A little running

Perfect day Monday, 62º sunny, and a day off so went to the track, first time in a month.  Did full warmup, small amount of running on turf and one hill to test the waters.

I wasn't 100% pain free in full stride, so I'm not going to launch into any running regime yet.  All this on turf except the hill/.  

Stretches, drills

4 x 50m high knee running w/ 30 sec rest 

2 x 50m (80%) -  7.49, 7.43

100m hill - 22.90

It was probably more than I should have done first time out because the knee was sore that night, but it feels ok today, the day after.  And recovery is what it's about.  Pretty much pain free in the limited stride things like the hill and high knee running.  Can feel just a slight amount of pain in full stride sprint.  Only when that goes away, will I do anything like a scheduled regime of running intervals.  For now, I'm going to stay conservative with mostly rowing and biking and strength.  However, the short choppy strides of hill and stair running are fine.  

Gained a little weight.  About 144  

Rower, drills, more wood cutting

Seems like it's been a long time since I did anything.  Have been very focused on the music performance I did Thurs and now that it's over, I can focus a bit more on training.  

The performance went really well, and it had to.  For many new faculty, administrators, and students, it was the first time they'd ever heard me play.   I hadn't played solo on that stage in almost 6 yrs.  In 2021, I was completely obsessed with athletic training.  It produced an amazing yr and a world #1 ranking, and guitar took a back seat.   I worked really hard to get ready for this and it paid off.  It was a showcase concert of faculty and everyone played one piece.   I arranged a really slow romantic lyrical piece to start, then finished with my most fiery flamenco dance, with lots of fast arpeggios, scales, tremolo, and rasgueado.  I specifically wrote some fast picado scale passages for the ending. Really a plethora of techniques and expression, all I could fit into 7 min.  The students were screaming by the end.  All my colleagues played great.  Unfortunately, they apparently did not post the video. 

Friday, I did another hard session on the rower, one set of weights, some sprint drills and high knee running.   Definitely have lost fitness.  Also, gained a small amount of weight, mostly due to anxiety over health concerns.  But it seems that these concerns may have been a bit overblown. 

Stretches, drills 

Concept 2 rower - 4x500m w/ 1 min rest:  2:01, 2:04, 2:12, 2:09 (avg 2:07)

It must have been an anomalous reading but my HR monitor said 192 at one point.  

Saturday I cut more firewood but it wasn't as hard a workout as my last session of wood cutting because I handled less wood and lighter season oak.  Should be set for the rest of the winter.  Weather is now changing to warm. Possibly no freezing weather for the foreseeable future.  Into the 30ºs on some nights but not freezing.  Will take my plants out.  50ºs today.  Near 70º by Tues.  We'll probably have a few more blasts of cold before the winter is over, but we've probably seen the worst.   I really don't mind the cold, love the snow.  

Looking back at my previous knee surgery, it was a full 18 months before I competed again, largely due to the pandemic and some plantar fasciitis.  I feel I pushed too early too hard with this second surgery, with the idea of racing indoor within a year of my surgery.  Probably a bad idea that cost me.  

I am going to try and run a little on Tuesday, a full 4 weeks since my last attempt to run.  Just warmup and a few strides.  It was suggested that I could train for the short sprints and abandon the volume required to race the 400m.  Might be a viable option.   I can presently do strength work and even squat jumps without pain.  Someone also suggested longer distance which is completely crazy and out of the question because of the volume. 

Retirement from competition is definitely on the table.  I'm NOT the guy who wants to run in all ages local meets and pose on FB with generic medals designated for kids.   (I know masters like this).  If I can't contend at the national level, I don't want to do it.  I know one of these guys my age who is continuing to race on a badly damaged knee and posts photos at these meets with his medals, sometimes because he was the only one entered in his age group ... always 'praying' on his fitness and his knee.  Not the sharpest tool. 

Will go to the gym tonight.   Need to up the strength work.  Was thinking about a hill climb today but have house work to do.  Have really enjoyed watching the Olympics.  Especially the men and women's down hill races.  

