Sunday, 11/29/15

Met up with Bruce, Duncan, Rob, Chuck Shields, Mary, John Curtis, and Betsy at Radnor HS for a workout.  I opted for a dirty dozen: 12x150.  The plan was to do 4 at 22, 4 at 21, and 4 at 20 with 3:00-sharp between runs.  My series was:
23-high
23-low
21-mid
22-high
21-mid
21-mid
21-low
21-low
20-high
20-low
20-mid
19-high

My main man Bruce had an exemplary first half of the workout and he did a great job digging in at the end when the going got tough.  He was spent after 8 150s, but hung in there.  Each week he increases his capacity for work.  His future in the 400 and 800 is looking might bright.

For comparison, on Thanksgiving Day 2014 I managed:
23
24
22
22
22
22
22
22
21
21
20
20

I do believe I took 2:00 rest, though.

As always, it was so very good to hang out with the gang afterwards.  My bud Bruce treated me to a coffee and almond butter croissant.  Delicious!  The joy and camaraderie after a hard workout make all the difference!

Trotting like a Turkey: 29th out of 2369

Thursday, 11/26--
First, Happy Anniversary to my beautiful wife.  Twenty-one years and counting...

I left at 6:40 AM and drove to Downingtown West HS, stopping to get money along the way.  My car read 31 degrees.  Parked in the high school parking lot at about 7:05 or so.  I got a great space.  Registered for the race so very easily!  Walked/jogged to stadium.  According to the announcer, about 3000 people registered for the Turkey Trot.   (As it turned out, about 2400 would compete.)  I happened upon John Lavin, like I did three years ago when I ran this race.   Warmed up on track and surrounding area.  Stretched a bit in restroom, where it was warmer.  Sat in car for a few minutes.  Got to the starting line, which was in front of the STEM Academy.  I made my way up to the front of the HUGE crowd.  Lining up at the starting area was easy this year.  Gun went off at 8:01, and I got out pretty well.   Like three years ago, I found myself in the company of Rachel McGinnis.  I could see John Lavin and John Manion about 15-20 meters ahead.  I figured I'd hang onto her and keep Manion and Lavin in sight.  I reached the mile mark in 5:40, two seconds behind Rachel and about 7-8 seconds behind Manion and Lavin.   I was on my way.  I tried to stay relaxed and to maintain my rhythm.  I realized that I was on pace to run about 17:30, that is, until I started losing my confidence.  I checked my watch saw that I was 10:25 into the race and with about seven minutes to go. By mile 2, I realized I had let the crew I was following get too far ahead me--10 seconds.   I tried to maintain but felt myself falling off the pace.  With about 1K to go I started pushing myself to pick off a few runners ahead of me.  I managed to get 3-4 of them.  With about 500 meters to go, I began to wane.  I was not digging in. I was trotting like  turkey!   With about 300 meters left, I saw that my watch was inching towards 17:00.  With 100 meters remaining, I was passed by the three of four or five runners I had passed.  I was miffed.  I finished in a pedestrian 17:55.  After a 5:40 first mile, I'd wager a guess that I ran 5:45 for the second mile and 5:55 for the third mile. I  think I could have run a bit faster and most certainly wish I could've broken 17:30.  I wasn't dead afterwards, though.  40th place/2369.  I left not quite 10 minutes after I had finished.  I had to head home to be picked up at 9:00 or so for a football game in Havertown.  I could have stayed in Downingtown longer and enjoyed the festive atmosphere, as my ride to the football game did not arrive to my house until well after I had arrived, 9:30.  The game was fun as usual, and I had a few good catches.  I'm so sore, though, now. 

Mental toughness

Saturday, 11/21/15-Met with Bruce, Duncan, Mary, Tim, and Rebecca at Radnor HS for an 8AM workout, a departure from our recent Sunday morning series.  The workout was for Bruce to do 8 x 200; I'd keep pace with him and tack on an additional 100.  Duncan and Tim would run 8x300 as well.  Bruce was supposed to hit his first four 200s in 30 and his second four in 28.   I was supposed to pass through the 200 mark in 30 for my first four and in 28 for my second four.   We would take 3:30 between the first four runs, 7:00 between sets, and 4:30 between the second four runs.

