75 minutes of calorie burning slow job

I ran the neighborhoods for 15 minutes and then drove over to West Valley to meet Danny. We did a 60 minute slow jog (with some strategic walks thrown in). So, 75 minutes total.

Breakfast afterward.

Slow-Danny Run

I got up early and met Danny over at West Valley College. We ran 60 minutes very easily. He needed to run slow because he was in poor shape. I needed to run slow because I needed to recover from yesterday's hard workout. Including the 10 minutes I had jogged around my neighborhood beforehand, I totaled 70 minutes.

After the run we went to breakfast.

Part of our run was circling the track

Holding Serve @ Foothill

 I met up with Dimitri at Foothill College track (my track of yore). Between running around my neighborhood and around Foothill, I warmed up for 30 minutes. Then while D did his own workout, I ran 8 x 150's averaging 29 like last week. The big difference was that I simply completed the 400 meter run around the track (or a 250 meter rest) and then launched into the next rep. I briefly thought about doing 10 reps but decided to hold back since I am running with Danny on Monday. Usually I take a day off after this type of workout.

I admit to being a bit sluggish but I found that the rep part went off fine and I was able to hit my times so the workout, IMHO went off well.

14 minutes of warm down afterward for a total of 70 minutes.

The RR Tracks

I ran the railroad tracks for 70 minutes this morning. With the closure of De Anza track being imminent I figured I might as well get back to running my old favorites. I jogged the neighborhood and then headed up to Prospect Road and then ran one of the walking trails. I wasn't too original on the return trip. I simply doubled back and retraced the course to my house.

My legs finally felt good and I actually had to hold back, constantly reminding myself that I have a world class workout coming up this weekend.

63 Forbes Minutes

It was a tad cooler this morning but not much. I ran over at Forbes with Jake. We cruised under 27 on the first loop and I ran the second loop alone hitting 24:18. My total was 63 minutes including some neighborhood running before and a mid run dash to the restrooms over at the local high school track. My legs felt okay. I didn't push it.

The day after the day after

It's been {{{a heater}}} for the last two days. Hard to believe just two weeks ago it seemed like winter.

Typical early summer pattern for me. Waking early. Had coffee in the living room. Slowly woke up. I finally got out the door early and ran 65 minutes keeping the pace slow. This is the day after the day after my hard workout. It wasn't that bad (as long as I kept it easy). After I cooled down Danny came over and we went up to see Big Billy. At breakfast we chatted about working out together. I told him about my workouts designed for the 800 meter and how my legs were tired all week. He always has a down to earth perspective.

"It'll take 8 weeks to adjust and then you'll be fine." He pointed out that when we were younger it took about 3 weeks to adjust but now it took twice as long plus he added in two weeks as a safety net.

So I will stay at it and adjust.

Gutting it out (8 x 150)

I got out around 8:30 in the morning. It felt warm. Supposed to be in the 80's today. I trotted along for 27 minutes including some strides on the track (Still there...Not torn up yet). Then I launched into 8 x 150 with a 150 yard slow job recovery. I hit my goal of 30 seconds and in fact averaged 29 with a low of 28 and a high of 30. Then I trotted back home ending up with 68 minutes of running. The workout was tough. I was tired going in and tired coming out. But this is that point where I bail on doing something hard or I stick to it. Maybe I need to run one of these every 9-10 days instead of every seven days. I'll have to see how I feel. But the point is that I want to do this progression. So for now, I will stick with it.

70 minutes on slightly beat up legs

I took Thursday completely off. Well, except to GPS walking trip to measure my block. Guess what? It is almost exactly .25 miles or 440 yards. And to think, I once estimated that it was a good 600 meters.

Anyway, well rested though I was, my legs were still on the beat up side as I ran a very easy 70 minutes. The difference from Wednesday was unequivocal.  I did feel better but I have a way to go.

The work on the DeAnza Track is still not happening. I think school is out so what are they waiting for? One day (soon) I know I will run over there and find that everything is ripped up. That's when I'll know they have started.

It's funny. When I first went to every other day running at age 45 there was a road back to 6-7 day a week running. Now 20 years later that road is closed. I can still run more minutes on the days I run but the intervening days have to be zero.

I surrender 70 minutes

I got out the door at around 8:30 and ran for 70 minutes. I inserted a couple of "I surrender" walks toward the end. Not a great running day. I was dragging. I may not be adjusting well to the 5 day schedule (wow, what a surprise). Of course it is always a work in progress. I may slip back to four bigger days and just handle it the best I can. Exhaustion is not a good thing except at the end of a hard workout and even then it's not that great.

65 slow minutes

65 slow minutes this morning. My legs will still tired from Sunday's workout. I followed my prescription of running as slow as I needed to (no pain) and actually found that on my way back to the house I was able to pick up the last mile. This is the art of recovery which is critical in the life of the veteran runner.

