A New Name

I ran 45 minutes easy on Friday and came back on Saturday and ran another 50 minutes easy. My right achilles tendon acted up a bit after the run on Friday but seems fine today. I inserted extra lifts in both shoes and taped my foot. I finally figured a name for the fact that my left knee and right achilles have been acting up lately.

Kneechilles

Both seem manageable. I plan to stay off the hills and just be extra cautious and see if I can run through it.

It has turned cold again now that the rain has cleared out. Down in the 30's this morning so I wore tights, ski cap and double gloves.

8 x 800

Jake was back in town so we met over at WVC on a cool, damp morning. The fog was in thick and hung over the track. The jogging class was there just like most of last spring, just new runners and walkers. The instructor was the same.

We did a 25 minute warm up and then ran 8 x 800 with a 100 meter recovery. Once again, I kept my HR at or under 75% max and despite feeling sort of tired the last few days actually ran well today. Afterwards we ran wround campus for a warm down.The workout totaled 81 minutes.

This must be the shock effect that Brian Clarke talks about in his books when applying harder running to a program. He was spot on about keeping the early tempo intervals at a reasonable effort. Jake, who was ahead of me on each rep, still ran within himself and mentioned that he enjoyed this workout. Of course there is no exhaustion or pain associated with this type of run. At least no at this point. Somwhere down the line, I will begin to adapt.

SHOCK!

Well, really not that bad. Just didn't feel too spiffy today. I didn't get out until around 11 am. I kept putting it off. First I was a going to go out at 9 AM. Then it was 10 AM. That won't work too well when I return to work next week. However, I did get in 79 minutes of slow running. My legs didn't feel excessively tired but my HR rode up in the mid to high 140's most of the run and didn't come back down too quickly when I stopped. I ran up the RR tracks taking it very easy. I had the wind in my face all the way out to the 3 mile point. Coming back I started to perk up and went down Prospect and Stelling just fine. I felt decent enough to stop off at De Anza and do 4 laps on the track before finally heading back home. There was one of those fitness classes taking up the inside lanes but I stayed to the outside in lane's 8 and 9. Saw Little Spike down in the slot. Hadn't seen her for months. Also saw some really overweight junior college women trying to work it off.

My achilles held up well. So did my knee (no Protech today).

Cold Front

A big cold front came in and froze things last night. I actually defaulted to tights, wool ski cap and double gloves for my 35 minute morning run. I didn't get out in time for the workout which was Farwell (3.54 miles). I got up late, had coffee and rolled over the WVC at around 8:15. This is getting to be a bad habit.

The afternoon workout was somewhat better. Felt like it was in the 50's but there was still this wind blowing in my face on the way back home. 4 miles I think. My HRM stayed down in the 120's and 130's during both runs. Maybe 8 miles total.

One other little thing. When I got out of bed this morning I felt a slight pop in my right achilles tendon. Nothing painful and I felt little or nothing while running but it was a bit tender after the morning jaunt so I stuck an extra heel lift in each shoe, took some Advil and will ice shortly. Felt nothing during the afternoon workout. Keeping an extra lift in my walk around shoes too until this goes away.

45 minutes

I was tied up in morning meetings today as work continues to heat up. So much for retirement. I finally got out the door at about 3 pm and ran for an easy 45 minutes (no HRM). My legs felt good so no complaints. I took my usual route to the college and ran some big loops clockwise and then came back home. School was getting out and there were a line of cars backed up and down McClellan. The college track was occupied by several student and two women who were walking the outside lanes. I was like the proverbial ghost. Came, ran and disappeared back in my hole. Walked around outside with Amber. She got to sprint our front yard and roll on the grass. She may be 12 years old but she rolls like a puppy. As I write this she is tired, pooped and sleeping on her side and snoring.

The weather is cooling rapidly. Warnings of a freeze tonight and perhaps tomorrow night too. I rummaged through the closet and found my tights. Haven't worn them since last winter. Can the wool caps be very far behind.

Ed Zander got fired by Motorola today. He left Sun in 2004 to become a CEO. Scott wouldn't support him as his successor. Chose Jonathan instead. Ed flew high briefly but Motorola is one of those old cultures and as the business began to flounder Ed didn't have the relationships to sustain his kingship. 3 years give or take and he is fired. Of course the board said they really appreciated his...oh well read it for yourself.

Samuel Scott, lead director on Motorola's board of directors, said, “I want to take this opportunity to thank Ed for his vision, expertise and tireless commitment to Motorola.

The usual bullshit. What it really says is thanks but no thanks. The truth is that Ed was always a sand bagger but a capable sand bagger. This time his sand bagging caught up with him. He couldn't cover the numbers. In the past he was always was able to do better than the sand bagged numbers he gave the street. Eventually it catches up with you. Today it caught up with Ed. At Sun I stayed clear of him (mostly). He always had this entourage wherever he went. I am always suspicious of a man who can't walk down the hallway alone. McNealy (SCOTT) always slithered down the hallway. But he could slither alone.

Headwinds and 7 x 800

I ran 76 minutes this morning. The wind was kicking up down the backstretch of the track and in my face on the way home. It wasn't all that bad but it was a nuisance.

I ran a 20 minute easy warm up heading over to the college and around the track and then did 7 x 800 at no more than 75% of max with a 100 meter jog recovery in between. Untimed as before. Just focusing on the effort for now. My legs continue to feel good. I certainly wasn't staggering on my way back home. In fact I felt OK.

The two women (the two blonds) were there walking the track when I showed up and were still there when I departed. A few others came and went. Briefly I was the fastest runner on the track.

82 minutes and Big Loops

Cool sunny, hazy morning. I got out around 8:30 AM and ran for 82 minutes doing my usual trek over to the college which I extended to 20 minutes. Then I did big loops for 50 minutes keeping my HR in the 130's and 140's. My legs felt fine. No soreness or tiredness. I scampered up the short hills with no problem.

The track was fairly uninhabited but eventually two women showed up who I often see walking together. Then the elder couple showed, he alternately running and walking raggedly and her staying to the very outside lane and slowly walking. A women showed up in tights. She had a rather compact build and light blond hair. She ran a couple of quick laps as a warm up and then did wind sprints up and down one of sidelines of the football field.

I headed back home by a shorter route. It was a decent run. No big hurry. Plenty of time to loaf before lunch.

2 x 30 minutes

I slept in and sat around drinking coffee until I finally drove over to WVC arriving around 8:15. Wally was still trying to figure out the handicaps for the relay. It was cool and crisp and not windy like yesterday. I looked down at the track and for once it was full of club runners. No big Pac-Assoc race this weekend so the guys and gals were out for their weekly dose of speed.

My job (if I chose to accept it) was to run for 30 minutes and that is exactly what I did. My prime directive was to be able to run 2 x 30 minutes today and recover from yesterday's workout.

Later in the day, at around 3 pm, I jogged another 30 minutes and felt damn decent about both runs.

So far so good.

6 x 800 at 70-75%

It may not have rained much yet but the weather is getting colder.

I drove over to WVC. It was sunny but there was a nice breeze blowing in from the east. Just enough to make the run uncomfortable (uh...err challenging) in places.
I ran around the campus for 70 minutes throwing in 6 x 800 on the track at 70-75% of max with a 100 meter jog in between. Brian Clarke was right. Running dead alone on a cold,windy track at 75% of max is enough to emulate the feel of faster running in the early part of a race. I didn't really settle in until about the 4th rep. By that time my HRM was reading 75% and I held it there for the last two 800's. I didn't time them but will later on.

For now it is enough just to go do something faster than easy.

No problem with the workout. The goal is simply to begin to slide into doing something that helps me physically and mentally run faster later on.

I jogged around campus afterwards.

65 minutes And Change

I got out later this morning. It is getaway day for Thanksgiving and the track was less crowded. My guess is that everyone is either hiding out, still at work, driving someplace out of town or crushed against thousands of their closest friends in some airport. Anyway, I ran 65 minutes and change and could easily have gone further but held back because I think I am going to be running with the club on Thursday and back to backs are always dicey.

I continued to feel really (really) good as I rang up the usual series of clockwise big loops over at De Anza. I guess nothing was stopping me from traveling over to Los Gatos or Rancho to run off road but frankly I was lazy and I sort of tumbled out the door and just let my feet take me someplace. No knee problems today.

Just A Buck Short of 80 Minutes

I ran just a buck short of 80 minutes this morning. Over to De Anza for all sorts of big loops and then back again. The weather was cool and sunny. My legs are feeling really good even though my left knee is a bit stiff in the early part of the run (but then it goes away). I may have to wear that Protech brace and see if that helps. It's a ding more than a real injury but I still want to be careful.

I have been reading Brian Clarke's books again and thinking if there is some way to add in harder work without chancing a breakdown. I am feeling so good now that I hate to screw with it.

Two Uneventful Days

So this post covers two days of uneventful running.

On Friday morning I scampered through 5 miles at 145-150 HR effort.

On Saturday morning I ran for 67 minutes at varying HR mostly alone except for the last campus loop with Dimitri. I admit to feeling really good. Probably the absence of tempo runs and speed work. If I ever wanted to race again, it would be a tough road. I would have to sneak up on the whole thing because my mind doesn't grok the idea of running hard. Let's face it, I have trained myself to run slow.

I am almost invisible now as far as the faster runners of any age group are concerned. I did chat briefly with Bob Schmidt who has taken a big dive in the last 6 months literally dropping off the edge of the table. Grasping desparately at straws he has decided to run ultras. I mentioned to Bob that he has succeeded (relatively) in slowing over one year at a similar rate of drop off that took me 20 years to accomplish.

