Fri, 8/31
Thurs, 8/30--Per my routine, I met up with the crew at the country club in town. On the docket was the usual run (7.9M around town), with pick-ups beginning at Rosedale. Today's would be 6 x 2 minutes on, 1 minute off. By the time we reached Rosedale, the roughly 10 of us who were planning to do the pick-ups had separated from the 10 who planned to do steadier run. The 10 of us planning to do the pick-ups were Scott Burns, Kevin Kelly, John Manion, John (JB), John Callahan, Ed, Shawn, Pat, a guy whose name I can't recall, and me.
We began at 15:30 at Rosedale, about the 2.1M mark (I finally measured!). The first pick-up felt relaxed. Scott and the others began ahead of Pat, Shawn and me. Thus we were a few meters behind from the start. Over the first two minutes, we lost about 15 meters or so on them. We'd catch up during the 1 minute rest. Over the next 2-minute pick-up they extend their distance to 25 meters by the end of the period. Jogging to catch up with them would prove formidable. So, Pat, Shawn and I sort of formed our own default second tier group, that is until Shawn backed off after the third or fourth one. By the time we reached the fifth segment, Scott's group appeared to be a tenth of a mile ahead. We all stopped in 32:30. However, Scott's group finished on Lincoln Avenue about 50 meters from the Turner Lane stop sign. (Fern Hill Elem is on Lincoln). My group finished on Lincoln Ave but slightly over a tenth of a mile back. While my legs felt dead, my breathing was fine. What does that say?
Scott's group had gone about 2.8M over the 17-minute period of 2 minutes on/1 minute off (avg 6:04 pace) My group had gone 2.68M over the same time frame. They had reached the 4.9M mark, and I had reached about 4.78M mark (avg 6:20 pace).
We would take the remaining portion of the 7.9M route easy. We all finished in 57:00 (7:13 pace), not bad considering we running easy and the top group had stopped for nearly a minute and my group had come to a near crawl for the same amount of time.
By the way, I keep forgetting that the mark I believe to be 4 miles is actually 3.95M. I have to remember that. We reached this point, the coner of E. Chestnut and N. Penn Streets, at 27:15, having been doing picks at that point for 1.85M.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
500 entries
Wed, 8/29--
Today I overslept for a third day in a row. I drove to the Y, which has reopened after a week of being closed for deep cleaning, I guess, and did mile (6:58), lift, mile (6:43). I then drove to the car shop to drop my car off. I then ran 2.75M back home (19:50).
500 ENTRIES! Wow! That's a lot of running reports. Who knew that when I began logging my runs/workouts that I'd be at it this many times, for this long. Perhaps I've suprised myself.
Today I overslept for a third day in a row. I drove to the Y, which has reopened after a week of being closed for deep cleaning, I guess, and did mile (6:58), lift, mile (6:43). I then drove to the car shop to drop my car off. I then ran 2.75M back home (19:50).
500 ENTRIES! Wow! That's a lot of running reports. Who knew that when I began logging my runs/workouts that I'd be at it this many times, for this long. Perhaps I've suprised myself.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
underwhelmed with myself
Tues, 8/28--Overslept again! Rushed to Henderson. Got there at 5:40. Warmed up and stretched. Workout at 5:55.
3x1 mile with 200 meter jog-rest OR, for real hard core folks, 4x2000m with 100m jog. KA-RAZY! You know which one I opted for!
humid with rainy, windy, wet conditions
but...
we braved the elements
the workout was not as smooth as I would have liked.
First run. Got a late start and ran alone (6:15)
The second one almost made me lose my motivation. 6:10
The third one was decent, as I finished up in 5:42.
mile warm up, 3x1 mile, 2x200 meters, mile cool down = 5.25 miles
Did I say this workout sucked? I was underwhelmed with myself. It was like I didn't even care that I was sucking.
Mon, 8/27--Overslept. Took the day off.
