May 8, 9, 10, 11

The days in quarantine seem to melt together. Each time I look at my blog I am surprised at how many days have passed.  We are so lucky that Rob and Kristen and Gracie are here with us. We know that we are safe if we stay smart and practice sound judgment.  This unexpected family time is pure serendipity: I’m sure we will not experience the like of it again in this lifetime.  I like the like of it while still hoping  for the time that the kids can resume their normal lives.  Not too terrible temporary new normal daze……

Meanwhile I train.

May 8, Friday – Rest day

May 9, Saturday  – 50 minute Card workout,  bad weather.

May 10, Sunday – 3.25 miles with 15 x SS  @ 8:00, 7:00, 6:00 Fast Stuff

LOVING THE CINDERS

May 11, Monday –   On this strange weather day of rain storms and hail storms there was a brief, warm, sunny 2-hour break at mid-afternoon that was perfect for running a workout.  It was 63 degrees and breezy on the cinder track when I headed out to run a 5 mile effort.  I thought my legs would be heavy or sore after the quick look I did yesterday. That was not the case. I determined that a full five mile aerobic workout would be the perfect follow-up of a speedy day. My legs felt good from the start. I gradually decided to add some speed segments to the 5 mile run. I began with a strategy I have used in the past and found successful. I began running pickups starting with 50 strides and adding 10  strides each time until I reached 100. Feeling really warm and strong, I began running 200 stride pickups from that point on completing two each lap.  I continued to feel stronger and faster as each lap went by. I never stopped to walk one time nor felt the need. I wound up with 14 times the 200 stride efforts to complete the 10 laps in 50 minutes.  Although this was a demanding workout, it was very satisfying and encouraging.  I can’t remember the last time, or anytime in fact, that I completed the full five miles under 50 minutes.  Feeling strong and fast is a lot of fun!

STATS-

Weight = 143lb

Sleep = 9 hours

Diet = 10

HR = normal

Feet indexes and leg muscles are sound . No issues!

Thursday,  May 7th

Well, on Saturday morning I learned to my surprise  that my virtual 5K race was going to be held on Sunday. I thought it was May 13th not May 3rd. That led me to decide to take a rest day on Saturday.

The virtual 5K turned out to be a lot of fun. Kristen and Rob became very involved in my effort. Kristen had to teach me how to set up Zoom so that I could be in touch with the race online.  She also took pictures and posted them on Facebook and Instagram after the event.  I had decided,  after considering all of the routes that I run around Jackson, the easiest way to do this event was going to be to run 7 laps around my home block  which is about a half a mile. Rob agreed to be my pacer, he said for 2 miles, but it turned out that he ran the whole 5K with me.  I guess I was a little pumped up for this event because we started out at about 6:30 pace.   We settled down and ran the three miles in the following times, 8:07 – 8:57 – 9:32.   The final time 28:17 was better than I expected but not as good as I hoped.   I think I could have run somewhat faster if I had time to recover from what was probably the hardest workout I have done in a month and I didn’t run an unusually quick 6:30 placement first half mile.   All in all, I did enjoy the experience. When the results were posted it turns out that we ran the 10th best time out of 68 people who posted their performance and I was the oldest person in the race.

Monday rested during a pretty bad weather day.

Tuesday I ran 6 miles for the first time in quite a while on pretty heavy legs. It took me 72 minutes to do it with some stops for stretching.  It became more of a personal challenge as the run evolved.  I kept upping the goal as the run progressed.  Mile 5 was the hardest on the up hill section.  After that the 6 mile goal was unavoidable.

Wednesday was another rest day.

Today I went to the cinder track the first time in weeks.  I covered 4 miles of random run, jog, pick-up, walk, stretch  for 58 minutes.  It took a long time for the aches in my legs to abate. The heaviness in my thighs ever subsided.   I felt lucky to get a day of running before  the predicted  turn in weather . With two days of winter storms on the way, I will have to rely on a few indoor workouts over the weekend.

STATS are steady.

May 1st, Friday

Today, after two days of rest, my legs were as light as air. I started out with the idea of running a full five miles, a good distance day.  But as I ran the first mile, my legs felt so strong that I decided to make it a quicker day. As I approached my favorite grassy running area, I was pleased to note that the grass had finally been cut. I began running 120mto 130m pickups with increasing intensity as I went along. After a full warm up I was averaging between 7:00 and 7:30 minutes per mile for each speed segment. Final two segments I doubled up to 240m at a more moderate pace. In all it came to 20 segments.  The trip home was completed at a solid 10 minute pace. This workout rates as demanding and satisfying.

