All posts by Robby

30+20+10×5×3 = 15 That’s Training Math!

Training

April 20, Wednesday,    5 p.m.

FORTUITOUS BREEZING!

On this bright and sunny spring day I was very fortunate to get in a workout that I did not anticipate.   I haven’t been very happy with the way my left foot has been feeling over the last few days.   And I was determined not to run again until it felt completely healed.  This is the foot I believe has been compensating for my sore Achilles tendon.  When I woke up this morning there was pain in my left foot again.  I decided that this would be another non running day.   I heated my left foot for 30 minutes before I began walking on it this morning.   This would have to be a swimming and biking day for sure .  On a trip to Home Depot early in the afternoon Arlene  and I passed the Horse Track.   I felt the cinders calling, and we decided to stop and walk a little to see how my foot felt.   It turned out there were no negative feelings, no soreness as I walked and began to jog.  It occurred to me as I was jogging that I was wearing my old Brooks trainers instead of my newer Asics. The shoe seemed to fit more snug then the ones I have been wearing lately to train.   Anyway my foot felt good!

So I made a decision to try a workout that did not involve too much running. I settled on one of Dr. Mirkin’s suggested workouts . The 30 +20+ 10 workout incorporates almost all of the essential elements of training with limited miles run. Dr. Mirkin  cites studies that have shown that six weeks of training twice a week with the 30 -20- 10 plan reduced 5K Runners average time by 38 seconds. Here is how it goes.

 

The 30 + 20 + 10 refer to periods of running at a specified  pace  The idea is to run 30 seconds at road training pace + 20 seconds at 5K race pace  + a final 10 seconds at maximum speed.  That is one full minute of running.   That is followed by one minute of slow jogging or even walking.   Each set consists of five of these segments.   A typical workout would be three sets with 3 to 4 minutes recovery between sets. The total of actual running equals only 15 minutes.   the heart remains elevated for 35 minutes.  There are 15 ten-second bursts at maximum speed. There are 5 minutes of running at 5K pace and seven and a half minutes of running at road training pace.

Running this workout today with 72 hours of rest was very exciting.   I felt like my body was firing on all cylinders.  Each of the elements I try to concentrate on were smooth and relaxed.   My breathing, my stride, my arm carry  and my foot plant all seemed to be in sync today and I was ‘breezing’  along with ease.  An apt term for a workout on a Horse Track. Continue reading 30+20+10×5×3 = 15 That’s Training Math! →

Staying in the game….

Life - Other than running ?

April 19th,  Tuesday,      9:30 p.m

“I wanna to go where everybody knows my name.”

Today there was a dual meet at Liberty High School.   I took the opportunity to drop over and say hello to my Liberty friends, coaches and athletes.  I wound up as a volunteer timer at the finish line for the afternoon.   It was very enjoyable.  Since I left coaching at Hillsborough 3 years ago I have missed being involved in the high school track world during the spring and the fall.  Last fall I volunteered as an assistant coach for the Liberty High School cross country boys team.  The coaches and athletes were very accepting of me and treated me with great respect and deference.  I have continued to be in touch with the team this spring.  Those afternoons,  when I stop by at practice or at a dual competition,  always improve my attitude. For an old track coach and competitor there is nothing like an afternoon in the sun on the track watching talented  athletes compete.  Since I know these guys now,  it is even more fun because I have someone to root for and interact with at a meet.  I am looking forward to another exciting cross country season come September.

Experts in the field of aging tell us constantly that one of the key elements to aging in a healthy fashion is to stay involved. This is particularly true of staying involved with people of all ages. Volunteering at a local high school is an absolutely  wonderful way to be involved in something that you find enjoyable and stay interactive with people of every generation . I don’t believe the benefits of such interaction can be overstated. So, to all my + 70 Runner friends I make one more suggestion;

STAY in the Game! Engage in your passion and share your wisdom.

 

STATS –

I-MAD  –  3

WEIGHT – 153#

A.M.   HR –   51

SLEEP —  8.5 HOURS

Workout  –  lots of moving around for 3 hours at the track meet this afternoon. No real workout. Still determined that a day off is in the best interest of safety because of sore foot.

 

Back on the boards

Training

April 17th,  Sunday,   10 p.m.