Sun, 8/26--I was supposed to go for 10-12M today, but I opted to run with DJ, who was scheduled for a fartlek. This was not the best idea since I had done 5x1000 on Saturday. As it turned out, the fartlek was a bit pedestrian. The plan was to use the 5.7M route and run the following pattern: 1 minute on, 1 minute off; 2 minutes on, 2 minutes off; 3 minutes on and 3 minutes off; 1 minute one and so forth. We'd take the first 6 (.65M) minutes easy to warm up; we'd cool down the last half-mile (.5M). The meat of the run, the fartlek, was 4.55M in 32:00. Our "on" pace was about 6:00 pace; our "off" pace was about 8:00 pace. Functional, but not great.
3x1 mile with 200 meter jog-rest OR, for real hard core folks, 4x2000m with 100m jog. KA-RAZY! You know which one I opted for!
humid with rainy, windy, wet conditions
but...
we braved the elements
the workout was not as smooth as I would have liked.
First run. Got a late start and ran alone (6:15)
The second one almost made me lose my motivation. 6:10
The third one was decent, as I finished up in 5:42.
mile warm up, 3x1 mile, 2x200 meters, mile cool down = 5.25 miles
Did I say this workout sucked? I was underwhelmed with myself. It was like I didn't even care that I was sucking.
Mon, 8/27--Overslept. Took the day off.
Sun, 8/26--I was supposed to go for 10-12M today, but I opted to run with DJ, who was scheduled for a fartlek. This was not the best idea since I had done 5x1000 on Saturday. As it turned out, the fartlek was a bit pedestrian. The plan was to use the 5.7M route and run the following pattern: 1 minute on, 1 minute off; 2 minutes on, 2 minutes off; 3 minutes on and 3 minutes off; 1 minute one and so forth. We'd take the first 6 (.65M) minutes easy to warm up; we'd cool down the last half-mile (.5M). The meat of the run, the fartlek, was 4.55M in 32:00. Our "on" pace was about 6:00 pace; our "off" pace was about 8:00 pace. Functional, but not great.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
perhaps I am being too hard on myself: Poor 'ole me
Today, I did 5x1000...all alone. Poor 'ole me.
I chose to do this workout because I want to compare my fitness level with that in August 2010. I used the first 1K of the XC course across the street. With the adjustments made to the course, the 1000m mark is one telephone pole shy of where it used to be: at Plumly & Shiloh. Like the 800s last week and the 1Ks I've done on this course in the past, I did decided an out and back pattern, running a 1000m, stopping, and then running the next 1000 in the opposite direction. The target: 3:25/1K w/3:35 recovery, for an even 7 minutes. I hit 3:39, 3:23, 3:26, 3:22 and 3:26, for an average of 3:27. The ones going in the opposite direction were a bit easier; even though the terrain was still rolling, the run seemed to have a downward trend in elevation. I guess my pace made for a 17:25. This felt good. Warmed up 1M. Cooled down .85M. Total: about 5 miles.
For comparison sake, on 7/31/10 I did the same exact workout (5x1000) with my son and Justin, a friend, using roughly the same portion of the XC course. That day, according to my log, the target was 3:40/1K w/3:40 recovery. I hit 3:37, 3:28, 3:30, 3:23 and 3:27, for an average of 3:29. We apparently took about 4:00 rest. (Justin hit 3:37, 3:28, 3:40, 3:40, 3:40, and DJ managed 3:39, 3:36, 3:58, 3:50, 3:53.) I noted that I felt good. Perhaps the warmed up of 1.25M and cool down of 1.85M, for a total of about 6.1 miles, helped. Four weeks later, on 8/29/10, I was at it again, this time, however, by myself. I warmed up 1.25M and stretched well. My target pace was 3:20 with 3:40 recovery...for an even 7 min. Trial 1: 3:28; trial 2: 3:18; trial 3: 3:15; trial 4: 3:14; trial 5: 3:22. My average was 3:19+. Apparently, as noted in my log, this was a tough workout after all the lifting the day before. However, it felt good to run, on average, my target time. My workout today was closer in time to what I did on 7/31/10 than to what I did on 8/29/10. (I find it intriguing that I ran faster alone on 8/29 than I did on 7/31 when I ran with Justin and DJ.) It would appear that I am roughly 3 weeks behind where I was 3 weeks ago. This can be attributed to a myriad of things, not the least of which is my low mileage this past spring and first half of summer. I just started distance work this month! Thus, perhaps I am being too hard on myself.
