Socializing

I socialized today by running 10 minutes around my neighborhood and then driving over to WVC and jogging the track and tennis court loop while the club ran a relay. The total was 47 minutes.

Danielle was there. She is recovering from some health problems but even with very little running I could not stay with her when she was running  a fast rep.

The weather has totally cleared up. It was in the mid 50's and sunny.



 Breakfast with the club afterward.

The first whiff of winter

I wasn't given the luxury of sleeping in again as a news helicopter was whumping over the area before 6 am. I staggered out of bed and made coffee. I ran 10 minutes around the area. It rained very lightly towards the end. Then I drove over to the college to hook up with Danny. We got the first whiff of winter today. It rained this morning while we ran our usual 60 minutes at WVC. Nothing too bad. Really more of a steady drizzle. Breakfast afterward.

Rushing around

My wife, Sue was heading to Seattle in the late morning, so I had to run, have breakfast, drive back home and take her to the airport. Got in 70 minutes of running, a quick bowl of Oatmeal and transported Sue to the San Jose Airport before heading back home to grab a quick shower. Rain came through Monday evening but had cleared up by the time of the run so we didn't get wet. Danny begged us to run slow (NO PROBLEM!) because he had wrenched his back. Tom joined us but after this he'll be gone on a cruise in the Mediterranean for about three weeks.

2 x 400

When I began this whole thing back in May, one of my milestones was to be able to run 2 x 400 in 80 seconds. Nothing thundering by any means but age graded it's like running 60 seconds back in the day. Wednesday told me I was ready for sure. Heat aside I was ready on Wednesday! I did a slow 20 minute warmup, did my usual strides and told Dimitri, my faithful friend and pacer, that I was ready. We did a shakeout 200 in 40 and it felt easy. Maybe too easy. We rested and then did the first 400. We had decided to go off pace so I wasn't surprised to see 21-41 on the front half. But then we accelerated hitting the 300 in 60 and coming to the end in just under 80. More rest and then... The second 400 was a tick faster hitting the 200 in 40 but the acceleration was sharper. We notched a clean 78! We then did a slow 20 minute jog...jog to finish off. Next stop, somewhere down the line, will be 2 x 400 in 75.

My goal is to be able to run fast and have my competition not be able to do anything about it and not want to try.

45 minutes

Ran an easy 45 minutes this morning with the usual dump run in the neighborhood and the rest over at WVC so I could kibbutz with the club. There was a slight wind blowing that I haven't seen since last spring (at least not in the morning). Rain coming so I am told.  That could change the complexion of things in the Bay Area next week. Rain or shine, the Last Runner will run.

Legs feeling good for tomorrows workout.

And the next day

I ran ten around the house (minutes not miles) and felt good. No apparent after effects from last night's workout. Drove over to WVJS and cruised another 60 minutes with Tom and Danny (well, Danny showed up late). We included Valley Vista in the venue. My legs felt great which tells me I had better be damn careful or something will happen and I'll go to horse poop.

Danny and Rich play on the track

Danny and I joined the Wednesday night group. It was the first time for me in a year or more. We were going to do some speed play. For us that was  couple of semi-quick 400's sucking off the younger faster runners who were running 800's. Maybe a ten minute warmup with some striders. Then ran behind Becki and did an 84. As usual the first one was a bit tough as I asked my body to run fast in 90 degree heat. Danny ran an 81. I held back from really working it and cruised.

The second one was smoother still as I hung with Pick while Danny charged ahead. He ran a 75 and I ran a 79. Once again, hard but under control.

As we cooled down while walking around the track, I told Danny I was sure there was another sub 80 in me right then. I felt that good.

"Not tonight," he said and of course he was right.

Another 70 minutes

Another 70 minutes. Tom, Danny & myself (with 10 minutes already under my belt). We ran Saratoga-Douglas as part of our one hour workout. Jeff from our club caught up with us. He had to do a hard stop to keep from running right over us because our pace was so diddly poo. But that's what makes it work for us old guys. Tom got us on his GPS (Gee, I wish I had never heard this) and we only covered 5.3 miles so we were running very slowly indeed. The happy news is that I can go slower. I am sure of it. Of course we walked for 4 one minutes stretches during the run and that probably contributed to slow being slower.

2:07:66

Warmed up with 25 minutes of slow running both around the house and over at Foothill Track. Then did some strides. The usual. 30-50-80. Had my race shoes on. Legs felt light and fluffy.

Dimitri and I agreed that the workout should be 1 x 200 shakeout in 40-45 followed by a 600 with the first 400 at 90 and the last 200 at 40 or under. The primary goal was 2:10. Faster would be good as long as we weren't at race effort.

The 200 turned out to be 42 which felt very controlled and easy.

We then rested a bit and then lined up. I said that I wouldn't look at my stop watch so I just stayed behind Dimitri and ran a relaxed but steady effort. When we came through the 400 he said something about us on being right on pace but by that time we were both accelerating rather sharply. As we came though the 500 I said to Dimitri that I was coming up on his shoulder and we crossed pretty much together.

I looked down at my watch and it read 2:07:66.

Dimitri had 2:08 but my watch wins!

We had run sub 38 for the last 200.  I asked Dimitri if we should do some more. Maybe a 300. He said that he was up for it but thought that I would had already accomplished my goal and that shutting things down would be best. I took his advice but not because I was tired because I wasn't. It was just plain being careful.

Jogged easy for 15 minutes. We were going so slow that a walker passed us. Joggers lapped us. The burden of the older runner.

Maybe 45 minutes altogether. 

Bushwhacked!

My Saturday club workout got bushwhacked by a mid morning delivery of our new dryer. I got my run in anyway but had to forget breakfast with my buddies. I did get in a very easy 45 minutes which was fine given that I'll end up running 5 days this week. I ran the last 5 minutes with my racing shoes on. I couldn't tolerate them last weekend but after Bill adjusted my talus (OW!) the problem seems to have gone away.

So tomorrow back to the track and this 800 meter business.

70 looping minutes

Danny dropped me an emailed message last night that he couldn't make the Thursday workout but I went over to WVC anyway. Lucky I did because there was Tom back from Wisconsin and raring to go. We ran Valle Vista and then did tennis court and track loops for an hour. I already had 10 minutes in the bag from home so it was another 70 minute run.

Tom runs a slightly faster pace than I usually do (aka jog)  but I felt strong though the whole run. The long hill up Fruitvale to Valley Vista felt pretty much effortless. A good sign. I made some comment about how I would like to race the club 3 miler that follows the same course. I mentioned something about running it in the 21's. Back in 1982 I scorched it in 15:54 with a 4:50 last mile. The plain fact is that I would have to run 20:16 to equal what I did back then. That's based on age grading.

