tempo 150s on turf, bike up the mtn

Stunningly beautiful and dry weather since the rain stopped last week.  Monday, I met Bill M. and we biked up Raccoon Mtn, and I spent the night on the river.   Beautiful as always.  Saw the usual bald eagles.  We hammered it much faster than last time, Bill made it up to East Overlook in 37 min, I was about 2 min behind him.  

Tuesday, I hit the stadium for some 150s - running diagonally across the field.   Nothing fast, as I can still feel the pubalgia issue.  I did decent volume.  

Hoka trainers on

2 x 4 x 150m w/30 sec rest ~ 25 - 25.5

I took 12-15 min in between sets as I chatted with my friend Dr. Scott.  He's an emergency room doc in Winchester.  He told me they had a 25 yr old died of covid over the weekend, and several others 'on the vent,' all ages.   I have two students out with covid, probably unvaxed.  Not smart.  

Today, I'm seeing my Dr. as a followup to the blood work.  Also, will get the shingles vax.  It's been exactly 6 months since my covid vax.  Waiting for the Moderna booster.  

Thursday looks good for stadium stairs at MTSU, but hot, in the low 80ºs by 6pm.   May keep the Sun, Tues, Thurs schedule and not go every other day.  

I'm noticeably fatter, even though I've gained just 3 to 4 lbs.  Scott noticed it as well.   When you train in sprinter tights,  every millimeter of fat shows, hanging over the sides of the pants.  This time of year, I enjoy things I give up all year, most notably, bread.  I've eaten a total of 7 baguettes in the past 2 weeks since my blood work.  I have once more, and will go back to the usual low carb diet when it's gone.  Good thing the local bread peddler is taking some time off.  The bread I have now comes from that excellent French bakery in Atlanta, Cafe Vendome.  I'm a connoisseur of good artisan bread.  The best French bread has just 4 ingredients: water, flour, salt, yeast.  You generally don't find this type of bread in supermarkets. 

Not too far gone, 142.2 lbs after workout.      

 

 

Masters Rankings

There was a dubious entry in Masters Rankings in the M60 200m.  A "David McKay" was credited with a WL time of 24.67.  I talked to Jim C. who was in the race, he said it was "an M50 guy who jumped into the lane."  'David McKay's time' was a WL by more than a half second, and he has no history at all as a masters competitor.   His other event was the javelin, in which he did poorly.  I reported it as a mistake, but mistakes like these are hard to prove once they are a part of the official timer's record.  I hope John Seto of Masters Rankings adequately investigates this, but he may not, and it may stand as WL time.  

Back to the track

After 6 weeks, my first actual running on the track yesterday... and it wasn't pretty.   I think I'm going to start with one day a week on the track for foundation, and the rest tempo on turf, and hills.

Perfect weather at Marist school.  Low 70ºs, dry sunny.  Starting from scratch.

Hoka trainers on

stretches, drills, bands, 2 x 100

800m - 2:39.22 

6 x 100m on turf w/30 sec rest

It's going to be a long hard slog to get back.  

More stadium stairs / Blood work results

Thursdays are becoming my stadium stair day.  Yesterday I did 16x.  Better than the previous 13x.  Left quad was a bit sore last night, but this morning OK.  I think I'll try to increase by 3 each week til I run out of daylight.  

Stretches

16x stadium stairs 

My weight is still good.  I'm eating fish again and more protein.  141 lbs after workout.

Blood work

After trying a egg heavy diet in Feb - April, my May blood work showed a elevated cholesterol of 281, LDL 201.  The LDL was considered 'very high'.  I spoke with my friend Gary, the heart surgeon, and he also recommended other tests, inflammation markers: Sed Rate, CRP.    My doc challenged me, he said last May, "The ball is in your court.  We'll retest you in Sept."  ... also with a mention of possibly going on statin drugs.  That was enough of an initiative.  

