Pushing the rock forward

Danny, Tom and I ran for sixty minutes. We all had sluggish days but got through the workout anyway. I don't remember when I last had a smooth feeling training run. Going out and running strong seems to be a thing of the past. We push the rock forward.

Thursday should be interesting.

After we run, we usually go to breakfast and see other older folks shuffling along taking forever to get from their tables out to their cars ( or vice versa ).

Then we look at each other.....the thought is the same.

Keep running...

Long run

Met up with Dimitri at Foothill a College and ran Altamont to Foothill Park  and back. 78 minutes keeping my HR at 60-70%. We expected it to be warmer but the weather was relatively cool and overcast. My legs seemed to be recovered from Thursday,

Fastest yet again...

I walked four miles on Wednesday. One mile with Lucy (The Wonder Dog) and three more with Bob.  Our usually there and back walk to Tom's cafe. It doesn't seem like much but there was no question that I was feeling flat today.

The plan was for Danny and I to run 8 x 500 at 85-90% of max.

I ended up running 7 x 500 instead but 6 of them were in 2:18 average (fastest yet). I pulled the plug after number 7. My legs weren't there plus it was getting warm.

6 days of nada

I ran 60 minutes on Tuesday last and then took the next six days off from running. I did do some serious walking in Stanley, Idaho but that was it.

Got back at it today running 60 minutes with Danny.

Up and back: a hobbit runner' tale

Dimitri and I met up at Foothill and ran an easy pace up to the park via Moody Road and back. We finished in a hair over 73 minutes which these days is pretty pedestrian. I kept my HR in the 60-65% range most of the way. I did see 70% as we closed in on the summit. Otherwise the run was low HR. We didn't push coming back.

Tempo Day

This morning was TEMPO DAY for Tom, Danny and I. We ran 8 x .33 around the tennis courts.

After a twenty minute easy jog we got off to a sleepy start with a 2:30. After that we gradually cranked it down to the low 2:20's finishing up with a 2:17. I stayed in target HR which is still 168-172. It was on the warm side ( but not hot ) so I had lay off slightly to avoid cardiac creep. We averaged 2:24 which is a blazing 7:16 pace. Age graded it's 5:18 which, like last week is fast for an AT workout.

Tom, who is getting back in shape, ran 2:30 average which is still fast.

We're all traveling on and off over the next few weeks ( all of us are MIA next Thursday ) but we will rendezvous back Thursday July 3rd and resume the next tempo workout.

60 minutes, no kidding!

Met up with Danny and Tom and ran an easy 60 minutes. My heart rate pretty much stayed in the 130's. So very easy even by the new ever slowing standards.

Afterwards we want to see Bill Tarr and then had breakfast.

In the early afternoon I signed the title papers propelling my mother 's home in the direction of the new owner.

BIG LONG

Tom tells me we only did 8 x 400 on Thursday. A bleak moment in OTH running.

NEVER ASK DANNY WHERE WE ARE IN A WORKOUT!

Seriously, my bad if it is true.

Anyway, this morning Dimitri and I ran the BIG long course out to Page Mill and back. Of course big and long are relative these days. Forget the distance. I generally run by time these days.

88 minutes change and for whatever distance it was.

Fastest yet

Met Tom and Danny over at WVC to run threshold reps. We decided to do 10x400. The same workout I did Sunday with two differences.

1. It was cooler

2. We did the reps on the tennis court loop which meant a fast 400 with a net down followed by a not so fast 400 with a net up.

My legs were stiff during the jog warmup and didn't feel that great on the first 3 reps. But the times were there from the beginning and the recovery during the 200 walk was good too. Then it got better. After the first one, Danny and I consistently nailed 146-147's going down and up. My HR stayed in the 80-90% range. The last one was a hair trigger under 144. I averaged 1:47 which is a 7:08 pace.

Fastest yet!

Well, at least for this program.  Now if I could ever get the 800's and 1000's down to that pace, I might even try a club workout or two. At best it's a long shot.

Tom did okay too. He's not in good condition and is working his way back. Averaged in the low 8's. He'll be back up with us if he can stay healthy.

Not so hot

Temps returned to late spring normalcy. Danny, Tom and I ran an easy 60 minutes. Tom was shade seeking because he is not in very good shape and Danny, exhausted by a 1.5 mile run to campus staggered through the workout.

Okay, it was only easy for me. 130 HR most of the way. Breakfast afterwards. No complaints.

HOT!

I've been walking since Wednesday due to the cervical cortisone shot. Doctor's recommendation. I finally decided to get back at it today. I walked Lucy for a mile and then went over to Foothill to do a real workout with Dimitri. Twenty minutes easy warmup followed by 10 x 400 ( 200 recovery ) at 85-90%  of max.

It was warm and getting hotter. My  HR jumped into the target range pretty quickly. I still averaged 1:55 (7:40 pace ). The warm conditions definitely slowed me down. I easily hit 175-76 several times towards the end (cardiac drift) which tells me that 180 is easily attainable.

I rewarded myself with a big frap at Starbucks.

60*

Tom and I ran an easy 60* minutes at WVC. Afterwards we went to Starbucks. I had coffee and a blueberry scone (((sugar))).

60*   Don't really know the distance and don't care.

Tomorrow I get a cortisone shot in C 5-6. Hopefully this will help calm the pinched nerve issue. It's been going on for months.

The usual run

I planned to run on the track at Foothill but that wasn't happening. The entrance to the parking lot closest to the stadium was backed up with cars waiting to get in. Meanwhile there were a number of empty lots right nearby. I took the alternative and sought a space in one of the empty lots.

