June 23rd, Thursday, 8 p.m.

” Wild Thing , you move me.”

Today was another long work out in the exercise room and the salt water pool. There’s nothing special about this work out.  I am determined to be very conservative with the weight machines and the core exercises that I have been doing.  Running and swimming in the pool demanding on my muscles but not on my legs.  Lots of constant motion on the old body.

 I am looking forward to my first run on Monday, which I intend to do on the cinders at the Horse Track.

Stats-

I-Mad – 0

a.m.HR – 54BPM

Weight – 152#

Sleep – 9 hours

Workout -30 minutes pool + 60 minutes  core and upper

“Missing Man” Table

This would have been an appropriate post for Memorial Day recently.  However, I think it is worth remembering any time.

Arlene and I were very impressed by such a simple but moving tribute in the lobby of Kristy’s Diner in Waretown, at the South Jersey Shore.   We happened upon Kristy’s for breakfast when we decided to take Route 9 home from  Mantoloking after our visit to the Rothman clinic on June 10th.

It did remind us both to stop for a moment and say, “Thank you.”

Well done Kristy’s

My workout will be posted separately today.

June 22nd,  Wednesday,  9:30 p.m.

It is getting harder and harder to resist the urge to run, but I have been able to do that so far. The plan still calls for water activities and walking only until next Monday. So today I ran for 35 minutes in the deep end of the pool. I inserted 7 times the 30-20-10 sequence that I have grown to like.  That workout provides a solid aerobic challenge and some serious leg work, especially in the quadriceps. Then I swam for 10 minutes as a recovery and cool down.  Then I enjoyed 15 minutes in the hot whirlpool.

Later in the evening Arlene and I went for a very comfortable two-mile walk around our neighborhood.

I continue to stretch and massage my lower legs and to roll my calves. Tomorrow we will be back to the weight room for core and upper-body and more water fun in the salt water pool.

Maybe  this unscheduled  break in my running routine will prove to be a benefit with the result of improving my overall body strength. It’s always good to think positive.

Stats-

I-Mad –   0

AMHR – 54

Sleep – 9.5 hrs

Weight  — 152#

Workout – 45 minutes  in pool; 10 swim, 35 run W 7x sets of 30- 25 10

June 20th, Monday , 4 p.m.

Happy summer everybody.  Run early or late!

Or walk in the local mall as Arl and I intend to do between 8 and 10 a.m. on easy days. Freehold Raceway Mall is a great spot.

Summer got rolling with a 90 minute workout at the fitness center this morning.  After rising at 6:30 a.m. to have the car serviced, I set out to begin week two of my rehabilitation plan.  At CentraState I did a core and upper body workout, and then I headed to the salt water pool for 30 minutes of swimming and running.  That workout  began with 10 minutes on the Zero Runner and finished with 10 minutes in the hot whirlpool.  I believe I will sleep well this evening.

Stats –

I-Mad – 0

AMHR – 54BPM

Sleep-  6.5 hours

Weight – 151#

Workout – 90 minutes,  10 on Z-Run,  45 core and upper + 30 swim and run

Sunday June 19th Father’s Day 6 p.m.

Decided to make this a lazy recovery day.  Arlene and I drove to Washington Crossing Park to enjoy a stroll and a relaxing picnic along the Delaware River.  I received a Father’s Day conference call from Rob and Kristen while sitting in the shade along the river.  Very nice!  They both want me to include more stories of my coaching career and perhaps some guests appearances from celebrities in the track and field World on my blog.  I am considering both those ideas.  Arl made good use and fun with her new high powered  camera lens. 

We stopped at our community garden on the way home to pick some lettuce for a fresh salad.  The crops are progressing well.

June 18th, Saturday, at 6 p.m.

“These feet were made for walking.”

 On this sultry, sunny Saturday I set out for a 50 minute walk.  I resisted the temptation to start jogging and managed to finish, experiencing no plantar fascia soreness.  This was my longest walk so far. If I have no negative outcomes tomorrow I will attempt a one hour walk. That will complete the walking segment of my rehabilitation program.

It’s  time for mushroom, onion and cheddar sliders on the BBQ and a frosty Goose Island brew.

The patio –

Happy weekend readers and runners!

Stats –

I-Mad –  0

AMHR – 54 BPM

Weight – 152 pounds

Sleep – 9 hours

Workout – 50 minutes  steady walking

June 17th,   Friday,   10 p.m.

Today I spent another hour in the fitness center working on core strength.  I added 8 minutes on the Zero Runner as warm up and some exercises in the pool after.  I am becoming very comfortable at the Centre State Fitness Center.  My 90 day free membership has been working out very well.

Later in the day Arlene and I walked about 2 miles on the boardwalk in Avon.  It was a lovely summer evening on the beach.  On the way home we purchased  some fresh shrimp that we grilled with some brown rice and fresh vegetables for a gourmet  dinner.  All in all a positive day with minimal discomfort to my sore foot.

PLANKING ON THE BOARDWALK

During the half-hour walk yesterday and my visit to the pool today I was very tempted to rush my rehabilitation plan by a few days with some jogging and swimming and water running.  I did resist to stay the course.  This week remains only for walking and core work with a few warm-up drills. The rehabilitation plan is on track.

