Running for a time

I waited to go out this morning. It was just after 10 am when I hot the roads. Sunny and a bit windy. I did my usual course with a loop around the pond thrown in. It ended up being 62 slow minutes.  The track was busy with a fitness class (running, drills, walking, more drills). I gave them the track and kept to the outside lanes. Very different from the old days when I was timing my runs. Now I just run for a time.

Much Better Than Saturday

The Giants won the Pennant last evening beating Philly 3-2. I was home watching the game and consumed mass quantities of beer and wine in celebration. In my case mass quantities was 2 glasses of wine and one Corona but it was enough to give me a hangover this morning. It took me a giant (no pun intended) cup of coffee and about an hour and a half of lazing around the house before I finally got out for an hour of running. Surprisingly, I felt pretty good as in MUCH BETTER THAN SATURDAY!  The weather was threatening to rain but it never really got going during my run.

Another very slow 60

I got out early but ran from my house rather than drive over to the club workout. I did a very slow 60 minutes. As slow as I could stand it. My legs had not recovered from Thursday's sub-tempo effort and probably some hangover effect from last Sunday's run. The conditions were near perfect. Cool and overcast (rain coming in). I ran my usual college course.

Todd informed us at breakfast that Chris Nunez had died of cancer on the 17th. Chris, in his heyday ran a 2:35 marathon. Good all around guy. I wasn't close to him but we did have a chance to train together on some Sunday long runs years ago and chat. He was always battling weight but when he was in shape he was a "dangerous" competitor.

Jake was running the varsity today at 11 am but I decided not to go. They are a good group but they really listen to Jake and I am an afterthought.  I decided that by the time Friday comes around I am pretty much topped off as far as cross country goes and need a break.

21:43: the road back

I drove over to Forbes and ran 2 loops. The first was a very easy just under 29 minute jog. The second one was a sub-tempo 21:43 which was about 70 seconds better than last week. I gave Jake a lead, caught him before the first hill and then at the turn I picked it up and "powered" away. With my usual 5 minute shakedown at the house I ran 5 minutes. Total for the morning was just about 56 minutes.

That afternoon there was a three way cross country meet held in the Sunnyvale Baylands Park, my old training grounds. After the event were over I ran the course and collected the directional flags and returned them to the Jake. Maybe another "cheap" ten minutes of running.

The high point of the afternoon was getting the opportunity to demonstrate the correct way to cross the finishing line. My WVJS club mate Ken urged me on.

Dead Legged 60 minutes

I ran early this morning. My legs were tired from Sunday's effort so today I had to pay the price. I dragged-ass as slow as I could stand it. I ran 60 minutes on the dot.  I did my usual "I can close my eyes if I want to" up the RR Track to the college and back course. I did the super loops super slow.

It was cooler and overcast but then winter is coming and there is a threat of showers later this week.
I did my usual look back and every time I have felt strong and run well I have run really easily for weeks and month before.

Argggghhhhh.

There is an insane quality to me in the expectation that I can do what always beats me up to get stronger. I am opposite-man! Slow and long makes me faster. There's no other way around it. The HRM does not lie.


 OPPOSITE-MAN!
 

Back to work

I went back to work today.

In the morning I ran a very slow 22 minute warm-up and then did 4 x 10 minutes (200 meter walk recover) at sub tempo pace. I really wasn't into it. I almost decided not to do it. But life is short and I enjoy running faster than my usual 10-11 minute a mile pace. Most of the 10 minute runs were super loops around the college throwing in the par course hills into the mix. My very educated guess about pace was that they were in the 8:00-8:15 range.

How do I know???? On each loop I did at least one lap around the track and was able to get a rough idea of my pace.

Ray Russell used to call efforts like this, memory runs. In this case the pace I could run about ten years back. Age graded, the effort was similar to running 6-6:15 pace back in the day.

The rule is of these runs is I more along at a steady pace but I can't be breathing hard or pressing.

Commander Sciatica was pretty much asleep. I felt him turn over several times and felt his kick. But no pain.

PW on Triangle & a postscript

I ran a shakedown in my local neighborhood. Maybe 4 minutes before heading over to WVC for the club. I was running, walking and chatting with my colleagues when Wally came by and asked if I wanted to run the 4.76 (Triangle) with him.

"It'll be 11-12 minutes a mile," he said.  Since I had not run sustained hills for a long time I decided to pace him. Tom who was walking with me when Wally came by asked the question: "I wonder why he didn't ask me?"

"Tom, he want to run not walk the thing!" Of course the real reason is that Tom is too fast and Wally wanted a pacer that would be happy to really run slow. That has my name written all over it.

I ran a bit more to get in a total of 10 minutes before the club run started.

Years ago I set what was then a club record on this very course, being the first WVJS runner to break 26 minutes. I believe I ran 25:40 in what was basically a solo effort after the first two miles. Today we hit the two mile point a minute faster than my all time PR so we were going really slow. Once we started up the big uphill we got even slower with Wally verging on a fast walk at times. I wish I could say I minded but frankly the glacial pace was good for my calf that I pulled 4 times in 2008. Today, I felt nada. No problems. I even drifted off course preferring to run the walking trail that runs roughly parallel to highway 9.

But I kept Wally in site and finally led him back downhill to the finish in a hair over 51 minutes. It was an all time PW for me.

My running total was 61 minutes of slow. Tomorrow if the warrior God Sciatica is willing, I will hammer a bit.

*Postscript

Wally suffered some chest pains after the run and drove himself to the emergency room at Kaiser. Turns out he was kept overnight for observation which pissed him off because he wanted to make breakfast on Sunday with the guys. Found out today that he had suffered a mild heart attack. He already has six stents and may have already had a heart attack some years back. But he fighting against genetics. The male side of his family dies of heart disease and he has already lived longer than any of them.

Chance of a a bypass in the future.

This is one tough guy. Six stents, several heart attacks. He'll be back out there, running.

Steady Effort at Forbes

Beat the heat by getting out early and running with Jake over at Forbes. My "injury" is getting better. I ran an easy loop at just under 28 minutes and then did the second one in 22:52 (12:30 at turnaround). I had to hold back on the return trip because I could feel some tightness on the right side below my hip. So I stayed on the safe side of any pain and completed the run with no big issues. All told with a short shakedown in my neighborhood, I ran close to 58 minutes.

I have a way to go before I can try to get under 20 minutes again.

It is still summer!

It is still summer! 



I tried to get out early to avoid the mini-heat wave engulfing the Bay Area.

This was one of those gut check mornings. Legs tired & tight. I ran anyway clumping out 60 minutes. Some folks love this weather (see below).  I got my run in and was finished right around 9 am. Our high school runners went out around 3:30 in the afternoon in 90 degrees and dealt with it while we coaches hung out in the shade spitting out directions, jokes and some friendly abuse.

52 minutes: Recovery continues

I got out around 8:30 this morning and ran 52 minutes. My legs felt okay so I ran over the college and did big loops. It was crowded. Soccer game going on and a swim meet (kids!!!). The track wasn't too bad and I decided to test things by running 2 x 10 minutes at a steady effort. I ran one of them on the track doing big loops including the par course section. The last one was on the trip home. When I finished I thought briefly about going on for 60 minutes but decided against it.

I held up fine. Some sensation on the right side but nothing that could be mistaken for pain.

I can sense that I am on recovery road but need to be careful regardless.

Another heater coming our way next week. It peaks around Tuesday and Wednesday and then drops off. And just when I thought it was fall.

My Butt Gets Better

I drove over to the club workout and actually ran a truncated version of it. Wally convinced me to do 2 x 1600 in a relay with him while the rest of the club did 3 x 1600. My first 1600 was around 8:30 and actually felt fairly decent. I picked up the second one and broke the 8 minute barrier. The sciatic pain never really kicked in. The total run with warm up and warm down was 48 minutes and change. I could have run some more but decided against it.