Today was Asian Day at the track. This same group shows up for one day a year, descends onto the track and literally take up all the lanes without the slightest awareness of other runners. Whether they run or walk makes no difference. I took one look and decided to stay out on the roads until they left (they never left).

China Girl And Me On A Lonely Track

I ran early today. I was actually out on the road at 8 am, running for the track. It was empty except for China Girl finishing her workout. She was skipping rope and doing situps. I had the track to myself as I ran some big loops. My legs felt ok so no complaints. China Girl never makes eye contact. She is wholly self sufficient even though we have been circling each other for years now.

60 minutes total.

Obviously she can see that I am an imperialist pig who wants to savage her and move on. Oh well, at least I made a breakthrough with Lina last Sunday. We actually talked.

Mostly I tried to keep my mind off the fact that I had cracked a wisdom tooth and was headed off to the dentist in two hours. I wondered if he would end up yanking the damn thing but fortunately he recommended that we cap it so I got off without having to nurse a sore jaw for a few days and traded that for a temporary cap until the real one shows up in several weeks.

In the early evening I went back out to the WVC track for the first time in a month or more and ran a social 4 miles with the club. It was almost summer-like. Very balmy. Had a good long catch-up talk with Stacy and Chris. My legs still felt good even though I wasn't very fast. 62 has been a definite slow down year. I am doing what I have always been doing (at least for the past 10 years) but the truth is that I am simply slower. It is inevitable. Age is relentless.

Back To Back Monday

I got out early (for me) and ran 70 minutes of the usual easy stuff. It was a back to back Monday having run yesterday.

It was Veterans Day (observed) and the streets were quiet. I ran over to the college and did BIG loops. The track was empty for much of the time until the De Anza Track team started to drift in for a Monday workout. School was closed so the coach probably told his runners that he would be around if any of them wanted to show up.

With all the great running trails in my area it is strange how soothing I find this course. I can reason it out and don't feel the need to. It is repetitive but not boring. I like because I don't have to think.

After my run, the kid across the street came by. He ran in the 16:20's at Crystal Springs in CCS. His PR from last year was 20 seconds slower and he ran 40 seconds faster than his best time this season. So this was his all time PR no matter which was he cut it. He came by last week and asked me what he should do and I told him to back off and take it easy. So my mini-coaching had some effect.

25 minutes And A Cloud Of Dust

Shel and I drove up to the Polo Fields in Golden Gate Park to run a 5K DSE race. The weather was almost perfect. Cool but sunny after an evening of rain. We ran into Ernie Rivas who was one of the really big stud runners back in the 1970's and 80's. A good full level ahead of me. We reminisced quite a bit before and after the race. The race itself was uneventful. I warmed up for 15 minutes and ran the 5K loop in 25 minutes (on the dot I believe). Running this course clockwise is tougher than counter which is the direction I ran it in 1979 when I set my all time road PR of 15:46. The way we ran it today meant a long mile plus uphill. I typically decided to stay at or below 75% of max and I really had to slow over the section of the uphill to stay under my target HR. Still, I ran close to an 8 pace (about 8:04 actually) which isn't too bad. As near as I can figure this course adds 20-25 seconds to a flat run so I really have no complaints.

I was passed in the last 50 years by this dark hair gal who I often see at DSE races (she is a fixture). She is exotically pretty. I have always thought she was from the Middle East but we have rarely talked. I kidded her afterward about passing me and she said I had made her day.

Now my run is complete, she joked.

Afterward Shel and I went down to the Beach Boy for breakfast and she dropped by our table and chatted. Her name is Lina and she is from Damascus. We actually talked for some time. My food got cold but I didn't mind. With her hair down she is a knockout. It's funny. That spot near the finish where I first met Sue back in 1980 must be magic for talking to good looking women.

Shel and I had a great time as we always do.

65 Minutes With Dark Clouds On The Horizon

I had one of those busy morning and so I didn't get out until around 1:30 PM. There were dark clouds on the horizon to the far west (a forerunner of rain to come) but otherwise it was sunny. I ran the railroad tracks up to Sunnyvale-Saratoga, added a mile loop through some side streets and came back down the same way I had gone out. 65 minutes in all. Legs felt good. I kept my HR in the 140 range most of the way except at the end when I allowed it to drift up into the mid to high 140's.

Even though the run was easier than Wednesday I felt much better. I strive for consistency but as a runner ages it becomes harder to attain.Racing or just plain hard training requires a high level of consistency and sameness. It has been years since I could say that my training makes sense except (and this is a big except) when I run slow and easy. If I throw in hard work the rest of my running begins to deteriorate. That's what happened to me in the late winter and early spring of last year. My intervals were great but my few races were horrible. As soon as I backed off and reestablished consistency (as in easy running) my 90% AT runs got faster. Faster than my race efforts.

So go figure.

An Imperfect Machine

Jake, who hasn't left for Texas yet, sent me an email yesterday asking if I wanted to join him over at Forbes Mill for an early Wednesday run. I was down there by 7:30 and ran 3 progressive loops over our usual course. I actually felt OK on the first several loops but on the last loop, I found myself having to really slow down to keep under my planned HR. While I wasn't exactly sure of the problem given the almost perfect conditions, I figured it had to be the fact that I cheated on meals yesterday eating a very light breakfast and sucking down a frappuchino for lunch. I was heading up to client's for an afternoon of meetings and basically and unintentionally, I skipped lunch. I can remember being in the car while driving up 101 and thinking, "Why do have slight soreness in my throat." Not the I am going to get a cold soreness but rather that "you are wearing yourself" down soreness. It never lies.

I did catch up, having pasta last night for dinner but obviously I didn't get in enough carbs to fuel my very imperfect machine.

So it's catch up time on the eat enough ranch.

The highlight of the run was scaring the beejesus out of some redhead walking with a friend on the trail. I simply "honked my horn" letting her know that we were coming by at which point she let out a scream. I apologized on my way back but she let me off the hook.

"I am a screamer," she said.

I will remember that if I am ever single again.

82 minutes of feeling good

I actually got out early this morning, running 82 minutes. I ran up the RR tracks to McClellan. As I was turning left I was thinking, My legs feel really good. Don't screw this up. I ran down to Jollyman Park and back to the college and a series of big loops until I finally decided to head home. 82 minutes in all. HR in the 140-150 range with no trouble keeping it there. The beginning of the run was shrouded in fog and in the low 50's but that gave way to filtered sunlight.

Another Saturday Workout

Another Saturday workout. For once I actually ran with the club instead of off by myself. I did a 2.5 plus mile warmup and then ran the 2.75 club race but hung back with Jim Myers keeping my HRM at 70% or under. We were close to last barely breaking 24 minutes. Then I warmed down around campus with Jim Howe. I felt OK. It was a tad chilly but I can't complain.

Jake showed up at breakfast. He is falling back into his old habits and beginning to kill himself off again. It's too bad. He hit his goal of breaking 20 minutes on our Dam loop and then went back to his old habits. This means more days running and hard workouts over and over.

He's heading off to Texas for 2-3 weeks so we'll catch up later in the month or early December.

As for me, I may build my running time slightly but I intend to stay the course with the HRM.

36:01!

I slept in to 7:30 this morning, lazed around the house drinking coffee and finally went out just after 9:30. My legs felt great and I clipped along with my HR in the 140-150 range running a total of 36 minutes and one second. The front door to door time ended up being about 90 minutes because I stopped the college to chat with Ohio and then ran (no pun intended) into John my "across the street neighbor" as I was headed in and jawed with him for God knows how long.

I can feel myself getting stronger. The longer I go without hard running the stronger I get. The long hills on Wednesdays and a now and then tempo run are enough.

Another Hilly Run

I met a very beat up Jake at Forbes Mill. He had fallen back on evil times and had run 5 days in a row. We did a warm up loop together and then I took off alone ran the Dammit course with some extra distance thrown in to make the total time of the run around 72 minutes. The dam was excruciating as was the backside of Jones Trail. But after hitting the summit it was mostly down hill all the way back into Los Gatos. Sections of the course was littered with stay at home moms with and without baby's. It seems to be a cult in down town Los Gatos.

Mid run, as crossed the dam I looked over at Lexington Reservoir. The water was way, WAY down and two sculling crews appeared to have had to clamber down a gradual bank of dried mud to launch their boats. The lake was about a low as I have seen it in years.

Jake ended up running two loops. He felt better once he got running but felt that out 24:44 pace for the first loop was too fast. I felt he was just tired from running too many days in a row. We had run in the 23's on several occasions in the past month and he had no problems at all.

As for me, I stayed at or under 70% even with the steep hills thrown in and my HR came down nicely once the course flattened out or went down hill. So I seem to be recovering.

4th day in a row

I ran again this morning. It was my 4th day is a row which was of course very unusual. I ran an easy 67 minutes including 8 big laps around the college track. The cross country coach was there working with one of his best runners. The guy was knocking off 400's in the mid 70's with a short rest. I stopped to chat briefly and went on running. My legs were mildly tired. I am looking forward to taking the day off on Tuesday and getting back to my schedule.

Hollister

I got up early and drove down to Hollister for the mile (except I was not running the race). My job was to pace Jake to a sub-6:40 (woe, have the mighty fallen). It is a strange race. Mostly, very young school age kids and master level adults. I jogged down to the start. Just before the gun went off I ran down around the corner and waited for the leaders to come by. I was unofficial and didn't really want to be anywhere around the start or finish lines.

