Cold and windy

I drove over to WVC and ran various campus loops while the club ran  the tennis court loop (.66 miles)  as a relay. It was cold, windy and wet (really only drizzle).  Not wonderful conditions. I wanted to bail at 10 minutes but kept going until I had run 51 minutes. The last part of the run was a campus loop with Danielle, one of the runners I am coaching.

Injury update: My hammie and calf seem to be fine but I wore a Pro-Tec knee strap because my right knee has been sore. Strangely it does not bother me when I run so that is good. I feel it more around the house or walking.  I am sure a photo of this is already someplace in my blog. Every injury I get seems to be on my right side.

The HRM is a two edged sword

Another nothing is different 70 minute run. Almost perfect conditions this morning for Danny, Tom and I as we ran our usual route over at WVC. I did feel sluggish at the start but the HRM works both ways. The HRM is a two edged sword. It can keep you from going too fast and if you want it too, it can keep you from drag-assing it too. So today it was keeping my slow from being too slow. Tom and my HRM drove the pace and Danny, who had run some 90 second 400's the evening before, hung on for dear life. We were all a bit tired at the end but in a good way (I think).

Perfect Conditions

Slightly cool and overcast but otherwise perfect running conditions. No wind to speak of.

Tom and I ran our usual WVC course this morning covering 62 minutes. I had already done 8 minutes before so I got in another 70 minutes total. I admit that I felt good and strong. My HRM stayed mostly in the 140-150 range.

Danny showed up late and ran on his own. We caught up with him during our walk down (sort of like a warm down but with walking).

Cold, Wind, Wet

I went out around 9 am. It was cold wet and windy. I ran over to De Anza to check out the track. It was ripped up as expected. Some of the old trees cut down. Sorry to see that. I ran slowly for 40 minutes eventually arriving back at the house. Then I put on my HRM and ran 4 x "around the block". I call it 400 but I am not sure. Maybe it longer. In any case with the cold weather, I found I coukd not drive my heart rate up past 160 on the first teo reps. Finally on the 3rd and 4th I got up around 166. That's about 80-82%. about ten beats below norm. Colder conditions tend to do that.

Anyway, the effort was there.

50 minutes total.

Cold Run

I ran 60 minutes this morning. It was cooler but at least there was no rain. I did a short run around my house (shake down) and the rest over at WVC.  Did a short warm up with Danielle once I arrived at the college which caused her to miss the start of the club race. She started late, got off the course but ran well anyway. She looked strong when she came storming by me with 400 meters to go.

Warmed down around campus with Tom and Danielle after their race.

60 degrees and dry

The rain let up enough for Danny, Tom and I to get in a good run this morning. It was actually warmish. Can you say 60 degrees? I ran for 70 minutes and kept my HR low. 130-140. It seemed to make a difference. I was beat up and needed to recover. What beat me up? A combo of less sleep and some "too fast" social running. I always am fooled into thinking it's something else but it is almost always a accumulation of secret runs. Last Sunday was a slap in the face. The pace was right  but it was harder than it should have been. The HRM is the best tool to rein me in. That and some extra sleep. I am beginning to feel much better.

Bloody wet!

BLOODY WET 70 MINUTE RUN!

Actually not that bad. Steady though light rainfall throughout the run but no real wind. Tom, Danny and I ran our usual 70 minutes at WVC. Very slow today on purpose. No one pushed. No one complained about it either. Slow worked.

Finally realized that I am a bit run down.  I need to be much more careful. My recovery really stinks. It's a combo of things including some secret harder than necessary running, lousy sleep and some self inflicted stress.

5K Sub Tempo

Shel and I drove up to San Francisco to run the  DSE St. Patrick's Day 5K this morning.  It was typically overcast in the City. Rain or at least drizzle threatened. My plan was to get a good warmup and then run sub tempo effort. Sub tempo in my handbook is faster than training and slower than AT.

After twenty minutes of jogging we lined up. There was a larger than usual crowd (200 plus) for what basically passes as a well organized but low cost fun run. I took off mid pack. The trail along the bay was clogged and I was quickly swallowed  up by the back of the packers who had also moved up to get a good start. My bad, I guess. It took me about 600-800 meters to get out in the open.  My first mile was (((GAG))) somewhere around 8:30-9:00 minutes but then I started to run down around a 7:30 pace. Nothing spectacular but I gradually began to pass slower runners.  I closed things off in 24:55 for 5K (my time) . My legs were more tired than I expected but my breathing was fine. I easily chatted with several runners coming back.

Next time I start further up.

Film Crew Run

I drove over to Gunn High for the Juana Run. My job was to do some filming out on the course right around the two mile point. I did some running with Bob Anderson ahead of time and then ran out on the course. I found a great spot and filmed runners as they came by. I even laid down on the ground  on my back and shot the runners at an upward angle. Then I ran back to the finishing area. My total was around 45 minutes of running. Bob ran 33:13. A great race time for a guy in his age group.