Bruce: Set 1: 30-mid, 30-low, 31-low, 30-high; Set 2: 28-low, 28-mid, 28-high, 29-low.
Me: Set 1: 30-mid/47-low, 30-low/46-high, 31-low/48-low, 30-high/47-mid; Set 2: 29-low/45-low, 29-mid/45-mid, 30-mid/48-low, 30-low/47-mid.

Bruce was pleased with his workout, whereas I wasn't.  I had an off day.  Then again, I should check to see how this workout stacks up against a similar lot.

Duncan and Tim had what appeared to be a great series.

Hats off to Bruce for mental toughness...and for the coffee and almond croissant.

Friday, 11/20/15-took off

Thursday, 11/19/15-Arrived at the WC Country Club at 5:39 AM, but the crew had already taken off.  They were early, and I was on time.  At any rate, I spent the first 3/4 mile catching up with the folks in the rear and the next 3/4 or so after that catching up with the folks in the front.  I learned that the workout was 8 x 2:00 on/1:00 off.  I got the drift close to 100 meters behind John Lavin and Ed McConnell; the rest of the power group were taking it easy on account of having competed the night before.  Lavin and Ed would nearly double their lead by the time we stopped at the 4M mark.  (We started at the usual corner, about 1.7M or so into the run.  12:20.)  I wound up running my usual 7.1M route...in about 50:30.

made up for it

Wednesday, 11/18-Ran 4.4M in 34:15 (Two Rustin runs)--17:40, 16:35.  Easy.  Felt pretty good.

Tuesday, 11/17-

The workout was 4 x 1200 with 400m jog between runs.  The fourth one saw me drop the hammer (maintain) over the last 400, running 4:10, a full 5-6 seconds in front of the rest.

Run 1: 4:22
Run 2: 4:20
Run 3: 4:19
Run 6: 4:10

I hit between 2:52 and 2:55 at the half for most of these. 

Incidentally, there were just a couple of us in the top group.  I would let them start before I did, and I'd close the gap over the course of the 1200.  They's plow through the 400 meter rest; I took a bit longer, but made up for it during the run.  Thus, my runs were a bit faster than theirs, as I took a few more seconds of rest.

make my mind, body and spirit align.

Went to Radnor HS to meet Bruce, Neil, and Duncan at 8:00.  I had planned to do the Sit-in-Kick workout with Bruce.   

My caveat: The workout as designed for a 2:00 800m high school runner is 5x (400m @ 64 . . . rest 30-sec . . . 200m @ 28), then jog 1000m between sets. Since I am not able to run 800 meters in 2:00 (YET), I modified the workout accordingly.  The target for me today was 64 for the 400s and 22 for the 150s.  My goal for Bruce was to do the 400s in 65 and skip the 150s altogether.

Today was 40 degrees and slight winds.

The first set:  65-low for the 400, 22-mid for the 150.  Jogged 1000 for 8:30 break, about 10:00 for Bruce.  Bruce in 65.

The second set: 63-mid for the 400, 23-low for the 150.  1000m jog in 8:30.  Bruce in 63.

Third set:  Ran 64-low,  150 in mid 22-high. 1000m jog in 8:30.  Bruce in 64.

Fourth set: 65-low for the 400, 22-high for the 150.  1000m jog in 8:30.  Bruce in 73. 

Fifth set:  60-mid for the 400, 21-low 150.   Boyah!  Bruce took me through the first 200 only.  He ran 29/30, as did I.   Bruce also ran the 150 with me in 21-mid.

I tried to make my mind, body and spirit align.  I tried not to press, preferring instead to keep my arms relaxed, even lower at times.  The more relaxed and composed I look, the less tight and tied up I feel.  

Bruce: consider this workout a belated birthday gift!

I had no real idea

Thursday, 11.12.15-Arrived late to for the run AGAIN.  The crew was nearly a minute ahead of me.  I learned about a half-mile into the run, when passing a couple of people, that the workout was a 3-mile tempo.  I had no real idea of when/where the tempo would start.  I tried to close the gap between the main group and me before reaching the starting point.

