I warmed up on a walk with Amber and then ran/walked my 3 mile course along the RR tracks. I ran (OK, jogged) 20 minutes of it in 5 minute increments and walked the rest.
All is well with the calf. Not a tinge of tightness or pain.
I will continued to go up slowly for another week or so. If I don't blow it, I should be up to normal by mid to late July.
Monday, June 30, 2008
The Long Walk
Between walking Amber in the morning and a long trek in the afternoon, I covered close to 100 minutes on Sunday. The one nice discovery about walking is that I can do it every day if I so choose. I don't know if it helps my running but the idea is to burn some calories and keep my legs fit. When I get back to my regularly scheduled running, I would like to walk long on the intervening days if possible. I just don't know how it will effect my recovery.
Walking Amber is not optional. At 12 years old she needs the exercise and seems to just float through our 20-30 minute jaunts.
Walking these days reminds me of long slow distance back 25-30 years ago. No pressure or expectations and it doesn't leave me stiff and sore.
Note to to myself. This summer, 30 years ago I came out of the hills and with almost no speed work or racing ran a 9:44 two mile on the track in a Los Gatos all comer's meet. I also ran 18:21 on Farwell. Typically Walt added a second to my time so officially it is 18:22 but not in my running diary.
I always ran better on little or no speed work.
Walking Amber is not optional. At 12 years old she needs the exercise and seems to just float through our 20-30 minute jaunts.
Walking these days reminds me of long slow distance back 25-30 years ago. No pressure or expectations and it doesn't leave me stiff and sore.
Note to to myself. This summer, 30 years ago I came out of the hills and with almost no speed work or racing ran a 9:44 two mile on the track in a Los Gatos all comer's meet. I also ran 18:21 on Farwell. Typically Walt added a second to my time so officially it is 18:22 but not in my running diary.
I always ran better on little or no speed work.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
18 minutes running and a whole lot of walking
I walked about 25-30 minutes this morning with Amber. In the mid afternoon I came back with another 60 minutes of walking and running. I capped the running at 18 minutes. I did this by jogging 2 minutes nine times. No pain or tightness. I did have a ghost of a sensation in my left calf. Very much like the last time I went through this. Nothing really. But Sunday will be walking only. Then we'll see on Monday.
I know this injury can recycle rather suddenly. I am being cautious.
Jake back in town. Don't know if we'll get a chance to run or not. He's coaching at Lynbrook and that might mean we don't sync up for a while.
I know this injury can recycle rather suddenly. I am being cautious.
Jake back in town. Don't know if we'll get a chance to run or not. He's coaching at Lynbrook and that might mean we don't sync up for a while.
If
I love playing the "if" game.
In this case if I were to come back. I was watching The Roaring Twenties a great old Cagney movie the other day where Panama tells Eddie that they finished out of the money. They weren't going to be on the top anymore. Personally I think my days are over as far as competitive running is concerned. I haven't been in that mindset for 13 years.
Not really.
But anyway.....IF....
I would have to get down to a good fighting weight. Probably 135 pounds. I was never really that skinny even in my best days. Probably closer to 138-142. But 135 would lower that body fat one gains with age.
I would run every other day. Sorry but no contest here. Everyday running wears me out. So I would have to run huge every other day. Huge is probably 10-12 miles. Doubles whenever I needed them.
Heart monitor would rule. I would need to keep this on most of the time so that I didn't over train.
Time trials and tempo over intervals. Intervals rip me up. I liked the program I was on early last year focusing at 1600-2400 and 3200 and working the times down. Of course there is always just running those 3 mile of 5K AT runs that tell me the truth about what shape I am really in.
Racing..ugh. I am not race-fit. That would take getting use to again. Probably a year and an acceptance of the desultory early results. I am not in Kansas anymore. My guess is that I am in poor 5K shape. Several years ago i could still run under 21 minutes (not too bad for a 60 year runner) but I think I have fallen off big time.
And of course understanding that even with all this work there may not be much there anyway.
I would need to keep my mouth shut about this if this is the path I choose. I would have to work into it and see if the commitment is there in any form. DSE races and obscure fun runs would be good places to practice my craft. Run at 85-90% and just get sued to being back in there. later on I could begin to intensify things up into the 90-95% range.
In this case if I were to come back. I was watching The Roaring Twenties a great old Cagney movie the other day where Panama tells Eddie that they finished out of the money. They weren't going to be on the top anymore. Personally I think my days are over as far as competitive running is concerned. I haven't been in that mindset for 13 years.
Not really.
But anyway.....IF....
