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!

Cold College

Woke up early. 5:15 (((am)))

Ugh.

My mother is dying up in Santa Rosa. 91 years old. She's in hospice. EOL ain't pretty. Reminds me to enjoy life by the ounce. At least she gets to die in her house. We don't know when. Days. Weeks. Deathwatch by any other name.

I got out for my 60 minute run with Tom. Cold College but warmed up later on in the bright sun. Ended up alone at breakfast. Tom got a call from his wife, right after we ordered, that Ratman had showed up unannounced. Tom had to go so I was left alone with my pancakes.

Calorie Burner

Danny is still not running or walking. Tom and I ran an hour joined by Vince. Believe me, this run was nothing special. A calorie burner at best but I felt good especially with the continued addition of walk breaks of one minute in every ten minutes (9-1). Once again it was cool weather and overcast. I am still sticking with short sleeves and gloves but I can see where that is going to end soon.

Vince is a good addition. He is on his way to becoming a police officer so we may lose him to work. Good guy. Hope he shows up more.

81 minutes

Overcast and cool morning. Dimitri and I running the long hill from Foothill College to the park and back. It took a long time to climb into the sun. We took our friggin ease getting up to the halfway point. Two minutes slower than last time. No guard at the shack like there was all summer so no one to stop us from rootin' around the trails if we'd been of a mind to do so. But like cowards we turned back dropping down the same trail with urgency until we hit Moody and ran in like real athletes.

81 minutes. 48 up and out, 33 down and back.

Saw Jimmy and his wife in the parking lot. We chatted a bit. Then a coffee and a power bar recovery tango. Came home hungrier than ever and scarfed da bagel and yogurt.

Gallowalking

Another sixty minutes with Tom. Cool and overcast as we ran WVC loops. We've incorporated one minute walks every ten minutes. I read someplace that it's called Gallowalking after Jeff Galloway. Whatever it's called it seems to help with the continuous pounding.

These days it's all about keeping the legs fresh. Can't go nowhere on dead legs.

Sixty minutes of recovery

Recovery from Sunday was good. I ran an easy 60 minutes with Tom around WVC. Cool and overcast.

I am really slow

Showed up at Foothill for my Sunday morning run with Dimitri. The plan was for him to 8 laps on the track while I jumped in for six of them. The trouble was that some organization had taken over the stadium so we were out of luck. Instead we ran up Moody Road to the top ( just before the twisters begin ) and came back at AT pace. I ran an inglorious 15:10 ( 7:02-8:10 ).  The reason for the faster first mile is because the course drops steeply for the first 800 and then begins to flatten and roll out while still do continuing to gradually go downhill.

I am really slow. That's the takeaway.

But it was fun anyway.

Easy run

36 minutes of easy running around the track and the campus. The club was doing a track workout but us dog meat runners circled around and socialized. Nice breakfast afterward.

Cool morning but once the sun was up, it warmed up.

Return to Wally Wista

 Thursday was campus loops and Valle Vista (Wally Wista ) with Tom.

Tom is rounding back in shape and had to walk every five minutes heading up the hill.  I was glad to accompany him being the lazy bastard I am. If there is a slower way, I'll find it.

The return trip downhill was nice. We finally finished up in the track in 60 minutes. HRM was rarely over 135 the whole way.

Slow jog

Showed up to find Tom ( the walker ) ready to run. We did a cool sixty minutes at a slow jog. My HR was down in the 120's most of the time. I recommended that we walk one minute every 10 minutes which made it easier on Tom ( and me ). We also walked to cool down afterwards. So probably 65 minutes total.

Cool, sunny, slight breeze.

The Weekend

Saturday: The usual socializing, hanging out at the track, thirty minutes of easy jogging while Danielle ran her 4 x 400 rep workout.

Sunday: Dimitri and I ran up to Foothill Park and back. 80 minutes of super slow bliss. Great weather. Sunny and cool but warming to the 60's.