It was strange being at the 8k today. Everyone was gearing up to race and all I could think of was getting out to the 2 mile point where I was going to shoot some video footage with a hand held mini cam. I was running the course and thinking that I felt really good about not having to race this morning.  Not one of the course monitors mistook me for the lead runner. I was first cameraman. That they understood.


The start of the race from a prior year.

Another 70

Ran my usual 70 minutes. Danny and Tom hauled along with me on the last sixty. It was cool at WVC but the wind was goners. I kept the Tom-O-Meter handy (aka HRM) and stayed in the 65-70% range. This resulted in our covering .3 of a mile mile more than on Tuesday in an hour. The pace was still glacial. Low 10's instead of high tens.

Early in our run there was Chantelle running intervals on the track. She waved. I finally got the spelling of her name right.

Twenty Minutes

Twenty minutes of running at Rancho with Bob, Chantal and Christine (they ran further..I couldn't keep up). I also hiked another 10 minutes with Michael and Waitman setting up and shooting some video. They did the real work and I mostly talked about running. Blah..blah..blah..

Tachometer Run

Ran 70 minutes this morning at WVC. It was windy as heck! The parking area above the tennis courts was like a wind tunnel. The good news was that once Tom, Danny and I got out away from the college and ran the hills, the wind dropped  and it warmed up nicely. I kept the HRM on to insure we didn't do our usual job of running too hard and it worked out fine. I used it like a tachometer. When I could see that we were edging up into the high 140's I throttled back.

Breakfast with Jake (who is not running..injured ankle) , Tom and Danny afterward.

First AT Workout

I decided to do 1.5 miles of AT work in the form of 3 x 800. The plan was to stay in the 88-92 % range. Roughly this was a HR range of 174-178.

I drove over to Foothill and warmed up for 28 minutes running very easily with Dimitri. He has been dealing with a plantar issue but has been able to continue to run.

I then did several strides. I noticed that it was warming up. My guess was mid 60's.

We took off with me leading the way. We ran the first 800 in 3:33. My HR was around 85% at the finish. We stood around chatting until my HR dropped down to 70% and then took off and ran the second 800 in 3:42. This slowdown is normal due to the short rest. Each rep generally will be slower. But your body doesn't register pace. Only effort and given that my HR stayed around 90%, the effort was pretty much the same. Dimitri made the comment that we had had only a minutes rest between the first and second 800.

The HRM dropped down to 70% in less than a minute and so we launched the last one. This turned out go be the slowest yet. 3:50. All of them fell in the 85-90% range.

We jogged down for ten minutes and called it a morning.

For a first, post calf injury semi-tough workout I was ambivalent. It was about what I expected.

78 minutes

I ran an hour with Michael Anderson but sneaked in 18 minutes beforehand. So it was a grand total of 78 minutes. I am going to call it 8 miles.

We ran in Los Gatos by Old Forbes Mill on the Los Gatos Creek Trail.

Beautiful day. Sunny and cool with no wind.

Valle Vista

I ran 70 minutes with my buddy Tom over at WVC in the morning. Weather was overcast with sprinkles ( some may call it rain ). Stayed at 70% or less on the HRM the entire run which meant that I felt really good throughout. Did Valle Vista for the first time since I pulled my calf. No problems. Just kept it slow going up.

DeAnza Track Is Going Down!

Ran the neighborhood and on over to De Anza College. Work crews were dismantling and moving equipment (hurdles, par course, etc). Turns out that they are finally going to rebuild the whole stadium complex including the track.

I did a total of 65 minutes running. Kept the HRM in the 65-70% range. Got some drizzle but no rain.

I have decided that I am going to have to use the HRM regularly. Nothing fancy. Just run 4 days a week and do either threshold intervals or AT runs keeping them under 8-10% of total running time.

Forty Easy

Forty minutes of easy running over at Foothill. Dimitri joined me for the last 30 minutes.
Bad, bad allergy attack yesterday. I finally began to see progress out of the nasal morass this morning. Some Claritin helped.

80 minutes

I ran 80 minutes today. 57 minutes with my club in the morning at WVC and then another 23 minutes over at the Los Gatos All Comers meet. I warmed up with Bryan (Conroy) and Bob Anderson until I knew it was time for me to call it quits. Then I called lap splits for Bob during his 5K race. Bob ran a gutty race and broke 21 while Bryan ran in the low 20's. Bob wanted sub 20 but it was not to be. It's tough running on the track. Back in the day, I never broke 16 for 5K on the track but ran under 16 on the roads a half dozen or more times.