Anyway, it seems that some sort of youth track meet was in full swing. That canceled out the planned workout. Dimitri and I decided to run our usual long run up to Palo Alto Park and back. It was a nice morning. We made the summit in 42:12 minutes and came back in 30.

72:12 minutes total.

Add in 30 seconds if we had started from our usual parking spaces.

Tough run

Tried an experiment today and ran with Bill and Joann at Rancho San Antonio. From the beginning the pace, which was easy for them, was a bit fast for me, but I was able to hang with them for 55 minutes before I finally decided to back off and run in by myself. The pace was around 9:40 which age grades to low 7 pace at age 30. It wasn't anything to brag about but the course was all hilly trails.
Bill tells me it's 7 miles total. It took me just under 68 minutes.

It was a moment of truth. Bill runs in the 20 minute range for 5k and Joann runs in the 22's. No wonder I can't run those times anymore. Not sure whether it makes sense, but I might have to experience more days like this if I want to run faster.

The tempo running I've been doing definitely helped. I was never in oxygen debt. But it wasn't an easy run. It reminded me of first training with John and Jake back in late 1975. Back then it took me running with them every other day for a year to get used to a faster tempo. Then I could run with them every day.

Slow runs can tell you a lot

Sometimes slow runs can tell you a lot. Shel and I went up to GG Park and ran an 8k course ( me at low HR ) with one minute easy walks every 5-7 minutes and still ran 55 minutes. My HRM stayed in the low 130's most of the way. 11 minutes miles are slow but better than I expected especially with the walk breaks. Beautiful day in the city. We went to the restaurant at the Harding Golf Course for breakfast.

Fast and relaxed

Took a long warmup today. Over 30 minutes of easy jogging. Danny and I then ran 1000 meter loops with the first 400 fast and relaxed, and then jog-walked to the start-finish and did it again 4 x.

Nothing startling. 1:44-1:41-1:41-1:42.

Slow but age graded to 73-75 seconds when I was young and fast. The goal was not to go hard but to get fast leg turnover and some faster than threshold type speed.

Easy hour

Ran a very easy hour this morning. Danny kept me company ( Tom's in Cheese Head country....WI ).
I can feel my feet and knees. Lighter training shoes may be too light. The weather was cool and clear.

Long run

79 minute long run in the hills with Dimitri. Walked portions of some of the stepper stuff but still got to the park in 49 minutes. Came back down Moody in 30 minutes.

Threshold workout in the heat

Tom and I met a half hour early and warmed up together. No afib day for Tom so we went and ran 5 sets of 400-500's at 85-90%. It was hot out. It's the last day of the most recent heat wave. I let the HRM do the talking. I did the 500's down end 400's up. I ran faster than expected and my recovery was good despite the weather conditions. 2:22-23's on the 500's and around 1:50 on the 400's. One of my fastest yet.

Nuclear

The (((heat))) is here again. Got out early with Tom and Danny and cruised 60 minutes of slow stuff before the temps went nuclear. I'm dragging a bit. Not sure if it's not getting enough sleep, carbs or just being 69 years old. Frankly, I don't care. I'm running anyway. There is no bottom. If I had to trade being fast now for being fast when I was young, there's no contest. I wouldn't make the trade. But I still keep trying to find ways to youth myself. Natural ways of course.

So far, just like everyone else, my running keeps going steadily downhill.

Hey! Maybe I just need to run downhill courses.

The Weekend

I ran an easy 30 minutes on Saturday morning. I was still recovering from Thursday's tempo workout.

Sunday was a steady run on Foothill's track. I kept my HR around 70% much of the run. It hasn't begun to heat up yet but it's a coming.

Sunday's run was a good sign. I had to work a bit to get my HR up to the 65-70% range. My legs felt good so they weren't tired or beat up. It's usually a good sign if my HR doesn't pop right up into range. Of course the heat will speed things up but the HRM will keep me honest.

Ladder Workout

Jogged an easy 20 minutes to warm up this morning. Danny and I then ran a ladder consisting of 400-600-800-1000-800-600-400 (2 minute rest) at tempo pace. My HR never got past 165-166. In fact, 166 was this week's 168-170.

The first part of the ladder was pretty blah. The speed wasn't coming to me. Danny just stayed in lane two and went along for the ride.

"The air is heavy," he said several times. I'm not sure what heavy air is, but something was heavy. That's for sure.

From the 1000 on, the pace got faster while the effort remained the same.

Nothing blazing. Sub-8 pace overall.

Big days (for me)

Two big days back to back! I walked over four miles on Monday and ran 60 minutes on Tuesday (with Danny).  Kept the pace slow so I have dome energy left for Thursday's reps.

A New 70% Record

Dimitri and I ran the Moody Rd course. Up and back. I kept my HR at 65-70% all the way. It felt rediculously easy but surprise, surprise, we got to the park in just under 42 minutes and arrived back in 70:45! A new record for that level of effort. I don't know what to make of it. Whatever it means, it is a good sign.

Easy Run

I decided to run 30 minutes easy today. The club was relaying 200 meters on the track, so I jogged and socialized. I guess the 400's on Thursday despite the heat, didn't take that much out of my legs.

HEATER

First heater run of the year. After a solid 20 minutes of easy running Danny joined me for 12 x 400 at 85-90% on the track. Originally I was going to run 800's but the climbing temps changed my mind. Danny and I grooved mid 150's on most of the reps after a slow start. We decided to pull the plug at 10 reps because of the heat. It seemed counterproductive to keep on going.

I didn't reach 167-168 until the last two reps. I was mostly in the low 160's and my recovery was excellent on the 200 meter walks in between. I was glad for Danny's company.