Anyway, we went to breakfast afterward with Tom and Jake.

Clean and Jerk

Did my usual ten minute dump run around the neighborhood and then ran another 62 minutes over at WVC, most of it with Danny. My legs felt much better than yesterday which shows that my recovery systems are engaged. That means I ran slow enough on both days to allow myself to recover.

72 minutes altogether. 


After the run Danny and I drove up to see Big Bad Billy and he did the usual adjustment plus did a quick clean and jerk on my right foot because we both thought that the talus bone was out again.  As I sit on the couch writing this, it feels much better. Hopefully it's gone because it has been dogging me for the past several weeks.

So for at least now, game on.

This diagram shows where the talus bone is. That big bone is the hell and ball or as it is better known, the rear of the foot.

Dumpster Legs

With Sunday off because of a long drive up to see my mother, I decided to run an easy 45-50 minutes today. I ended up running 50 minutes with much of it super slow. My legs were in the dumpster from Saturday. Not so bad that I considered cancelling the run. I actually began to feel better as I ran and the last 10 minutes was the best.

The weather is heading towards heaterville again so running before 9 am felt good. It was still relatively cool. The De Anza Track remains unchanged. It's surface is pretty torn up but the walker was there and we chatted about the Niners playing not to lose (they lost anyway).

5 x 200

Ran an easy 15 minutes this morning around the house and over at the club workout. The goal was to shake out the cobwebs. In the early afternoon I drove up to Foothill to meet Dimitri (aka "D"). Part of the track were out of bounds because the maintenance guys were getting ready for an early evening football game. There was enough room on the front side to do 200's though and that was all we needed.

I warmed up for another 22 minutes and did my usual progressive some strides. D and I conferred and I asked that we run a shake out 200 in around 40. D led and we ran what felt like an easy pace but we nailed the 40 on the dot. Walked back for recovery.

Next two 200's were in 38 and I felts s-T-r-O-n-G!

The next 200 was 37 and change. It felt a might quicker but I just focused on staying close to my pacer.

On the last one we came though the 100 in 17 and  kept the effort going through the turn. I was slightly shocked when I saw 36:8.

We jogged a slow 8 minutes and called it a day.

So....40-38-38-37-36

Tuesday and Thursday

 Tuesday

Ran my usual 70 minutes this morning at WVC. Danny joined me for the last 60. Good run. Overcast with the sun coming out towards the end. Danny's birthday yesterday.

Jake joined us for breakfast. We had a lively discussion. New receptionist. Very punk but she pulled it off nicely. Big earrings! Big ear lobes!

She didn't seem worried about me because I am not in her age group ;-)

Thursday

Ran another easy 70 minutes over at WVC. Admit to feeling sluggish. Probably because I ate like s##t yesterday. I finally got some pasta down around 8 pm but Wednesday's lunch was a white mocha coffee and a cookie. Yummy but crummy. I have days like this. No excuses.

Bingo!

Today was back to Foothill with Dimitri.

I warmed up for a very slow and easy 25 minutes. Then I did my usual progression of strides to get ready.

30m (walk back) 50m (walk back) 80m (walk back).

The workout was 1 x 500 in 1:45 followed by 2 x 300 in around 60.

I led us out in the 500 and came through the 100 in 22 (too slow) and the 200 in 44-45 (way too slow) so I was left with the choice of either continuing off pace or stepping in the gas. I chose the latter and ran the last 400 in 80 seconds to finish in the target time of 1:45.

We rested a bit and then ran a 300 hitting the 200 in 40 and the 300 in 59.

More rest and then off again hitting the 200 in 39 and the 300 in 58.

Generally I felt stronger as we progressed which was a very different look and feel when compared to last week. It was also good to have Dimitri back and running with me.

Jogged down for an easy ten minutes and called it a day. 

Drifting for 60 minutes

The plan was to run 45-50 minutes this morning at a glacial pace. The second part was accomplished but the first part ended up being 60 minutes because I ran (excuse the pun) into my buddy Charles at De Anza Track (still there) and we ran big loops. We caught up on work gossip.

There was an small mob of geese combing the infield grass for eats. The weather was on the warm side but it didn't bother me. Not a cloud in the sky. No wind.

Finally at 45 minutes I told him that I needed to walk so that I didn't heap too much extra time on my run.  I knew it was a 13- 15 minute trip back home.

I got home at 60 minutes of running and my legs felt great because I was really drifting out there and on the verge of walking at any given moment.

Repeat of Tuesday

Thursday was a repeat of Tuesday except it was just Danny and I all the way round. Another easy 70 minutes. We had planned to run several fast 400's but we both agreed that spending all afternoon at the XC meet on Wednesday in 90 degree heat had pretty well sapped us. I decided to be safe and put it on the line at my Sunday workout.

4 for breakfast

Tom, who retired last week, joined Danny and I today for our run except Danny was late (he let me know ahead of time) so Tom and I ran for 24 minutes. Danny huffed after us and caught up with us. We ran the requisite hour and I did my usual ten ahead of time. So 70 minutes of the big easy today. Tom has a faster training pace than we normally run  but I settled right in and felt very good. Legs seems recovered from Sunday.

Jake joined us for breakfast so it was four of us gabbing like the old days.

Cat fight and track work

Big cat fight outside my window at about 5:30 this morning. I never could get back to sleep.




Finally, I got up and made some coffee.

I went out for my jog-around at just after 8 am and ran the neighborhood and then over to the track at De Anza (Yes, it's still there).  I really didn't have a firm idea of what the workout would be. My total warmup was 25 minutes. I did two 100's. The first was in 19 which said I wasn't spiffy. But the next one was in the 17's so I decided to do some longer stuff.

I ran 2 x 200 both in the 38's. That was good but I was feeling tired rather than energized.

I then ran a 300 and blew down a crisp 58. Afterward I thought about doing another 300 but I could tell I was on low energy. I waited until I felt decent and then ran another 38 second 200.

Something told me me to stop then. I was just running on empty but stupidly I ran one more 200 and fell off to 40. Then I fully got the message. I jogged back home for another 15 minutes.