I gave up eggs 100% immediately in May.  Only skim milk.  No more butter blend, just olive oil.  After track season, I gave up all meat and the only non-vegan food I was eating was skim milk and an occasional scoop of whey protein powder.  

Here are the pertinent results:

Total Cholesterol:

May: 281

Sept: 161

LDL:

May: 201

Sept: 105

Testosterone:

May: 256

Sept: 477

The results were quite dramatic, but I also think the time of day being tested had a lot to do with the real low T level in May.  I got tested very late in the day while I was tired, hungry, and run down.  256 T level is low.  477 probably right in the mid range for a 61 yr old. 

I must say, after looking at some over 50 fitness groups, the prevalence of testosterone abuse is epidemic.  I can't believe how widespread it is.  I'm happy to be involved in a sport that naturally increases my hormone levels and strictly forbids the use of such PEDs.  I would never use that stuff, even if I were not competing.  

That said, there is an individual who is quite high in the sprint rankings in M60, yet he has apparently never competed in an event in which there is drug testing - like a USATF or World Championship, despite apparently competing in other non-testing events in the same location, and no one in the masters track community knows him.  It does raise suspicions, and not just with me.

Anyway, happy for these results.  Definite proof of the dietary effect of egg consumption, for me... anecdotally of course.  

I've gone back to eating occasional lean meat protein.  But still often eat vegan meals. 

Here's the veggie pasta I had last night with konjac noodles.  TWO huge plates of this are less than 300 calories and very low carb.  If these were traditional pasta noodles, it would be more like 1000 calories.  It's called 'having your cake and eating it too' ... you make compromises.  The benefits are big.

150s on turf, 200m hill

Out at noon today, partly sunny, 75º at the Sewanee track.  Last warm day before a  cold snap where we'll see temperatures in the mid 40ºs at night.  

Hoka trainers on

stretches, drills, 2 x 100m

4 x 150m on turf w/ 30 sec rest - 24-25

2 x 150m on turf - 21.05, 21.88

200m hill sprint ~ 44.25

It was hard.  Beginning again always is.  But, the body adapts.  It will be painful and will take time.  Probably 10 weeks or so to get race ready.  Even though I'm under 143 lbs after workout, feeling a bit soft. 

By comparison, when in top shape, I can do this 4x150 set avg 22 high - 23.  200m hill sprint under 40.  I really didn't mean to run those 2 150s quite that fast, but I'm 95% healed from the pubalgia.  

Last night I did 25 min stairmaster and some weights.

Also, joined the AAU for the first time.  It's required of some indoor meets in AL.

Plan on doing stadium stairs on Thurs after work.  It will be nice and cool, low 60ºs.

first intervals

Been raining here constantly since Saturday afternoon.  I was hoping to get some 200m hills in but the rain never stopped on Sat, but... it stopped for 30min on Sunday around 3 pm and I got my first running workout in after almost 5 weeks of no running.  Nothing fast, just a precursor warmup to begin again and a reminder, 'it goes away fast.'   

Hoka trainers on

stretches, drills, 2 x 100m jog

10 x 100m on turf w/ 30 sec rest ~ 17-18 sec

It started raining again almost as soon as I finished this set.  It was a good calorie burn and got sweaty, but not real intense.  I think my pubalgia issue is 95% gone, I barely felt it.  

So, here it is mid September, and I'm beginning again.

Got heavy after my bread splurge late this week.  Up to over 145 lbs.  

Will do some resistance later this evening, maybe some band work, squats.  Still doing 20 pullups everyday, not as easy as it was several weeks ago.  

First meet of indoor season may be Dec 5 in Birmingham, just 11 weeks away!

Reminder... it goes away fast. Bike and Stadium stairs

Monday, biked up Raccoon Mtn, with Bill.  We did it at a fairly easy pace, about 42 min, where our PR is 35-36 min.   Beautiful morning views in the gorge.  I'll post some photos below.