I would have to get down to a good fighting weight. Probably 135 pounds. I was never really that skinny even in my best days. Probably closer to 138-142. But 135 would lower that body fat one gains with age.
I would run every other day. Sorry but no contest here. Everyday running wears me out. So I would have to run huge every other day. Huge is probably 10-12 miles. Doubles whenever I needed them.
Heart monitor would rule. I would need to keep this on most of the time so that I didn't over train.
Time trials and tempo over intervals. Intervals rip me up. I liked the program I was on early last year focusing at 1600-2400 and 3200 and working the times down. Of course there is always just running those 3 mile of 5K AT runs that tell me the truth about what shape I am really in.
Racing..ugh. I am not race-fit. That would take getting use to again. Probably a year and an acceptance of the desultory early results. I am not in Kansas anymore. My guess is that I am in poor 5K shape. Several years ago i could still run under 21 minutes (not too bad for a 60 year runner) but I think I have fallen off big time.
And of course understanding that even with all this work there may not be much there anyway.
I would need to keep my mouth shut about this if this is the path I choose. I would have to work into it and see if the commitment is there in any form. DSE races and obscure fun runs would be good places to practice my craft. Run at 85-90% and just get sued to being back in there. later on I could begin to intensify things up into the 90-95% range.
Friday, June 27, 2008
The road back seems open
I walked and ran 60 minutes this afternoon. The running portion was 12 minutes done in six 2 minute increments with plenty of walking in between. So the road back seems open.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Medicinal workouts continued
Ho hum.
50m minutes of walking with 9 x 1 minute thrown in for come-back medicinal purposes.
Amber with me for the first 20 minutes then I went on by myself.
50m minutes of walking with 9 x 1 minute thrown in for come-back medicinal purposes.
Amber with me for the first 20 minutes then I went on by myself.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Medicinal Workout
MUCH COOLER!
After 3 days or 95-100 degree heat the temps dropped down to normal.
I walked for 60 minutes on Sunday with the first 30 minutes with Amber. On Monday I went out for a walk with Amber again and then dropped her off at the house and walked over to the college. Once I arrived, I trotted on and off in one minute jogs interspersed with my normal walking. 70 minutes all together.
No pain. I will walk tomorrow and go medicinal again on Wednesday.
After 3 days or 95-100 degree heat the temps dropped down to normal.
I walked for 60 minutes on Sunday with the first 30 minutes with Amber. On Monday I went out for a walk with Amber again and then dropped her off at the house and walked over to the college. Once I arrived, I trotted on and off in one minute jogs interspersed with my normal walking. 70 minutes all together.
No pain. I will walk tomorrow and go medicinal again on Wednesday.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
The Desert
I walked for 62 minutes today. It was already in the 80's and it wasn't even 8 AM yet. The heat is oppressive. Amber gave the look. And why aren't you taking me out for my walk? At 12 and half I just can't see subjecting her to this sort of weather. It's no country for old dogs even though she seems in pretty good shape. But that look is still there developed over thousands and thousands of years since her ancestors risked coming inside the ring of fire.
Drove over to Carrows for breakfast. Only Todd and Dimitry were there. We still had a great time chatting things up. Strange though, where were the other dozen or so folks who usually show up?
Turns out that Danny had bled a number of them off for the corporate cup (or thimble as I like to call it these days). It's usually Lock-Mart, SCVAL (whatever that is) and another company who goes about picking up ringers to compete for them. This is dying event like The Holy City Race but somehow like the late Byzantine Empire, it stays alive. I would put a bullet it its head and move on. Danny just laughs when I say something like this but Madelyn would pounce on me with claws out. So if I say something it just with Danny around. Those claw marks take time to heal up.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
No hurry
June 19th: No running for a while. I have been walking though. All the way up to 90 minutes. No pain or tightness. Now and then I will get those phantom pings in my calf but it seems to be nothing really. When I stand barefooted in the house, the calf feels normal. I can bounce up and down a few times and feel nothing. I think all systems are go but my plan is to wait a little while longer before beginning the medicinal workouts. I may start next week. We'll see.
No hurry.
No hurry.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Calf Heart Attack..Again
So what does back to stop mean?
It is good to keep a log even if one is no longer the runner of yore. I re-read the whole section from the very end of January through to the end of March. It imperfectly documents what I had to go through to get running again. I swore up and down like some condemned prisoner that I was not going to run for 6-8 weeks but in the end I went back way before that. In the early stage I fooled around and kept running way too much pushing out the begin the healing date. So I won't make that mistake again. I will start medicinal workouts After about a week of nothing. I should be able to walk around and up and down stairs with no tightness.