Jus too darn HOT!

Afib Run

Low key day. Tom, Danny and I ran an easy hour. Tom struggling with afib. He needs to take action. He doesn't get enough oxygen so the pace stays slow. It's Jake all over again.

My HR was rarely over 120 but I am not complaining. It was a total recovery run.

Big HEAT wave coming in. Thursday could be interesting.

Threshold Workout

I was planning to go up and run the DSE race in San Francisco but Shel called in sick last night so I decide to go to WVC and do a 1,000 meter threshold workout. It was overcast and windy and it was a heck of a lot further than I have gone so far since beginning this latest program.

Warmed up for 20 minutes
4 x .66 (5:07-12-10-09) at 85-90% of max. 2 minute recovery between reps.
warmed down for 10 minutes.

I averaged 7:48 for the workout. A looooong way from where I want to be. I ran it alone which made it mentally tougher than it had to be. I saw the HRM flicker at 175-76 once which means my operational max may be higher than I am judging it to be. Mostly, I stayed in the 167-173 range which is AT.

Easy stuff

Quiet day. I ran 65 minutes of easy stuff with Tom and Danny this morning.

MRI

65 minutes of run-walk ( mostly running ) with Ready to go Tom and back from Oregon, Danny.
It was windy and cool. We ran college loops plus the two mile warm up course. Then it was up to Bill Tarr's and breakfast afterward.

MRI on my shoulder in the afternoon. A study in discomfort. Something was jabbing the very spot below my shoulder blade that was being scanned. I dealt with it but I thought of hitting the panic button several times. You can't move and there's the rub.

20 minutes of pain. Low, throbbing pain.

It let up the moment they handed me my get out of MRI card.

Going to the mountain

Dimitri and I finally ran the going to the mountain course in the Los Altos Hills. This is a longer variation of our usual route. It adds one steep #@%* hill.

No wrong turns this time. 49 minutes to the summit and 30 minutes back down which shocked both of us given how easy it felt. Passed twice though by two young women (tall, brunette, athletic, cruising by us like we were jogging....Oh we were!). I kept my HR at or under 70%. If that meant walking some portions of the steeper hills, then I walked.

7:48's

Did my 8's this morning. Tom begged off due to heart rate issues. I ran 5 x 800 (2 minute rest) at a 7:48 pace. I used 168-172 as my AT range and right now I think it's right. I had to push early on to get up in zone but had to back off later to keep from going too high. The good news was that my recovery was excellent. My HR dropped back under 70% in a minute or less. Also, and this was the surprise, my reps got slightly faster as I progressed through them. The cool weather and two minute rest was probably the reason.

Good to Go Tom

It was Good to Go Tom today (versus Not Good to Go Tom). We didn't stay around the college much but instead ran Ray's warmup and the Northwest Passage that took us up to highway 9. It was cool but not cold so the running conditions were near perfect. I wore the HRM and mostly stayed in the 130 range. This was 15 beats below my target so the run wasn't hard.  Good Tom led the way. I hope he feels this good Thursday.

We hit an hour, walked a bit and called it a day.

KING OF THE FOURTH LANE

Another one of those days. An hour exacto, running slow at first and faster later on. I wore the HRM and let it run for me. My HR floated up to the mid 140's and I was actually passing other joggers on the track. For a brief time I was King of the Fourth Lane. The reality was a ten minute pace and sometimes faster. Age grade it and you have a 7:18 give or take. Mostly take.

8's with the HRM

8's this morning. Tom has been experimenting with not taking some of his meds to see if it would make a difference and it has! He stayed in the workout only taking one 800 off.

We ran 400-600-800 x 2 followed by a last 800. I wore the HRM and found that 166-170 was the range that I hit while doing the reps. After each rep my HR quickly dropped back under 70% so the recovery is about right.

Next week, no more mister nice guy. I'm going to do 2 x 400 followed by 4 x 800 followed by 2 x 400.

Easy hour run

Tom, Danny and I ran a very easy hour with walk breaks. T's and shorts. Seemed comfortable. First sign of summer. It's warming up. Real summer is several months off.

Altamont

Ran up Altamont to the park and back down the trails to Moody and then to the college.  I took it very easy. The hills did the work for me. 80 minutes total.

Dimitri joined me.

Real 8's

Ran 8's this morning. All four of us were there. Vince who had to be someplace before the meat of the workout began, Tom, who is dragging badly, and Danny who showed up halfway through dressed to the T's.

600-800-600-800-600-800.

I kept the pace closer to 8 minutes versus the 7:30 pace stuff I was doing. The goal is to go longer right now. Not faster. It turned out to be a good move. I felt good throughout.

Before the rain...

Storm came in and we figured it would be wet Tuesday morning but for some reason the calamity held off and we got in our run with only a few sprinkles. Tom who is tracing his problems to a probably calcium deficiency, ran fine and we did our hour. Danny did most of it coming out fashionably late (as always). It was cold and warm all at once depending if the sun came out from behind the gray clippers blowing over our heads. There wasn't much of a wind down below. It was all up high blowing clouds.

Later on I walked Lucy between the rain. So maybe I got in 7 miles today but I wouldn't bet on it.

Sluggish and then strong

I met up with Dimitri at Foothill. He wanted to milk every bit of value from his time by running tempo and fartlek on the track. I wanted to do the exact opposite. I was feeling sluggish and so I jogged around for an hour going pitifully slow at first and then later on speeding up to a 9:20 pace. That's 6:50 age graded to put it in perspective. So the last 30 minutes of the run was actually strong.
So it was like two workouts. One half abysmal and the second half acceptable.