Brain Trust before the 5K (Bryan-Me-Bob)

Total Recovery Run

Total recovery run this morning mostly at WVC. I ran a very easy 70 minutes with the last 60 toe to toe with my buddy Danny. Funny. Spring type temps. I didn't really think about my calf at all. Gentle hills are not bothering me at all.

Clock Winding Down

I did a sixty minute run this morning at WVC . It was my fourth day in a row. Frankly while my legs weren't sore, I could feely my clock winding down towards the end.

Went with Danny afterward for a chiro adjustment and then a massage and of course Breakfast!

Just about sure that I am ready to get back in the hills soon.

Ran with Bob, Bill and JoAnne up Moody Road. Because I am a big weenie and the pace was a bit fast, it was a chore to stay with up. No pain but just not quite used to running in the 8's. Once we started to hit the steep hill with about 400-600 meters from the turnaround and because I was still babying my calf, I dropped back. Finally I just stopped and walked for a minute and waited for my friends to come back down. Then I joined up and ran in feeling very strong the whole way.

The calf never bothered me so good news on that front.

My total running time including some minutes I did around Monte Vista, was close to 50 minutes.

60 minutes

Yet another 60 minutes of Zensah running. I ran the neighborhood for fifteen minutes before heading over to Foothill to jog with Dimitri. Bright sunny day, but cool. Wore the Zensah and experienced absolutely no calf problems. Gotta buy another sleeve as backup. They look funny but they seem to help.

If things hold together I am going back on my basic 1990-91 program. Every other day running and AT runs every 3-4 weeks to test progress.

62 minutes of Zensah Running

Motored over to WVC and ran tennis court loops alternately with Danny, Danielle and Jim Myers. The weather was moderate. Cool but not cold. I wore the Zensah and it kept my calf warm. I tapped out 62 minutes of slow-slow. Two things. My calf didn't bother me and I felt no tightness afterward. At least I wasn't banished to the track for an hour. I did several laps out of respect but that was it.

The club was doing the Valentines Day race. Ken Napier was down from the mountains and we had a chance to catch up at breakfast. It was good to see him. He really lights up around the club. Wish he still lived down here.

Zensah Run

THURSDAY

I ran over at the WVC track Thursday morning. I had my Zensah compression sleeve on throughout the run. It was cool but the sleeve seemed to keep my right calf warm. Danny and Tom ran part of the way with me but mostly it was just moi circling the track. I did sneak off the tartan for a few gentle hill tests (YES...TESTS!). We runners are always testing. We're obsessive that way. I did feel some sensation of tightness afterward but nothing worrisome. Got through 70 minutes without clenching so I am happy enough.

FRIDAY

I walked for 60 minutes midday. Nice and sunny.

Endless Circling

I stayed down on the WVC track most of my run this morning. 75 minutes of endless circling with only a few forays to the less challenging sections of the campus. I am not complaining. The flatness of it all allows me to run. Tom and Danny joined me for some of it but mostly I was a-lone.

When I got home, my Zensah compression calf sleeve had arrived in the mail. It'll give me some distributed protection with out having to always wear my tights. I only purchased one. So far I have not had issues with the my left calf. Only the right. If things change, I'll buy the other.

Double on varied terrain

AM: I drove over to the club workout in the morning and ran and walked for 35 minutes. I have no idea how far I went. Maybe 3 miles. Danny joined me for part of it. It's funny. Running and walking sort of feels like just plain old running used to feel back in the day.
 

PM: Went to Foothill and ran 38 slow-slow minutes with Dimitri.  So....a double workout.

Varied terrain. WVC has a blue colored track and Foothill's is brick red.

No calf issues but then I stayed away from the hills.

Clench!

Ran 55 minutes this morning over at West Valley. I did get a warning about hills. My right calf "clenched" when I was running up a gentle slope. I dropped back down on the track and finished off my run there. No more big issues but I realize that for now, flat surfaces are the best.

Fifty Minutes

Fifty minutes at WVC this morning. Stayed down on the tennis court loop and the track but I have to admit that my calf felt good. Very little soreness from yesterday's massage. Maybe I am turning the corner. I feel like I could run fast. A week ago I didn't feel that way at all.
I am going to be cautious though and just keep running slow and easy. Maybe in a week or two I'll try some very easy striders.

Next massage is in two weeks.

Car battery on the Honda died. Nice to have the other car. My faithful Camry got me to the workout. Changed out the battery after I got home from breakfast. I had some help from Gary. Thank God he had a 10mm wrench!

Best Run Yet

I did another 47 minutes this morning. Part was around home and the rest over at Foothill. Best run yet. No tightness and no pain. Just running along at an easy pace. Dimitri joined me for part of the run. He is nursing an early stage plantar issue. Hopefully it won't blow up.

Tomorrow I have another massage scheduled. It seems to be helping big time.

Maybe I'll be able to get back to training soon.