This is the program I will follow. I have already started by doing the self message.
I will have to figure out the stretching part. Never been good at stretching. Also not included here is hills. I will have to stay away from for a good deal of time.
Anyway, here it is from John Parker if you are interested. Otherwise it is just for me.
It’s possible to diddle around with micro-tears for months. One miscalculation and you might be back to square one.
About ten years ago, I started having a lower-leg problem that I assumed was a pulled calf muscle. The calf would get tender, sometimes knotty, after hard training (usually intervals); then a few days later, while out on a run, I’d feel a sharp pain very deep in the gastroc, and bingo, I’d be out of business.
The injury would respond to massage and rest, and after a few days, it would seem to be fine. Here’s the tricky part, when I’d start back running after a few days off, things would go well for a mile or so, and then, yikes! The sharp pain would be back!
So I’d take a few more days off, more massage, and then start back. Deja vu all over again. And I found I could repeat the cycle as many times as I wanted, and the injury would just keep popping back up. It was the most frustrating injury I had ever dealt with.
I finally mentioned it to my old mentor, Roy Benson, and he set me straight.
"It’s probably not a calf pull at all", he said. "More likely, it’s a microtear deep in the muscle. A spasm forms around the torn muscle, that's the knot you feel in there. It starts to heal; that’s when you think you’re OK. But the process takes longer than we usually think – several weeks at least. When you start back too soon, you’re simply re-injuring yourself".
Roy was right. I found that I had to say off the injury for several weeks, and even then, I had to take it easy when I started back. One miscalculation, and I was back to square one. It was possible, I soon discovered, to diddle around with this injury, literally, for months. (Ironically, I did pull my calf muscle in a skiing accident a couple of years ago, and though it seemed to be a fairly serious injury at the time, I was back to running much sooner afterward than with this pseudo-pull).
Since that initial injury, I’ve had this problem, in both legs, many times. It was always extremely frustrating because it always seemed to happen just as I was getting into halfway decent shape. But each time it happened, I learned a little more and cut my downtime by a few days. I now consider myself one of the world’s experts on this injury, which my buddy Tom Raynor calls a "calf heart attack", and I’ve managed to avoid it altogether for several years now.
The root cause of this injury, according to my orthopedic friends, is compartment syndrome, which means that the sheath around the calf muscle isn’t flexible enough, and when the muscle swells up during exercise, it can’t expand enough to accommodate the necessary blood flow. The muscle becomes constricted, and eventually some fibers tear. Even after it heals, scar tissue often remains, which makes the site a prime candidate for reinjury, thus the cyclical nature of this problem.
If you’re prone to this injury, you’d do well to focus on it right from the beginning. Otherwise believe me, it will frustrate you for years.
Here’s a program for dealing with calf heart attack syndrome, including both short-term treatment and long-term prevention and maintenance:
Step 1.
Stay off it for as long as it takes to heal completely. I recommend at least a week. Do some wet vesting or cycling, but don’t run just because it feels better after a day or so.
Step 2.
Get as much massage – including self-massage – as you can, TheStick massage tool has been invaluable to me in this regard (because this injury is in deep, icing has not been as helpful as it has for most injuries). Definitely don’t stretch your calf yet. Let it heal first.
Step 3.
This step is the real "secret" to recovering quickly from this injury. I’ve found that it can cut recovery time from weeks or months to days. After a week of no running, start back with a "medicinal workout" on a track or another flat, controlled surface. Start by walking a mile, then jog very easily for a few hundred yards, and then walk again. Alternate between walking and jogging for three or four miles or until your calf begins to feel numb or sore. Then stop immediately. Your goal is to get as much circulation to it as possible without re-injuring it.
Step 4.
If you get through the whole session and your calf still feels good, you’re still probably not healed, but you’re on your way. Take a day off and then repeat the procedure. Do this every other day for a week; increasing the jog portion of the workout as your calf improves.
Step 5.
After a week of the medicinal workouts, try a short, very gentle run of three to four miles, on as flat a surface as possible. As always, if your calf gets numb or the sharp pain reappears, stop immediately and walk back. Remember the cyclical nature of this injury. Keep adding to your mileage and intensity day-by-day, but be ready to retreat at the first sign of trouble. After a few such runs, if you haven’t overdone it, you’ll be back to your normal routine.
Step 6.
The long-term key to prevent a recurrence is just to stretch the hell out of your calves and Achilles tendons. I use a homemade, 45-degree stretching board in my office, which I try to get on several times a day, standing on the high end and lowering my heels as far as I can.