So all in all:

2 x 100 = 200 19-17
2 x 200 = 400 38-38
1 x 300 = 300 58
2 x 200 = 400 38-40

1300 meters of goal pace

Back to classic lacing

I halfway thought about doing reps this morning but decided to hold off. My right ankle has been bothering me for several weeks and I think I finally figured out what the problem is. I wrote a post sometime back about changing my method of lacing my shoes. The new way may not be offering me the support I need. Not absolutely sure but I switched back today to the classic lacing pattern and ran 60 slow minutes. I also taped my ankle to give it extra support.  I was happy to see that the pain had disappeared (I think). No problems. So tomorrow I'll do some sort of progressive workout to test things out.

Dave Garcia was in town so I ran with him and Danny while the club slugged it out on the short six course. Toughest course we have. 5.74 miles with some runnable but challenging hills. One friend recommended that we run it slow and easy. I told him there is no slow and easy on short six.

Short Six

Jake joined us at breakfast so all we were missing was John and the dynamic quartet would have been back in business.

Another 70 minutes

Another 70 minutes (actually 71 and change) of easy running. 60 of it was done with Danny at WVC. We stayed on the upper campus to avoid the traffic. Much quieter and serene (as Danny says).

We agreed that next week we'll insert some quick 400's on our one of our runs. It'll pay off next summer.

School's back in session!

The usual 70 minutes running around the house and over at WVC. School's back in and the campus loop was challenging. The roads were packed with students trying to park as close to classes as possible. The west side of the campus was quiet with half empty parking spaces. Plenty of room if you didn't mind walking a bit.

But no......Why walk when you can sit in traffic.

Danny and I ran into SandyV who just had a knee replacement.  God, I remember her 40 years ago when we were both a great deal younger. A whole lifetime ago.

6 x 100 (again)

I decided to continue my work on base speed so I ran over to the De Anza track and did 6 x 100 (300 jog) averaging in the 17's. Much better than last week. The fast reps were smoother and easier. Still no 16's without flooring it and I am not ready to do that yet.

The track (still there) was unusually crowded but the nice thing about 100's is that I can always find a free lane.

Total running time was an hour. 

My 100's were done at a 68 second 400 meter pace. Age graded this was a 51.

Club Workout

I ran the neighborhood this morning and then continued over at the club workout figuring I would go for about an hour total. Instead I got drafted onto a club workout relay team but intelligently decided to keep the pace pedestrian. I was expected to run .66 miles 4 times. Walt put me down for 6 minutes a loop. That was a 9 minute pace. I hooked up with Tim Riley who was on another team and we ran together. I pretty much kept to pace. In between loops I jogged around burning calories. After the workout I did a campus loop and topped out at 70 minutes.

I run most of my easy days at a 10-11 minute pace but I do admit that a 9 pace not only felt easy but felt good. I know this doesn't seem very fast but age graded, my pace for the loops was under a 7 minute mile back in the day.

Another 70 minutes

Cooler than Tuesday. I ran my usual ten minutes in the neighborhood and then headed over to WVC to meet with Danny, We ran an easy 60 minutes around the campus. Enjoying our last run  there before schools starts again.

Danny and I discussed weight. Not just gaining but also shifting weight.  He patted his stomach and I asked him what that was about.

He said, That's my chest. It's just headed downward.

70 minutes total

Short Course on a hot day

"then the heat of Arabia came out like a drawn sword and struck us speechless."

Seven Pillars of Wisdom, T.E. Lawrence


The heat of late summer came upon us today. We waited for it all through the summer but now it came, suddenly but not unexpectedly. After all, it has to have it's say in things.

I ran early. First I stretched my aching back by jogging 10 minutes near where I lived. It is never good in the first few minutes but then by five minutes out from home things begin to loosen up and I can actually run.

I then drove over to West Valley and Danny and I ran another 60 minutes but equally slow. It felt warm but not yet hot. Afterward we drove up to see Big Bill and he artfully wrenched me back into place. Breakfast and then some rest.

In the mid afternoon, and now it was over 90, Jake and I walked the XC course with my GPS and as expected  found it to be short. 2.05 versus the advertized 2.1. That explained the fast two mile times that runners were taking credit for (but they didn't know). 40 minutes of calorie burning even though it was only walking.

Then the kids had to run. We sent them down to a local park to run tempo on the shade covered grass. 

6 x 100

With Dimitri away in Toronto I decided to a speed advancement workout. That meant something shorter and faster than my longer reps. As I jogged the neighborhood I kept revising the workout finally deciding that it would be 6 x 100 over at De Anza Track doing a super loop in between. So that meant 500 meters per loop with 100 meters of it fast.

After 25 minutes of easy slow jogging and some warm up strides, I ran the first serious 100 in the 18's feeling strong. That was a good sign because the plan called for me to run the next one faster except it wasn't faster at all. Just another 18. I decided to lengthen my run up of flying section of the rest of the 100's. I blasted down the track in 17. Then ran another 17 and then another. On the last one I really let loose the dogs of war and ran......

Another 17.

Now if I age grade the reps they are equal to running under 13 seconds back in the day.  But while this brought about some badly needed solace, still I am left wondering if I will ever see 16 again.

It was the best  had on the ranch and on the way home my legs instead of feeling beat up and tired, actually seemed to want to run faster. Typical "good" reaction from running fast strides.

My total running time was 65 minutes in near perfect conditions.

I felt like I held serve.  Faster than my longer rep speed but not enough to do damage.

Endless Loops of the Track

The club workout Saturday morning was 200's, a workout I generally try to stay away from. As near as we can tell, the greatest number of runners injured during club runs, takes place when participating in either the 200's or 300's (a.k.a. the killer-diller workout). Anyway I showed up and ran around the campus and then joined Tom for a seemingly endless and continuous loop of the track while the workout took place. I ended up with 61 minutes (including ten minutes in my neighborhood....as usual).

The crowd was small. Many runners were on the other side of the mountains on the University of California at Santa Cruz Campus. This is usually the first XC race of the season. The "crowd" at breakfast was small too.

65 minutes

Lazed around drinking mugs of coffee this morning before getting out for a run. The weather was cool and sunny (as in perfect). I ran the neighborhood before heading over to the college to see, once again, if the track was torn up. But it was there in its placid state. Classes haven't started up yet so it was very quiet as I ran super loops. As I was leaving, I ran into Mel and we chatted it up for about 15 minutes. Then I ran home gradually picking it up because my legs felt good. 65 minutes when it was all added up.

Rockets!

