August 3 thru 7 — Wednesday thru Sunday

Cinderfeller.   🙂

As the heat wave persists I have managed some positive work on alternate days.  My current level of fitness and age still require that I take a day of rest after any arduous work.  So;

WEDNESDAY –  88* @  8pm. on cinders —  1 mile warm up; 5 x 400m @  2:05. W 2:00 rest;  800m cool down; 40 minutes total

FRIDAY  – 91* @ Manasquan Reservoir @ 9am — 5 miles in 60:20     — It was an enjoyable run with Coach Rich Refi and the hard working Hillsborough girls.

SUNDAY – 88* @ 8pm on the cinders — 1200m warm up; 3 x 1200m  @ 745, 7:25, 715;  400m dark, cool down

Stats-

Sleep- good.   Diet- 9+.   Weight 145lb.     Resting heart rate consistent at 54bpm

Leg muscles tired but healthy…. Feet healthy…….Right knee still complaining, but not while running.  Wearing a soft knee support when not running.

August 1 & 2,  Monday and Tuesday

It wasn’t a totally lost July. There was that National Record in the 4x800m relay. That was fun. The Big Bang Mile was a little below expectations. But I did finish second in my age group again. The main thing was that it was difficult to train because of the excessive heat and some aches in my right right knee.

August has started off in a more positive in vain. Yesterday I woke early and ran 40 minutes in 100% humidity.  Today I spent 77 minutes in motion on the cinder track. That included a non stop 30 minute segment of My Modified Fartlek.  (That consists of 30 second jog, 30 second run and 30 second walk; repeat.)  It felt like a quality workout!  It’s cross country  training time.  And more consistent blog posts……

Stats–

Weight- 145lb

am Heart rate – 50 bpm Lower than normal!

Diet – 8

Sleep –  good 9/10 hours nightly

Legs  – right knee aches, muscles well

Feet – well

July 8 -12

Friday – Rest  – Beach Day

Saturday – 4 miles in 48:30 on Freehold Roads

Sunday – Rest

Monday – 4x 2:00 Intervals with 3:00 Recovery – on  cinders

Tuesday – Ride to Hoboken  for Gracie- Rest

Steady Stats

July 6 & 7. Wednesday and Thursday

Three sucessful workouts this week have boosted my confidence. Monday’s 3 miles with SS; yesterday’s 4 miles on the road with no knee issues and today on cinders; 1 mile warm-up, 2x 1200m in 6:45 with 3:00 rest + 1 x800m and 2 x 400m @10:00 pace + 1 x 200m and  1 x 100m.  ( 3.64 miles in motion in 46:40)

Stats-

Solid 9/10 hours sleep

Weight. at 145lb

Diet = 9

Heart rate = 54 BPM

No leg or foot issues

Monday, Independence Day!

On Saturday, July 2, I competed in the USA Track and Field Club National Championship Masters, age 75/79, 4 x 800m relay at Monmouth University.  My leg was an acceptable but not great 3:24.   We did set a National Record  in that event because we were the 1st team to ever run in that newly  established USATF  age classification.   So, now there is a time (13:23) if any  other 4 old guys want to take a shot at it.  Just fun!

With that event over, I am beginning summer training for cross country.  I will be competing in a few more track races on the way just to maintain by speed. There is the Big Bang Mile in July and the New Jersey Senior games in early September.  I will be attempting to qualify in the 800m and 1500m for the National Senior Games being held in Pittsburgh, PA in the spring. Since I will be at the youngest end of the 80/84 age group in the spring, maybe I will have a chance to defend my 800m National Championship title from 2017.  Just some fun!

My first 5K race will likely be Jason’s Memorial Run at the end of August. The ultimate goal is to win my age group in the Shore AC 5 race XC series in the fall.

Tonight I ran 3 miles on the cinders in 40:00 with about 15 Speed Segments of 50 strides each. A good start….

Legs and stats are good. 

