Wednesday, December 28, 2011

16-laps-to-the-mile

December 28--

Went to the Y, did a mile in 7:15, lifted (arms and legs), then finished with another mile in 6:35. Felt good and refreshing. For some odd reason I don't mind the 16-laps-to-the-mile donut the Y calls a track. Saw Dave Hinchberger. Nice conversation.

I will have to figure our whether I'll go the distance tomorrow in town or take an opportunity to get in an interval workout.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Armory races: motivate me to do some more speedwork

December 27--
3.2M recovery run. 25:50.

December 26--Holiday Classic at the Armory--NYC

I decided to go to the Armory after all. I drove to Craig Strimel's house (NJ) from Bethlehem, as my family and I were visiting the charming Moravian Book Store, a family tradition. I arrived at his house at about 3:15, and we departed for NYC at 3:35. After a tentative drive during which Craig and I shot the breeze about everything from track to parenthood and education, we arrived at the venue at about 6:20. The meet was to have started at 6:00, but lo and behold the youth meet was still in progress. The open/masters meet wouldn't begin until 7:00 or so, and we wouldn't run the 400 until close to 8:30 or so. I got a pretty good warm-up in, using the second floor hall, which was like a sauna. I stretched down there a bot and tried to stay loose. As it turned out, open and masters athletes were separated, although masters athletes could decide to compete with the younger and faster open athletes if they so desired. I stayed with my own kind. I was seeded fourth and was assigned lane 2 (no one was assigned lane 1) in the faster masters heat. The top seed was 51.9, the second seed was 53., and the third seed, Ray Parker, shared my time of 55.5. I did virtually no striders track side, only one or two starts since I had planned to start down. When the gun went off, I popped up pretty immediately (bad), but I ran the curve reasonably well. By the 100m mark I had caught Ray and found myself right within striking distance of the leaders at the cone break (150m). I tried to relax, hearing 25. for the leaders. I figured I was 26 and change since I was not that far behind. Coming down the homestretch I surged a little and came within a couple of meters of the second runner, who finished in 55.05. I ran 55.35. Ray ran 56.

I felt okay afterwards and was able to jog pretty immediately. I readied myself for the 200, figuring I would run it since Craig mentioned that he had planned to do it. I would be at the Armory anyway, so why not get a run in? I tried to stay loose but could sense that my muscles were stiffening. A little more Icy Hot and stretching helped. I was assigned lane 3 in the fastest of three heats of the 200 with a seed time of 25.0. From the start, the race didn't feel right. I stepped out of my lane in the first 10 meters, causing me to adjust. After this, I could feel my hamstrings tighten and throb, beginning on the backstretch. Despite this, I felt myself closing in on my fellow teammate, whom I was catching, perhaps the result of high knee lift. With less than 75m to go I pulled even with him. Coming down the homestretch he surged and I felt my leg tighten, so I back off. The win wasn't worth what would have been an injury. 25.85.

Perhaps these Armory races will motivate me to do some more speed work. It's hard though, not just because it's difficult to reach the intensity level I need to reach alone, but because my feet and big toe kill when I do any kind of speed work. We'll see.

On another note, I think we might be able to run sub-3:40 in the 40-49 masters 4x400 if Nick runs. Who are the 40-49 guys: Nick, Scott, Craig and me??

Sunday, December 25, 2011

I was having problems

December 25, 2011: Christmas Day

Ran 3.2 over the Rustin XC course. 25:30.

I now have to decide whether I will try my luck at the 400 at the Holiday Classic at the Armory tomorrow.

December 24, 2011: Christmas Eve

As much as Thursday was a confidence booster, Saturday was a confidence killer. I set out to do some 300s: 5 sets of 2 300s (or even 3 sets of 3 300s) with a 1 minute/100m break between repeats and 800m run between sets. Goal pace was :50. I ran the first 300 well enough, but the second one didn't feel right. I stopped at the 200 mark, covering it in a pedestrian :35. I was having problems. I then regrouped and decided that perhaps something shorter would undo my flatness. So, I took to some 150s, 8 in all: 24,23,22,22,22,22,22,22. I then revisited the 300s, 5 additional in all, this time taking them with a bit more confidence. I did them in the spirit of the pick-up reps I've done for 400s (8x400, with 2,5,and 8 in 63 and 1,3,4,6,7 in 70). So, my pace for the slower ones was 51 and my pace for the faster ones was 47. I ran 52,47,51,51,47. Since I felt like I wimped out on the planned workout, I decided to run a couple of 100s afterwards for good measure. They were 15 and 14 seconds, My right big toe was bothering me by this point, having tried to wear my old flourescent green and white spikes for my last couple of 100s. Bad move.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Today was a confidence booster.

Thursday, 12/22/11

I decided to bag the usual 7.9M run in favor of some 200s in the 45 degree weather. Given previous experience with early AM 200s, I decided to do 10, with a 100m walk + 100m jog in-between...2 minutes. My runs were: 32,34,32,32,31,31,31,30,30,30. This time two years ago (12/14/09), I ran on average 1-3 seconds slower per repeat.

Today was a confidence booster.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

unspeakably slow, too slow in fact

Tuesday, 12/20

For our last Tuesday morning track workout @ Henderson for 2011, we did an easy 800, jogged a 400, hard mile, jogged a 400, and then 4 200s (with 200 jog-rest), progressing from easier to harder.

My 800 was unspeakably slow, too slow in fact, @ 3:10 or so.
My mile was 5:16. 2:31/2:45. I lost touch with Scott Burns, John Callaghan and Ed McConnell at the first 400. I hung back with Kevin, John Manion, another John and another guy whose name I don't know. I pulled ahead of the John M and the unknown guy at about the 600 and stayed behind Kevin for the next 400. I fell back from him with 600 to go but passed the other John (younger) with 450 to go. I saw 3:54/5 at the 1200 mark.

I ran the 200s in 38,36,33,31

Monday, December 19, 2011

Slow and sluggish

Monday--easy 3.75 in 29:40

Sunday --
Did 500,400,300--2 sets w/ 3:00 jog rest (300 m jog) in between repeats. 1200 jog between sets. Felt slow and sluggish.

1:29,67,49
1:29,67,49

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Time to ice

Wednesday, 12/14--ran 6.6, 3 Rustin loops.
17:35 --8 min pace
16:25 (34:00)--7:27 pace
15:40 (39:40)--7:07

sore hamstring. time to ice

Tuesday, 12/13--got to Henderson after 6...yes, after 6, because I overslept. It didn't matter anyway since my hamstring was sore. I just ran about 2-2.25 miles around the track with some comrads and called it a day. The workout was 1600, followed by 6 400s with 200 jog-rest.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Ambitious, I know.

Monday, 12/12/11--ran 4.4M, a recovery run. 32:15, about 7:20 pace. Sore left hamstring.

Sunday, 12/11/11--Sunday, 12/12--first meet--Glen Mills. Got there at 9:20 or so. Did not run until about 10:20. Timing was good. Like last year,I put down 2:10 as my seed time. That was my goal. The day was rather chilly but otherwise fine. Warmed up inside. Stretched reasonably well.

"Lane 2"--second person, front line...up....There were five on the back line and four up on the front line. I got out fairly aggressively w/o much effort and took lane 1. I saw 32 on my watch at the 200. I was leading, with Brian Turdo immediately to my right. I did not hear anything at the 400, other than someone tell his buddy/athlete that he had run was right around another 33-sec lap. I wanted to hold position, so I ran a little harder to keep Brian to my outside. At the 575m mark, Brian pulled in front of me. I heard nothing at the 600. With 150m to go, I heard Kyle Lanier say, "Come one, Delvin." On the back stretch, I felt a challenge coming on. The guy came along side me. I assumed he was going to fade, but he kicked into another gear and passed me. I went to my arms as I was going into the final turn. With about 60 to go, I eased up too much; I did not run through the finish. I ran 2:12.9 ht/2:13.11 FAT. Brian ran 2:09-mid. The guy in second ran 2:11-low.

I felt pretty good afterwards. I finished the race and began cooling down before the next heat could begin.

My splits were likely: 32, 65(33), 1:39(34), 2:13(34). A fairly even race. Now, I just have to drop each 200 by 3 seconds! Ambitious, I know.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Saturday, 12/10--took off

Friday, 12/9--4.4M

Thursday, 12/8--skipped distance run in town in favor of 200s at Westtown's track. 200 jog/1:40 between repeats. 33,34,33,35,33,31,31,32,31. See identical 6AM workouts in 2008, 2009, and 2010 around same time of year for comparison.

Wednesday, 12/7--lifting at the Y.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Not bad after 20 200s.

Sunday, 12/4--7.9M in 55:50. 7:04 pace.
Mile 1-7:35
Mile-8-6:45 pace

Not bad after 20 200s.

Increasing speed/decreasing recovery reps

Saturday, 12/3-- I decided to do 200s. Ideally, it would have been the "Increasing speed/decreasing recovery reps" workout of 5x (4x200m) @ 33-32-31-30-29 w/50-45-40-35-30 sec interval by set (no additional recovery between sets!!). However, in light of my fractured toe (turf toe) from the Thanksgiving Day football game and conditioning, I did not complete the workout as designed (above). Instead, I chunked the 20 200s into 5 sets of 4, each faster than the previous, with a more generous rest between each repeat and set. This meant I jogged 100m between each repeat, taking 50 seconds' rest, and jogged 300m between each set, taking a rest time of 2:30-2:45. I confess that I took 5:00 before the last set, as I wanted to run 30s for the 200s. My runs were as follows:

Set 1 (goal pace 35): 35,36,35,35
Set 2 (goal pace 34): 34,34,34,34
Set 3 (goal pace 33): 32,33,33,33
Set 4 (goal pace 32): 32,33,32,32
Set 5 (goal pace 30): 30,30,31,30

Friday, December 2, 2011

My Body's Tired

Friday--my body's tired. Taking the day off.

Thursday--I stayed put in my neighborhood instead of making my way into town since I had to drop my son off at Henderson at 7:10 for a student leadership conference he'd attend at UPenn. My plan was to do the 5.7 route plus a 2.2 Ruston loop for a 7.9, which is the distance I normally run with the crew on Thursdays. Unfortunately, I got a late start and was sluggish to boot and managed 7.3-7.4 in 53:40, which is between 7:15 and 7:20 pace.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

I will have to work my way

Sunday, 11/29

After trying to run yesterday and failing due to excessive soreness/tightness, I was able to make it to the track today for Russian intervals. The original version of the workout is 5x (3x300m @ 48 w/jog 100m at 30-sec) with a 800m jog between sets. Since I was still sore and tight, I decided to do a modified 5x (2x300m @ 48/49 w/jog 100m at 60-sec) with a 800m jog of 6:00 between sets).

My runs: set 1 50,50; set 2: 48,49; set 3: 49,48; set 4: 48,49; set 5: 48,47.

I felt pretty good, particularly in the 60-degree weather. I will have to work my way from 2 to 3 300s per set and/or from 60 seconds' rest to 30.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

I am just wondering

I am so sore from Thursday's football game. I had a couple of good slip-and-falls that I'll remember for a while. It's amazing what muscles one can discover during a football game.

My foot, in particular, kills. I slammed it into the back of a guy's cleat and jammed it badly. I was writhing in pain and had to sit out a down. It was made worse by the fact that I have issues with my plantar and arthritis in my feet. Let's just say that I'm thankful it's not broken. When I got home I iced it and took an anti-inflammatory.

Yesterday, I was able to run on it at the Y (with DJ). We ran 2 miles on the 16-lap per mile track to warm up (14:35). I then did some lifting on 10 machines, followed by 2 miles on the treadmill (13:55). When I got home I soaked in epsom salt water. I wish I could say the soreness is gone.

I am just wondering whether I should give a track workout a try today or wait until tomorrow. We'll see.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Football time

Thursday, 11/24. Thanksgiving Day. Football time!

Wednesday--11/23--dropped car off at WC Tire Co./Service and ran back. 3.0 miles easy--7:12 pace.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

running evenly

November 22, 2011-Henderson. The workout was atypical for us: 6x600 with a 400 jog-rest. Wow! A 400m rest!? There were far fewer people this morning, owing to the Phille half-marathon, marathon and 5Ks this past weekend. I'd say there were 20 of us, and only half this number did the workout. The other half either jogged together or did their own thing.