47 minutes

I ran 47 minutes this morning over at WVC. It was in the low 40's so I tried to be very careful about running too fast. Best day for my right calf since I pulled it three weeks ago. I even ran some very gradual hills. I also walked some before and after to keep the legs going.

Another rehab run

Another 40-20 this morning most of it with Danny. Tom was away in the wine country chipping and dipping.  It was cool again (low 40's) but the redeeming factor was bright sunlight.  The calf was mildly sore but better than Tuesday. So the DOMS is slowly wearing off. I can tell I am getting better but I also can tell that I have to take it slowly. I can extend the time I run but throwing in walk breaks gives the calf a rest.

Danny likes the slow running (with walk beaks).  "Tom's wearing me out." he said laughing at breakfast afterwards.

My competition

40-20

I drove over to WVC and ran and walked. Mostly I ran hitting 40 minutes. I then did a 20 minute walk cool down. Tom walked and ran much of it with me. Danny was AWOL (Away With Official Leave).

The calf was very sore and bruised from yesterday's massage but otherwise things held together. My legs felt good. I think I may be turning a corner here. Just which corner, I am not sure yet.



It is the medial head (below) where the problem lies. 

32 minutes

I met Dimitri at Foothill College for an easy jog. At 10 AM in the morning it was clear and warming. I ended up walking and jogging 45 minutes with 32 minutes of the workout, dedicated to running. I used the same athletic tape that failed toadhere to my hamstring a month back, but this time on my calf. Strangely it stayed in place.

The calf held up. I did notice a bit of tightness towards the end of the run, but no pain. I can't imagine how Jake ran right though this injury but he did. Higher pain threshold, I guess.

We went for coffee afterward. The usual place off of Foothill Expressway.

Massage planned for Monday.

{{{Deep Tissue}}}}

I met Dimitri at Foothill College for an easy jog. At 10 AM in the morning it was clear and warming. I ended up walking and jogging 45 minutes with 32 minutes of the workout, dedicated to running. I used the same athletic tape that failed toadhere to my hamstring a month back, but this time on my calf. Strangely it stayed in place.

The calf held up. I did notice a bit of tightness towards the end of the run, but no pain. I can't imagine how Jake ran right though this injury but he did. Higher pain threshold, I guess.

We went for coffee afterward. The usual place off of Foothill Expressway.

Massage planned for Monday.

{{{Deep Tissue}}}}

Testing

I showed up at the club workout and ran an easy thirty minutes with almost no walking breaks. It was cold out (low 40's at best) so I wore my compression tights. The calf held up very well. No real problems. The club was running 5K on the track so I was able to catch up with people including Dwight Cornwell and Bill Dunn. I'll run another 30 minutes on Sunday and return for a second massage Monday morning.

As John Parker said in his article about calf heart attacks:

"Step 5. After a week of the medicinal workouts, try a short, very gentle run of three to four miles, on as flat a surface as possible. As always, if your calf gets numb or the sharp pain reappears, stop immediately and walk back. Remember the cyclical nature of this injury. Keep adding to your mileage and intensity day-by-day, but be ready to retreat at the first sign of trouble. After a few such runs, if you haven’t overdone it, you’ll be back to your normal routine."

Another morning of running the straights and walking the curves

Another morning of running the straights and walking the curves for an hour on West Valley Track. Danny joined me. It warmed up a bit but was still overcast.

Calf felt much better. Still slightly sore from the massage but no pain.

Breakfast with Danny and Jake.

Deep Tissue

I walked and ran for an hour over at WVC. it was warmer in the morning so I was gradually able to discard my down jacket, ski cap and even my gloves.

I did straightaways for over forty minutes of my workout. The calf felt tight but no pain. Afterward Danny and I went up to Tarrs for our monthly adjustment but while Danny did his walk around I went in for a calf massage. {{{deep tissue}}}

I was pretty sore after it was over but also strangely relaxed. The masseuse told me that she could feel some good size knots in and around the calf muscle. Once those are worked out I can begin to run normally and maybe even get back on the 800 meter horse.

Four hours later and the calf feels much better. Going back in next week.

Lurking

Yet another late morning hour walk. I stopped by De Anza track along the way and ran eight straightaways. The calf held up some phantom tightness but no pain. After the run I dug my fingers into my right calf looking for hot spots. Couldn't find any. But like I told my buddy Jake. I don't trust this injury. It lurks.

The ART of recovery

I walked again today. I waiting until early afternoon because it was raining in the morning. I went out for an hour. It was alternately sunny, cloudy and windy. Sometimes all three. I threw in a dozen or so ten second jogs along the way because guys like me can't help testing to see if my calf is feeling better. As it turned out, the calf does not bother me but with calf heart attacks that's the way it is. Everything feels great and then suddenly...OUCH!