Again, make sure the injury is completely healed, and then make serious calf stretching an integral part of your routine. Continued use of TheStick is also highly recommended, both to mitigate any scar tissue and to keep the muscle and sheath as flexible as possible.
So take it from a long-time sufferer, the next time you "pull" your calf and it doesn’t seem to heal, consider changing the diagnosis to "calf heart attack", and get yourself back on the road to good health.
RT
John L. Parker Jr. is the associate publisher and editorial director of Running Times
It is good to keep a log even if one is no longer the runner of yore. I re-read the whole section from the very end of January through to the end of March. It imperfectly documents what I had to go through to get running again. I swore up and down like some condemned prisoner that I was not going to run for 6-8 weeks but in the end I went back way before that. In the early stage I fooled around and kept running way too much pushing out the begin the healing date. So I won't make that mistake again. I will start medicinal workouts After about a week of nothing. I should be able to walk around and up and down stairs with no tightness.
This is the program I will follow. I have already started by doing the self message.
I will have to figure out the stretching part. Never been good at stretching. Also not included here is hills. I will have to stay away from for a good deal of time.
Anyway, here it is from John Parker if you are interested. Otherwise it is just for me.
It’s possible to diddle around with micro-tears for months. One miscalculation and you might be back to square one.
About ten years ago, I started having a lower-leg problem that I assumed was a pulled calf muscle. The calf would get tender, sometimes knotty, after hard training (usually intervals); then a few days later, while out on a run, I’d feel a sharp pain very deep in the gastroc, and bingo, I’d be out of business.
The injury would respond to massage and rest, and after a few days, it would seem to be fine. Here’s the tricky part, when I’d start back running after a few days off, things would go well for a mile or so, and then, yikes! The sharp pain would be back!
So I’d take a few more days off, more massage, and then start back. Deja vu all over again. And I found I could repeat the cycle as many times as I wanted, and the injury would just keep popping back up. It was the most frustrating injury I had ever dealt with.
I finally mentioned it to my old mentor, Roy Benson, and he set me straight.
"It’s probably not a calf pull at all", he said. "More likely, it’s a microtear deep in the muscle. A spasm forms around the torn muscle, that's the knot you feel in there. It starts to heal; that’s when you think you’re OK. But the process takes longer than we usually think – several weeks at least. When you start back too soon, you’re simply re-injuring yourself".
Roy was right. I found that I had to say off the injury for several weeks, and even then, I had to take it easy when I started back. One miscalculation, and I was back to square one. It was possible, I soon discovered, to diddle around with this injury, literally, for months. (Ironically, I did pull my calf muscle in a skiing accident a couple of years ago, and though it seemed to be a fairly serious injury at the time, I was back to running much sooner afterward than with this pseudo-pull).
Since that initial injury, I’ve had this problem, in both legs, many times. It was always extremely frustrating because it always seemed to happen just as I was getting into halfway decent shape. But each time it happened, I learned a little more and cut my downtime by a few days. I now consider myself one of the world’s experts on this injury, which my buddy Tom Raynor calls a "calf heart attack", and I’ve managed to avoid it altogether for several years now.
The root cause of this injury, according to my orthopedic friends, is compartment syndrome, which means that the sheath around the calf muscle isn’t flexible enough, and when the muscle swells up during exercise, it can’t expand enough to accommodate the necessary blood flow. The muscle becomes constricted, and eventually some fibers tear. Even after it heals, scar tissue often remains, which makes the site a prime candidate for reinjury, thus the cyclical nature of this problem.
If you’re prone to this injury, you’d do well to focus on it right from the beginning. Otherwise believe me, it will frustrate you for years.
Here’s a program for dealing with calf heart attack syndrome, including both short-term treatment and long-term prevention and maintenance:
Step 1.
Stay off it for as long as it takes to heal completely. I recommend at least a week. Do some wet vesting or cycling, but don’t run just because it feels better after a day or so.
Step 2.
Get as much massage – including self-massage – as you can, TheStick massage tool has been invaluable to me in this regard (because this injury is in deep, icing has not been as helpful as it has for most injuries). Definitely don’t stretch your calf yet. Let it heal first.
Step 3.
This step is the real "secret" to recovering quickly from this injury. I’ve found that it can cut recovery time from weeks or months to days. After a week of no running, start back with a "medicinal workout" on a track or another flat, controlled surface. Start by walking a mile, then jog very easily for a few hundred yards, and then walk again. Alternate between walking and jogging for three or four miles or until your calf begins to feel numb or sore. Then stop immediately. Your goal is to get as much circulation to it as possible without re-injuring it.
