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Welcome back to today's installment - of one middle age man's (OK....late middle age man's) attempt at turning the clock back a little bit and see how close he can come to the glory days of X years and Y pounds ago. For more info on that, scroll to the bottom of the post.7/8/08 Ran 2 miles - I intentionally took one day off that became 2. I thought it would be a good idea to let some soreness heal. With heat expected at 107 degrees and air quality TERRIBLE expected, I set out pain free at 5:30 this morning. I don't like to run early...always slow. I was not as sluggish as I had expected...but I was slow. It also did not take long for my right calf to get sore. This is a lingering condition from severing a calf muscle a few years ago. Oh well, I can run through it. We'll see how it goes as I run longer. Out in 7:50/Back in 8:00 with a pulse of 170 upon completion. The important thing is that I ran today. Note: a bit later in the day...right calf is tender but knee is in good shape and thighs are fine too!
7/5/08 Ran 2 miles - another amazing story. With knee pain after yesterday's run, I thought today would be the day I would break my string. I'll run over sore....but not over pain...especially in the knee. This morning, my legs were stiff. I waited until tonight and said, "we'll give it a go." I had some kind of cut pain on my toe (and blood in the sock afterward) but went forward. I had a pretty tight right calf too. I was labored on the way out and figuring, because I had already kind of planned not to run, that I would end up walking this one back home...but I didn't. I kept running. 7:38 out and 7:42 back! Pulse 180 when done. No wonder I was thinking I would need to walk. The "back" was way faster than my fastest "going out" yesterday. I swear...I don't go out thinking, "beat yesterday." I am just trying to lay down some base mileage.
7/4/08 Ran 2 miles - still sore but not as sore as when I went out yesterday. For the first time, I ran in the mid-morning....around 10. Very pleasant. I labored, however. No rhythm as I was heading out to my turnaround point. "Oh well, this will be a slow one. Some days are like that. Just enjoy the show." I got to the mile marker and it read....7:55! My fastest of the four days...though I wasn't trying to go fast and was clunking. I ended up coming home in 8 minutes which was as fast as any of my "going out" runs have been. Pulse was the usual 180 at completion. This is a good sign when you start "evening out" the miles....they were within 5 seconds of each other. I had gas in the tank left when I got home. As I ran out, I was noticing some possible pains....not soreness. They went away, though. I'll keep up the two miles for a few more days, keep an eye on pain, see what my soreness level is, and then think about kicking up the mileage. No hurry....no worry. I have a long term plan.
7/3/08 Ran 2 miles - more sore starting out today than yesterday...but it broke loose. Hey, news flash! It's a lot nicer running in the evening in a slight breeze than when it's mid-day and 90 degrees. 8 minutes flat going out and 8:16 coming home into the wind. Wasn't pushing it or shooting for a time...and, I was sorer today than yesterday. Pulse 180 at immediate completion. I feel good...I could have blown this one off due to the soreness.
7/2/08 Ran 2 miles - sore from yesterday...very sore. It's not an injury type sore...it's a "run over the top of it" sore. Running is more like stretching...it's not like weightlifting where you need a recovery day. Not for two miles! Still, it was good to feel some pain. 8:10 out, 8:30 back. Didn't kick coming in. Wanted an accurate read on pulse....180.
7/1/08 Ran 2 Miles - it wasn't pretty. 8:06 out and 8:30 back with a 170 pulse upon completion. No, it wasn't pretty but, as the title of this post says.......
You'll see this post recurring - and it probably won't be too interesting to many of you.
Then again - it may be just what some of you need to see. Remember, there was a day when I clipped off 26 miles at a 6:09 pace.....you can see where I am today 23 years later. About a year and a half ago, I ran all out for one mile....and made 6:59. Today wasn't all out for a mile. That will be coming up in a bit. If I had tried today, I probably could have done 7:30.......30 seconds slower than last February. It COULD get SOME a little down.....
....but - as the post says.........
This may look like a pretty scene to you - late fall...football season over. The cheerleaders have moved their pom poms indoors. Football players have created stories that some of them will still be telling 50 years from now.
For me - it was the look of an accident waiting for a place to happen. There was a strong likelihood that a horror story was about to take place.
Some of you may have remembered my last trip here- yes, it was back in June. I do an assessment of my health on this track. It had been 5 months and not a lot of consistent excercise since then. I figure that if I measure how fast I can get around this puppy four times every once in awhile, it should give me an idea of how my fitness is. Back in June, it was 7:07...Seven Minutes and seven seconds. I was probably about 5 pounds heavier back in June.
My first trip to this track was in February - 6:59 seconds to get around 4 times. I was weighing about what I do now. Yes, the amount of weight you are pulling along does effect your time.
Today, I had a feeling it was going to be tough - 7:37.....for one mile. Ouch! A far cry from 26.2 of these back to back at 6 minutes a mile. Of course, that was 23 years and 30 pounds ago....it was another lifetime.
Why do I still think back to then? - it's a new day. I am a 48 year old guy that can break 8 minutes for a mile. It is what it is. When I was 47, I broke the seven minute mark. I just need to do that again before next August when I turn 49.
...and, in the meantime, - hope that I don't cough up a lung! No, I'm not sick.....that run put some strain on the pipes!
Three days ago - we established a benchmark for running (not jogging) one hard mile....
7:09 - which was not that impressive for someone that 20 yrs ago could click of 20+ miles at 6 minutes a mile.
Oh well - it is what it is and every journey of a 1000 miles starts with the first step. So, we will now leave the glory days behind and start from where we are at.
