July 24th, Sunday,   3:00 p.m

??”You make a grown man cry.”???

Can’t get the song to play, but you know the music and lyrics by heart.  Lol

I woke up this morning about 7:30 feeling pretty banged up. Forced myself to stay in bed till almost 10:00a.m. trying to sleep off some of the aches and pains throughout my body. It didn’t work.  So, I got up and had some coffee, started moving around a little bit. Finally I decided the only answer was to go to the fitness center and beat the aches and pains out of my body.  That worked!  I lifted and did core work and ran for 20 minutes to complete an hour in the training room. Then I sat in the outdoor whirlpool for 20 minutes to revitalize. I arrived home invigorated, in time to watch the Mets shut out the Marlins.

Cooking veggies on the grill as I write.      Brown rice on the stove.

I just needed to stop whining and get ‘started up’.

Stats –

I-Mad – 0

A.m.HR – 52BPM

WEIGHT – 153#

SLEEP – 9 hours

Workout – 65 minutes  in the gym + 20 minutes in whirlpool

 July 23rd, Saturday at 2:00 p.m.

Ran 4 miles in 52 minutes at Clayton Park this morning along tree-shaded trails that were quite hilly in spots to my surprise.  These were new trails  in a section of the park I had not visited previously.  I have been avoiding hills lately because of my Achilles and plantar fascia issues.  My lower legs seem to have survived the experience aided by some ice and foam rolling.  The Liberty boys dropped me in the first 400 meters.  So I ran most of it by myself along the pristine Monmouth County trails.  I did, however, pass a few mountain bikers and equestrians on the way.  Finished up with some core work along with the Liberty boys.  My towel was voted the cutest!

I had planned to try for a full 60 minutes today but my heart rate was getting up around 160 BPM and the weather was getting warmer, so I backed off. I didn’t want the local headlines to read that equestrians found an old guy  along the trails of Clayton Park early this morning.  Better safe than sorry for the + 70 Runner!

Weight was back to 152.5# this morning and 151# after the run. Yay!

Stats-

I-Mad – 0

a. m. HR – 54 BPM

Weight – 152#

Sleep – 6 hrs    Time for a nap.

Workout – 4 miles in 52 mins with hills and 5 pickups

July 22nd, Friday, 8:00 p.m?

Today is a rest day in preparation for running with the Liberty cross country team tomorrow morning.   I am getting all my gear ready  for a 7 a.m. wake up tomorrow morning . I can not keep up with those guys, but I can warm up with them and then do my workout.  Saturday’s practice is at Clayton Park in Upper Freehold,  a part of the impressive Monmouth County Park System.  There are many trails and open fields within the park.  Last year I actually got lost doing a workout there with the team.  I will have to be more careful this time.

Tomorrow’s goal for me  is to stay in motion for 1 hour. I have no pace in mind but probably will be unable to resist the temptation to do a few pickups along the way.  Somewhere between 20 and 30 minutes in motion my body seems to get energized and the urge to accelerate  is usually irresistible.  I have come to believe that my 7 week layoff did not have a very damaging effect on my speed or strength because I did continue to do regular exercise. However, it is going to take some time to rebuild my aerobic strength to where it was two months ago.

Last fall at Clayton Park the team did one of my recommended 30 – 20 -10 workouts. There is a 800m open field with rolling hills that is perfect for a controlled workout.  I think it’s a little early in the season for it, but I hope we will be back when the season opens to complete it.

Stats – Steady except weight   @ 155#  ——- Too much beer or chocolate?!

July 21st ,  Thursday,   7:00 p.m.

Heading out to play cards and need a shower before 7 30.  Wanted to fill in today’s workout. I was surprised to get in 3.83 miles around 4 o’clock because of the heat. I did manage to find a very nice 400 meter stretch in our neighborhood that is totally shaded by very nice trees. So I ran out to this spot in did pickups. Each pickup was about thirty seconds or a hundred strides. I am becoming very comfortable with my new Footwear. It feels strong and stable. That effort exceeded my expectations on this hot summer day.