Step 4.
If you get through the whole session and your calf still feels good, you’re still probably not healed, but you’re on your way. Take a day off and then repeat the procedure. Do this every other day for a week; increasing the jog portion of the workout as your calf improves.
Step 5.
After a week of the medicinal workouts, try a short, very gentle run of three to four miles, on as flat a surface as possible. As always, if your calf gets numb or the sharp pain reappears, stop immediately and walk back. Remember the cyclical nature of this injury. Keep adding to your mileage and intensity day-by-day, but be ready to retreat at the first sign of trouble. After a few such runs, if you haven’t overdone it, you’ll be back to your normal routine.
Step 6.
The long-term key to prevent a recurrence is just to stretch the hell out of your calves and Achilles tendons. I use a homemade, 45-degree stretching board in my office, which I try to get on several times a day, standing on the high end and lowering my heels as far as I can.
Again, make sure the injury is completely healed, and then make serious calf stretching an integral part of your routine. Continued use of TheStick is also highly recommended, both to mitigate any scar tissue and to keep the muscle and sheath as flexible as possible.
So take it from a long-time sufferer, the next time you "pull" your calf and it doesn’t seem to heal, consider changing the diagnosis to "calf heart attack", and get yourself back on the road to good health.
RT
John L. Parker Jr. is the associate publisher and editorial director of Running Times
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Back at Stop
I ran 3 loops starting at Forbes Mill and on the 3rd one I yanked my lower calf again. I ran in but I know I am back at STOP again. This is the same place I was at back in February. I told Jake that I am putting myself back on IR* until the pain is gone.
I am almost positive that it was the Rancho run. It was first time that I was on somewhat challenging hills since last winter and obviously the "tear" is still there. The last time it took me about 3-4 weeks to get it right. Maybe if I stop right now I can come back more quickly.
* Injured Reserve
I am almost positive that it was the Rancho run. It was first time that I was on somewhat challenging hills since last winter and obviously the "tear" is still there. The last time it took me about 3-4 weeks to get it right. Maybe if I stop right now I can come back more quickly.
* Injured Reserve
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
68 minutes in Rancho
I ended up running in Rancho for the first time in about 6 months or longer. The area is always a treat but tends to be crowded on weekends so I rarely go there. Monday around mid day was perfect. Upper parking lot basically empty, Clear skies in the 60's with only a slight breeze. Not too many people on the trail. I ran 68 minutes hitting various combinations of trails, staying off the big hills but still having to deal with some nice rollers. Saw deer, cotton tails and quail. My legs were a bit tired but not enough to have not gone on if I had wanted to.
Not sleeping as well as I would like. Waking up early. Some issues floating out there I probably need to resolve.
Not sleeping as well as I would like. Waking up early. Some issues floating out there I probably need to resolve.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Uninspired
OK, I may have paid the price today for running too hard Monday and running easy on Friday. Jake and I met over at WVC and did our 25 minute warm up run. Then we hit the track for 2 x 800. I was uninspired and so ran the first two laps with Jake. I pulled away from him with about 100 meters to go.
My time was 3:21 which was truly underwhelming. Jake was 3 seconds back.
We did a two lap jog-walk and as we approached the second rep I told Jake that I was going to hang back and let him take off first. I figured I would just use him as bait to draw me along a bit quicker because I was definitely disengaged. Jake took off and I let him get through the first turn before I launched myself.
I caught Jake at about the 300 meter point and went through the 400 at 91. I picked it up slightly. It was an effort but I held back something in reserve most of the way around finally letting it hang out in the last 100 meters. I cleared the finish in 2:59. Jake ran 3:20.
Sooooo..... 3:21-2:59.
3:10 average. One second per 800 faster than the last time. I guess it was sort of a full court shot with 3 seconds left on the clock.
Jake grumbled at breakfast that he was thinking about firing his coach again and adding in a couple more days of running.
My time was 3:21 which was truly underwhelming. Jake was 3 seconds back.
We did a two lap jog-walk and as we approached the second rep I told Jake that I was going to hang back and let him take off first. I figured I would just use him as bait to draw me along a bit quicker because I was definitely disengaged. Jake took off and I let him get through the first turn before I launched myself.
I caught Jake at about the 300 meter point and went through the 400 at 91. I picked it up slightly. It was an effort but I held back something in reserve most of the way around finally letting it hang out in the last 100 meters. I cleared the finish in 2:59. Jake ran 3:20.
