As February slips away, I am taking some well needed rest. I think that I got a little over zealous last week. Took off two days. A few easy pre-race days and a 5K on Saturday will reveal my current fitness level.
Ran 4 miles on very tired legs today. (54:35) Nothing to write home about.
The St. Augustine Lighthouse 5K is in 6 days. So I will need to recover and rebuild my legs this week. Looking for a solid 3.1 somewhere around /under 27 minutes.
I-Mad = Still 0 !!?
Weight = #153
Sleep = 6 hrs. Up at sunrise ?over ocean for birthday.
a.m.HR = 153BPM
Workout = 4 tough miles at 13:23
I ran 2.65 miles in 30:30 tonight along Beach A1A. All the joints on the strip were jumping as the temperature remained near 80* at 7:p.m. The lighting was much better for this after dark, easy, recovery run.
First the facts. Today I ran for about an hour and 10 minutes. I covered five and a quarter miles with 10 pickups practicing my 180 strides per minute (SPM)cadence. That cadence is a little scary, but I am getting more confident as I get more comfortable at it. I have run frequent pickups for 30 seconds at that 180 SPM and a few pickups of one minute at that cadence. My Garmin reords that when I am doing these pickups I am running at below seven minute per mile pace. Also more pool frolicking after.
So it appears that I have settled into a two day on- one day rest sequence. I chuckled to myself today as I was thinking of that concept. I developed that idea for a runner I once coached named Juan York. Juan was a very good distance runner who was in the same class with my son, Rob. He was having lots of leg problems one season. He was willing to work hard but was having serious problems completing workouts each day. So I created the two day on – one day off sequence for Juan. I told him, “You make will be able to complete each workout because you are either coming off a day’s rest or you will have a day’s rest tomorrow.” Juan bought into the idea and had a very successful season. So now I’m selling that concept to myself. So far I have managed to avoid any leg problems using that sequence.
NEW TRAINING RUNS – today while running in my shaded neighborhood I stumbled upon a fence with a pedestrian gate that led to Anastasia State Park. I followed a lady who was walking her dog through the gate and asked her about the place. It turns out that there are numerous shaded trails to run and eventually it winds back to the beach from which I can actually run home to our condo in Saint Augustine Beach. So now I can access the State Park trails and the shaded neighborhood without running any public streets or roads. That makes it easier and safer. I plan to make a lot of use of that area in the next month.
I-Mad – Still 0 ?
a.m.HR -54BPM
Weight -#153
Sleep -9 hours
Workout -5 miles with 10 pickups @ 180SPM
I hope that my most frequent readers have not become bored with the descriptions of my runs on the beach in st. Augustine. Each time I run on this beautiful beach I am cognizant of how fortunate I am to be able to spend two months a year, during the worst weather in the Northeast, in St.Augustine. Today’s run was one of those special experiences. So, if you have heard enough from me about beautiful experiences on the beaches of St. Augustine, you can skip the next paragraph and just read the next sentence. I ran 5 miles in 55 minutes with a final mile of 9:47.
After checking the tides last night for St Augustine Beach, I was able to plan my day to get out during the Sweet Spot in the cycle. The sand had a firm but forgiving consistency and was as flat has a board. The temperature was about 68 degrees at noon and there was a friendly, convenient, comfortable cloud cover. ( The midday Florida Sun can wreak havoc on a fair Irishman.) The surf was a bit rough and there was a gentle breeze from the south that sprayed a mist near the water’s edge. I started to the south into the mist and the breeze. My first goal was to run just 30 minutes. But I was so comfortable that I quickly upped it to 40 minutes and eventually to a full hour. I turned around when my watch read two and a half miles and exactly 30 minutes. The pace was relaxed and effortless as I headed back north. By the time I reached mile four, it had begun to rain and a pretty stiff wind blew at my back. With that edge I managed a 9:47 final mile. The final two and a half miles back was completed in 25:20. Perfect external conditions; relaxed and pain-free striding; emotionally and mentally content; SUBLIME!
Haven’t heard this in a while. …
I-Mad =0
a.m.HR = 54BPM
Weight = #152.4
Sleep = 9 hours
I-Mad = 1?
a.m.HR – 54BPM
Weight = #153.5
Sleep = 9 hours
Workout = 4 good miles on beach?
??Grey skies are gonna clear up. Put on a happy face!?
Today I headed out to the beach for a run. It’s been a while since I have gotten back to the beach. But the high tide blocked most of the solid sand, so I quickly reversed and started back toward the shaded neighborhood. As usual after a day of rest, my legs felt pretty springy. In the neighborhood I did two miles at quicker pace. Mile 3 was 9:08 and mile 4 was at 8:42. Both efforts were pretty comfortable. A slow Jog and walk home completed a 6-mile day. Not bad!
I-Mad =1
a.m.HR = 54BPM
Weight = #153.5
Sleep = 9 hours
Workout = 6 miles in 1:08 with 2 miles at 9:08 & 8:42
Seeking a little more pace in my training, I set out for a shorter, quicker run today. The result was 2.75 miles in 30 minutes with 4 x 180 Stride Per Minute (SPM) pickups of 30 seconds. That is 90 strides in 30 seconds. The objective is to gradually increase the distance at which to run this 180 SPM pace until I can sustain it for 1500 meters. I have not tried to run that cadence for more than one minute yet. I am getting more comfortable at it. This usually results in sore legs the next day. So today was a day for recovery.
With an unrelenting wind out of the West all day today I finally got out around 5 o’clock for a 2.92 mile run 36 minutes. Looking only for a comfortable recovery run, I stayed on a safe, flat sidewalk that formed a loop around the neighborhood.
I-Mad = 1
Sleep = 9 hours
a.m.HR = 54BPM
Weight = #152,5
Workout = 2.92 miles in 36:00