Interesting workout today. My buddy Tom continues to have vascular issues related to his heart. He really can't run. He's headed back to see his cardiologist. My other friend Danny did the workout with me. We were both "off" our game but went ahead anyway. I wouldn't characterize the workout as hard but it wasn't a walk in the park either.

600-600-800-600-800-600

The first two reps were sluggish. But we got faster as we went along while avoiding upping the perceived effort. The 800's are in bold.

3:00, 2:57, 3:45, 2:51, 3:40, 2:47. 

The 800's were our strongest showings. Next week I move to three of them.

Big day

Big day!!!! 8-9 miles total.  Ran for an hour with Danny and Tom ( Tom was dragging ) in the morning and then walked three miles roundtrip with Bob to Tom's Cafe for lunch. It was a good day to die ( Hoka Hey ) but I survived.  Had a great convo with Bob on the best way to run The Double. This has been an ongoing thing with us. But honestly, I have never run The Double. May never run The Double.

81 minute run in the hills

Dimitri and I ran a variation of our usual routes up and down the Los Altos Hills. We clocked around 81 minutes when it was all done. We did take a wrong turn but ended up back at the college anyway. My legs felt recovered from Thursday. We made sure the run was at a very easy pace. The hills were enough work.

8's again

It was a full house this morning. Tom, Danny, Vince and myself. My legs felt better this morning. Not 100% but good enough to run the 8's. We decided to run 5 x 600 plus 1 x 800 (stepping up). Everything seem to come together though. I did feel the pace but I found that whether I pushed or ran relaxed the result was well under an 8 pace. Numbers like 2:51, 2:48, 2:46 kept popping up. Even the 800 was 3:42. I kept mumbling about backing off but I seemed grooved into a certain pace.

The hangover from Sunday's run was still evident but nothing like Tuesday. But I did pay a price.

On my way to 6 x 800.

Run in drag

Dragged through the workout this morning. 60 minutes plus dog walk. 7.5 miles total. Just not my day ( except for the dog walk with Lucy...that was good ). Probably a hangover from Sunday. I was not recovered yet.

64:29

Dimitri and I ran the Moody 7. Up and back. Nothing fancy ceptin I wore the HRM and vowed to get up into the 70-75% range and stay there. Steady state run...Legs felt good and loose so we went for a course record. Note to all. Course record somewhere in the low 74's.

We hit the top in 37 flat. Our best by 7 minutes. Came back in 27:29. Whola! New record. Shocked by the improvement. I was looking for low 70's. This one is gonna be tough to beat.

Circling the track

Ran the track for an hour straight with Vince and Danny. Hardly ever do this sort of thing for an easy run. It was kinda fun. "Just follow the line," Vince said. Just follow the line. 

Turns out Vince (good guy that he is) gave blood late last week which explains why he was "tired" on Tuesday. He had no idea that no good deed goes unpunished. He'd given away 1/10th of his oxygen carrying capacity. It takes 6-8 weeks for the body to replace the deficit. 

Easy Hour

Easy hour. Cool and sunny. I wore my cycling gloves to keep the chill off my hands.

Danny kept me company. We passed Vince who was walking on the track and did not make direct eye contact. He mumbled something about being tired. We left him alone. It was strange though.

My legs were still recovering from Sunday's hard run back down from the Park.  Quads felt sore. You never know in this old guy's running life. Some days you just don't have it but you just grin and joke your way through the run.

A good 75 minutes

Dimitri and I ran our usual course wining up to Palo Alto Park and back. My legs felt heavy going up and I was surprised that we got to the park entrance in just a tad over 45 minutes. We cooked coming back down. Legs started to feel great and we arrived at the end in the low 75's. So overall, a good run.

The weather was overcast and moderate. I wore a T and running shorts.

Gung Ho!

8's

Ran my 8's today except I'm beginning to think I better start calling them seven and a half's. (7 1/2)

After a good warmup I ran 8 x 600 averaging 2.48. Danny ran most of them with me and that helped big time. Anyway, much faster than two weeks ago. I didn't push the pace. I kept the effort even but I was just faster. Once again, we were off the track and using the tennis court loop instead. Much more fun that way.

I've been hesitant to use the HRM to gauge HR but the time may be coming. I am doing these by feel. I am getting faster at 600 which means it is time to go longer.

Torrid run

Ran early at WVC with Danny. At one point I ran close to 70% of max hitting a 9-9:20 pace. Age graded that equals a sub 7's. Low 9's are torrid these days.

It was actually warm out. Kind of humid.

Altamont

Dimitri and I ran up the never ending hill that is Altamont Road to Palo Alto Park and came back down Moody via trails, Moody Court and eventually Moody Road (aka Moody). We did it under 75 minutes. A little bit slower than last time but who's counting.

The weather was moderate but with post rain storm, clean air.

We had a good time arguing about whether or not the US should be involved in the Crimean mess. Actually we both agreed that the USA should stay out. I likened Russia's move to Hitler's with the Sudetenland back in 1937-38 that eventually swallowed up Czechoslovakia. That's where the disagreement resided. There's the rub. If the Ukraine disappears back into the stomach of mother Russia then I will be right.

No 8's today

It rained all night but cleared up just before my morning run. I decided not to run the 8's. Instead I jogged around with Danny for an hour. My HR stayed low. Mostly in the 120's. Either I am in awesome shape or this is my new 70%. Of course I doubt the latter and the former. The face that my HR stayed consistent and didn't climb told me that I wasn't running tired. I walked with Lucy before the run so maybe (maybe) I got in 7 miles today.