As the runners began to come by, I picked up Jake about 200 meters out and ran off his shoulder. Jake was breathing very hard and it felt to me like we were jogging.

This isn't a 6:40 pace, I thought.

But it turned out to be almost exactly that. We were weaving our way past young kids who were beginning to die off and Jake, who was almost gagging, kept pressing and passing people. I dropped off with about 100 meters to go and jogged to the side of the road. With my lasik improved vision I peered at the clock and saw that Jake was just crossing the line. The readout clicked to 6:33. That give or take was his time. I jogged back with Jake to his truck afterwards. All together I may have gotten in 3 miles.

We went to the San Juan Oaks afterwards for breakfast.

60 minute ordeal

Ken Napier (to the left) these days.....


I had a lovely 60 minute Saturday morning run over at WVC hanging out with Tom and Jake while the club ran a searing set of 800's. Of course we avoided the workout and just vegged at an easy pace. My HRM was rarely above 130 throughout the ordeal.

Ken Napier was down for tomorrows mile race in Hollister. He hopes to hit an 8:30 pace give or take a few seconds. This from the 1972 NorCal master's runner of the year. This from the guy who I chased for almost 5 years during the 1970's before I finally caught and beat him in a race.

My job tomorrow is to pace Jake and have a nice breakfast afterwards. Tough job.

Coffee Haze 4 miler

Friday was basically waiting around the new HDTV delivery man in the morning and running an easy untimed 4 miler in the mid afternoon. No HRM either. I just drifted up to the half way point on the RR trail and returned. I had consumed a frappucinno about an hour before the run so I was in a coffee haze.

Seventy-Six & Hills

I drove over to Forbes Mill to meet Jake. He showed up with a bad cold and decided to walk. I ran up the trail but cut left and followed the switchbacks on a rocky dirt trail that often was single track. Two girls were coming down towards me one laughing loudly as she slipped and slid. The one in the back saw that I was coming through and stepped aside with a friendly smile. I thanked her briefly ignoring the other one who was lost in her laughter. The trail kept going up and grew steeper eventually coming out into an open space where the trees dropped away. To the left was the quick way back down but I ignored it and allowed myself to be drawn up to the trail on the right. I could feel the angle of the ground and could hear my breathing border on ragged except that a glance at my monitor told me that I was still under 70%. There was a wooden gate up ahead, or maybe a portal and I passed through without a second thought following a path leading up to the Novitiate trail and then Jones trail. By the time I summited, I could look down on the Lexington Dam far below. Another runner came by going the other way. A woman. She was followed by several more. Women too. Were there no men out here? Oh, of course. They were all working so that the women could play.

It was a very clear, cool and sunny morning. I could see the cars backed up on highway 17 headed towards Los Gatos.

I followed Jones trail down to the road and then crossed the dam and headed back to Forbes on the usual route. A half dozen women runners going in the opposite direction. It never seemed to stop. I passed through the parking lot, didn't see Jake and kept going to the high school, ran once around the track and then headed back up for a normal loop. 76 minute all together.

Legs felt strong. My HR stayed down around 140 most of the early part of the run and then after coming down the dam I kept it constantly in the 140-150 range.

Slight soreness above the right knee. Have to watch that.

65 minutes and why the hell....

Racked up an easy 65 minute run this morning. I ran over the college and ran a series big loops around the track going clockwise to balance things out. Nice cool morning but the word is out that the weather is going to heat up some over the next few days. I thought I would go back out in the afternoon again for another 3-4 miles but in the end "why the hell would you do that" won out over "you need to do that".

My legs felt decent throughout the run. I kept my HR in the 130's and 140's. I should be nice and fresh for Wednesday at Forbes Mill.

The probable plan is to run the 2.75 miler on November 3rd at AT (85-90%) and see where I am. Then go from there. The longer term plan is simple. 3 times a week I am going to run an easy 60-80 minutes and one day I will go 30-50 minutes. Every 3-4 weeks I will do an AT run. Every week I will try to do at least one 70-75% run to see if I can chart some progress. If the 75% run comes down and the 90% run drops than I am progressing. Everything else will be at 70% or less.

I admit that the two weapons I am adding are less work stress (as in less work) and hopefully better sleep.

Over time, if I feel stronger I will go up towards 80 minutes on my runs. otherwise, I will stay down lower and focus on being rested and recovered.

60 plus minutes, steady

Got up late(for me), had coffee, relaxed and then headed over to the Saturday workout. I would guess NOT doing the Wednesday hard made a huge difference because I felt rested and proceeded to reel off 60 plus minutes of steady running. I ran a good deal of it on the track watching Jake and Dimitri do their respective interval workouts. Jake was still tired from Wednesday (no big surprise there).

I didn't miss having to do a specific workout.

It was nice just to show up.

I am in my letting the speed come to me phase.

Easy Run

I ran an easy 5 miles this morning. Over to the college, around the track 4 times doing the big loop (including the par course) and then back home. I kept my HR in the 130's and low 140's.

Sterling Run

Back to Forbes Mill this morning with Jake. We ran an easy warm up loop and then I took off and ran the second loop at 70-75% of max hitting the top in 11 flat and coming across the finish in 21 flat. Jake was 15 seconds behind me. I then jogged the last loop as a warm down starting early. Jake caught me on the way up and blew by me on the way down. He said that he had reached the top in 10:36. By the time I got back to the parking lot Jake was in recovery mode. He had finally broken 20 with a sterling 19:56 so he was very happy.

The weather condition were decent. Cool, some wind and a threat of rain.

We celebrated by having breakfast.

80 slow minutes to heck

I ran 80 slow minutes this morning. The rain is coming later today but the sun was still out when I was doing my workout. I ran over to the track and just did big loops including the par course hill. I was following that little spike of a girl who I have seen now and then. Her loop consists of running the stadium steps so it takes her longer to get around.

I am trying to get back my slow mojo. I have been feeling beat up lately. I am sure it is a combination of those Wednesday runs with Jake and some work related stress. I eliminated the extra stress by dropping out of the start up I was involved (unhappily) in. It was one of those million dollar job. Pay me a million dollars (grossed up) and I will do it for a year.

65 minutes While The Club Did Something Else

It took me two days totally off to recover from Wednesday's progression run. I ran for 65 minutes Saturday morning while the club did yet another track workout. I felt OK but not great. Luckily it was cool and clear so the conditions were alright. I just don't recover very well from that harder runs plus this is not getting me any closer to breaking 13 minutes for 3200 meters. I told Dimitri that once he has run the Hollister Mile at the end of the month, we'll get back at it. I will back off on the Wednesday runs and keep them at the 70% level for the most part with a now and then 75% test effort.

I have to keep reminding myself that I need to get faster at the slower stuff to be faster at the quicker runs.

Progressive Run

I met Jake at Forbes Mill. It had rained during the night but the trail was firm even though there were some low lying puddles here and there. We ended up doing a progressive 8 miler with the first loop in 23:38, the second in 22:22 and the last in 20:57. Very Kenyan of us. No question that the second half of the last loop was an AT level run.

Afterwards we went for breakfast and then went up the running store to congratulate Christine Kennedy on her gutsy 3:02:04 marathon at Chicago. It was 85-90 degrees with heavy humidity during the race. She won her division and was second masters overall. She was happy to see us but was disappointed that she didn't run 2:47 which is the "B" standard for making the women's trials. She will probably go to Tuscon or Boston and try again.

1 + 1 = 90

I moped around Sunday, not feeling very good. Mostly I was tired and slightly wrung out. I played it low key all day and began to feel better in the late afternoon.

I woke up feeling pretty decent on Monday morning. I decided to divide my workouts up instead of doing one monster run. I went out around 9 AM and ran 48 minutes slow and easy. I then went back out again in the mid afternoon and ran another 42 minutes also very easy. My total was 90 minutes of slow stuff.

Jake sent me an email. He did do the monster workout today on the dam trail. He ran it 5 times (about 13.5 miles total) with each up and back loop faster than the prior one. He said he felt sick and exhausted afterwards. I sent him an email in response saying that I was really glad that I did not run this workout with him.

He should be really fun to run with on Wednesday.

75 minutes

I slept in an extra 15 minutes, had a cup of coffee (buffered by Tums) and still made it over to the club workout to run around the campus and track for 75 minutes while the rest of the runners were doing the "step up, step down" track workout. I finally felt decent again. It was a cool, clear morning and my HR stayed low while I motored along at a comfortable pace. When I pushed it, my HR went up around 140 but when I let off, it dropped down into the low 130's.

The Cubs lost to the Rockies tonight and were swept out the playoffs, keeping my 62 year hex alive. They have not been to the series since losing to Detroit the year I was born which was 1945. They haven't won a world series in 99 years (1908).

4 miles and the wind in my face

I ran 4 miles this morning and felt ok. There was a good wind in my face on the way back but outside of that not any real residual soreness. Still tired. Napped for the third straight afternoon. I plan to take it easy until the energy level comes back.

Marion Jones has fallen from grace. The web and the news is full of it. She admits to lying about using performance enhancing drugs so she will more than likely go to jail. She is broke (or so they say). I would say that she is still young and can do the time and rebuild if she is smart. The world loves redemption. She just has to figure the path back to self repect and stop being a victim.

I chose this reproduction of a painting done of her naked with her head turned away because it best represents her current state. Stripped naked, by her own confession, for the world to see and her head turned away in shame or maybe she is looking back at what could have been.