 

Bright Sun, Blue Skies, 58 degrees, wind steady and brisk 10 mph out of the southeast

About 5 p.m. this evening Arlene and I headed to Avon.  While she took pictures of the beach and inlet, I ran on the boards.   It had been a  few months since I  trekked the synthetic compound that nowadays passes for boardwalk.   This particular Boardwalk is about 700 metres long.  It was quite chilly with the breeze coming off the ocean.  So I started slowly, no walk today, but slow jog for about two and a quarter miles.  Feeling okay I stripped my sweats off and decided to try for 2 CQ miles.    I was pleased to be able to run 8:43 for each Mile with a 3 minute break between.   I may have to recalibrate the range I created for Comfortable Quality miles.  My initial feeling was that 9:30 to 10:15 was a reasonable range.   Over the last few workouts I’m beginning to feel comfortable and that 9:00 range.   So I might alter that to 8:45 to 9:30.  The wind from the south was pretty strong so it was two different courses going north and south.  Running north was quite comfortable and relaxed, running south was more difficult.                                     All in all it was a pretty successful workout by my standards.

20160417_180336

I really like the picture Arlene took of me running toward her that is placed above.   A close look reveals that at the time of the picture I am suspended in the air with both feet off the ground. Pretty cool. Arlene also took a video of me while I was running when I was not aware. It is  at the bottom of this post if I am able to manage it.

 

  •  Stats –

  • I-Mad   3.0

  • a.m. HR   54 BPM

  • Weight  154#

  • Sleep   9 hours

  • Workout- Covered 5.4 miles with 2 CQ MILES @ 8:45

NO “SPRINGS ” ATTACHED

Training

“You shake my nerves and you Rattle My Brain”

Jerry Lee Lewis

April 16th,  Saturday,    7p.m.

Today I covered 4 miles in 55 minutes.  The macadam never felt so hard on the Jackson roads.  On each foot strike I could feel the vibration rattle all the way up through my legs, my back, my neck and into my brain.  Even though I had heated my legs for a good 20 minutes and walked the first mile, when I started to jog lightly there was nothing there.   Now, as my muscles became warmer and more supple I was able to execute some leg lif in miles three and four, but each plant was that same jolt.

Yet, but a small price to pay for a great workout yesterday!.

STATS-

I-Mad  –   3.5  Not bad after intervals.

a.m.  HR –  54 BPM

Weight  –  154#

Sleep –  9.5 hrs

Workout –  4 slow, brain rattling miles on Jackson           roads    ♒?

Intervals on the cinders @ 8:00 per mile

Training

 

20160415_143140
April 15th Friday  5 p.m.

What a difference a day of rest makes!

Today my legs were are light and springy.☺

I took advantage of my happy legs, the quality weather and the Cinders today to complete an interval workout.   It had been a while since I ran at a quick pace.   So I decided that today I would go for some 8:00 pace intervals.   I like 8 minute pace because it makes for a simple timing;  2 minutes for a quarter ,  4 minutes for a half.   My original goal was to try to get in 3 miles of work at that pace.   I took a long, 26 minute warm up of about a mile and a half with walking , jogging, stretching and 3 light pickups.

 

I started out doing quarters at 2:00 with a 1:00 recovery.  I did the first six at under 1:55.  Than I got a little braver and did a half at 3:48.   Followed that with two more quarters, both under 150.    Stopped  after two and a half miles .  I probably could have completed 3 miles but didn’t want to go into that dangerous PIZ and lose time because of soreness or injury.   I felt this was the best workout I’ve done since we  got home from Florida.    I am very pleased with the ease at which I ran within each of the intervals today @ 7:30 to 7:45 pace with no difficulties breathing or with my stride.  Best pace today was @ 6:15?♨

I do love the cinders.

Finished up with half mile jog.  Total time for workout 1 hour.

A day in a life of a + 70 Runner

Training

April 15th,  Friday,    12:30 p.m.

“Time, Time, Time  Is On  My Side.  Yes It Is!”

Today is going to be a contemporary blog.  I decided to try to time how long it takes from beginning to end to complete a workout session if I follow all of the recommendations that I have made to myself and to others as pre and post-workout protocols.  ( Is a 40 word sentence too long? )

The day begins with attention to morning stats; rest, HR, weight and I-Mad. Today that was at 7 a.m. after 6 hours of sleep, 154#, 52 BPM  & 2.5.    The morning was filled with chores. After a  lunch of cereal, wheat germ and yogurt my attention turned to the workout.

12:30 p.m.   The first decision is always where will I do my workout today?  Since it is calm,  the sun is out and it is about 55 to 60 degrees I have decided to do my workout on the cinders at the Horse Track.   Next, I heated my warm up pads in the microwave and sat down to heat my Achilles tendons and calves.   That is when I  began to think about writing this  contemporary post.

12:50 p.m.    Dress for run and do gentle active stretching in lower legs.

1:08  p.m.    Leave house for track.

1:23 p.m.     Start workout at track.     (Details of  a happy, quality workout are in separate post!)

2:23 p.m. Finish workout at track.  Find a nice guy to take my picture.

2:40 p.m.   Arrive home for chocolate milk and ice and transfer workout data from  watch into laptop.

