January 11, Wednesday

” GONE IN 60 SECONDS”

On this unseasonably warm afternoon I decided to test he cinder track.  The melted show posed a threat of mushy cinders, but I figured it might be better than slushy roads.  The track had some soft spots and wet spots.  So I devised a brilliant plan to mark off a 200m segment of dry track to run some 8:00 pace repeats.   That would be 60 seconds per 200m.   It was a shot, and I wasn’t sure if it was even possible.  I found two permanent fixtures that were 200m apart and began fully dressed.  Layers were discarded as the workout progressed.  To my surprise I was able to complete 8 x 200m all under 60 seconds rather comfortably. The temptation to extend to 10x was present, but I stopped at 8x out of caution.  The whole event (location, weather conditions and workout) was quite exhilarating !  I can’t imagine a more positive January workout  at this stage of my training.  For logging purposes the interval times are listed, noting 60 second recovery between each 200m. ( 53, 59, 54, 58, 53, 53, 46, 56 )  Total time with warm-up and drills and cool down was 56 minutes and 3 miles. Ending HR was 144 BPM.  No leg or foot aches.

Stats are stable.

January 9th,  Monday

Free Floating ………

I procrastinated for most of today for two reasons. First, it was very cold and I was pretty much chicken to go out. Second, I really was not looking forward to running on the treadmill in the gym again today. However, as I w,as preparing to leave a flash struck me. Even though I’m not allowed  to swim because of my cataract operation, I can run in the water because I don’t have to put my head in water to run. This amazing insight reinvigorated me, and I headed to the clubhouse with enthusiasm. I had not done any water running for more than a month I suppose. So I managed to run for 25 minutes with   6 x the 30-20-10 surge sequence spaced throughout.  I think it was a very good aerobic workout and a very good anaerobic effort. All that accomplished with no foot strikes. Amazing!          Better weather for the next few days.

Stats-

I-Mad = 1

a.m. HR = 56BPM

Sleep =9 hours

Weight = #155

Workout = 25 minute water run with six 30-20-10 surge⚓

January 8th,  Sunday

Took the day off on Saturday to recover from Friday’s cinder pickups and watch the snow.

Today I spent 30 minutes in the gym.  10 on bike, 20 on tredmill. Last mile @ 10:00. Then 10 minutes in the whirlpool before watching the Giants get their ass kicked by Aaron Rodgers. I think he will win the Superbowl this year.

January 6th, Friday

Back to running pickups …..

There’s something women like about a pickup man!

On this chilly, January afternoon I headed to the cinder track with the goal of running four safe miles. Well padded, I started slowly, stopped for some warm up leg drills, a few lunges and stretches.  I inserted  70 to 100 stride pickups on each straightaway of the half-mile track, 11 in all over the 4 miles.  My legs feel better on each lap and I was experiencing no aerobic difficulty. I stopped only out of an abundance of caution even though I felt that I could have gone much further. So far the cold weather has not presented any difficulty. I am happy to be feeling comfortable running pickups again because I think that is one of the keys  to achieving maximum fitness.  I am glad I got this workout in before tomorrow’s predicted snowfall. Now iceing, rolling and drinking chocolate milk.

Stats –

I-Mad =1

Sleep = 7 hours

Weight = #154

a.m.HR = 54BPM

Workout = 4 miles, 11 pickups,  60 minutes ?

January 5th, Thursday

I set out expecting to walk about 20 minutes to recover today, even left my watch home.  But, since my legs felt so fresh, I started to jog a little.  I ended up running for a half hour at a pretty solid pace, improving as I went along.  Pleased to be able to do a little more than expected on this cold day.          (2.5 miles)

Stats –

I-Mad = 0

a.m.HR = 55BPM

Weight = #154

Sleep = 10 hours

Workout = Steady, relaxed 30 minutes recovery

January 1,2, 3
The last 3 days were New Year’s Day on which we had the annual O’Rourke family Christmas party, and two very bitter cold rainy days. I managed to get in one session at the clubhouse. I decided to try the 20 minute bike workout suggested by Dr. Mirkin because time was short. This consists of five-minute warmup and 5 minute cooldown with 10 minutes in the middle of 20 second full effort bursts every minute. It does get the heart rate up and fatigue the legs for a considerable time afterwards. I followed up with a very refreshing 15 minutes in the hot whirlpool. That was on the 2nd.  1/3 was off.

Poor statting these days……

January 4th,  Wednesday

During my run today I decided to give myself a little time trial.  Since the last five or so months have been marked by inconsistent training segments, I have been wondering what is my current level of fitness.  So, when my legs felt good today at the beginning of my run,  I decided I would turn it into a one mile time trial.  I had warmed up and done leg drills indoors and had layered plenty for the Run. After a mile jog, I ran six stright-aways as I gradually delayered.  I set out with a goal of breaking 10:00 for the mile.  Early on my watch was reading closer to 8:00, which kind of shocked me.  I don’t believe I have  run anything close to that in months.  So I settled down and  held a  steady pace  for the next  minutes.  It was quite windy throughout.   I would judge my perceived effort to be 75 /80%.   The final time for the mile was 9:08!   I was pleasantly surprised.  The total workout covered  4.33 miles and took 1 hour.  The forecasts suggest that this will be the last of the very nice winter training days for a while as temperatures will be dropping into the twenties for the foreseeable future.  I am glad to have gotten this indicator today.

Stats –

I-Mad =1

Sleep = 8 hours

a.m.HR = 55BPM

Weight  = #154

WORKOUT = 4.33 miles  in 1 hour with 1 MILE trial @  9:08