STATS –

Weight = 145lb

Diet = 9

Sleep = 10 hours

HR –  56 BPM

Legs and feet = 9/10

April 27 – 28, Monday – Tuesday

On Monday I did a speed day, 2 miles with a new high total of 14 speed segments.  The 120meter segments got faster as I went along, eventually settling in the low  6:30 to7:00 per mile range.   I felt extended but satisfied with the workout.

On Tuesday I woke happy that my Foot & Leg muscles had responded positively to the speed workout yesterday. I expected my quadriceps to be a little heavy at the start of today’s workout, so I did an extended warm up with sweats on even though it was a warm and windless afternoon. I got the idea to test my fitness for a single mile because I hadn’t run any fast miles in the last month. My long runs have  been mostly in the 11 minute range.  I ran 8:35 on a gentle hill in the first mile. That was quite satisfying since I did not put in much more than 85% effort. Back on the same route after about a three-minute rest, I did a very comfortable 9:15 mile. With the warm-up and cool-down it was a 5 miles a day.   Positive!

I signed up for a virtual 5K which is to be held on May 13th. I am told I will receive a chip in the mail by May 1st that somehow will be used for this is virtual event. I don’t yet know the whole process will workbut I’m looking forward to it and it could be fun. I won my age group at this Race 3 years ago with my fastest 5K time of 15:45. That seems a little fast: so I’m not sure that it is a legit 5K.  Something to look forward to………….

STATS-

Weight  = 146lb

Sleep = 9/10 hours average

Foot and leg muscles = 10

Diet =  terrific!!!

Saturday, April 25

Sunday- 5.5  bike and run with 12 x 130 G SS.    Good day!

Monday -Walk dog  miles.

Tuesday – 5mile run in 1:04.43. Tired legs and body

Wednesday – Rest day. BITTER CLOLD WEATHER

Thursday – 2.76 mile bike with attempted SS. Shoes hurting toes !

Friday  – Card drill in 2 segments 40 minutes (18 -22).   Finished 52 for 1st time!!  Push up, crunch , wall arms, leg overs, toe raise with head drill

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Saturday –  This was an outstanding quarantine day!  Woke up to Bright sunshine and blue skies. Bundled up and decided to have coffee on the patio with donuts . I bundled up in my typical April ware and set out to enjoy some vitamin D rays.  As time went on I gradually  discarded my jacket and my sweatshirt because of the warm sunshine ending up with only a short sleeve tee shirt. Gradually the family and , of course Gracie, joined me on the patio. It was like a summer morning.  After a while I put together my favorite nutritious breakfast. It consists of oat bran cereal, whole milk yogurt, wheat germ, tart cherry juice and this morning cut up banana.  Rob suggested firing up the grill and cooking some hot dogs which we have fortunately been able to get delivered from Omaha Steaks online. We have previously enjoyed these delicious hot dogs with mustard,    sauerkraut,  chili, cheese, relish and onions.   I sent out on my run with my mouth watering already thinking about enjoying this delicious  ‘Dogfest’ with a bottle of Bud Light when I was finished.

The run: legs felt good from the start. Was wearing my old Kayanos so the toes didn’t hurt.  Covered 5 and 1/2 total miles under beautiful sunshine and 55*.  Along the way I attacked each Hill I came to feeling very strong. At the end I added 6 x 130 grass speed segments.  Rob called along the way to tell me the dogs were ready. At home I took a quick glass of chocolate milk and loaded up my Omaha dog for a wonderful lunch joined by the whole family and Gracie and a cold Bud Light.  PERFECT!!!

STATS-

Weight = 146lbs

DIET = 10

Leg and feet = 0 issues

Heart rate = 50bpm

April 16, 17, 18   Thursday, Friday, Saturday

Liking my new Asics Gel-NIMBUS 2I  training shoes!

Today,  Saturday, covered a random 4.16 miles in an about an hour. Some SS, some walking, some steady running and a few Gracie induced stops along the way.  The new shoes were light and cozy.

Thursday and Friday were duplicate workouts.  In an effort to minimize the number of foot strikes on the unforgiving roads I have been following a new routine; bike for about 3 miles first, run 10 x 120m SS on the soft grassy field,  bike 2/3 miles to finish an hour+ of work.

STATS –

Diet = 9

Sleep =  9+ hours daily

Weight = 148lbs

Foot and leg indexes =  1/2

New comment on status of leg muscles.                                                                                    SLM  =   Tired quads biking and occasional calf  cramps in bed.  Slight pull in upper, interior , left quad that complains when I try to run with higher knee lift.  I believe it is the product of an unanticipated, rapid acceleration while being pulled along by the dog last week.  I have learned that when I accelerate Gracie accelerates faster and stronger than me.