Thursday, Stadium stairs at MTSU.  Not sure when the last time I ran stadium stairs but I think it may have been as long ago as April.  I can usually knock out 16-21X of these, but yesterday, a meager 13x and I was a quivering mess.  I really did the first 2 or 3 all out, probably too fast.   I've done as many as 30 in a session, with rest between sets.  We'll see if I get sore, but so far, ok.  Stadium stair training always gets the quads and calves.   

Hoka trainers on

stretches, drills, 2 x 50m jog on turf

13x stadium stair sprints

It was much harder than any recent stair workout. 

The pubalgia issue is fading and I should be 100% by Oct.  I think I can start doing some easy running or hill running as often as every other day now.  

Schedule

It looks so far that early season indoor meets will be more plentiful in AL at the Crossplex than in Louisville at the Norton Center.  I may be able to race the first 2 weekends in Dec in AL.  We'll see.  Not much info yet.  

Health

Yesterday, I got another rescue injection for the carpal tunnel and when the effects wear off, I'll get the surgery.  I'm hoping it won't be until mid Nov.  I'm actually playing guitar pretty well now and hopefully get some recording done this month.  

Also, yesterday, I had fasting blood work, primarily for lipids, inflammation, and testosterone, the latter 2 my physician is not interested in but I am.  Having been on a plant based diet for 4 weeks prior to the test, it should tell conclusively if my cholesterol is 'diet-induced' or naturally produced by my liver.  I won't get the results til the end of the month. My first test came at a time I was training much harder, weighed a few lbs less and was eating lots of eggs and animal protein.  

I got tested Thursday morning, I had fasted Wed, eating only 2 apples the entire day, and Tues, just a bowl of lima beans.   By Thursday morning, I was just under 140lbs (139.9), I was starving and did a big diet cheat.  In the next 24 hrs I ate 2 Panera baguettes with reduced fat honey walnut cream cheese, and preserves.  Still under 144 today but glad I got that out of my system.  Back to the good diet.  

Raccoon Mtn on left.  Below, eagle in flight.

Band work and first 'running'

4 weeks now since my last race and last sprinting.  My second day in a row at the track and I brought the resistance bands.  Didn't bike as planned yesterday but doing the 'big climb' at Raccoon Mtn tomorrow.  

As with yesterday with the bands, I'm concentrating on ab and adductors, a little ham and hip flexor as well, in addition to my complete set of usual warmups and dynamic stretches.  I also did a 2 min prone plank.  

After all that I did my first running... just 5 x 50yd high knee running on turf, then a 50 and a 100 yd light run on turf.  I do think my aches and pains are fading and the high knee running felt good.  The main stress on this pubalgia issue are forward hip flexor extensions with ankle band resistance.  That's where I feel the injury the most.  So, no real sprinting for quite a while.  

I'm planning on running stadium stairs on Thursday morning.  I'm hoping I can start some foundation intervals on turf or track within a few weeks.  No rush.  First indoor meets I'll consider are as early as 12 weeks away, which is not long, but the main part of indoor season is Jan, Feb, and indoor nationals in March.   I do want to have my A game by January if possible, which means full return to sprint training by at least Nov.  Still, no rush because there is no break between indoor and outdoor, and there is a bit of overlap.  So, when the season starts, it goes til Worlds in Finland in early July and Nationals end of July....  a good 8 months of training.  

Biking and prep for running

 I went 3 days without doing much of anything, Tues - Thurs, and Friday I biked up Roarkes cove Rd in 24 min, but prior to that, I went to the track and did a nominal track warmup of stretches, drills, and some high knee running and bleacher hops.  The pubalgia issue is still there but fading slowly.  I was fairly aggressive in my rehab band work but I think that has diminishing returns in healing so I'll probably do less of that and more prep for running.  The main type of running that stresses this injury is full stride sprinting, so hills, bleachers, and high knee drills are a good first step in prepping for running.  I must say, when one stops running, the specificity of tolerating that activity decreases and it is not easy to start again.  The bottom line is that the body adapts to the task.  My foot was sore from just doing a few drills because I hadn't done them in a while, but by the end of the warmup, was feeling fine.