Five solid days of 800m prep work……

6/22. Rest day

6/23. 5 x 400m on cinders with 3 minutes rest. 2:07- 1:55- 1:54- 1:46- 1:50. 3 miles

6/24. 40 minutes work in pool.

6/25. Rest day

6/26. 4 x 300m in spikes on cinders with 2 minutes rest. :49- :51- :50- :48. 2.5 miles

I figured that Sunday night’s 200m workout will be last work day before Saturday’s 800m race. The next five days will be mild jogging, pool running and rest.

Legs and stats are optimal.

June 13 to 21

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“The battles that count aren’t the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself—-the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us—- that’s where it’s at. ”

Jesse Owens

Training for the last nine days has been positive and consistent. (Posting daily has been neither.)  Alternating impact and non-impact days seems to be working out well to control my knee soreness. I have kept the mileage very low on impact days.  Pool workouts have been longer.  I had one workout on the track with spikes running 4 x   200m.  I ran eight times a 50m hill at Turkey Swamp Park dirt trails. On June 21st, I ran three 800m at a respectable under  9-minute pace on the cinders.

June 13- 35  minutes in pool

June 14-  SS @ cinders   20 minutes

June  15-  SS @ cinders.  22 minutes

June 16-  8X hills @ TSP

June 17-  40 minutes  in pool

June 18-  Spiked up 200m’s @ track.     :49, :46 , :47, :48

June 19- hot whirlpool and stretch.

June 20- 40 minutes in pool

June 21-  @ cinders 3X 800m. @ 4:27,  4:06,  4:14.    3 mile day

My watch says that my VO2 max is currently at 40. That is reportedly pretty good.                                                             In general stats have been steady and positive.

June 12, Sunday

After five weeks of training in the pool to protect a sore knee,  I approached this 800m trial with apprehension.  I was fairly confident that the water work had maintained my aerobic conditioning to a significant level.  It also seemed that the leg work that I did in the pool was demanding on my muscles.  I had no idea what effect five weeks of absence of impact  would have  my leg structure.  Would  my legs even carry my body twice around d the track?    So, I created an optimistic goal of running 3:30 for this 800m trial with no basis at all support that goal.

The plan was to run a careful first 400m  with the hope of hitting near 1:45.  The timer read 1:43 as I completed the lap, and I was still upright. So, I tentatively pushed the pace each 100m going forward and finished in a very satisfying 3:27.4. 😅   Everything seemed to be intact and my knee did not hurt afterward.  All in all, it was a satisfying trial and a confidence builder for my 800m relay leg on July 2nd.

Trainingwise I plan to alternate track and pool running for the next three weeks as long as my knee holds up.

Stats have remained steady and sound during this non-traditional training  period.

Memorial Day  2022,  Monday

As May is ending I reflect on what was a pretty weak month of work hampered by a nagging, sore knee.  I spent a lot of time, including today, running in the water. So, it is possible that my aerobic fitness has not suffered terribly. But I have no idea about the status of my leg strength.

Today I actually did it double. Early in the day at Turkey Swamp Park I covered two miles walking and running moderately. In the evening I spent 30 minutes running in the pool after a 15-minute whirlpool on my knee. My knee felt very good as I left the pool area. So, I have decided to continue that routine until the pain in my knee has completely disappeared. Still hoping that by July 2nd I can run a respectable 800m with th AC  4x800m relay.

STATS are steady and solid.

May 21, Saturday

Running and swimming  in pool to a allow knee to heal..  I don’t know how or why the pain began in my knee.  I have never had a knee injury in my entire career. So, I’m not sure how to feel about this. But It is a consistent low level pain that is getting better slowly.  I’ve been running in the water and swimming and heating and stretching and resting.

The only current goal is to be fit enough to run a  respectable 800m leg on the Shore AC, 4 x 800m, age  75/79, relay team at Monmouth College on July 2nd.

Consistent  OK stats.