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Friday, April 29, 2011

81 minutes

A colder wind was blowing across the South Bay. I actually was back to wearing long sleeves and a hat and gloves. I went out and dry humped 81 minutes of slow running.  Running this long is an art form. I have to keep telling myself that I will get to stop earlier like 65 minutes and then 70 minutes until I am actually in position to run 80 minutes. It's a talk yourself into it type of game.

I am beginning to get some insight into Whitlock's methodology. But two hours! And every day! To me it would be a miracle to get to 80-90 minutes five days a week. I would more than likely end up doubling on some days just to break it up. 

http://www.bytelove.com/images/uploads/Bytelove/oneliners/omg%20-%20zoom.jpg

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

62 minutes

I jogged around the neighborhood for 10 minutes before driving over to Forbes. Loosened up for another 2 minutes over there before doing the first loop with Jake in 26:15. On the next loop I followed Jake up in 11:45 and then I came back down alone in 9:39 to hit 21:24. Easy several minute jog afterward (never stopped moving) for 62 minutes overall.

In the old days the 21:24 would have been a sub six pace run or close to 16 minutes.

Monday, April 25, 2011

80 minutes

 Got out early and ran 80 minutes. Legs felt very good but I kept the effort nice and easy.  I ran my usual super loops over at the college.

Cool and overcast. Another day where it is supposed to rain. 

No more fancy plans. Just sticking to slow and easy and gradually increasing the minutes I run. When all else fails go long and slow.  Forbes Mill will tell the tale.

Maybe...

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Another 78 minutes

Circled back today and ran another 78 minutes. Back to back! I made sure I kept the pace as easy as necessary to insure that I didn't wipe out my legs. While I am a bottom feeder in comparison to Ed Whitlock, I get a glimpse of how he does it. He keeps the pace very easy, avoids hills and just runs. But you have to be okay with running slow. If you start throwing in weekly time trials, intervals or even striders, you will not make it. Leg killers. He uses races for speed work. It's all very simple. The big challenge is to gradually increase the time (minutes) that you run.

Friday, April 22, 2011

80 bleeping minutes!!!!

I ran the roads today ending up at the college where I executed one after another super loop. As I jogged back on the backside of the offices on Bubb Road I decided to jump up onto the RR tracks. An official looking vehicle was parked several hundred yards up from Steven's Creek. The driver waved me over. He was wearing a Union Pacific security uniform. We chatted for a few minutes before he told me (very nicely) that actually I should not technically be running on the trail alongside the tracks. I laughed and told him that hundreds of folks walked, biked or ran the tracks every day. How was he going to enforce that? We were both civil and he knew I wasn't challenging him. Just asking the question so to speak.

I said good-day and ran on to my house hitting a grand total of 80 minutes. Longest run in quite a while. The goal is to get up to 90 minutes of running each day I run unless I am doing something fast. Then it is whatever it ends up being. 90 minutes will be tough unless I am willing to double now and then.


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Wednesday, April 20, 2011

77 minutes

I got out really early (for me that is).

8 am.  Gasp!

I ran around town at my usual snail mail clip covering 77 minutes in all. The spark plugs weren't firing on all piston but there were times where I felt I could have picked it up (but didn't). Mostly I slow putt, motoring along like a low powered scooter. I ran up the RR tracks to the college and ran super loops for what seemed liked forever.

I did a quick change and headed over to coach jumps at Lynbrook. Kids seemed either injured or at very low energy. I decided not to roust them.

Jake told me that Ray feels that he pushes the kids too hard. I told Jake that IMHO he is coaching like this is a NCAA division I program and Ray and I coach like it's high school.

We both laughed.

Monday, April 18, 2011

76 minutes

Very businesslike this morning. Got out by 8:15 AM and ran an easy 76 minutes. The weather was in the high 50's. Perfect running weather. My legs felt okay. Schools must be on spring break because the car traffic as about half of normal. Took my weight after the run. Back down to 144 pounds. Down roughly 5 pounds since I began this "diet".

Watched the Boston marathon (I recorded it). Fast times. Winner was 2:03.02! Second place was 2:03:06!

1. Geoffrey Mutai KEN 2:03:02
2. Moses Mosop KEN 2:03:06
3. Gebregziabher Gebremariam ETH 2:04:53
4. Ryan Hall USA 2:04:58


1
Kilel, Caroline 2:22:36   KEN  
2
Davila, Desiree 2:22:38 MI USA  
3
Cherop, Sharon 2:22:42   KEN  
4
Rotich, Caroline 2:24:26   KEN  
5
Goucher, Kara 2:24:52 OR USA

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Double Day: 75 minutes

Double day!

Ran 25 minutes in the AM before breakfast with the club. Trotted this one very easily. Back a bit tight at the beginning but loosened up.

In the late morning I ran another 50 minutes at a very easy pace except for 8 x 100's over at the college track. Once again my back was tight for about 5 minutes but then loosened up and didn't bother me again.

I felt much better than Friday but didn't push.