The starting point, for me, wound up being at the 11:00-mark, about 1.5M into the run.  I started the tempo and felt flat from the beginning.  There was "low-hanging fruit" in front of me, but I had neither the motivation nor inclination to catch them.  Instead I just kept pace with them, hanging anywhere between 25 and 50 meters behind them.  The 3-mile mark was in the industrial area at a semi-random pine tree.   Reaching what was probably the 4.5M mark, I had covered the 3-mile tempo in 19:30, or 6:30 mile pace.  This was better than I thought.  As we jogged on Fern Hill, I heard John Lavin, who was in the group that started well before I had, mention that his miles were 6:22, 6:32, 6:18, or something like that.  This means he was running at an average of about 6:25/mile pace.  I really wasn't that bad off pace.  I would imagine that Manion and Ed were a bit faster.  Oh well.

Wednesday, 11/11/15-Took off

I went the distance

Tuesday, 11/10/15-
Went to Henderson this morning for the 5:50 AM workout.
Arrived late and had time for just a 1200 meter jog.  Not stretching.  Argh.

The workout was 4 x 1 mile with a 400 meter between runs for the advanced group, 3 x 1 mile for the intermediate group, and 5 x 800 for the beginner group.

I trailed the top group over the first couple of miles.
On my third mile I eclipsed John Lavin and another guy whose name I cannot remember.
A short cut across the field (instead of a 400 meter jog) put me in touch with the top group for the fourth mile.
I ran the fourth mile with John Callaghan, John Manion; Ed McConnell dropped out at the 400 meter mark, Kevin Kelly dropped at the half-mile mark.  I went the distance, passing Callaghan with 450 meters to go and Manion with 100 to go.

My runs:
6:03 (rest was 2:15, ran the perimeter of the football field.
5:58 ditto
5:55; 1:40 (on account of jogging around the track to the 50 yard line and cross the field)
5:28

Monday, 11/9/15-took off

The hanging out afterwards was fun as always.

Met up with Bruce, Chuck K., Duncan, Rob, Betsy, Mary and her husband (whose name escapes me right now) at Radnor at 8 AM for a workout.  The weather was decent: mid-40s but windy.

Bruce and I would do shorter faster repeats, while everyone else did either 400s (78/80) or 200s (Betsy 39/42).

Bruce and I were scheduled to do 5 sets of 200 at my 800 meter pace, 2 min break, then 150 at 400 meter pace.  This meant 32 and 20 (or 21-Bruce), respectively.  We'd take 5 min between sets.

Set 1: 32, 20-low
Set 2: 31-mid, 20-mid
Set 3: 31-low, 20-mid
Set 4: 31-mid, 19-high (done in reverse direction, with wind at our back)
Set 5: 29-mid, 19-mid (done in reverse direction, with wind at our back)

Bruce wound up running 20s for the most part.  We're on out way!

The hanging out afterwards was fun as always.

Talk about a workout!

Tuesday, 11/3-Arrived a little late to WC Henderson (5:38 AM).  Was still able to get in a mile and stretch for 2-3 minutes.  The workout for the advanced option was 2 miles, 400 meter jog, 1 mile, 400 meter jog, and 2 miles.  Talk about a workout!

My runs:

First two miles: 12:01
Mile: 6:01
Second two miles: 11:31

My pace for these runs was super even!

Monday, 11/2-ran about 3.4M

"...plenty of things that we could be doing that feel good," so says Rob.

Sunday, 11/1--On this 56-degree but a bit windy day, I headed to Radnor HS to meet Bruce, Duncan, Carl, Rob (he's back!), and John (he's back, too!).  Newcomer Athena runner Rebecca showed as well.  The workout, at Bruce's behest, was 3 x (300 @ 48 (2 min rest), 200 @ 30 (2 min rest), 150 @ 21 (2 min rest) with 800-meter jog (6 min) between sets).

My runs: Set 1--49-low, 29-high, 20-mid; Set 2--47-high, 29-mid, 20-mid; Set 3--47-low, 29-low, 20-mid.  The 2-minute rests hovered around 2:15, and the 6-minute rests were about 7.  

I think this workout was sufficiently challenging for everyone, although at least two people seemed to be game for a fourth set!  Perhaps next time we'll make that happen.

While I can no longer recall the exact context of his remark, during our post-workout commiseration period Rob observed,  "There are plenty of things that we could be doing that feel good, but we're not doing them now."  Just like Bruce has come to call me the executioner, I think I'll start calling Rob double entendre!