Aside for track fans;

I was shocked to learn today on the news that the Russian track and field team has been banned from the Brazil Olympics this summer. This is a pretty shocking development. I have been watching track and field at the Olympics for in excess of 60 years. It has always been the USA versus Russia or USSR as it was back in the sixties, seventies and eighties. This is just stunning for a lifelong Olympic track and field fan.  We have always known the Russians were cheating. They always cheated. We kicked their ass anyhow.

Stats –

I-Mad  – 0

AMHR – 54BPM

Weight – 151# after workout

Sleep- only 6 hours   Late night!

Workout – 1 hour  in gym + pool

Thursday,  June 16th,   11 a.m.

I’m  Walking-

Just returned from a 30-minute quick walk around the neighborhood. Experiencing no discomfort in my lower left foot plantar fasciitis injury. Still stretching, massaging and rolling my lower legs. My calves do feel a lot more loose and comfortable. This is probably an effort I should have made a long time ago to be more attentive to this area. So the road back continues as I conclude the first goal of my plan to walk without pain. Monday I will return to water activities and biking and zero gravity running.

and

I’m  Thinking-

I am well aware that the soreness in my foot is a direct result of my decision to be a runner. I am very fortunate that I do not have serious health issues at this stage of my life, which is  well + 70.  I occasionally reflect upon my writing this blog and hear a guy whining about stuff he could avoid by just not running.  Then I remember how much running for the last 4 years has elevated my health and quality of life.  So, I go on about the highs and lows of my running experience.  I hope people who choose to look on my blog find some of it interesting, and in some cases helpful, or in the best-case inspiring.

Your thoughts will help me become a better blogger!

I am thankful to all who have read and responded.

Stats-

I-MAD –  Still 0

AMHR – 54  Back to normal

Weight – 152#

Sleep – 8 hours

Workout – 30 minutes  walk    Painless!

June 14th  Tuesday,   7 p.m.

Summertime and the training is easy!

Today’s workout was one hour of pretty solid work at the fitness center, a nice hot Whirlpool massage on a sore foot and a one mile walk on this beautiful afternoon.  My pain level in my left foot is remaining at close to zero.  I have devised a three week Rehabilitation plan to get back to running. This week is alternate days in the fitness center and simply walking as long as there is no pain.  Starting next Monday I will return to other activities such as swimming and water running and my Zero Gravity running machine.  No impact until the 3rd week.  Week 3, I will begin jogging one mile trying to get to 3 miles by the end of the week. That will take me to around July 4th and I should be back on the road again.

I will have two summer months to get ready for the 5K in Hillsboro, and about nine weeks to get ready for the New Jersey Senior Games at which I hope to qualify for the National Senior Games the summer of 2017. Can’t wait! !

Somehow today felt like a Sunday, all day.

Stats –

I-Mad   – Still 0 !

Weight – 153#

SLEEP – 9 hours

AMHR – 56bpm

Workout –  1 hour  core and 1 mile walk

June 13,  Monday,  Noon

  This morning my I-MAD was 0.  First time ever!☺

  I- MAD is an index I created for myself to measure my chronic early morning Achilles tendon discomfort.        0= No Discomfort

A sad realization that I take from this event is that I have not run for 35 days.  It took 35 days of not running for my Achilles tendons to stop hurting in the morning!  Really?    Now, I have also been rolling and stretching the hell out of my calf muscles for the last 2 days. This certainly can be a contributing factor, but the discomfort in my Achilles has been decreasing on a daily basis since I stopped running.  Now, it becomes apparent that if I never run again I will not have Achilles tendon issues.   and what do I do with this information? There is no chance that I’m going to stop running.  I am enjoying this experience too much.   It has made me feel empowered, and I know I am in better physical condition and in better overall health.  Plus I’m having way too much fun writing this blog,  and I have nothing to write about when I don’t run.  and so that is off the table.  But I must realize that running causes discomfort. Yes, running causes discomfort. So I must be willing to live with the discomfort to get the benefits I just mentioned. But it does seem that a rational plan is required to accomplish the benefits by minimizing the discomfort.

Now one of my stated goals for writing this blog was to share thoughts for +70RUNNERS about training successfully while achieving  those wonderful benefits.  I hope I have accomplished some of that in the past 3 months.

My latest piece of brilliance is supported by an article I re-read today from Dr. Mirkin’s newsletter about going slowly.   Yes +70Runner and anyone beginning to run again after a long hiatus, start slowly and go slowly!    I apologize for the seeming  Simplicity of that thought, but it cannot be emphasized enough.  The body will gradually adjust, and what is slow will gradually become faster but will still remain slow in its relation to the impact on the muscles.

 Does this mean I will never run fast again?  No!  I love to run fast.  But I have to keep it under control.  I am still planning to run very fast at the  Nationa Seniorl Games in the summer of 2017.  It begins September of 2016 at the New Jersey Senior Olympics.    I am totally psyched!

Below is the link to the  research.  It takes I minute to read.

Be careful my friends.  And fast!     LOL