Sooooo..... 3:21-2:59.
3:10 average. One second per 800 faster than the last time. I guess it was sort of a full court shot with 3 seconds left on the clock.
Jake grumbled at breakfast that he was thinking about firing his coach again and adding in a couple more days of running.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Forty minutes that became fifty minutes
I woke up and my legs felt spiffy so I decided to break my rule and go out for a 40 minute run. I wore my HRM just to make sure I kept the effort slow. When I clicked on the display my HR was 58 which is about 15-20 beats lower than it was reading 4-6 weeks ago. My normal resting is in the high 40's or low 50's but by the time I wake up, drink coffee and get going, my HR is usually in the low 60's.
Anyway, this was a good sign.
I jogged down the RR tracks and turned left heading towards the De Anza College track. It was fairly empty so I decided to run a couple of BIG loops and head back home. On my second loop I could hear someone coming up on me rather quickly. It was that sleek thirty-something Korean gal, Nadia who slowed down to say hello. We ran about a mile together before I had to peal off and head back home. By the time I stopped I had run for 50 minutes which was a 10 minutes over my budget.
We'll see how this shakes out on Saturday.
Anyway, this was a good sign.
I jogged down the RR tracks and turned left heading towards the De Anza College track. It was fairly empty so I decided to run a couple of BIG loops and head back home. On my second loop I could hear someone coming up on me rather quickly. It was that sleek thirty-something Korean gal, Nadia who slowed down to say hello. We ran about a mile together before I had to peal off and head back home. By the time I stopped I had run for 50 minutes which was a 10 minutes over my budget.
We'll see how this shakes out on Saturday.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Best Yet
Forbes Mill progression run. 3 up and back's. Cool weather. Only a little breeze. Almost perfect.
23:39
22:38
20:58
Best yet. Could have been better.
Jake dropped out during the 3rd loop. I never saw him. He was behind me from the beginning. The early pace on the first two loops plus the fact that he did not really rest on Tuesday sunk him (again). I paid the price for running too hard on Monday. I was slightly leg weary but was strong enough to handle it. The thing was, had I not run so aggressively Monday I might have run the last loop today even faster.
Next Monday I either run without a watch on a course I know or I run by the clock and not the watch. Once I click on the stopwatch, I seem to want to run faster than the last time which is nice, but is not the point.
I am getting the sense that Jake is going to get drawn back into coaching which could put a crimp in our Wednesday running. With me perhaps going back into an interim job for one of my clients, it could be a two way street.
Maybe we just move the days around and keep the spread. We'll see.
23:39
22:38
20:58
Best yet. Could have been better.
Jake dropped out during the 3rd loop. I never saw him. He was behind me from the beginning. The early pace on the first two loops plus the fact that he did not really rest on Tuesday sunk him (again). I paid the price for running too hard on Monday. I was slightly leg weary but was strong enough to handle it. The thing was, had I not run so aggressively Monday I might have run the last loop today even faster.
Next Monday I either run without a watch on a course I know or I run by the clock and not the watch. Once I click on the stopwatch, I seem to want to run faster than the last time which is nice, but is not the point.
I am getting the sense that Jake is going to get drawn back into coaching which could put a crimp in our Wednesday running. With me perhaps going back into an interim job for one of my clients, it could be a two way street.
Maybe we just move the days around and keep the spread. We'll see.
Monday, May 26, 2008
The game is afoot
I ran my 6 mile course up the RR tracks to Sunnyvale-Saratoga and back. I waited until 11:30 to go out. Just felt like lazing around the house.
Kept the pace steady (but didn't push) which these days seems to be an 8:51 pace. 53:07 when all was said and done. On my way out, I ran into Hank Lawson who was off-road biking. He had his knee operated on and is hoping to run again. Puts my situation in perspective.I thought about going another mile or two but then decided to cap it at six.
Age graded the run was a 41:22. The run felt good. It felt fine to move along except it wasn't really moving along. Not pace-wise. Only effort wise. Is there the chance I could get back into the low 8's? I have no idea. I realize that not running fast has made me slow. That and aging. They are the twin-towers of slow running.
“Come, Watson, come! The game is afoot,” instructed Holmes.....
It's a fool's game but I will play it out anyway.
Kept the pace steady (but didn't push) which these days seems to be an 8:51 pace. 53:07 when all was said and done. On my way out, I ran into Hank Lawson who was off-road biking. He had his knee operated on and is hoping to run again. Puts my situation in perspective.I thought about going another mile or two but then decided to cap it at six.