Busy day:

Walk Lucy
Run
Breakfast
Lunch
Chiro visit for pinched nerve in my shoulder

So goes the day of the retired Silicon Valley Warrior.

Tom-less run

Sunny and cool in the beginning but it warmed up. I did several loops before running into Danny (excuse the pun). I had strapped on my HRM to keep myself under control but it was unnecessary. I bopped along in the 120's maybe hung over from Sunday's 10 x 400.  Danny was overdressed and besides, he was in questionable shape given his recent history of chronic under training and two colds one right after the other.

The workout was 68 minutes total but there was some significant walking in the mix towards the end.

A Tom-less run, he being on vacation in the Caribbean.

Which reminds me of a song.

Love, exciting and new
Come Aboard. We're expecting you.
Love, life's sweetest reward.
Let it flow, it floats back to you.

Love Boat soon will be making another run
The Love Boat promises something for everyone
Set a course for adventure,
Your mind on a new romance.

Love won't hurt anymore
It's an open smile on a friendly shore.
Yes LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE! It's LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE! (hey-ah!)

Love Boat soon will be making another run
The Love Boat promises something for everyone
Set a course for adventure,
Your mind on a new romance.

Love won't hurt anymore
It's an open smile on a friendly shore.
It's LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE! It's LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE! It's
LOOOOOOOOOOOVE!
It's the Love Boat-ah! It's the Love Boat-ah!

source: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/tvthemes/theloveboatlyrics.htmlull

A bit too fast but.....

I decided to hang out at Foothill Track this morning and run 400's at whatever. It's been a stressful last 5 days and I figured that I'd go do something just to get it in. I warmed up slowly for 23 minutes and then ran 10 x 400 (200 walk) and surprised myself with consistent low 1:50's. It was all done under control. Sub tempo at best and my legs felt surprisingly good. I actually had to back off because I was beginning to nail 1:50 and probably would have gone under if I hadn't put the breaks on.

A bit too fast but not too hard.

6 miles of various

Didn't run until midday but finally went out and got in a 50-55 minute run. Not exactly sure because during one brief stop, I forgot to start up my watch again plus I stopped to talk to our UPS Delivery guy briefly. He's also a good friend.  Anyway, had to kinda, sorta rely on watch time versus stopwatch time. I also walked a mile with Lucy beforehand. Somewhere in there I got six miles of various something. Can't complain about the weather. Cool, hazy and a slight wind. I carried my iPhone in case Sue needed to call me. I made the mistake of turning on the Nike running ap. My pace varied between 10-10:30 on the flats and low 9's on the downhill sections. This closing in on 69 years old is unforgiving. If I age grade it, it's a bit more sane but slow is still slow.

It's been almost 29 years years since I was at my best running-wise.
It's been almost 19 years since I decided to stop racing.
I doubt very much I'll be around for another 29 years or maybe even 19.
I'm not complaining. Enjoying each day as much as I can,

I still get to run 3 days a week. I can walk with our dog Lucy.

Tight run

Tom, Vince and I were running and Danny was walkin'. We did our usual 60 minutes of various campus loops. My legs felt very good but my lower back was tight. I ran on though it.

Altamont

Dimitri and I had another great run today. We climbed out of Foothill College and headed up Altamont Road towards Palo Alto Park. Strangely even though the outbound course was a consistent steep uphill, we got up to the park entrance right around 44 minutes. We took the old way down which is a back road that drops down to Moody Road and then to the college. We got back to the finish in 74 minutes. We jogged a bit of the way into the college to round off the time at 75 minutes.

I wore my HRM which stayed right around 137 going out and back.  The weather was near perfect. Sunny, cool (50's) and windless.

Tennis Court 600's

8's but not on the track. Tom, Vince and I ran 8 x 600 on the half tennis court loop adding in 100 meters to make it 600.

The course ran downhill counter clockwise, turned in at the main driveway and then up towards the bathrooms to finish. No reference points to stay on pace at first. Just effort base. The first one was on the slow side but after that we were under an 8 pace the rest of the way. Actually I averaged 7:33 pace included the first really slow rep.

It was a nice break from the track. It's a fast course because of the downhill sections but you pay it back over the last uphill.

Foggy run

Vince, Tom and I on a foggy clingingly cold morning. We ran 60 minutes even though Tom came up a bit short with a calf pull. Hopefully it's nothing but then what's not nothing at our age?  Tom broke into a walk immediately which was smart. Been there. Done that. Four times in 2008 and again in early 2012. Deep tissue on my legs ever since.  Our little buddy missed again. He elected to go to the fat (gaining) farm with his wife for Valentine's week. It's called Reno. She gambles and he sits in the spa and relaxes. Both gain five pounds.

Hmmmmm...

Actually that sounds pretty nice except for the Reno part. Seems to me that there's got to be a spa and weight gaining place a great deal closer than Reno.

100 minutes of hills

Dimitri and I and ran a different course heading out of a Foothill College. Instead of heading up Moody we bore right and took Elena. 100 minutes of hills, rolling hills, long hills and other types of hills. Overcast but it didn't rain so the only wet was our own sweat. This was my longest run in a long time. I wore the HRM and stayed in the 65-70% range.

Great run but my lower back tightened up on the way back, I walked and ran my way out if it.

8's in the drizzle on a wet track

It rained last night and into the early morning. Tom and I figured that we would run half tennis court loops instead of the track but the rain let up send settled down into a drizzle. The track was wet but only several sections of the inside lane were flooded. So we went and did our 8 x 600 workout. We both got off to a slow start before we adjusted and began to mow the 600's down with precision. Well, mow might be too strong a word. After all it's only an 8 pace.