Hanging at about 142 lbs.

UPDATE:

Someone suggested abandoning 400m training and focusing on short sprints.  That may be a viable option.  Easier on the body.    

Stairmaster, thoughts, memories

Tired of the rowing so I did a stairmaster session last night at the gym.  Knee was ok, occasional slight pain but very minor.  Was able to complete a 16 min hill session on level 15 which is usually as high as I go.  The most important thing is no swelling or pain afterward or the next morning.

Stairmaster - hill program, level 15 - 16 min

Max HR - 169

Avg HR - 152

Ham curls and leg extension - light weight

Looking back, and forward.  

Looking back, 10 yrs ago today I raced Marvin Bracy, 2nd fastest man in the world (2022) in a 60m race.  He's a 9.85 sprinter.  To my right in that race was Adrian Griffith from the Bahamas, a 10.1 sprinter and national record holder.  It truly was a privilege to be doing this at age 55.  Looking at the video, I got out pretty well.  Was a full second behind Bracy but, hey.... 7.7 to his 6.7.  Great memory.   Takes me back to what was a great year.  I had just won my first outdoor national title the previous summer, and was running in a bunch of college meets that year to get ready for indoor nationals, where I had one of my greatest meets, winning the 400m in 55.22 unchallenged, and an indoor PR of 24.65 in the 200m. We also set a WR in the 4x200m relay.  That summer, went on to win my third consecutive 400m title in Grand Rapids, MI.

I guess I mention all this because it's a continuous adjustment to not be going to Indoor Nationals and possibly retiring from competition, although no firm decision on that.  In those semi-conscious moments when drifting off to sleep in the hot tub, I sometimes go back to that mindset, where I'm thinking about what workout I'm going to do, how much wind is there, how am I going to dress, the smell of the track, the training shoes and equipment bag, etc...   It's a transition to a different realm, then and now.

Reminds me of a few Olympian friends of mine, David - 400m hurdler and Kamari - long track speed skater.  I corresponded with both of them about their retirement from elite athletics, and they retired late 20s / early 30s.  Major transition.  I also used to follow the youtube channel of Olympian Natasha H., 400m sprinter who retired 2 yrs ago.  She had thousands of views on her channel and then, suddenly ... it ended.  No new posts.  Same thing with Derval O's blog, an Irish Olympic hurdler I was following.  One day her blog was all about training.  Then it was gone.  (She did come back to post later about motherhood and recipes). Now she's trying to sell workout plans as a 'fitness influencer.'    I don't want that to happen with this blog, whether I continue to compete or not.  I will continue to post here and keep up a wellness and fitness blog, even if I can't sprint forever.  

Looking forward, I haven't given up the idea of competing totally.  I could certainly compete relatively untrained and run slow, but that's not me.  It all comes down to how much and how quickly I can recover from a running workout.  I could probably be competitive even if I could do just 2x week, but that would be a minimum.  Maybe I'll set my goals for that.  I had really achieved quite a decent foundation by late Nov, running a 62 but all or most of that is lost now and I'll have to start from scratch.  

Almost 3 weeks since I've tried any running and maybe I'll give it another week.  Busy week and a performance coming up and so is warmer weather.  I'll probably wait til next week to give it a go.  Trying some new knee strengthening exercises.

wood workout

This was as taxing and difficult as anything I've done in a long time.  Spent 3 1/2 hrs of cutting, splitting, and stacking firewood.  It was exceptionally hard and heavy wood, hickory.  It was so dense that only a new chain would cut it.  I thought it was seasoned since the bark came off easily but now I'm not quite sure.  Doesn't matter because it'll burn once the fireplace insert gets up to operating temperature, I cut some small pieces, and I have enough seasoned oak to get it hot.   Felt like I was carrying stone blocks with the hickory.  Some of the pieces I had to carry up hill were probably 60+ lbs.  My body hurt afterward, knees, hands, arms, and back.