Today I felt pretty good. Ed led most of the 600s, with the rest of us right behind within 10 meters or so. (Ed would take off the first 50-100 meters and get about 10 meters on us.) Then, one or more of us would eat away at the lead. I found myself very relaxed on the first two, so much so that on these two I strided by Joe and John Manion to get within 5 meters of Ed. This way, Ed could pull me along and Breslin and Manion (along with the younger John)could push me. On the third, fourth and fifth ones, I decided not to hang back; I'd go out second to Ed. Given how strong I felt on the fifth one (I caught Ed with 100 to go and strided past him.), I figured I'd just lead the sixth one. I did, running evenly (36s) across the 600.

Run 1: 2:05
Run 2: 2:02
Run 3: 2:01
Run 4: 1:58
Run 5: 1:54
Run 6: 1:48

I felt strong and wasn't dead afterwards.

There's still a lot of work to do, though. I'd like to be able to do this workout with a 200 meter jog or do this workout with each repeat about 5 seconds faster: 2:00, 1:57, 1:54, 1:51, 1:48, 1:45

Monday, November 21, 2011

My speed seems to be okay for now

Monday, 11/21/11--Lifted at the Y.

Sunday, 11/20/11--Did Neg-split reps 2x (300m-500-400 w/neg-split last 100m). Goal for 2:00 800: @ :32+14 (=:46 300m) . . . 66+14 (=1:20 500m) . . . 48+14 (=62 400m)
2-min btw reps/jog 1200 btw sets.

Set 1: 32+15 (=:47 300m); 32/67+16 (=1:23 500m); 32/48+17 (=65 400m)
Set 2: 32+15 (=:47 300m); 32/66+16 (=1:22 500m); 32/49+18 (=67 400m)

Overall, I felt pretty good. I stuck to between 2:15 and 2:45 between reps. My 1200m jog was less than 9:00.

This workout is something to build upon! I think I need to work on my finish, my strength. My speed seems to be okay for now.

On 5/3/09, I did Neg-split reps
2x (300m-500-400 w/neg-split last 100m)
@ :32+14 (=:46 300m) . . . 66+14 (=1:20 500m) . . . 48+14 (=62 400m)
2-min btw reps/jog 1200 btw sets

It was rainy. I took 2:30 rest between runs. 32+15=47 300m; 67+16=83 500m; 48+15=63; 32+14=46; 67+15=82. I had to modify the last one. I was supposed to do 48+14, but I died at the 200 mark at 33. I waited about 90 seconds, then continued w/ 15/14 for a 62 sec 400.

On 1/17/09, I did the workout, too. 32+17=49 300m; 70+16=86 500m; 52+16=68 400; 33+16=49; 69+16=85; 51+16=67. That day it was unclear whether I gave myself 2 or 4 minutes' rest.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

ran short on time

Saturday, 11/19--ran short on time because I had to leave at 6:30 for a soccer tourney in MD. Ran only 5 miles easy (37:00) beginning at about 5:30AM.

Friday, 11/18--lifted at the YMCA. Legs as well.

Thursday, 11/17-7.9 with pick-up beginning just after the 2.25-mile mark. (I arrived a little last and had to make up about a minute over the course of the first 2 miles). The pick-up with 5min-4min-3min-2min-1min, with 2 minutes jogging in-between. This was similar to a previous version, except today we took 2 minutes' rest instead of 1 min. We finished about .1M from the Phoenixville Pike light. We jogged the rest of the way to the country club. My run was 56:45.

Wednesday, 11/16-4.4 easy

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

I was able to push the pace a bit

Tuesday, 11/15--Henderson at 5:40A. Workout was 5x1000 with a 200m recovery. This workout was tough but it sure felt good. My breathing felt right, it was almost 60 degrees, and I was able to push the pace a bit and remain relaxed. My runs were: 3:39, 3:37, 3:30, 3:27, 3:21 for an average of 3:31.

The last time I did this workout on the track was in early October. Runs were: 3:41, 3:40, 3:36, 3:32, 3:29. 3:34 avg.

Another time was on Tuesday, 9/21/10. My runs were: 3:36, 3:26, 3:31, 3:27, 3:16. For additional perspective, on 9/7/10 we did 5x1000 and ran 3:47, 3:38, 3:30, 3:28, 3:23. The average was 3:33.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

There is plenty of work to do.

Sunday--Boy did I feel sluggish during my run. I did a cmbination of the XC course and the Rustin Run course for a flat-feeling 6.7 miles. My left foot was nagging me, and I felt weak. That's what happens when you try to run on an near-empty stomach, stupid.

Saturday--I met with with Justin at the Downingtown HS-East track for a workout. Justin elected Sit 'n Kick Reps. In its original form, the workout, ad designed for a 2:00 800 meter high school runner is as follows: 5x (400m @ 64 . . . rest 30-sec . . . 200m @ 28) jog 1200m btw sets. Knowing that neither of us can run a 2:00 800m, we modified the workout accordingly. Our goal pace(s) would be 68 and 31, which proved formidable.

Set 1: 70/33
Set 2: 68/32
Set 3: 68/33 (Justin pulled up on the 200; hip issues. He'd decide not to do the 200s for the balance of the workout)
Set 4: 67/31 (Justin pulled up at the 150 mark during the 400. Hip was a bear. I did the rest of the 400 and the 200 alone.)
Set 5: 64/30 (I was flying solo at this point.)

I felt good about the fifth set. This set was near goal pace. There is plenty of work to do.

Our average rest period over the 1200 jog was 9:00. We stuck to :30-:45 seconds between the 400s and 200s.

Friday--Went to the Y for some light lifting. I have decided that I will go back to working my legs a little. I hope this will pay off in the long term.

Thursday--arrived late. Caught the crew at the 1.3 mark. Decided not to join Ed and John C for the 4x1M intervals. First 4M: 28:30. Pedestrian pace over second half, 3.9-->29:30. 58:00.

Wednesday--4M over easy

Tuesday--Gathered at 5:40 AM. Began the workout at 5:55. On tap: 3 sets of 4 400s with a 100m (:35) jog between repeats and 1 500m (3:00-3:30) between sets. My runs:
set 1: 82,80,80,79
set 2: 78,79,78,77
set 3: 76,75,74,69

Hung with John Callaghan on the last one, whicnh felt good.

Monday, November 7, 2011

First 400 meter workout

Monday--lifting.

Sunday--easy-medium 5.75 in 40:50.

Saturday--8x400 with Justin. I ran conservatively. We had a slow start of 75. Then came 68,72,70,70,72,72,65. We kept to between 2:15 and 2:45 of rest, which was less than what I gave myself last year. Overall, weaker than last year's workout. See below. Wait until next weekend, though.

On Saturday, 11.13.10, I did pick-up reps workout: 8x400
warmed up 1.0 mile
goal pace: 70 for #s 1,3,4,6,7; 63 for #s 2,5,8 with 400 jog rest of 3:00 in-between runs
My runs: 69,66,71,70,66,69,70,63
cool down 1.1 mile
I need some speed work, and I need to cut back on my recovery.

Friday, November 4, 2011

The quick rundown

Friday, 11/4--light lifting

Thursday, 11/3--7.9 easy. 56:30.

Wednesday, 11/2--3.6M easy recovery run.

Tuesday, 11/1--5K race on track at 5:55 AM. 17:59, 4th place. 1st mile in 5:43.

Monday, 10/31--light lifting.

Sunday, 10/30--went to Y. 4 miles.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Bummer.

Saturday--snowing. I can't believe it. It's the first time in 39 years that it's snowed in our area in October. Bummer. I went to the YMCA and did 4 easy miles, 2 on the track (14:20) and 2 on the treadmill (14:03).

Friday--took off.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

hobbled a bit

Thursday--Got to the country club early enough to stretch for a minute. What a concept! At the 2-mile mark, we (J. Manion, John C. the other John, Ed and me) started our pick-ups. Today was a ladder: 5 min, 4 min, 3 min, 2 min, and 1 min...with 2 min jog in-between each. We ran the 5 min at 6:00 pace, 4 min at 5:45 pace, 3 min at 5:30 pace, 2 min at 5:15 pace, and 1 min at 5:00. This took a lot out of me and Ed, as we hobbled a bit over the next mile and fell off. We did eventually join up with John Callaghan. John fell out of the workout after the 3-min run. Finished up in about 56:30.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Brief Rundown

Wednesday--4.4M in 31:00.

Tuesday--Workout @ Henderson. 1.5M, 1M, 800m...400m jog in-between each.
8:45, 5:36, 2:39.

Monday--YMCA

Sunday--4.4M with DJ. 31:45

Saturday--9M with Justin in Downingtown. 63:50.

Friday--2.2M

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Back hurts

Thursday, 10/20--arrived late to the run. Running course in opposite direction. Spent nearly first two miles playing catch up. Learned that Ed, John M. and John C. would be doing 4x1 mile with a minute jog in-between...beginning at the 2-mile mark. I hung in there, running about 6:40, 6:30, 6:25, and 6:20. John C.'s last mile was 5:53! I was ahead of Manion for the most part for the entire run and caught Ed on the last stretch of the last pick-up mile. We jogged the last 1.7M or so. Finished up the 7.9 in 55:30.

Wednesday, 10/19--pouring. Went to the YMCA. Ran 2 miles on track in 14:09, then went straight to treadmill to mix it up,...and did 2 more miles in 14:09.

Tuesday, 10/18--mile, 800, mile, 800 with 200 jog in-between. Runs were: 5:50, 2:48, ---, 2:40. My back stiffened during the 2nd mile and I had to stop at 1100m. I was actually on pace to run 5:40 or so.

Monday, 10/17--easy 4.4M in 30:45. Back hurts.

Sunday, 10/16--short, easy run of about 3.5M. Back hurts.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

CHS Hall of Fame 5K and Wind Gusts/Guts

Saturday, 10/15/11--CHS Hall of Fame 5K. 18:44.

My family and I arrived at Wilson Park at about 8:00 for the 9 AM race. It was quite windy and in the low 50s. I began my warm-up at 8:10 or so, about when I had planned. DJ and I ran about a mile and a half before stretching. I followed my usual routine. With 12 minutes before the gun, we headed back to the pavilion near the start. Many more people had shown up by then, although by most measures, this 5K race is a modest one.

I saw my buddy Justin, whom I talked into coming out for this event for the first time. I also noticed a couple of college-age men who'd likely take the pace out hard. The gun went off...and I was wrong. The first part of the race, slightly uphill, then slightly downhill, was rather pedestrian. The start was unlike last year's race where there were three guys in front of me from the start.The wind was gusting as we approached the mile mark. I peeked down and saw what I thought was 5:57. Oh my God! How slow! I was way off pace and a far cry from last year's first mile of 5:22 or 5:23. Today, I was hoping for 5:20, but figured I'd hit 5:30 with the wind. I knew we were going slow, but not that slow! At least we were all in it together, including CHS XC coach Ryan Comstock.

As we made the turnaround, I lost a little ground but rebounded. Heading towards the hill I felt myself inch closer to the two guys closest to me. I passed them going up the hill and had a clear lead approaching the 2-mile mark. I figured I'd eat extend my lead. But then Tommy Ferguson came back at me...for a few minutes...until I pulled away. For nearly I came a mile I held the lead. I felt the two young me, Tommy one of them, inch within about 5 meters. With a quarter mile to go, they took off and left me in lah-lah land. As I made my way up the last hill, I was just hoping that no one would catch me. I was fried. I realized that I would be third and have to settle for a slow time. I still maintain that the course is 3.15. So my 18:44 translates into about 18:20, which still way off the 17:00 campaign I thought I had forged this season.

Perhaps it's time to start training for the indoor season.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Light fare

Friday--warmed up .7, stretched, jogged back home (.7), and stretched some more. Light fare.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

but no one will listen!

Thursday--broke normal routine and ran just 2.2M in 15:45. I'd like to get my legs feeling light for Saturday's 5K, which I maintain is actually more like 3.15 but no one will listen!