I am also reading like crazy about active release technique (ART). I know now I can't just run. I have to work the calf. I figure between ART and deep tissue massage I might have a chance of getting back to training.

Another hour

I walked another hour yesterday morning on the track.  The temperatures had warmed slightly but with a nice slate gray cloud cover it felt frosty. Danny walked with me most of the way because he ran Wednesday evening with the club. I plan to keep walking for now. My calf is no longer sore. If I didn't know better there is no evidence that I had a calf heart attack. But I do know better. Sunday's stabbing pain reminds me of the truth. My only real hope is that between ART (Active Release Therapy) and deep tissue massage I can stretch out the time between attacks.

Recovery Plan 9 from outer space

I have not run since that moment on Sunday that I felt a stab of pain in my right calf. I went to see my chiro (Big Bad Billy) on Monday who adjusted the leg and the ankle. Within an hour I was no longer limping. Yesterday I walked for an hour on the track at WVC. not a glimmer of pain. I believe this is what is called walking on a controlled surface.

Bill recommended no running for a week. I am also scheduled to go back up Tuesday and get deep tissue massage from one of his folks. This type of injury is the result of years and years of running. Scar tissue builds and it is tough to break it up. The stick massage I was doing was helping but obviously not enough. Stretching is out of the question. I have iced (a lot).

When I come back I'll stay on the flats and do my calf heart attack approach. I walk and run starting with about a half hour and gradually build up the time I run versus the time I walk. I plan to include a leg massage as part of my regular program in the hopes that I can buy myself some more running time.

My 800 meter program is wrecked. Probably no longer can do 800 meter paced reps. That time is past. What I have to figure out is what can I do????

OUCH!

Went up to the Ballpark 5K with Shel.Bob Anderson and I warmed up a bit together. It was cool with a slight breeze. I felt good on the pre-race jog but as soon as the race started I felt "something" in my right calf. By 90 seconds I was shutting things down. "Something" had become a stabbing pain. Ouch! I walked back and watched the race finish. If this is anything like my 4 calf pulls in 2008, it'll be 1-2 months of coming back. Rest then walking followed by walk-jogging and finally running again.

The good news was having breakfast with Shel, Bob, Catherine and Mike at The Java House. Great little out of the way place. Great prices and excellent food. Good company.

Right now I have to rest until I can walk without pain.

45 minutes

Ran a frigidly cold 45 minutes this morning. Low to mid 30's. I jogged around West Valley College eventually catching up with some friends who were as frozen as I was. I had all the hi-tech gear on but frankly I could have used a plain old cotton sweat top as well.

My plan is to do a 90% tempo run tomorrow but if it this cold I may dump the workout and run easy. That'll be a game day decision.

80 minutes

Got out early to do ten minutes of shake down running around my house. Then I drove over to West Valley and ran another seventy minutes! Tom and Danny ran most of this part with me. Danny was recovering from Wednesday evening's 12 x 400 so he was hanging on throughout the workout. I was Mr. Low Energy. Tom had mercy on us both and kept the pace slow.

The weather was perfect IF YOU WERE AN ESKIMO!. Mid 30's and cold to the bone. Even with my tights on my legs felt knotty.

Breakfast tasted great. Buckwheat pancakes and coffee. Jake showed. Poor guy is still having calf issues. He is learning the lessons I had crammed down my gullet in 2008.

I could easily take a nap but several afternoon appointments beckon.

Crispy 78 minutes

Another crispy cold morning. Mid 30's at game time. I ran a total of 78 minutes and at least 8 minutes of it were so I didn't have to stand around and freeze my ass off. Tom and Danny ran most of the way with me. We were all strangely tired but did the workout anyway.

As we always do, we ran campus loops and Valle Vista. I also ran ten minutes around my house ahead of time. I guess I can call this the pre-run-run.

Back to the 800

I ran close to 45 minutes total this afternoon including 4 x 300 on Foothill College Track.
Because of the hamstring and head cold I had not done anything at 800 meter pace for well over a month. With my "pacer" Dimitri, we ran 61-60-60-60. Took a 200 meter walk in between reps. Tough workout but the weather was beautiful and I never lost form. Good to get back at it.

By the way, running four days in a row was pretty crazy. I took my eye off the ball. Could have been fresher for this workout.

Intermittent 35 minutes

Did an easy 35 minute run while my club did a workout. I ran around the track, stopped and chatted with other runners, exchanged some friendly barbs and generally made a nuisance of myself. Helped Wally time too. So the whole run was very intermittent.

It was probably in the 40's but but it felt in the 30's.

Tom had a breakthrough "I am an older guy" workout. He ran 3 x 1600 and one was faster than his a one mile race he did during the summer.

30 minute run

Drove over to the Los Gatos Creek Trail and ended up running for 30 minutes with my Jake. He is nursing a sore upper Achilles tendon and is wisely sticking to the flats. I hadn't planned on running at all but the idea of just walking didn't seem that intereting. We did a figure eight course he had mapped out around the perk ponds.