Age graded the run was a 41:22. The run felt good. It felt fine to move along except it wasn't really moving along. Not pace-wise. Only effort wise. Is there the chance I could get back into the low 8's? I have no idea. I realize that not running fast has made me slow. That and aging. They are the twin-towers of slow running.
“Come, Watson, come! The game is afoot,” instructed Holmes.....
It's a fool's game but I will play it out anyway.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Reps on the Track
Cool morning. Overcast. Threatening to rain. Wind blowing down from the hills.
Jake and I met at WVC and were very businesslike about the workout. Not too much sandbagging. I had grabbed an extra 5 and half minutes warm up going to the bathroom and back. Jake rolled in and we ran our loop. I was at 28 minutes upon reaching gate to the track. The club was running tennis court loops so we saw very little of them.
We did some striders. Jake made a strong recommendation that we start at our normal 200 meter mark so we would be running into the wind when we were fresh and with the wind at our back down the home stretch.
I did the first one in 88 and as usual my body asked me the question. What the hell do you think you are doing? We walked 400 (no walk-jog today). The second was a bit easier. I ran off Jake's shoulder and picked it up down the backside to get an 87. Still labored breathing afterwards telling me that, like it or not, this is new territory. The next one was 86 but by now I was in the mood. The last was 83 with a strong last 100 meters.
So 88-87-86-83.
My average was 86 courtesy of the final 400. If I age graded the workout it was like running a 66 second average back when I was 30.
A vast improvement over two weeks ago when I averaged 91 with an 84 on the last one. Still, the workout was tough enough and Jake owned most of the 25 minute jog back to where we had parked our cars until he tripped over a root within shouting distance of the final stretch. He bounced back up with only a cut knee but his hands were good thanks to the gloves he was wearing.
I seemed to have recovered from Wednesday's workout well enough to run an improved time on all 4 reps today. I will stay the course for now. Tempo on Wednesday and reps on Saturday.
Jake and I met at WVC and were very businesslike about the workout. Not too much sandbagging. I had grabbed an extra 5 and half minutes warm up going to the bathroom and back. Jake rolled in and we ran our loop. I was at 28 minutes upon reaching gate to the track. The club was running tennis court loops so we saw very little of them.
We did some striders. Jake made a strong recommendation that we start at our normal 200 meter mark so we would be running into the wind when we were fresh and with the wind at our back down the home stretch.
I did the first one in 88 and as usual my body asked me the question. What the hell do you think you are doing? We walked 400 (no walk-jog today). The second was a bit easier. I ran off Jake's shoulder and picked it up down the backside to get an 87. Still labored breathing afterwards telling me that, like it or not, this is new territory. The next one was 86 but by now I was in the mood. The last was 83 with a strong last 100 meters.
So 88-87-86-83.
My average was 86 courtesy of the final 400. If I age graded the workout it was like running a 66 second average back when I was 30.
A vast improvement over two weeks ago when I averaged 91 with an 84 on the last one. Still, the workout was tough enough and Jake owned most of the 25 minute jog back to where we had parked our cars until he tripped over a root within shouting distance of the final stretch. He bounced back up with only a cut knee but his hands were good thanks to the gloves he was wearing.
I seemed to have recovered from Wednesday's workout well enough to run an improved time on all 4 reps today. I will stay the course for now. Tempo on Wednesday and reps on Saturday.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Forbes Mill Again
I showed at 8 AM. Sunny but in the low 50's. It was almost perfect weather. A slight breeze blowing up the trail but not enough to slow you down.
Jake was already there having done his usual warm up run ahead of time. We quietly did the first loop in 24:45 a much more sensible effort that last week when I ran in the low 23's. I could tell Jake was sucking wind though. Another tough night's sleep. He eventually related to me that the drama around the coaching situation over at Mitty continues. He was grinding it up in his mind and it was screwing up his sleep and sapping his energy. Just like the rest of us!
He stuck on his headphones and we headed up for our second loop. I felt like I was just gliding along but he continued to suck that wind. This one was a hair over 23 flat and I felt better than I did on the last one.
"That's it for me," Jake said after we stopped.
"OK," I said, "I will be right back," and launched myself up the trail for that last up and back. I hit the turnaround in just under 11 flat (just ghosting along) and kept the same effort all the back to the last 400 and then picked it up coming in at 20:40.
I felt all around, pretty good and at least after we had had breakfast and got up to walk out of the restaurant, I felt little or no stiffness in my legs. But then there is always that delayed muscle soreness thing which creeps up later on.
