return to the oval office

First track workout in 3+ weeks.  Foundation work will be on the schedule for the next 2 weeks.  Perfect cool cloudy weather at the Sewanee track, in the mid 60ºs and cloudy late afternoon.  Visiting from FL, my parents joined me.

Hoka trainers on 

400m warmup, stretches, drills 

2 x 800m - 2:38, 2:41

It was hard, I'm out of shape, but one amazing thing, I remain exceptionally light.... 143.4 after workout.   This is the lightest I've been at the start of a training cycle, despite a bread and butter diet the last week.  This is probably due to a lot of time on my feet working around my house the past few days.  Being light certainly isn't being fit.  Despite my good weight, I feel 'soft'... some of my muscle mass lost after a hiatus from training.  As I ramp up my training, I'll get back on the strength routine, weights and hills, protein and amino supplements, and then long sprint speed intervals.

This proven 'long to short' cycle is similar to what WR holder Roland G. told me he does.  He told me he starts with 800s the first 3 workouts of a training cycle.  These are not fun, but necessary.  Training in cool weather was a gift today, but as I get closer to the Championships at LSU, I'll start going out and training in the heat to acclimate to the heat.

Feet feel better, was able to run for the first time in months with no taping.  It looks like I will be teaching in Murfreesboro in June so I will be training at least a few times a week a the Dean Hayes track.

Happy to have convinced my dad to leave his butt to join me and my mother on the track.  Wasn't easy.  He and my mother walked a mile and a half, and they actually sprinted 50m with me, without even stretching.  He did ok, actually impressive for a 77 yr old that weighs 236 lbs with a knee replacement.    Wish he would do this regularly, but he's never left his comfort zone consistently to train as a senior.

Here I go again.  Championships in July and Aug.  State meet in June.


Mom and Dad ... the first and likely only time on the track.