I chose to do this workout because I want to compare my fitness level with that in August 2010. I used the first 1K of the XC course across the street. With the adjustments made to the course, the 1000m mark is one telephone pole shy of where it used to be: at Plumly & Shiloh. Like the 800s last week and the 1Ks I've done on this course in the past, I did decided an out and back pattern, running a 1000m, stopping, and then running the next 1000 in the opposite direction. The target: 3:25/1K w/3:35 recovery, for an even 7 minutes. I hit 3:39, 3:23, 3:26, 3:22 and 3:26, for an average of 3:27. The ones going in the opposite direction were a bit easier; even though the terrain was still rolling, the run seemed to have a downward trend in elevation. I guess my pace made for a 17:25. This felt good. Warmed up 1M. Cooled down .85M. Total: about 5 miles.
For comparison sake, on 7/31/10 I did the same exact workout (5x1000) with my son and Justin, a friend, using roughly the same portion of the XC course. That day, according to my log, the target was 3:40/1K w/3:40 recovery. I hit 3:37, 3:28, 3:30, 3:23 and 3:27, for an average of 3:29. We apparently took about 4:00 rest. (Justin hit 3:37, 3:28, 3:40, 3:40, 3:40, and DJ managed 3:39, 3:36, 3:58, 3:50, 3:53.) I noted that I felt good. Perhaps the warmed up of 1.25M and cool down of 1.85M, for a total of about 6.1 miles, helped. Four weeks later, on 8/29/10, I was at it again, this time, however, by myself. I warmed up 1.25M and stretched well. My target pace was 3:20 with 3:40 recovery...for an even 7 min. Trial 1: 3:28; trial 2: 3:18; trial 3: 3:15; trial 4: 3:14; trial 5: 3:22. My average was 3:19+. Apparently, as noted in my log, this was a tough workout after all the lifting the day before. However, it felt good to run, on average, my target time. My workout today was closer in time to what I did on 7/31/10 than to what I did on 8/29/10. (I find it intriguing that I ran faster alone on 8/29 than I did on 7/31 when I ran with Justin and DJ.) It would appear that I am roughly 3 weeks behind where I was 3 weeks ago. This can be attributed to a myriad of things, not the least of which is my low mileage this past spring and first half of summer. I just started distance work this month! Thus, perhaps I am being too hard on myself.
Friday, August 24, 2012
I hope I'm game for tomorrow's fartlek.
Friday, 8/24
I didn't want to get up early this morning. I didn't sleep well. Perhaps I owe this to Eileen's retirement gathering last night. Did I fall victim to the salmon?
Anyway, I eventually dragged myself out of bed nearly an hour later than usual. I followed my normal routine: gather clothes, put on coffee, iron clothes, feed the cat, check my email. I'd eventually workout, make a protein shake, feed the dog, shower and shine.
I figured that I'd do a short, 4.4M run today at a decent page, supposedly an "easy run" pace. I covered the 2 Rustin loops in 30:40, or about 6:59 pace.
loop 1: 15:45 (M1: 7:12, M2: 7:08 (14:20), M2.2 15:45)
loop 2: 14:55. (M2.7 19:05, M 3.2 22:40...the watch read 23:55 with 1 mile to go; last mile in 6:45)
loop 1 in 7:10 pace
loop 2 in 6:47 pace
Boy my legs felt rather heavy. I hope I'm game for tomorrow's fartlek.
I didn't want to get up early this morning. I didn't sleep well. Perhaps I owe this to Eileen's retirement gathering last night. Did I fall victim to the salmon?
Anyway, I eventually dragged myself out of bed nearly an hour later than usual. I followed my normal routine: gather clothes, put on coffee, iron clothes, feed the cat, check my email. I'd eventually workout, make a protein shake, feed the dog, shower and shine.