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

like Sprite: refreshing

Tuesday--Henderson: 3 sets of 400 with 100 jog in between repeats and 500 jog between sets.
84,82,81,81
80,78,79,77
76,74,74,72

This workout was like Sprite: refreshing.

Monday--took off
Sunday--8.5M, 8 of which was on the boardwalk. 58 minutes. UPDATE: I checked and found out that the boardwalk was 7.5 (in 54:00), which makes the total run 8M not 8, in 58:00.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Cape

Did short run of a couple of miles (7:00-7:15 pace) because of Cape May tourney. Hoping for longer run tomorrow!

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Felt refreshing, though

Thursday, 10/6--WC Country Club. 7.9 Borough run. Plan was to run first two mile steady state and then move into fartlek mode, 5 minutes pick-up, 1 min scale back. Ed, John Callaghan and I did this together. I hung off them for 5, sometimes 10 meters, but would pull near even at the end of the five minutes. I did particularly well on the hills. Since I wasn't part of the initial conversation about this plan, I thought we were fartlek-ing for the balance of the run. I didn't realize we were doing just 5. We stopped the pick-ups in the Shart Hills area, not too far from Suzanne's house. We had "room" to do one more, and I was hoping we did because I had gas left in the tank. Instead we called it quits at 44:55, having started at about 15:55. Had we kept going we would have picked it up again at 46:00 and reached High Street at 51:00. We then could have jogged the last quarter or so and finished up in about 53:00. Instead we finished in 55:45. Felt refreshing, though.

Wednesday, 10/5--4.4 easy run.
3:33(.5M)
7:11 (1.0M)
14:20 (2.0)
15:45 (loop 1)
19:10 (2.7)
22:45 (3.2)
24:05 (3.4 tennis courts)
29:25 (4.2)
30:45 (4.3/4.4)

Tuesday, 10/4--Henderson at 5:40A. Workout was 5x1000 with a 200m recovery. Just to think--I had just done this workout on the Rustin XC course the prior Saturday, except I gave myself a much more generous rest period. Runs were: 3:41, 3:40, 3:36, 3:32, 3:29. 3:34 avg. Justin had a really good workout, ahead of me by 3-5 seconds per 1000. I wasn't dead afterwards, so I wish I had given a bit more of myself. I'll have to compare this to the last time we were given this workout.

On Tuesday, 9/21/10. 5x1000 at 5K pace with a 200 meter jog in-between. I got there a tad early that day so that I could get a couple of extra minutes of stretching in since my hamstring is not 100%. My runs were: 3:36, 3:26, 3:31, 3:27, 3:16. We took turns leading these. I led the fourth, which was probably my most comfortable run. I went out a little hard (my first 200 was :35) and had to slow up. Even though my hamstring felt sore, this workout was a good one. For additional perspective, on 9/7/10 we did 5x1000 and ran 3:47, 3:38, 3:30, 3:28, 3:23. The average was 3:33, 6 seconds slower.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Sick-'n-Tired (of being sick)

Sunday--Justin and I got together for my usual 11.5 mile run. We said we'd go at any easy conversation pace and then see how things developed. We chatted it up mightily for the first mile (8:00). We reach 1.7 in 13-something, a full minute or more off my usual pace. I was liking this, though, particularly given my 5x1K workout yesterday. We reach the turnaround point at 43:40, a far cry from 40:00 or 41:00. We dropped the pace to 7:05 or so and held it for a while. The last two miles were in 6:50 and 6:45, respectively. We came in at 83:20...for 7:15 pace. This was exactly 4 minutes off my pace a couple weeks ago. We ran the second 5.75mi in 39:40...6:54 pace. Incidentally, that day I did the entire run at 6:54 pace. Today felt a whole lot more relaxed and less lonely! I tell you what, though: I am sick-'n-tired (of being sick).

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Target: 3:20

warmed up 1.
stretched well
5x1000 on Rustin's XC course, like I've done before with Justin and DJ. Target pace: 3:20 with 3:40 recovery...for an even 7 min.
trial 1: 3:30
trial 2: 3:20
trial 3: 3:20
trial 4: 3:16
trial 5: 3:17
...for an average of 3:20+.

Still Sick

Friday--Still sick. On meds. Yuck! "Easy" run of 4.4 mi in 31:05. 7:04 pace.

Thursday--7.9 with the Borough rat runners, a term of endearment in this context. Got there late and had to make up ground. 56:30. About 7:10 pace

Wednesday--4.4 mi was planned, but a mile into the run I began to see lightning. No way was I going to continue. I jogged back home. 1.5 mi. Still sick.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

I've got to get myself in gear.

Tuesday, 9/27--HUMID! Kevin announced that the workout would be 1600, 800, 1600, 800 with a 200 jog in-between. Right before we began the 800, he said we'd do 1200, followed by 800 and a 1200. I would eventually fall off the pace. I wound up doing the last lap of the last 1200 alone. My runs: 5:52, 4:18, 2:55, 4:17. Not pleased with this one. I've got to get myself in gear.

Monday, 9/26/11--went to Y. Alternated between 7-min miles on the treadmill/indoor track and lifting.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

just did not feel up to it

Sunday--planned to run what's become my usual 11.5 on Sunday, but just did not feel up to it. I was running at a good pace of 7:15 for the first few miles, then I dropped the pace to 7:00. I hit the 5.75 mile mark in 40:50, took a sip of gatorade as I passed my mailbox. I continued and then stopped at about 7 miles. I walked for a bit and then finished the last .5 mi.

Barney workout!

Tuesday--for the "top" group, the workout was 5 mile tempo run on the track. I began, but I simply wasn't up to it to be honest. I did a mile (5:57), stopped, waited for 800 meters, then hopped back in for a mile. I stopped, waited another 800, then hopped back in for 1.5 miles, thinking it was the group's last. As it turned out, it wasn't. Oh well. Cooled down. Barney workout!

Wednesday--4.4 easy run. 30:45.

Thursday--3 miles. away.

Friday--4.4 easy run 31:10

Saturday--fartlet...42:45 min over 5.9 miles. 1 mile warm up (8:15), moved into 3 min/1 min pattern over 3.9 miles (26:00), cooled down 1 mile (8:30).

Monday, September 19, 2011

I like this weather

Monday--easy run of 4.4 in 30:50. (7:01 pace). The cool of the morning was upon me. Boy do I like this weather.

Sunday--did what has become my usual 11.5 mile run. Set the pace with a 7:15 first mile. Dropped pace to 7:05. Hit 5.75 mark in 40:30, 7:03 pace. Did the second 5.75 in 38:50 (6:45 pace) for a total of 79:20 (6:54 pace). Last mile in 6:40.

Saturday--fartlek. .95 warm up, moved into the XC course (4.8M), and cool down .95.
.95M--8 min
4.8M--33 min (3 min hard, 1 min easy alternating)
.95--8 min

6.7M

4.8M--6:53 pace; sub 6 min pace for 3 min segment; 8 min pace for 1 min

Friday, September 16, 2011

Quick lift

Friday, 9/16--drove to the Y for a quick lift.

Thursday, 9/15--Borough run with the gang. We did the standard run through town. We began at about 7:15 pace. Ed and John picked it up at about the 2 mile mark. I stayed back with John Callaghan and then we picked it up at the 2.1-2.2 mile mark. We dropped the pace down to the 6:30-range. When we finished, the thought was that we had averaged 6:28 for the final 5.9 miles. According to my calculations, we were at about 10 seconds per mile slower--6:38. Ed and I finished up in 53:50; John and John finished in 53:30...on account of traff.ic separate and a stronger last .5 mile on Ashbridge

Wednesday, 9/14--4.4 easy run (2 Rustin loops) in 31:00. 7:03 pace

Tuesday, 9/13--5-6 x 1000 w/ 200m jog at Henderson HS.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Fall 40-mile per week plan

September 12, 2011

Took off.

Fall 40-mile per week plan:

Mondays--short lift/swim at the YMCA
Tuesdays--interval workout at WC Henderson--6 miles
Wednesdays--4-4.4 miles easy, 28-31 min--7-7:05 pace
Thursdays--7.5-8 mile run in WC Borough--7-7:05 pace
Fridays----4-4.4 miles easy, 28-31 min--7-7:05 pace
Saturdays--35-40 mi/5-6 mi fartlek; lift at YMCA
Sundays--11.5 miles/80 min long run--begin at 7:15 pace, then drop to 7-7:05 pace, then drop to sub 7:00 pace for last mile

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Commit to the Race or Else!

Sunday, 9/11--personal, introspective, contemplative run in honor of the victims of the attacks on 9/11 and continuing campaign against terrorism.

I hit the road and did the 11.4-11.5M in 80:00 at about 7:00 pace, which is faster than my long run training pace. I ran through the Rustin site and down to Goose Creek Park, did three laps and headed back the way I came. I made my way to the stop sign next to my house, reaching there in 41:00 (30 seconds faster than the last time) and turned around to do another 5.75. I began with a 7:20 mile and never looked back. Most of the run was probably in the 7:05 range, but the last mile was well under 7:00...around 6:25. I know because there was 1 mile to go and the watch read 73:35, and I finished in 80:00. 41:00/39:00; 7:07-7:10 average pace for first loop, and 6:45-6:50 average pace for the second loop...thanks to the last mile of 6:25. When I take out the last mile, the average pace for the second loop is 6:50-6:55. Good run!

Saturday, 9/10--easy run of only 3.7 in 25:55. This was 7:00 pace in the ugly humidity...even at 7:30 in the morning. I had to cut the easy run short by .3 because my wife had arranged for me to have a massage at a swanky spa. I wasn't going to be late at $120/hour plus tip.

Friday, 9/9--Teri's Run. Scheduled for 7 PM on a Friday night, this is always a fun run with a family atmosphere...in the Downingtown, PA spirit. DJ and I got there at a bit after 6:00 and met up with my buddy Justin pretty immediately. We also touched base with a few of my WC Racing Club comrads. We warmed up a loop around the course and began stretching. For whatever reason, I was a little leisurely in my warm up. I was not sure this was my way of relaxing or not commiting myself entirely to stave off (inevitable) disappointment. At any rate, we made our way to the starting line when it was time. Before I knew it, the gun was off. I was surprised to see DJ and Justin dash ahead of me less than a half-mile into the race. I guess they were trying to avoid the crowd. I overtook them a minute or two later before reaching the left turn. I found myself in the company of Ed and John Manion. I could see that the other John was at least 15 seconds ahead of me. I was awfully surprised to see 5:39 at the mile mark (my records indicate I was at or below 5:30 last year), considering I was hoping to hit 5:25. Then I started to worry: this race sucks and I am not going to reach my goal, so stop trying; what's wrong with me because I thought I was in better shape than I was last year and would 10-15 seconds faster at the mile mark; will I be able to mentally deal with this early race setback. I found myself easing into the pace but not being overly aggressive or aggressive at all actually. I started getting those ugly thoughts in my head like I did last year. I got to the turnaround point--halfway--at 8:50 (my records indicate I hit 8:30 last year). I saw DJ and Justin after I made my turn and cheered them on them. Then, the ugly thoughts seemed to disappear. I found myself pacing off Ed and realized that, although he usually outperforms me on Tuesday morning, he was struggling on this day. With about .75M to go, I overtook Ed. I could sense his and others' footsteps. With about a half-mile to go, a runner--a girl--came upon me. Though a bit sexist, it was then that I realized I was not moving very fast. I was not going to let her get me. She and I went stride for stride for a 1/4.  Turning left onto the final 250 meter stretch, she had a slight advantage. I went to my arms and pulled ahead of her and two others. I stopped at the finish line as opposed to running through it, so the girl came into the chute with me. I still got the win, not that it means much. I wound up winning my age group with a pedestrian time of 18:02. In the absence of the humidity I think I could have run in the low 17:00-range. The race was less competitive this year's and with a far fewer number of people. I guess the humidity scared them away. I got 30th last year with a faster time than the 17th this year with a slower one. My lesson: commit to the race or else. Shut up and Run!

Friday, September 9, 2011

a man of a certain age

Thursday, 9/8-- very light run of 15 minutes and brief stretching.