We're Retired

I did the usual 70 minute run. Most of it was over at WVC with Tom and Danny. Not sure of the temps but it was definitely cold when we started out. Sunny but cold.  Tom and I got in a tennis court loop before Danny showed up. Madelyn rode over with him. She got out of the car and kept saying (jokingly) "We're retired."  So I asked Danny if that the was the reason they were late.

Anyway, we had a good laugh about it.

Breakfast afterwards. I seem to be on a blueberry pancake jag.

 

72 minutes

I did an easy 72 minute run this morning including the last 62 minutes over at WVC with Tom and Danny. The fog was in pretty thick so it was cool and damp. No leg soreness. Just some lingering muscle malaise (MM). As usual Tom tended to push the pace slightly but I responded by slowing down and he came right back. These early morning, cold weather, runs are tough. If I have to push the pace, I just end up digging myself into a hole.

Overdressed

I took it easy this morning considering yesterday's workout. I got out door after 9 am and ran 50 minutes including super loops over at the college. I thought about running an hour but decided early on just to run 50 in the name of recovery.

It was New Year's day and it was deserted outside. A few fleeting cars on the road and the track was populated by a hand full of walkers and a large convention of geese. It is like I woke up in a future post apocalyptic, dystopian world where people had mostly disappeared but their buildings and roads still exist.

Anyway, back on the planet Earth: I realized I had made one big mistake. I overdressed. I wore my tights, long sleeve top, hat and gloves. It was cold when I woke up but warmed up rather quickly. By the time I finished it was in mid 50's. I was dressed for something in the low forties.

Unfinished business

I took three days off from running due to this nasty little head cold. I felt much better today. Dimitri and I met a Foothill track in the easy afternoon. The temperature was in the high 50's, the sun was out and there was a slight breeze.

I really wanted to do the workout of three weeks ago but finish it.

We warmed up for 15 minutes and then did some striders.

Using my HRM, we ran an 800 at AT effort. We dropped a 3:35 which surprised me. I expected something slower. After a 200 meter walk we ran 4 x 400 in 94 seconds average. We walk half a lap for recovery.

Then we ran another 800 at AT effort. Tired from the 400, we only ran a 3:53 but the time is less important than the effort.

To conserve energy we walked a lap cool down. I was more interested in the core of the workout rather than piling up minutes.

I used 168-173 for AT. My actual AT might be higher but I wanted to be safe.

During the 400's my heart rate hit 177-179. I was working but was nowhere near all out.

Head Cold????

I guess it's that time of year. I either have had a savage allergy attack or I have a mild head old. Not sure which. In any case I took Thursday off. I actually feel decent but I have that stuffy and runny nose I usually get when I do come down with something. Oh well, if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck....

It doesn't hurt to just bag it for a couple of days.

My 800 meter training has been impacted. Two weeks away from any quality workouts because of the hammie and now this. The good news is that the hamstring feels great. The head cold seems to be on the mend. The cold is passing through more like a quick moving summer storm than a defiant and stubborn weather front.

A cold one

When someone says they want a cold one, I would tell them to show up at West Valley "cool"-ege

At 8:30 on a week day morning. I met up with Tom and ran 60 minutes. I already had ten in the bank so I hit 70 total.

It was frosty (30's) but we persevered. The problem with a slow pace is that it takes longer to warm up. As Tom and I were running he looked down at his GPS watch and exclaimed, "Oh good. An eleven minute mile pace!"

I told him to count minutes not miles. Eleven minutes is eleven. Your body doesn't care. It registers duration, not distance. Of course secretly the idea that we were running that slow horrified me. It also made me want to laugh. In a few years we'll be running slower.

Xmas Run

I got out of the house at around 9 am. It was as cold as yesterday but an hour later. That made a fair amount of difference but it was still in the 30's. I dressed to the 9's and stayed warm throughout the whole sixty minutes. I basically ran the neighborhood and then did slow super loops over at the college. I was low on the energy scale. Probably my body wanted the day off or for me to have run in the afternoon when it would have been warmer. It didn't get either.

66 frozen minutes

I did 66 minutes this morning with most of it over at WVC. Coldest morning yet. I would easily say it was right around freezing. I wore double gloves and a ski cap.

Danielle and I ran the campus and ended up going down to the track and knocking off a set of 8 x 100 meter strides. Happy to say that my hamstring was fine. No problem. Danielle ran effortlessly. Watching her glide down the track reminded me of her gift for speed. If we can get her back to 40-45 mpw she'll do very well in races.