Maintenance

I went up to Bill Tarr's to get an adjustment this morning. After that I walked down the hall to his wife's "office" and she gave me the penultimate massage. It was a bit like car maintenance. I just felt better when I walked out the door. My legs could move and the soreness was pretty much gone. This and yesterday's ice bath are making me feel like I can run again. I realize, going forward, that I am going to have get a massage whenever I get that creaky feeling. Bill is keeping me aligned so that is working out very well. I plan to add in the ice baths as often as I need them. I have been doing them after my hard runs but I realize that soreness is cumulative so I may have to do them more often.

One has to pay a big price to be the "Last Runner Standing".

Hoka Hey!

Last night on my way home from a client, I took a sharp right turn, banged my tire against the curve and heard a loud POP sound. I pulled over and took a look at my right front tire which was a dead flat (or flat dead). It took me about 15 minutes to change it. Luckily I was on a side street and out of major traffic but it was still tough to get the flat off and get the spare on. It's not the doing it but the tugging, lifting and pulling that beat me up. Sue and I were supposed to go out to dinner but she took pity on me and went out and picked up a pizza. So I came home, bloody (I scraped arms up), dirty and sweaty but ready to go out but we ended up staying in and watching TV having dinner on the bed.

When I woke up this morning I felt like I had played a tough, hard hitting game of soccer. My legs and arms were just plain sore. Jake and I were scheduled fora trial run so we warmed up 2.7 and then came back to our starting point. I stood there for 30 seconds while Jake got a head start. Then I went. I could tell within a quarter mile that things were not right. I felt like I was dragging my body along instead of running for a fast time. It took a long time to catch Jake. I went by him and hit the turnaround at 10:17 which was around 17 seconds behind goal. I did a short run in place as Jake came up and I paced him back in. I ran 20:10 and Jake was in the 20:40's.

Neither of us hit our goals. Jake did not break 20 minutes and I failed to break 19. We both admitted afterwards that it had not been a good day to die. Hoka Hey! We staggered through the warm down and went for breakfast.

I went home and soaked for 10 minutes in an ice bath. I get a massage and chiro on Thursday. It won't be too soon.

79 minutes

I was felt dragged out Saturday and Sunday. Not sure why. I certainly didn't burn up the roads last week while training.

I got out just before 9 AM this morning. It was cool and overcast and I ran easily, feeling much better overall. I did have to come back by the house to visit the "john" but then was out again running the railroad tracks down to Sunnyvale-Saratoga and then back by way of Prospect and Stelling to De Anza College and then home. 79 minutes total running time.

Al Oerter died today at age 71. He won the gold medal in the discus at the 56-60-64 and 68 Olympics and set a record each time he won. In 1980 he came back and just missed qualifying for the team again at age 44. He set his personal best that year. Anyway, 71. Life is getting shorter.

Short Six

Actually the club didn't run the short six course. I ran just less than 6 miles this morning. I did a 25 minute warm up and then ran Valle Vista with Tom, Ken and Jim.

We were running slow just missing breaking 28 minutes. 10-12 years ago we would have been gutting each other and running around 18 minutes. Ten years before that I would have been flirting with 16 flat. Kat came by us about half way (she had gotten a late start). Ken said, "We're getting lapped." In a way it felt true. We were close to dead last. We did catch Don who was fast walking the course and had started ahead of us.

The four of us mostly talked sports. The talk drifted to the 1955-56 Brooklyn Dodgers and between Jim and I we named the starting lineup. We then went through the mainstays of the pitching staff but neither of us could remember Carl Erskine. Just drew a blank on his name. I had to look it up when I got home.

Lest I forget again: (Apologies Carl)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Erskine

Back to my run. It was hard to get going today. I felt rather sluggish. I guess all of that "feeling good" running had to catch up with me sometime. Or maybe it was too many glasses of chardonnay last evening and that big steak I had for dinner. If I simply look back on it, I probably should have just shelved running until later in the day or let it roll until Sunday.

Note: Dimitri returned from his 3 week trip east. Good to have him back. One of these weeks we'll begin the process of getting us under 13 minutes for 3200 meters.

Railroad Track 5 Miler & Barry

Got out of the house before 9 am this morning and ran the railroad track 5 miler. My legs felt good! I didn't time myself but I had the HRM on and most of the way I was in the 135-140 range. The weather was perfect. Overcast and cool. I felt like I could have gone another 5 miles (but didn't).

Barry dropped by last night for a beer. He is
really bummed over the way the Giants just released him. He wanted one more year of playing time with them (and maybe one more year after that). He just wants to get to 800 home runs and 3000 hits. I mean he has feelings too.

You know Barry, once he has a beer of two he starts
feeling sorry for himself. Of course there were tears.
He got really maudlin. We sang the Giants fight song.
He really has a bad singing voice. Goes ff key all the
time.

I mean 15 years of greatness. Oh well.

I told him to go play in the Carribean Leagues. He
can be a big star down there for years. Maybe play
into his 50's. Maybe hit another 700-800 home runs.

Strong

I drove over to Old Forbes Mill to meet with Jake. he showed up a bit blue in the gills. He had already run 6 miles. It was his long day he explained. We went up and back along the trail running in the 24's for an easy loop. My legs felt decent enough and the pace was faster that it was normally for a warm up run. Jake told me that he felt tired so I told him to set the pace. I felt that we were holding back on the second loop but we ended up running in the low 23's and frankly I felt like it would be no problem going up for one more round. My HR stayed in the 65-70% range through both runs. This run and Monday's double give me hope that I might be on the path. I feel good. My legs are strong. I did the right thing last week in cutting back on my running when I was feeling tired.

We never ended up doing it though. I could see that Jake was tired and I knew I was going to run at least 3 miles with Rick at lunch (which I did) so we opted for a run over to Los Gatos High and back to the car. Jake thinks we did about 6.5 mile total. With the lunch time run I probably did 9.5 for the day.

Homer Latimer

Got the news this evening that Homer Latimer has cancer. Homer was one the very good Bay Area runners back in the late 1970's. He also was the coach at Leigh High School.
He disappeared in the 1980's and was said to be in Central or South America. He may have been but he ended up living in Sonora California. He was always an independent guy so even now he lives alone.

The word is that his prognosis isn't good. I emailed him and said hello after all of these years. He might remember me. I don't know. Life is getting shorter and Latimer situation asks me once again, how much of my life do I want to waste doing things I don't care about. As my friend Tom said today, we all want two hour lunches.

Dipsea

Homer won this tough race twice.


1977-Homer Latimer

1976-Homer Latimer

Homer Latimer '61, distance runner: Teaches fourth and fifth grades in the Columbia (Calif.) Union School District. Resides in Sonora, Calif.

11 miles?????

I ran an easy 5 miles this morning at a "my legs can't hurt" pace. This is usually very slow. I was out 50 minutes. It might have been further than 5 but I wouldfind that hard to defend.

In the mid afternoon I went to Rancho for the first time in a long time and ran 6 plus miles with Jake and some of his cross country team. It was the not the fast guys. This group would stop and walk whenever the opportunity presented itself. So it must have been the "B" team because the "A" team was off running somewhere else. Anyway, I ran easily with Jake going out. He was beat up from three hard days last week. The course was the usual one which went by the farm, staying to the right, and with graduated hills which led up to the big one mile hill, which we didn't end up running.

Coming back we took a slightly different route (the dry pond) with some rolling hills. I felt good and picked up the pace. I came back by myself deciding to just run the 6 and not go over over the hump and make it 8 miles.

11 miles all told.

Enough for even the greediest runner.

What the afternoon workout told me was what such runs always tell me. I run best when I run in the hills.

70 minutes

I drove over to the club workout over at WVC and ran about 70 minutes around the campus while the club ran half tennis court loops. It rained but really more of a heavy drizzle than a steady downpour. The sky was the color of slate. It wasn't cold though.

The workout was not well attended. Many of the club runners were heading down to Paso Robles for Sunday's Pacific Association 10K and Jake was over at Los Gatos High running intervals. Danny and Madelyn were up in Oregon. Dimitri is still back east.

My legs were OK. I felt recovered from last Wednesday's trial run.

50 minutes

I almost bagged it today out of pure laziness but finally got out in the early afternoon for a 50 minute easy (easy) run. It was slightly on the warm side with a thunder shower threat (which never came). I missed the commute and school traffic so the run was uncharacteristically quiet. There was very little traffic and noise.

My legs, which were pretty beat up Wednesday, actually felt good today. Maybe the ice bath helped.

19:07

I met Jake at Forbes Mill. We warmed an easy 2.7 and then we both ran the a second 2.7 with the hammer down. I got up to the turnaround in 10:08 and came back down in 8:59. Good but not good enough to break 19 minutes. My HR through most of the run was at AT so I wasn't all out but I did push it with about a 1/3rd of mile to go but could not get in under my primary goal. Still, a PR for this year. I am close.

My HR over the last section was up around 185-187 and I wasn't in any discomfort. Tells me that my max is still way over 190 and that there is room to push harder.

Jake ran a 2007 PR on the course too. 20:25.

We warmed down over the same course. About 8 miles total.

In the afternoon after a late lunch I took my first ice bath. Whoa!
Janet's recommendation. It wasn't bad which probably means I need to put in more ice.

Ice Baths

I ran another easy 50 minutes this morning. I was dragging and still not recovered from Friday's workout. I had planned to come back in the afternoon and run another 4-5 miles but ditched the idea. I would have been pounding sand.

I did get my first sports massage this morning from Janet Tarr. Janet, who's husband Bill is my chriopractor recommended that I take ice baths several times a week. Shades of Dwight (he of the 100 mile weeks). I realize that I have to be more agressive if I want to stay in this game.