Wednesday, 9/7--scheduled for an easy 30-min run. Ran 4M in 28:30, or about 7:08 pace. Like last Wednesday, today my legs felt heavy. Why can't an easy run feel effortless? I guess the answer has to do with what happens when you're a man of a certain age.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

I was working for the basic

Tuesday, 9/6--the workout was 6-7 x800 with a 200 jog in-between. It was 57 degrees with 20+mph wind swirling. I felt like I was working for the basic 2:53, 2:45, 2:45, 2:50, 2:45, and 2:42. I felt good and wasn't dead after the workout. In fact, I could've done seven and would have had I known they were planning to do seven. Most people did 6. Manion, Ed and a 20-something year old whose name I cannot remember wound up doing 7. Eventually, I’d like to do: 2:45, 2:41, 2:37, 2:33, 2:29, 2:25.

On Tuesday, 10/19/10: 6x800 with a 200 jog in-between each at Henderson in the mist and drizzle.
Run 1: 2:53: 41/44/44/44 (85/88)
Run 2: 2:47: 41/42/42/42 (83/84)
Run 3: 2:47: 39/42/43/43 (81/86)
Run 4: 2:44: 40/41/41/42 (81/83)
Run 5: 2:35: 37/39/39/40 (76/79)
Run 6: 2:30: 36/39/39/36 (75/75)

Tuesday, 9/28--6x800 with a 200 jog in-between. It was a humid 75 degrees with 25+mph winrd swirling. This made for a mess of a workout. I felt like I was working too hard for the measly
2:53,
2:50,
2:47,
2:44,
2:42, and
2:40.

Monday, 9/4/11--Was scheduled for an easy 30-min run. Ran 4M in 28:12, or about 7:03 pace. 7:03 pace. Today my legs felt pretty good.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

I found that I was unprepared



Sunday, 9/4--I set out to run the estimated 11.4-11.5M I did last Sunday, the day after Irene struck. It was windy that day, but otherwise good. I was able to run 81:20 for 7:05-7:10 pace, which is on the faster end of my long run training pace. Today was a different story altogether. I ran the same route (through the Rustin site, down to Goose Creek Park, three laps and headed back the way I came, and to the stop sign next to my house) but I found that I was unprepared for the humidity. It was 12-something and I hadn't eaten or had enough fluids. While I was running my target pace, I was having to work too hard and I did not feel well. I decided not to do the second half of the looping, out-and-back run. Instead I stopped at my house...at 5.7 miles in 40:48, or 7:10 pace. Last week, I reached the same point in 41:30 and turned around to do another 5.75 in 6:58 pace. So actually, on 9/4 I was running a bit faster during the first half of the run than last week.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

That was that

Saturday, 9/3/11--Ran 3 miles with my wife, followed by 4.4M fartlek: 3 min on, 1 min off. 14:15, loop 1 (6:29 pace); 14:35 (6:38 pace), loop 2. Total--28:50, 6:33M pace. Cooled down with 1.2M. THAT WAS THAT!


Making it feel easy

Friday, 9/2/11--Was scheduled for an easy 30-min run. Ran 4M in 28:50, or about 7:13 pace. (I did my 4 mile route in reverse.) Last Friday, I felt good at 28:10, or 7:03 pace. Like Wednesday, today my legs felt heavy; I wish this easy run felt easier.

I wish

Friday, 9/2/11--Was scheduled for an easy 30-min run. Ran 4M in 28:50, or about 7:13 pace. (I did my 4Last Friday, I felt good at 28:10, or 7:03 pace. Like Wednesday, today my legs felt heavy; I wish this easy run felt easier.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

This took the wind

Thurs, 9/1

Met up with the crew at the country club. Got there later on time and actually had a full minute or two to socialize and stretch my sea legs. We had group of about 15 today. We did the usual "Borough run". At about the 2.15M mark, as we turned onto Rosedale, we picked up the pace. After a mile John reported that the pace was 6:42. After another mile, as I passed him, he said 6:20 or 6:22. I stayed strong on my way to Fern Hill, catching up to the other John, Ed and Scott. I fell back a little and connected with Ed, who revealved that we were doing the pick-up for remainder of the route, not the 3 miles I thought. This took the wind from beneath my wings. I pulled back some, knowing I had miles to go. The mile was in the 6:20-6:30 range. I kept the crew in sight as we neared North Hills. John caught up to me around then and I just paced after him. I let him get ahead of me, but eventually caught him at "the hill". I reached the top of the hill in 50:15. I finished up in 53:30, :50 seconds faster than last week's route.

7:15-mile 1
7:15-mile 2
:55-.15M (started the pick-up @ 15:25)
6:42-
6:22
6:20
6:40
6:40
last .75-5:20 (This was in 7:06 pace)

53:30 (The 38:05 of pick-up running was about 5.7M; the pick-up pace was 6:40...due to the slower last portion of the run.)

The run was 6:46 pace.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Lead legs

Wednesday, 8/31/11--Was scheduled for an easy 30-min run. Ran 4M in 28:50, or about 7:13 pace. Last Friday, I felt good at 28:10, or 7:03 pace. Today my legs felt like lead; this easy run did not feel so easy.

Tuesday, 8/30/11--Went to Henderson. Workout was 1600, 200 jog, 800, 1600, 200, 800. Those who are training for a marathon or half-marathon were invited to do an additional 1600 after these two sets (although Kevin mistakenly said 800 initially). My first miule was 5:49, followed by a 2:49 800. I then ran 5:38, falling off the pace a bit due to the 200 recovery, and then a 2:40. Essentially, I was finished, but I decided to join the crew for the last 600 of what I initially though was an 800. It turned out that they were running another 1600. After running 2:03 in the 600, I decided to help Ed get through his last 400. SO, I ran beside him and cheered him on. The lap was in 83 seconds, or 5:32 pace.

Monday, August 29, 2011

Come on Irene!

Monday--took off. Rest day. Ahhh! How sweet it is.

Sunday, 8/28/11--The aftermath: the day after Hurricane Irene. I didn't let the wind gusts keep me down or keep me out. I hit the road and did what I estimate to be 11.4-11.5M in 81:20 for 7:05-7:10 pace, which is on the faster end of my long run training pace. I ran through the Rustin site and down to Goose Creek Park, did three laps and headed back the way I came. I made my way to the stop sign next to my house, reaching there in 41:30 and turned around to do another 5.75. Actually, most of the run was probably in the 7:10 range, but the last mile was well under 7:00.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

due (dew) to the humdity.

Saturday--Was scheduled for a 35-min fartlek...over the Rustin-plus loop. I ran the first mile at 9 min pace and then began my 3 min on/1 min off pattern. My thinking was to run under 6:00 pace for the 3 min period. After 4.4 miles I was passing my house and 31:10 into the exercise. At 32:00, I was near Stable after 4.5 or so miles. I jogged a min and then began my last 3 min surge at at 33:00 at Ashley & Stable. I ended near the bottom of the hill on the other side of the corn fields adjacent the 1st portion of the XC course. The time was 36:00, and I had run 5.2M. I jogged a mile and reached home in 45:00. Total 6.2M. Overall, this was a good workout but I was a bit winded due to the humdity.

Friday--Was scheduled for an easy 30-min run. Ran 4M in 28:10, or about 7:03 pace.

Friday, August 26, 2011

If he only knew...

Thurs, 8/25

Met up with the crew at the country club parking lot as usual. Got there later than I had hoped. At least they had not yet left. Nice group of about 15 today. Decided to do the roughly 7.9M "Borough run" in reverse, as we've done many times before. Within the first mile or so several of us (Ed, John, John, Scott Burns, and I) had broken off from the rest. We were moving along at training pace...somewhere around 7:15/M is my guess. At about the 2.5M mark, as we turned outside of North Hills, John suggested that we pick up the pace until Rosedale (specifically until we nearly reached the corner of Rosedale and New Streets as it would turn out). I assumed this would be a 3-mile or so stretch. The first of the three miles was run in 6:38 pace; the second 6:31; the third 6:21. We then took the final 2.4M easy. The 7.9M route was run in 54:20, or at 6:53 pace. I felt really good during the first pick-up mile, seeming strong and with lots of good arm action. I continued working during the second mile. The third mile was mentally challenging. I hadn't done a pick-up like this in quite some time, but I needed to. I'd fall back by five meters, but then surge and pull even with the group. With .15 to go--at the High and Rosedale Streets light--I backed off a little. I finished within 5-10 meters, so I was okay with that. I had to gather myself for the 2.4M remaining. I initially moved at a slower pace, but then picked it up and finished up the last mile positively and with the group. It was encouraging to hear Scott remark that my run was a good one, that I looked strong. I'll take that, but if he only knew...

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

a somewhat different workout

Tues, 8.23.11--

Went to Henderson today to face a somewhat different workout: 2x2400 with a 400 jog between sets, followed by 4x200 with a 200 jog-rest.

We took the first 1200 of the first 2400 easy, it appeared, as some of us were chatting it up as we ran. We hit only 3:12 at the 800. We picked it up a bit, coming through the mile in just over 6:00 and finishing up at about 8:50. After what appeared to be a 200 meter jog, we got going again. This time, however, we got out harder and kept a more even pace. I remember hearing 2:50 at the half and seeing 5:41 at the mile. I has passed Manion by then and was just a few meters behind Kevin. Manion came back at me and I hung tough until I lost my mojo at the 2000 meter mark at 7:07 and copped out.

The 200s went fine, of course. A little speedwork was good. Well, technically, a lot of the guys regard the whole workout as speedword. Anyway, I managed 37, 35, 33, and 30, along with a couple of guys. Most of the guys in the A group ran between 35 and 37.

Mon--I was scheduled for a rest day or an easy run of 30 minutes. I chose the latter. My easy run training pace stands at 7:11 (17:15 date 5K). I did roughly 4 miles (1 full Rustin Plus loop, in addition to a Regular Rustin loop) in 28:44--7:11 pace. Ahah!

Monday, August 22, 2011

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Sunday, 8/21--Again, I had limited time to get in a workout before we headed to the tourney. I tried my luck at the pave trail and dew-wet XC course across the street. Thirty minutes later and with swamp feet, I had had enough. I was out of time and decided I would pick up where I left off later in the day. When we returned home from the tournament in Limerick, I decided to go for what would be 55:30 running to Henderson HS in WC Borough and back home. It was so humid I had to remove my shirt after 4.3 miles. I took the last mile was well under 7:00. 7.7 in 55:30; 7:12 pace.

Mile 1--7:25. The first mile is always the worst; a good bit is uphill .
Hit mile 2 in 14:40 (7:15).
Hit mile 3 in 22:00 (7:20). I'm in my groove.
Hit mile 4 in 29:20 (7:20). (Corner of N. Penn and E. Chestnut)
The 6 mile mark is just beyond the house-turned business with the huge garages...right before Applegate.
Mile 7 mark is just beyond the new house on Oakborne.
However, with a mile to go before I reached home my watch read 49:30. I finished up in 55:30. Home: 7.7 miles! 7:12 pace.

Mile 1--7:55. The first mile is always the worst, partly because a good bit is uphill and my legs are still trying to awaken.
Hit mile 2 in 15:25 (7:30). I am awake now.
Hit mile 3 in 22:55 (7:30). I'm in my groove.
Hit mile 4 in 30:10 (7:05). (Corner of N. Penn and E. Chestnut) Until now, I thought the 4 mile mark was .05 sooner. Oh well. That's what happens when you remeasure!
I hit the "mailbox marker" (about the 4.7 mile mark) in 35:10 (5:00). For the record, the 5 mile mark is at the tire place just beyond E.Nields.
Mailbox marker over next mile 43:50 (7:40) 2 miles to go. The 6 mile mark is just beyond the house-turned business with the huge garages...right before Applegate.
Next mile--50:00 (7:10). Mile 7 is just beyond the new house on Oakborne.
Last mile--56:35 (6:35). Home: 7.7 miles! 7:20/21 pace.




Saturday, 8/20--I had limited time today to squeeze in a workout since my daughter has an away soccer tournament and we had to leave at 7:00. I wound up doing a fartlek on the Rustin-plus loop. I began with a 9:00 mile, then alternated between 3 minutes at around 5K pace and 1 min at warm-up pace. The period of alternating between 3 and 1 min lasted 23 minutes. In that amount of time I covered 3.5 miles or so. I ended with a short cool down of 5 minutes, as I was running late.