We'll stay there until Tom get's back from his cruise.

Long Valle Vista

Tom, Vince and I ran for an hour around campus and up long Valle Vista. We ended up back on campus and spotted Danny running wind sprints on the track. The weather was clear and felt cold. Tom must be on PEDS. He pushed the pace throughout. Afterward Danny, Tom and I drove up to see Bill Tarr for an adjustment and then went and had breakfast.

Seems I definitely have a pinched nerve (according to Bill). He did an adjustment plus I have been taking Aleve 1-2 x a day. It all helps but my left arm still numbs up at times.

Ritualistic Soaking of the Hands

The usual long run from Foothill College up Moody with the turnaround at Foothill-Palo Alto Park.
It rained most of the way drenching Dimitri and I. It didn't really bother either of us except for our cold and wet hands. My gloves, which are great for cold weather, did jack once they were soaked. Our time was okay. 81 minutes. That was from car to car.

8's and it rained last night

Tom, Danny and I ran 8's on the track. 6 x 700 and 1 x 400. Averaged under an eight pace. Tom was strong. Danny was running like he never took time off. It rained last night but the track wasn't very slick. I was still feeling Peach Hill from Tuesday and it was rep five before I began to feel decent. I never struggled though. My body goes onto eight pace auto pilot and I just sort of settle in.

Peach Hill

It was a full house today. Vince, Danny, Tom and myself. Tom and I ran a couple of college loops and then with Vince and Danny in tow, we ran Peach Hill. I wore my Fitbit off the front of my right hip where it seems to get the best reading. We chugged up Fruitvale, crossed highway 9 and then up (up) into the sidewalk-less neighborhoods of Saratoga. I was kinda dragging at the rear all the way to the top but recovered going back down. When we finished, sans Danny who made a life saving dash to the bathrooms as we re-entered the campus, I had 6 miles and change on my device. Tom's GPS watch had almost exactly the same reading.  The difference was a few 100's.

We were all pretty tired but breakfast and coffee perked us up.

A morning at the track

Today was a nowhere run...

60 minutes of the slowest running imaginable over at Foothill College Track . I warmed up with Dimitri very slowly, jogged around while he did his two mile trial and then warmed down with him afterward. There was a field hockey game going on and some of the mothers and kids seemed blissfully unaware of track etiquette. Not as bad as Saratoga High  School Track though. I chased one mother and her young daughter off the inside two lanes where she had parked her baby stroller. I was nice about it and so was she. Dimitri was coming by around and it had accident written all over it.

I thoroughly enjoyed it all. A fat Asian guy blazed jogged by us we were running so slowly.

8's on the track

8's on the track with Tom. Danny joined us for the last part of the workout. We're up to 6 x 600 and 2 x 400. I was my usual sluggish self for the first 3 x 600 but began to settle in after that. Pretty much stayed around an 8 pace or just under. The last several 600 we're 2:55. The last 400 was 1:53. All were sub tempo and I did them under control.

Tom hung in there until the 7th rep and then he didn't.

He still averaged around an 8 pace except for the 7th.

The warmup was 20 minutes. The warm down was walking to the car.

Another Fitbit Calibration Run

Tom and I ran sixty minutes at the college. Tried to further calibrate the Fitbit but it was way off this time. Ran the tennis court loop and a campus loop. We know the distances because the loops have been measured by a calibrated wheel but the Fitbit didn't even come close. It's seems more valuable on my walks.

Anyway, my legs felt good and Tom who juggled medications ran well too. Danny joined us for the last straightaway.

Fitbit

Dimitri and I ran a very pedestrian 89 minute up and back from Foothill College. We reached the upper park in an all time slow 50 minutes and came back down to our cars in 39 minutes. We were around 85 minutes at the last Y before you go into the college. It took us another 4 minutes to reach home base.

I took along the a Fitbit device that Tom and I calibrated on Thursday to see what the distance might be. The device said that we were over 8 miles but I would take that with a grain of salt until we use a GPS device to get a closer read. Fitbit "calibrated" said 8.25. It seems to read 5% less than actual.

But who knows for sure.

The day started cool but warmed up nicely.

Back out...back in

I threw my back out Monday and didn't run again until this morning. I took it easy jogging with Tom and Vince. We did 60 minutes with walk breaks every five. My back didn't tighten up so I am going to guess that I can return to regular training next week.

Chiro and massage helped to speed the healing process.

60 minutes at Foothill

I drove over to Foothill to run with Dimitri. We slowly warmed up together as he got ready for a one mile time trial. After that I picked up the effort taking my HR up to 140. I checked the pace and it was right around 9:20 per mile. Nothing FANTASTIC but good enough for my old body. It was a 6:54 effort age graded. I felt very strong and smooth doing this. 2-3 months ago this would have been a ten mpm pace.

After Dimitri had finished we slow jogged for another twenty minutes. I ended up about with an hour total.

The track was crowded. There was a kids field hockey game going on and people were walking back and forth across the track. Oblivious of course to runners.

Eights on the track

8 pace day on the track with Tom. We warmed up for 20 minutes and then launched into our veteran's version of tempo.

600-600-400-600-600-400-600-400 (200 walk recovery).

The first three were not easy but then from the fourth rep on things just flowed. Tom had exactly the opposite experience. He struggled from the first one all the way through to the end. He was literally staggering. I tried to talk him into backing off or just stopping but the guy is amazingly tough minded.  So he completed the workout but as I got faster and smoother (lucky me) he was getting slower and looked ragged.

But he finished. 