Sit in the tub and turn on the cold water. Let it run until it covers your legs. Dump in a bag of ice cubes. Remain seated in said tub for 10 minutes. At the end of this time period, if still alive, then get up and get out of the tub. Let your body warm up.

Janet's sister, Nancy Ditz was on the 1988 Olympic marathon team. We used to race against each other back in the day. I beat her far more often than she beat me but at the time she was faster. I just had her number in head to head races. She ran a 2:30 marathon (or so I remember) but it was in the shorter events that I had her number. I was in that transition period of becoming something other (slower) than the runner I had been during most of my 30's and she was on her way up. But after 1988 she retired from racing and I went on until 1995 at age 50 when I ran my last real competitive race. By then I had fallen to the low 18 minute level for 5K and 5:19 for the mile. It was a good time to step out.

The Mail Man's Quandry

I didn't run Saturday. My legs were still recovering from Friday. I watched the club run and then went to the restaurant and had breakfast afterwards.

After eating we were walking out to our cars and Mail Man told me that his running has not been good as of late and that he couldn't figure it out. Before I could ask he told me that he had been sick several weeks back.

"Well, that's the reason," I said. "You're older. It takes longer to get over that sort of thing."

I had the feeling that he didn't quite get it.

Sunday: I ran an easy 50 minutes. My legs felt OK especially when compared with yesterday. I ran into Annette (no pun intended) one of the women on our club. She was out running with her boyfriend Randy. Hadn't seen her in awhile. Turns out she's been having hamstring problems but is back running now.

I will more than likely run another easy day Monday so that I can bash Wednesday. I would like to get under 19 for the dam loop which means I will have to get up to the top near 10 minutes flat and come down under 9. We'll see.

12 x 100

Jake and I met at WVC and warmed up 2.5 miles around campus (the BIG loop). Jake had decided to run 16 x 200 with a 200 meter recovery jog-walk and I decided to run 12 x 100 with a 300 meter jog/walk. It worked out well because I could jog the first 100 meters of Jake's reps and then try to run him down in the second 100. It became a slingshot run. Jake is stronger and his 200's quickly moved down into the 43-42 second range while my 100's dropped from an early 19, down to 2 18's and then 17's the rest of the way. At first I couldn't catch Jake at all but once I settled into the 17's I was catching him in the last 25 meters give or take a few yards. I avoided going all out but it was still a tough workout.

I jogged another several laps while Jake finished off his last four 200's and then we went around campus again but this time by the inside loop. It was a good workout for me but better for Jake. If he had done this same workout 2-3 months ago he would have been in the 46-48 range. This 3 power running days a week with cross training on the other days is working very well for him.

Next week we will probably go up to the Dam Trail in Los Gatos and do a time trial.

8 mile day

I did all my running in the afternoon around WVC. 5 (plus) miles on the road and another 3 miles or 800's with the club on the track. The Wednesday group seems to have shrunk as of late. Not sure of the reason.

80 minutes

Today's run had all my favorite elements. No HRM. Streets (yes, streets!). Hills and trails. I ran 80 minutes including some time jogging around my neighborhood and then I took off up McClellan to Foothill Expressway and Stevens Creek Dam (picture above). I kept the pace on the easy side but found the hills challenging. The reservoir was just about empty but finally I ran into 2 other runners who both mentioned how crowded it was up there (3 runners total and a 2 dogs). During the week that is crowded. On my way home I ran into Ed, our UPS guy and he and I talked Raiders football (they lost yesterday's game).

6 miles and a cloud of dust

Saturday. The less attended workout. Walt headed off to some event. Dimitri gone to Toronto. Danny and Madelyn at a wedding somewhere in we're going to be divorced in 10-15 years, we just don't know it yet land. A good portion of our club up in Golden Gate Park running the cross country race. The rest of the club ran the short six course. I gave out the trophy to some guy who had set a course PR and hadn't received the trophy as of late.

I got in 6 miles including an easy 3 mile warm up with Tom and general running around campus to fill in the rest. No plantar fascia problems. I taped my foot. Didn't seem to need Advil.

Small breakfast crowd. Jake showed up beat to crap from hard workouts. He always finds a way to kill himself no matter what the training load is.

Downsizing My Hard Days

Easy 5 miles this morning. I kept my HR in the 130's most of the way. The run was generally uneventful. I ran over to De Anza and rumbled around the track and the par course so each loop was 400 plus meters. The weather has turned cool. The latest heat wave has subsided. Smoky skies though. The fires in Henry Coe Park have sent a cloud of residue which covers the South Bay like a diaphanous, filmy blanket.

I will definitely need to be careful. I have some lingering heel pain which could be a plantar fascia problem. If I have it, it's coming from the type of workouts I did this past Monday so I need to be vigilant. That's how I got PF back in the mid 1980's. Long hard tempo runs. I am taking Advil, icing and taping my foot. It doesn't hurt when I run but I can feel it afterwards. I think I can run through it but I will have to downsize my hard days. I am not an NFL football player but I watched a special on the physical price many of these guys are now paying for the punishment they both took and inflicted back in their playing days. My favorite running back Earl Campbell can barely walk and even then he needs help.

I guess in running terms these guys played like we run 80-100 mile weeks. I think on of the reasons why I am still standing is that while I loved running, it was a love that ended at about 60-65 minutes a day with a now and then 80-90 minute run. So I ran 60-70 mpw rather than 80-100. I also cut back later in my racing career to 30 mpw (running basically every other day). It saved me so that I can still run when I want to. I can still do a ten mile day now and then. If I forget myself now and then by pounding up the Los Gatos Dam Trail then I get a message. This time the message has arrived in the form of some pain on the very bottom of my right foot.

Slow down, the message whispers, or I will ground you.

Two 5's

The day ended up being a heater so I broke up my workouts into two runs. In the morning I ran 5 easy miles. My legs were tired and I was dragging from Monday's monster workout. In the afternoon I went back out to the club workout and ran another 5 miles. My legs felt much more lively despite the 90 plus temperature and what appeared to be an inversion layer of clouds keeping the heat "in". I made sure I was hydrated and fueled up ahead of time and that made all the difference. Still, I had to shut it down or I might have run 2 more miles making it a twelve mile day.

Big Tough Day

Ran the dam with Dimitri and Jake. We took from the high school parking lot and warmed up on the first loop. It was crowded with Labor Day walkers and runners so we had to weave around folks up and down. On the second loop from Forbes Mills Jake took off fast but Dimitri and I caught him coming back down and we ran 20:48. MY HR was in the 150's most of the way. On the 3rd and last loop we got to the dam in 10:26 and came back in 9:11 for a 19:37. My HR spiked up to 181 (AT) on the way back. I was strongest on the last loop but didn't want to make it a VO2 max run so I held back slightly. Jake was totally trashed at breakfast but I felt OK. I am sure I will be sore and tired later on. If necessary I will take several days off. It depends on how I feel on Wednesday.

Easy Day

The usual Saturday. I drove over the club run but avoided any of the planned workouts. I ran around the campus and the track until I had covered around 7 miles. My legs felt better than mid week and I think I may be able to get them back in shape so I can try another run down to sub thirteeen for 3200 meters.

Jake struggled to run a sub fifteen minute 2 miler. Of course a few weeks back he couldn't even do that so maybe the three day plan is working. It certainly felt better running three days a week to me but just like my seven day plans and my five day plans and my four day plans, I can handle about one hard day a week. Why I need to re-learn this annually is beyond me. It seems that I can run 8-12 x 100 one day if I don't make it into a sprint workout and then I can perhaps run some thing else. For some reason 100's don't tear me up. Dwight, he of the 100 mile weeks, we right. if you can't handle speed work do 100's.

Went down to Carrows for breakfast afterwards. The manager dropped by and apologized for the group having slow service last week.

Huh?

I found out Big Mac complained to Carrows CEO and he made a call to the restaurant. The funny thing was that Big Mac didn't show for breakfast and so we had to field the apology, one that most of us didn't want. Hell, they give us a table, good service, separate checks and we have it waiting for us every weekend! For once Madelyn and I totally agreed that we were sending the wrong message if we complained. Free world. I know. It was done for the greater good just not ours.

Easy Running

30 minute easy run. It was already getting warm.

There was a fire up on Montebello Road yesterday. It is under control but it burned 300 acres of scrub. No one had to evacuate. No property damaged. The saving grace was even with the heat and dry conditions, there was very little wind.

Easy Running

30 minute easy run. It was already getting warm.

12 x 100

I met Jake at WVC. We did a slow big campus loop, ran some strides and then he went off to do 12 x 400 while I ran 12 laps of 300 jog, 100 stride. I seemed to do most of the 100's in the 19-20 second range with a few down in the 17's towards the end. Then we ran around campus. Jake cramped up half way around and we jogged and walked back to our cars.

A weak 7 miles at best.

No complaints on my side of things. I am back on my program to get under 13 minutes for 3200 meters. I just to need to rebuild slowly and see if I can get there by years end or sooner. Jake was dead legged at coffee and was headed home for a nap. My legs were tired but nothing like his.

The morning was warm as summer belches its last flame. Frankly things have so mild that I can endure this. It will be fall soon enough. I will look forward to the cooler running weather. It should help me get my times down.

12 x 100

I met Jake at WVC. We did a slow big campus loop, ran some strides and then he went off to do 12 x 400 while I ran 12 laps of 300 jog, 100 stride. I seemed to do most of the 100's in the 19-20 second range with a few down in the 17's towards the end. Then we ran around campus. Jake cramped up half way around and we jogged and walked back to our cars.