I ran the obligatory ten minutes around the neighborhood before driving over to Forbes to meet Jake. We had a decent run covering the first loop in the mid 27's and the second one in the low 23's. I did some extra jogging around to make the day's effort 66 minutes. My legs were tired from Sunday and I felt it but not enough to "slow" me down. I didn't feel beat up afterward. Walked to the Southern Kitchen for breakfast. Stuck with Oatmeal with a sprinkling of raisins. Got to catch up with Orchid who had a baby last spring and is trying to lose that last 20 pounds.

We walked over to Athletic Performance after breakfast and I bought a pair of racing shoes for 800 meters. Stayed away from spikes. The shoes, Adidas Rockets are fairly light. I'll try them out in the next week during a rep workout.

2 x 400 almost

I ran a 30 minute warmup and a 20 minute warmdown. In between I ran striders and several reps on the Foothill College track. D helped me big time. My plan was to run 2 x 350 at 80 second 400 pace. A step towards 2 x 400 at 80.

On the first one I followed D down the first straightaway feeling like I was gulping air and going to lose contact. On the turn "normal" kicked in and I began to close and down the backstretch I did a mini surge and came up right behind him. We hot 300 meters in 60 and the 350 in 70.

On the second one I offered to lead but D said he would keep us on pace which he did. No gulping this time. I felt much stronger and in sync. 20-40-60 and as I hit the 350 mark I realized I was nowhere near exhausted so I just kept going to the 400 landing in 80.

After warming down for a time, I mentioned to D that I thought there was another 400 in me and he laughed and offered to time me. In other words, let's go get coffee.

Back of the Pack Farwell

I finally ran a club workout today. Not with the goal of running hard (that's for tomorrow) but rather to just move along. Tom and Danny ended up being in my entourage. All three of us former greats. All three of us at the back of the pack.

At the finish, which was hair under 33 minutes for 3.54 miles, 15 minutes and then some off my all time PR, we were well back. Everyone else was in and either chatting it up of warming down. Too put it in perspective, my run was worth around a 24:52 back in the day. That's was in the low 7's which was an easy run back then but even though I was never running hard, my legs still felt the effort. I can take solace in the fact that Danny and Tom were running much harder than I was. Tom sprinted by at the end to pour salt into our gaping open wounds.

I would have had to run 23:57 to run the age graded equivalent of my 1978 PR of 18:22.

With the warmup, I totaled 50 minutes

First Alternative Run

My first run with the alternative laces and my right instep felt fine. I did my usual ten minutes of plodding around home and another 60 minutes over at WVC.  I decided not to run a fast 400 and wait until this weekend.

This 800 meter thing is on the verge of becoming my new focus. The math supposedly is simple. If I can run, say, a 2:45 800 meter than I should be able to run a low 6 minutes mile which means that I might be in the low 21's for 5K. Really slow times if you look at my total running career (1968-present) but if age graded, as good as I have ever done.

Old guys running the 800

70 minutes & Alternative Lacing

Ran the usual 10 minutes around the neighborhood and then drove to WVC and ran another 60 minutes with Danny. The weather continues to be perfect. 60's in the morning, little or no wind and sunshine throughout. It's great to be in California.

My right instep has been bothering me but I have been tending to it and it didn't cause any issues during the run. Later on, after breakfast, Danny showed me how to lace my shoes so that they don't press down on the foot. So anyway, the foot is holding together and all is good.

The method that Danny showed me was the one on the right for high arches (even though I don't have high arches).

4 x 300

Woke up from a hamburger induced night of sleeping and ran the neighborhoods and around Foothill College for a total of 25 minutes. Then, as usual, I did some strides to get the legs ready for the workout du jour. I told Dimitri I might leech off of him during his part of his workout. He was planning to run 800-400-300-200. I was figuring on 4 x 300.

I ran the first one alone in 62.  The effort didn't feel too hard but the time was 1-2 seconds off expectation.

I decided to invoke the leech.

When Dimitri took off for his first rep (the 800) I let him get out a bit and then took off myself, gradually catching up to him. I passed him at the 200 and felt like I was driving the pace down but came across in 61.

On the third rep (alone again) I got out faster and held serve through the 200 and then inched the effort down a gear. The result was 60.

Dimitri told me that he would gladly pace me through the last 300 (a deadly combination) which was very welcome.

Still, we came through 21 and 41 but I had decided that I would really drive the final straight and came across the line in 59.

So....62-61-60-59. Good enough. Best workout so far since beginning the men of the 800.

Jogged down for 18 minutes and change.

The top of my right foot which has been giving me some problems (feels like cramping) gave me a reminder that it was there. Iced big time when I got home.

Another 60 minutes

Another 60 minutes easy this morning. Ran over to the track and did some super loops around the par course and soccer field. Wore my Dirty Girl Gators and had no problem with kicking rocks and pebbles into my shoes. Given the number of times I had to stop to shake foreign objects out of my shoes, these are a God send.

Diet-Legs 70

I had diet-legs this morning as I ran 70 minutes. Whenever I return to trying to drop a few pounds, I can feel the lack of that extra oomph. Of course slowing down (even further) was the only option.

I got through the run okay and even took time to inspect the De Anza track which still remained untouched. "The Walker" finally said those ominous words. "Maybe they won't do it." Of course after seeing the bleachers at Los Gatos High finally getting torn down just before school starts, I have no doubt that when the time comes (and if the money is still there) the track and surroundings will be ripped asunder. The plan at Los Gatos is to use temporary bleachers. There is no temporary track or football field for De Anza. Every game will be an away game until the new track is finished.

Back to Forbes Mill

I ran at Forbes this morning. I was sans Jake who is embedded in the mysticism of  high school XC.

Anyway, a beautiful morning and a pretty empty trail all in all. There were a few runners and a few walkers and fewer dogs.

Ran the usual loop plus the trail to the left and a measured run over to Los Gatos Track and back. It's .6 which is what we thought. So now I have a 5K measured out.

The high school is tearing down the stands next to the track. God knows how long those have been up there. Certainly they are the same ones I inhabited back in 1978 when I was running PR's. But my 9:44 two mile is long forgotten by everyone but me.

Including the run around my neighborhood, I covered 70 minutes. Thought about 75 but decided that I was ending on a medium note versus a high note.

4 x 200

I did a 15 minute easy shakedown run this morning around the neighborhood, as usual. Then drove to Foothill College to meet D. The parking lot was full of cars. There was a cycling event going on and as a result parking from free. The nice thing was the track was as semi-deserted as always. The 72 year old race walker was there pounding out an 8K time trial. He is one tough mother....