Back at the Little Bighorn

I did a 5 minute shakedown run by the house and then drove over to Forbes and met up with Jake. We sow trotted a loop. he then went on to run a second loop while I ran another on and off seven minutes for a total of 45 minutes. Running is exhausting because of the sciatic problem. Yes, as long as I keep it slow I am pretty much running pain free. But if I go at all the pain unsheathes its dagger and plunges it into my back.

So dramatics aside, I can run but have to keep it easy for now.

In the afternoon I forwent the school bus for obvious reasons and drove up to the Crystal Springs Invite. It was old home week since I used to race and train on this course back in the day. The weather was moderate and good for racing.

Once again, it hit me how much the terrain reminded me of the Little Big Horn Battlefield.

S-L-O-W-L-Y

I ran s-l-o-w-l-y this morning for about 45 minutes. It was on the dam  trail at Forbes.

Maybe it was overkill. I had to stop several times but not because of any real pain. Mostly because I felt sluggish and heavy legged.

No question though, the sciatica is still there. Lurking, I think is the right word. Big Bad Billy can keep me running but I need something in the way of exercises to try to keep this from happening again (and again).

Well, don't try to change a tire in 15 minutes for one.

Don't get guilted into sitting on school buses for another.


Let me OUT! My back hurts!

40 minutes walking and some running

I got out for 40 minutes this morning. I threw in 16 minutes of very easy running broken up into 1-2 minute increments. The rest was walking. A decided improvement from last Thursday where the walking was still uncomfortable. Not getting on a school bus and riding down to Pacific Grove and back was the right call. I have decided to stick to my own car for the remainder of the season.

I believe that I will be able to ramp up fairly quickly as long as I don't do something stupid.

The weather has shifted. Feels like fall.


Giants made the playoffs yesterday. First time since 2003.

Gatorade and Ibuprofen

I handled the heat at the XC meet on Wednesday. At least better than the Stanford meet. I was still wrung out. I stayed in the shade as much as possible and drank some water when I could get it. But four plus hours on my feet plus a surprise school bus ride over and back on bench seats did a job on my dormant sciatica. I was in a fair amount of pain on the way back. I had Gatorade and ibuprofen in my car and I downed both. I was totally washed out by the time I had negotiated the commute traffic and rolled into the driveway of my house. Had some wine, more Gatorade, ate dinner and then slept the sleep of the damned. My back was better in the morning but still sending some errant, random shooting pains up and down my spine. I was walking around like an 85 year old.

Tough but no more buses for me, Not right now. Not until my back is right.

Beating the heat

Big Heater today. Close to 100 or so they say.

I awoke in the dark and slipped out of bed and made a cup of coffee to help me wake up. It was already warm in the house but I opened the back door and let some of the cool early morning air bleed into the kitchen and living room. I brought Sue her wake up cup of warm water (don't ask) and then began getting ready to go out and run before it got too hot. By the time  finally had circled the neighborhood and got out the door the final time it was closing in on 7:30 am.

 I ran over to the college and did big loops. Nothing new in this. I kept it slow. It was relatively comfortable but the morning air was that like a kettle just beginning to boil. The temperature wasn't that high but you knew in a few minutes it would be rolling. The track was crowded with runners and walkers who usually get out later in the morning. They too were fleeing before the coming heat.

By the time I arrived home it was closing on 60 minutes. I could have easily gone further. But I was in shut down mode. Not exhilarated but not tired either. Just finished. An hour was enough.

We have a XC meet this afternoon. If not for this I would stay inside and let the air conditioning keep me on ice. But that seems to be out of the question. I don't envy the kids. If we had any sense we would cancel this thing. Too bad because tomorrow begins the cool down.

Broke Up Sub-Tempo

I drank a tankard of coffee and then flung myself casually out on the roads this morning trying to get a good workout in before the sharp bladed scimitar of heat descended on the South Bay.

And I almost made it.

I ran a slow and purposely lethargic 20 minute warm up and then began a succession of 3 x 10 minutes steady with each followed by a 200 meter walk.  I did run into Charles so I jogged what was supposed to be a fourth steady session but in the end that was probably wise. All in all, I ran 66 minutes with 30 minutes of steady running shoehorned in there.

I am still not quite sure what to make out of this type of workout but the short walk breaks allow me to run stronger and I seem to recover (faster). It is all sub tempo so the run never really gets that hard. I'll get a better idea of the sustainability of this sort of thing over the next few weeks.

No sciatic pain so that was all good.

The heat wave continues

Double Header

 I got over to WVC early and ran a very 75 slow minutes. There was a big meet today (see below) but late enough I had a chance to both run and grab breakfast.

 Today was the big Stanford Invite XC Race. The last time I had been there was back when I was coaching Julianne Hansen. It was as hot and dusty and crowded as I remembered. But also very well organized given the teeming masses that deluged the place. Here is the varsity team getting their numbers pinned on. Jake is giving them last minute instructions.

 

Couldn't see much of the races. Unless you are willing to sprint around the course to key vantage points you are best just camping out at one spot and watching the runners go by. I was very warm and had a tough time cooling down. Finally after our two races I hightailed it to the car and embraced air conditioning. I think I was a hit dehydrated from my morning run.

Not quite an hour

I ran 6 minutes around the neighborhood to shake things out. Then I drove over to Forbes and met with Jake who caught me sitting in the car doing email on my iPhone.

Damn that is addictive. 24-7!

We ran a pedestrian first loop in just under 27 minutes. Much faster than last weeks slogging 28 minutes and change. The second loop was just under 25 minutes. We had to pick it up over the last section from the ramp to Forbes. I could feel a tightness in my right hip but it wasn't painful. Just a reminder that "it" is still there.

The total running time was about 58 minutes.

Heat wave coming. Not too bad but still mid to upper 80's.

65°f

Fair

1. 
   

   Today

   79° / 54°
2. 
   

   Tomorrow

   85° / 56°
3. 
   

   Saturday

   87° / 56°

Another De Anza Session

I got out early this morning. At least early for me. I chose to run over to the local college and do big loops over there. School has started back up (fall semester). The track was busy with plump Indian woman in her dark sweat suit and "you can't see my eyes" sun glasses, several guys and other mostly asian women endlessly circling the track.

I ran and walked for about 70 minutes with 5 x 10 minutes at a steady pace with each run followed by a 2 minute walk. I was a bit more tired than Sunday but still I felt relatively strong. I will probably bring the HRM the next time to monitor (excuse the pun) my effort when I am running my ten minute sessions. I can see running easy most days and picking up the effort one day a week but cutting down the duration. There are many ways to work myself into the ground so I need to be careful.

I can still feel the buttinitis but no real pain. I had a mid morning coffee meeting over in Santa Clara afterward and I drove over there with a tennis ball lodged between the car seat and my sciatic nerve. It seems to help but who knows for sure.

The competition

Van Aaken on the track

Varied workout today. I was out for 75 minutes total with 40 minutes of running and 35 minutes of walking. I walked over to the De Anza track and then ran 3 x 10 minutes at a relatively strong pace broken up by a 200 meter walk (very Van Aaken). Then I decided to head home doing my last 10 minute run on the way. This mornings run felt very different than yesterday's heavy legged affair. Maybe the walk got me going. Each of the ten minute sections felt strong and where I cannot tolerate a short sprint, my sciatica didn't bother me much at all when I stuck to a steady pace.

I can see where going more to this type of program might help me both recover more effectively and also allow me to do some stronger workouts.

More typically would have been 60-70 minutes of 2,000 meter runs with a short walk recovery.

Oh well, who gives a flying ----! Only moi.