A weak 7 miles at best.

Dead Legs and Dead Head

I am going to have to back off again, being dumber than dirt. I was on the verge of getting under 13 minutes for 3200 meters and blew it again snatching defeat from the arms of victory. Yeah, I was bored with my training. Those 9-10 minute training miles were driving me crazy but in the last year my two fastest runs came on slow running with some 100's thrown in to the mix. That and the time trials were getting me there. I can run one hard day a week of something and that is it! I have to choose what it is. Last week I ran 3 semi-hard days and by yesterday I was pretty beat up.

I will eat crow and go back to what I was doing (except for one hard day a week). I may run in the hills one day to handle the boredom.

All I know is that I have to turn around and quick.

Whoa!

I went out of the house Monday morning at a good clip. I was surprised that my legs actually felt good but it didn't last long. I ran my two mile loop to the college and began to feel pretty tired as I hit the track. MY HR, which was around 150, zoomed up to the 160's and stayed there. By the time I was ready to head home I realized that I had to slow down the place. There was nothing much in the tank. I just pulled back the pace and dropped my HR to under 150 and got in.

5 miles

At noon I met Rick at Burgess and ran 33 minutes (flat). It was warm and our run was ugly. We cruised the streets on Menlo Park mostly running on concrete and asphalt when we could get it. Afterwards we went for lunch at MacArthur's Park and I drank several Arnold Palmer's and had pasta.

Mid-Tempo

I took two days off resting so I could pace Jake this morning. I ran the 3 (++) mile club warm up and then stayed with Jake during Farwell. It's basically a very hilly 3.54 mile course that once upon a time I ran in 18:22. Today it was 26:43. Roughly equal to a sub 23 minute 5K. Jake looked stronger than he had in months but he was far behind the guys he wants to go head to head with. We were in the low 7:30's though and for my purposes that wasn't bad. My legs were a bit tired but I never struggled. Afterwards we ran the campus loop.

Maybe 8 miles total

Long Day

Jake and I met over at the Old Forbes Mill in Los Gatos. This is what it used to look like. Now only the lower building in front is still standing.

We then ran an easy out and back for a warm up. Then we went up again at a what was tempo for Jake and about 70% for me. The time was 22:07. On the last up and back Jake went out hard and I just followed. My HR quickly went up to 75% of max and stayed there for most of the run except for a weird bad patch of about 2 minutes where it dropped down into the 130's and 140's. I couldn't figure out whether the HRM was acting up or whether there was some sort of interference that caused a poor signal. One thing was for sure. During that 2 minutes I did not feel very good and thought about dropping out so maybe my body was sending "The Big Message". I actually dropped back about 10 yards behind Jake. After that everything equalized and I began to quickly feel much better. I pulled right up alongside of him and began to flow along. On the way back I kept the HRM at 75% of max plus or minus and ran the loop in 21:07. Jake was struggling and had dropped back about 10 seconds.

The highlight of the run back was passing the Los Gatos Girls Field Hockey team running up the trail and carrying their sticks. There must have been 50 or more of them. We passed one girl limping back to the school. I asked her if she was OK and she smiled saying that the bottom of her foot hurt. Sounded like plantar fascia. I told her that she needed to work on having a more pronounced limp to convince her coach that she was really injured.

I am now on a three day training program. The main elements are the following:

1. Long run at long tempo pace. So this is not easy.

2. Short tempo run of 2-3 miles.

3. Mid tempo run of 3-4 miles.

4. Intervals at roughly 5K pace.

My plan is to do 2-3 of these runs every week and not run easy, jog-type recovery days but just walk or take the day off. So every run has a purpose. It is the Run Less, Run Faster in approach but with some modifications. Perhaps more effort based than exact time based. I just don't trust all of their recommended paces.

My primary motivation was around the fact that I was simply not enjoying my running. As slow as I can run was beginning to get to me. So I will become a workout whore.

Run Less, Run Faster

I did not begin today's run under optimal conditions. This was my 3rd day in a row running. I ran harder than normal both Saturday and Sunday. They weren't hard days but they weren't easy either. This morning I jogged over to the track did some easy strides and then ran 3200 meters in 14:37. This is called short tempo. It wasn't that easy. I then jogged back. Maybe 5 miles total.

At noon I met Rick and we jogged an easy 30 minutes running from Burgess park into the edges of Stanford University. Ugly run. Had to deal with lights and traffic. For Rick and I ugly runs are the norm. We love it.

I am taking Tuesday off. I need it.

Another Pacing Job

I went with Shel to the Dolphin Race up at the Marina Green in SF. I ran another 3 miles trying to pace him to a sub 26 minute 5K. Actually the goal was to find out where he was. The course turned out to be long (closer to 3.22 miles) but it still worked out to a mid 26 minute 5K equivalent. So two short falls this weekend. Neither Jake nor Shel hit their goals and I ran in the grey zone (too fast for easy and not fast enough for tempo) on both runs. I am running with Rick on Monday at noon plus whatever I decided to do in the morning. So that will be 3 days in a row. I will take tuesday off and get back to every other day running by mid week.

I have always liked the Marina district. If I had to live in SF, that is where I would want to be. Shel told me that he could not be single and live there because he would get into too much trouble. I asked him why. He said too many nice young women around. I replied that we were too old to play in that game. He came back with his take on this subject. If you have money you can play.

Handicap Run

Today was the club handicap race which is 3.06 miles. Last year I ran 20:39 as a tempo run (and was elated) but this year I ran unofficially and paced Jake. We went through the first mile in 7:30 and it was downhill (for Jake) from then on out. I stopped at the 3 mile mark running 23:13 with my HRM mostly in the 70-75% range. With the warmup I probably got 5 plus miles.

The run was inconsequential to me but gave Jake another message that his training is too hard. Of course he read it as he isn't training hard enough day to day. I read it as he is doing way too many miles and is running too hard on the days he goes for quality. As for me, I just don't have the mindset to run hard very often so I didn't mind doing pacing duties no matter what the pace.

In the old days I would have blasted this course under 16 minutes and have been in a dogfight with guys like Jake, Dave, Tim, Bill and John and it would have been bloody. I am a million miles from being in that shape anymore.

Breakfast at the Collins' house was good as always and it was just fun to sit around with, have a nice conversation, tell off color jokes and enjoy the coffee.

We're All Different

I drive over to Los Gatos and ran 55 minutes with Jake up and down the dammit trail. I had also run 6 minutes at the house to shake things loose. So in the spirit of everything counts when I move forward, I totaled 61 minutes. Volleyball girls showed up for pre-season practice. Some of them were very tall and already had cellulite. I mean they are only in high school. jake and I had a discussion about dating tall women when we were single. My tallest girlfriend was 5'9". But we were free falling here. If we were young and single and confident, would we go out with 6' tall women? Jake said that if you think small you'll come across as small. I agree. But we're 5'6" at best these days. 5'7" back in "the day".

I went out again in the late afternoon and ran another 3 miles of 800 meter repeats with the club. I was last or close to last on each reps. 8:30-9:00 pace.

The day totaled somewhere around 9 miles. Now I get to rest until the handcap run Saturday morning. "No more running," he said convincingly. I don't feel as strong and fast as last year at this time but I know I am fit as I can possibly be for my age and mileage. 62 has weighed on me. I can feel the difference that a year has made and yet, perversely, I also believe I can be faster than I am now. I mentioned to Dennis Kurtis who is 53 or 54 that when I ran the times he is now running (low to mid 17's for 5K in my mid to late 40's) I could not do the workouts that he is presently doing. Well, we're all different.

Double Four

I ran a double 4 today. 4 slow miles in the morning and another 4 in the late afternoon. The afternoon run was done in warm conditions. Not hot like baking or sizzling. Just warmish. Maybe 80 degrees. I kept close to an 8 pace during this run. It wasn't hard but it wasn't easy either. I had to focus on staying on pace. I wasn't just skimming along. Hard to believe that a few years ago this might have been a 7:30 pace and a few years before that, close to a 7 minutes flat. I can see how far I have fallen away from being able to run a steady tempo. I get the age part but I also get that years of staying away from steady or tempo have sped up the process. I have no idea if the afternoon run did squat for me but I enjoyed it more than the usual slow-slow pace that my HRM forces me to run.

I doubt that the run was good for me. Not as a stand alone workout. Age graded it was a low 25 minute 4 miler back in the day. Since I often ran a 6:30 pace back then, a 33 minute 4 miler would have been a more accurate age graded equivalent. I would be betting the farm to try to run faster during my daily runs. If I didn't break I would more than likely be faster IN TRAINING with no guarantees that it would carry over to racing. Since I don't really race, it might be worth the attempt. I would still have to face the effect on my time trials. I might end up being faster or I might have the Jake effect. In the Jake effect a runner does races and trials at about the same pace as they train at.

Bottom line: The runner is overtraining.

The key is to seek something in between, adjust and then move down, adjust and so on....

The other is to let the speed come to you which means letting the HRM dictate the pace. I generally follow this path but not purely. I have been sneaking in speedwork which I already know has the opposite effect on me than is intended. I generally get slower. If I follow the path (THE PATH) then I do get faster. Not faster than I was last year or the year before but faster than I was last month or the month before. If this all is confusing the reality is that I am tired of slow training (maybe bored) but if I stick to it I get faster. If I train harder, I get slower. MUCH SLOWER.

