November 10th and 11th

Thursday –  Walk and gym session

Today Arlene and I walked a two-mile wooded trail at Allaire State Park. We have been threatening to do that for a few weeks now and finally got around to it today.  When I returned home, I went to the gym for a pretty extensive upper body and core workout with a good set of leg strengthening drills.   Left there feeling pretty drained and content.  Day 4 of Achilles tendon rest  plan.

Friday – Total rest day

So, the Achilles tendon was a little bit temperamental today, probably as a result of walking for 3 miles yesterday.  The upper body is a little tight but that is to be expected after a serious weight room session.  So I took the day completely off.

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