60 minutes

Met up with Tom and ran 60 minutes. We almost forget our walk breaks. Made 40 minutes before we decided to stop and stroll a bit. Still on the cool side. Hanging in the 30's but warms up to the 60's my midday.  I need a mental adjustment about cool weather. This is nothing in comparison to the arctic blast hanging over the Midwest.

Thursday is eight pace day. We're working our way up to 5 x 600 and 3 x 400. Danny showed up and walked around campus and then we all drove up to Bill Tarr's office for an adjustment.  Breakfast after. A GIANT bowl of oatmeal.

73 minute calorie burner

73 minutes of very easy running at a Foothill College with Dimitri. Temps were in the high 30's but frankly it felt much colder. We stayed down on campus so we could run in the sunlight versus the shade. A bit weenie but at least it helped get us through the run.

We ran into a group of marathoners doing mile repeats Galloway style.

4 x 400-600

Another relatively cold morning. 30's.....

Tom and I ran a good warmup and then reeled off 4 x 400-600 sets at a sub eight pace. I, for one, had trouble getting untracked but once we finished the first set (400-600) I began to go onto automatic. Tom hung in well today. Had no issues keeping up. Danny came down and walked for a while before we all went to breakfast.

I recovered from Peach Hill on Tuesday. I was concerned that it had taken too much out of me. Didn't bother Tom either.

Peach Hill

Last day of the year. Tom and I ran a campus loop followed my Peach Hill, a course we hadn't done in years. Lots of uphill followed by a nice bit of down...Hard to believe this used to be a 4 mile warmdown for us back in the day.

Anyway, 63 minutes total.

Danny joined us for breakfast! Getting over his cruise and a lousy cold.

Walked Lucy for a half hour after breakfast.

On the track at Foothill

Ran at Foothill Track with Dimitri. He did a two mile time trial (14:33) and I did every other lap with him. Mostly 7:15 pace running which wasn't that easy. My body wanted to run an eight pace. Gee, I wonder why?

With a good warmup and warm down I got in 60 minutes.

8 pace!

Tom and I warmed up for 20 minutes (we needed it. It was cold) and then ran 400-400-600-400-600-400-600-400 on the track averaging an eight pace or better. I had recovered well from last Sunday and Tuesday. No problem keeping on pace. It's becoming almost automatic now. Tom struggled with the last two reps but still hit goal pace. I was slightly under.

Yes, I am the king of the eight pace in short bite sized reps.

Solo Run

I did a solo run this morning tramping along an old course though the local neighborhood. Plenty of rolling hills. I pushed a bit more than usual. Not hard by any means but on the edge. I kept the run at an hour even though I felt good enough to run farther. But I had to ask why. Why did I need to go further?

There was no reason.

I'm a 5k racer who no longer races. Well, never say never. 

I have a tough workout scheduled for Thursday.

Shut it down at an hour.

So I did.

PR Obliteration

Ran at Foothill aka The Long Run and obliterated my former PR of 78 minutes dropping it down to 74:12.  The whole run felt great! Got up to the park in just under 44 minutes and came back down in 30 minutes and change. Never really pushed the pace but didn't jog either.

I guess this is where a runner's got to be careful. Two course PR'S in the last four weeks.

Righting the ship

Righted the ship. I made sure I got enough carbs ( sorry ladies, carbs, not protein ) for several days prior.

Even though it was still relatively cold (California cold) Tom and I went to the track and banged out 400-400-600-400-400-600-400-400 at a sub 8 pace. We both felt strong.  The 400's are starting to drift down to 1:55 and the 600's were around 2:55. Of course the goal isn't really faster. It's longer.

Whatever it is, we have a ways to go.

Slog(ing)

A tired running day. Either dieting or simply not enough carbs ( probable reason ).  60 minutes of slog(ing).  I was hanging onto Tom's coat tails throughout the run.

Slow down, Tom.

TOM! SLOW DOWN!

Except we weren't going that fast so I kept my mouth zipped.

Timeless Run

After walking for two days I joined up with Dimitri and we ran up Moody Road in the (((cold))) morning. We topped out in the upper park before heading back down again. I called it 80 minutes but it might have been longer. I didn't time it. No stopwatch. No nothing. A "timeless" run. I was tired. Probably a combo of Thursday and my diet. Losing weight ain't for sissies. It was cool but sunny back in the parking lot. Warmed up nicely.

Reps on the track

Tom went on a wine tasting trip. Danny is off on The Love Boat somewhere in the Caribbean.

However, I went to the track. It wasn't quite as cold as it's been for the past week. I warmed up for 24 minutes and then launched into 400-600-400-600-400-600-400 at just under an 8 pace. 200 meter walk in between reps as always. I walked 10 minutes to cool down afterwards. 60 plus minutes all together.

The workout wasn't that hard but I had to focus to stay on pace. That's what this is all about anyway.

I also did a forty minute walk with Lucy at mid day. My legs felt good. Not tied at all.

Running and walking added up to an hour and fifty minutes.

GOD, when is it gonna warm up?

Another slightly below freezing morning run with Tom. GOD, when is it gonna warm up? 

We ran 60 minutes capped off with a ten minute cool down walk. Everything warmed up with the digits of my fingers coming on line last of all.  It was sunny and crisp with no wind so things could have bern colder. I was happy with the run. We moved along once we got unfrozen.

I am on my own Thursday. 400's on the track at the new six pace ( which is an 8 pace ).

Up and Back record

Set a new "up and back" record between the college, the upper park and back agin. Sort of surprised because it was (((cold))) out. In fact it was so cold ( low 30's ) that I jogged around the parking lot waiting for Dimitri to show up. Once we got moving I actually felt really great. We summited in under 45 minutes and made it back in the usual 33.