6 x 600

I paid the price for drinking way too much wine last night. I drove over to the club workout which was 12 x 600 relay on the track. Each runner runs 6 of them and the recovery is the time it takes their partner to run their 600. Plus you have to walk or jog 200 meters to get ready for the hand-off. I was feeling pretty woozy and sort of out of it but I did a long warm up of close to 3 miles and then went down to the track and offered to pace Jake. He was shooting for a 6:30 pace which is 2:30 per 600.

Jake, I said, that is 3:15 800 pace. I had not seen him run that fast in a few years.

Rich, I am not running 800. I am only running 600.

OK, so we took off and I stuck to a 2:30 pace as exactly as I could. I figured I had better be able to do this given that this is goal pace for 3200 meters somewhere down the line. It had better feel easy. Not easy, easy. Just very doable.

And after shaking the cobwebs out, it began to feel very normal. I glanced at my HRM and it never was much above 171 until the last one which spiked to 175. Very low level AT, at least perceptually. Jake was in back of me struggling in the mid to high 2:30's but finally got down to his goal time on the last one.

A new girl was on the track. Her name was Wendy. Very tall, leggy and rather slender. She had an Elvis tote bag and I kidded her about it. She smiled. Afterwards she was talking to club members about joining. I am not asure she'll actaully join. She was walking and jogging and despite her body build she looked like she was not in running shape. But the club let her know she would be welcome. But then women are always welcome. Especially tall, leggy women. Danny and I agreed that he could get on my shoulders and then he would be about her height. My guess....6 feet.

Afterwards Jake, Dimitri, new guy..Jon and myself jogged around the campus.

Probably close to eight miles overall.

Lesson learned: Chardonnay is not a good pre-workout beverage of choice.

Speed Dating

Friday was an off day but I decided to double up anyway. A mid morning beakfast with friends followed later on by an interview with a perspective client for an interim HR VP job. I arrived at the clients at 2 pm and was led into a conference room. The CEO wasn't there yet so I idled by going over some notes from a meeting with another client. Finally the CEO walked in. He looked intense right off. He was looking at a copy of my resume.

Are you consulting now? he asked.

I said, yes and for the past 5 years.

What makes you want to come back inside?

I don't, I answered.

Oh. I only want people who are looking for full time regular jobs. He seemed to be chewing on his words.

That's not me I said flatly.

I smiled and he smiled. We exchanged business cards.

5 minutes had passed. I was in the lobby and headed for my car.

Something inside my gut told me that even if this had gone an hour, I would not have wanted to work for him. There was something rigid there. Not inept. Just rigid.

Double Day

Doubled on Thursday keeping the pace easy during both runs. I admit to feeling sluggish during the morning run. My legs were heavy and I dragged through the run. More than likely a result of Tuesday. The afternoon run was better. My legs felt good but it was warm and my HRM kept me from going very much above a jogging pace. I was soaked in sweat by the time I arrived home. A ten mile day though if anyone is counting.

Running With The Middle-Agers

I ran for about 45 minutes this morning and came back in the late afternoon and ran another 4 miles (give or take). Most of my afternoon run was a warm up with the club Tuesday night group which included Jeff, Tom, Mike and Becky. My legs felt good despite the back to back of running Monday and Tuesday. I just floated along hardly glancing at my HRM. Once, after we had come up a bit of a long hill I noticed that it was reading 155-56 but it dropped back down under 150 when we flattened out.

These runners are all faster and younger than I am. They are all about where I was when I was in my late 40's or early 50's. This is about their age range are too except Becky who is 41. We talked Bill Walsh and Niners a bit and then they switched to discussing the upcoming cross country season. I could feel the tug of wanting to be part of this but then I saw Danny down on the track and I came back to the reality. They moved on to some sort of hill repeat workout and I stood around with Danny and chatted about his upcoming 60th birthday. I was fine with it. But I could see the road back. It is the same as it was in 1975 when I began to train with John and Jake. Attach yourself to faster runners and hang on until you are faster. Believe you can run faster and then you are faster. It doesn't happen quickly. It is a change in a runner's belief system. You have to be smart about it but after awhile the momentum just carries you through.

Same Old

I ran for 45 minutes keeping my HRM in the high 130's and low 140's. It was a cool overcast day and my legs felt good.

I distrusted the tiredness I felt Saturday. It may be the intervals (never good for me). I need to get faster at the slower runs to get faster overall. I prefer the time trials over reps. They are more like what I face in races. I am too far down the road to trust an approach that has never worked well for me. I am beseiging 13 minutes for 3200 meters. A modest goal but one that I have not attained for years. I need to focus on that.


Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more,
Or close the wall up with our English dead!
In peace there's nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility;
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger:
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood.

"Henry V" (5.3.44-51)

Saratoga High School

Dimitri and I met at the lower parking lot at the college and jogged the 2 miles over to Saratoga High School for a workout. We did a few striders and then tried to replicate last week's workout of 4 x 1200 meters starting every 8 minutes.

I was totally flat during the first one and dropped at 600 meters. There was simply nothing in the tank. Whether it is was physiologocal of psychological, it made no difference. I felt like I was hanging on.

I did jog a lap and a lap and half just to finish off the 1200. I decided to try running 800 meters on the second one and this went well. We came through 2 laps at 3:17 and frankly and totally unlike the first one, I felt I could have gone on. When we started our 3rd I felt in a groove and as we came through 800, I said "I'm going run to 1000 meters." Then when we hit 1000 I said that I was going on to the finish. We ran 4:54 and frankly by this tiem I felt fine. The last one was another 4:54 and I ran relaxed throughout. Afterwards I wondered why the struggle early on. It didn't make sense.

We jogged back to the college and our cars.

I am accutely aware that these are resembling intervals. I promised not to do these and yet here I am breaking that promise. I need to think about this. I want to run under 13:13 sometime in August. I need to focus n that.

Easy 4

I jogged an easy 4 mile recovery run this morning. I want my legs to be in good shape for tomorrow's workout.

9 Miles With Striders

I drove over to Los Gatos High to run with Jake. I guess I can now call this Wednesday's with Jake.

He was up to his old tricks running 3.5 miles before we ran. We used to call this a secret workout. As we headed up the trail I could see that he was tired (there is this way he breathes) but I figured rather than worry about it, I would just keep moving along. Our warm up loop was 28 minutes which was 4 minutes faster than last week. Then we ran a hard loop in just a hair over 22 minutes. After that one I left Jake to run his last go around while I headed back to the track for 8 laps of 300 easy, 100 fast stride. The track was suddenly inundated with a class of prepubesent girls who quickly took over the 3 or 4 inside lanes so I decided to run my striders on the backstretch where there was less congestion. I averaged 17-18 seconds on the fast portions and my legs felt excellent. I then warmed down making my total somewhere close to 9 miles.

No Wednesday afternoon club workout again. Recently, the morning running has been just hard enough to insure that if I go back out and double, I will be doing so on dead legs. I will go out again. Just not now.

74:59

I ran 74 minutes and 59 seconds this morning. I thought hard about taking another step and making it an even 75 minutes but the moment passed and I was content.

My legs felt ok after a harder than usual last week. I was not speed on wheels but I ran around the neighborhood and then over to the college track with nary a blip. The college track was "inhabited" with Samaurai Warrior and a girl I will call "skinny". Her boyfriend stood guard over her while she ran laps. He placed himself on the ramp leading to the stands. He had pressed himself back into the shadows looking as malevolent as possible as he glared out at the track.

I tried to look disinterested at all times while I chased her around each lap. No, I did not gain on her. Even with legs that felt decent I seem unable to catch anyone these days. That power is gone forever with the pride of youth. It is like an old pitcher who used to have a decent fastball but knows it is gone. So he works the corners and throws junk and stuff that moves around a great deal. There is not much else in this ancient arm. I no longer throw flames but rather dust.

Never Say Never

This morning at the club workout, I warmed up for 2 miles with the slow, slow dog-meat group. Wally couldn't hang on when we threw in a couple of 11:30 pace mile surges as we straggled by the bathrooms. "We" being Jim Myers and John Petersen and Ken Noel.

I then went down to the track and did a never say never workout with Dimitri consisting of 4 x 1200 meters at 6:40 mile pace starting every 8 minutes. Afterwards we slow-jogged around campus for a warm down. I caught up with Dennis who had won the club race running in the mid 26's for Farwell-Horseshoe which is 4.68 miles. I once ran the old version of this race just under 25 minutes in a solo run for the then club record. No one had been under 25 minutes much less 26 minutes so I decided to be the first. It didn't last long. Jake saw what I had done and wiped my record from the books the next time the club ran that event.

Anyway, back to our workout: The pace of the reps didn't bother my breathing much but my legs were tired from Wednesday's Jake workout and Friday's chase the girl seven miler. I think I still tend to forget about what I am trying to do which is to simply break 13 minutes for 3200 meters on the track in a time trial.

I just did too much semi-hard stuff this week. It's funny. If I just bring down the time trial everything will probably get faster. It's all so simple.

{{{{Focus}}}}

Two Trails & The Tracks

I ran the railroad tracks this morning. I did cut away and ran the "two trails" between Prospect and Parker Ranch but then went back on the tracks. I kept the pace as slow as I could stand it for the first 4 miles and then picked it up over the last 3 miles coming home. I was chasing some gal in orange shorts who I had seen at the turn around down at Sunnyvale-Saratoga Avenue. She just kept pulling away and I realized that even if I went hard, I wasn't going to catch her. The strange thing was that at McClellan she disappeared off to the right or left. She was too far ahead and I figured she had made a turn on "her" course. As I was coming down the last section of the trail I could hear feet pawing dirt in back of me. It was the same girl. I was veering off the trail and heading home and as I did she rambled past me at flank speed. Whatever effort she was running, it wasn't easy. I could hear her breathing. She was working.

