Am I getting older and slower, or do I just need to be patient ?

Sat, 12/30-Bruce and I carpooled from my house to The Armory, leaving for NYC at about 3:15 or so.  We arrived at about 4:30 on this frigid, 19-degree day, in plenty of time to warm up, given how slow the 5:00 Sprint Night meet was going. After a few heats of the men's and women's 60H, we saw a lot of 60m dash action. (Go Ross!) We checked in for the 400. I was in heat 5, lane 4. Bruce and Ray were in heat 6, lanes 2 and 3, I believe.

I tried to stay warm, as the race didn't go off for quite some time. I thought it'd go off at 5:45 or 6:00; it was more like 6:30. My first 50 meters were okay, but then I backed off and found myself in fifth place (of six) at the break. I hit the 200 mark in 26.273 and finished up in 56.21, for a 29.934 second 200. Despite the pedestrian pace, I got fourth in my heat.

http://www.armorytrack.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=45586&mgroup_event_id=9244&year=2017&do=videos&video_id=225368



More than an hour later I'd race the 200 from lane 1 (heat 12). Boy was this a bad lane draw! 25.96, a mere hundred of a second faster than my performance at Lehigh a few weeks ago, was all I could manage. Oh well.

http://www.armorytrack.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=45586&mgroup_event_id=9244&year=2017&do=videos&video_id=225441

Am I getting older and slower, or do I just need to be patient as I roll out my game plan this season?

Fri, 12/29-Went to the Y with the wife to run a mile or so and then stretch.

Maybe it was the cold.

Thurs, 12/28-

Feel better today but still a little sluggish.  Knowing my plan was to head into work today, I used Pingry's track. I arrived at 6:30ish. After a fairly thorough indoor warmup, I headed into the 15-degree icebox outside. 

Today's tune-up workout would be 3 x150 and 3x100 where I was supposed to hit 1x21, 1x20, 1x19 and 1 x 13-low, 1x12-high, 1x12 mid.   I was well off these marks! I'm just not that fast right now! Maybe it was the cold.

150s: 21-high, 21-mid, 20-low
100s: 13-mid, 13-low, 12-mid

I hope to run in the 55-mid and 25-low ranges for the 400 and 200 on Saturday.    

26.5/28.5=55
20.5/20.5/14=55

27/28.5=55.5
20.5/21/14=55.5


Wed, 12/27-Went to the Y with V. The plan was to do 4 x (4 min on treadmill + 4 min lifting). Felt sluggish. Did 2 sets and shot some hoops!

A little

Tuesday, 12/26-

Went to the Y with V at 10-ish for a lactate threshold run on the treadmill, followed by a little lifting. I covered 2M in 12:00 exactly.

Monday, Christmas Day-

Took off

Sunday, 12/24, Christmas Eve.

Connected with a few of my teammates at Germantown Academy for a workout.  My plan was to do 8x200 with 60 seconds' rest, but Rob proposed that we do 10x200 in two sets of five--60 seconds' rest between repeats and 6 min rest between sets.  I agreed.

31-mid
32-low
31-high
32-low
32-low

31-high
32-mid-
32-mid
31-high
30-high

Saturday, 12/23-

Ran 4M on the canal trail (29:30), followed by a lifting session at the Y.

Friday, 12/22-a little lifting at the Y

24-high

Thurs, 12/21-In 24-degree weather, I went to Pingry in the early AM for some 150s.  The plan was to do 9, but I switched to 8: 2 @23, 2@ 22, @ @ 21, and 2 @ 20.

23-mid, 24-high, 22-high, 22-high, 21-high, 21-high, 20-high, 20-low

Wed, 12/20-Went to the Y at just before 6AM for what I will call 4 and 4s: 4:00 on the treadmill, 4:00 lifting.  I started at 8:00 pace (.5M) and worked my way down to 6:15 (.65M), over 4 rotations.

Tues, 12/19-Went to Pingry for 200s.  The plan was 8x200 with 60 seconds' rest, with the goal 32-sec pace.