What am I finding out about myself ?

Three days a week of running is enough for me right now. Maybe sometime I'll go back to seven days of running in 14.

Just not right now...

The eight pace day is not tearing me down. It seems to help me run faster.

There are no rules...but then I am always finding out that bit of wisdom.

8 x 400 or the quest for the elusive 8 pace.

Tom and I reached the first milestone in our quest for the elusive 8 pace.

We ran 8 x 400 easily averaging under two minutes a shot. With our long warmup we did an hour total. Temps were in the low 30's but luckily there was almost no breeze and once the sun cleared the nearby trees, we actually warmed up.

A Good Run

A good 60 minute run this morning despite cooler, windy conditions. Tom and I ran some sections of the course in the low to mid 9's. Glacially slow by old standards but really decent for guys our age especially when the pace is age graded. I've been feeling good lately on my runs. Probably a combo of three day a week training, losing weight and those pesky 400's.

Calorie Burner

I pretty much walked my way to Sunday. 30 minutes on Friday, 60 on Saturday ( even though I felt good enough to run ) and then another 40 minutes early Sunday afternoon. On Sunday morning Shel and I ran the south side of the Presidio for around 55 minutes. We took it very easy with walk breaks.


Purely a calorie burner.

7 x 400

I showed up at WVC to hook up with Tom. We ran our usual hour and then some. The heart of the workout was 7 x 400 at an eight pace.  The club turnout for the usual Turkey Day 7 mile run was very light. Maybe 5-6 runners. Back in the day 15-20 people would be out for the event.

Wally and I grabbed breakfast at Holders. Runners showed up from a local Turkey Trot still wearing their purple T shirts and race numbers. When I raced my T would be soaked. No way I could wear it afterwards. Obviously a "participants" group. Not a competitive group.

You guys run slow but I'm still sweating

Vince ran with Tom and I today. In passing he made what was an innocent but pointed comment.

You guys run slow but I'm still sweating.

65 minutes at an easy pace. Drove up with Danny and Tom afterward to see Bill Tarr for our monthly chiro visit and breakfast. Danielle cut work and joined us for an early lunch ( for her ).

Winning back pace

After two days off it was good to get back at it.  60 minute run followed by a 40 minute dog walk.

I paced my buddy who was doing a 2 mile AT run. He ran 14:42 and I ran 800, lap off, 800, 2 laps off, 400. The only reason I didn't do two laps on the last one was that my left foot cramped up. It didn't bother me at all on the much slower paced warm down. Not sure of the cause. I might have tied my shoelaces too tight. 

Winning back pace is tough. I was never in oxygen debt but the effort was still a stretch. 

6 x 400

Running with Tom. Danny has all but disappeared from running or walking. I am hoping he'll come back after his cruise ( plus 5 pounds ). Anyway, we miss his company.

Tom and I went to the track after a 25 minute warmup and ran 6 x 400 at an 8 pace. I felt okay but Tom struggled. We warmed down to make it 60 minutes total. We're halfway there. Once we get to 12 x 400 we'll convert our 200 meter walk to a 200 meter jog walk. Then we'll tackle some longer reps.

65 minutes

Tom and I extended our time running to 65 minutes. We ran the trail up to HWY 9 as part of venue. Cool and overcast.

Drifting for 85 minutes

Dimitri and I really drifted through our "long" run this morning. 85 minutes. We started a bit deeper in the college parking lot and took our time getting to the top by the park. So I guess I could call this run "Park to Park". We got to the summit in 48 and came back down in 37. Usually we're up in 46-47 and 33 coming back down.

Who cares though.p? Slowing down is inevitable. You might as well practice it from time to time.

It was a sunny, cool morning but I got away with a T and cycling gloves.

5 x 400

Made it over to WVC and ran a good hour with Tom. We did a 25 minute warmup and then ran 5 x 400 at a tick under an 8 pace ( 1:59 per lap ). We walked 200 meters between reps. Then we headed around campus and ran the total workout time up to a total of sixty minutes.

Both of us felt pretty strong. It'll be interesting when we get to 12 x 400 with a 200 jog recovery.

Funeral Games

Another gap in postings. Walked Friday and Saturday but had to drive to Santa Rosa on Sunday. My mother passed on at age 91 that morning at around 3:15 am. Now begins the funeral games. My sister and I will prepare the estate for transition which culminates in the sale of my mother's home.

I finally got out for a run on Tuesday for 60 minutes. My legs were rested. I also rang up another 35 minutes of walking. Lucy was glad to see me back so she could be walked.

Anyway, for the record

My father lived from 1918-1999
My mother lived from 1922-2013

8 pace is the new six.

An hour of running and with some walking. Ran some 8 minute pace 400's at the track with a 200 meter walk for recovery. My long term goal is to get used to running faster on occasion.  8 pace is the new six. Tom joined me for the workout. He was really tired after we finished but by his own omission he ran too fast. I hope that I didn't too. I was within myself on each rep but then I have done faster with Dimitri.

Catching up

I realized I stopped posting last Thursday. So i am playing cach up. I walked long on both Friday and Saturday to burn calories  but got back to running on Sunday. 45 puny minutes. Unremarkable really. Then I walked with Lucy afterwards and bumped up my daily total to 70 minutes. Friday, Saturday and Sunday were all 70 minutes or more (just not a great deal of running).

Monday was a piddling two miles with Wonder Dog (aka...Lucy).

This morning was another 60 minute run followed by 30 minutes of walking including a visit to Blackberry farm with Lucy.

Warm, sunny and breezy.

IF THIS BE WINTER, THEN SO LET IT BE!