Not Ready For Prime Time

I did a 61 minute easy run today over at WVC. I did try a couple of 50 yard pickups down on the track but my sciatica said "not yet." My right legs still feels weak even though I am no longer dragging it around like a sack of garbage. I can run steady and that is something given where I was two weeks ago. But I am not ready for prime time.

I sat on la pelota de tenis on my way down to breakfast. So there were three "globes" down in that general area but only one was doing some work.

Conversation at breakfast ranged from high school cross country categories to the Tea Party. Politics that is. Maybe there is not that much difference between politics today and the tea party in Alice in Wonderland.

Sitting On A Tennis Ball

I must be back. I ran 60 minutes this morning. 5 miles of shakedown at home and another 55 minutes with Jake at Forbes Mill. Only minor discomfort and most of it was from sitting on a tennis ball in the car on the way over. It is supposed to provide trigger point massage for my sciatica problem.



Blueberry pancakes at the Southern Kitchen afterward.

Self Talk for 45 minutes

I went up to see Big Bad Billy. He said things looked good (as he dug his elbow into my piriformis). He really believes that if I am conservative for the next several weeks I will be fine.

When I got home I went out for an easy mid day 45 minute run and had little indication of problems. Every time I thought about walking I said to myself, "Self, you really are okay so why not keep running." And so I did. I just kept the pace slow.

Dare I hope that I can train for the 800? I'll have to be a bit more conservative and smart about it.

Not-A-Cheetah, yet.

Big BIG DAY!

I ran and walked 90 minutes today with at least 40 minutes of running. To be truthful, much of it was broken up by walking breaks especially in the afternoon session. Yes, I did two sessions but much of the running was in the morning and the nooner was mostly walking. The never ending sciatica was minimal as long as I stayed slow. And those who know me best, know that slow is easy for me.

Had breakfast at Bill of Fare this morning with the coaches. Jake wasn't happy with his varsity girls because they were not aggressive enough in getting out early in their respective races. So he'll punish them by doing some interval work on Monday. Okay, it isn't actually punishment. The goal is to teach them to get out faster. My opinion is that they have all had enough work. I would focus on their mindset, not further working their bodies. I would go talk to them both as a group and individually and co-op them into putting out more early on.

Of course I was not unhappy with their performances at all. But that's why I am an assistant coach.

Toro Park

I drove down to Toro Park outside of Salinas for the Early Bird Invitational. Left the house and 7 am and arrived down there before 8:30. Not a bad drive. Luckily ran into Becki who showed me the way in. Could not find my team but that is because they were still in line waiting to pay the toll at the Ranger's gate while I walked past them because I parked on a side road outside the entrance.

This isn't the first time I have been to the park. I used to go there in the late 1970's to run the long uphills to Toro Peak. Really different days. When I showed up mid week back then the place would be damn near empty. Also I was a good deal younger and stronger. Today it resembled that Indian Village I wrote about. Different teams (tribes) camped all over the place.

The races were disappointing. Hard to see as a spectator unless you charged all over the place. And of course spectators and runners were charging back and forth to follow the competition. I finally planted myself in a decent spot which gave a good view of the race with about 400-500 yards to go.

I actually had more fun talking to some of the parents and other coaches. Didn't see Jake too much but we get a chance to talk a bit.

After the last race I jumped in my car and headed home. Lunch consisted of some "health" bars and Gatorade.

This is the upper meadows and trails of the regional park. This is where I would prefer to be. It seems to go up forever.




Down below where the action is. This from 2009 but it looked the same this year.
Hoka Hey!

BINGO! Light Just Went On!

I just realized that my leg and back problems began the week that I had to quick change a tire that had a nail in it. It was the evening SOA (Save Our Assets) met. That was a Monday. It was the following Thursday that my right calf {{{twinged}}} and that incident kicked off a succession of problems that have continued until the present. So speed work probably was not the problem. Changing a tire was more than likely the source of my present "evil".



Yes, the light goes on but then it goes back off.

That's the problem.

First Impressions

My impressions of my first XC meet this past Wednesday

More like a 19th century American Indian encampment. Different tribes arrive, set up their tent circles and visit. Then suddenly they are attacked by soldiers and they jump on their horses and counterattack. The rest of the Indians yell war cries in support.

Hoka Hey! It is a good day to die!

There are many war leaders including White Jake, Two Moon and the half breed Van Zant (Dutch & Wilcoxian).

A new war chief who had no idea what was going on was He-Brew. He is from some obscure tribe located in desert lands.

No one knows where it is but he hangs with White Jake.

Lot's of dust and yelling. Soldiers are beaten off. Tribes celebrate and then disperse.

Rehabbing@Forbes Mill

I was back at Forbes this morning tearing off 3 minute runs followed by 1 minute saunters. I did 40 minutes of this. 30 minutes of soft and easy running sandwiched in between the white bread (walks).

The discomfort has really settled into the right glute and upper hammie but nothing more than an annoyance. I can run slowly with minimal issues and I can walk with no problems at all. I told Jake I am rehabbing. I want to stay close so that if I can get past this, I can have a shot at running a fast loop again. Maybe this year. I am just not there yet. Better than two weeks ago but still not "there".

More Walk-Run

In the spirit of progress I ran and walked for 40 minutes this morning. I started off with a 5 minute stroll and then ran 2 minutes on and then walked for one minute. I repeated this ten times. I then capped things off with a 5 minute walk.

I can still feel the injury but it is mild. The more I ran the better it felt. I didn't feel it at all during the walking portions.

I am assuming this is a piriformis problem and that it will get better over time. I am breaking a few rules and doing some light stretching.

Stuff like this.


Or this.


Nothing too daunting.

Greek Warriors

I ended up with sciatica (a Greek Warrior..ha ha).

A week ago I could not run (at all) and thought I had pulled a hamstring but each day the pain moved to another part of my right leg and finally settled in the glute. I visited my chiro and he adjusted me twice telling me firmly that it was piriformis and sciatic nerve issues. Those adjustments (I am like a car) really made a difference.

I can now walk and run without discomfort but I am very slowly ramping back up to my usual every other day runs. Right now I am at 15 minutes running broken up by a lot of walking.

I watched a show on TV that showed gentle (& calming) yoga-pilates exercises for the core.

I am now incorporating several of them into my weekly routine. They are really early stage stuff but don't seem to bother my back at all.

---

I AM SCIATICA !!!!!



I AM PIRIFORMIS!!!!!



I walked and ran for about 35 minutes today. 16 minutes of walking and the rest running. I could still feel some minor discomfort but nothing daunting. I will continue to ramp up but break up the running with more walks. Like 2 minutes running and 1 minute walking and do that 10x.

I met with Jake for breakfast. He is giving me the JV's which is fine. I think it will be easier on both of us.

More walking and jogging

I walked-jogged for 30 minutes this morning. Most of it was walking but 1/3rd was very slow running. So 20-10. If I think about where I was a week ago, I am much improved. There is still some sciatic or piriformis sensation (I don't know what else to call it). Okay, buttinitis. But it is ever so slight as long as I run slow. I probably will need another Big Bad Bill visit next week.



Me. Last week.

Walking..Walking

I am walking! The two visits to Big Bad Billy and some real rest this past week have reaped benefits. Of course I am also doing slight bits and pieces of running too. Just 10-20 second increments surrounded by walking.

I got out for 30 minutes both yesterday and today. I hope to go longer on Sunday and Monday.

I also went to the club breakfast at the Collins' home. The club ran the handicapped race. It was good enough fun to just watch and then eat and drink coffee afterward. I saw Dwight (He of the 100 mile weeks) from afar and kept my distance. I have enough stuff on my plate that I need Lu-Lu land stuff too.