I figured that I'd do a short, 4.4M run today at a decent page, supposedly an "easy run" pace. I covered the 2 Rustin loops in 30:40, or about 6:59 pace.
loop 1: 15:45 (M1: 7:12, M2: 7:08 (14:20), M2.2 15:45)
loop 2: 14:55. (M2.7 19:05, M 3.2 22:40...the watch read 23:55 with 1 mile to go; last mile in 6:45)
loop 1 in 7:10 pace
loop 2 in 6:47 pace
Boy my legs felt rather heavy. I hope I'm game for tomorrow's fartlek.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
the hill slayed me today
Thursday, 8/23--Met up with a nice size group this morning to do our customary 7.9M run begininng at the country club. The morning was clean, featuring a comfortable 67 degrees. An easy run was on the docket. I figured they needed the easy pace, given how hard they've been training. I probably could've used a hard pace, as I am nowhere near at their level of conditionining. For this I am ashamed! At the 4-mile mark the watch read 28:30; we were going at 7:08 pace. We seemed to slow up during second half of the run, covering the final 3.9M in 29:25 (about 7:33 pace) finishing in 57:55, about 7:20 pace. I felt okay, but my legs were tight. Also, for whatever reason, the hill slayed me today. In contrast to how I felt during most of the run, my legs felt awfully weak and tight as I made my way up.
My plan for tomorrow (Fri): 4.4M, 7:10 pace.
My plan for Saturday: 35 min fartlek
My plan for Sunday: 11.5M, 7:15 pace.
My plan for Monday: take the day off!
Wed, 8/22--I did a short, simple, easy run. I began with a Rustin-plus loop (2.2M), continued with the first .9M of a second loop, but then took a sharp left and run the first 1100m (.7) of the XC course. Mileage: 3.8M (in 30 min)--7:53 pace.
My plan for tomorrow (Fri): 4.4M, 7:10 pace.
My plan for Saturday: 35 min fartlek
My plan for Sunday: 11.5M, 7:15 pace.
My plan for Monday: take the day off!
Wed, 8/22--I did a short, simple, easy run. I began with a Rustin-plus loop (2.2M), continued with the first .9M of a second loop, but then took a sharp left and run the first 1100m (.7) of the XC course. Mileage: 3.8M (in 30 min)--7:53 pace.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
my way home
Tuesday--5:50 workout at Henderson. 3x (Mile, 100m jog, 400m) with 300m jog between sets.
I arrived at the track in good time, leaving enough to warm up and stretch for more than 3 minutes! I felt a little sluggish today, though, having done nearly 10M yesterday. I shook it off, however, knowing I had to get myself into gear to have a decent showing at the workout.
I began with the top group: Kevin, Scott, John, Manion and Ed. The first mile was in 5:57, a few seconds ahead of my time. Ironically, they began to pull away from me when they did the 400 less than a minute later. I just kept at it, knowing I needed to make it through with my brick legs. In the end, here is what I managed.
6:02, 1:24
6:02, 1:21
5:59, 1:18
This is a far cry from what the top guys did, as they dipped into the 5:30s for the last mile. Scott wound up doing a fourth set, with a 5:18 mile and a 67 quarter. Wow!
Monday--Dropped car off, then headed into the Borough, assuming the first portion of the Thursday route we do. I eventually made my way home, running 9.75M in 71:55--7:22 pace.
Sun--5.7M in 40:20--about 7:05 pace
I arrived at the track in good time, leaving enough to warm up and stretch for more than 3 minutes! I felt a little sluggish today, though, having done nearly 10M yesterday. I shook it off, however, knowing I had to get myself into gear to have a decent showing at the workout.
I began with the top group: Kevin, Scott, John, Manion and Ed. The first mile was in 5:57, a few seconds ahead of my time. Ironically, they began to pull away from me when they did the 400 less than a minute later. I just kept at it, knowing I needed to make it through with my brick legs. In the end, here is what I managed.
6:02, 1:24
6:02, 1:21
5:59, 1:18
This is a far cry from what the top guys did, as they dipped into the 5:30s for the last mile. Scott wound up doing a fourth set, with a 5:18 mile and a 67 quarter. Wow!
Monday--Dropped car off, then headed into the Borough, assuming the first portion of the Thursday route we do. I eventually made my way home, running 9.75M in 71:55--7:22 pace.