Got to go..        Happy running and be safe in this heat!

Stats –  Steady and stable

July 20th, Wednesday, 10:00 p.m.

Today was a beautiful day for a  40 minute recovery frolic in the pool.  I was surprisingly the only person in our huge outdoor pool facility at 2 o’clock today.  I swam and ran alternately for 40 minutes with minimal effort and maximum range of motion. That was exactly what I needed as my body ached in almost every sector when I awoke this morning.  I returned home pleasantly tired. Then Arlene and I set out to Avon to spend  two pleasant early evening  hours on the beach.  A perfect end to a classic summer day…….

Stats –

I-Mad -0

A.m.HR – 55BPM

Sleep – 10 glorious hours

Weight – 154.5 #     Inexplicably high this morning

Workout – 40 minutes of motion in pool

??  “Time keeps slipping, slipping, slipping into the future.”   Steve Miller Band,   Fly like  an Eagle

July 19th, Tuesday,  Midnight

It is amazing to me how the time truly does slip away.  I just returned home from the first Liberty High School cross-country practice.  I got a call from my friend Rich Refi, and in the course of our conversation he reprimanded me for not posting for the last 3 days.  I said,  That’s impossible,  I’ve never let 3 days pass without posting.”   Well he said, ” I’m looking at your blog right now and you haven’t posted since the 16th and today is the 19th and its already 11:15 at night.”   I couldn’t believe it.  So I went back and checked: he is correct. This would have been the third day in a row that I did not post. Now, I know to the casual reader of this blog missing a day or two is meaningless.  But to me it is important that I am consistent.  And apparently it is to Rich also,  for which I am thankful.  The astonishing thing to me is how quickly it can get away.  When I started writing this blog I stated that it was essentially for me to keep track of my training as a log.  I felt it was very important for  me that I had a record of what I was doing to get back into shape, and that maybe some + 70 Runners would be interested in my progress.  This has turned out to be most consistent, most detailed and in many ways the best log that I have ever kept.  So I don’t want that to slip away.  The experience of this blog, allowing me to reconnect with old friends, former runners and new friends,  is one of the most exciting things I’ve done since my retirement from teaching.   It has kept my training on track and honest while allowing me to share my experiences with anyone willing to read.  I look forward to both each day.  So for the faithful readers here is the catch up.

After my very exciting run on Saturday I decided to take a day off to recover.  That was definitely the hardest run I had done in 2 months.  Since I had done nothing, I felt embarrassed to write anything, I thought it would be boring.  That was Sunday.  On Monday I did a rather banal run on the cinders down at the half mile Horse Track. I ran 3 miles in the course of which I added 8 x pickups of 100 strides. These pickups were not very fast, but they got better as time went on. I think the last three or four were good form and with some quickness.  Again, not very exciting.  I guess I will just have to remember that sometimes I’m writing and posting just for me. This is a case of heading my own sermons to the athletes that I coach . I hope some of them are reading this.   Anyhow, today I spent an hour and 15 minutes in the weight room doing core work and upper body work and stretching. Then tonight at Cross Country practice I ran another 20 minutes. Once again it took a while for my legs to feel loose and comfortable, but I did get in a mile and a half.  So that’s the catch up.  I think I’m getting a  stronger.

Once again I would like to thank everyone who reads and anyone who has a comment. I always enjoy.

Happy summer training!  Don’t let it slip away.

Stats-

I-Mad – 0

a.m.HR – 54BPM

Weight – 152#

Sleep – 9 hours

Workout  today  – 75 minutes core & upper body + 20 minutes run

Previous day – 3 miles with 8 x 100 strides pickups on cinders

Previous day – Rest & stretch & core at home

June 16th, Saturday, Later that night

Got a minute?  Let me tell you about this workout.