Coaching is not a happy experience. Jake is a control freak but also one of my best friends. But he constantly goes non-linear yelling at the kids and sometimes me. Always followed by an apology. What bothers me the most is my not really coaching. Not really. I have talked to Jake about this and he acknowledges that it is a problem. He changes for a day or two and then goes right back to his normal behavior.

So he is just like the rest of us.

We are what we are.

I am not throwing stones but life is short (too short) and I would rather be blundering around the house than being Mr. Extra Hands- Stopwatch Man.

I am going to talk to Jake one last time. if it doesn't change I will have call it a day. It will cost us our friendship if it keeps going this way.

The answer is to give me a sub-section of the team and let me run it. I guess that won't happen but them's my terms.

Because it is there!

We took the whole team to Rancho on this hot and dry afternoon. Mostly on a bus but some were driven. Bellarmine and Homestead were there too. Everyone went on runs that figured to bring them back in about an hour. The 6 top varsity boy runners were supposed to do upper wildcat and the farm bypass. Around 8 miles. I have run it many times.

Well, somewhere along the way they decided to climb Mt. Everest (at Rancho that is Black Mountain..been up there too) and ended going for about 2.5-3 hours. We had to call in the rescue (park) rangers to go out and find them. It was getting towards sundown and there was really no water on the trail past the farm.

Jake, myself and one of the moms (Joan) stayed until everyone was "located". Even Kendrick the Homestead coach offered to help.

The kids admitted that they had lost their heads and Jake gave them a short lecture about doing "the" workout and not being so "creative".

We figured they got in over their heads but not knowing where they were was challenging. This is not the first time this has happened. The varsity girls got "lost" one day but at least that was on the streets of Cupertino and San Jose.

I would have yanked them from a meet or two but in the end it was Jake's call and really their being safe was the priority.

I would have yanked them from the next meet anyway. Redundant. I know. Blah..blah...blah.

But it was Shakespeare who wrote, "All's well that ends well."



Mount Everest: This is where they got lost. They kept going up because it was there.



Because it is there!

George Leigh-Mallory's scoffing remark to the press when asked why he climbed Everest

_______________________

On the personal, my right leg is healing up. It was the first day I walked around without any significant tightness or pain. While the kids ran Hank and I regaled each other with stories of our fast years. Hank ran about 15-20 mpw more than I did on average and at 55 is where I am at age 65.

So once again, when I come back.

No more quick track work. Maybe some striders but that's it. Otherwise, longer slower runs. I would like to get back up in the hills now and then.

Bench Warmer

When you are on the bench (injured) you are never really alone. Those that can still play really don't care. They empathize but that's about it. So it is good not too make yourself an object of pity. I went to see Big Bad Billy yesterday and I do admit that this morning my right leg is better.
I actually get up and down and walk around with little or no soreness. Ultimately, no matter what I do, it is dawning on me that rest (R-E-S-T) is best.

There aren't too many other secrets. Dwight of the one miles a week has zappers and pulsers and they may help but in the end you need rest. That was the secret of my recovery from my calf injuries of 2008. After 3 failed comebacks I was beaten down to walking and ten second jog-walks. But I did come back.

Over time the thing will become runnable again and I will return to running. My mistake was to not hear the message when my hamstring was bothering me. It got better and I ran but it was still there which meant that when I ran I compensated and out pressure on other areas. Like Dizzy Dean breaking his toe in the 1937 All Star Game, continuing to pitch, compensating and ultimately ruining his arm. Out of baseball in his early 30's.

So that sub 19 minute Dam Run will have to wait (if ever).

Intervals are out.

I'll default to my normal running and 5-7% tempo (rolling monthly). I seem not to get injured that way.

But in the end EVERYTHING BREAKS unto death.

My running SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I got up early this morning and jogged around to loosen things up. Then I drove up to Saratoga High for the Marshal Clark 4 miler which benefits both the Lynbrook and Saratoga XC programs.

Once we got going I settled in towards the back of the pack and drifted down along South DeAnza Blvd. I caught up to another oldster (Bob..works at Apple) and we began chatting and running together. I had to haul to several times because my hip and hamstring started to tighten up. My right legs felt weak and stiff which is reminiscent of early stage sciatica. Whatever is wrong I really had to slow up just to complete the race. Just under 36 minutes total time. Woe have the mighty fallen.

So I am officially on Injured Reserve. Benched. Out of the game.

I go see Bill Tarr on Tuesday and he'll put me right but I am convinced that I can't force my way through this. I will more than likely take some quality time off. In the meantime I'll walk to burn some calories and then rebuild by adding in short periods of running. But first rest, rest and more rest.

I wish it all bothered me more but frankly my running has sucked big time ever since I tried to add fast reps back into my regime. No more of that.





Here I am yelling "My running SUCKS!"

60 minute saunter

I went drove up to Forbes Mill and ran a very easy 55 minutes with Jake. When I threw in the 5 minute shake down run I did at home it was a total of 60 minutes. The weather had cooled down considerably and hovered in the 60's.

Jake and I talked out my coaching issue and resolved it. He agreed that when he gives me a group to coach, that I be allowed to run their practice versus my just standing around while he runs the whole practice. He sets the vision and even the general workout content and I execute. I believe he thought I needed more up front time to get to know the runners and their abilities. I told him that I am pretty much up to speed and could do the rest on the fly.

He took half the team to Rancho this afternoon and I ran the others from the park. It seemed to work out fine. I had them do a warm up, drills on the grass with strides coming back and then I sent them out on the roads for various distances. So everyone ran somewhere between 3 and 6 miles.

Some more injuries today. Many of the kids just not in shape. Painful to watch them lurch along trying to get in condition. The rest of the team did the workout with no problems.

A Heater

Today it is supposed to get up over 100 degrees someplace in the Bay Area. I ran early and it was already warm. My legs were sore from the 100's I did on Sunday. It seems no matter what I do in the realm of speed, I pay a high price. The pace today was agonizingly slow. I was bound and determined to run 60 minutes so I just kept backing it off until I was comfortable. Because I rather thick headed, I seem not to get the message that if I speed, I bleed (meaning, I pay a high price).

I want to run a fast 800 but the truth seems to be that I can go that path but not via speed work.

That means time trials and steady running and race-like events when I can find them. In other words I can't blow up the wall. I will have to knock it down with a battering ram.

As to the 100's? I guess I will have to persevere and get used to a weekly dose of them.

Maybe the battering ram is not the right phrase.

Maybe it's this.


On the coaching front. I am slightly disappointed. I am not sure you can call what I am doing actual coaching. Mostly it is like a cross between herding and babysitting. I have no real input into the workouts. The head coach, Jake, paves over most of my ideas and recommendations. So I drive around making sure kids are on course during their road work and then on other days stand around timing their speed work. It is hardly challenging. The kids are not the issue. It's how Jake felt when Hank was running things. Now I am "it".

I am sadly underutilized (sad for me). Team captains and group leaders could do what I am doing. A cardboard cutout of a coach could do what I am doing.

My plan is to let Jake know how I feel but stick out the season anyway because I made the commitment. But if this is what it is going to be like then I will move on as soon as cross country is over. My real plan (or desire) was to coach a small rolling group of adults. Maybe 5-6 runners. This was supposed to be coaching immersion. But instead it is coaching submersion.

Two months give or take. I can do this standing on my head because that is what it feels like.

Standing on my head.

Looks like I am still kissing frogs.

Testing...Testing

I decided to "test" myself today. I ran for 25 minutes ending up at the beginning of the home stretch of the De Anza Track. I had met with my former work colleague, Charles and told him that I was going to do 8 x 100 striders (untimed). The recovery was a big loop (minus the 100 meters).

I wanted to see if my hamstring was truly on the mend.

So we ran them. The hammie held together so no complaints there. Charles surprised me because of his speed. It's not that I was pushing but even so he ghosted ahead of me rather easily.