3:00 p.m. Shower  and change.

3:20 p.m.   Running /training segments of day complete. Total time start to finish 2 hours 50 minutes.  Now that’s a good chunk of the day, but if you’re retired you have that kind of time in most days.  None of it is very hard, but;

Doing it right takes a commitment.  

 

Totally unresponsive legs

Training

April 14th Thursday 9:30 p.m.

We drove to and from Atlantic City today to take care of condominium details.  It was a bright,  sunny, Blue Sky day on the boardwalk with a bitter cold 15 to 25 mile an hour constant wind.  Arlene and I walked on the boardwalk for 35 minutes today .  It was a struggle for 30 to 35 minutes.   My legs never got comfortable, loose or relaxed.   Any hope I had of completing a workout today was dashed during that walk.  As I look over these logs it becomes apparent to me that every time I do a significant work out for 3 days in a row, ,I need a day off.   Heads up + 70 runners.  The truth is any + 70 Runner who happens to be reading th is has probably already figured that out.  I will not burden readers with any details of a day with no workout. Hope I have more to report tomorrow.

Happy running!

 

Stats

a.m. heart rate a very low 50 beats per minute.    I am beginning to think that 50 beats per minute is my actual Baseline.   After the walk today, which seemed rather strenuous, my heart rate was only 52 beats per minute that seems kind of low.  I was not experiencing any aerobic discomfort at all.  So, I guess the walk was not aerobically challenging.

 

I-Mad  at 2.5 today –    Achillies heels feel fine, but left foot was a bit sore.  My guess it is from running 10 x 100 yards yesterday on the grass.

Weight 154 pounds

Workout  –  Nothing to report

Hanging with the Liberty distance boys

Training

April 13th,  Wednesday,     about 7 p.m.

50 degrees and quite windy today under a bright Sun

Today I stopped by the Liberty High School track. The Liberty boys distance team was scheduled for a 35 minute recovery run after yesterday’s dual meet with Pinelands. They graciously allowed me to join them on their run.  I managed to keep up with them and have a pleasant conversation for about a mile-and-a-half before it became clear to me that this was a pace I could not sustain today.   I turned around and headed back to school and waited for them to return.     I am honored to learn that a few of them take the time to read my blog on a pretty regular basis. That amounted to about two and a half miles.

Back on the track I decided to run some 100 yd straights on the grass.   I haven’t done that kind of work for a few weeks.  I ran 10 x 100 yds going off every 60 seconds.  That was more difficult than I had expected.   I was pretty winded. There was a stiff wind in one direction.   Into the wind I ran about 31 seconds for a 100 yards,  with the wind at my back I ran about 26 seconds.  None of that sounds very fast to me.  I reconnected with the boys and caught up to date on their progress and my recent activities.  It is always pleasant  to spend a few minutes with those guys.

 

After 11 miles in the last 2 days, today was a bit of a test.   I’m not sure if my body passed?  I will know tomorrow. ……….

STATS-

a.m. HR   – 55BPM

I-MAD  – 3

WEIGHT –  154

SLEEP-  10.5 Hrs

Workout –  3 miles &  10 × 100yds

 

Have to stay focused.    “NO BACKSLIDING,  LUKE”

 

History #3

History

The Circle Completes 

After graduation in May of 1965 I headed to Belmar for the summer.  My running career had fizzled at Seton Hall.  All that was on my mind that summer was the fact that a 22 year old young man without a draft deferment was likely to be in a rice paddy in Vietnam in a couple of months.  So I spent the summer at the shore drinking, chasing  girls and betting at Monmouth Racetrack.  I picked up part time jobs from local tradesmen  I met at Gallagher’s bar. My buddies and I had rented a bungalow for the summer.  Since I was the only one without a full-time job,  I was alone in the house for the whole week.  Weekends were kind of crowded and wild, usually a party that was ultimately broken up by the Belmar Police.  So I was fancy free and not thinking one day into the future.   I stopped home for a few days sometime in August and my dad and I had a conversation. He said, “Robert,” he always called me Robert,  “didn’t you graduate from college this year?”  I answered,  “Yes, I did.”   He said, ” Don’t you think you should be looking for a job?”   I told him that I was expecting a draft notice any day.  He said that while I was waiting I should be working also.  He also told me that Uncle Joe,  Dad’s brother who owned a Tavern in downtown Jersey City,  knew a fellow who  was principal of Lincoln High School in Jersey City. Charlie Fitzpatrick had told Uncle Joe he would be able to help me get a teaching job at Lincoln High School.  So Dad and I stopped down at Uncle Joe’s bar to make arrangements for me to meet Mr. Fitzpatrick. The following conversation occurred when I was ushered into the principal’s office at Lincoln High School two days later.

