Going long…

Yesterday I had a good strength training session, followed by a swim workout. I am battling a head cold. Last night I slept about 9 ½ hours. I feel a little better today despite the congestion. Today I did a 7.5 mile run; including 2.25 miles with my grandson. Total time for today’s run was 1:01. I ran a nice progression today; the weather was perfect, I even wore shorts. Yes, shorts in January; that was pretty remarkable. I really enjoyed the run.

I sent my registration in for the 40 mile race in September. I am excited about the new challenge. I have a marathon in 4 weeks and then a goal marathon 8 weeks after that. I will then focus my training on long distance through the remainder of the spring and summer. I am planning on marathon training runs. It should be interesting to run more than a marathon in a training run. I want to get my long run training distance up to 30 miles to prepare for the 40 miler in September. I will do some back to back weekend long runs along the way as well. The training will be a little different than I have done in the past; as I will focus less on speed and more on endurance. I will keep some speed and speed endurance in my program; but it will be less volume. I really believe that I can do well at Ultra Marathon distance races. I think it suits the way I run and also the way I approach training and racing. When I look back on my years of running; I always remember being able to run long distances well. In High School I was an average runner; but always did well in the longer training runs. After I began my 2^nd running career when I was 35; I became a better than average age group racer simply by learning how to train better. Part of that was learning how to do long sustained training runs. I have won age group awards at distances from 800 meters to 50 kilometers. This is of course dependent on the size of the field and the level of competition I am up against. Like I said, I only consider myself to be an above average age group runner. The Ultra distances intrigue me; after winning my age group in my first 50K last year, I wonder just how well I can do.  Time will tell…..

Just rolling along….

Inside/Outside

I left off with my last blog on Thursday. On Friday I was not feeling great. I developed a bit of a head cold. I was not feeling right all week and that was probably why. I did not do any training Friday. On Saturday I was scheduled to run a half marathon in NYC; but due to the snow storm the race was run as a non-scored and non- timed race. I chose not to go as I was not feeling great anyway. On Saturday I did a strength and core workout followed by a 3 mile progression run on the treadmill. I felt better after I worked out than I did before.

Today I did a 16 mile run with the club. I arrived early and did 4 miles solo; and then joined the group at 8am for another 12 miles. It was cold and the roads were snowy and icy; but thankfully there was not much wind today. The light wind made the conditions feel alright. Some of the areas were quite scenic; and it was good to be outside. I feel a little better today. I probably will have some head congestion for a few days; but I’ll be ok. I am kind of relieved in that at least I know why I wasn’t feeling well.

I weighed in this week at 168.5 lbs. I am a little heavy; but I’m sure I will be at race weight by the spring. Overall I feel my endurance is good right now; but my speed is a little below par. With 12 weeks left till my goal race; I feel I have enough time to get into the type of condition I want to be on race day.  

Just rolling along….

Rest

I left off with my blog on Saturday. On Sunday I did a 16 mile run and finished last week with 44 miles for the week.

I have not updated my blog this week. I did have a busy week; but not updating my blog was also done purposely. I felt very fatigued on Monday; both physically and mentally. I had planned on this week being a reduced training week, as I have a half marathon to do on Saturday. Though it is not a goal race; I still plan on running fairly hard and I want to be rested for it. It turned out I needed more rest this week than I had planned on. Monday I knew that I was close to over doing it. I listened to my body and did not train at all. I did not write a blog because I did not even want to think about training. On Tuesday I tried an easy 5 mile run; I still felt fatigued. I felt tired, my legs felt sore and I was mentally not into it. I took another day off from training on Wednesday. This morning I could feel the difference. My legs felt springy and I was walking fast. The fatigue was gone. This afternoon I did a 7.5 mile run, including 2.25 miles with my grandson. I won’t say I felt perfect, but I felt better. I feel much better than I did a few days ago. I just needed some rest.

I am doing a better job listening to my body than I did last fall. I have to keep reminding myself that I need to factor age into everything. In my mind I am still much younger than my age. That can be a good thing; but it can also be a bad thing if I am not careful and over train. Over training is not something I really had to have as much concern about when I was younger. I have always been very quick to recover from almost anything. That has changed as I have got older, and I now need more time. I guess that about sums up getting older; we are always looking for more time.

Just rolling along……

Warming up

So far it’s been a good week of training. I left off on Wednesday. On Thursday I did the same 7.5 mile run as I did Tuesday. I was a minute faster and finished in 1:06. I did 2.25 miles of the run again with my grandson; we kept his pace a bit more relaxed this time.  On Friday I did a core session followed by a swim.