We split up after the workout and I jogged back to the house completing the workout in a total time of 60 minutes.

Men of the 800

I have been thinking of goals lately. I would like to retrace some of the territory I have retreated from over the last 15 years. I know ti will be tough.

My goal is to run a sub 2:30, 800 meter by next summer (or the summer after).

Very tough because I stopped doing the type of speedwork or races that would have kept in the ball park. In fact, I have never been an 800 meter runner. My all time PR is 2:06 but I never trained for it. I just showed up at an all comers meet, jumped on the track and ran it. My 4:31 mile says I could have been down around 2 flat and small change.

I am not in the ball park. Not right now at least.

This isn't a mileage thing. 25 miles per week will do it. Maybe a long run of an 6-8 miles.

But to get my legs ready for 75 second laps I am going to have to do reps and sprints.

6-8 x 100 in 17-18 seconds. 2-4 x 400 in 75. 2 x 600 in 1:52. Maybe some 200's in 35-37.

Two hard workouts a week. One day of 100's and one day of reps.

I am going to have to work my way down to those times and not get injured. So progression is important. The times above are those I want to reach. The reps at the start will be closer to 90 seconds. The 100's in 20-22.

Other things:

Ice (brrrrr)
Massage
The stick! (my father's old WWII, MP billy club)

So my week might look like this.

Tuesday: 60 minute run

Wednesday: 2 mile warm up, 6-8 x 100 jogging 300 in between, 2 mile warmdown

Friday: 60 minute run

Sunday: 2 mile warm up, 4 x 400 at date, 2 mile warmdown.

Keep my own council. Stay flexible on days and workouts.

Another 60

Another 60 minutes this morning. No hamstring problems but I kept things easy running my usual route over the college and doing loops before coming back. The school was basically empty of people so I had the run of the place. No pun intended. I shared the track and the par curse with plump hispanic girl (or maybe she is Indian). No eye contact so I can't be sure.

Very different situation this afternoon when I headed over to Lynbrook to coach. I cut down Miller and made a right on Rainbow and found myself buried in "getting out of school" traffic. There were parents and kids all over the place. Doesn't anyone just walk to and from school anymore? Finally I had to turn around and just go another way. It was that bad. I am going to have to get creative on Monday and come down Bollinger and up Johnson or down Prospect and turn left on Johnson. Either way, it could get crowded. Probably better to come early and avoid the rush.

I can always laze around the park and sip a frappucino.

This has the overtones of a commute and I hates that.

I go to big bad Bill's

Thursday was an "off" day. I got to sit around and swill coffee until around 9:30 AM before driving up to see Big Bad Bill. I told him about my hammie problem and he just laughed and said, "What is it about you guys where you just keep running?" He was referring to the possibility of me ripping a muscle by continuing to run.

Point well made. You see, I am still obsessive. Just every other day.

He said my hip was out and he did his magic. We'll see how I feel when I obsessively run on Friday.

I have am going run a 4 mile race on the 28th. It is a fund raiser for the cross country program. I was faced with either getting up really early and showing up to help or to run the race and be helped.

The 60 plus record is a daunting 31:00:05 by my friend Tim Rostege. Last March or April I think I could have aced it but now I am not so sure. Plus Tim is known for racing hard where I am known for running tempo. As long as my hamstring is good to go, I will run the course with my HRM on and stay in the 85-90% of max range. If Tim's record holds up to my onslaught at that heart rate, then so be it. Any decent 60 plus runner could tank guys like me and Tim anyway. We may still show up but our best days are behind us. 25-30 years ago we would be with the front runners. Now we'll be engulfed by quick starting high school kids.

Plan B: If I am not 100% then I will just jog the darn thing.

For whom the bell tolls

Back up to Forbes Mill for the first time in months. I ran with Jake doing two loops. The first was in the 27's and the second in the 24's. MY HRM was rarely above 140. I ran a few more minutes to round the whole thing at an hour. No problems with my hamstring. Now and then I could feel it but it never "went".

It was good to be away from Miller/Rainbow and back on the trail. The weather was cool and overcast so running conditions were near perfect.

We had breakfast afterward.

Received an email from my friend in England, Derek. His 42 year old son unexpectedly died in his sleep. It is beyond my comprehension to know how he feels. You always think you'll die before your children.

Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee

John Donne

60 conservative minutes

I ran over to the college this morning, did big loops and ended it at 60 minutes. I kept my HR in the low 130's running easy. I am going to be careful until I get this hamstring/right leg thing sorted out. I am going to see Big Bad Billy on Thursday in the morning. No problems today for the first time in a week but as I said, I was very conservative. The weather helped make things pleasant. Overcast and cool. Feels more like early fall than mid summer.

Saw fast China Girl on the track doing laps. She is sort of compact in a shapely manner. She blew by me several times going strong.

Dwight (he of the 100 mile weeks) has stopped returning my emails. I challenged his training. He seems to be going too fast on his daily runs. When he races with the club his pace is slower than some of the training paces he shares with me.

So...

1. His course are mismeasured
2. He is deluding himself
3. He is workout winner but can't translate that to races

I think it's a combo of all three.

In any case it doesn't make sense. Frankly he has a reputation for doing this. Not a bad guy but obsessive to a sharp point. Anyway, I guess he didn't want to hear it so he shut me down. Like I did with Fat Dave the right wing conservative. Got tired of his Rush Limbaugh-Michael Savage garbage. So if you dish it out, then you had better be able to take it when it is done to you.

In fact later in the day he sent me a pussy email saying that I didn't respect him. It was all I could do not to get sick. God. Man-up. I am beginning to understand what a beta male is like.

I realize that inadvertently I let these people in my life and they want me to buy into their madness.

This isn't high school. Well at least not until 3:15 and then....

Yesterday was my first official day as assistant coach for Lynbrook Cross Country. So far I just sit back and let Jake run things. After we get organized I am going to ask to run a group (he knows this) because right now I am redundant. I follow Jake around and he does the talking. Later on we'll trade groups day to day or week to week so I can have some independence.

This is last years team. Jake's on the left. Hank Lawson, now the former coach, on the right.

The Bow Run

This morning The Last Runner Standing ran a 10k race with another "Last Runner". Shel and I drove up to a Dolphin Club run in San Francisco. It started and ended at the the Yacht Harbor. Strange course. It was basically two different out and backs tied together at the finish to form an elongated bow. I took off slowly and stayed slow. I caught up to Mort who is another survivor from the old days and 9 years my senior. We hung together chatting and catching up. Except for twice in the first two miles when my right hamstring tightened up, the run was extremely enjoyable. No other legs problems at all.

I kept my HR in the mid to high 140's and even let it drift up into the low 150's on several occasions. But my per mile pace is not speeding up. The run took 61 minutes (and change). So supplements or not, there seems to be no magic pill. This is my second month taking them and with the exception of just feeling better run to run, the pace is still grooved into the high 9's and low 10's.

No complaints though. I need to tend to this hamstring issue and focus on getting back to running some tempo efforts.

Here is Mort sprinting ahead of me. I am the guy in the white just entering the finishing area. I look like I am walking. Hell, I look like a member of the finish line crew not a runner.


Here is another one of me taken a few moment later. What the heck am I doing? Reading scriptures?


This, by the way, is Clara Bow the great silent screen actress also known as the "It Girl". She died in 1965 when I was only 20. This photo says more about her life than any of her glamour or publicity shots. The inner sadness. It's all there.

Last Run at Raibow-Miller For A While

I did what was probably my last run at Rainbow and Miller for a while. Certainly in the morning. I did a very easy 60 minutes with no HRM. I am ready for a change.

