blocks indoor

Warmed up and came out of blocks a few times indoor tonight.  Felt really light and fast, not that I am fast, just feel like I'm moving quickly without huge effort.  I only ran 60m tops.  

I wanted to enter the meet but the unprofessional meet director closed entries at 10 pm tonight, two days after sending an email saying they were closing at midnight.  Idiot.  I'm sure I can get in because he needs the money, but they already put out heat sheets.  Only 3 open masters 400 racers, just one submitted a seed time, so had I registered online, I would have gotten lane 6.  Now they'll probably want to stick me in lane 3 as an add on.  Really sucks.  Does make a difference on a banked track.  

Still feeling some arthritis in my knee, doesn't bother me when I run though.  

My reaction times were ok from blocks tonight, from .19 to .23.  First time out of blocks probably since June '24.  

150s on turf / tests

Did a brief tempo workout 3x150m, then ran a hard 150m, all on turf.   400m fitness isn't quite there, and I have to decide tomorrow if I'm going to race Sunday.   

Not where I would like to be.  Even after 3 days off from running, still feel a slight amount of pain til I get warmed up.  

Stretches, drills, bands, 50m strides

Hoka rocket x2s on

3 x 150m on turf w/ 30 sec rest - 23.50, 24.17, 25.07

PT balance and strength exercises

150m on turf - 21.64

I was going to do 4 x 150m, faster, but these were too fast to complete 4X at my fitness level.  I bailed about halfway into #4.  My HR was in the mid 170s when I started rep #4, and a minute after while I was walking back, peaked at 185.  After another minute it was down to 137.  

I did some balance and strength exercises then ran a 150m at near race pace.  It felt pretty good, but I knew I wouldn't be able to survive 400m.

I'm going to see what it feels like tomorrow and if it doesn't swell or get stiff, go to the gym tomorrow night and do some starts.  If OK, I'll go.  Not expecting much.  

I am close to race weight, was 139.4 lbs after workout, but I ate a big dinner.

Doing the balance and strength exercises, I was struck at how much more difficult these were to do with my R surgical leg, not only because it's weaker, but because my L leg is dominant.  Try these exercises with both legs, you'll see what I mean.  Most people have a dominant leg.  Still a slight amount of knee pain when I do these.  Arthritis.  

Balance and strength exercises.  Try these with your non-dominant leg.  Not so easy.

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Blood tests:

My latest blood work showed an alarming result. My CA19-9 level was well high (78) over the normal, which indicates, along with the imaging and family history (grandmother), a susceptibility to possible pancreatic or GI cancer. All this requires careful surveillance and retesting. The test result could have been spurious and influenced by a slightly high glucose (103) and some gastric distress (diarrhea).  It could even be something like heavy tea consumption, as one test correlated.  That certainly fits me!  Will certainly retest in a month.  Maybe get an MRI w/ contrast.  Fortunately, my liver enzymes AST/ALT are back to relative normal (22, 28).  So, I may start the collagen and glucosamine supplements. My knee was feeling better when I was on them. It was probably the niacin that caused the liver issue. 

No need to panic.  The Mayo Clinic says:  

Carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) is neither specific nor sensitive enough to be used as a cancer screen.  Serum CA 19-9 levels should not be interpreted as absolute evidence of the presence or absence of malignant disease.

Stair master, glute / hip machine

Went to the gym tonight and did stairmaster and weights.  I'm likely not going to run tomorrow but will resume on Wed or Thurs.   Weights were done with slow negative, both R and L.  

Stairmaster - 15 min hill program, level 15

glute machine - 2 x 25 w/ 290 lbs

hip flexors - 2 x 15 w/ 230 lbs

seated single leg curls - 6 x 50 lbs

Stairmaster kept my HR around 160 for most of the last several minutes.  I found the largest dumbell I can put on the glute machine is 80 lbs.  Tonight I had an 80 and a 60lb + 150 stack = 290 lbs.  The max it will take would probably be about 80+80+40+150 = 350.

It felt pretty good.  

Ate a big dinner, a whole side of salmon filet, lettuce, avocado, ginger, and sesame. 

Will decide for sure about racing on Thurs.

 

A little speed

Wanted to run a even split 400m today as the weather was really good, about 50º, partly sunny, and calm winds.  Unfortunately, felt a little knee pain and still wasn't fully recovered from Fridays hills on pavement.  I was going to stay off the track but after a few 40s, a hard 100m on turf, I decided to run a 400m but I bailed halfway when my timer failed.  But a 30 sec 200m felt pretty easy.  

Maybe need more time between workouts.  Probably pushing too hard for this early in the season and in my recovery, due to the possible race in a week.  Maybe need 2 days between running workouts, more cross training, etc...   Going to be a long season if I make it to Daegu.  