My HR during the early part of the run was rarely over 120 but during the last part it was rarely under 150.

Strong Day

Jake and I ran on the trail to Lexington Dam. It was a back and forth "loop" and for the first time in weeks he hadn't totally immolated himself in the days before we hooked up. I insisted that we jog the first loop very, very slowly. Everyone running on that trail in our direction easily passed us going out and coming back. We ran for 32 minutes give or take a few seconds.

On the second loop I let Jake set the pace and we did a strong 21:36. My HR hovered in the 145-152 range with a slight spike up to 158 at the very end. Jake then asked for a minute or two to recover and we went back up again and this time my HR monitor was consistently in the 155-164 range. Over the last few minutes we pushed hard and I came across in 20:50. Jake was 5 seconds behind me. I was trying to lead him in but he just had to back off in the last 100 meters. Still his best run of the year.

Jake said that the whole run was 8.5 miles.

I made the decison NOT to go out to the Wednesday evening workout. The last two times I did this I was just plain wasted. Jake and I are going in different directions. I am going to continue down the path of less is more and he is going to more is more. It not about who ends up to be the fittest or fastest. For me it is about running and feeling decent and enjoying the process. Since late 1990 that has not involved running more miles. I hope I can progress (while I inevitably get slower due to age). I can use age grading to track my progress. I thought I wouldn't care but as arbitrary as it is, it better than just seeing your times slow.

90 minutes

I went for a progressive 90 minute run this morning. It was already getting warm at 9 AM. I started at the slowest pace I could stand and ran that way for about 40 minutes keeping my HR down in the 120's. From 40 minutes on I just gradually pushed down on the accelerator and took my HR up into the 130's and 140's. I slept badly the night before and really didn't know how this run would go but by keeping it easy in the early stages I was able to work into the run and increase the effort. The run was uneventful (no Cricket this time around.

Perspective

13:13 for 3200 meters is a perspective thing. If I age grade it, it is the same as running 10:26 when I was 30. If I age grade it versus what I was doing at age 54 it is equivalent to a 12:13. Back then I was running time trials in around 12:22 so I am probably ahead of myself (If one counts age grading). I was around 19 minute 5K shape in my mid 50's. That would translate to the 20:30's now.

Could I run 20:30? For some reason I doubt it but perhaps over the next few months those doubts will go away. My plan is to work that 3200 meter down to 13:00 flat and under and to get used to running hard. I am not very good at running hard in case you haven't picked up that little bit of information. I don't mind tempo but race-like efforts are no longer familiar even though I felt a bit of it yesterday during the trial effort I ran. My plan is to become more familiar with that sort of effort. Race-like.

I won't do mileage though. That is not the path. The path, or so I believe, is by doing 2-3 big days a week and perhaps one other shorter day even though that 4th day is up for grabs.

The question is, how far can I go?

I will continue to work on 1600 and 3200 meters and everything else in between.

I will go as far as I can go.

13:13

Saturday club workout. Cool in the morning but getting warmer. I warmed up very slowly for about 2.5 miles. When I mean slow, I mean slow. Wally was running again after his minor heart attack two weeks ago. The guy never gives up. I ran part of my warm up with him and a few others. I was thinking 3200 meters on the track. The last time I had run 13:25 with a strong finish. This time I was thinking 13:20 (6:40 pace).

Dimitri was quietly and efficiently waiting for me on the track. Absolutely no wind. We did 3-4 strides. Then he led me out coming through the first 800 in 3:22. By the 1600 we were 6:42 and half way we were right on pace at 10 flat. I just stayed glued to a spot about 3-4 yards behind him and just focused on whatever lap we were running. I felt a slight shift on lap 7. Dimitri was picking it up ever so slightly but picking it up he was. At the end of lap 7 I looked down at my watch and saw that it was 11:40. I figured I had 13:20 no matter what. I was tired but not lagging. I was still feeling strong. Old but strong. The last lap was like pressing down the accelerator of a car(gradually...very gradually). We came across in 13:13 which was a PR of 13 seconds. We had run a 3:13 last 800 and a 93 second last lap. My last 1600 had been 6:31.

We then warmed down around campus. I mentioned doing some 100's but Dimitri recommended that we not do them. "You did your workout," he said emphatically. I knew he was right.

I felt redeemed. With the exceptions of the 1200 meter trials I had done zilch at 1600 or 3200 meters for the past 8 weeks. That 13:25 had been staring at me since May 30th. I feel close to 13:00 flat. Not there but close. The 13:13 age graded to 10:24 at age 30.

And Later That Afternoon

I showed up for the afternoon club workout. Danny and the Lockmart crowd were absent due to the Corporate Nationals and so it was just us unattached guys.

I had had a beer and a burger for lunch and I lurched around the track at a 10 minute pace for the first 800. Finally I gathered myself together and ran 3 more 800's at well under an 8 minute pace. But it was a lost cause and so I sat out the last two and drove home to a solo dinner. Sue was out for the evening.

Maybe a 9 mile day inclucing my morning run with Jake.

Los Gatos Run

Jake and I hooked up at Los Gatos High parking lot and ran 54 plus minutes up and down the trail to the dam. Jake set the pace which kept my HR in the mid 130's and mid 140's throughout the run. We were supposed to do 3 loops (up and backs) but Jake was done after two so we went to the track and I ran 5 laps with 5 x 100 striders (one strider per lap). My legs felt good so no complaints. Jake was "done" in as usual by continuing to run every day and by not starting out slow enough to work into the run. My 140's, which are easy for me, are too hard for Jake.

He just keeps himself in a constant state of tiredness. I wonder if he woud follow my workout recommendations for one month? His legs would feel much better but he would hate it.

Another Approach

I have been talking to George Beinhorn on email. He is a few years older than I am and seems at peace with his approach to running. He starts his runs very slow and works into it as long as it feels right. He also believes in putting most of his work in on a single day. The other two days he runs are short 30 minute recovery runs. His hard day is long and generally up in the hills. So we have been chatting and I just bought his book. Watching my peers crash and burn by constantly doing too much running tells me that as I age I need more rest or alternative workouts (walking???) to pounding every other day. I am ready to shift to one big day a week and 2-3 short recovery days. This will be my first shift since I went to every other day back in late 1990. Of course I realize that one running day is simply to burn calories. I can always walk that mileage instead.

Of course it will be strange but it was very strange back in 1990 after 15 years of running 7 days a week.

The "big" day could be a race or long-long run or a double day. The others just easy recovery runs. The rule would be no running if I am tired and sore.

This will be strange.

Cricket's Run

Beautiful morning. I lazed around the house but finally got out around 8:40. I started very slow with my HR in the 115-125 range. After about 40 minutes I kicked it up around 130-135. I was running a variation of my railroad track route and ended up taking a right on Sunnyvale Saratoga Avenue. I was about half way up to the side street where I planned to circl back when I saw cars swerving to avoid something. The something turned out to be small white and tan terrier of some sorts. I called the dog over to the side of the road and bent down to pet him. He had a collar on him with a name (Cricket) and a phone number. I grabbed him up (he seemed quite content just to hang with me) and I walked to a nearby house, borrowed a cell phone and called the number. No one was home so I left a message. There was a small shopping center nearby with a cat hospital so I dropped Cricket off there and asked the attendant to call the number on the tag again. I took their business card and decided that if no one had called by the time I ran home, that I would come and get the dog and let him stay with us until the owner contacted me.

I headed back home taking my HR up into the 140's. Actually my legs felt great. By the time I arrived at the house I had been running for around 80 minutes not including the time it had taken me to deal with Cricket. I called the cat place and the lady on the other end told me that the owners of the dog had come by and picked Cricket up.

So as Shakespeare once wrote:

"All well that ends well."

Floating a 5K

I went to the club workout. It was a 5K on the track. I had originally thought about running it at AT effort but ended up not running very hard at all. I ran a 2.5 mile warmup, then floated the 5K at 70-75% and ran around campus afterward. The reality was that I didn't want to run hard.

I ended up chatting with Jake during and after breakfast about all he was doing which is still 7 days a week of being tired. Dimitri thrashed himself all spring and blew his summer mile racing program so he is rebuilding for Hollister. Ray has moved back down to Paso Robles to open up a business in San Luis Obispo. Men of the 800 (or the mile) is officially inactive.

Not Another Runner

I ran a true 5 miler this morning adding an extra 400 to my usual 4 laps on the De Anza Track. The strange part was that the track was empty. Not a single other runner showed up during the 5 laps I ran there. Anway, I had time to think (or maybe I took time to think). I realized that slow as I am that if I want to run faster I need to go back to my program of 1990-1991 which was basically every other day running with an AT test run every 3rd to 4th week. Most of my other runs need to be at or below 70%. That means 4 runs one week, 3 the next. Back in 1990 I did about 10 miles a day and my guess is that I can still do 8-10 miles on the days I run. I may be able to get away with my present 4 day schedule as long as I run only 3 days during the next week. Older runners with as many miles as I have on my legs have to give something away. Either intensity or running days. I am watching my friend Jake just continue to dig himself into a hole with 7 days of running week after week at any pace. His body does not recover.

If all this works I probably should be able to do intervals and tempo runs from time to time but the first order of business is simply to get faster during my AT runs or during my easy runs.

I guess this is called eating my own dog food.