Since the last post on August 3, 25 days have elapsed. During that time I have been out at training for 16 of those days. The 1K count is now at 39. I’ve been averaging between six and seven minutes per repeat sometimes three a day sometimes for a day. This morning with trepidation, I committed to running the Jason Walton Memorial 5K in Hillsborough. It was very good to see everybody, and surprisingly I ran 36:00 for the first 3.15 mile race in two years. That’s about 7:00 pace for five consecutive 1K. That’s about the pace I have been running intervals. Finishing the 5K today with  relative ease, has given me confidence that I can add some 4 to 5 mile runs to my training in between running intervals.

Next goal is to break 8:00 at the New Jersey Senior Games in two weeks.

 So long summer  and happy Labor Day to everybody.

Ok, by Saturday, the 8th, I had banged out 18 times 1K. But on Sunday I developed a soreness in my right knee that has lingered. So, early this week I spent time swimming and running in the pool to keep my aerobic progress at least stable. On Friday I decided to test my knee and ran 4 slow thousands at Turkey Swamp Park. The knee survived admirably, but is still somewhat of an issue. I rested on Saturday. Today I decided that some anaerobic work was in order for two reasons. First, it would be shorter and less wearing on my knee. Second, I haven’t done much aerobic work in the last few weeks. Hills seemed like a good idea to fit that model. I ran between 12 and 15 of the 50m neighborhood water tank hills. (WTH) That effort covered less than 2 miles, but was demanding and I think positive.

The knee felt fine. I am planning to do more of that on my recovery days between the more extended 1K workouts.

The next timed effort will be at the New Jersey Senior Olympics in Woodbridge on September 12th.

I registered to  qualify for three events (400m, 800m, 1500m) in case I want to run the senior nationals next summer.

1000 x 1K Odyssey stands at 22K😊

After a day off for recovery, it was time to get back to running 1K repeats. I awoke at 6 AM and made a quick decision to get out for a workout before the oppressive heat. I arrived at the cinder track by 6:30 and after a brief warm-up, proceeded to run 4 x 1K with minimal rest at an average of 7:00 per repeat. Covered 3.4 miles total in 49 minutes and ended pretty used up. Count up to 15 times 1K in four workouts toward the 1000 goal. 😎 🏃🏿‍♂️🏃‍♂️‍➡️

Seeking aerobic development, a few days ago I came up with a wacky plan. Throughout my coaching career, and while

working with many successful coaches as an assistant after I retired, the workout of 1000m repeats has been a staple. Hence, I have decided to make that the staple of my aerobic effort going forward. So, being an optimist and a fool, and a bit of a show off, I concluded that it would be an aerobically wise idea to set as a goal to run 1000 times 1K❗️ Admittedly, it might take a year, but I’ve got time. For a month or two I plan to run repeat thousands almost daily if I can with no particular pace goal. Just run a pace that is making my heart work.

In three consecutive days since my plan was created, I have run a total of 11 x 1K.  So far I like it. Who knows how far it will go, but it’s been fun.

I took a shot at the Big Bang Mile on Saturday to get a reading on my aerobic fitness level. And it verified what I was quite sure was true, and that is that my aerobic fitness level has declined significantly in the last year. Mile time was 9:29.! Admittedly my legs were quite heavy throughout, and I was struggling just to get to the finish line. There may have been other reasons for that.  But, clearly, I have a long way to go to get back to where I was a year ago. I have renewed my commitment to do everything I can to accomplish that.

So, the training goal for the next few months has to be solely aerobic development. There can be no improvement in any race times until I become more aerobically fit.