This winter is exceptionally cold with this weekend being forecast to be down around 10ºF for 2 nights with possible snow on Saturday morning.  With my Thurs concert cancelled, I decided to collect this firewood.  I don't need it to heat my house, but it's a nice supplement.  Also usually good exercise, but this was a bit much.

School has been cancelled for the entire week including a big tribute concert on Saturday.  Not including my faculty senate meeting on Monday, it will have been a 13 day vacation from teaching at MTSU.  I won't be teaching til Tues in Sewanee.  

Hope to get back into the gym tomorrow night.  Still a bit sore. 

You can see in the first photo, the big shed is nearly empty and the smaller shed near the house, full.  I was able to fill the large shed halfway.   

It takes about three trips up the stairs to fill my wood crib next to my fireplace.  Each load about 50 - 60 lbs.  

Biking, home exercise

Been very cold, was 7ºF last night.  Warmed up to about freezing today and, as also yesterday, did a brisk 15 min bike ride to the end of my road.  Got the HR into the upper 160s, avg 140s.  Also did the one set of 20 pullups, 30 pushups and ab wheel.  

MTSU was canceled through Wed, tomorrow, so I have had a full week off.  Cushy job.  Great timing because the very first thing I have to do on Thurs is play in a very high profile concert at the MTSU School of Music.  I'm playing first in a showcase of faculty performers and I'm feeling really good about the stuff I'm playing.  Ready to rock.  It's been too long since I've performed solo on that stage, about 6 yrs.  And this concert could be one of the biggest I've played in in more than a decade.  The entire Music student body and faculty will be there, probably close to 300 people, and I play first.  Perfect.  Practice has been going well.  Have had 5 mist humidifiers running to keep the humidity between 40-45% in the house, a challenge with a fireplace and cold weather, but important for the sound of the guitars.

Very cold weather and very busy month coming up with faculty senate, teaching at 2 colleges, appointments, auditions, etc....  Not sure when I'll try to run again, but maybe indoor a little.  We'll see.  

142 lbs this morning.  Hasn't been hard to maintain a decent weight.

rower again, master track book

Another rowing session.  Hard effort but not a pr.  

Concept 2 rower

4 x 500m w/ 1 min rest - 1:58, 2:04, 2:12, 2:09  (2:06 avg)

HR monitor said I peaked at 195 but I'm sure that was inaccurate.  Busy lately, but I felt I needed to get to the gym tonight.  Definitely have lost all that long sprint foundation I had gotten back by late Nov.  Knee is slightly better, progressing slowly.  Still probably won't try and run for a week or 2.

Was light this morning when I woke up 141.5.  

Monitoring potential health issues, had another scan this morning, Dr ordered, CT w/ contrast.  Due to weather emergency, probably won't have results til at least Mon or Tues.  

Major winter storm tomorrow.  My hometown in NY could get well over a foot of snow and below zero temperatures.  Here in Sewanee, snow tomorrow morning and freezing rain all day.  Not much snow here but 3-5" up the road in Murfreesboro.   Then rain on Sunday followed by maybe some brief wrap around snow and a very cold Monday with highs in the low 20ºs.  Schools are already closed for Monday.  If we lost power, I have only about 3-4 days of firewood - assuming burning 24 hours, so I'll save it for when I need it.  

Book:

Graham B is writing a book on Masters Track called, "Faster than you at 60."  Graham is a serious author, he writes for Forbes and his last book went to #1 on Amazon, so this might be pretty cool.  Graham competes in my age group, he made the finals of both the 200 and 400 in my '21 championship races. The book has 20 chapters about champion masters athletes over 60.  One of the chapters is on me and I just got the first draft.  It's quite good, honest, with many of both the successes and failures noted.  I think the book may be out by the end of the year. 

same workout, winter weather

Slow on updates, things are getting busy.  Appointments, back to work, etc...

Last Sunday, another hard effort on the rower.  This tied my previous best of 2:04 avg.

