• April 21st,  Thursday,      10 p.m.

• “Put me in, Coach.”

I caught up with some old friends at the Somerset County relay championships at Ridge High School this afternoon.  The day was beautiful and sunny and about 70 degrees, perfect for a spring track meet.   Arlene and I traveled to Basking Ridge for the afternoon event.  Coaching and watching relay meets has always been the most enjoyable part of the track experience for me.  Something is going on at every moment in 10 different places throughout the facility.  It is always exciting to watch athletes doing it for the team.  The competition is always fierce,  and everybody wants to be in the game participating. These are the meets wherein athletes have to dig deep, running those doubles and triples and sometimes quadruples. Nothing can make a coach prouder  than hearing a nearly exhausted runner plead, “Put me in, Coach, I’m ready to go.”

I was happy to see my friend Jimmy O’Connor looking and feeling well and his son, both coaching the jumps of course at Ridge High School.  I got to speak for a while with Coach Jim McCluskey an old rival and good friend.  With Jim O’Connor as my assistant in the 1990s we put together some of the best track teams ever seen in Central Jersey.  At the same time we were battling tooth and nail with Jim McCluskey’s Franklin High School teams that were equal or better during that entire period. Both of those teams provided some of the best performers ever to come out of track and field in central New Jersey.  It was good to see those guys again.

I spent a few minutes with my old coaching mates at Hillsborough Eric, Tierra and Rich.  All were very excited about the team’s prospects for the day and their performances so far this year.  Everybody is getting ready to go to Penn Relays next weekend.  The competition for the team title was very hot in both the boys and girls division. When I left the titles had not yet been decided, but both were very close.

After returning home I headed over to the clubhouse to get in a little work. The pool is open until 9 p.m. on Thursdays so  I was able to swim for 20 minutes. My swim routine is to swim alternating laps of Australian crawl, backstroke and breaststroke.  Tonight the swimming was a little rough because it has been a while and, I was pretty tired by the time I got to the 20 minute mark.  It was still a good aerobic 20 minutes.  Next I went to the deep end with my noodle under my arms and ran very controlled full extension strides for 10 minutes.  (Exaggerated back kick,  to exaggerated  knee lift,  to full lower leg extension ) I find that I can only perform this totally fully extended stride in the pool and I very much enjoy doing it.   Next into the whirlpool for 15 minutes to heat up my sore foot and my tender Achilles tendons.

• Not a very demanding workout but 30 minutes of full body movement with the absence of any impact.

My idea of a perfect recovery for a

+ 70 Runner.

Stats

a.m.HR – 54BPM

I-Mad –  2.5

Weight  – 153#

SLEEP – 9 hours

Workout  – 30 minutes  in pool—-20 swim , 10 run

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! →

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.

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

“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    ♒?

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.

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.  

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

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”

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 

April 11th Monday 8:30 p.m.

All day long I thought it was Tuesday. Very confusing..

Today my finger is feeling better and healing nicely.  The wind was blowing at 25 miles per hour this morning on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City.  So I chose to head back to Jackson.  The weather forecast a 65 to 70 degree day and light winds at the Horse Track. Got all the household work taken care of and headed out to Home Depot this morning to order vertical blinds for our condo.  Then we had lunch at the Shore Diner.  Got home in time to prepare dinner for nephew, Matty O’Rourke, who was coming over to prepare our taxes.  Well, you see, it’s Monday not Tuesday , and so Matty isn’t coming until tomorrow.  Now we get to the workout.

I did not preheat my lower legs today so I took an extra-long warm-up.  The warm up consisted of two miles with 1/2 mile walking and one and a half miles slow jogging all with sweats on.  My legs didn’t feel too happy, but I set out to do two or three CQ miles.  I continue to be amazed at how long it takes a 73 year old to fully dilate and be completely wide open aerobically!   My first CQ mile was not too comfortable, at 9:37.  Then things seem to get easier and I checked my watch and I was running at 9:05 pace for the second mile. This got me pretty excited! So I started to entertain the thought of running the third mile under 9 minutes. My energy seemed to ratchet up as I proceeded. The final 1 mile was in 8:44.  I was a little breathless afterward but totally satisfied with a solid workout.   The final 200m was at 7:30 pace.  Walk then jog for Half Mile and headed home.  I am loving the cinders!

Ice, chocolate milk, a bowl of Arlene’s  homemade soup and a Goose Island IPA    Perfect!

STATS

AM HR –  55BPM

I–Mad     3.5       A little tight

Weight  –  #153.5

HR Post Run  –  132BPM

Workout – Covered 5.5 miles      2 in 26:00

3 in 27:33               9:37,     9:13,    8:44

Asside:

I noticed my heart skipping a beat every 4th or 5th beat while I was taking my pulse  at the end of the workout today. This is the second or third time I’ve noticed this when I have pushed myself to an elevated heart rate.  A doctor told me this awhile go after I had a colonoscopy that I had an irregular heartbeat.  He said it isn’t a problem and not to worry about it, but I should know that it is a fact.  I have not noticed any heart issues as I ran for the last 5 years,  but I think I’m going to do some research and maybe ask my doctor the next time I am in for a check-up if I should worry about this issue.