I think the reason it takes so long to get past injuries like pubalgia and plantar fasciitis is that they affect dense tendons rather than softer muscle, and they affect such tendons at stress points - where they attach, so called 'proximal attachments.'  Rehab exercises and stretching has to be done carefully so as to not make the injury worse.  

I'm going to do the same thing tonight, a track warmup, drills, and then bike up Roarkes cove Rd, but I'm going to bring my bands for some resistance work tonight.  

My weight is good, although my body fat has increased slightly.  I'm 142.5 this morning and I've been eating a plant based diet for almost a month.  Mostly salads, sautéed vegetables, watermelon, lima beans, chick peas, nuts, a little chocolate, oat bran cereal, blueberries, occasional protein power mixed with skim milk and frozen into an 'ice cream',  and a lot of coffee.  I'm going for my blood work retake next week and it will prove whether my cholesterol raise was dietary, or due to my own body's production of it, since now I'm eating almost zero cholesterol.  My friend Gary, the heart surgeon recommended I get 3 additional tests (sed rate, lipoprotein A, and CRP) which will further assess my cardio vascular health, they are essentially inflammation markers.  My doctor said I may have to pay out of pocket for these since my insurance may not cover them, which I think is asinine.  

Incredible weather in TN.   There is a warming trend which will push temperatures into the 80's by Mon but it will be dry and cool at night, low 60s.  I'm planning to spend Monday night on the boat after I do the Raccoon Mtn bike climb with Bill M.   Next Thursday, I'm planning to run the MTSU stadium stairs.  I don't anticipate any serious interval training for quite a while yet, hopefully by next month, but I'll hopefully be doing foundation 800s within a few weeks.  

core work, bike, stairmaster

Since my last post, I've been biking up Roarkes Cove road, doing stiarmaster at the gym, and I've settled on a core strengthening regime designed to rehab the pubalgia strains that I have.  It's working.  Now, beyond 3 weeks of no running, I may start again with some jogs on turf or some stadium stairs next week.  I've said this repeatedly but.... even with all this exercise, I feel like I'm losing fitness because nothing compares with the HIIT long sprint interval training I do on the track.  

My new core routine involved an exercise I haven't done much before - planks.  These are isometric poses that engage the core.  I do prone and side planks.  2 min prone, 1:50 side.  

Also, doing a lot of abductor exercises with bands.  I think I may have an imbalance with my adductors being stronger than my abductors and my ham/glute much stronger than my quad/hip flexors.  So, working on that.  Also doing these twisting exercises with bands that engages abs, abductors, and obliques.  Still doing 20-22 pullups on the bar everyday.  

Next thing I want to do is to go to the track and do my typical pre workout warmup with stretching, bands, and drills but no running.   Won't be long before the long slog toward 400m fitness starts again.  

The weather has been beautiful.  Planning another Raccoon mtn bike climb on Monday.  

Congrats to Mike V. of the UK who became only the third M60 guy to run sub 58 in the 400m this year with a 57.64.  

Stairmaster and a little resistance

After taking Wed and Thurs off, I was at the gym tonight to do my 25 min stairmaster hill program and some weights.  Not much in terms of lifting, just targeting my abductors to rehab this pubalgia issue.  After tonight's workout, it seems gone but that's the problem with this issue.  After exercise it feels fine, it's the next day that really matters.  Now it seems really back where it once was, in my left adductor, and not so much in the lower abs.  

Nice weather, lows hitting the upper 50ºs on the mountain.

Weight was pretty good before dinner, 142.0 lbs.  But I ate a lot.  Maintaining a plant based diet.  Vegan except for skim milk and some whey protein.  Low carb.  

I noticed the Nike Maxflys were briefly back in stock, so I bought a second pair.  They sold out later in the day.  They fit like my first pair.  I put them on the shoe stretchers and they now fit well.  

So, Labor Day weekend.  Tomorrow, I'll bike up the mountain and do my band work rehab.