Friday, 8/19--easy run of 4.4 @ 7:30 pace

Thursday, 8/18--was on my way to WC Country Club, when the rain, thunder and lightning cracked the sky. Took a turn towards the Y. Wound up doing a similar workout to what I did the other day: 2 miles on track @ 7:30 pace, lifted, 2 miles on treadmill @ 7:20 pace, lifted, 2 miles on track @ 7:10 pace, lifted. I then went home, as I was running short on time.

Wednesday, 8/17--easy run. 5.1M

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

You know how we do.

Tuesday, 8/16--Early morning workout at Henderson: 3x2000 w/ 400 jog rest. You know how we do. The pace for the first was about 6:00; the pace for the second was 5:50; the pace for the third was 5:35...at least for me. I wound up doing the last 1600 of the third 2000, not the whole thing. In the evening, I followed up with 6x400 at 78/79 with a 200 meter jog of 1:40.

Monday, 8/15--4.4 miles. 2 Rustin loops: 17:00 and 16:00=33:00

Sunday, 8/14--Downpour. Went to Y. 8 miles, rotating among indoor track, weights, and treadmill. 2 miles track, 5 min lift, 2 miles treadmill, 2 miles track, 5 min lift, 2 miles treadmill...last mile in 6:20.

Saturday, 8/13--Conestoga Alumni 5K. My son and I arrived to find fewer people that we had expected at the park. We did some greetings, settled in and eventually jogged portions of the unfamiliar course. It was all grass, hilly and with enough switchbacks to make cyclist Lance Armstrong feel heavenly. The 9 AM time came upon us, and we began. The race was a slow one, even though it felt faster. I was floored when I saw 6:35 at the mile mark! I was in 4th at this point and felt that I'd see a 5-something. I knew at that moment that the course was slow and that I should treat the race as a tempo run. I saw 12:40 at the 2-mile mark. By this point I had gone up several grassy hills, the kind for which older people might use a walking stick. I tried to stride the last mile and was annoyed to be passed by a youngster with .1 to go. I went with him, but didn't care to be beaten given my purpose. In the end, I got 4th with a pedestrian 19:46 and a $25 gift certificate, which I spent directly after the race. The bananas and bagels were good, too!

2.2 mi--Rustin loop

Friday, 8/12--Did 3 miles.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

So on and so forth

Thursday, August 11. Met up with the crew today at WC Country Club. We opted for an alternate route, one that went through town to the University, on Birmingham Road, so forth and so on. It was 7.5 miles, a little less than I thought. We pushed the last mile, which was uphill. Time: 53:40, about 7:10 pace.

Wednesday, August 10. Today I drove to the Y, did some light lifting, and then did a few--and I do mean a few--laps in the pool. I am not big on swimmingm but I figured that I need to begin to do a little cross-training to mix things up and to prevent injury. I

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Confidence Boost

Tuesday, August 9, 2011--Henderson HS

Today, I had a pretty encouraging workout. We were assigned 3 x (1200-100 jog-400-300 jog)--4 sets if you're training for a marathon or half-marathon. We were missing a couple of guys (e.g., John Manion, Joe Breslin). Ed was there, and my pal Justin joined us. We said we'd run the first 1200 in 6:00 pace. Not! 4:17. We followed that up with a solid :75 400. I then went 4:13/:74 and 4:03/:80 (ouch). Everything went well, except the 80s last 400. I should've given it a stronger effort. I could've run faster and gone out with Ed, but I let him start 7-8 seconds ahead of me. It was good to run with Ed during the first two sets and to pull him along on the third 1200. It gave me confidence that I can hang with him!

Run 1: 4:17/:75
Run 2: 4:13/:74
Run 3: 4:03/:80


Here's the replay of similar workouts (the one 2 years and 2 months ago is nearly identical):

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

The spring is upon us, but it sure doesn't feel like it. Henderson, 29 degrees, slight headwind.

Henderson. 4 x 1200. 5K pace. 200 jog in-between.
Run 1--4:25 (44 sec/200; 5:55/mile pace. 18:20 5K pace.)
Run 2--4:18 (43+ sec/200; 5:46/mile pace. 17:55 5K pace.)
Run 3--stopped at the 600 (2:07). Then, rejoined group with 200 to go.
Run 4--4:12 (42 sec/200; 5:38/mile pace. 17:30 5K pace)

I stayed with the top group. Two of us broke off on the last one. I have to get these 1200s down by 5-10 seconds and soon. Despite stopping on the third one, this workout give me the confidence boost I need to leave my indoor season behind and to forge a new path for the spring season. Mileage: 5.5

Tuesday, 10/5/10, which was Wet, Windy, Colder. Henderson.

4 x 1200. 5K pace. 200 jog in-between.
Run 1--4:35 (46 sec/200; 6:06/mile pace. 18:55 5K pace.)
Run 2--4:13 (42+ sec/200; 5:37/mile pace. 17:25 5K pace.)
Run 3--4:11 (42 sec/200; 5:35/mile pace. 17:19 5K pace)
Run 4--4:03 (40 sec/200; 5:24/mile pace. 16:44 5K pace)

Average run--4:16 (42+ sec/200; 5:41. 17:39 5K pace)


I also did this workout on 8/31/10:

4x1200 at or below 5K pace with a 200 jog rest. That morn, everyone agreed to take the easy...6 minute pace. We thought we'd do 45s...as in 45 seconds per 200, and then drop a second per 200 for the other 1200s.
Trial 1: 4:31 (~45s)
Trial 2: 4:23 (~44s)
Trial 3: 4:17 (~43s)
Trial 4: 3:58 (~39s)--

Tuesday, 5/19/09—

Henderson. The workout was 3 X (1200 5K pace, 200 jog, 400 faster than 5K pace, 400 jog). This workout seemed quite reasonable to me until after I completed the first set. I ran 4:21, then 84. During the 400 jog in-between sets I had to stop to tie my shoe. I fell behind on the jog and the just fell apart like wet newspaper. I hopped into the 1200 with the second group, but had to stop again 600 meters into the 1200 because of my shoestring. I was at about 2:10. I felt like I was in the twilight zone. I hopped into the next 1200 with the first group and struggled on the last 400. Like some out of shape wimp I was wheezing and sucking wind. During the jogging phase, I had to tie my shoestring again, which meant I fell behind for the 400, which I did alone in a pathetic 1:34. This workout sucked for me. I could not be more disappointed. My legs were dead, too. What a waste!
1.2 mile warm up
1200,200,400=1.12
400,400=.5
600=.35
1200,200,400=1.12
1.2 mile cool down
5.5 total

Monday, August 8, 2011

A pedestrian pace

Sunday--Did a long run from home and through town with my son. Unfortunately, he faltered terribly on the run, all but ruining the second half of the 10 miler. Between all his stopping, doublin over and carrying on, we managed only a pedestrian pace.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Comfortable meant something different for each of us

Saturday, August 6, 2011

My son and I met up with Ryan Comstock at Westtown School's track to do 4x1 mile (4x1600) at a comfortable 5K pace with a 400 meter jog in-between. Given our varied fitness level, comfortable meant something different for each of us. After warming up ans stretching, we decided I would lead the first one. I went out in 40 seconds for the first 200 and then slowed way down to pace, ending in 5:56 (40/1:25/2:55/4:25/5:56). Comstock led the second one (45/1:31/3:05/4:31/5:57). My son led the first 700 of the third one (45/1:30/3:00/4:29/5:57). Comstock's Achilles was bothering him and my son was completing wiped out, so I told them to take a break while I finished the last mile solo. I said I wanted to run 41s and 42s per 200. So I did. 40/1:21/2:44/4:10/5:35. They joined me with 800 to go. Overall, the workout was refreshing. The first three were slower than my 5K pace.. I need to be able to do all 4 in 5:35!

Incidentally, two years ago yesterday (August 8, 2009) I did the same workout. See my entry: "I took my son to the track, figuring I'd do 4x1600, and he'd do the first 1000 or 1200 with me. He chose 1000s. I ran the first in 6:00, the second in 5:59, the third in 5:54, and the fourth in 5:35. I took no more than 7:00 in-between each. I had planned for 6, but the walk around the track took longer than expected. A lot of rest, I know, but I deperately needed a successful workout. All repeats were run in very even splits: 3:00/3:00; 2:59/3:00; 2:57/2:57; 2:45/2:50. DJ ran a couple of seconds ahead of me, hitting the 800 in 2:58, then 2:57, and then 2:54. He stopped 250 meters into the fourth one due to Achilles pain. Sound familiar? Now it's rubbing off on my son."

Note that I took less rest yesterday than I did two years ago. Note that the times, however, are comparable. I'd like to think I am in better shape now.

Funny. Comstock's Achilles was hurting yesterday.

Friday, August 5, 2011

I needed a moment

Friday--took the day off. On tap tomorrow may be 4x1 mile.

Thursday--In-town run of 7.9. Felt good initially. Started falling back at mile 3, as Ed, John and John increased the pace. Got to 4-mile mark in 28:20. I started feeling my legs getting heavy. Stayed within 100 meters for the next mile, then starting falling off the pace near the industrial area. By the time I got to North Hills area, the guys were well ahead. Eventually I could not see them due to all the turnabouts in the neighborhood. I got to the big hill and lost my bearings; the wheels came off. Two of the other guys caught up with me and tried to encourage me. I told them I needed a moment. (The huge meal at The Capital Grill the night before and lack of sleep due to fullness were taking their toll.) After a minute, I got my act together and started running again. I caught the two guys within 90 seconds and we ran ion together. Final time: 56:30.

Wednesday--relatively easy, though sore 5.15 on and around the Rustin XC course. 39:00

Tuesday--Henderson. 6x1000 with 200 meter jog. I did 800s instead, running the first 800 of their 1000s. My runs were: 2:55, 2:55, 2:53, 2:53 2:48, 2:43. Later in the evening, I took DJ for his workout of 8x800 in 5K pace. His goal pace was 2:55. I decided to do the even ones with him. My runs were: 2:56, 3:01, 2:40 (did this one alone), and 2:50.

Monday--off

Monday, August 1, 2011

Nationals Week(end)



Sunday, July 31--

Saturday, July 30--My race was at 1:55. I had a solid breakfast and spent the late morning just relaxing in the shade with teammates who were also scheduled to compete in the 800. I went to the clerking area upon arrival to "declare" that I would run the race. I warmed up and stretched a bit from 12-12:30 and then again from 12:55-1:25 before having to report for race check-in at 1:30. I warmed up in pretty comfortable conditions, running in the shade for most of the time and on Baldwin-Wallace College's indoor track across the street. What was unusual, though, was my warm-up pace; I felt like I was going in slow motion. I don't know whether I was just unconscously trying to conserve energy, but I must've been warming up at 10:00 pace. I didn't feel a pop in my hop or pep in my step.

For the 800, we started in lanes. I got out okay and broke at the turn, finding myself in 2nd place behind Kyle Lanier, who prior to the race told me to win it. I surged ahead and found myself in the lead at the 150 mark. At the 300 mark, I heard my son say 43-44. I was then passed by Kyle and another, younger guy. At the 400, I saw 60-61 flow across the timer. I felt myself go a little flat, as I got passed again. I then tried to pick it up on the back stretch, passing Kyle. I cut into lane 1 with 200 to go, but felt myself having a hard time holding on. I figured I had hit the 600 mark in 1:32. Kyle went passed me on the outside with 150 meters to go, as did Andrew from Central Park Running Club. The last 100 was a bit slow, as I lost nearly 2 seconds on Kyle and 3 on Andrew, not to mention the other two guys. So, I was disappointed as I felt I had trained to be able to run faster than 2:06.14 (2:05.9). I knew that breaking 2:00 would be next to impossible, but I did feel that 2:02 was within reach.