April 13 & 14, Monday & Tuesday

“Rest is component of the program not a suspension of it.”   I just coined that today.

Monday was a scheduled day off leg work because of tired legs and budding injuries.  I tried another playing card workout but only passed half a deck once again. The card workout is pretty simple and kind of fun but harder than I thought it would be. The first one I did I included squats and lunges in the list of activities. That turned out to be an over reach which made me sore for two or three days. This time I did only upper body activities and core no legs. Today’s activities were push-up, crunch, leg overs, wall arms, and one of my anti head dropping exercises. The idea is to do the exercises in a cycle while turning over a card to indicate the number for each exercise. Once again I only got to 26 cards before I had to stop for fear of hurting myself. This is going to be a long term goal to get 52 cards for this set of exercises. I’m counting on this isolation to help me.

Today I did a block of movement that involved biking walking, walking the dog and running. I covered 6.1 miles but it took an hour and a half. Block of time was interrupted a number of times by activities relating to grown children, call from brother Wille, wife and puppy dog.  Throughout the hour and a half my body never got over the feeling of being very used and tired. It might just be that I need another day of rest to get my energy level back and allow for my budding injuries to heal. Rich Refi always reminds me to act as I tell my athletes they should act.  🙂 🙂 🙂

STATS – stable

April 12,  Easter Sunday

“Some of the world’s greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible.”   ~~~Doug Larson.   Don’t know why I chose this quote for today. Has nothing to do with this post. But I really liked it.

The O’Rourke family just finished a wonderful, homemade Easter dinner.  This is just a bonus of the quarantine world we live in now.

I have been getting some serious work done over the last few days. Friday I spent the day running about two and a half miles with Gracie and adding 15 + speed segments along the way. One of the problems is that when I start running quickly Gracie starts running even faster. The result is that she pulls me along at speeds that are not really safe for me. But I think I’m getting faster. LOL.  On Saturday my legs were predictably sore, so I went on the bike for 7 miles.  I added a 1-mile run with Gracie afterwards including a few speed segments. Today I ran 4.5 on heavy legs. The first 3.5 were quite a struggle and quite slow. Then about 40 minutes in I began to pick the pace up.  The final mile was better. Then I took the dog for a one mile recovery walk which was badly needed. Tomorrow will definitely be a non run, non bike day. I am planning to do that playing card workout which I will describe tomorrow after it is done.

Stats-

Weight  =  147lbs. !!!

Diet = 9

Sleep = 9/10 hours average

HR = 54bpm

Legs are  developing some random aches which is why I need a day off tomorrow. I feel quite strong aerobically and you would be going a lot further on my runs if I didn’t see her doing some damage to my legs. I guess that’s just an old man thing that I have to tolerate.

“The law of nature is, do the thing and you shall have the power:

but they who do not the thing have not the power.”

                     Ralph Waldo Emerson

I spent considerable time today looking in my quotations book for a meaningful message for myself.   I think Emerson has captured what I needed.  So, I will “do the thing.”   I will run, and I will write because it makes me happy and it makes me a  person I like better.

Fortunately, I am safe, healthy and injury-free. I am motivated and energized. I have established two competitive goals for when the world has returned to normal.  I will attempt a PR in the 5K at the annual Jason Walton Memorial Run in Hillsboro in August. I will qualify for the National Senior Games at the New Jersey Senior Games in both the 800 and 1,500 meters in September.

What follows is a summary of my training for the last few weeks since I stopped entering posts in this log.  Since that time I have been recording my workouts on a table calendar. In 19 days I have recorded 14 workouts either running or biking or exercising Rob’s puppy, Gracie.  She is fast and she wears me out. I have been running many speed segment during these workouts. In addition to doing surges with Gracie, I have done frequent, quick 120m grass segments on a field that is very forgiving on the legs and feet.     As a result my fitness level has remained relatively stable. Interestingly, my weight has dropped to consistently under 150 lbs even as low as 145 at times.   It is my impression that I am eating smaller portions at all meals these days as a result of a higher awareness of the possibility of food shortages. I don’t find this distressing at all.

I hope everyone who is reading this is safe and well. I am happy to be back!

March 31, Tuesday

I am finding less and less motivation for writing even though I am staying in motion. We have the whole family here in Jackson plus a huge 7 month old sheepadoodle named Gracie who is currently terrorizing the entire house.