Monday

Less hard core today

1 hour of work at the clubhouse

1 mile on treadmill at 1200

15 minutes of weights

2 miles on treadmill at 10:00

15 minutes water running

Not bad….

December 1, Sunday

THE PICTURES TELL THE STORY

Today’s post has three threads. The first involves the weather which was cold, wet and raw. Since I hadn’t run in a few days, I was determined to get out despite the despicable elements. I found my 40 year old Oakland Raiders rain poncho in the garage. I draped it over my layers of clothing and headed out to the cinder track. Thus, picture number one.

The second thread involves a very kind gentleman and my Bluetooth ear device. I wore the ear piece with intention of making a phone call while I ran. I hadn’t  spoken to Rich Refi since the North Hunterdon girls once again qualified for Nike Nationals by winning the Northeast regionals on Saturday. I also figured I could brag about how tough I was running in the harsh elements.  He didn’t respond to my call. So I forgot about it and continued running. There was one other runner on the cinder track this day. I thought he was pretty tough because he didn’t have rain gear on and was just getting soaked as he ran. As we passed on one lap this fellow stopped and told me he had found a Bluetooth device along the track and had placed it carefully under a leaf next to his water bottle right by my car. Thus pictures two and three, the kind  gentleman and my Bluetooth earpiece under a leaf.  I thought it was quite a unique picture of a gallant effort under difficult circumstances.  It seemed so cute.  🙂     I never got his name and he was still going when I left.

The third and least interesting part of this post is that I ran 3 miles in 37 minutes and 21 seconds with probably 14 pounds of clothes on.

I have registered for a 5K in Asbury Park on December 7th.

Stats –

Sleep last night …….12 hours.  I was in bed at 8:45 and never thought I would remain until morning at 8:45. I have been doing an excessive amount of driving in the last 3 days. I think driving wears me out. I guess I needed the rest because I felt pretty good today despite the elements.

All other stats very steady and in positive zones.

November 27,  Wednesday

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/4290627396#.Xd8oOnRKqMQ.gmail

6 miles in 1:10.39

13:55,   12:50,   11:56,    11:06,    10:34,    10:28

Final 5 miles in 56:44

Final 3 miles in 32:08

The pLan for today called for slow running with  no expectations far mileage or time.  Speed segments yesterday left my legs a bit heavy today. The weather was chilly and overcast but not uncomfortable. Long story short, I wound up running until I had completed 6 miles. Things improved as I went alone and each mile was faster than the last with the final two miles falling in the 10:30 range. Today’s 6 miles was 7 minutes faster than the same route covered two weeks ago.  That seems like a good sign.

All stats are steady and in the positive range.

November 26,  Tuesday

Sometimes!

Up early today with lots of driving from Jackson to Forked River to Hoboken to Newark Airport and back to Jackson by 4 o clock.

Hustled out to the cinders as the sun ducked behind of the trees to the west.

It took a mile of running in the damp afternoon air to shake off the road stiffness. Realizing that time was short, ( The back side of the cinder track gets pretty dark and a little scary when the sun has finally says, “Good night.”)  I opted for some 200 speed segments.  It turned into some pretty solid work. In the end I had run 11 x 200m intervals in descending time over 2.12 miles.  The first five were between 8 and 9 minute mile pace. Then I began running only on the lighted side of the track minus a few layers of sweats.  For the final six I took shorter. recovery and picked up the pace. The next four clocked in 7 to 8 minute pace per mile. The final two in the pitch black were under 7 minute pace!  I’m not sure if I was more worried about running into something or just running away from something.   My legs felt strong throughout after my 2-day layoff.  I am not too thrilled about these two day layoffs,  but I always get a good workout on the third day. And I have remained injury-free.

Stats are steady and in good range.

November 23 and 24, Saturday and Sunday

Got in the pool on Saturday for 35 minutes of running and swimming, mostly running. Feeling pretty tired as I write this on Sunday evening. Took today as a rest day.

November 22, Friday

Today was another bitter day outside.  So, I opted for indoor work at the clubhouse.  Total tredmill… 6 miles as follows;

1- walk.

2- jog at 15:00 pace.  ( +10 minutes of light weights)

3 – 10 minutes

4 – 10 minutes

5 & 6 –  20 minutes

Steady stats

November 18, Monday

” Is it raining?  That doesn’t matter.  Am I tired?  That doesn’t matter either. Then willpower will be no problem.”    …….     EMIL ZATOPEK

Three days have passed since my 6 mile run on Thursday.  So I was anxious and happy to get to the cinder track today despite the wet, raw weather.  As usual after a few days of rest, my legs had some life.  The preliminary goal was to accomplish 5 miles.  Carrying multiple layers of sweats, I shlogged a 13:30 mile.  Then I began running 200m speed segments with a 200m slow recovery.  My legs became more happy with each 200m speed segment. My Garmin tells me I was averaging between 7 and 8 minute mile pace during these speed segments.  The rain intensified with each lap. By the end of mile four, I had discarded a few layers  and done 10 speed segments. Encouraged by the feeling in my legs, I decided to try for a longer segment of 1 mile to conclude the workout at a more rapid pace. I was very happy to accomplish that one mile at a breezing 8:42 with still something left in the tank. I looked like a wet blanket , but felt like s runner.

Final four miles were accomplished in 42:17.  A SOLID DAY’S WORK!

STATS- Excellent!

Sleep = 8/9 hours

Diet = 9

Weight  = 150 lbs

Heart rate = 54 BPM

Foot  indexes in a.m. are all in the the 1/2 range. No leg issues… Sinuses still annoying.

De-emphasis on stretching noted, still a part of routine. Active stretching added.

Getting better at body weights.

November 14,  Thursday

Surprisingly, I ran 6 miles today very slowly, 77 minutes.  Started out with no goal in mind and hoping to cover three to four miles maybe.  Legs were achy and a bit heavy for the first mile and a half. I kept extending the run as my legs felt better.  Got back past my home at four and a half. Challenged myself to go for 5. I took a route that got me back around five and a half.   So I challenged myself one more time and went to 6.  Each mile got a little faster. Started around 14 minutes and ended up around 10:30. Don’t quite know what to make of the whole situation. But it was the first six mile in many months: so I guess that’s positive.

More driving to Hoboken and puppy sitting makes getting in runs a little tougher. But I do get in some speed work chasing Gracie.

Steady stats.

Thursday, a.m.,  November 14

Sunday and Tuesday were days working at the FSML clubhouse in the exercise room and the pool.  Sunday was weights and aerobic machines for 1 hour.   Tuesday was 1 hour in the pool running and swimming.  Yesterday was sporadic running with the dog, Gracie.  Time for a road run today.!

Good stats.

November 7, Thursday

It was another cool, cloudy, breezy afternoon at the cinder track.   Since yesterday was a  a recovery day and my legs felt ok, decided to try to run a few sub 8:00 pace repeats. During my extended warm up I considered which distance I should try for my repeats. Then a brainstorm struck and I decided that I would just begin running at 8:00 pace and see how far I could go. This seemed a little daunting, but I decided to “do something that frightened me” a little.  The short story is that I pushed past 8 x 200m at under 1:00 each and finised  a mile in 7:53.  The time energized me to continue the workout. During a recovery one mile I managed to run two 400m pickups, the first at a very quick 7:20 pace and the second at a more tempered 9:20 pace.  I was pretty impressed.  The whole workout covered about 4 miles of continuing motion for about 62 minutes.

Stats-

Weight  = 150lb

Diet = 8/9

Foot indexes steady around 2

HR = 54 bpm

Body weights and stretching need more attention.