To make matters worse, I was approached for random drug testing by the USATF as part of their anti-doping campaign. I was told that my place and time had been randomly selected. Coincidentally, I had just read the information USATF had placed on the website reminding people about random testing. There is nothing like finishing a bad race in 90-degree heat, being dead tired, and having someone tell you that after you cool down you'll have to come with him. I was able to get out of the harsh sun, take off my spikes, slow-jog a little and say hello to my family before I was taken away, all the while being watched like hawk by the gentleman. In fact, he told me not to worry and to take my time because he had to keep me in sight the whole time. As we neared the tent, I was asked to sign acknowledging my "rights" or something of that nature. I did. I had to place my water on the ground as I did so, because the guy told me he was not allowed to hold it for me. Figures as much! When I got to the tent, there was another "victim," a 40-year old woman who was with her daughter and who had just run the 800 as well. I sat there with several anti-doping officials and had pleasant conversation for some 30 minutes, all the while drinking what seemed to be gallons of Gatorade. I learned that the woman had gone to William & Mary, had ties to the Philadelphia area, had recently relocated to Tennessee and, most impressive, had run 2:10 moments ago. I learned that two of the testers--I'll call them--had ties to PA--Penn State University and West Chester University. One even lives in Manayunk. I was in good company. After quite a while, I signaled that I was ready to fill the cup. I was escorted to the port-a-potty, where the gentleman proceeded to tell me how to use the cup. When I was ready, I generated body language that read, "Okay. You can leave now. I'm good." To this he said, he had to be in the room. I said OK. I then turned to fill the cup. He then mentioned that he had to watch. Rather than turn away from the commode I stood where I was. The gentleman then made his way around to ensure fidelity. I did not take it personally or feel humiliated. He was doing his job, and I guess I had to do mine.

The 1500 was even worse than the 800, but at least there weren't any port-a-potty heroics. I think I psyched myself out of the race. And my family knew it; it was the first thing they said after I finished. I got out comfortably and found myself in the middle of the pack of 7 at the 400 in 68 seconds. I continued to 2:18 at the 800, but I felt myself losing ground and leaving the race mentally. I saw 3:19-3:20 with 1 lap to go. I had very little left, and I wasn't sure if I even cared. I heard what seemed like pleas for me to kick it in or just finish the darn race. I guess it was just that ugly. I finished up at 4:36, the last lap being a jog of about 76 seconds. So, I ran the first 800 in 2:18 and the second 700 in 2:18. What a stinker!

The 4x800 was fun, though. I ran the second leg. I got the baton from Chuck and saw that Neil from our team was nearly 100 meters away and the TNT runner was about 20 meters away. I caught the TNT guy at the 150 mark, as I went out fairly aggressively. I then settled down. I could feel he was still trying to hang on to me. I didn't know for certain how fast I was going but I was hoping I was moving well. I felt myself making up ground on Neil, but by the time I got to the 500 meter mark I knew it would be impossible to catch him. I did make up some 25-30 meters though, most of which was probably in the first 500. I handed off to Carl Stocking, who is close to Chuck's age and who had kindly come out to Ohio just to do the relay! He had planned to run other events but work commitments nabbed him. Carl ran a good race. In all fairness, he, like Chuck, was running in the younger age group--30s and 40s. We lost some ground but John Goldthorpe made some of it up. We beat TNT with John's 2:10-2:11 split. I apparently ran in the 2:08-2:09 ballpark.

Despite my farcical races, overall the trip was worth it. Washington, DC., colleges in Ohio, peeking at the Browns training camp, the NFL Hall of Fame, family time.


Friday, July 29--Went to track at just before 7AM to check out the track, warm up, and do some strides. I also registered for the meet and whatnot. Visited Kenyon College in the morning and Dennison University in the afternoon.

Thursday, July 28--en route to Ohio.... Stopped to visit Oberlin College. It was during the information session at Oberlin that I realized I had forgotten my team singlet. Oh smack! Arrived at hotel in Middleburg Heights/Berea. Went to track area, but it was storming. Came back to hotel and did a couple on the treadmill while watching Denzel Washington's "The Bone Collector." I had dinner at Damon's with several teammates and two others, Andrew Hogue and Tom Fitzpatrick from Central Park Running Club.

Wednesday, July 27--Off to DC. In the late afternoon, I wound up doing 5.5 in and around the National Mall with my son, whom I had tack on an additional 1.25 mi. Easy pace at or just under 8:00.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

I felt my hamstring

Tuesday, July 26--This evening I did 3x300m (10 mins rec) with a goal pace of a relaxed 42 seconds. I ran 43, 43, and 42. I felt my hamstring a little on each of these. I should've stretched better.

Monday, July 25, 2011

My sciatica is bothering me

July 25--Rustin loop modified, down to park and straight back up Shiloh. 4.1 miles--29:50.

My sciatica is bothering me...in both legs now. When I hit, I feel like my butt's on a warmer. Not a good sign. Let's see how tomorrow's 200s go.

July 24--Ran to the Y (29:30), lifted and ran back (29:00). Easy pace, although it didn't feel entirely comfortable. 7.5M

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Taper continues

Saturday, July 23--Taper continues. 7 days until race day…
One week before race...

I ran 3x500m with 10 minute recoveries at goal pace.
Run #1: 100 at :14, 200@ 29, 400@ 61, 500@ 1:17.
Run #2: 100@ :14, 200@29, 400@60, 500@ 1:16.
Run #3: 100@ :14, 200@29, 400@59, 500@ 1:17. Ugly last 100!

This should tell me where I am. I did not feel as comfortable as I should have. The last 100 of the first two were decent @ 16 sec. The last 100 of the third one stunk--18 secs! Otherwise the first 400 of the 3rd 500 was on point. Overall, the second run was my best. Given that my first 200 in each run was identical, it appears that I need to work on my second 200 (keeping the cadence) and beyond. I need to hit 59 (or 58) and keep the cadence. I need to come across the 500 in 1:13/14, the 600 at 1:28/29, leading me to 2:00.

(My coach buddy mentioned that he never really does 500’s. He doesn't know why, because he knows they work. He said he should probably start adding them.)

Friday, July 22--did a simple, slow 4.4 miles in the wretched humidity.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Advice from a Coach

Thursday, 7/21/11--
I did a standard peaking workout for the 800 6:00 AM this morning: 600 at 800 pace, then 90 seconds of rest, then 200 flat-out. I hit 200 in 29, the 400 in 61 and the 600 in about 1:33. I then ran a 30-second 200 after a 90 second break. Since it was 6:00 AM and I was running solo, I am wondering whether it's safe to say that I am in the 2:00 ball park. Honestly, what do you think? 2:02? 2:03? Your thoughts?

Wednesday, 7-20-11--Took the day off.

I've been giving some thought to peaking for the 800.

Here is what I am thinking:

10 days until race day…
Thursday, July 21-- a fairly standard peaking workout for 800 (You normally only do one of these and not within 7-10 days of your key race.):
600 at 800 pace
90 second rest
200 flat-out

(A trusted coach told me that this is almost directly taken out of his 4x800 training! They do a 600, with the recovery being the diagonal jog across the infield (finish line over to the 200m start line). He also offered a few alternative short and sweet workouts he uses when they are closer to the Championships
1. Same as above but drop the 600 to a 400 and would consider doing twice with no less than 10mins rest.
2. 400m FAST (basically 800 pace) 60 seconds rest 400m at whatever is left in the tank.
3. 400m, broken up like this: first 200m is fast but not hard. Next 100m back off pace to your normal distance run pace, final 100m FAST! Repeat that 2-3 times, depends on athlete (plenty of rest between sets) the kids tell me it is hard, but they love how it feels.

Since July 21 IS within 7-10 days of my key race, I shouldn't do this workout as designed.

7 days until race day…
Saturday, July 23--one week before race run 3x500m with 10 minute recoveries at goal pace. This should tell me where I am.
(My coach buddy mentioned that he never really does 500’s. He doesn't know why, because he knows they work. He said he should probably start adding them.)

4 days before race day…
Tuesday, July 26th--3-5 days before: 4x200 w/ 30 sec rest in-between. Try to run my 200s faster than 30.

(The coach offered a "tweak" that he said may sound funn: try doing 6x200, like this:
200 – RELAXED in trainers
45 -50 sec. rest
200 – RELAXED slightly more quick thank first one, still in trainers and still easy
45-50 sec. rest
Switch into your spikes and do the last 4x200’s with 30-45 sec rest, and make sure the last 2 are your fastest but also do not press to make that happen.)

Or

Another one of my alternative is 3x300m (10 mins rec) 42 seconds each.
(The coach said, "Only on your first one – hold back just a little more than normal for the start, then gradually build up to your normal 42 second effort), then hit your last 2 300’s at your regular pace.")

OR

5x200 at just sub-goal (2:00; 29s) pace.

OR

fast 150-200s at 400m pace (:53; 150s in 20, 200s in 26/27) with good recovery
(The coach mentioned that this makes him worried about getting sore, but everyone is different though, and that I may be fine.)

Last remaining days…

Wednesday, July 27th-Friday, July 29th -- No rest days, keep your aerobic system alive through short runs. On the days leading up to the race just do strides and some drills; just do short easy runs and strides at 1500-800 pace.

(The coach offered the following: PERFECT. Strides in spikes?
I like 150m strides (building speed through the first 50m)
OR 300m gradually increase your speed every 100m (starting pretty easy) finish quick.")

RACE DAY--Saturday, July 30th

His final remarks were: "I like all you have down, I don’t think my remarks are needed, but they are just there as ideas or options for you. I look at this time as all about feeling good and fast. Too late to have any killer workout mean anything for the 30th, so my tweaks are just ideas of how to make you feel quick and feel sharp. Hope that philosophy makes sense."

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

I have just 3-4 track workouts left

Tuesday, 7/19--I chose an 800 meter workout today over going to Henderson for a 5K+-type workout. The plan was to do pick-up reps: 8x 400m @ 70 w/2:00-sec Int and #s 2,5,8 @ 63. My runs were 72,65,72,71,65,72,71,64. I was an average of two seconds off for each repeat. My legs were heavy and boy was it balmy out there today. 80 degrees and humid at 6 AM. I've seen better. I am disappointed knowing I have just 3-4 track workouts left. On June 23, I did the same workout at the same time of day but with better results: 70,63,70,71,64,70,70,64.

Monday, 7/18--drove to Y, did a mile, stretched and lifted.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Felt hard

Saturday--went to track. 15 200s. Goal: First set of 5 in 32, second set of 5 in 30, and this set in 28. Hit all the marks. 1:45 min/200 meter jog interval; 400 m jog interval between sets. Workout felt ok, but I felt like I had to press to hit 28 secs. Also, I felt winded by 3rd set. Hamstring was bothering me a bit. Workout was medium difficulty but felt hard.

Friday

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Winter Loop

Thursday, 7/14/11

I wound up not doing the 10M planned for last night on account of an emergency of the sort. So...yesterday was a day off entirely. This morning I joined the group for our customary Thursday run. We did the "winter loop" of 7.9 miles. I got there a bot late and spent the entire run trying to catch up with the leaders. I came within about 30 seconds of them, having passed much of the group along the way. I finished in 54:20, just :15 off my best of 54:05 in December 2010. I'm sure I could race the route faster, but it's always a good feeling when I can run sub 7:00 for 8 miles. Wouldn't it be awesome to be able to run the route at 6:00 pace?

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Looking to run

Wed, 7/13/11--took off morning. Looking to run 10 miles this evening with DJ.

Tues, 7/12/11--went to Henderson for workout with the crew. Choices were 3x1 mile (for those training for 5K) and 4x1 mile for those training for 10K, half-marathon or marathon. Rest period: 200 meter jog. I opted for a third choice: 4x1200. I would join the lead group for its 2d thru 4th laps. This worked just fine, particularly since most of the lead group opted for 4x1 mile. My runs were decent: 4:20, 4:15, 4:15, 4:10. I felt guilty on this humid morning because I wasn't nearly as dead as my comrads who ran 4x1 mile. They were hitting the miles between 5:40 and 5:50. I took DJ out that evening for his first interval workout on the track for the summer. He followed suit with 3x1 mile with a 400 jog (3:30). His runs were 5:55, 6:09, 6:15. He has to tack a 4th mile onto this and definitely bring these times down to sub-6:00 before XC camp. Admittedly, he was running by himself; there was no one to push him.