I just kept the pace slow and easy (my secret weapon). I am having some minor hamstring issues which originally began with the reps I was doing but were exacerbated by "other things" like using my version of the stick for massage and also over stretching my legs sitting on the bed using my laptop (it's a long story). Advil, ice and staying away from massage will be my strategy for now.

Cross Country season officially began today and everyone went long. The crowds haven't showed up yet but they will come according to Jake especially when we shift to afternoon workouts. I am going to take the non runners for the first week or two and get them going. In less than a month they'll all be racing.

Two Tired Runs

On Monday I was one tired mother. I kept my HR rate very low (130 and under) and worked my way through 70 minutes of slow running around Rainbow Park and Miller. I had little or no lift. I think it was a combo of not enough carbs (again!) and Saturday's rep workout. I have this habit of falling off the carb wagon and eating too much dead flesh. In this case steak (Saturday evening) and calamari (Sunday evening).

Wednesday wasn't a heck of a lot better. Another out of body drag-ass run. My HR grooved into the low 120's which was very unusual and stayed there until finally during the last 1/4th of the "experience" I upped the pace and drove my rate up into the mid to high 140's. I felt no worse running faster than slower. Go figure that out. Anyway, another 70 minutes. Jake saw me late in the run and told me afterward that I looked strong. He must have spotted me during the "highlight" ten minutes I was pushing the pace.

And the horse I rode in on!

I did a 6 minute shakedown run at the house and then sped over to WVC for a rep workout. Did another 19 minutes with Dimitri followed by 4 x 100 strides. I admit it. I felt sluggish. Gee whiz, I wonder if that could be Thursday's run coming back to bite me?

My plan was to run every other one while D ran 12 x400. His goal was an 85 second average and my goal was to run 5-6 at the same pace. I was dragging on the first one which was an 86 (or was ti 87?). Then we got down to business and I ran the next 4 in 84-83-84-83. Not too bad and well below my goal pace. D had had it at 10 reps so I decided that 5 was enough for me. Could I have done 6?

Yes. And I am sure I could have managed a sub 85. But it was not to be. We jogged around campus for another 20 minutes.

The bottom line was this: Good workout but stop running so hard on Thursday. It ain't buying me good Saturdays. So (#$*&) me and the horse I rode in on.

Some things I am going to have to do if I want to stay in the game

1. Stop doing drills before workouts. I am not talking about striders. But I need to stay away from high knees, butt kicks, hops etc. Sure and hell they cause my right achilles to swell and other bad things. I understand that they are activators but I am just going to have to find other ways to "activate". Striders over 50-100 meters are safest for me.

2. Stop running steady several days before my key workouts. This has been an issue since my best days of running. If I run too hard on the roads my reps suffer. It's simple. The rule was same at age 30 and it is the same now. If I want a good rep workout I have to slow down on my regular runs. In fact, the slower I am willing to run (Van Aaken 101), the better I will run on hard days. I can extend the time I run but if I try to cover more ground in an hour, I will use up adaptive energy.

We're all different. Hard training never bought me squat. Duration and a small amount of speed paid the highest dividends.

Coach for a Day

I ran early again today. Jake was out of town and I was {{{Coach for a Day}}}. So I had to get my workout in early. I ran a solid 60 minutes this morning gradually working my HR up into the 140's which is much higher than I have been running as of late. It was cool and overcast so all I had to do was "move along". Actually I felt like I was going pretty fast until I rounded the Miller Track and watched as a young girl just pulled away from me like I was standing still. I could make the lame excuse that she was not running when I showed up and stopped before I finished my run, but the truth (THE TRUTH!) is that my faster pace running still isn't that fast. Still, all in all I was able to tap into a high heart rate with no apparent distress. I am late in the game to be hoping for this, but I "hope" the steady erosion of my training pace will reverse itself. The end game is that I will get slower but my goal is to buy a few years for myself.

The volunteer army (well, the cross country team members) started to show up at around 9 and despite my deepest fears, the group swelled to over 20 runners. I kept things low key talking about the workout which was a two mile sustained tempo run and things seemed to go okay. I said that if any of them felt that they didn't want to do the workout, there would be no problem. Then I sent them out on a two mile warmup run through the neighborhood. When they got back I had them do 4 regular striders and then let them rest a bit. They mostly chatted and seemed relaxed. I told the girls that they could take their cell phones with them on the time trial and they laughed.

"You never know when an important call might come in," I said.

Once they lined up I started them off running the 4 lap course. Lucca came and helped on the backside making sure the kids stayed on the course.

The fastest runners was in the low 11's and a group came in just under 12 minutes. The fastest girls were in the low 13's. The whole group finished and was glad that they didn't have to run another step. We walked one loop of the course as a warmdown. Everyone was very animated and chatted it up. Lucca and I talked about his training. I told him that I thought he was going to do very well but to stay connected with what meant the most to him. Track or cross country. Understand where you can excel and use the rest as the path to that goal.

Makes me want to be young and fast again. A mingling of victory and some defeat (read that disappointment). But it's worth it.

70 minutes Easy Back At Rainbow

I ran a 5 minute shakedown from the house and then jumped into my car and motored over to Rainbow. I arrived at about the same tine as Jake so we ran together for about 50 minutes. When he said "I'm finished" I then ran on until I hit 70 minutes. The weather has been very Vashon Islandish. Overcast mornings and sunny afternoons so it was almost perfect running conditions.

We then followed the kids around for their workout which went uneventfully. Jake announced that I would be running things Thursday and that we (meaning them) would be doing a two mile time trial. They stood there giving me one of those We're not a happy crew, Captain looks. I guess we'll see how it goes. I told them that if they ducked the workout I would make them run it next week. It was said in jest but no one was laughing.

70 minutes of home course running

I ran one on my home course. I was getting tired of Rainbow and Miller. I ran a steady 70 minutes at a 135-140 HR. It took my HR about half the run to get up and stay in that range. Good sign or bad sign? Don't know. I was never uncomfortable.

I am beginning to suspect that my max is no longer 195 or perhaps even 190. Somewhere along the way, I am going to have to do a max test run. {{{The truth is out there}}}. As it is I have adjusted my working ranges down for the duration. If I get faster at those rates, then that is just fine.

My run was the usual RR tracks, McClellan and Big Loops around the soccer field and track at De Anza. There was a fitness class hogging all the lanes on the backstretch but it didn't bother me. I just ran wide and got through okay.

I then quickly changed into some dry stuff and drove over the Rainbow Park to help Jake. Good turnout today. Several of the faster runners were not there but they had run long on the weekend and probably were tired.

No intervals...70 minutes instead

I decided NOT to run any speed work today. The hammie felt better but I thought to myself, who am I kidding, play it safe. Safe was 70 minutes of running around the WVC campus. The club had scheduled a mile race but the track was closed so most of them hightailed it over to Saratoga High where track awareness is at an all time low. Dimitri decided to do his two mile trial over there despite the warning of the oracle (me). He ended up deep-sixing it at a mile because of the cross traffic (like folks walking in the fast lane listening to their iPods).

I really hate the ambiance of that track. Not the layout, location or the surface. That's more than fine. It's just so happens to be a socializing place and has a greater than average share of local people who treat it like walking down the sidewalk.

Whatever!

My HR basically grooved in at 130-135 but I was able to push it up around 145-148 on several occasions (going uphill) . Nothing anaerobic. I felt strong.

70 minutes

I ran 70 minutes around Miller and Rainbow this morning. Jake was tuckered out from his Wednesday workout ans wisely stayed on the sideline. My run was interesting. It was tough to drive up my heart rate above 130-133 so I stayed in that range for the duration of the run. I didn't feel tired and perhaps my HRM battery is wearing out, but I think my usual 145-148 HR would have trashed me.

Several times I pushed my HR up and even got a reading of 140-141 but then dropped back. I wasn't panting from the harder effort but my body (so, so use to slow) seemed to want the lower range.

