November 7th  and 8th and 9th

No running , swimming, biking .  Days 1, 2 & 3 of  a one week layoff  to try to put an end to Achilles tendon issues.  Still walking and performing core and leg exercise that require no impact or foot exertion.

November 5th and 6th

Saturday –   Well, today I spent about 2 hours walking and jogging around at Thompson Park while watching Hillsborough girls win the Central Jersey Group IV Championship and the Liberty boys have a pretty good run with Dan Duffy qualifying for Groups.   The girls pulled off a two-point upset victory.   This performance is another testament to the quality of coaching that Rich Refi  and Tierra Hicks Gourdine  bring to the Hillsborough  XC  program year after year.                                                                                                                My Achilles tendon progress seems to be stalled in place.  It is not bad.  Not noticeable at all while walking. But clearly there in a.m. and annoying any time I start to even jog.  So I am considering taking the advice of my poker friend, Matt, and just suspend all activities related to the legs for one week. No jog, no swim, no bike, no aggressive walking!   While considering this approach I have asked myself, “What do I do for that week? How do I spend my time?”   A daily workout has  become so much a part of my routine that I seem to be lost without one.   My conclusion is that I will spend an hour at least every other day in the weight room just getting BIG!

Sunday-   Arlene and I enjoyed a leisurely three-hour walk through the Grounds for Sculpture today surrounded by endless, fabulous, artistic stimulation. Then I watched the DVR of the Giants taking down  the Eagles.  A perfect autumn afternoon!

November 4th ,  Friday

Wait for the late riff!

https://youtu.be/KJzvkHtfBfM

Going easy on a sore body…

The body has been feeling sore and achy the last two days. My explanation is that it is the result of  3 of 4 previous days  of work at an upgraded level of intensity.  (11.5 miles on the bike Sunday;   80  minutes of hard work on Tuesday ;  first 2.5 mile jog on Wednesday )

  Even had a 3 hour nap yesterday afternoon, first time in years!

So, after a mile walk and jog his morning, I went to the clubhouse this evening to try to jump-start my body.  I moved a few light weights, committed some lame core work, scampered to the pool for a labored 15 minute swim  and retired to the reverie of the hot whirlpool.

Tomorrow will be another day!    STRONGER!

Stats – Stable

November 2nd ,  Wednesday,  Late nite

Trying to stay in control  –  ” Discretion is the better part of valor.”

Today at the Liberty cross-country practice I ran 2 miles on the track. That is the furthest I’ve tried to run  since I injured my Achilles  tendon. I did an extensive warm-up of walking, very slow jogging and leg drills. My original intention was to run 1 mile, but my injury started to feel better. At around the one-mile mark I was in that sweet spot where it stops hurting for a while, and so I decided to continue. There is always that danger when you are in that sweet  spot of no pain  you will overdo it and  cause damage that will set back recovery.  I hope I did not do that today. When I finished I felt a kind of throbbing in the tendon. That quickly disappeared, and it has not hurt since. I have stopped using ice after I run because I’m not convinced of its effectiveness. So I have been massaging and doing some serious rolling with the foam roller on my calf muscles.

No stats today

November 1st , Tuesday, 6:00pm

80 Minutes  of Good Work

20 jog   with no AT discomfort ☺

20 lift

20 swim

20 water run

Stats- steady

October 30th ,  Sunday

11.5 miles on my 1 speed bike in 1 hour  (5:24 per mile)

It was a rather easy hour.  I am surprised by the ease with which my legs recovered from each time I inserted a 50 to 100 pump surge, mostly as I approached each uphill segment of the road.  There must have been 15+ bursts in all.  I continue to believe that I am maintaining a reasonable  amount of  fitness.  The question remains if non-running work (biking and swimming), no matter how intense, transfers to running performance.

Stats-

I-Mad – 2

Weight 153#

SLEEP – 8 hours

a.m.HR – 54

Workout –  Biking 1 hour with 15 x 50 to 100 pump bursts

October 28th ,  Friday  2:00p.m

Energized by recent articles provided to me by my good friend, Rich Refi,  I was up early this morning with High Spirits.   I pounded out 75 minutes of good work  in a number of categories.  I ran 20 minutes on the treadmill, followed by 25 minutes of upper body and core work, followed by 20 minutes on the bike doing 30-20-10 segments and 10 minutes swimming aggressively in the pool. I am satisfied with the progress of my Achilles tendon injury but still moving with deliberate speed.

Stats –

I-Mad =1.5

Weight – 154#

Sleep – 8 hours

a.m.HR- 55BPM

Workout – 75 minutes as above

October 24th & 25th

Monday-

No workout.     Achilles tendon was not bad after Sunday’s 2 mile effort at Holmdel.                                                                                                 Good xc workout for Liberty boys today.

Tuesday-

 Managed to fit in 60 minutes of work at the clubhouse.

Weights- 10.    Core- 15.    Tredmill- 10.    Elyptical- 10.   Swim 15.

October 22nd and 23rd

“Get out ‘my life why don’cha”  Classic Vanilla Fudge

Saturday – A good 70 minute workout today.   I completed 20 minutes of work on arms and core.  I have added weight on every exercise.  Getting stronger!  Clocked a 20 minute swim + 30 minutes of water running with 7 sets of the  3 level surge drill. This sequence seems to work my whole body quite intensely.

Sunday – Went to Holmdel today with Arlene . While she took some photos I walked and jogged the loop around the start field 4 times, which is about 2 miles. I walked up the hillside and downhill on the opposite side.  After two laps my Achilles stopped hurting me for the first time in a very long time. This situation has occurred before and it’s not uncommon.  Achilles tendon soreness, as one runs and gets warm,  tends to abate if it is not a serious injury.   The trick is to do no further harm during the period of no pain. Today I managed to continue running very slow with short strides during my jog segment.  I stopped before any pain began to recur, and hope that I have not done any harm for the day. Tomorrow will tell the tale when I wake up in the morning if I have done any additional damage to the area.

a.m. update, Monday-   I- Mad= 2/3. Not too bad

GIANTS WIN FROM LONDON.  HORRIBLE NFL GAME!  EASIER TO WATCH SOCCER!

STATS –

I-Mad – 1/2

Sleep- 7 hours

Workout – Above, 70 minutes

a.m.HR – 54BPM

WEIGHT – 155#

October 18th,  Tuesday

84* on the canal, and solid work effort

After a summer-like Autumn afternoon along the Delaware Canal with Arl, I spent 75 minutes at the fitness center lifting , swimming  and water running. 20 weights and core  + 20 swim                                                                                         +35 run  with 6 x (60- 40- 25) @ 5k effort – 800m effort  – 95% effort            

That water run exercise with the 3-part surges is very demanding aerobically, and seems to leave me pretty tired each time I try it.   I hope it is helping me to retain my aerobic base while my Achilles tendon is healing.    

Stats –

I-Mad – 2.5

amHR – 54BPM

Sleep  – 8.5 hours

Weight  – 154#

Workout  – 70 minutes in motion