April 9th, Monday

Too cold for April!

On an afternoon that was way too cold for April,  I got out on the road for an hour and 5 minutes biking and running. Protected with multiple layers of  clothing , I alternated between the bike and running for a total of 6.73 miles. I would say I got in five miles riding and 1.6 on foot.  It was a new idea and I kind of liked it. I am still learning to use the gears on my new 21 speed bike.  I did set out determined to get in one full hour of work, and I think the alternating helped to make the time pass faster.  My right side groin area is still feeling annoying discomfort.  Not enough to prevent me from running or biking at a moderate pace, but still present. It definitely feels like if I pumped or ran with any intensity I would do some serious damage. So I will be content with longer moderate work until this passes.  Fortunately I have new racing goals for a number of months, just staying fit.

Stats – Stable

April 6th, Friday

A cinder track and 440 intervals cannot help but conjure up fond memories of Lincoln Park  and my high school coach, Bob Short.

Coach Bob Short     I hope you are well, Coach.

As the temperature rose this afternoon it became a pretty good day to run out on the cinders. The cloud cover remained pretty heavy and the wind was blowing a bit,  but it was a soft, clear track.  I was inspired to do some form of repeat workout today because it’s been a while since I’ve done such a drill. In my head I started out thinking about miles, dropped that to repeat 800s and settled on repeat quarters. The goal was to do maybe 4 x 440 at 10 minute pace which would be two and a half minutes per. Since the track is half mile it was a natural to figure on equal distance recovery in about twice time. So I set out on number one and managed to finish in 2 minutes which is 8 minute pace and recovered in 4 minutes.  That was surprisingly quick. Each one there after I tried to slow down but wound up running basically the same pace. It seemed to get easier as I got more warmed up.  So I did 4 in 2:00,  2:07,  2:00,  2:03.  I was pretty happy with that and the fact that I covered  a total of 4.03 miles with warm up and cool down. The whole thing took 58 minutes.  It’s a start.

I can’t be sure when I’ll get back in the pool again because I’m still waiting to return to the eye- ear -nose- throat doctor treating me for my serious sinus issues. Pool seems to be a stimulator of the sinus issues.  I am currently back to my normal semi-stuffed but bearable state.

Stats –

Weight = #153

Sleep = 7 hours  + 2 hour nap after

Foot Indexes  all good

a.m. = ?

April 4th, Wednesday.

6.7 miles on my new bike

“Cool bike, Dude!”

I had my first ride on my new 21 speed bike that I purchased for $40. I don’t know much about the bike or about 21 speed bikes because I’ve never had one before. So I rode around trying to figure out how to work the gears. I did cover 6.7 miles which was okay. I started to get the hang of it, but in general it felt like I used more energy on this route with the 21-speed than I did with my one speed. After I got home and showered, I made the brilliant decision to read up on how to actually use the 21-speed bicycle. I learned that I wasn’t doing it very correctly. So, with my new knowledge I will make another effort in a day or two. I hope to make the ride more enjoyable and faster.

Stats –

Weight = #152

Indexes = good

HR. 1 hour after ride = 64bpm

Sleep = 8 hours

April 3rd, Tuesday

That’s it. Tredmill, bike, elliptical, arm weights.

April 2nd, Monday

Cool day after early morning April snow.  Bundled up and went  for a controlled 4 miles in 48 minutes.  Legs were a little heavy with lots of layers. During the last 3 days the only work I have done has been in the house. I have been squatting and lunging.  I think it has made my quadriceps sore. My upper leg muscles were talking to me today. I also added some Arizona Drills the last time I worked out at the clubhouse .  I think I have to stop doing extra stuff and just run .  A 75 year old body does not like extra stuff  I guess .  ( I add this just to remind myself, not to complain. But I do feel discomfort in the area of my three-year-old hernia operation every time I try to do specialized mid-body work.

Closed on AC condo Friday afternoon closing a 15 year wonderful adventure at the beach and Big Town.   Excited to find new experiences.

Saturday at Raider Relays at Hillsborough to clerk and catch up with old friends from the Track and Field world.

Easter day of rest after busy, hectic, happy, sad, home breaking up, multiple driving trips to AC and Line Clerking  and  fun lunch with the Hillsborough coaching staff at Petrocks.

Also on day 6 of meds for rhinitis. (steroids pill and nasal spray)

Lots of distractions!

So the effort seemed harder than it timed out, but I was happy to get back on the road

Stats –

Foot and leg indexes all at Level 1.

Weight =  #151.6 after run, somehow!

Long SLEEP !

a.m.=  54bpm I think.

March 29th, Thursday 

 The soft touch of the cinders …….!!

Today I got back on the Cinders for the first time in many months. It was a 55 degree cloudy afternoon, perfect conditions. The track, still moist from the remnants of melting snow, felt pillowy soft on my feet, and throughout the run I had no feet or leg discomfort.