Sun--5.7M in 40:20--about 7:05 pace
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Today was a near perfect day
Sat--Today my workout was 8x800 at 5K pace. My goal pace was 2:45. The rest would equal the running time, 2:45. Some people call them Yasso 800s, I guess. Anyway, I decided to use the XC course across the street from my house to give my feet a break from the track and street surfaces. Today was a near perfect day for the workout: little humidity, warm but not sweltering, and light wind to keep the air fresh and moving. I just wish I had had someone to run with! (On tap for my son was a fartlek, so he declined to join me.)
My runs were: 2:45, 2:46, 2:47, 2:44, 2:46, 2:43, 2:48, 2:33.
Altogether, this was a pretty good attempt, considering I the course, which included thick grass and a couple of rolling hills
My runs were: 2:45, 2:46, 2:47, 2:44, 2:46, 2:43, 2:48, 2:33.
Altogether, this was a pretty good attempt, considering I the course, which included thick grass and a couple of rolling hills
And now I'm dizzy.
Fri-8/17--Went to the Y. Alternated between running easy miles on the treadmill or 16-laps-to-the-mile track and 3:00 to 3:30 minutes of lifting.
Mile 1 on track: 6:59; 7:00 pace.
lifted
Mile 2 on treadmill: 6:53; 6:50 pace
lifted
Mile 3 on track: 6:40; 6:40 pace
lifted
Mile 4 on treadmill: 6:40; 6:40 pace
lifted
Mile 5 on track: 6:25; 6:30 pace
lifted
Mile 6 on treadmill: 6:22; 6:20 pace
And now I'm dizzy.
Mile 1 on track: 6:59; 7:00 pace.
lifted
Mile 2 on treadmill: 6:53; 6:50 pace
lifted
Mile 3 on track: 6:40; 6:40 pace
lifted
Mile 4 on treadmill: 6:40; 6:40 pace
lifted
Mile 5 on track: 6:25; 6:30 pace
lifted
Mile 6 on treadmill: 6:22; 6:20 pace
And now I'm dizzy.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
I realized that I wasn't slowing down
Thursday, 8/15--Met up with the crew at the country club. We did the 7.9M course in reverse. Tempo would begin a couple of miles in. There were 7 of the 14 or so of us planning to run tempo. Coming off North Hills the pace quickened as expected. We were about 13:55 into the run. I hung with the guys for most of the first mile. And then it happened: my back began to tighter a bit, and I began to tire. Tempo mile 1: 6:30. The top two guys(whose names I cannot remember) had dropped the pace even more and were moving closer to 6:00. Kevin K and John Manion were falling behind but not at the same rate I was. Mine was greater. Steve was just a few meters behind them. Two mile into the tempo I realized that I was .1M behind Steve, .15 behind Kevin and Manion, and .2 behind the top two guys. It was not until afterwards that I realized that I wasn't slowing down; it's just that I was maintaining and they were accelerating. Steve would eventually finish 200m ahead of me, Kevin and Manion 300 and the other guys, probably 400. My tempo stopped at 40:15. So, that means I the middle 4 miles from 13:55-40:15, or 26:20, which is about 6:35 pace. I stopped with the other guys and waited for Barry, who was less than a minute behind me. Moving at 8:00 pace, we then jogged the last portion of the course--about 2M--to the country club. We finished up after 58 minutes, but the real time, at least for me, was close to 2 minutes faster. For others, it was even faster, given the stop at Rosedale.
Tues, 8/14--Went to Henderson. 1.5M, 1M, .5M with a 400m jog in-between
Wed, 8.15--Did 6.6M (3 x Rustin-plus loops)
loop 1--16:40--7:35 pace
loop 2--32:40 (16:00)--7:16 pace
loop 3--47:58 (15:18)--6:57 pace
Tues, 8/14--Went to Henderson. 1.5M, 1M, .5M with a 400m jog in-between
Wed, 8.15--Did 6.6M (3 x Rustin-plus loops)
loop 1--16:40--7:35 pace
loop 2--32:40 (16:00)--7:16 pace
loop 3--47:58 (15:18)--6:57 pace
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Bruce lied. He told me I'd win.