I warmed up for another 15 minutes and then launched a few striders to get ready for my main workout. The menu called for 4 x 200 faster than goal pace. I ran the first one in 38 and as usual sucked wind afterward. The second one was 37 and I felt better at the finish. No sucking wind this time. The third one was another 38. I did let up a bit on the front 100 on that one. The last one was a strong 37 but it had me bent over at the finish.

I jogged down for 20 minutes partially with D who had finished his workout which was 1 x 600 and 1 x 500. Both were good times for him. Better than he has been running.

Had Mocha Frap light and a blueberry scone at Starbucks after the workout.

None and one

Ran and walked myself through 60 minutes this morning. 9 minutes of running, one minute of walking. Legs still recovering from yesterday. I plan to take Saturday off and run Sunday.

79 second 400

Ran 70 minutes this morning with 60 minutes of it in the company of my good buddy Danny. We went to the track mid run, did some strides and then we got on the line for a fast 400. I told Danny I was going to lead us through the first 200 in 41-42 and when we started I took off and pushed down the backstretch hitting the 200 in 41. I didn't want a replay of the slow first 200 of the week before. I told Danny to lead us in. He is simply faster than me in the sense of pure speed and I knew we would both do better if he took over. We clipped across the finish line in 79 which meant we had covered the last 200 in 38.

I worked on form over the last 100 because I had begun to feel a bit ragged but as soon as I focused on lifting my legs and driving my arms, I felt better. Turns out Danny was doing the same.

Afterward we had a discussion about how both us preferred negative splits and that we should train ourselves to run that way even though classic 800 meter runners often run the first lap 1-2 seconds faster than the last lap.

70 minutes

Ran ten minutes around the neighborhood and then drove to WVC and ran another 60 minutes with Danny. To make it way easy we walked 1 minute in 10 and kept the pace really slow. Could not believe the weather. Sunny but cool (high 50's).

Good recovery from Sunday. Legs felt better than usual because of the extra day off. I asked him if we could shift to Tuesday-Thursday when possible. It helps to have that extra day off after Sunday.

3 x 300

I got out early and ran 10 minutes around the neighborhood. Then drove over to Foothill to meet with D. I jogged another easy 15 before doing some stride-outs. Ran a high 17 second 100 strider which told me that all was right in the universe.

The workout goal was 3 x 300.

I ran the first one in 61 which was the throw away rep. Had to bend over and drag air into my lungs because it is always a bit of a shock at first. Plus this was the first time I had run this distance at pace.

The second one was 60 seconds and was MUCH easier. Recovered very quickly.

I ran the third one in 59 and that was easiest of all.

Jogged 15 minutes easy and called it a day.

50 minutes easy

I decided to back off and only ran 50 minutes this morning. I checked out the college track and it is still open for business. I ran into my walker friend and he mentioned that he had heard that the par course hill will be leveled in the renovation of the track. I'll have to get used to not having it around. There are enough other hills in Cupertino. Still, I'll miss it.

1:48 - 500

Another WVC run with Danny. I ran 10 minutes locally and then drove over and met Danny. We ran an easy 30 minutes and then did some quick striders prior to a 500 meter trial.

We came through the 200 in 44 and picked up the next 200 to hit the 400 in 87 and then pushed the last 100 to finish up in 1:48. I was hoping for a 85-1:46 but it wasn't in the cards. I felt like I was laboring and so did Danny. Not the smooth flow of last week.

But as they say, it was what it was.

We then completed 60 minutes of running (including the 500). It was getting warm as we cooled down.

70 minutes total for me.

Sore Quad 75 minute run

Back to back days. I ran 15 minutes ahead of time and then drove over to WVC and ran another 60 minutes with Danny. My right quad is sore for some unknown reason but I can run with little or no discomfort. I feel it more just walking around. Maybe it is the big (not!) Fort Mason hill. As we were running it yesterday, Shel reminded me of how we used to scamper up that thing back in the day. It's not very long but I guess it is steep grade.

This picture (from a different race) just about captures the crowd around us as we ran the hill. I have become them.

Fort Mason Hill from the east side

DSE Run

I ran around the neighborhood for ten minutes this morning very early. Then I drove up to Shel's. He drove us up to the DSE run in SF. I jogged around for another twenty minutes before running the Fort Mason 5K. I ran into Joe Hurtado from our club. He was on long run (alone). We chatted a bit before I had get to the starting line.

I hung back with Shel and we ran in the high 29's coming back a bit faster than we went out. The race crowd (if it could be called that) was not very big so by the time we finished there weren't that many runners behind us.

The Dolphin Club is just above the ship in this photo.

Dirty Girl Gaiters

I ran a an easy 65 minutes this morning circling the neighborhood and then heading over to the college. The track was still open. The rumor now is that the work of tearing the old one up and putting a new one in will begin next month. In any case, it was nice that it was still there. I wonder if my par course hill will survive the renovation?

I wore my Dirty Girl Gaiters and ran the soccer field with it's artificial surface and myriads of little black pieces of Astro Turf that normally get kicked up and into my shoes. But today nothing got through. I am going to order a back up pair. They seem that good. They will also serve double duty by protecting my shoes when I am at an XC meet or if I decide to do it, next year at track.

Legs were tired but some of that might be the dearth of carbo's I ate yesterday. I always seem to pay the price.

85 seconds

Danny and I met at West Valley and jogged an easy 60 minutes around campus. We threw in some one minute walks to keep our legs fresh.

We finished up on the track.

I casually asked Mooney if he was ready for a 90 second quarter. He didn't flinch. We went through the 200 at 42-43 and cruised an 85. We were both ecstatic.

If I include the 10 minutes around the neighborhood it all equals 71:30.

70 minutes

Early day. Ran the neighborhood by myself and over at WVC with Danny. 74 minutes total. The slow pace allowed me to recover from yesterday.

The weather has turned cooler.   Enjoying it while it lasts.

Danny and I are going to revive Men of the 800. We're going to call it Mature Men of the 800. Should be fun.

6 x 200

I ran the neighborhoods and over at Foothill College for a total of 25 minutes. It was all pitty-pat jogging. Some 72 year old guy who is a race walker was gaining on me as I circled the track.

But then I got down to business doing some strides and then launching into the 2011 version of a hard workout. My goal was to run 6 x 200 at 800 meter orgasmic pace.

I ran the first one in 38 and consciously backed off to the 39-40 range after that.  It's not that I could have run them at all 38 but I once again had to remind myself of the goal of the workout which was to run 6 or them at 40. I ended up running them in a 39 average and felt reasonable good doing just that.  My recovery was a 200 meter walk back.

I then I pitty patted another 22 minutes.

So maybe 60 minutes all together.