Stretches, drills, bands

Adidas Takumi Sen 8 trainers on

2 x 40m (track) - 5.90, 5.50

100m (turf) - 13.82

200m (track) - 29.94 (400m bailout)

100m (track) - 13.54

100m stride (turf)

Running in the the 13's for a 100m on turf isn't too bad, and mid 13s at the end of a workout in trainers, but still.  Long ways away from being able to race a 400m.  No acceleration work yet.   

One weird thing that happened today was that I strained my shoulder sprinting the first hard 100m.  That's rare.  Reminds me that I forgot to warmup my shoulders.  Often neglected.  Reminds me also that sprinting IS a whole body event.  

Not sure if I'm going to keep my Tues workout.  May opt for Wed and take another day.  

Purchased more tests from Ulta.  When you want a specific test they then try to get you to buy a package deal on more tests.  It worked.  

Probably weights tomorrow.  

Weight is manageable.  Eating mostly lean mean and greens.  140.5 lbs after workout.  

Real hard hills

I did the same hill workout as last time.  I don't know why it felt so incredibly hard.  It really kicked my ass.  Same exact weather as last time, mountain was fogged in, 36º,  but just down the road on the north side, there was no fog.  For some reason, it didn't feel as cold as last time.  

Went to the track to warm up, totally fogged in.  Then, this time I started with a 100m and did the long sprints afterward.

Hoka trainers on

stretches, drills, bands

Hills on Roarks Cove Rd

100m - 20.60

250m - 60.32

200m - 49.97

150m - 38.83

Even though I took 15 min between the 250 and 200, after the 200m, I was really uncomfortable.  Still feeling winded several minutes afterward, even when my HR returned to the 120s.   My 250m was 3 sec faster than last time, but my 200m and 150m were a second+ slower.  At the end of the long sprints, I was literally moving at a walking pace my last 20m, almost completely locked up.  It was all I could do to even finish.  

Wonder if I'm trying to do too much.  Although I am running pain free, the knee will hurt a little after the workout but feel better next day.  Have a little more flexibility now, so may adjust the training schedule, but for now, it's Sunday - Tues - Fri.  

Still not where I want to be with my weight - 142.2 after workout.  Will have to starve a bit to get consistently below 140. 

It looks like this a lot up here this time of yr.

Award

This has nothing to do with track directly, but indirectly.  My award of a sabbatical for the 2026-27 academic year means 2 things:  most importantly a return to the concert stage a classical guitarist, and secondly, more time to devote to training and racing.  If I am healthy, which is a BIG IF, I should have no problem getting away to compete at WMAC in S. Korea in late Aug / Sept, and WMACi in March '27 in Gainesville.   Assuming fitness, these may be my last World meets.   

Considering that I plan to race on 12/14, it could be too long of a season without a break.  So maybe a bit of a break after Masters Indoor in Feb.  

The sabbatical award comes with a choice, one full semester off, or 2 semesters at half time.   I'm going to select the latter, which essentially means one workday per week (approx 6-8 hrs) for the entire year.   

Definitely couldn't come at a better time.  My studio is at an all-time low, and I need to rebuild.  Next season and maybe the following will probably be my last in track if I make it through, and I've not really performed much since before the pandemic so it's time.  Hoping my body, legs and hands hold out.  Guitaring on the classical concert level has an element of athleticism and requires actually far more training time than track.  

Looking back, peaking at the right time is hard.  In '23, before Poland, (where I should have medaled but fell after a collision at the finish) I was peaking in early March.  Was running crazy fast.  400m time trials of 57.72, and 56.81 on consecutive days.   Ran a 40.5 split 300m on the 2nd one, and was running easy sub 13 100s.   That was definitely a peak.  I struggled with pace in Poland and only mustered a few 58.9s.  Not bad and if I had run that time in the final, I would have won silver.   That year I did put it together at Nationals and was happy with a title in the 200m and a 57.59 Bronze in the 400m - one of the fastest M60 finals in USATF history.  Also, during that time in early March I got light, really light,  136.8 lbs after that 56.8 TT.  About 5 lbs less than I am now.  

 This is what I looked like:   

I wonder if I can ever get back to that level. Maybe by Daegu. All really depends on if the body can handle the training.

Tomorrow, hills.  Long hills like last time.  Cloudy, mid 30ºs.

cold turf - 5x150 tempo

Conditions were tough but fortunately the wind wasn't too bad.  I've seen worse.  30ºF, thick freezing fog, wet with light freezing drizzle at the Sewanee track.  I stayed on turf.  Visibility about 40-50m.

Stretches, drills, bands

Hoka Rocket X2s on

5 x 150m w/ 30 sec rest ~ 26-27 sec

Not fast but got it done.  HR stayed between 166 and 174 for entire workout after the first rep.  

I think I'm going to keep with this routine, one day track, one day turf, and one day hills.

Next workout is Friday, probably hills.  Sunday and Tues both look ok, 46º and some sun.  Friday, same as today but warmer, 

141.3 lbs after workout