Mon--8/13. Running and lifting at YMCA: 6:59 16-laps-to-the-mile track, lift, 6:53 treadmill, lift, 6:30 track. Dropped off car 2.75M run home. 19:30.
Sun--Runner's Pentathlon--After I cleaned up the crappy mess our dog made this morning (I did hear him squeeling at 3AM), I headed to Germantown Academy for the Runner's Pentathlon. I got there at about 7:20 or so, knowing that it started at 8. As it turned out, the heats were such that I had plenty of time to warm up. The first event was the 3000. Team competitors would go in the first heat, followed by individual competitors. Nick took the first heat in about 9:06! Kevin, Phil, Chuck, Craig, Bruce, and our newcomer, a Duke grad, et al. were in my heat. My goal was to run 80s per lap. Fat chance. I started out okay, but fell way off pace by the mile mark. 78, 2:39, 4:03, 5:30, 6:58, 8:23, 9:53, 10:35. Kevin was ahead of me, and Phil was even farther ahead. And Chuck passed me with two laps to go. I was supposed to run close to 10:00. Not a great start at 70-something points. I had to keep myself motivated after this mess. I found myself in 15th place.
It was time for the 200; my heat was "laned" up 30 minutes after the 3000. I was in lane 3; Kevin, Phil and Duke-guy were in lanes 6, 5, and 4. I was happy to borrow starting blocks from some kind fellow. The ones provided through GA was just awful. The gun went off. I caught the guys on the stagger and had a commanding lead coming into the straightaway. I could feel Duke guy surging back. He caught me in the last 10 meters, which is when I started to lean. I got him, 25.41 to 25.42. Not a great time, but I knew the points would be better than they were in the 3K.
Time for the 1500. Argghh. My goal was to run 75s per lap. I couldn't even manage that. Shame on me! I think I hit 74, 2:32, 3:50, 4:51. I was supposed to run 4:40. Fewer points than expected. High 70s.
And then the 100 reared its head. I was happy to use the good, heaving starting blocks again. After some technical difficulties, we were able to commence. My 100 heat composition was the same as the 200. I was in lane 3 again. My start was sluggish, but the reat of the race felt smooth. I accidentally kept my head down for most of the race, sort of just looking at my shadow. "Stop marveling, Dinkins!' I lifted my head (and my knees) with 25m to go and i was home...in 12.84. Again, not great, but points are points afterall.
Finally, the 400 awaited me. I was in lane 4, with Craig and Phil in lanes 2 and 3 and another two guys on my outside. I figured Phil would catch me at the 200 and that I would just hang on and sling-shot off the last turn and into the straightaway. And that's exactly what happened. He caught me just before the 200. I kept pace with him as we bent around the turn, the 3rd 100. Coming out of the turn, I just lifted and I was home free in 56.02. Yuck, a far cry from my season's best of 53.71.
And there--I had done it--the Runner's Pent. I earned 4th place behind lorraine Jasper, Chuck Shields, and Duke grad guy. Duncan was 5th. $75 in my pocket. What is that, $1.25 for every meter raced? And what did I do with the $, you say? Allowance across the board: son, daughter, wife, dog, cat! I'm a giving runner.
Bruce lied. He told me I'd win. I guess he must've assumed I had more gas than I did.
Fri and Sat--8/10 and 8/11--took off. Whew!
Thurs--8/9--Went to meet up with the crew after quite a hiatus. The run was the usual 7.9M through town with pick-ups of 1 minute on/1 minute off beginning at Rosedale (tennis courts). The pick-ups were a bit challenging, and I fell behind after the 5th one. I wa conserving energy, thinking that we were doing 12. As it turned out, only 10 were on the docket. Perhaps that is why I didn't feel as dead over the last 2-3 miles. The guys came to a near stop after the pick-ups. I wanted to push the pace slightly, but the sense was that a more pedestrian place was in order. When all was said and done, we finished in about 58:30.