Tom and I run Dannyless

Danny couldn't make our morning run so it was just Tom and I which meant that the pace would be faster. I strapped on the HRM and decided to see what 70% of max felt like. The course was hilly with some good rollers. Temp in the low 40's with a breeze. I generally let Tom lead and that resulted in a steady HR in the mid to high 140's which for me was on target. We definitely ran faster. Not hard but not easy. Including the time I spent running before and after the time I spent with Tom, I totaled 75 minutes.

75 minutes

I met up with Tom and Danny over at WVC. It was another cold morning but at least it was sunny. I ran 75 minutes total with an hour of it being with my two buddy's. The pace was slow. Even Tom didn't push it. I wore double gloves which may have been too much but at least my hands were never cold.

Yes my minutes running have been inching up.

Striders on the track

I ran seventy minutes this morning including some time over at Foothill College doing 100 meter striders at around a six minute mile pace. It was a stress test to see where my left hamstring is. Dimitri led me through the strides and I made a point of staying off his shoulder.

The hammie did not bother me so I think in a week or two I can add back in some rep work.

I wore the compression tights again to protect my legs. It was cold but not that seeping cold of Saturday.

Since the Kinesio tape is not sticking to my skin, the compression tights are the backup.

Frgid 60

Frigging cold this morning. I warmed up around the house for 11 minutes and then drove over to West Valley to do some more "work". With a tennis court loop before and after and Valle Vista (slow-slow) in the middle with my buddy Danny, I got in 60 frigid minutes. Cold enough to seep through my hi-tech gloves.

I wore tights to protect my legs and used some reusable, self adhesive athletic tape for the hamstring but it came loose and dropped down to just above my knee (under the tights). I am not sure I needed it anyway. Just experimenting. The test didn't work.

Pounding the hills

I ran longer than usual doing 75 minutes with most of it in and around the hills close to West Valley College. Tom joined me and I let him dictate the pace which meant it was faster than normal. I felt strong during the run. My hammie held up with no ibuprofen or Capsaicin beforehand. It was cold so I wore compression tights. The last line of defense.

A week ago, at a slower pace, I had to stop and walk for a half minute when my hamstring tightened up. It definitely seems on the mend.

The color of the track has changed but much of the West Valley campus remains the same.

Aerial photograph, West Valley College, south side of campus, 1977

Back to Forbes Mill

Ran 68 minutes this morning up at Forbes Mill with Jake. It was sunny and cold. Maybe high 30's. Included in the run were two dam loops of 25:55 and 24:45. My energy level was superb. I felt like I was just flowing along. My hammie was a non factor even though I did pick up the last quarter mile of the last loop to test it. I did feel some very mild tightness afterward but by the time I finished breakfast I no longer felt it at all.

It is a warning to be careful so I will continue monitoring it day to day.

I am not quite ready for prime time yet.

5 days-55 minutes

I ran five days during the past week ending up with a 55 minute easy run in Golden Gate Park this morning. Shel and I ran parts of the DSE course and watched the leaders come by. The weather was cool but not cold. Mid 40's. The hamstring held up well. No even a shadow of discomfort or tightness. I may test it next weekend. That'll make it two weeks from the date of injury.

I have definitely decided to go forward with tempo and more mile paced work until I feel confident that I can handle faster reps.

50 minutes and some insights

Got out early this morning. It was {{{cold}}} and I opted to wear my compression tights to protect my legs. Ended up running over at West Valley with the club. 50 minutes total. I did have a slight feeling of tightness in the left hammie but after about 15-20 minutes that went away. The run was pain free. I tried the Kinesio Tape for the first time but it wouldn't adhere to my leg and I finally ended up dumping it. Obviously I need to figure out what the problem is. Dunno. Shave the injured area?

I was listening today at breakfast while two long term runner friends talked about the loss of strength in their legs. I don't doubt this. I have noticed it too.

Things I have found

I can't run back to back days except maybe once a week. If I run back to back, one of those days is usually half the time of the other day.

I generally need total days off in between runs. It is better to add running time to my run days then run so called recovery runs in between.

I have to run really easy except for one day a week. So running "as I feel" is a trap. If I do this I will end up tired. 

When I was out running with Bob Anderson, it wasn't my legs that bothered me. It was me not being used to running along at a strong effort. But I can't train myself for this. Just do more runs like it every other week. Otherwise if I make a weekly thing, it will tear me down.

I recently found out that if I train for the 800, I cannot rely on 200's. Oh, I can do them but they have caused several mild hamstring problems. So now I have to train longer reps off pace. So instead of worrying about getting my 400 down to 72, I am really going to focus on running 82's (slower than pace) for longer distances. I'll probably also do more mile pace and tempo work.

The one thing I have found is that constant repetition of training that tears you down is insanity.
I have to accept that I need to constantly adjust until I am out of options. When that day comes, I won't be running anymore. 

