Quite sense of quiet

Cold but not wet. I ran an easy 62 minutes this morning. My legs felt good but no flickering sense of speed. Just a flickering sense of slow.

The track was mostly empty and quiet. Old folks scattered here and there. The clapping woman except she doesn't clap much anymore. I ran the perimeter of the soccer field and the big loop around the track. The new years resolutions haven't been made yet (only to be broken). I expect more temporary folks after January 1st.

Hung

Cold and overcast. Ran 60 minutes very slowly. Thought about cutting it short more than once but I hung in there until I knew my return trip would get me to an hour.

Skipped Club

I ran an easy 58 minutes on Saturday morning. Skipped the club breakfast so I ran later in the morning.

Back to back

I did a back to back running again today. I waited until mid morning before going out. I did another 60 minute run slow and plodding as usual but my legs felt OK and the weather cooperated with low 50's, sunny and little or no wind. I ran around the neighborhood and then headed over to the college. I did my usual combination of big loops around the track and soccer field before heading back home.

Another cold run

I got out early again this morning. Temps in the 30's. At least there was no wind. I was dressed to the "9's". Ran 62 slow slow minutes. Legs felt fine, just old and cranky. Over to the college and back. The track was almost deserted. I passed an Asian guy who i often see running there. It is rare that I pass anyone. We chatted for a few moments and then I moved on.

60 minutes of nothing

We had out annual Xmas dinner Sunday evening. I didn't drink very much but I ate a hell of a lot of food. Slept poorly. Woke up early (5 am) dozed a bit and then finally rolled out of bed at 6 am. Poured coffee down my gullet and tried to get myself going on all 4 cylinders.

Alas it was not to be. I ran anyway but it was on two cylinders (clunk..clunk...) under relatively clear skies. The rain was supposed to come but it was late morning by the time it came down in sheets. I had already completed 60 minutes of nothing running at barely more than a walk. I have found, Brian Clark foretold, that if i run slow enough, I can get it done.

Two day running week

Thursday

Yes, that's right. T-H-U-R-S-D-A-Y! I didn't run Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. Sore right achilles and calf dictated some rest. So on Thursday morning I drove up to Forbes Mill and ran for 75 minutes. I fired up the HRM and kept my effort in the 65-70% range. The whole run felt good. Not that fast but good! My average for both up to the dam and back was 25 minutes each trip. I also ran over the high scool twice by various routes adding more time.

My calf tightened up after the run but nothing that seemed dangerous.

Ice, advil and massage should keep me on the path.


Saturday

Cool with a heavy mist in the morning so I passed on running until noon. The sun was breaking through and it was warming up nicely when I went out and ran 65 minutes of easy stuff keeping my HR in the 135-140 range. It is supposed to rain Monday so I may go back to back and run again tomorrow.

24:02

Monday

It dropped below freezing last night and while it was rain hitting the streets in front on my house, it was snow up in the hills. I got out just around 8 AM after drinking a gallon of hot coffee. I was dressed to the 9's and 10's wearing my new compression tights, my old high tech Gortex rain jacket, hat and gloves. I slogged an easy paced 60 minutes over to the college and back and called it a day.









Wednesday





I ran early so I could get to work for a meeting that ended up being postponed. GRRRRRRRR!





I felt like I was running in soft concrete. It was about 30 degrees out so I lumbered along for 62 minutes of very slow stuff. The good news was that it was clear and there was no real wind. The correct definition was that it was "crisp" outside.



Friday



I took the last two days off. I will run again on Saturday and again on Sunday. The plan for Saturday is a 45 minute easy slow run and Sunday will be a 5K AT run up in Golden Gate Park. The course is far from perfect. Slightly uphill and rolling going out and the reverse coming back. This will be a "truth" run. It will tell me more about myself and my present conditioning than anything else I am presently doing.



So what does AT mean? It means that I will run the 5K with my heart rate in the 88-92% range with an emphasis on 90%. This is far from an all out effort. In fact it gets easier as it goes along because if done right, the runner (in this case moi) will have to slow down to stay at or under 90%.

Saturday

Wet and windy this morning. I went out for a light breakfast with the club and then ran too soon afterward. I had to stop several times early on to digest the toast I had eaten an hour before and finally settled down for a 50 minute very easy run.

Sunday

I drove up to Golden Gate Park with Shel to run a 5K (Dolphin Club). Conditions were Dwight-like. Wet and cool. The course was not an easy one with gradual up hill and rolling going out, a nice surprise hill about half way and then a gradual coming back down to the finish highlighted by a nice "quartering" head wind coming in from the ocean.

I have run most of the Dolphin course but I have never run this one (at least so I remember). Frankly, not a good course for an AT run. It started on JFK drive and climbs up to the top of the park and then swings up a side street (uphill) and then swings back onto JFK & back to the finish.

I warmed up for 21 minutes. My legs felt fine.

I got off to a good enough start but it took about a mile for my HRM to read accurately. It could be a weak battery. Going out it was stuck on 95 for a long time so I was guessing whether I was running at AT or not. After about 7 minutes it suddenly kicked in gear and read 173 which was about right. Then coming back we had that surprise hill and my HR edged up to 179-180 but I was actually running without any undue duress. As we came back on the main drive back to the finish the wind slowed me down and I basically fought to stay at or under 180 all the way in.

When I saw the clock at the finish line I was not not too shocked to see 24:02. Pretty pathetic but given the wind and the hills I really didn't beat myself up too much. The plain fact is that I am a heck of lot slower than I was 2-3 years ago when I could still run an AT 5K around 21 minutes give or take (on a flat course).

The good news is that running in the high 170's felt very much like an AT effort has always felt so my best guess is that my max HR is still well over 190.

The less than good news is that either the course and conditions were tough but also that my body is having its usual singularly "Rich Stiller" reaction to any sort of continual speed work. It slows down. I think it is a combo of all of the above.

I am nursing a slightly sore right achilles tendon but that was not a slowing factor today.