During the run, I sneaked over to the track to see if it was torn up yet but no work had begun so it was same old, same old.

Said hello to one of the quiet Asian women who often walks there. She mumbled a hello in return.

16 x 100

Finally, the hard day. I ran 25 minutes of easy for a warm up and then launched into 16 x 100 with a 200 meter jog in between. Averaged 19 even though my upper back was tight. I pretty much grooved on 19's but ran 2 in the 18's and the last in the 17's. Then I jogged 10 minutes back to the house. The total workout was 80 minutes. More than I wanted to do but this is one my hard day and hopefully it will build speed and strength.

I found out from one of the walkers, who I often chat with, that the track is going to closed for a total renovation so I will have to find some place else to ply my running skills for the next little while. The track has been beat up for quite some time so this is long overdue.

Next week I will run 8 x 150 in 30 seconds.

Sounds like I won't recognize the track when I get back on it.

Title: DeAnza College Athletic Field Category: Athletic Fields & Parks Client Name: Foothill-DeAnza College District

$ 2.3 mil

Re-construction of school athletic field and track including grading, sub-drainage systems, synthetic field and track, minor concrete, fencing, AC paving.

50 minute trot

I drove over to the club workout and trotted around while they ran 3000 meters, 1500 meters and 800 meters.  Caught up with Jim Howe after more than a year and a half. Jim is back training again. He ended up running a 3000 in the low 12's. He told me that he feels like he is starting over again. Maybe but more than that, his legs got a thorough rest. He might surprise himself.

I ended up jogging 50 minutes which is really fine because tomorrow is my key weekly workout.

60 minutes and not a second more

So...

Third day in a row. Legs felt okay. Not great but just okay. I ran for 60 minutes and not a second more.

I ran over to the college to run super loops. The infield of the track was inundated with high school students. Turns out Cupertino High School was doing their graduation rehearsal. They even played Elgar's Pomp and Circumstances march that is the usual fare for this type of event.

Class of 2011. Let's see. 2011-1963 (my graduation). That's a whole lifetime for a 3rd world person. 48 years.

I plodded on envying them their youth but not wanting to trade my life for one of theirs.  Besides how can I explain to them that the guy who almost didn't graduate in our class  (not me) ended up being the wealthiest by our twenty year reunion and that our greatest athlete would be dead of a heart attack by age 39.

Nope. They can't teach you that in high school.

64 minutes

I ran the neighborhood early this morning for 10 minutes before heading over to meet Jake at Forbes. Jake was pretty beat up so we did the first loop at a very easy effort. Surprisingly it was still in the mid 27's. We ran into Christine Kennedy who is an 55-59 age group national class runner. We chatted a bit about older runners and the 60 plus variety who had retired and now just trained and slept. Sounded good to me.

The second loop was 25:10. My legs started to really warm up and by the time we finished I felt pretty good.

Total (((including secret jogs))) was 64 minutes.

65 minutes

Went out the door around 8:30 this morning. My legs were still tired from Sunday but loosened up nicely as the run progressed. I did my usual route covering 65 minutes of big easy. My back was bothering me too but not from running or lifting but from trying to add in a low level of bridging or planks as they call them these days. This seems to be a big mistake. The more I fiddle with my back the more it bothers me. Core workouts are particularly BAD NEWS. I know what all the experts say, but it doesn't work for me.

12 x 100

Saturday: Did a pure Galloway type workout. I went out for 50 minutes, running 4 minutes and walking one. The idea was to insert an extra day of running and not have to tear up my legs. So, 40 minutes of running and 10 minutes of walking.

Sunday: Today was a memory workout. I slow jogged the neighborhood and then over to the college. There was some sort of kids event going on. Biking and running. I scoped out the north side of the track where I normally do striders and saw that it was clear. I stayed in the far outside lanes and ran 12 x 100 in 19 average with the last in the 17's. I jogged 200 meters in between each strider. I then slow jogged 12 minutes back home. The total run was 73 minutes.

70 minutes

I got out before 8 am and ran a very easy 70 minutes. The usual course. The weather continues cool and overcast. Not at all spring-like but I'll take it.

GPS Run

I drove over to Forbes Mill this morning after a 7 minute dump run around the neighborhood. During our first loop I took my iPhone with the new GPS measurement application I downloaded to get an idea of the actual length of the course. I have always felt that the estimate of 2.7 was generous and now I know it to be true. By the time we had gone up and back the GPS showed 2.61 miles. It was right on in between mile markers but might have been slightly off in the section that went under the overpass. The GPS signal was more than likely interrupted but who's counting.

Oh, I am. ;-)

So 2 miles between markers and .3 in the first section going out and the last section coming back in.

For now I will just accept that 2.61 is the best I can get short of taking a wheel over the course.

First loop was 26:49 and the second was 22:48.

With any extra running I did in between or after, the total was 58 minutes.