Sun--Runner's Pentathlon--After I cleaned up the crappy mess our dog made this morning (I did hear him squeeling at 3AM), I headed to Germantown Academy for the Runner's Pentathlon. I got there at about 7:20 or so, knowing that it started at 8. As it turned out, the heats were such that I had plenty of time to warm up. The first event was the 3000. Team competitors would go in the first heat, followed by individual competitors. Nick took the first heat in about 9:06! Kevin, Phil, Chuck, Craig, Bruce, and our newcomer, a Duke grad, et al. were in my heat. My goal was to run 80s per lap. Fat chance. I started out okay, but fell way off pace by the mile mark. 78, 2:39, 4:03, 5:30, 6:58, 8:23, 9:53, 10:35. Kevin was ahead of me, and Phil was even farther ahead. And Chuck passed me with two laps to go. I was supposed to run close to 10:00. Not a great start at 70-something points. I had to keep myself motivated after this mess. I found myself in 15th place.
It was time for the 200; my heat was "laned" up 30 minutes after the 3000. I was in lane 3; Kevin, Phil and Duke-guy were in lanes 6, 5, and 4. I was happy to borrow starting blocks from some kind fellow. The ones provided through GA was just awful. The gun went off. I caught the guys on the stagger and had a commanding lead coming into the straightaway. I could feel Duke guy surging back. He caught me in the last 10 meters, which is when I started to lean. I got him, 25.41 to 25.42. Not a great time, but I knew the points would be better than they were in the 3K.
Time for the 1500. Argghh. My goal was to run 75s per lap. I couldn't even manage that. Shame on me! I think I hit 74, 2:32, 3:50, 4:51. I was supposed to run 4:40. Fewer points than expected. High 70s.
And then the 100 reared its head. I was happy to use the good, heaving starting blocks again. After some technical difficulties, we were able to commence. My 100 heat composition was the same as the 200. I was in lane 3 again. My start was sluggish, but the reat of the race felt smooth. I accidentally kept my head down for most of the race, sort of just looking at my shadow. "Stop marveling, Dinkins!' I lifted my head (and my knees) with 25m to go and i was home...in 12.84. Again, not great, but points are points afterall.
Finally, the 400 awaited me. I was in lane 4, with Craig and Phil in lanes 2 and 3 and another two guys on my outside. I figured Phil would catch me at the 200 and that I would just hang on and sling-shot off the last turn and into the straightaway. And that's exactly what happened. He caught me just before the 200. I kept pace with him as we bent around the turn, the 3rd 100. Coming out of the turn, I just lifted and I was home free in 56.02. Yuck, a far cry from my season's best of 53.71.
And there--I had done it--the Runner's Pent. I earned 4th place behind lorraine Jasper, Chuck Shields, and Duke grad guy. Duncan was 5th. $75 in my pocket. What is that, $1.25 for every meter raced? And what did I do with the $, you say? Allowance across the board: son, daughter, wife, dog, cat! I'm a giving runner.
Bruce lied. He told me I'd win. I guess he must've assumed I had more gas than I did.
Fri and Sat--8/10 and 8/11--took off. Whew!
Thurs--8/9--Went to meet up with the crew after quite a hiatus. The run was the usual 7.9M through town with pick-ups of 1 minute on/1 minute off beginning at Rosedale (tennis courts). The pick-ups were a bit challenging, and I fell behind after the 5th one. I wa conserving energy, thinking that we were doing 12. As it turned out, only 10 were on the docket. Perhaps that is why I didn't feel as dead over the last 2-3 miles. The guys came to a near stop after the pick-ups. I wanted to push the pace slightly, but the sense was that a more pedestrian place was in order. When all was said and done, we finished in about 58:30.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
at least complete the workout
8-8-12--Went to the YMCA at 5:45. Alternated between lifting and doing miles on the track and treadmill.
8-7-12--Went to WC Henderson HS for the 5:55 AM workout: 5-6 x 1200 w/ 200 jog in-between.
(6 1200s were for the marathoners!)
Run 1--4:33 (45 sec/200; 18:30 5K pace.)
Run 2--4:33
Run 3--4:33
Run 4--4:33
Run 5--4:25 (43+ sec/200; 18:10 5K pace)
Even though I started with them, I felt like I was not prepared to stay with the guys in the top group. I have to get these 1200s down by 15-20 seconds and soon. At least this workout give me slight confidence that I can at least complete the workout.