31-mid
31-mid
31-high
31-high
32-low
32-mid
31-mid
30-low

Monday, 12/18-Went to the Y at just before 6AM for what I will call 4 and 4s: 4:00 on the treadmill, 4:00 lifting.  I started at 8:00 pace (.5M) and worked my way down to 6:15 (.65M), over 4 rotations.

Lifted

Sunday, 12/17-Went to the Y, parked, and ran a 2.67M loop (in 20:15; 7:35/M pace) on the roads.  Lifted.

Could I be getting stronger?

Saturday, 12/16-With snow still on the ground and track, I went to the Y with V for a nice workout.  After an 8:00 mile warmup on the treadmill, my plan was to do a 2M tempo run.  I managed just under 12:00 on the treadmill, right on the spot.  I then lifted for 15 minutes or so.  Could I be getting stronger?  I've never lifted this frequently!

Friday, 12/15-Went to the Y at just before 6AM for what I will call 4 and 4s: 4:00 on the treadmill, 4:00 lifting.  I started at 8:00 pace (.5M) and worked my way down to 6:15 (.65M), over 4 rotations.

Thursday, 12/14-Went to Pingry in the early morning for a sprint workout on the Curve Treadmill.  I was itching for a little speed, even with the track covered.  After a mile warmup in the field house, I hit the Curve for 8 x 30 seconds with 90 seconds rest.  The machine wasn't that bad.  I had never used it really.  It was a good workout.

Wednesday, 12/13-Went to the Y at just before 6AM for what I will call 4 and 4s: 4:00 on the treadmill, 4:00 lifting.  I started at 8:00 pace (.5M) and worked my way down to 6:15 (.65M), over 4 rotations.

Tuesday, 12/12-Went to Pingry in the early morning hours, believing that the track had been cleared of snow.  After warming up in the field house, I went outside to begin a 2M or 2.5M tempo/lactate threshold run.  When I got to the 300m mark, I hit snow and ice!  Argh.  The stretch was for close to 100 meters.  On the spot, I decided I would just do 300s with a 100m jog of about 45 seconds.  I wound up doing 8 of them, each in about 60 seconds. This would have to do.  I then went into the weight room for some lifting.

Worse than expected/Better than expected

Monday, 12/11-took off

Sunday, 12/10-Went to the Y with V.  Took it easy after yesterday's meet.
4:00 on treadmill at about 7:45 pace
4:00 lifting--one upper body machine, one leg machine
4:00 on treadmill at about 7:20 pace
4:00 lifting--one upper body machine, one leg machine
4:00 on treadmill at about 6:55 pace
4:00 lifting--one upper body machine, one leg machine
4:00 on treadmill at about 6:30 pace

Saturday, 12/9-Left home at about 11:20AM to head to Lehigh University's Fast Times Before Finals meet.  I had registered for the 500 and 200, with seed times of 1:13 and 26.5.  I connected with a couple of teammates: Ross O'Neil, Wayne Folk, Wally Hernandez..  My first race was scheduled for 1:55, although it wound up being a bit earlier since men were running before women, a change from what was listed on time schedule.

I ran a mile warm up on this snowy day.

I was in heat 8 (of 9), lane 5 (of 6).  There was one guy to my outside and 3 to my inside, a nearly full heat.

I got out reasonably well and found myself in third at the 200.  I saw 43xx at the 300 meter mark.  But, I was boxed in.  I spent the next 150 a little stuck.  I imagine I was at 58xx at the 400.  I wasn't quite able to muster a strong enough kick to overcome my deficit.  So, 1:14.60, fifth in my heat and a little worse than expected, would have to do...for now.  I jogged off the track afterwards, knowing I had a second or two left in the tank.

I cooled down.

I warmed up again, another mile.  With plenty of time to spare, I stretched again.

For the 200, I was in heat 12 (of 14), lane 6, with no one to my outside.  I got our well, but the guy to my immediate inside caught me at about the 130-meter mark.  I tried to relax and keep my arms moving, managing 25.97, 2nd in my heat and better than expected.