Mr. Fitzpatrick, “Hello Mr. O’Rourke. Welcome to the staff of Lincoln High School.  What subject do you teach?”

I was floored.

I answered,  “My major certificate is in social sciences.”

Mr. Fitzpatrick said,  “We don’t have an opening in social sciences.  What else do you teach?

I said, “My minor is in English.”

He said, “We’ve got an opening in English.   Report to room 100 and meet your new department chairwoman, Miss Wing.  I hope you will enjoy teaching at Lincoln High School.”

I had a job!  This was the most common way to get a teaching job in Jersey City in the 1960s.   It was all about who you knew.  I never filled out an application, had an interview or signed a contract.   That is how I became an English teacher at Lincoln High School for the next  seven years.  Without my prior knowledge, it turned out that this job came with a bit of serendipity.  Because I had a teaching position in an inner-city school, I was considered essential personal by the Jersey City Board of Education.   At their request, I  received a draft deferment (2A) from the Jersey City Draft Board annually for the next seven years.   As a result I never did receive that draft notice in the mail.      Thank you Dad, Uncle Joe, and Charlie Fitzpatrick.

 

For the next four years I  lead the life of a single, 20-something guy.  Then I met and married  my beautiful wife, Arlene, in 1969.  We built a chalet in the Pocono Mountains, and she convinced me to pursue my master’s degree.  By 1970 I had a  MS in Political Science.  It was then that I began submitting applications to schools throughout New Jersey for a new teaching position. There was one school on top of a hill in Hunterdon County that we had passed  numerous times while visiting Arlene’s family in “the country”.  North Hunterdon Regional High School contacted me for an interview and ultimately offered me a contract to start teaching social science.  After lengthy consideration, we decided to make the move to the country. This was a big step for 2 people who had lived in the city for their entire life.  In the summer of 1972 we started a new adventure in our life story.

During this 7 year period I continued to be very interested in running.  I worked out on a semi-regular basis. With my brothers I annually  attended the Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden and never failed to show at the Penn Relays at Franklin Field,  Philadelphia.

During my second year on the job in North Hunterdon the head track coach position became vacant.  I applied for the job, was interviewed and  hired.  Every time I look back at critical events in my life,  I’m amazed at how the puzzle game together. The principal of North Hunterdon High School at the time was it a man named Bill Compton.  He was a former football coach and very much interested in athletics his whole life.  In  seeking  this position  I was up against two very talented and experienced gentlemen named Pat  Pinto and Ed  Lavan.  They were applying for the head position as well.  Both of them had been track coaches for a number of years. They clearly were more qualified for the job than I was.   But Bill Compton told me he selected me for the position because I had run in college.  He thought someone who had competed at that level would be better qualified for the position.  So, I guess all those afternoons of running at Seton Hall had a payoff after all.  In the spring of 1974, I became the Head Boy’s Track and Field coach at North Hunterdon High School.   I held that position for the next 28 years.  Thank you Mr. Bill Compton and Coach John Gibson.

 

 

Recovering lightly on the roads

Training

April 12th,   Tuesday       8:30 p.m.

Blogging while Cousin Matty works on taxes.

Today was a  sunny day in Jackson, temperature about  55 degrees and light winds.   I set out for a recovery run with the goal of about 4 miles.  After a  half mile walk I ran 4 miles in 45 minutes on the local roads.  It was a very   comfortable effort with no attempt  to increased speed.  This was another good opportunity to work on running form elements ie;  foot strike, arms,  belly breathing and stride.  Completed all the appropriate pre and post run procedures

A THOUGHT FOR + 70 RUNNERS 

The link below will take you to the website of Dr. Gabe Mirkin.  Dr. Mirkin is an 81 year old doctor who is a former runner and currently a bike enthusiast. Dr. Mirkin has written about health and fitness and training for  decades.  His current posts in his weekly e-Zine  are dedicated to fitness for seniors. I especially like his posts because he bases all of his comments on research that has been done at universities and health institutions throughout the world.  I think it is excellent information for + 70 runners.  If you go to the site and register your email address,  he will send you for free his weekly e-Zine.  I recommend it highly.  I base a good deal of my training and general healthy lifestyle choices on  Dr Mirkin’ s recommendations.   Not all, but a good deal.  It just so happens that much of what he recommends is in agreement  what I have practiced as a coach for the last 40 years. Ha Ha..  A smart man!

http://www.drmirkin.com/weekly-ezine

STATS

AM HB  – 55BPM

I-MAD  –  3      FELT  GOOD RUNNING TODAY

WEIGHT   153#

SLEEP –  9 hours

Workout-     4 miles in 45 minutes

Getting a few bucks back!  Yes