Friday, April 15, 2011

73 minutes and a cloud of manure

I went out the front door in the late morning and plodded for 73 minutes. Not a great deal of energy. But the weather was outstanding. Sunny but on the cooler side. When I returned to the house I stepped on the scale and was surprised to see that my weight had gone north again. 146 which while not terrible, is not good. And here I was thinking that I was deficiting calories. What a joke. This little shock tells me that I need to step on the scale more often. I was doing it roughly every other week so if something is going wrong it has gone pretty far wrong by the time I find out about it.

I am also going to 1400 calories on the days I don't run. If I have calories left over from the days I do run then I can shovel them over to the non running days.

The only other adjustment would be walking on the days I don't run or adding another running day.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

OUCH! and 20:22

I ran for an hour today mostly over at Forbes Mill.  Jake and I did two loops talking the first one easy (27:17). On the second one I let Jake get out before playing catch up. It was a bit of struggle. My legs didn't hurt and my breathing was okay. It felt like I was running on a low tank of gas. I still got up to the turnaround in 10:30 which was faster than my goal. I rested for about 20 seconds before heading back down finally arriving back at the start in 20:22. I tried several times to pick it up on the return trip but it wasn't there. I am sure my lack of oomph was a bi-product of this diet I have been on. Having peaked out at close to 149 pounds, I had sworn to go down to 135 but after today I decided to give it a rest and just get down to 140 (I was 143 as of last week).

Jake and I went to breakfast and I ate three big blueberry pancakes. When we got up to leave I felt my back spasm. OUCH!  By the time I got home it was really aching so I iced and took ibuprofen. I also set up a Thursday appointment with Big Bill. I don;t want to fool around with this.
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Monday, April 11, 2011

72 minutes of the usual

Got out the house around 9 am. Cool (high 40's) but was able to get away with shorts and T.

I ran 72 minutes at the usual pace.

Forgot to step on the scale before eating a light breakfast. Yesterday was "meat" day. Went to the Giants game (they lost) and had a deli sandwich. Corned beef on rye. It was frankly GREAT! Then we had chicken for dinner last night with veggies, cooked potatoes and some wheat bread.

I need to step up the carbs as a percentage of my daily intake. Dieting is tough enough if there is not enough of the right calories. I regularly feel like I am running on low power. Probably because I am.

Saturday, April 09, 2011

As slow as I could stand it....

Got out late in the morning and ran another 70 minutes slow. Weather was very mild. A bit of wind but mostly sunny and bright. I ran as a slow as I could stand it.

Friday, April 08, 2011

Blue Norther, California Style

Ran a slow-slow 70 minutes this morning.

My legs were tired from standing around at a track meet yesterday for 3.5 hours. That and the cold weather wore me out. I was limping back to the car around 6:30 PM feeling about twenty years older than I presently am. Or at least that was my guess.

The last few days have been moderate temps but with a cold, cutting wind blowing in the from the north. Maybe I overdressed again this morning wearing long sleeves, tights, cap and gloves but every time the sun was hidden behind the clouds, the air temperature seemed to drop and then roll back up when the sun peaked out again.

Wednesday, April 06, 2011

The Troika

Went to Forbes and slow trotted at 26:37 something first loop. This was good because neither Jake and I had what could be called high energy. On the second loop we took off faster and quickly caught up to some 60 plus guy named Gary who was running with two attractive, leggy middle-aged women (the troika) who turned out to be ultra runners. We must have looked like beta males because outside of a few cursory words, the "girls" seemed engrossed in their conversation  and not being friendly to us.

Jake dropped back as the pace quickened a bit and I ran about 10 yards back of the troika reaching the turn around in 11:19. That was a big surprise. We didn't kill ourselves going back down but still ran in the low 22's. Not too bad for a dieting, calorie-starved runner.

If I include all the running I did, it totaled around 55 minutes.

Monday, April 04, 2011

Back to back and 143 lbs.

Back to back runs. First  I ran on Sunday and then again on Monday. It was cool at the start of a very slow 70 minute run but warmed up very nicely. I really worked at keeping the pace very pedestrian.  I know I was running on the edge of empty in an attempt to get my weight back down where I feel it belong. A month ago I was 148 and a great deal of change. Actually very close to 149. Too heavy for my taste. By last week I had dropped to 146 and today I was down around 143. My ultimate goal is to get back into 135-140 range. But I have to watch it. Running and dieting can cause me to get sick. It has in the past. So most of what I am doing is slooooooow.

Sunday, April 03, 2011

Double

Ran a double today. 30 minutes in the morning before breakfast and another 40 minutes at around noontime.  70 minutes altogether. I wore my HRM on the second run and found that the high 130's and low 140's seemed to be fast enough. Weather was moderate. Plenty of sun and temps in the low 60's.

Friday, April 01, 2011

65 minutes of slow as I could go

It is heating up. So much for spring. Last week was the deluge of rain and this week someone turned on the oven. It's 5:15 PM and it's 87 degrees.

I ran early enough to avoid the worst of it. Took off during the late morning on my usual slow as I could go 65 minute jog. The track team was working out on the track at the JC. Strange. Other than the team and a few walker arounders, the campus seemed empty. Probably some sort of administrative day off.