Friday, 12/8-took off

800m training

https://800mtraining.wordpress.com/

comfortably hard

Thurs, 12/7/17-Did 9x150, my first set in five months.  I went to Pingry for the workout, arriving there at 6:25AM, a little later than usual.  I began warming up inside the gym/field house at 6:30 AM and took to the track at about 6:50 AM.  (8 min mile, 8 min stretch, 2 min spike up). The goal was 3 in 23, 3 in 22, and 3 in 21, with a 2:30 break of walking and jogging between each (no additional time between sets).

Set 1: 24-low, 23-mid, 23-low
Set 2: 22-mid, 22-low, 22-mid
Set 3: 21-mid, 21-mid, 20-low

Wed, 12/6/17-Didn't sleep well.  Exhausted.  Slept in.  Skipped workout.

Tues, 12/5/17-Per Pete Carroll's advice, I completed a tempo/lactate threshold run of 2.5M, even after staying up beyond midnight to watch my Steelers.  He mentioned that I should do a lactate threshold run of 2-3 miles every week or two.  The run felt comfortably hard.  I could have run the full 3M, but I didn't want to overexert myself.

85, 2:28, 4:30, 6:03, 7:35, 9:07, 10:38, 12:08 (6:05), 13:37, 15:05.

in the area

Monday, 12/4-Went to the Y at 5:50AM.  Lifted for 15 minutes, then ran an easy 4M in the area: S. Branch, to Beekman, to Triangle, to CVS and back.  29:40. 7:25/mile pace.

Tried my luck

Sun, 12/3-The other day I reached out to Pete Carroll (Swarthmore) for a little 400/800-meter training advice, as I feel I am getting a little stale.  Here's what he said:

So, I like doing simulations.  For example 6-8X 200m, 1 minute rest, at current fitness race pace for 800m.  After a couple weeks of that (1 time per week), you can increase parts of the durations i.e. 200m, 300m, 200m, 300m, 200m, and then build to 200m, 400m, 200m, 300m, 200m.....even putting in a 500m where the 400 was.  You may need to have a 2 minute rest after the 200m following the long interval.  I like to keep the rest 1 minute after the long interval and run the 200m tired to work on maintaining form.  

Another workout I like, and that may be fun for you is running 100m, 110m, 120m, 130m, 140m, 150m, 160m, 170m, 180m, 190m, 200m.  So, you need to put a cone (or some sort of marker) every 10m.  Start out the 100m at current fitness for the Mile, slowly segue-way (sic) to current 800m race pace by 150m, and segue-way (sic) to current 400m race pace by the 200m endpoint.  The rest between each one is easy jog back to your next start point.   

The final suggestion is to maintain a 2-3 mile tempo run (and you can do this on the track) once a week or once every two weeks.  Take your recent 5k race pace and run the tempo/threshold at 85% of that race pace.  If you are not sure how to figure out your tempo/threshold pace, you can use the Jack Daniels calculator found here:  http://runsmartproject.com/calculator/.  For example, if your current race pace for 5k is 7:00/mile, run your tempo/threshold at 7:27 pace on the track.  You need to hit the training button to find out your threshold pace.  Let me know if you have and other questions.

He went on to say, 

if you are in pretty good shape, I think you could do the threshold workout and the simulations each once a week. I would stay at a certain pace for 3-4 weeks until you go a little faster.  The rest of the week would be maintenance.  I wouldn't start doing the 100, 110, 120 workout until maybe 6-8 weeks before a upcoming big race.  That is just a sharpening workout.  

So, I tried my luck at 8x200 with a 60-second rest.  The result: 33-low, 32-high, 32-low, 32-mid, 32-mid, 33-low, 33-low, 31-low.  My goal is to get these down to sub-30.

Sat, 12/2-Just lifted a little.

Fri, 12/1-Ran about 4M.

Thurs, 11/30-While in Anaheim, I ran about three miles on the road, followed by 6x300 on the treadmill, using the 11.5 setting.  I then lifted a little.