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Sunday, July 26, 2009

Running Week of July 20th-July 26th 2009

Monday: Rest day

Tuesday: Dropped back to 50 minutes running very slowly while holding my cell phone. I was dialed into a work related conference call. Holding the cell wasn't too much of a distraction but having the ear piece and connecting wires flopping around is a bother. I know...I know...I should wear my blue tooth wireless ear piece but frankly it does a lousy job if filtering out street sounds.

Wednesday: Rolled out of bed and left my brains on the pillow (or at least that is what it felt like). I punched the coffee "on" button on the brewer and then tumbled onto the couch. I laid there for a few minutes listening to the coffee slurp it way down into the carafe. I peaked up over the couch and there was Amber staring at me with that "what's in it for me" look. That means her vitamins and and hasty exit to the backyard to "relieve" herself. I settled down and sipped from my tankard of coffee.

The run itself was another colossal 50 minute affair. It actually felt pretty good, all in all. I ran over the college and did big loops on the track and then headed back. Cutting back minutes seems to be working. I felt decent.

Thursday: I took a wild gamble and chose not to run. Instead I walked Amber in the morning, took a long late lunch with my friend and former co-worked, Jeanie, played hooky from work and went to the All Comers meet in the evening. Hobnobbed with Bert and Jake. We were all good club level runners back thirty years ago. Ran into Art, he of the cut physique. Met Maria who is a friend of D's. She talked to me but kept glancing at Art's pectorals. I could have been a radio personality for all she knew. A disembodied voice. She listened to me but Art is whom she gazed at.

Friday: I ran an easy 45 minutes. Ran into Jack who told me that Mike had had a hip replacement. Even power walkers get injured. Of course Jack in 79 and Mike is 82 but both were fast walkers. Jack still is. This tells me that while there are no rules, age is a wearing down process and I have to use my present time intelligently. Hips, knees. Whatever. They can just go.

Meanwhile I can hear my next door neighbor in his garage on his pneumatic stair-stepper working the hell out of himself. At least I think it is him. However, it could be his wife.

Saturday: Another session over at Prospect High. Ran 25 minutes very slowly as a warm up. I did some striders and then joined Jake and Dimitri for 4 x 400. First D and I did a shakeout 400 in 90 which was pretty fast. Then we launched into the main workout. Jake plastered himself to us. He is one tough guy. His legs were feeling heavy because of biking and...well, life.

The first 400 was an 82. I had to admit, it felt pretty good. In this reiteration of my running life, this was the very fastest for the first serious 400.

We walked a lap and did the second one in the high 83's. Once again, I felt strong. Upper legs a bit tired but nothing that was getting in the way. Just the faster start to this workout.

The third one felt sluggish and was a solid 84. D told me we had reached the 200 in 42 and he had just strided in.

The last was a go for it rep. We went out under control but fast. We hit the 200 in about 40 and kicked in a 38 for a 78 overall. This last one felt the best.

Jogged down for 9 minutes for a 40 minute total workout.

Last time we did this workout it was 88-85-83-82.

Big improvement!


Sunday: 60 slow minutes jogging around Cupertino. I could not run my usual big loops on the track. There was a breast cancer event going on so I ran the furtherlands of the campus and also around the small lake near McClellan and the RR Tracks. My hamstring was a bit sore and my right achilles bears watching. No pain but tight at times during the run. The latter could be because I wore my red racing shoes yesterday the reps.

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