Good series
May 9 – 3 miles at a Turkey Swamp Park with speed segments throughout and three hills at the end.
May 10 – rest
May 11 – at Cinder track 3.8 miles in one hour and seven minutes total – warm-up 1 mile with five speed segments – workout -4×400 m in 147 to 151+ one
final 400 m at 2:08.
May 12 – rest
May 13 – weighs
May 15 – on cinders warm-up was 1000 m plus stretch +5×100 m speed segments Workout was 3×1000 m at 5:30 – cool down 800 m .- total distance 4 1/2 miles
The goal was to run thousand meter repeats under 10 minutes. It turned out I was able to run all of them under nine minute pace to my surprise. I have been putting off that work out for a while for fear of not being able to complete it successfully. I’m glad I did it.

Stats – weight is 144 pounds – sleep is averaging 9 to 10 hours nightly – resting heart rate remains consistent at 54 bpm – no leg or foot issues – diet is consistent and healthy.

It’s been an exciting and memorable two weeks as I visited Ireland with my son Robert for my 80th birthday. It was an eight day trip filled with lots of pub visits, lots of historic, Irish buildings, and stories, and a elegant Irish wedding.It also included miles in my house in Greenfield and the locating of my grandmothers purse and baptismal records at Saint Patricks church in Castlereagh Roscommon.

May 7th, Sunday

The early, spring sunshine was perfect for breakfast on the patio with Arlene, Kristen and Gracie.  A long walk and jog with Gracie served as a solid warm-up  for a late afternoon jaunt  in the park.

Today the trails at Turey Swamp Park were quite inviting, flat  and firm and shady in the 76* afternoon. I ran a happy  3.5 miles in 40 minutes.  A very fine day indeed!

Steady , positive stats

💚  🇨🇮   April 16 thru April 24 –  My son, Rob, arranged a whirlwind tour of Ireland to celebrate my 80th birthday.  We traveled hundreds of miles across emerald countryside, through small towns with friendly pubs, explored Ireland’s bustling cities and experienced an elegant Irish wedding in a restored castle.  Along the way we had a few Guinness , visited the remains of the O’Rourke castle and found the birth and Baptism record of my grandmother, Ellen Rourke, at beautiful Saint Patrick’s Church in Castlerea, Roscommon County.  It was an unforgettable journey!

Training-  I only managed 1 run during the trip through historic Saint Stephen’s park in central Dublin.  Since returning I have slowly gotten back into the routine of training.  It is approximately 9 weeks until the national senior games in Pittsburgh in mid July.   So, there is some serious work to do.  I’ve conducted 6 successful workouts in the last 8 days, mostly moderate mileage.  During Friday’s beautiful afternoon weather I ran 8 x 200m under :56 with 2 1⁄2 minutes recovery walking and jogging. That covered 3.8 miles in total with warm up and cool down.  I even spiked up for part of the workout, 2 x 200m.  Saturday was a day of rest with surprisingly springy legs.

Stats are getting back to normal with lots of sleep and good food and a temporary beer break.🙄

Today is Wednesday, April 5
It was a cold damp, 53° at the cinder track. I ran a 1 mile warm-up. After that I ran eight times speed segments of 50 to 100 strides each. My Garman watch tells me that they were all run at a pace under minutes which was the goal. I then ran a half mile cool down at a steady pace. The whole event took 38 minutes.
So far in April I have run for the five days which is very positive. On the first it was almost 5 miles and a little over an hour with occasional speed segments. It was a draining day. On Sunday I rested. We had no power for 24 hours at the house because of the severe storm. On Monday I ran 48 minutes at Turkey Swamp Park with 15 speed segments. It was another strong day. Yesterday I covered an easy 2 miles on the roads around the neighborhood. I like the progress that has been developing as April has begun.