This morning I went to track at Holmdel HS. It was very windy and cold. I scrapped my planned workout and adjusted my workout to the conditions.  I did my usual warm-up, strides and drills with my grandson and a few other athletes who braved the cold. I then did a continuous workout of 12x 200 meters with 55-60 second jog across the field recoveries. My splits ranged from 49 seconds to 43 seconds as I progressed through the workout. After my last 200 meters I again jogged across the field in 55 seconds and then did 800 meters in 3:22. I felt like I got in a very good workout despite the poor conditions. This was a good workout to do as I moved faster as I warmed up. It gave me some good speed work with low risk to my hamstring; which felt fine. Long run tomorrow; going to be a cold one.

Just rolling along……

Starting to roll….

I am starting to get aggressive again. I can feel the determination building in my mind and body. If there is one thing that is certain about me: it is a single minded determination when it comes to going after my goals. I am at that stage again…..

Today I did a 7 mile progression run. I decided to run on my own instead of going to the group run. My workout did not allow for company. The thing I like about a progression run is that I can let the run come to me. No matter how I feel at the start I can progress and get some good work in. I can run at whatever level my body will let me on that given day. I started the run feeling better than yesterday; but by no means was I feeling like I could run fast. My splits tell the story: 9.15, 9.00, 8.58, 7.57, 7.40, 7.37, 7.06- total time- 57.33 After 3 miles my body warmed up and I was able to do a solid last 4 miles. I held back to be sure I had something left for the last mile and then opened it up and finished strong. A very good marathon training workout: Simulating the fatigue at the end of a marathon and pushing hard to the finish.

Just rolling along….

Closer to the edge….

No, I’m not going over the edge. I was just listening to the song “closer to the edge” by the band 30 seconds to Mars while I was running today. It did remind me that I do train on the edge. I push the envelope and try to improve. I do this despite my age and keep trying no matter what happens. Some people call this crazy; I call it competitiveness. Whether I am competing with an opponent in a race or just against the clock in a race or even a workout; it is my continued desire to perform my best.

On Monday I did a strength training session. I did not do a swim as I wanted a break from aerobic training.

Today I was still feeling some muscle fatigue from this past weekend’s workouts. I did 7.5 mile run; including 2.25 miles with my grandson Billy. I ran to meet my grandson; ran with him and then ran home. I ran mostly easy; except for about a half mile with my grandson when he “took off’ on me and I had to work hard to stay with him. I found it kind of amusing. He is developing as a runner and maturing physically. I have noticed his stride is getting stronger. The track workouts we have been doing are starting to show; he is getting quicker. I can’t help but take great pride in this. I finished the run in 1:07 and felt better when I was done than when I started. This is typical of marathon training for me; my legs are fatigued but get better as they warm up from running.  I should feel better as the week goes on.

Just rolling along…..

Running like I can

I was back at this weekend. I am training with purpose again. On Saturday I did my first full effort track workout since my hamstring issue. It appears I am healthy again. I did 6x 800 meters with 400 meter recovery jogs. My splits were: 3.21, 3.18, 3.18, 3.17, 3.18, 3.10. I felt like I was pretty much back to normal. I opened it up on the last 800 meters (mainly the last 400m of the 800m) and had no hamstring issues. It was a solid workout and a good start to my marathon training.

Today I did a 19 mile run from the NJRRC Leonardo Clubhouse. I arrived early and did the first 7 miles by myself on the flat Henry Hudson trail in 1:04.02; it was a very relaxed pace. I then joined the group at 8am and did the next 12 miles with a couple of the better club runners through the hills in 1:39.54. That was a very solid pace for the 12 miles. I was a bit fatigued; but no physical problems. I am happy to be feeling like myself again; like I can run the way I want to run.  It was nice to run with some guys who are around the same fitness level as me. Total time for the 19 miles was 2:43.56. Total miles for the week: 44 miles. I feel I am now on track with my training and will progress towards my goal marathon in April.

Just rolling along…..

Trying to get it right this time

There are all kinds of books, theories, facts and opinions on running. I read about running (training) constantly and I keep an open mind on things. There is one thing I know for sure: training is an evolving thing. You can follow the best plan and still things can go wrong. You can also follow a plan; make one little mistake and things can go wrong. Over my years of running and coaching I have got it right many times, in fact most of the time, but sometimes I get it wrong. I analyze what I do and correct any mistakes I make. If you don’t admit it to yourself when you make a mistake, you are doomed to repeat it. I analyzed my training log from this past June through November and I made one mistake; I did not give myself enough time to recover from my October 2^nd half marathon. That half marathon was a peak performance and I left everything I had on the course that day. When I was younger my recovery time from such a race was much faster. I did not take into account my age in factoring recovery time. It was the following Saturday after the half marathon that I first experienced the little tightness in my hamstring. I was doing a track workout. In hindsight I should not have done a track workout that day. I was so focused on the NYC Marathon (and I was coming off a high from the half marathon) that I did not think enough about recovery. I will not repeat that mistake. I am only going to shoot for one peak performance this Spring; the Gansett Marathon. I will do other races as part of training; but I will hold back on my effort and not go at any of them at 100% but Gansett.  I know I am “putting all my eggs in one basket,” but this is the race I want to do my best at. So I am going to “go for it” on that day and that day alone this coming Spring racing season.