8-7-12--Went to WC Henderson HS for the 5:55 AM workout: 5-6 x 1200 w/ 200 jog in-between.
(6 1200s were for the marathoners!)
Run 1--4:33 (45 sec/200; 18:30 5K pace.)
Run 2--4:33
Run 3--4:33
Run 4--4:33
Run 5--4:25 (43+ sec/200; 18:10 5K pace)
Even though I started with them, I felt like I was not prepared to stay with the guys in the top group. I have to get these 1200s down by 15-20 seconds and soon. At least this workout give me slight confidence that I can at least complete the workout.
Monday, August 6, 2012
So weakening was the heat and humidity
8-6-12
I was supposed to go to the Y this morning to lift, but I was running late. So, I decided not to go and to use a few minutes to check email and to write an entry.
8-5-12
On tap for Justin, DJ and me was a ten miler. We'd do the first part of the 11.4/11.5M run and then turn right onto Shiloh instead of doing the loop a second time. We'd take Shiloh to the path again, and after .6M begin Rustin's XC course. We'd do the course 2 full times (3.15M or so) and well into the third loop around the course we'd peel off and finish at my house for an even 10M. The 11:00 heat and humdity proved to be too much for us, especially DJ, who began to wilt during the 4th mile. So weakening was the heat and humidity, even at 7:30 pace, that we stopped at the 5.7M mark (my house) and took a breather. After 6-7 minutes' rest and refuel (Powerade) and that amount of time to help my wife with the groceries after she pulled into the driveway, we began the rest of the course. Going at a pedestrian pace (8:30), we managed to drag ourselves over the hills of the rather bucolic course that is conveniently adjacent to my house. Overall, this was not the prettiest, most refreshing run in the world but it was a run nonetheless.
I was supposed to go to the Y this morning to lift, but I was running late. So, I decided not to go and to use a few minutes to check email and to write an entry.
8-5-12
On tap for Justin, DJ and me was a ten miler. We'd do the first part of the 11.4/11.5M run and then turn right onto Shiloh instead of doing the loop a second time. We'd take Shiloh to the path again, and after .6M begin Rustin's XC course. We'd do the course 2 full times (3.15M or so) and well into the third loop around the course we'd peel off and finish at my house for an even 10M. The 11:00 heat and humdity proved to be too much for us, especially DJ, who began to wilt during the 4th mile. So weakening was the heat and humidity, even at 7:30 pace, that we stopped at the 5.7M mark (my house) and took a breather. After 6-7 minutes' rest and refuel (Powerade) and that amount of time to help my wife with the groceries after she pulled into the driveway, we began the rest of the course. Going at a pedestrian pace (8:30), we managed to drag ourselves over the hills of the rather bucolic course that is conveniently adjacent to my house. Overall, this was not the prettiest, most refreshing run in the world but it was a run nonetheless.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Warm and humid. Yuck
8/4/12--At 8:15, DJ and I made our way to Westtown School's track for 8x400 at a 5K minus 15 sec pace. This meant 80 seconds. The rest would be 1:30 during a 200m jog. (We took 1:45 between 400s 1 and 2 and 7 and 8, though.) Otherwise we were strictly business. 81,80,80,80,80,80,79,78. After the first two, DJ was on average 1 sec behind for #s 3-5. He was then an average of 2 seconds behind on #s 6 and 7. He ran 78 on #8. Warm and humid. Yuck. Overall, we're on our way to getting into 5K shape.
8/3/12--took off
8/2/12--Too much going on with family. Crisis. Decided not to run at the Phoenixville meet once I got home. Instead I did a 6.6M run with DJ. 46:43.
8/1/12--took off, on account of my plan to run at the meet at Phoenixville High School on Thursday.
8/3/12--took off
8/2/12--Too much going on with family. Crisis. Decided not to run at the Phoenixville meet once I got home. Instead I did a 6.6M run with DJ. 46:43.
8/1/12--took off, on account of my plan to run at the meet at Phoenixville High School on Thursday.
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