Today - it was quarter mile intervals. This is one lap around the track hard, then a jog around the track, then a hard lap, then a walk/jog, etc.
The four quarter mile intervals were as follows:
Interval 1 - 1:57
Interval 2 - 1:42
Interval 3 - 1:34
Interval 4 - 1:37
This is actually a pretty good pattern - the idea is to actually run each interval faster than the one before. It's a discipline thing. It is also a test of the mind and the will. Each interval gets harder to do because you are, theoretically, still feeling the effects of the interval before.
If interval 4 had been at 1:30 - it would have been the perfect set for the first day of interval practice. I would have ended with an interval that was exactly on pace of a 6 minute mile.
One mile in 6 minutes - is now my goal. I am almost 48, 5'7", and weighing in at a 4 yr high of 180 pounds. Obviously, as some weight comes off, the engine won't have as much to pull around that track. If I use the same amount of heart/will that I used this morning (and, yes, I was gutting out that last interval), the 6 minute mile should easily fall by the time I turn 48 at the end of August
"What about your pulse rate, Nutster?" - I know. You are concerned. Immediately after completion of a couple of the intervals, I was pushing 200 - 210. Any book that you read is going to tell you that is WAY up in the anaerobic threshold range and will discourage you from being there.
Here is what I know about my own body - a lot of good things start happening when I start delving into the anaerobic workout. The downside is that, theoretically, one's heart could explode. I am kind of thinking, and have always thought, that most of us have an interior governor that prevents that from happening. In other words, you can only go so long for that hard and then you have to stop.
Trust me - at the end of each quarter mile, I was at the point where it was all I had and it was time for a walk.
The Scandanavians - have a term for intervals. It is called fartlek. You run for a while, jog for a while, run, walk, skip, run, jog, walk, etc for as long as you want. It is an effective workout.
Running is something that I can do - jogging doesn't get it for me. Under the heading, "be your own doctor," the slow pounding of jogging causes too much downward pressure on my feet. It aggravates a slightly arthritic condition right where my big toe hits into my foot. I tried an orthotic for awhile but it didn't seem to be the solution. A faster motion that keeps the weight moving more forward rather than down seems to be OK.
We'll see - how things react this time. I am pushing a lot of weight around on my frame right now. I lost 30 pounds about 4 years ago....funny thing....I found 25 of them.....and I wasn't even looking!
Three years have probably passed since I have run a measured mile.
My weight had gotten to 185 pounds. I then got it down to 155. The goal was to run a 6 minute mile in my mid 40's. The goal was hollow. No discipline. No commitment. It was also too easy.
On my first assessment, I ran a 6:06. "Maybe I should make it 12 minutes for two miles. Just to make it interesting." Yes, I was cocky. The goal was forgotten. I didn't go back.
Despite a year on the exercycle and 170 hours of mileage on the machines in 2006, I stand at 172 pounds. 17 pounds over my modern day low. My last marathon was 20 years and 30 pounds ago.
What is today all about? It's about assessment. What will things look like today? As I hold the watch, I know a few things. I know some would say, "start out slow. Jog. Take it easy. You haven't run in forever. Don't go full out. You will hurt yourself." Wise advice but I know my body. If I feel something wrong, I will pull up. With age comes wisdom. I know this is going to hurt tomorrow. It will be only a few minutes but the pain that I will suffer tomorrow will tell me that this was a power packed and intense workout.
I know that my lungs will burn. When I am done, I am going to cough. Hopefully, a lung won't come up with it. I feel the wind. It seems to be a cross wind but I also know it will never feel like it is at my back but I will notice it when I am running into it.
I know that there will come a time that I will want to quit. Not because of a shooting pain, though that is a possibility, but because of will. The mind will say, "you aren't doing bad for a guy your age. This was enough for the day...especially the first one." I also know that, when I hear that voice, I will need to press on. I don't want to wait another week to know where I stand.
I get down the first straightaway. My shoe comes untied. Just like it always did. I stop the watch, tie the shoe, and pick it back up. I head up the backstretch. As I approach the clubhouse turn, I feel the wind. "OK, this is the spot it is going to hit me three more times. Be prepared. You now know the spot when it is at your back too. Remind yourself that to enjoy the benefits, you have to pay the price."
Lap one reads at 1:36. It is too fast. This would be a 6:24 mile but I know that first lap was a little too much effort. It is hard to believe that I used to do light 8 mile training runs at 6 minutes a mile and not break a sweat. The steps just rattled off. I think back to that marathon. 26.2 miles at 6:03 a mile. Here I am today. Dying just to get around the track 4 times.
But every journey begins with the first step. Is another marathon in me? Can the arthritis in my big toe that stopped me from running be arrested enough to get me through the arduous training required? Am I willing to endure the pain and solitude required? I know that I will actually be out at that marathon trail longer than I was 20 years ago. Could I have even ran for that long then...let alone now? Do I have it inside me to answer that question? There is only one way to do it.
Lap three is in the books. I know that I am going to make it. I also know that when I feel that last wind in my face, I am going to kick it on. I always came on at the end. Today will be no different. I have never been one to limp home. I won't start today. You run through that tape. Why? To be able to say that you did.
I kick in. I round the corner. I break the tape and stop the watch. What is it going to read? 6:59. It's no world record. It's only a start. 7 minutes was broken. What would have happened had I not given it my all at the end? 7:02 would have haunted me for a week. I left it all out there. I accomplished something. My pulse upon completion is 210. "They" will tell you that is not healthy. "They" don't know me the way that I know me. The 210 was due to that last burst.
It's a start. It's an assessment. Where do I go from here? We will all find out together in the weeks to come.