Jake was already there having done his usual warm up run ahead of time. We quietly did the first loop in 24:45 a much more sensible effort that last week when I ran in the low 23's. I could tell Jake was sucking wind though. Another tough night's sleep. He eventually related to me that the drama around the coaching situation over at Mitty continues. He was grinding it up in his mind and it was screwing up his sleep and sapping his energy. Just like the rest of us!
He stuck on his headphones and we headed up for our second loop. I felt like I was just gliding along but he continued to suck that wind. This one was a hair over 23 flat and I felt better than I did on the last one.
"That's it for me," Jake said after we stopped.
"OK," I said, "I will be right back," and launched myself up the trail for that last up and back. I hit the turnaround in just under 11 flat (just ghosting along) and kept the same effort all the back to the last 400 and then picked it up coming in at 20:40.
I felt all around, pretty good and at least after we had had breakfast and got up to walk out of the restaurant, I felt little or no stiffness in my legs. But then there is always that delayed muscle soreness thing which creeps up later on.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Asian Girl
Today was supposed to be run as easy as I could stand it but I ran a bit faster especially over at De Anza track where I finally caught up with Asian Girl. Turns out her name is Nadia and she likes pushing the pace. I was running BIG loops clockwise and noticed that we came by each other at roughly the same point on each circuit so I reversed direction, did a few 100 meter pickups and caught her going up the hill. She immediately surged as I came up on her shoulder and I finally said "You surged!". She laughed and asked what that meant but I knew that she already knew. After I told her anyway she laughed again. Then she introduced herself and we continued running doing a few hard laps together while chatting away.
I finally told her that she was wearing me out. Actually I was feeling OK but was thinking about Wednesday's run and how I was really not running a recovery effort. I said good-bye and headed back to my house. 65 minutes total.
I finally told her that she was wearing me out. Actually I was feeling OK but was thinking about Wednesday's run and how I was really not running a recovery effort. I said good-bye and headed back to my house. 65 minutes total.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Welcome To My World
Jake and I met on Douglas across the street from the college. At least for now the days of my buying a parking pass seem to be gone. The weather was already warming up before I had dropped a foot on the pavement. We slow trotted Douglas-Saratoga while Jake regaled me with his tale of being paved over as the boys track and field coach at Mitty. Seems that they were going in another direction. It meant he could continue as the boys cross country coach but he was out as far as track and field were concerned.
Neither of us had had a great last night's sleep. Jake kept rolling the coaching situation over and over in his mind and I was up and down much of the night thinking about my own problems. The fact that it was warm hadn't helped.
We arrived at the track and did some striders and launched our first of two 800's. I ran the first lap in 98 feeling very sluggish. I then picked up the second lap but the plain fact was that I was simply running harder for the same time. I came across in 3:16 and leaned over breathing rather hard. Jake ran 3:24.
We jogged and walked two laps and went at it again. Whatever it was going to be the relief was that it was only two of 'em.
Once we started, I immediately felt better going through the first lap in 96. Then I just gradually picked it up ghosting away from Jake and running a 3:06. Jake came in 11 seconds later.
So 3:16-3:06. Not very uniform. Sort a negative split rep workout. 3:11 average. That made it about a 6:31-6:38, 1600 meter trial level effort. I guess it could be called progress. Better than the 4 x 400 I ran last week but definitely leaving room for improvement.
We reversed our warm up and jogged back to our cars.
The breakfast group was sparse. We were in and out in under an hour.
Neither of us had had a great last night's sleep. Jake kept rolling the coaching situation over and over in his mind and I was up and down much of the night thinking about my own problems. The fact that it was warm hadn't helped.
We arrived at the track and did some striders and launched our first of two 800's. I ran the first lap in 98 feeling very sluggish. I then picked up the second lap but the plain fact was that I was simply running harder for the same time. I came across in 3:16 and leaned over breathing rather hard. Jake ran 3:24.
We jogged and walked two laps and went at it again. Whatever it was going to be the relief was that it was only two of 'em.
Once we started, I immediately felt better going through the first lap in 96. Then I just gradually picked it up ghosting away from Jake and running a 3:06. Jake came in 11 seconds later.
So 3:16-3:06. Not very uniform. Sort a negative split rep workout. 3:11 average. That made it about a 6:31-6:38, 1600 meter trial level effort. I guess it could be called progress. Better than the 4 x 400 I ran last week but definitely leaving room for improvement.
We reversed our warm up and jogged back to our cars.
The breakfast group was sparse. We were in and out in under an hour.
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