My training is going well this week. On Wednesday I had a busy day and was not able to run till later in the evening. It was very dark and there were icy patches on the sides of the roads; so I chose to run on the treadmill. The treadmill is not my first choice; but safety is more important than running outside. So I did a 4 mile progression run on the treadmill. Total time was 33 minutes; with the last mile in 7:12. It was a good workout. On Thursday I got out for my run in the afternoon right after work. I did 7.5 miles; including 2.25 miles with my grandson. I managed to get home just as it was getting dark. It was another good run; total time 1:03, with the last two miles in 7:44 and 7:40 respectively. I feel like I am starting to get stronger again and my workout times will improve through the winter. I will start doing more focused workouts in the coming weeks. I have a half marathon in NYC on 1/21; but that will be as part of my overall training plan and at a hard, but not full race effort.

Today I did a good strength training workout. I was tired after work today; but I am motivated and I worked out hard. I am looking forward to doing some good workouts this weekend. The weather looks pretty good for January; I will take advantage of the moderate temperatures.

Just rolling along….

  

Game on

The holidays are over, it’s January 3^rd and my mind is back in the game. I really don’t care too much for running on a cold windy day. The cold doesn’t bother me; but the cold wind does. As I was driving home from work today I saw the wind was ripping. My first thought was that maybe I should run on the treadmill; that thought left my mind quickly. It’s game time; I’ve got to get my butt in gear and start training seriously.

I did a 7 mile run today; it was very windy along the Bayshore. Nice in the summer; not so much in the Winter. I have always trained well in the Winter. I remembered why today: I run faster to keep warm! Yes, it is that simple, when I am cold I run faster. There is no way to avoid the wind in this area; you hit one way or the other. Today I ran with the wind along the water and then into the wind on the Henry Hudson trail. I ran pretty well into the wind; I think it was to get it over with quicker. I feel pretty good after the run. I am looking forward to doing it again tomorrow; cold and all.

Just rolling along……

Assessing and moving forward

I am starting the new year healthy and with great hopes for the future. I am assessing my training and accomplishments from 2011 and moving forward with some more experience and knowledge. You truly are never too old to learn and you must continue to learn to progress.

I left off with my blog on Saturday. On Sunday I did a 10 mile run with a fellow club member. I completed the run through the hills in 1:29; just under a 9 minute mile average. I felt good after the run. Sunday was also my first day as president of the New   Jersey Road Runners Club. I have said that I want to promote cooperation with other area running clubs. So for my first day I volunteered at another club’s race: The Central Jersey Road Runners Club Hangover Run. I was Race Director of that race from 2006-2009. I volunteered as a course marshal. After the race I spoke with many friends from the CJRRC and members of the NJRRC who were their racing. Being I am now “the point person” for the NJRRC; it is important for me to listen to what club members like and don’t like about the club.

 

Today I had a very good cross training session. I have the day off from work; so I went to the gym this morning. I did strength training followed by a swim workout; both went very well. Cross training is definitely an important part of my training going forward. I have refined my cross training routine to a very efficient workout.

 

Some things I have learned from my 2011 experiences: I need to be careful of how many attempts I take at peak performances. My 53 year old body does not recover as quickly as it did when I was younger. This past October I had a peak performance in the Jersey Shore Half Marathon; it was 5 weeks before the NYC Marathon. In the past, 5 weeks would have been plenty of time to fully recover from a hard half marathon. This past year I feel I did not fully recover and that may have led to the hamstring issue in NYC. I will be very conscious of this in the future. I also did my first 50K in 2011 and learned that I am very capable of running distances longer than a 26.2 mile marathon. I will be pursuing goals in the Ultra Marathon distances.

For 2012 I will attempt to complete 4 marathons including 1 Ultra. I will only run at race effort in 2 of the marathons. I don’t always do a race to set a time goal. Sometimes I do races as part of training towards a goal race or just because I like running the race; sometimes it a combination of both. I do like to just complete marathons, so some of them I do just for that reason only. I am looking forward to this year. I love to run and I happy that I have the opportunity to train for goals and just enjoy running while doing so.

Just rolling along….