Mon, 7/11/11--drove to Y to lift, then went to dealership to drop off van, and finally ran home. Easy 2.7 miles.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Too much concrete!

Sunday, 7-10-11

I figured I'd try my luck at some at a Sit 'n Kick Reps at 5x (400m @ 64 . . . rest 60-sec . . . 200m @ 28) jog 1200m btw sets. My last meeting with this workout was on June 20, when I ran:

64; 28
64; 28
64; 28
64; 28
63; 28

Today, it was close to 90 degrees when I did this workout, and I suffered a bit. In fact, I couldn't talk myself into a 5th set. I was light-headed and just didn't have it. I did have pretty good series, though: 65,29; 64,28; 64,28; 64,29. Like before, I really tried not to press the 400s so that I would have enough left for the 200s. I did take the full 1200 slow jog (9:00) in-between repeats.

mile warm up
400+200+1200=1.125
400+200+1200=1.125
400+200+1200=1.125
400+200=.375
mile cool down

Total 5.75

Sat, 7-9-11.

I was in Philly for the weekend, but I managed to get in a relatively decent run Saturday morning. I ran a bit through Penn's campus and then headed down South Street. Street after street I was reminded about the personalities of various neighborhoods and about the folk who call them home. Rugged sidewalks, well tended gardens, chipped paint, storied murals all contribute to the narrative that unfolded as I made my way down to beyond Front and South Streets. I came back up Spruce, then Pine, Walnut, and eventually Chestnut Street. The route was about 6.7, which I ran in about 50 minutes. Too much concrete! Hard on the knees.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Too Humid

Thurs, 7/7/11--6.9. challenging run. too humid. bad run--50:40.

Wed, 7/6/11--short, easy run

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Didn't sleep well

Up at 5AM. Didn't sleep well on account of late hours and frantic phone call at 11ish. My initial plan was 2 x (300m-500-400 w/neg-split last 100m) @ :32+15 (=:47 300m) . . . 66+15 (=1:21 500m) . . . 48+15 (=63 400m) 3-min btw reps/jog 1200 btw sets. I then adjusted my plan, owing to the fact that I was short on time.

I chose 2 x (200m-400-300 w/neg-split last 100m) @ : 16+15 (=:31 200). . . 48+15 (=63 400m). . . 32+15 (=:47 300m) w/ 2-min btw reps/jog 800 btw sets

As one can see, I lessened each repeat by 100, the recovery by a minute and the jog by 400m.

My runs were: 31,65,47; 31,63,46. Second set was much better. I look forward to doing the original rendition of the workout soon.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

A little sore

Sunday, July 3rd--Ran to the Y with DJ at a pedestrian pace (29:45), lifted and ran back with him (29:05). A little sore from the yesterday's workout.
7.6 miles

Saturday, July 2, 2011

he had only about an hour to give.

July 2--Met up with Justin at D'town East HS at about 6:45 AM or so for a workout. I thought we'd do one of the following since he had only about an hour to give.
1) 3-4 x (3x300m @ 48 w/ 60-sec,100m jog between reps) Jog 800m between sets
2) 8 x 400m @ 70 w/2-min rest interval; #s 2,5,8 @ 63
3) 2 x (300m-500-400 w/neg-split last 100m) @ :32+15 (=:47 300m) . . . 66+15 (=1:21 500m) . . . 48+15 (=63 400m) 3-min btw reps/jog 1200 btw sets
4) a 1500m time trial followed by an abbreviated workout

Because Justin was concerned about running under 33 for the 200, we opted to do #2.

All of his 400s would be at 70 sec, and I'd just run an extra 100 for a 500. I needed to do some 500s! The last 100 of #s 2, 5, and 8 would be in 16 secs.
Run 1: 35/71/1:29
Run 2: 34/70/1:27
Run 3: 34/70/1:28
Run 4: 34/70/1:29
Run 5: 35/70/1:27
Run 6: 34/70/1:29
Run 7: 34/71/1:29
Run 8: 32/65/1:21 Justin pulled up at the 100 mark on the 8th one, and I then stopped as well to help him stretch out his hamstring. (This, of course, provided me with an additional few minutes' rest. Thus, the faster last 500, although I believe I could have run 1:21 without the additional rest; I felt good on the last one and wasn't even pressing.)

July 1--drove to the Y and did a little lifting.

June 30--Joined up with the gang (we were 15 strong) at the Country Club for our near-8-miler. We did the usual course in reverse. We started out at about 7:20. I could tell from the outset, however, that this was not going to be a 7:20 pace run. By the time we hit the 2-mile mark we were running under 7-minute pace. This pace dropped to 6:45, then 6:30 by the time we hit the 4th and 5th miles. During the 6th mile, I fell off the pace as the guys dropped to 6:20. (Steve and) I would eventually catch the group with a mile to go...when the pace inched back up to 7:15 or so. I finished at 54:05, about 5 seconds behind Ed and John. Pace: About 6:50.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Vermont

Wednesday, June 29--Having done a couple of sets of pick-up reps (8 x 400m @ 70 w/2-min intervals and #s 2,5,8 @ 63), I decided to do a modified version, especially since I was running late. I did 8 x 300m @ 52 w/90-sec interval (not 2 min) and #s 2,5,8 @ 47. My runs were 53,47,51,52,47,51,51,46.

Tuesday, June 28--1.5 miles on treadmill before leaving Vermont.

Monday, June 27--8 miles solo. Decided to run a bit harder. 52:35.

Sunday, June 26--8 miles with DJ. Easy 59:20. Flat trails, beautiful brooks and creeks with gentle waterfalls.

Saturday, June 25--Vermont. 4.5 hilly miles. 2 miles on the treadmill: 6:53/6:07.

Friday, June 24--off

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Spot on...not quite

Thursday, June 23- Today I did Pick-up reps: 8x 400m @ 70 w/2:00-sec Int and #s 2,5,8 @ 63. My runs were 70,63,70,71,64,70,70,64. Not bad for 6:00 in the morning. I still aimed to hit the times spot on. Better luck next time.

Wednesday, June 22--on account of yesterday, I drove myself to the Y and just lifted.

Tuesday, June 21st--at Henderson. 6x800 with 200m jog. Terrible workout, just terrible. 2:47, 2:50, 2:53, 2:55, 2:59, 2:42. Found myself just jogging! Legs were sore and heavy.

Monday, June 20th--5 miles easy

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Sore-y

Sunday, June 19th--Ran to the Y (28:05), lifted and ran back (27:35). Sore from the Sit 'n Kick workout.
7.6 miles

Must be a sign of things to come

June 20, 2011:
I set out to do Sit 'n Kick Reps at 5x (400m @ 64 . . . rest 60-sec . . . 200m @ 28) jog 1200m btw sets....and that's exactly what I did.

64; 28
64; 28
64; 28
64; 28
63; 28

I really tried not to press the 400s so that I would have enough left for the 200s. I did take the full 1200 slow jog (9:00) in-between repeats. Overall, I'd say I was pleased. I believe this was the first time I've done this workout this well. Must be a sign of things to come. I may try a negative split workout on Thursday.

mile warm up
400+200+1200=1.125
400+200+1200=1.125
400+200+1200=1.125
400+200+1200=1.125
400+200=.375
mile cool down

Total 6.875

Friday, June 17, 2011

Clash of the "Tightens"

Friday, June 19--Drove to YMCA for a little lifting.

Thursday, June 18--Despite my tighteness and sore back, I opted to skip the longer distance in favor of 3 sets of 3x300(...with 100m slow jog in-between repeats and a 400m slow jog between sets). As with before, my hope was to run 48s for my 300s with a minute-long slow jog-rest in-between repeats and 500 meters jog-rest in-between sets in 4:30-5:00.

Set 1: 49,48,49
Set 2: 48,49,49
Set 3: 48,48,49

Overall, I felt pretty good. This was my best series for this workout yet. I have to decide whether I'd like to do this workout this weekend or opt for something else.

Wednesday, June 17--5.4 miles. Tight back/legs.

Tuesday, June 16--Henderson. Workout: 3 200-meter strides, mile time trial, 4x200. The mile time trial was a bit challenging to do 6 in the morning. I should have worn my spikes, opting instead for my racing flats. A few had spikes. For the time trial there were a number of people (Manion, Ed, me) looking to run under 5:00, some (Scott Burns, Scott Purcell) under 4:45. I got out well enough and felt good. We hot 73 at the 400, then 2:27 at the half (this was a full mile, too). I was just a few meters behind the leaders. I felt myself losing confidence during the third lap, though. I saw 3:45 after 3 laps. I saw Scott and Ed and others begin to extend their lead. I really tightened up during the last 200 meters, which led to an 82-second last lap to cap my time off at 5:07. Manion passed me at the top of the straight to run 5:02.

The 200s came soon afterwards. I began with 38, then 35, then 32, then 29, the strongest series of the crew. (200 jog in-between). Tight back/legs.

Monday, June 15--recovery run. 4 miles.

Monday, June 13, 2011

I was less hyped

Monday, 6/13/11--recovery run of 25 minutes; 3.1 miles or so.

Sunday, 6/14/11--Widener. Mid-Atlantic Championships.
I arrived at about 11 with plenty of time to check-in, socialize with teammates and warm up twice. The day was temperate but also balmy at times. I had to seek out shade every now and then. There were only two heats of the 800. My heat featured my team's very own Nick Berra, who was surprisingly seeded third. My legs felt a little heavy, but I was otherwise ready to go. Despite my anticipation of the race, I found that I was less hyped than I was for the race at Henderson the week before. Perhaps this had to do with the fact that there were far fewer people in the race and in the stands!

Anyway, we began in lanes...through the turn. When I cut in I found myself in fourth place, which I held the entire race. I remember a solid 30 at the 200 and a 60 and change at the quarter. Nick and the other front runner went out in 58-59. I could feel myself tiring a bit of course but I just tried to relax. I hit 1:32 at the 600. I was sure I had run 2:04, but it turned out that my time was 2:06, which meant that my last 200 was mighty slow...in the neighborhood of 34 sec. Nick ran 1:57, followed by 1:58, 2:03 and then me at 2:06. I didn't even feel like I was that far behind the 26-year old who posted 2:03, much less 9 seconds behind Nick. Funny, though. I remember watching the last part of the race...Nick outkicking the kid. I felt like a bystander in my own race.

An hour later there was the 4x800 relay with Dave, Nick, me and Phil (our only fresh runner)...in that order. Immediately after the 800 I didn;t feel I had it in me to do it. But I felt okay by the time I had cooled down. We wound up going up against TNT, whose Lanier brothers were fresh from having not competed earlier. I wish I could say it was a head-to-head event. TNT had a commanding lead after 600 meters, but Dave (52) chased the TNT runner down and handed the baton to Nick within 15 meters. Nick caught Kareem Lanier at the 300 mark and just coasted from there. He gave me the bton with perhaps a 20 meter lead on Kyle Lanier. I ran the first 200 in 30, according to the splits Chuck called as a went by, and hit the quarter at 62. I relaxed on the 3rd 200, as I was trying to gather myself for a strong last 100 meters. I remember Chuck saying 1:37 at the 600. I felt like I was striding. Once I came off the turn I kicked it in with a 15-second last 100 to end in about 2:10. There was no "word" from Kyle. I led by at least 30 meters of so when I handed off to Phil, who brought home the gold, winning by 100 meters over the kid who ran 2:03 in the open 800.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

able to get back there

Sunday, 6/12/11--Well, today is the day when I try to set a masters open PR. I've split 2:02, but I have not been able to run as fast in the open 800. I've run 2:04 indoors (in March 2009), but I have not been able to get back there. Today is the day I can do it, as long as the rain keeps itself in check. I also think I need to run my second and third 200s a bit faster, so that my splits are 29,30 (about 60 at the 400), 31, 32 (63 second lap). Report later.

Saturday, 6/11/11--ran a very slow 2.2 with my wife, then stretched a bit.

