I just learned today that I will be anchoring a 4x800m relay on July 11th. That news is very exciting and more than a bit terrifying. It has motivated me to develop a solid six week program starting tomorrow. I am not able to set a goal time yet because I don’t have any idea of my current fitness level. I am still looking for the ideal time and place to run an 800m trial. I need that to set a six week goal and establish solid training pace.

Running is finally fun again. and having a goal is the icing on the cake.

Ran 5 more hills on Sunday between the rain showers. I did a significant warm-up indoors before going out. Then I ran about a mile before I got to the hill. My legs felt excellent today. This surprised me because the workout was totally on the road which I have essentially avoided since my back injury. So, I ran the hills pretty aggressively. The workout was about 2.2 miles in total. I am very curious to find out how my legs will respond to two  consecutive days of hills.

I was very pleased today to get in a workout that I’ve been longing to do for quite a while. And a cool, rainy afternoon was a perfect time to do it. This was a less than 15 minute workout. I did a 30 minute warm-up in the house that includes stretching and warm-up leg drills. Then I headed out into the rain to a hill that is 50 strides long about 600m from my house.

I ran five very strong bursts up the hill with walks down the hill and then returned home.  I think it was a top-notch aerobic day.

Working on VO2 max and core

Thus far in May my track training sessions have been intervals plus almost daily core work. I need to get back to some more serious weightlifting, but I’m happy with the current progress. My Vo2MAX has returned to 36. I have been able to successfully compete interval workouts of 200, 400, 600 and 800m @ close to or better than 8:00/9:00 per mile pace.

An update on my back injury/recovery:

Thankfully, my back does not hurt at all while I am running. But stiffness and pain does occur after sitting for an hour or so. It is tolerable. but it requires rest and stretching, and then some light movement for a day or so before I can do another workout. In between I do a lot of core work, walk and go to the swimming pool to swim and run impactless. (Is that a word?)

I am feeling very lucky these days that I am back to running with purpose.  I have not sent a goal for a race date yet, but that may be coming soon.🏃🏿‍♂️😊

A respectable 3 1/2 miles at Turkey swamp Park concluding with five hills of about 170 m.