The annual Jason’s Memorial Run always fills me with both wonderful and sad memories.
Today I decided to compete with modest expectations. The result was very satisfying. I completed the 5K course in 17:10. I have renewed enthusiasm for a positive fall campaign.
Stats are good.
8 /8- Off
8/ 9- 1 hour in motion in exercise room
8/10- Off
8/11- 3 miles with SS
8/12- 4.5 miles with SS
8/13- Off
8/14- 5 miles at Manasquan Reservoir in 53:00
8/15- Walking only
8/16- 40 minutes at FSML easy
8/17- Off
8/18- 4 miles at Turkey Swamp Park with SS 54 minutes
8/19- 30 minute swim
Stats are positive, no leg or foot issues. 🙂 🙂
On Saturday I went over to The Peddie School to run an 800m in the Shore AC event that they call the New Jersey International Track and Field Meet. From the promotional information regarding this meet one would get the impression that at one time it had quite a prestigious profile. The names of the events and the record holders are some of America’s best runners and international Olympians. (You can look it up.) Somehow this meet has been organized and run for the last 34 years completely under my radar as a New Jersey track enthusiast . It turned out to be a relaxing, lightly attended, Saturday morning event in a picturesque setting.
Because of the small entry list, all of the categories and classifications were combined for the 800m race. Once again I was was the oldest guy in the race. There were runners who could hit two flat in the field, and they did! So, I was out of contact with the field from the start not really knowing what sort of pace I was running for lap one. It did feel quick and comfortable and smooth, and lonely and not overly motivated. As I approached the clock at the 400m mark it was reading under 90 seconds! That is the fastest 400m I have run in an 800m race since 2017 in Birmingham, Alabama at the National Senior Games when I finished in 2:57.4. The possibility of bettering my race goal of 3:10 became a reality. I pushed the second lap pretty hard and came across in a respectable 3:07.4. I had set what I thought was a pretty lofty goal, but I had little confidence that I could run close to that number. I only chose that number because it’s what I ran two years ago in New Mexico at the National Senior Games to win that race.
I am thrilled at the thought that my training is somewhat validated, and I have increased motivation to maintain and improve.
Another bonus on this lovely Saturday morning was that my nephew, Matthew, showed up and recorded the entire run. And to top it off Matty and I stopped at a local brewery to have a few IPAs before I headed home. Perfect!! 🙂 🙂
I have a copy of the recording and am going to try to put it on Facebook.
This 11 day segment saw a variety of training, resting days and one 5K race. I jogged, swam and rested for 3 days before I went to Hoboken to compete in a 5K race with Robert on Tuesday, 6/27. The race was poorly organized and mostly forgettable in a time of 28:48. Given the minimal effort I expended the time was a pleasant surprise. It was a beautiful setting on the Hudson River waterfront, and spending the night with Rob in Hoboken was a lot of fun. The next 3 days were light work in recovery. Saturday, July 31 was a solid and needed 5 miles at Turkey Swamp Park. I began August with a day of stretching and leg drills. On Monday the second I returned to the cinders for a day of quick running, speedy 100s, 200s and 300s. I don’t know times because I forgot my watch, but it seemed pretty fast. My legs were a bit heavy on Tuesday ran I comfortable 3.5 miles on the roads at FSML in 41:00. With an open 800 meter race scheduled at the New Jersey International Track Meet on Saturday, I don’t think I will be doing much hard work for the rest of the week. I don’t know much about this meet or the level of competition, but I have set a goal to run an 800m in 3:10.
Stats remain positive.
Saturday , 7/17. Today I joined the Jackson Liberty cross country boys team at Manasquan Reservoir for this Saturday practice. It was a treat to be back with the coaches and the boys for the first time in over a year. I managed to run the five miles around the reservoir in 1 hour and 3 minutes through the 89*, humid air. It was quite taxing on the body!
Sunday, 7/18. Speed day. 10x 100m in :23 – :25 in between 3.4 miles on the cinders. Quick!
Monday, 7/19. Lots of walking on tired legs with Gracie. Stretching and leg loosening drills.
Tuesday, 7/20. 20 minute swim – still recovering
Wednesday, 7/21. Back on the Cinders for 4 1/2 miles in 1 hour with frequent speed segments of in excess of 200m all on the shady part of the 800m track. Started slow, built intensity, finished strong and spent. Good day.
Thursday, 7/22. 45 minute fast walk on the phone with Rich at Turkey Swamp Park.