So the storm passed and around 7:45.  I set out to do a workout.  Since dusk was fast approaching on this overcast evening, I decided to try the 30 minute workout recommended by Richard Winett of Ageless Athlete of whom I spoke last week. His workout requires 8 minutes warm up, 5 minutes of strenuous effort, 12 minute recovery run and 5 minute cool down. That sounded interesting ,so I thought I’d give it a shot.

I geared up with all my hi-tech foot protective equipment ie;  Asicis Gel Kayano 22, Dynamic Duomax FluidRide trainers ($140), Spenco Polysorb insoles ($30), Plantar Fascia support Compression Socks ($25).  That’s over $200 in foot fortification.  I will admit that I felt cushioned and supported throughout.

Now back to the workout itself.  I ran the first eight minutes at 12:00 pace. Then I ran 5 minutes at about 8:14 pace, pretty quick. Then I began the 12-minute follow up run and continued at about 11:00 pace and started to get excited about how well I felt. So I continued running past the 12 minutes called for in the segment and pushed it until the 5K mark. That turned out to be 29:11 which was very exciting. In the process it got dark, and I was looking at my watch so much that I ran past my turn for home and had to run the longer Loop. So after 30 minutes I walked a little and jogged in the last half-mile for a total of 37 minutes in motion.  A positive effort!

Stats – Steady and sound

July 16th, Saturday, 6:45 p.m.

Sitting and waiting for the weather to clear for early evening run. The WeatherBug was giving bad news of lightning and thunderstorms. Hope to get out by 8 of the clock. I might post after I return if I do get out on a run. The plan today is to run a nice 3 to 4 mile effort and test my new insoles.

July 15, Friday,  10:p.m.

? “Hot! Hot! Hot!” ??

92* in Jackson today !      The air-conditioned clubhouse was the place for a solid workout today.  Spent 60 minutes in weight room on core and upper-body strength today.  Then ran and swam in pool for 30 minutes.  It was draining on the body, but I was reinvigorated by 20 minutes in the outdoor hot tub.  Our community really has a fabulous recreation facility.  The indoor pool is closed for two weeks of annual maintenance. So the outdoor pool is now open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.. I am less inclined to make the 18 minute ride to Freehold when I can walk 200 yards to our own facility. I will return to the CentraState facility though because I do like the salt water pool,  and they have some really cool machines in their exercise room including the Zero Runner.

I received my Spenco insoles in the mail today that have been recommended by Brother John. They fit nicely into my Kayano 22 trainers, and I will test them out on my run tomorrow.

XC practice at Liberty High School begins next Tuesday. I’m starting to get excited.

That’s all for now.   Happy summer running!

Stats –

I-Mad – 0

A.m.HR – 55BPM

Weight – 152#

Sleep – 7 hours

Workout – 90 minutes  in motion   –   60 of core & upper + 30 in pool

July 14th, Thursday

??” You know it hurts so bad.”           NO! NO! NO!

http://www.ageless-athletes.com/archives.php

Ageless Athletes – Master Trainer

Richard Winett , Virginia Tech

The URL above connects to a very interesting site that talks about the current science of resistance training and interval training, especially training for seniors. One can read for free a whole series of articles that report the latest science in this area.  (He also has publications for sale.)  Have not read all of them yet but I am intrigued and impressed with what I’ve read so far. The key development in my mind is the concept that seniors can continue to improve  strength through low intensity resistance training.  That kind of training eliminates  painful recovery days and dramatically reduces the potential for injury.  I am reminded of a recent statistic that I read in “Runners World” stating that nine out of ten runners over 60 report losing some training time in the last 12 months because of injury.  Your humble blogger is among the nine.

 Remaining injury-free is truly the name of the game.

I must give due credit to Dr. Gabe Mirkin for publishing an article by Richard Winett on his weekly e-zine. That article put me in touch with the site I am speaking of today.

Happy and healthy reading,  fellow +70RUNNER’ s.