Thursday, April 6
Today on a very warm day in the 80s at the cinder track I ran 3.1 miles in 44 1/2 minutes. It was a very relaxed run with some stretching in between and some mild pick ups which I couldn’t exactly call speed segments. Generally a positive day.

Today is Tuesday, April 11
Yesterday I ran a 45 minute workout. It started with a 1 mile warm-up and some gentle pick ups along the way and stretching. It was followed by 8 pretty quick speed segments of 20+ seconds each. The average number of Strides per pick up was in the 60s. I felt pretty used up by the end so I guess it was a positive workout. I slept very well last night. Calves are little tight today.

March 16 to April 3

After a 6 day break for traveling and recovering I put in 10 workouts in the next 19 days.  It took a while to get restarted. My legs have been  really heavy, and it takes 25-30 minutes of work before I feel like I’m running with any fluidity.  The pattern has been pretty consistent.  After I get rolling I begin to run 50 to100 stride Speed Segments.  The total distance ranges from 2.5 miles to 4 miles with from 12-20 Speed Segments timed  buy my Garmin between 6:30 and 8 minutes each.  The runs range from 35-50 minutes.  At the end I usually feel quite invigorated and ready to do more but stop out of an abundance of caution.  A late winter, lingering sinus infection has suppressed motivation to get out the door.  But having Gracie to take for a run every day has definitely helped. I bailed out of  the Captain Zen 5K on Sunday because I had done a wearing 5 mile effort on Saturday, and besides we lost power for over 24 hours.  😇😎

I have been doing a weak job of keeping track of my statistics for the past 3 weeks. But I think things are about normal. I’m getting good rest and eating pretty healthy.  I gained 5lbs while I was on my break but I have gotten rid of most of it.

So,, I have 2 weeks of maintaining base and a week in Ireland. Then I go into serious training for the nationals in July.!

The final two weeks of our stay in Saint Augustine have flown by.  We will leave on Saturday morning, two days left. In that period I turned 80 years old and have taken every opportunity to use the  fantastic conditions on the beach to train. (Plus I helped save a very large fish that was floundering in the surf.) Turning 80 was kind of weird, but the training has been a joy. In the ten days since my last post I have covered 22 miles running and another 15 miles walking. Because I have been including Speed Segments on every run, my legs are a bit tired but healthy, and all my stats are in positive range.

It has been a winter vacation to remember!

February 24, Friday

After Saturday’s 5K race, it took a few days for my legs to recover. For the next two days, I simply walked and stretched. From Tuesday throThursdayI ran 11 good miles on the beach, feeling strong and relaxed. Today I rested.

February 21st

The 1st half of our annual trip to St. Augustine has been delightful on many levels.  The days have consistently been sunny with the temperature hovering around 70°. This is much more tropical than St. Augustine has been in all the years we have visited.  The beach has been as beautiful as ever, but with little of that cold north wind that has marked February in previous winters.  Arlene and I have taken advantage by walking and lounging together for hours under the sunny skies. This refreshing interlude has produced a more relaxed and vital couple.  We anticipate enjoying our final three weeks in Florida before returning home in March to see Kristen in “Cabaret”at the Bristol Theater and visit Rob and Gracie in Hoboken.

On the training and racing front all the news is also good. I have been able to revel in the ideal running conditions on the beach preparing for my annual effort in the Lighthouse 5K and remaining injury free.  Thus, on Saturday the 18th, I ran 28:43 to best all competitors over 70 years old and win my division in that event.  Now my focus will turn to the mid-distances. I will be competing in some track events in the spring and pointing toward the 800m and 1500m at the Senior Games in July.

Stats remain remarkably consistent.

Weight is 144lbs.

Diet is healthy with lots of homemade dishes and local seafood.  We have opted for almost exclusively cooking and eating at home, which we have decided is both more frugal and healthy.

Getting 9-10 hours of sleep and adding  frequent recovery days of exclusively walking have helped keep the body in painless motion.

Resting heart rate remains in the lower 50s.