Who am I to argue?

Felt a slight tug in my right hamstring towards the end of the run. No pain but enough of a sensation to keep my eye on.

Drumming Out 75 Minutes

Danny was coming over to pick me up at 9:30 so we could see Big Bad Billy our most excellent chiropractor. That meant I had to get out early if I wanted to chalk up some decent running time. I was out on the roads before 7:30 AM running slowly and easily (they are one in the same) doing variations on my usual boring courses, which by the way, I never really notice. It was overcast and on the cool side for mid summer. I drummed out 75 minutes but it was almost 70. I did a hesitation stop when I arrived home at Seven-O but decided to keep going for 75. That still gave me enough time to cool down, change and have a banana to tie me over until breakfast.

Jack Tatum died. Great (GREAT) football player. One of the best defensive backs ever but tarnished by his very hard but clean hit on Darryl Stingley in 1978.

80 minutes of shaking it out

I staggered out of bed this morning and lay on the couch for almost an hour checking my email (of which there was very little) and sipping coffee. After a time I finally rolled onto the floor to wake up.

Thud!

Works every time. I was finally awake.

I did nine minutes of {{{shaking}}} down circling back to hit the can one last time and then I wheezed out towards the college for variations of big loops. Actually, I didn't feel too badly. I ran slowly so that even the plump Hispanic gal blew by me on the track several times. But I was in it for the long haul running 80 minutes total. I did feel some of the effects of yesterday's rep but really in the end I just ran more this week than I had in a year or two.

Duration = tiredness

Recovery from tiredness = strength

Key learning point:

Even at my best strength at age 65, I am not as strong as a very tired 30 year old. :-(

Maggie Vessey's head is not in the game!!!

Maggie Vessey, last years rising star in the 800 (clipped just under 1:58 last summer) is struggling this year. I have watched replays of her races on Universal Sports, Flotrack and on TV when I am luck enough to get time to watch one of her races. Frankly she looks like she is just going through he motions. Very similar to her performance in the Worlds last year in Berlin. Lately she falls to the back of the pack sometime down the back straightaway and stays there for the rest of the race.

Something is not right in her head or she is hiding an injury or other physical problem. Or maybe last years was her year and now that is over. In other words a flash in the pan. But strangley without knowing anything about her, what I observe is mental. She doesn't look like she has her head in the game. There's no oomph or snap to her running. Her racing tactics are abysmal. I wrote her coach about this last year (he is local ) and he blew me off in a very polite manner. And he was right to. He is the one who spends hours caching her. I don't even know the gal. But in my deep dark running past I have gone through similar periods and I remember what it felt and looked like. And that is what I see when Maggie Vessey competes.

Go to Universal or Flotrack and look at her 2010 races. In one a runner bumps her on the turn early in the race. Instead of fighting back by getting back in the race, she immediately drops back to the back of the pack and stays there.

Whatever she is doing in training, it is not preparing her for the rigors of the racing circuit.

4 x 400

I think Saturday has turned out to be the one day that I don't worry about duration. After an easy 25 minute warm and some strides I followed D around the track for a the first of 4-6 x 400's. It was an 83 which is about as fast as anything I ran last year. D was trying to run 12 x 400 in 85 average but the first one was too fast for him while setting the tone for me. Right there I decided the number was 4 x 400.

The second one was an 84 (feeling good) followed by 2 more 83's.

So 83-84-83-83.

We then ran around campus at the slowest possible pace covering another 20 minutes.

Last July (2009) I ran 4 x 400 in 82-83-84-78. I am not back to that point yet but for a 65 year old guy this was solid. The July 2009 workout came after 3 months of working at it. This is only my second 4 x 400 this year.

Carbs..Carbs..Carbs

I did 70 minutes of very easy running in and around Rainbow Park and literally finished just before Jake's cross country team showed up. I kept my HR low, mostly in the 130-135 range. I was still feeling the effects of the hour and 50 minutes of running on Tuesday but even with all that I didn't feel badly. I am down on carbs and need (once again) to up my intake. We had a guinea hen in the fridge last night and I devoured it. Even with the addition of some peas and two big hunks of bread, it wasn't enough to refuel. A better meal would have been past with peas and some of the guinea hen mixed in.

This morning I acted mindfully and ate a banana before running and a health bar right after. Then Jake and I went out to a local breakfast place and I chowed down on blueberry pancakes.

The key for me is (blah..blah..blah)

• Every other day running (for the most part)
• Light on the speed work
• Carbs for fuel

and now (ta da!)

• Supplements!

This is someone else's carbs and it looks they snuck in french fries too.

WHOA! 110 minutes

I got over to Rainbow before summer cross country practice and ran 60 minutes, most of it with Jake. I kept the pace pedestrian knowing that I was going to double back after lunch. The morning run was one of enforced sluggishness. The weather cooperated staying overcast and cool which meant that it wasn't the usual sweat-fest.

Jake sent the kids out on a long run today which meant that they each ran 60 minutes or more. Their pace looked deceptively slow but I doubt I could have stayed with them very long. It would be a big thing if I could hang with the girls but since I don't believe that coaches should run with their team, I won't face that awful truth.

I met Dwight at 1 pm at the baseball complex parking lot adjacent to Sunnyvale Baylands Park. Dwight and Kari got lost out there about a week ago so I promised Dwight a tour especially since this was once my run-at-lunch domain. It was good to be home again (or can you ever go home again?). We ran around the park and the bayland trails for 50 minutes making Tuesday a humongous 110 minute day.

I felt strong in the afternoon and Dwight {{{he of the 100 mile weeks}}} was kind enough to hang on my shoulder. We had a chance to not only to run together for the first time in years but chat about how a runner can achieve real recovery. Dwight thinks that if I follow "the plan" I can get back under 19 minutes a year from now. The only question is, for what distance? I told him I would be happy if I could be under 20 minutes for the Club Handicap Run a year from now. That would be late August or early September of 2011.

If I can do that I will be doing my best imitation of the 1973 Mets. Tug McGraw will stir in his grave and once more his cry will resound through the ballparks of the major leagues.

Ya gotta believe!

From Wikipedia:

The 1973 Mets' .509 season winning percentage is the lowest posted by any pennant-winner in major league history. Under the comparatively new divisional play system, the Mets found themselves back in the World Series, but with a much weaker team than in their legendary 1969 championship season.

A smarter 75 minutes

I ran an easy 75 minutes this morning. I made sure that I took it slow by running at about 10-15 beats (on the HRM) below what I have been doing recently. Yesterday was a wake up call. Just because I am recovering more effectively doesn't mean that I have license to push the pace. It's always the same old battle all the way back to my so called salad days when I was a San Mateo Class runner. I am getting in my own way again.

So all in all a lovely little run. I ran over the college but had to veer off because some sort of event was taking place on the track. Not a running event but there were tents and chairs and a loud speaker set up. Some woman was calling off raffle numbers. Because I seek quiet when I run, I knew this wasn't going to work even if the adjacent soccer field was not being used. I ran over to Jollyman Park, did the neighborhoods and came back on the trail next to the RR Tracks. Good cement workout with some trail sprinkled in for good measure.

2 x 600

I did a 5 minute shakeout run in the morning before going over to WVC. Hooked up with D and we did around 25 minutes of easy jogging. 30 minutes total for me. I admit that as I did my strides I felt a bit lethargic. I had to ask myself: Did I have too much plumb wine last evening or did I simply run too hard on Thursday? Or was it a combination of both.

Whatever!

My plan was to do 2 times 600 at around 2:15 (6 minute pace) with whatever rest I needed in between.