Friday, 7/23. Today I went to the Jackson Liberty track in the afternoon hoping to do a decent repeat workout. Once again my legs were heavy when I started out. So, I did an extended warm up with numerous pick-ups. Still filled with trepidation, I started out to do his ladder Up and Down at 10:00 pace. (200, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 800, 600 400, 200) I thought it might be a little too ambitious, but I figured I would give it a shot. I surprised myself by maintaining an 8:00 pace has I got underway with relative comfort. The long story short is that I was able to maintain an 8:00 pace throughout the entire ladder, up and down. I actually finished final 200m in a comfortable :51, which converts to 3:24 pace for 800m. With warm-up and cool-down this workout amounted to over 5 miles on the track. This workout surpassed my highest expectations, tested me thoroughly and produced a two-hour nap immediately after I arrived home. 🙂 🙂 🙂Loving the rubber…..
Stats- All are stable in a good range. No leg or foot issues.
Sleep- 8 to 10 hours
Diet- 9/10
Weight- 143/145 lb
Heart rate 54 bpm daily
My Garmin says my Vo2Max is 40. They say that is good. 🙂
I miss Frosty!Just trying to maintain some fitness in this heat wave-
Running on the shaded trails at Turkey Swamp Park-
Swimming every chance I get-
Making use of the reopened exercise room at the community clubhouse– bike, treadmill and elliptical and weights
Stats are ok.
2.5 miles in late afternoon coolness @ FSML with 10 SS. Originally was hoping to make this a swimming day. But procrastinated my way past 5:00 PM. So, I had to make the decision to go for a run. Happy to get 2.5 in 32minutes.
Ran a quick and comfortable, probably PR, 4 miles at Turkey Swamp Park’s shady trails today in 43:00. Final 3 in 31:39.
All well with stats.
Thursday- Good 20 minutes swim and lots of driving.
Friday- A really good day of work. 30 minute swim, longest yet, in a totally empty pool on a overcast morning. Later a solid workout on the cinders. 2.5 miles total… 1 mile warm up with frequent pickups. Than 800m in 4:17 (8:34); 600m in 2:50 (7:36); 400m in 1:47 (7:06): 200m in :45 (6:00) ! 800m cool down. Finished wanting to do more. But stopped out of an abundance of caution.
Saturday- Back to the cinders for a short workout. 1 mile warm up with strides, then 4 x 400m in 2:04 – 1:43 – 1:47 – 1:47. + 15 minute jog.
Feeling PRRRRETTY GOOD !
SOLID STATS
My performance at the Big Bang Mile yesterday left me with a good deal of confidence about my level of fitness. On a very humid morning with the temperature already in the upper 70’s I made the decision to warm up in the gigantic, air conditioned Bell Labs building. To begin with the rest room facilities inside were far more civilized than the Portapottys at the starting line of the race. The cavernous center space was about 68* and had a carpet around its almost 400 meter circumference. I had promised myself to do an extensive warm up in preparation for this race as I described in my previous post. So, I ran with sweats on around this carpeted surface doing long pickups for 30 minutes. I should note that this space was essentially empty on a Saturday morning providing a completely clear warm up opportunity. I lay on my back with my legs elevated for 10 minutes before I jogged to the starting line about 200 meters from the building.
I approached the race with trepidation because I had no confidence in my ability to judge pace after over a year without a competitive race. The goal was 7:00 with even 1:45 quarters. I ran a comfortable 1:37 and 1:48 to arrive at the half in a respectable 3:25. (There were clocks at each quarter mark.) That half mile time gave me confidence that maybe I could break 7 minutes. I tried to push the 3rd quarter. But I would describe a similar performance by one of my runners as a weak effort. 1:55 I managed to recover and run a 1:45 final quarter to finish at 7:05. I was left feeling somewhat disappointed, but convinced that I am capable of running much faster.
Stats remain consistent and positive.
On a delightfully crisp evening at the cinder track I chose a quick workout as my final preparation for Saturday’s one mile race. The goal was to run a few repeats a goal raceP pace which is under 7:00. (1:45 per 400m). A secondary goal for the day was to monitor how long and how intense my warm-up needed to be before I felt comfortably, wide open. After a mile in motion including several accelerations, I felt ready. The first 400m timed at 1:52, a little too slow and somewhat labored. The next two were quicker (below 1:45) and more comfortable. I ended the workout with two times 200m out of an abundance of caution. By that time I did feel completely wide open and ran easily at a pace well under 1:40. So, what did I learn? It takes an extensive amount of work to get the old body completely warmed up. The question is, “Do I dare doing that much work before going to the starting line for a race?” I don’t know. Maybe, because it frightens me, I should do it on Saturday. 