60 minutes early

I had a 9 am breakfast scheduled so I got out early and ran an easy 60 minutes.  I went over to the college to see if anyone had torn up the track yet but the answer was nada. It looked the same as always.

I threw in four repeats on par course hill. I don't charge them. I just pick up the pace slightly and run for about 8 seconds. Maybe 40 yards.

Since I don't do plyometrics or weights this may the closest I get to something that is supposed to make my legs "younger".

The two things aging runners can do something about is stride and weight. Running is strength building in of itself. Hill repeats or just running longer hills can lengthen the stride.

Keeping your weight under control is the other big issue. Aging runners seem to gain about 5-8 pounds (I know I have). My body used to want to be around 135-140 lbs and these days it seems to want to be 140-145.

Of course lifting weights is good too but making that an end product detracts from the energy you'll have for running. I prefer pushups when I remember to do them.

MEN OF THE 800!

Danny and I decided to start up the Men of the 800 group again. Right now it has two members.

Danny and myself.

Our plan is to focus our training on becoming decent 800 meter age group runners. We'll probably make a singlet with a to-be-decided logo.

In the meantime, we met this morning and ran together for 45 minutes at WVC. I had already jogged for 25 minutes so I had a 70 minute day.

70 minutes and a cloud of sweat

I met up with Danny at WVC (after doing ten minutes in the neighborhood) and we ran a very easy 60 minutes throwing in walking breaks every ten minutes.  Not as hot as yesterday.

Another club member, Dez, joined us for the last half of the run. Turned out he is a friend of Nick Rose who I remember from the 1970's. He was a top collegiate runner in his day. That's him in the picture below getting smoked in the last mile by Prefontaine  in 1973.

Steve Prefontaine, 145, winning the Nov 19, 1973 NCAA XC Championship, with Nick Rose (2nd in background, OR athletic media services

Steve Prefontaine, 145, winning the Nov 19, 1973 NCAA Cross Country Championships 6 mile race in a time of 28:14.8, at Hangman Valley, Spokane Washington, with Nick Rose (finished 2nd in background),

3 x 100-150-200

Heater today. Dimitri and I decided to meet at Foothill an hour earlier. I go there even earlier than that to warm up. Between running around the neighborhood and around Foothill I got in a slow 20 minutes. I then did some striders on the track (which felt like the inside of a frying pan on medium heat).

I was supposed to do 10 x 150 but decided to "progress" a bit further so I made an on the spot decision to run 3 x 100-150-200 (walk back after each). The goal was to run them in 20-30-40 or thereabouts. I did better than expected averaging 19-28-39. My fastest 100 was in the 17's. My fastest 150 was in the high 27's. My 3-200's were 38-38-39. I then slow jogged 20 minutes the last 8 with Dimitri.

Tough workout but walking back as a recovery really helped.

Frappuccino and scone afterward at Starbucks. Really yuppie but good.

Quiet and Serene

Woke up early so I got out early and ran an easy 65 minutes. I dropped on over to De Anza to see how the resurfacing work on the track is going. Well, it ain't going. The old track stood there quiet and serene, hurdles still in place down in the slot and everything unchanged. So I grabbed the moment and carpe diem'd the course.

I am in no hurry.

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.

Why Not?

Last weekend I ran a 5K in 23:50. For various reasons my legs were trashed before I planned to run. But afterward I had a long conversation with Bob Anderson (founder of Runners World and an old friend) and we talked about competition. Bob tries to run 25 races a year. He loves to run hard. That used to be me but over the last 15-16 years I have become the antithesis of the competitive runners I once was. I knew I needed a break from racing but lately I have thought about coming back.

The problem is that you don't just take 15 years off and then decide to come back. I have never stopped running. The challenge is getting used to running hard again. The 23:50 wasn't all out. It was at best an AT run but because I was tired (v-e-r-y  t-i-r-e-d) I wasn't able to push my HR up to 90% of max.  Neither Bob nor I ran that well. He ran the 10K in just under 45 minutes. But we both won our age groups going away.

It's not about time, Bob said. That was strange because the same thought was on my mind too.

But he had run a 13 miler the day before the race and I had run 4 out of 5 days prior. Usually I run every other day. In any case we both torpedoed our chances for decent times but we still both won our age groups so how much more did we need to win by? The next guy behind me ran in the 29's. Bob, likewise dominated.

This conversation made me think about the last time I truly enjoyed my running. That was at age 50. I was running around 25-35 mpw and doing one rep day focused on the mile. I had semi-retired from racing at age 49 and when I decided to come back I could not break 6 minutes for the mile. 6 months later at age 50, I ran under 5:20. But after that I succumbed to lure of training hard out on the roads and bashed my legs into broken up concrete.

So now it is 15 years later and I have decided to go at this again. My core focus will be the 800. Last year I ran in the 2:50's. This year I am training to break 2:40 which for a guy in the 65-69 age group is pretty fair. Once every week to 10 days I will do what I call a memory workout. My first was today. 8 x 100 in 18-19 seconds. Eventually I hope to run under 80 seconds for 2-3 x 400 and 2 flat for 600 with impunity. I'll have to be able to do that to reach my goal.

The meta goal will be to come through in 2 flat or faster and run a 37-38 second 200.

When I did the mile version of this back in 1995 my 5K dropped from the 19:30's all the way down to the 18:20's. I did not train for the 5K but I benefited from my mile training anyway.

If I can run 2:36-38 then the 5K level is 20 minutes. I may not get that time, but I might get under 21.

Unlike 1995, I don't have a Wednesday group to count on so I may have to use the Saturday workouts for my trial efforts. I can drag ass off the younger faster runners when they  are doing mass intervals.

I will do some tempo running for strength but the core workout will be to stretch those 100's into 200's, 300's and 400's. Not many but just enough.

Long running for the most part is out. 50-60 minutes most days with a now and then longer run of 7-8 miles.


 The formula in 1995 was simple:

1 x 1200 in 4 flat

1 x 400 in under 80 seconds

The formula this time will be similar:

1 x 600 in 2 flat

1 x 200 in under 40 seconds

Bob said to me, maybe it will be tough but maybe you will run faster.

"Why not?" he asked. It was the right question.

Memory workout

Feeling much better today. I departed around 9 AM and ran around the neighborhood and then over to the track to do a memory workout. The goal was to run 8 x 100 in 19-20 seconds with a 300 jog in between. I ended up doing 5 or them in the 19's and the last 3 in the 18's. Then I ran back home. The total was right around 60 minutes.