Concept 2 rower

4 x 500m w/ 1 min rest - 1:56, 2:02, 2:07, 2:12 (2:04 avg)

This is a hard workout, getting a bit tired of it but good to push the HR.  Hit 175 in this set, so it was hard.  I really almost bailed after the 2nd and 3rd reps, but I kept going.  Amazing how easy it feels at the beginning.  Guess like any intervals.  

Entering the dead of winter with the biggest snow storm probably of the year here this weekend.  Certainly schools will be canceled next week.  Murfreesboro could get a foot of snow, and here, ice and snow with rain and freezing rain.  Sewanee will be close to the rain - snow line.  The models have diverged tonight with the GFS showing much more snow and the Euro model showing significant rain and even thunderstorms.  Should be interesting.  

rower, weights

 At the gym Friday night.  Rower session and some weights.

Concept 2 rower

4 x 500m w/ 1 min rest - 1:58, 2:04 2:10, 2:12 (2:06 avg)

It wasn't as fast as my last set but it felt every bit as hard.  HR peaked at 176 on last rep.  Been doing the slant board squats and other stuff.  

This interval set on the rower is about right for me.   Good hard workout in less than 12 min.  

Weight has been stable, around 141-143lbs. 

Cold weather coming next 3 days, highs in the 30ºs lows in the teens.  Still enjoying my plywood shed at night for practicing guitar.   Seems to stay warm as long as I don't open the door for long.  

few strides, bike

Tuesday was the nicest day of the week mid 50ºs and sunny, hit the track for the first time in 2 weeks.  Didn't do much, just testing the water a bit.  Just a warmup, some exercises and drills, and bike top half of Roark's cove road.

Stretches, drills, lunges

4 x 50m - high knee runs on turf

2 x 50m strides on turf

1.5 mile bike climb

Still not ready to resume any track training.  Who knows if I ever will be.  2 days later, a bit stiff and slight pain.  Sure, I could probably tolerate running with a few days of soreness and stiffness, but that won't work for the long term if it's not improving.  May need a longer reset.  In the meantime, I'll stick with the bike, rower, gym, and do the knee strengthening exercises ... while resisting the temptation to run for a while.

Have maintained a healthy weight.  Generally in the 141-143.5 range.  

More important is just staying alive and staying on top of health issues.  In addition to giving up caffeine and drinking lots of water, I'm also quitting eating almonds and almond butter, a high oxalate food that I had been eating daily.  (Can cause kidney issues and inflammation).  

It's going to be really a tough February with faculty senate, 3 audition days, and some medical appointments. Instead of my usual 2 half days a full day, first week I'll have only Friday and Sunday completely off.  I capped my Sewanee teaching at 4 hrs a week, don't want any more.  I'm full again this semester.  But looking forward to my sabbatical next year, where I'll be able to just go in one day/ week for the entire academic yr in most weeks.  

Been making the shed my practice home at night, it's going to be a test tonight to see if it stays warm enough, it's uninsulated but 2 x 1500w space heaters have been able to keep it toasty.  

What really sucks is that my main working laptop went down (black screen) less than a week before the semester starts, so I'm thankful this 14 yr old Macbook is still working.  Drove 75 miles to Huntsville Apple Store and they couldn't fix it because MTSU had an admin code they wouldn't give me.  Made the trip for nothing.   

rower

At the gym tonight for a brief rowing workout.  I pushed it pretty hard.  

Concept 2 rower

4 x 500m w/ 1min rest - 1:57, 2:02, 2:09, 2:07 (2:04 avg)

Got a slant board for knee strengthening, particularly the VMO.  In no hurry to start running.  I briefly thought I might go to Nat'ls and just run the 200m, but that would be ill advised.

Been eating carbs, had paella past few days, weight up a few lbs.  Just below 144 this morning. 

Bike climb

Yesterday did my first bike climb in a while.  Mild winter weather, low 60ºs.  Knee is better but not normal.  It's a fine line to know how much strengthening to do vs how much rest.  After 3 workout days in a row, it was still a bit stiff, indicating some swelling.  

Not a stellar time but a good workout. 