Friday, 6/10/11--drove to the Y and lifted (upper body, of course) for about 20 minutes.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Piggyback

Thursday, 6/9/11--

I decided to piggyback on Tuesday's workout of 3 sets of 4x300(...with 100m slow jog in-between repeats and a 400m slow jog between sets) by doing 3 sets of 3x300 but quite a bit faster. My hope was to run 48s for my 300s with a minute-long slow jog-rest in-between repeats and 500 meters jog-rest in-between sets in 4:00-4:30.

Set 1: 48,49,50
Set 2: 48,49,51
Set 3: 49,49,50

Overall, I felt pretty good. I know that if I had done this workour with a partner or much later than 6AM I would have hit the 48s I intended.

I think I am ready for 2:04 or better.

Wednesday, 6/8/11--a couple of miles--short and sweet.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Strong Stride

Tuesday, June 7th--Henderson.

workout was 3 sets of 4x300...with 100m slow jog in-between repeats and a 500m slow jog between sets. We were told to keep the 100 jog to the amount of time it took us to do the 300s. The 500 jog was supposed to be done in 5 minutes. We took less than 4 minutes! 1st set hovered between 59 and 57; 2nd set was between 57 and 55; 3rd set was between 55 and 48 (last one). I found myself doing a strong stride on the last one, having been asked to lead it. I saw 15 at the 100, 31(16) at the 200 and then 48(17). I liken it to the last 300 of my 800.

Monday, June 6th--Dropped off car for tire repair (Thanks, DJ) and jogged back. 2.8 --19:45.

Sunday, June 5th--Ran to the Y (28:15), lifted and ran back (27:00). Sore.
7.5 miles.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Days at the Races

Saturday, June 5-Rustin Run. I decided to still do the 8:30 AM Rustin Run even though I had competed last night. I had a good warm up. The 60-65 degrees felt good. I figured I'd take the run fairly easy and run an even pace of 6:00 miles. I pretty much accomplished that, running 6:04, 12:10, and finished in 18:50. An eighth grader was ahead of me during the first mile. He set a good pace for me. I passed him after the mile mark. I just tried to stride, maintain a good pace and not run too hard. I did just that, not that the run was necessarily easy. With 200 to go, I saw 18:13, which puts my last 200 at 37 seconds. The award for winning the race was quite generous.

Friday, June 4--Ran the 800m at the Pennsylvania Distance Festival at Henderson. Got there at about 5PM, registered, and warmed up. Felt pretty good; the 75-80 degree weather certainly helped. The wind was a bit much. There were five heats, ranging in size from 10-20. I was in the third heat, where the seed times ranged from 2:01-2:06. I seeded myself at 2:06. I got out well but somewhat conservatively. The first 200 split was announced to be 29; I'd say I was at 30. The 400 was at 59/60; I think I hit 61/62. I was feeling pretty good, though I was moving towards the back of the pack. I tried to maintain my pace over the first 100 of the second lap. I slept a little bit on the next 150 because I wanted to have a bit left for the last 150. I heard 1:30 at the 600 for the leaders; I figured I was at about 1:33. I passed 2 in the final 150 and got passed by one myself. I came in at 2:06.67, on account of a 33 second last 200. This 200 was slower than I had hoped but otherwise felt pretty good. 30,31,32,33. Unfortunately, as it turns out, my time was given to Tom Ferguson (older brother of CHS senior James) or to the kid from Abington. They were in my heat, and I came in slightly ahead of them!  I was given 2:07.80.  It was great to see Tom, who's now living in West Chester, having graduated from Duke last year.

Goal for next week: 29,31,31,32.

Thursday, June 3--took the day off.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Race Pace

June 1

warmed up
6x150 (250m jog in-between) smooth (the first three were rather rough and slower than race pace; the last 3 were smoth and slightly faster than race pace)
cool down

3.5 miles

Tomorrow I think I'll simply do a mile, stretch and do another mile.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

the joy of slow

Shorter and slower--

4 miles at about 8 min pace. Ahh--the joy of slow.

Monday, May 30, 2011

Black Russian

Monday, May 30th-Original Plan: Russian intervals: 5x (3x300m @ 48 w/jog 100m at 30-sec) Jog 800m between sets

Modified Plan: Russian intervals: 5x (2x300m @ 48 w/50 meter walk followed by a 50 meter jog at 60-sec total) Walk 100 then jog 400m between sets.

48,48; 48,49; 48,48; 48/49; 48,48

Sunday, May 29th--Ran to the Y (27:50), lifted and ran back (27:10).
7.5 miles. Virtually the same pace as last week.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Bachelorette #2

Saturday, 5/27-

Which one?

Russian intervals: 5x (3x300m @ 48 w/jog 100m at 30-sec) Jog 800m between sets
OR
Sit 'n Kick Reps: 5x (400m @ 64 . . . rest 30-sec . . . 200m @ 28) jog 1200m btw sets
OR
Pick-up reps: 8x 400m @ 70 w/90-sec Int and #s 2,5,8 @ 63

Well...I went with bachelorette #2, with a little modification. Instead of 200s, I did 150s, instead of 30 seconds' rest I took 45, and instead of a 1200 meter job between sets I jogged 1000 (shorter recovery to make up for the 150s and 45-sec rest periods.)

Bachelorette #2 went something like this:

mile warm-up (8:30)
1st set: 64, 22 (1000 meter jog rest--7:30)
2nd set: 64, 22 (1000 meter jog rest--7:30)
3rd set: 63, 22 (1000 meter jog rest--7:30)
4th set: 62, 22 (1000 meter jog rest--7:30)
5th set: 61, 20 (tried to see what I could do if I doubled my rest--1:30)
Mile cooldown (8:20)

The reason I chose the 150s over the 200 is that, for whatever reason, I wanted to compare this workout with one I did in late winter 2009 right before I ran 2:05 at Indoor Nationals.

I think I did pretty well, considering I gave myself 2:30 seconds less rest than I did during the 2009 workout I references above.

Friday, May 27, 2011

On tap: SOS

Friday, 5/17--went to gym to lift. On tap for tomorrow:

Russian intervals: 5x (3x300m @ 48 w/jog 100m at 30-sec) Jog 800m between sets

OR

Sit 'n Kick Reps: 5x (400m @ 64 . . . rest 30-sec . . . 200m @ 28) jog 1200m btw sets

OR

Pick-up reps: 8x 400m @ 70 w/90-sec Int and #s 2,5,8 @ 63

Choices, Choices, Choices. ADVICE NEEDED. SOS:ANYONE OUT THERE?

I think I might choose option 2 (and w/ 150s instead of 200s)...because I'd like to compare how I do to another time I did the workout just before running a 2:05 800.

Thursday, 5/26--met up with the Borough crew, although I was a bit late. Saw them heading down Ashbridge Street. Expended too much energy trying to cath up. Caught up with them a mile into the Preserves. Legs dead. Stopped. Headed back to start at pedestrian pace. Bad run. Bad boy. 62 minutes.

Wednesday, 5/25--8 200s (2 sets of 4)...diminishing rest.
Set 1: 30 (60s rest); 30 (55 sr); 30 (50 sr); 30 (45 sr)
400 jog; 5 minutes
Set 2: 30 (60s rest); 31 (55 sr); 30 (50 sr); 30 (45 sr)

Got massage from Jan. Apparently, my sciatic nerve is acting up.

Tuesday, 5/24--workout was 4 sets of 1000 run, 100 jog, 200 run, 300 jog.

3:30, 38
3:23, 38
3:25, 39
skipped first 400 of 1000; did 600 in 1:55, 200 in 33.

Monday, 5/23--3.8 mi.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Speed Endurance and Anaerobic Lactic System

Sunday, May 22
Ran to the Y (27:45), lifted and ran back (27:10).
7.5 miles

Saturday, May 21
After reading an article, Speed Endurance 1 – middle distance, by Peter Sandery Level IV-ATFCA Coach, I decided to do another round of 200s. Sandery suggests that those who want to improve their 800m race time should run the repetitions at their target 800m pace. He developed sessions that are aimed at improving lactic tolerance, "your ability to maintain pace as the by-products of repeated anaerobic lactic energy production accumulate." I guess these “by-products “ are the result of repeated demands on the anaerobic lactic system coupled with truncated recovery periods.

According to Sandery, a typical session consists of 2 sets of 6 reps of 200m at the target 800m pace, ideally a little faster than you are currently running for an 800m race. He gives some guidance about how much rest you should take based on whether your repeats are above or below 40. For instance, if your reps are slower 40 seconds, your recoveries should start at 60s and decrease by 5 seconds for each rep, down to 40 seconds. If your reps are less than 40, recoveries should begin at 45 seconds and decrease each by 5 seconds down to 25 seconds. Sandery argues that, "The recovery time between the 200m reps is not long enough for the by-products of anaerobic demand to be completely cleared from the muscles." A recovery walk of 400m in 6-8 minutes between sets is needed to enable you to recover for the second set.

According to Sandery, this type of workout, which I've done before, is designed to improve the ability of your body to transport lactate through muscle cell membranes;
the capacity to buffer increased muscle cell acidity; better pace judgement; and the ability to cope with the mental demands of sustained anaerobic effort.

So...I did 2 sets of 6x200...at 7 AM. My rest started at 60 seconds and I chopped it down by 5 seconds after each 200, ending in 40 seconds. My runs were 30s in the first set. The second set proceeded similarly, except the 4th one was in 32 and the 5th one was in 31. The rest were in 30.

A similar session is:
16 x 200m @ 800m pace, recoveries decreasing from 90s to 15s in 5s steps.

(I've been meaning to document that my hamstrings have been sore this last week, particularly my left one. In fact, the soreness reaches up high to my butt and down to my calf. I hope it's nothing serious.)

Saturday, May 21, 2011

legs=dead

Friday, May 20--drove to the Y, ran .5 mi and lifted.

Thursday, May 19--met up with the Borough crew. Went on a rather hilly route--49:45 (?). Went down New Street...Came up Ashbridge. My legs were dead. Not like last week when I felt refreshed.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Introducing the Y

Wednesday, May 18--Tried my luck at some 200s in the slight wind and steady rain. I was going to go to the Y again, but I changed my mind at the last minute.

My plan for the 200s (in regular flats) was 6x200 in 32 with a 90-second 200 jog-rest and then 6x200 in 30 with a 90-second 200 jog-rest. I'd walk a 200 between sets and take a 3-minute rest. My runs were 31,32,32,32,32,32; 29,30,30,31,31,29. Short cool down.

Tuesday, May 17--

Went to the Y since it was mad-raining. I wound up trying to recreate the workout I had at Henderson last Tuesday: 1 mile (good pace); 400 rest; then 6x400 with 200 jog/rest. I warmed up on the 16-laps-to-a-mile indoor track. Not bad. I stretched some and then made my way to the treadmill area. There were quite a few people about, many of them running pretty hard. Anyway, I hit 5:45 for the mile. As I tackled the 400s, I realized that the treadmill not only topped out at 5:00 per mile, it took too long to reach top speed. So...I wound up setting the treadmill at max and just did the best I could to simulate moderately paced 400s. The treadmill seemed far more robust than the ones I used at Penn Oaks. Mile cool down. Home.

Monday, May 16--Did 5.2, I believe.


Sunday, May 15--DJ and I ran to the Y from our house for the first time. Talk about a hilly run! We got there, oriented ourselves and lifted together. We took about 28:30 for the 3.8 miles there and a bit longer coming home. He struggled a bit on the way back. What am I going to do to get him to get himself into better shape? He is a distance runner, you know!

Sunday, May 15, 2011

first full workout with spikes in two weeks

Saturday, 5/14/11-

I had set out to do Sit 'n Kick Reps: 5 x (400 @ 64...rest 60 sec...200 @ 29) jog 1200 btw sets. The real deal is: 5x (400m @ 64 . . . rest 30-sec . . . 200m @28) jog 1200m btw sets.

Actual: I made my way to the Westtown track at just before 7 AM. It was about 55 degrees. I warmed up 1 mile and stretched pretty well. This would be my first full workout with spikes in two weeks...since Penn Relays. My runs were 65/30; 64/29; 64/30; 64/29; 65/29. I kept to 60 seconds between the 400s and 200s. My 1200 jog rest was in 8:15 minutes. I didn't have time for a full cool down. 6.2 miles.

I'd say the workout at Westtown was a success, particularly since it was early morning.