The secret of keeping track of which rep you are on is to jog the corresponding lane. So in this case I started 8 lanes out and moved in after each rep. That way I didn't have to think about it. I would just check out the lane number or count from the inside lane out to where I was.

Tired 80 minutes

I ran tired today. Paid the price for going short of carbs Saturday plus running too well on Friday. Good days used to lead to more good days. That seems not to be the case anymore.

I got out just before 8 am and jogged for 80 minutes. I didn't wear the HRM and maybe that was a mistake. I was wondering what my HR was given the way I felt.

But I started to recover as the run went along and I got a late surge of energy.

It was sunny but also breezy. I was dressed out in a long sleeve T and cap. It has stayed cool and given my liking for cooler weather, I guess I can't complain. I ran over to the college the long way and circled super loops along with the walkers. One of the ladies waved at me. We've never (ever) talked but she smiled anyway because we have seen each other so many times during our workouts.

It looked like there was going to be a soccer game so after a few early loops I stayed away from the field and focused on the track and my campus loop.

Clipping along for 80 minutes

I took off before 8 am and ran 80 minutes with the HR monitor as my "coach". I pushed up the effort gradually into the 144-148 range. The strange thing is that I felt like I was clipping along. It was only during the middle of the run that I timed some sections and found out that I was in the 8:20-40 range which these days is very fast for me. Even one of the walkers on the track mentioned that I was setting a nice pace.

When I got home I stepped on the scale only to find out that I was up several pounds (so in this case IT AIN'T THE WEIGHT!).

I believe the answer for today at least, was that I was back to getting full days off which meant no running and no walking. Too bad because walking helps me burn calories but it's not in the cards. I could all shorter walks to the my running days but that's about it.

The secret of the Forbes Mill Loop

One of my goals has been to run the Forbes Mill Loop (2.7 miles) in under 19 minutes. In 2007 I ran 19:06 but since then have come no closer than the 19:30  I ran a year ago. On that run I stopped for 40 seconds at turn around so had I continued to run straight through I might have bagged a time down in the 19:10-15 range.

The key as near as I can figure is to run the two mile section in 14:45. That gives me 4:14 to run the  two .35 segments. 2:14 going out and 2 minutes coming back. 

The tough part is the two mile. I will have to go up the hill in 8:00 and come back down in 6:45. So I hit the top in 10:14 and come back in 8:45. If I can get close, it will be very tough. The critical part is to be able to maximize the downhill section and then go all out from the last marker on it.

The Hill

57 minutes & feeling better

I ran in the neighborhood and the drove over to Forbes to meet with Jake.

We ran the first loop in 26:12. It felt very easy. My HR stayed in the 130's. During the second loop we sped things up slightly and ran 25:06.  Once again my HR was in the 130's but edged into the low 140's during the last section.

I totaled 57 minutes.

I am feeling recovered from the back to back to back workout of the past weekend.

80 minutes

Ran twice today. Once in the morning for 45 minutes before going up to see Big Bad Billy and again in the early afternoon. The second run was 35 minutes.

80 minutes total. All easy running.

My legs are still feeling the 3 out of 4 days I ran late last week (now four out of the last 6. But I am back on track and should begin to feel better.

I start: 23:50 Yuk!

I paid the price for three (3) running days in a row and 4 out of the last five. I ran the San Carlos Rotary 5K. The scene of my last age group victory way back in 1995.  The conditions were perfecto but I was dragging. I promised myself that I would run it at 90% of max or at AT effort but I found it very tough to get going. My HR basically edged up to 168-170 and stayed there most of the first two miles. My legs were too tired for me to push it up any higher. Finally I began to hit 174-175 during the last mile but even that wasn't easy. I came across the line in 23:50 which was roughly in the wide range I expected. I had thought that 23 would be great and 24 not so great.  There is a big hill in the first half mile followed by some rollers  but regardless, my legs felt spongy.

This was not really the 90% effort I expected but closer to 85%. Not being able to push up the HR is usually a sign of very tired legs. My breathing, outside the first hill was fine but the body was begging for a day off.

I had warmed up for about 20 minutes and jogged a bit at the end  so I am rounding my day's work off to 45 minutes.

I had a long chat with Bob Anderson after the race and we talked about the challenge of running as guys in their 60's. Bob ran 44 and change for the 10K but he had run 13 miles yesterday.

If I go back and race again, I can see that getting my legs used to a faster pace will be tough.

San Carlos 5K

Aside from the initial hill in the first 1/2 mile this is a mostly flat course.  It winds through the neighborhoods of San Carlos and is famous once each year as the "San Carlos Hometown Days 5K/10K Fun Run".  Hometown Days is the third weekend of May. 
Directions: Start at the handball wall run toward Arroyo, turn left.  Turn right on Cordilleras.  Turn right on San Carlos.  Turn right on Elm.  Turn right on Howard.  Turn right on Cedar.  Turn right on Brittan.  Turn left on Rosewood.  Turn left on Arroyo.  Turn left on Chestnut.

{{{Clenched}}}

Friday evening we were BBQing and my wife and I were sitting on the couch having wine while the steaks were cooking. I got up to check on them and my Psoas muscle tightened up. Clenched would be the better word for it. I limped outside, flipped the meat over and then gobbled down some Ibuprofen and slapped an ice pack right on the small of my back.

This morning I jogged 20 minutes and had no pain at all. After the club breakfast I ran another easy 40 minutes and once again had no discomfort. Good thing I am going to see Big Bad Bill on Tuesday.

Constructive Rest Position

Easy 80

Easy 80 minutes this morning. It was cool and sunny. Almost perfect conditions. I originally headed over to the college but some sort of kids event had the track and soccer field tied up in knots so I headed out and did some of my old courses. Ended up coming back on the RR Tracks (aka, THE FORBIDDEN ZONE) and finishing feeling relatively strong.

The reason there is a railroad in Cupertino is the Hansen Cement Plant nestled (or rather carved) in the local hills. Several times a week a train runs from the plant to where ever it goes carry its load. Union Pacific, who owns the right of way does not like people walking along the very wide path next to the tracks but they don't patrol it. So on a daily basis hundreds of folks use it.

 Anyway, here is the plant or the rail head. This is ground zero.

65 minutes and Forbes Mill

Ran at Forbes this morning. A slow moving storm was just moving out of the area so the trail was wet. We ran the first loop under 27 minutes. On the second loop I hung on Jake's shoulder and we did a 22:45. Not too bad. No stop at the turnaround too. Including my early morning warm up and secret minutes, I topped out at 65 total.