Roark's cove bike climb

23:49

Avg speed - 5.9 mph

Avg HR - 160

Max HR - 182

Not a super hard effort, HR stayed 153-169 for almost 14 min, 170s for 5:30.

Been trying some body weight yoga type exercises that combine strengthening with flexibility.  Some progress.  Slow improvement.  

Warm and rain the next 2 days then cold and sunny early next week.  Hoping to try some strides on turf on Tues.  We'll see.  

Weight and diet remain good.  Hanging about 141.5 lbs.  Have given up caffeine, both coffee and tea, no supplements. and I start the day with a liter of water with a shot of unsweetened cranberry juice.  Feel better.  

Really happy to be here in Sewanee with Roya.  This vacation is being tempered with dealing with health issues.  Health of my parents, Roya's G.I. issues continue (despite a neg C-diff b toxicity PCR test), and my own worries over tests past and upcoming.  Monday is a big test for me.  I feel fine but still have a minor cough.  Roya has booked a body scan but it's 3 weeks away and she's had persistent abdominal pain in one area.  Her GI just prescribed a battery of tests but she needs a scan asap imo, especially due to her family history.  All this coupled with the exceedingly dark political climate in the US right now has made it a bit dark for vacation time.  At least the stock market is still cranking.  

Anyway, enjoying really focusing on guitar.  I've made a comfy practice space in my tool shed where I can rip flamenco scales to my heart's content while Roya sleeps undisturbed in the house.  

.  

Rower again

Another quick workout on the rower, more consistent than last night.  High stroke rate (41-43), damper set about 2 1/2.   Knee feels better but not 100%.  Really would like to run this spring so taking it cautious.  

4 x 500m w/ 1 min rest - 2:07, 2:05, 2:08, 2:10 (2:07 avg)

Rower, bike

Now one week since last running.  Sunday, did my first bike ride in a while.  Just a mountain bike sprint for a few miles up local hills.  Could tell I've lost fitness.  

Yesterday, went to the gym and did a set on the rower:

4 x 500m w/ 1 min rest - 2:03, 2:06, 2:11, 2:13

And did a few other weights.

Health concerns - Have had a cough for almost 11 days, it's better, but I just hope I didn't catch my fathers psuedomonas lung infection that he has had for decades.   I had some more tests yesterday but this cold/cough may skew the results.  

Roya tested positive for C-dif GDH antigen but negative for the toxins so her test was referred to PCR (DNA) testing to see if there are active C-dif toxins.  She's had gastric distress. 

Warmer and foggy in Sewanee today.  Normally, today would be a running day.  I will wait probably another week before I run again.  

Pulling back

5 weeks ago, I ran a 62.8 in my first attempt at a 400m in well over a yr.  It seemed that I was on target to compete this indoor season.  About that time I stopped cross training on the bike and went to 3 days a week of running, including those wicked hill workouts.  That was probably premature.  

It is a cycle that goes like: train, feel pain and stiffness next day, 3 days later the pain is gone and can run pain free, repeat.   This seems to indicate some healing is still taking place, but never allowed to progress to a permanent level.  The 'recovery' is fleeting and really false.  Like "your head feels better when you stop beating on it."  

I took a week off in mid Dec from running, then went to my parents house and trained once in 5 days.  I've definitely lost fitness that I worked hard for, doing those 4 and 5x150s w/ just 30 sec rest.  If I pressed on, I could probably tolerate such workouts on turf but at this point, it may harm potential wellness of the joint, expedite arthritis, etc...  I had read, it takes really a year to even come close to full weight bearing strength.  I've been doing stairs and weight pulls since the summer, only 5 1/2 mo post op.  My nature is always to push the envelope.  

One of my friends who is not an athlete keeps telling me appropriately that my recovery is 'a marathon, not a sprint.'  He's right.  If I have any hope of returning to Daegu or WMACi in '27, I need to pull back.  I'm about 80% sure I will not compete this indoor season.  

Plan is to go back to strength and cross training but need to take a break from anything that challenges the knee for a while and start fresh.