Aside;  the additional fact that I have not had a run on roads for almost a week could be a factor in the good feeling in my legs. I always stress when I haven’t gotten out to run for an extended period of time, and forget that may be the best thing for my legs after training hard for a while.

I ran a very slow 1 mile warm up and did some easy stretches. Then I ran a steady 3 miles finishing the final mile in 9:40. The time passed very quickly today because I was writing in my head my presentation to be made at the Push Your Pace cross country camp that I have committed to this summer. I am a little nervous about this presentation because it’s been awhile since I spoke in front of a crowd. Public speaking has usually come very naturally to me, and the reviews have almost universally been positive in the past. I am anxious to do it again and want to be sure I’m prepared. I wrote a coaching resume and sent the picture to Rich Refi today. So you can find it on the website of the Push Your Pace distance running camp soon if you are interested.

Stats –

All foot indexes at very good level

Sleep 9 hours

Weight 153 lbs

Morning heart rate maintaining at 54 beats per minute

March 25th, Sunday

With the closing scheduled for our Atlantic City condominium on Friday the 30th,  we spent the weekend moving everything out. It’s kind of sad saying goodbye to our escape on the beach after 15 years, but I believe it is the correct decision. So, on Friday and Saturday I did a lot of moving and carrying and stair climbing but no real work-out.  Also, after my 40 minutes in the pool on Thursday night I came home  with the most stuffed sinuses ever.  It was impossible to get any decent sleep for two nights.  After getting some rest last night, I made up my mind that I had to do some work-out today. I planned on doing a run and some cycling in the outdoors this afternoon,  but the weather was so damp and raw that I opted for indoor work.  I really do miss St. Augustine.

Good bye, Saint Augustine

My recent work in the clubhouse has been a collection of activities including running on the treadmill, lifting weights, riding the bike and doing Arizona drills and, finally, running on an elliptical machine. I did all of that tonight for a non-stop hour. It felt good.

An interesting and surprising  event occurred on Friday while I was not posting and was not home or on the Internet for most of the day. My blog site registered 129 views. That is 10 to 15 times more than my normal daily viewing number.  I think someone discovered my site and read 129 of my previous posts, but I’m not sure.

Statistics are steady and positive.

March 22,  Thursday

15 swim,  15 run without impact,  10 swim.

March 20th, Tuesday

SPRING!?

Somehow 3 days managed to slip away without getting any work done. On Saturday we went to Philadelphia to spend the afternoon with Kristen. It was a very nice day but I didn’t get a workout in. Sunday we were invited to a birthday party in Tuckerton. We spent most of the afternoon eating Mexican food. Later that night Arlene had a vertigo attack and we spent 4 hours in the emergency room at CentraState Hospital and  got home at about 2:30 a.m.    Fortunately,  all was declared AOK after  endless tests..  So yesterday I was too tired to do a workout again. Today I managed to get over to the clubhouse before they close it down from the storm. Here is the workout that I did.

Warm up was 10 minutes on the bike with the light arm weights.

Next I did 15 minutes of leg drills including Arizona’s, squats and lunges.

Next I ran for 20 minutes on the treadmill finishing at 10 mile per hour pace.

Next I ran for 20 minutes on the elliptical machine finishing with six times 30 second burst maximum effort with 30 seconds rest. My heart rate reached 138 beats per minute along the way.

Then I sat in the sauna for 10 minutes to dry out my sinuses which  haven’t felt right since I got home from Florida.  Then a shower and home to watch the snow accumulate.

Stats –

Everything is stable and positive at this time, thankfully.

March 16th, Friday

Today was another very good day when I felt very strong in the pool. I worked out for a total of 50 minutes. I began with about 5 minutes swim just to get loose because my goal was to do extensive running for 45 minutes today. I began running in the deep end with the noodle under my arms and no impact. During the next 35 minutes I ran adding six times my typical acceleration sequence.  The sequence includes accelerating to 5K pace for 75 strides, then accelerating further at 800m pace for  50 strides, and finally accelerating to maximum speed for 25 to 30 strides.  After each set I wound up pretty winded and with burning quadriceps. After that I ran in the 4 1/2  foot water which provides minimal impact for about 6 minutes with several more acceleration.  I concluded with  220m of swimming freestyle all the way. I was surprised at how much I had left to swim after all that work. I finished with 10 minutes in the hot whirlpool. I was pleasantly exhausted.

Home, a quick dinner with chocolate milk, and Arlene and I were off to Red Bank to see the Irish dancers at The Count Basie Theater. A pretty good day for an old guy.

Stats-

I-Mad & I-Mid = 1

Sleep = 7 hours

a.m.HR = 54bpm

Weight = #154