On the first one I took off and hit the 400 in 89-90 seconds and then picked up the last 200 finishing in 2:13. The effort bent me over gasping for a few seconds. It was tougher than I expected. I then walked back to the my starting point and stood around for about 5 minutes before going again. The 400 was about the same but my last 200 was faster and I crossed in 2:12 and change. D had just completed his 2 mile trial (13:13) so we jogged slowly around the campus in about 17 minutes.

So what does this tell me?

I hit my goal.

I have a long way to go before I am capable of hitting two of these in two minutes flat.

I was probably not effected by the plumb wine as much as I was still recovering from Thursday's 83 minute run. My legs weren't sore as much as I was body tired. I know that if I want to run these unmentionable reps I have to focus on Saturday and keep the other days very easy.



{{{The Track}}}

I started to the left, which is obscured in this photo by trees and after running a complete circuit, I did the last 200 around the curve and down the backside stretch to the right.

83 minutes of strong

Whoa!


Got out early and ran a 15 minute shakedown at the house before heading over to Rainbow and running another 68 minutes. As always, I was a bit sleepy during the first part of the run but after about 10 minutes I began to go on cruise control and feel strong. I was 45 minutes into the run when I ran into Jake who was run-walking and generally beat up from 2 hours of cross training yesterday (which is the reason I don't do it!!!!). We were both thinking the same thing.

YOU DON'T WANT TO RUN WITH ME TODAY! Jake because he was dead tired and me because I felt so good.

My HR was grooving in the 65-70% range and my normal ten minute pace was long gone as I ran some of the interior miles in the 8:30's. Not big when compared to the old days but when age graded they are 6:30 equivalents. Heeding Dwight's words of wisdom which went something like this:

You are going to start to feel good. Hold back!

So I shut down one of my boilers and slowed down. It was getting warm anyway.

I had put some quick energy bars and some cold water aside for after the run but forgot to bring them so I starved (but drank water from another warmer bottle) until after the kids workout. Then Jake and I went to breakfast. Had blueberry pancakes sans butter.

80 minutes and could have gone more

I ran 80 minutes this morning and could easily have gone on. I did a shake down run of 8 minutes from my house which was slow and sluggish but then I drove over to Rainbow Park (where we coach) and I ran another 72 minutes around the park and the Miller School field and my legs felt great! I picked up Jake for about 40 minutes and he was humming along too. He had already run 40 minutes at home.

Interesting side light. As I ran along today my HR was about 8-10 beats lower than usual but my pace was faster.

So is Dwight's potion of supplements working? Or is it all in my mind? (see below)

The coaching is a love-hate thing. The kids are nice enough. I wasn't that driven when I was in high school. Had I been I would have been running 6-8 miles a day every day and maybe more. I might have been a fair country cross country runner and a better than middling 400-800 meter guy. Of course back then no one focused on miles. It was intervals, intervals, intervals.

So when they are out there for whatever reason, I respect their dedication. But the hate part is my having to be anywhere when I don't want to. So let me make this plain. Some days I want to be there and some days I don't. It has nothing to do with the kids. It's my inward rebellion against years of having to be places that I didn't want to be at.

Back in the USSR

I heard from my old Internet friend and colleague Fred today. He is out running in Guam and Japan and all points East. See comments on yesterday's post. Great to hear from him.

My workout today was extraordinary given the fact that I ran semi-tough on Thursday. I warmed up for 30 minutes and then ran every other 400 with "D" today (he ran 12 x 400). My rest was his next 400 and an interval of 1:15. The first was on 91 and then I went under 90 seconds to stay. There was an 88 in their but the others were all 86. Afterward "D" and I jogged a campus loop in 19 minutes (really, really slow). I think my total running time was around 60 minutes.

I watched Dwight and Kari run in the low 20 minute range for 5K on the track (club workout).

72 quality minutes

I did a 10 minute shakedown run at home before heading over to Rainbow Park. Jake and I did a 25 minute warm up and then spent the next half hour running around an 8 pace for various distances. Mostly 400-600-800, repeated three times. I then warmed down and ran the .8 with the kids (their warm up). In the end it was close to 72 minutes with a great deal of sub tempo quality running. We'll have to see how I do Saturday.

I feel better these days but I also need to be careful. There is always that "cliff" out there and I could run right off of it. Decided to stay with my 4 days a week for now. I want to see those 4 day improve before I go off and add in another workout.

Warming up with the kids was deceptive. It looks like they are running slow but they get off fast and pull away. I was able to get it back and finish mid pack ahead of the girls and the middle school runners but I am not near the faster guys (Hey, I knew that!). Let's see. There's 50 years difference in age on average. 25-30 years ago I would have been the leader of the pack.


Dark Runner

Easy 70 @Rainbow

I joined Jake over at Rainbow park and ran an easy 70 minutes. Once again I felt good but the pace was sluggish until Jake got tuckered out and told me to go on ahead. Then I picked it up and felt really decent. I thought about running the warmup mile with the kids but decided not to. It certainly wasn't from being too tired because I wasn't.

The air conditioning went out in my car this morning. If it had to go, today was the day. Not too hot.

B50 effect????

Interesting run today. After running hard yesterday (for me) I went out to run 60 minutes. My legs felt GREAT! and I wasn't tired at all. So I ran 70 minutes instead and could have easily gone further. In looking back at my log my Sunday runs after running hard on Saturday were dreary affairs with me having to run as slow as I could to make ti through. Today I ran along and had to hold back. I wore my HRM and it grooved in around 138-142 with no problems.

Is this a B50 effect? Today is the 10th day of my taking it.

Took an ADHS with breakfast this morning. So we're going down that track now. If all goes well I will up that to twice a day sometime next week.

Somewhere north of 55 minutes

Today was a come to Moses workout. I ran an easy 25 minutes and then joined Dimitri on the track. He was running a 13:30 two mile time trial. I knew I wasn't ready for that effort as pitiful a time as it seemed. I hadn't run hard for two and a half months (Oh how time flies when you are having fun). I decided to run two laps, slow jog back a 100, pick up Dimitri and run another two laps and do that 3 times. So I ran a 13:30 two mile pace but skipped two laps. I struggled the first two laps just getting used to the effort. The middle and last 2 lappers were easier and stronger.

In two weeks Dimitri is going to do this workout again but shoot for 13:15 (ugh!). I will either run my own full version of this or try to stay with him for 1.5 laps. It only gets tougher because he is headed for 12 minutes and I haven't done anything near that in years. I would be ecstatic if I could run close to 13 minutes again.

Anyway, afterward we jogged for an easy 20 minutes around campus and then I asked Dimitri to take me through a 45 second 200. I easily did a 43 which gave me some hope as to the present condition of my leg speed.

The total workout was somewhere north of 55 minutes.

My plan is to join D next week and do every other 400 with him. He does 12 and I do 6. So here I am again saying no to intervals but that's exactly what this will be. Well, maybe reps but still a good dose of what usually kills me. But I am betting the come as they say. I am hoping that my supplement program will give me the ability to recover from these types of workouts plus I won;t be doing them every week. But is this blah..blah..blah or something real.

The key is recovery. I am also aware that like it or not I am more of a 800-1500-5,000 runner and not a 5 and 10K runner anymore. Miles are important but not as important as I would like to believe.

Recovery however remains king.

His most serene highness, The Stopwatch

70 minutes of ho-hum

I drove over the Rainbow Park on the early side and knocked off 70 minutes of easy running. I strapped the HRM on during the last 20 minutes of the run to see if I was pushing too hard but my HR seemed to be grooved in at around 140-142 which counts as an easy run for me. I know I need to wear the monitor more often because it keeps me from doing crazy things like over training. I may not always like the message, but the HRM pretty much tells the me truth.

After the workout I helped Jake with his summer cross country group. I don't think he has gotten the turnout he expected. The number has stabilized at around 15-16 kids.