According to Runners World this is the potential benefit of me losing some weight.

At 5K it is roughly 2 seconds per pound per mile. So if I lose ten pounds the benefit per mile is 20 seconds or 62 seconds over 5K.

Lose Weight, Gain Speed

This table, based on changes in maximal aerobic capacity, provides a rough estimate of how much your race times will improve if you lose weight, as long as you have it to lose. If your BMI drops below 18.5, you're at risk of becoming weaker and slower.

WEIGHT LOST	5K	10K	HALF-MARATHON	MARATHON
2 lbs	12.4 secs	25 secs	52 secs	1:45
5 lbs	31 secs	1:02	2:11	4:22
10 lbs	1:02	2:04	4:22	8:44
20 lbs	2:04	4:08	8:44	17:28

Backing Off

I decided to back off. Only 70 minutes today. No injuries but my feet are slightly sore. So I took it very easy jogging over to the college and running loops. I took in as much soft surface as I could. As the run progressed I began feeling better. The track was mostly deserted except for a few walkers. No classes or golfers so I had the run of the place.

Arrived back at the finish line (home) and didn't even feel the need to ice.

Don Hamilton 80 Minute Run

I drove up to San Mateo this morning to attend Don Hamilton's funeral. Don was a long time training partner and good friend. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer's back in 2005. He died in a nursing home early this past week.

I got home in the late morning and went out on a memorial run, covering 80 minutes under lead colored skies.

Hoka Hey

Donald Jerome Hamilton - age: 83
(April 30, 1928 to May 09, 2011 )
Resident of San Mateo, California

85 minutes

I really slowed things down this morning while running an 85 minute workout. I could still feel some of Wednesday's AT effort. Legs were a bit tired but not beat up.

Weather is superb. Sunny, 50's, almost no breeze. But supposedly there are thunder storm on their way for Sunday and part of next week.

20:35

Forbes Mill today. Overcast and cool.  Maybe mid 50's. Ran the first loop in 26:38. My HR was bobbing around in the 140's. On the second loop I let Jake go out ahead of me before I launched myself on a AT run. I went through the first marker in 2:13 which was fast. I let my HR gradually go up to the low to mid 170's. I wasn't tired at all. I hit the top in 10:42 and then went back down pushing my HR up to 180. Once again, a surprise. It felt easier than  the low 170's had felt a month back. Not feeling the effort at all. Could have gone harder but wisely kept control. Came back to the Mill in 20:35.

60 minutes with all before and after running counted in.

Ripped one off

Ripped off a morning 75 minute run. I wore the HRM (my new running buddy). Kept my HR up in the 65-70% range so I moved along. No ill effects from running 88 minutes yesterday. Cool morning. Low 50's.

Felt strong but closed the run with an easy jog and decided not to go any longer. I could have easily run another 5-10 minutes. If I remember, that's the way a runner is supposed to feel.

DSE Race (NOT)

Went up to San Francisco with Shel and his neighbor Bob to run the Mother's Day, DSE race. The course was out by Chrissie Field. The weather cooperated to an extent but it was still windy. The course was a contorted pretzel so at one point on each loop we were heading right into the wind. Fortunately I was not racing so it didn't really bother me. 5K didn't give me enough "calories" so I made sure to run extra before and after including a second shorter run in the afternoon.

88 minutes total.

Another 80

80 minute morning slog. Beautiful weather. High 50's and sunny. No wind. 

The usual route. Over to the track and a myriad of super loops and then back home.

Forbes Mill

It was Forbes Mill day. The weather is heating up but it was perfect for an early morning run. Jake and I dropped kicked a 26:18 on the first loop and I ran a 22:53 on the second. Along with warm up and warm down jogs, I totaled 65 minutes.

80 minutes of Galloway

In another back to back effort, I went out this morning and ran 80 minutes as slow as I could. To really keep it easy I threw in one minute walks every 5 minutes for the first hour and then ran steadily in after that. It was pure Galloway.

The key seems to be running very slowly, almost drifting and at times on the verge of walking. I don't time myself per mile but my best guess is that my effort is in the 10-11 minutes per mile range. If I am right then the time on your feet is important, not the pace. I had a great 1983 often going out for secret 8-9 milers at an 8 pace and slower.  An 8 minute pace back then is roughly a 10 pace now.

8 x 100

Wow, this is getting monotonous. I went over to the track, taking the long way. I was at 25 minutes by the time I got there. I then rambled off 8 x 100 averaging in the 18's with a super loop recovery jog in between. Then another 18 minutes back home for a total of 75 minutes.

The 100's were interesting.  I ran better than expected and certainly better than two weeks ago. The only secret I can divine from the interim period is that except for last Wednesday, I ran all my workouts really slow. 

81 minutes

A colder wind was blowing across the South Bay. I actually was back to wearing long sleeves and a hat and gloves. I went out and dry humped 81 minutes of slow running.  Running this long is an art form. I have to keep telling myself that I will get to stop earlier like 65 minutes and then 70 minutes until I am actually in position to run 80 minutes. It's a talk yourself into it type of game.

I am beginning to get some insight into Whitlock's methodology. But two hours! And every day! To me it would be a miracle to get to 80-90 minutes five days a week. I would more than likely end up doubling on some days just to break it up. 

62 minutes

I jogged around the neighborhood for 10 minutes before driving over to Forbes. Loosened up for another 2 minutes over there before doing the first loop with Jake in 26:15. On the next loop I followed Jake up in 11:45 and then I came back down alone in 9:39 to hit 21:24. Easy several minute jog afterward (never stopped moving) for 62 minutes overall.

In the old days the 21:24 would have been a sub six pace run or close to 16 minutes.

80 minutes

 Got out early and ran 80 minutes. Legs felt very good but I kept the effort nice and easy.  I ran my usual super loops over at the college.

Cool and overcast. Another day where it is supposed to rain. 

No more fancy plans. Just sticking to slow and easy and gradually increasing the minutes I run. When all else fails go long and slow.  Forbes Mill will tell the tale.

Maybe...

Another 78 minutes

Circled back today and ran another 78 minutes. Back to back! I made sure I kept the pace as easy as necessary to insure that I didn't wipe out my legs. While I am a bottom feeder in comparison to Ed Whitlock, I get a glimpse of how he does it. He keeps the pace very easy, avoids hills and just runs. But you have to be okay with running slow. If you start throwing in weekly time trials, intervals or even striders, you will not make it. Leg killers. He uses races for speed work. It's all very simple. The big challenge is to gradually increase the time (minutes) that you run.