January 7th, Thursday

Got in some pretty serious work today on the cinders which I will describe below. It was another one of those days where I had to dig deep to get myself out there. It was cold and breezy.  I struggled through a 14 minute first mile bundled like I was in the Artic, barely moving. But, as usual, muscles began to loosen up as my frozen face began to thaw. So, I pushed on like a trooper and wound up running a solid 10,000m before the day was over.

Thea run evolved into a steady progression of  My Modified Fartlek (MMF) program that I used a lot running on the beach during my trips to Florida.  I should be in Florida right now!  MMF consists of  three stages of movement; walking, jogging and running. I will elucidate on my reasoning for this format below  for anyone who would like to read it and to remind myself . The final five miles of MMF was completed in 57:33.  Along the way I popped 35 speed segments. (SS)  Twenty-four of them were the 30 second variety and eleven were of the 60-second variety.  (60-30-30).  All the speed segments were at between 6:30 and 7:30 per mile pace. The final two miles were pretty awesome. I was feeling no pain and running very quickly. The quality of this workout was a pleasant shock to me.

Stats-

Weight- 142lb

Sleep- 9 hours+

HR- 54 BPM.  150 BPM after workout

No foot or leg issues

MMF consists of a quick run for a specified period of time (ie. 30 seconds) followed by a steady walk for an equal period and a steady jog also for the same time.  The run segment can be extended if you feel strong as I did in the final 11 runs today. This sequence I believe provides three positive outcomes;

1- An elevated heart rate can be maintained throughout.

2-The speed segments provide frequent opportunities for running at faster than race pace.

3 – The walking segments, while maintaining the elevated heart rate, reduce the total number of foot strikes by 1/3, a bonus for the mature runner.

The walk and jog segments seem to provide the psychological and physiological recovery to allow for a commitment to the speed segment which provides the major fitness benefit  of the workout.      It works for me.

January 4, Monday

After three days of rest I went out to the cinder track for a solid workout.  The day was cold, damp and calm, but I was layered up.   I ran better than 6 miles in total.  I covered 4 miles in 45:20 with at least a dozen SS, and then ran 9:20 for mile #5.  Than addrd 5 quick 70m straightaways and a 800m cool down  There were no leg or foot or aerobic issues.  Three days off, though psychologically difficult for me to bear, has bern very beneficial for my body.

Solid stats…

December 29 and 31 –                                      Tuesday  and Thursday

Closed out the year with two 5 mile runs.

Tuesday’ s run was a progressive effort with miles of;  12:30, 11:31, 11:16, 10:43 and 9:56. 55:56

Thursday’s 5-miler was a late afternoon “Good Bye to 2020” run with little intensity but a lot of thought about the past 12 months  and hope for 2021.  59:00

Thankfully we are real healthy and safe in Jackson.

December  27, Sunday

12/26 – 5,000m at Turkey Swamp Park with the puppy pushing and pulling me all the way.  28* and windy

12/27 – Late day, after bad Giant loss, run on roads of 3 miles with 9 x 200m SS.      33* and calm

OK stats

December 25, Christmas Day

“The five S’s of sports training are stamina, speed, strength, skill and spirit; but the greatest of these is spirit.”    Decathlete & Coach  Ken Doherty

12/22- Tuesday, 5 Progressive miles in 54:06.  Final mile in 9:48.  Good run!

12/23- Wednesday,  1:08 in motion.  There was no plan today as I started out on a walk with Gracie because I was still in the alternate-day running mode. That lasted for about 30 minutes.  But, taking advantage of the unseasonably warm December weather, I decided to start a run anyway.  The entire event lasted for 1 hour and 8 minutes and covered 5.1 miles to my surprise. All of it was very moderate except for a few pickups of 200m  near the end just for the fun of it.  It was a positive workout for a rest day.

12/24- Thursday,  3.2 miles on a warm and breezy Christmas Eve in 38 minutes.  My legs were clearly feeling the effect of a third day in a row on the roads and some pretty quick work on the roads over the last week. A Christmas day rest is definitely in order.

Maintaining very strong stats.  No surprises and good spirits!

December 20, SUNDAY

Set out with my new reflective vest this afternoon on a road runaround the streets of Four Seasons Metedeconk Lakes.  I covered 5.4 miles to my surprise.  It’s easy to lose track of distance when you’re running in circles around random streets, okay.  Miles number four and five were pretty quick at 10:16 and 10:06 to my surprise also. The whole effort was 61 minutes with a 14 minute second mile while I stopped at home for gloves and a hat.   I’m not very happy about running on the roads, but don’t have much choice because every place else is covered in snow.  The legs and feet seem to be holding up very well under this running-every-other-day regimen. It may have to be the default plan for most of the winter.   Injury-free is the key !  🙂

We haven’t made a plan to go to Florida this winter for the first time in 11 years. I feel very sad about this. But the fact of the matter is that Arlene and I are going nowhere until we get a covid-19  vaccine.  The latest news says that we are next on the list because we are over 75 years of age. That would be very nice Christmas present.   🙂

We are fortunate to have Rob and Kristen here for most of the winter.  They put together a great  pasta Primavera dinner tonight for the four of us that was quite enjoyable for the  cuisine and the company.   🙂 🙂

Three smiley faces, must be a good post.

Stats continue to be stable and a good level.

December 18, Friday
Ran 4/4 with 7 MI this afternoon in 58:55 with 16 x 300m pickups along the way. Felt like a pretty good day

December 15, Tuesday

Arlene and I decided to get ahead of the storm this afternoon by heading out to Holmdel Park for lunch and a run.  The temperatures were in the low 30s. So, I dressed in about five layers and started circling the lower fields. I made a quick decision after about a mile to alleviate the boredom and head out on the actual course. My body gradually warmed and ,loosen until I was able to finish the second half of the cost at a solid 10 minute pace. It was a 4-mile day in 50 minutes. That is as good as I could have expected on this cold day.

Stats holding steady.

December 16th and 17th.   No running because of snow.

December 11, Friday

Another 5 miles at Turkey Swamp Park today.  Finding these five milers  very comfortable running after the day off.  Not looking for speed, but picked up for a 9:33 final mile.  57:31

December 13, Sunday

Took advantage of the beautiful Sunday afternoon today to run on the cinder track. The legs felt light in the very beginning today. So, I immediately thought I could get a strong  5-miler in given the excellent running conditions, 62* and sunny.  Turned out to be the bestest five miles I’ve ever run in a very strong Progressive manner.  One of my longtime goals has been to run five miles under 15 minutes. That does not seem so unachievable this time. 🙂

11:03 – 10:33 – 10:15 – 9:45 – 9:27  = 50.58.        Final 4 in 40:00

All stats on target…

December 9, Wednesday

Turkey Swamp Park Trail

Training during the early days of December has been hampered by a sore right knee. I have managed to run three  5 Mile + runs at Turkey Swamp Park in the first nine days.  I am convinced that this soreness is the result of running with the dog in lateral directions.   Joe Biden and I have to stop playing with the dogs, we’re too old. The knee is getting better each day, and I can run in one direction painlessly.  Heat and ibuprofen is the protocol for non-running days.t

The Turkey Swamp Park Trail pictured above has become my new go-to venue for distance runs. The dirt trail is broad, flat, clear, safe, private, serene and very forgiving on the legs.  So, for the immediate future I will be running distance on the trails and workouts on the cinders with an occasional visit to a rubber track when possible.  I have  eschewed the roads completely.  ( recommendation for Elaine for word of the day, eschew)

Stats are steady.