70 minutes on ice

Ran an easy 70 minutes this morning around West Valley College and the surrounding neighborhood. My friend Tom ran most of the way with me. My hamstring did not seem to be an issue unless I started to push, so I kept things on the conservative side. There was one point with about ten minutes to go where I felt the hammie spasm so I broke into a walk. It didn't last long though. After about 30 seconds I started to run again. The spasm subsided and I ran on to the finish. No problems!


I know I am going to have to take easy for awhile until it heals up. Good opportunity to do some base building and also to run some hills.

It was cold ( for Saratoga ). High 30's and low 40's but after the mist burned off it was really sunny. Wore two layers on top and high tech gloves. Probably should have worn tights.

California Hammie

I ran an easy 45 minutes today and threw in several striders along the way. My left hamstring definitely tightened up during the strides telling me that I have what one of my running friend's likes to call "a situation".

I seem to be okay when I run easy so that's what I'll be doing until I get over this bump in the road.

I am icing, judiciously taking ibuprofen and using my secret sauce as a leg rub.

It pays to back off at the first sign of an injury. I didn't do that. I should have stopped during the first 800 on Sunday. Right then. Just stopped and jogged.

Loss of down, two week penalty which means no testing it during that time period.

On the edge with Bob

Ran this morning with Bob Anderson. I jogged the streets around my house for ten minutes to shake things out and drove over to Bob's house.

The 6 mile run, to say the least, was a great deal faster than I usually run. I was hanging on to Bob's shoulder from the get go. Now I know why he can beat the crap out of me in a race. It was a revisiting of the Jake-John-Dave effect of 35 years ago. These guys simply trained faster. So does Bob.

Anyway, the course was mostly a gradual uphill for three miles but regardless of the pace, I hung on and was able to actually "talk". After three miles it was more down hill than up and I seemed to feel stronger. I just hung on by my neck until we hit the finish in 49:15. I asked Bob what time he usually runs the course in.

Oh, he said. Two minutes faster.

Whoa!

Tempo Speed

Did a 25 minute warm up around my house and over a Foothill College as a preamble to a tempo-speed workout.

Ran 2 x 800 in 3:30 ( seven minute pace) with a short rest in between. Pace felt easy.
Then did 4 x 400 in 94-95 with a short rest. Would have run faster but for an issue mentioned below.

Jogged an easy 15 minutes afterward.

Upper left hamstring was tight. It actually felt better as I ran and I took advil and iced right after.

The weather was near perfect 50's but sunny and no wind.

60 minutes easy

Ran from the house this morning. 60 minutes easy including a loop around the lake and a series of Super Loops over at De Anza. It was flea market day at the college and the place was crowded with shoppers. I was one of the few people not wearing long pants.

Back at Forbes

I met up with Jake over at Forbes. Been months since we ran together. He was recovering from a cold so he went one loop with me at a glacial pace. I ended up running 72 minutes altogether at a pretty slow effort. I slept poorly last night (have no idea why) so I purposely took it easy.

The skies were clear but there was the first BIG wind of the season tearing things up and it blew me around quite a bit.

Forbes was a nice break from the college. I have to talk Danny in going up there now and then.

Foggy 70

A tule fog like curtain sopped the South Bay. I peered out over my morning coffee and thought to myself, "I'll wait until the Sun comes out before I run." It just wasn't that appetizing to out in cold. But in the end, I went through the motions of getting ready go go out anyway. In the end I was out by 9 AM and running.

Tule Fog be damned!

I ran the neighborhood and the local college super loop until I had jogged 70 minutes.

It was a good run. My legs didn't hurt but then I didn't push at any time during the workout.

Danny is in the glide path for his annual cruise so I won't see him until after the 15th. Would like to run with Jake but I am in high school sports detox and that's mostly what he talks about. I just need time away from all that.

Fire on the track

50 minutes this morning of varied jogging. In between the warmup and warmdown I sandwiched in a track workout over at Foothill with Dimitrios. The weather was cool and slightly overcast.

The workout was the one that I had to cancel last week due to stomach problems.

5 x 200.

Armed with my natural lean on the turns, I honestly felt great. We ran the first one in 38 and it felt easy and smooth. The next two were 37's and the last two were low 36's.

There was fire on the track. Well, maybe only an old Bic lighter but there was enough juice left to produce a flame.

The day after

I decided last night, as I stuffed myself with Turkey, that instead of running Saturday, I would run off some of the mass calories I accumulated the day after (which is today...Friday).  I dressed to the nines which turned out to be overdressed and ran an easy 53 minutes with a trip over to De Anza thrown in the mix. It was in the low 50's and overcast when I started out but the sun came out about half way through the run.

The track was pretty much empty except for one gal who was jogging the inside lane and running the stadium steps. The only other creatures wandering around were the usual flock of geese. They seem to have no awareness of track courtesy as they made it plain that they own and occupy the inside lane and the grass football field.