bike climb, hard and warm

When I left the house, the heat index was over 105º, but I really think it was at least 10º cooler on the N side of the mtn where I bike up Roark's cove rd.  This was a strong effort, I think my 2nd fastest of the yr.  

Roark's Cove bike climb

Total time - 22:14

Avg speed - 6.3 mph

Max HR - 181

HR over 170 - 11:37

HR over 180 - 1:36

My post op PR was back around Memorial day when I did a 21:38.  I was pretty tired toward the end of this and didn't do much stand up sprinting.

Was pretty light for this climb which helped, probably about 141.5.  

Today, I have a miserable job to do when I should be protecting my hands and practicing.  Have to go to Murfreesboro and clean out my newly rebuilt shed and throw a bunch of stuff away while the dumpster at my house is still available.  It's not even noon yet and the heat index is already 111ºF.   Better to do this today and not closer to my concerts.  First concert 3 weeks from Tues.  

Biking in the heat wave, WMAC

Did my usual 2.5 mile bike sprint course today and yesterday, not all out but hard.  The heat index briefly hit 101º today when the temp spiked to 94º hottest since July 3.  

Yesterday's seated bike sprint 

2.5 mile mountain bike sprint - Laurel Branch Trl

Time - 10:38

Avg speed - 12.9 mph

Max HR - 171

Avg HR - 155 (inc 1 min recovery at end) 

HR over 156 - 6:37

HR over 170 - 0:04

Today's bike sprint with a little standing 

2.5 mile mountain bike sprint - Laurel Branch Trl

Time - 10:11

Avg speed - 13.4 mph

Max HR - 164

Avg HR - 152 (inc 1 min recovery at end) 

HR over 156 - 4:12

HR over 170 - 0:00

It was well over 90º heat index but it didn't feel like it on my shady road.   

Been eating carbs again.  Had a paella yesterday and quinoa today.  Was over 144 lbs today for the first time in a while.   

Heat wave is supposed to continue and peak on Friday or so.   Temps in the mid 100ºs in Murfreesboro, could reach the mid 90ºs here.  I like the heat.  Maybe I'll do a bike climb during the hottest part of the day Friday.  

Last two tests came in, ApoB high 127, Lp(a) low <10.   About what I expected.   May test homocysteine on Thurs to see if my coffee / tea abstinence had any effect.  

WMAC Daegu

My age group 400m finals were as expected,  WR holder John W. ran alone winning in 57.71.   Second was Richard W. in 60.07 and Christian S in 3rd with 61.46.   If I had recovered as I had hoped, easily would have medaled considering I was running 62 with just 6 weeks of training 10 mo ago.  

Hike

Been raining everyday which has produced a very green, cool, and lush forest.  We sat out on the bluff last night, it was beautiful.  It has rained over 4" in the past 5 days. 

Memorial day hike.  We left in the morning and as usual during this time of year, Sewanee was a lush and very quiet place with the students gone.  

Did a total of 3.5 miles including a hike down and back to the Bridal Veil Falls and then to the mountain laurel 'tunnel' at Otey view.  It was surprisingly hard.  HR in the 150s climbing out from the falls.

Forest was very dense and full of a variety of birds.  

Roya left today and I'm on my own for a few weeks.  Playing my niece's wedding in NY in early June, have construction going on in Murfreesboro and hopefully soon here in Sewanee.  So this is like the beginning of summer except unusually, the weather is not yet warm enough for swimming.   It's been in the 70ºs, not 80ºs.  Very cool generally for this time of yr.  Really do miss track training, was the center of my life for so many yrs this time of year.  Trying to get back in similar shape, "400m shape"... is a really high bar.  Hanging around 143 lbs, what I weighed in HS.

rower, gym

Usually workout on Monday night but it was brutally cold, snowy and I was hungry so stayed home and ate too much.  Inspired me to go to the gym after work on Tues.  Had one of my best rowing sets in a while.

Concept 2 rower

4 x 500m w/ 1 min rest -  1:59, 2:03, 2:09, 2:09 (2:05 avg)

Leg press, leg curl, leg extension, step ups, pullups

145.5 lbs after workout.

Insane weather.  72º on Sunday, 27º w/ 2" snow 18 hrs later.   I took these before and after photos on Monday on campus.   

Spectacular and even summer-like weather this summer coming up.   No rain for next 10 days, temps this weekend in the 80ºs.

Sewanee was ranked by Princeton Review and Travel & Leisure Magazine as the most beautiful campus in the US.  Great place to live, train, ... and occasionally work. 

 

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.

Not racing

Not racing Sunday.  Just too early.  Want to get pain free and cross train.  Going to get to the gym probably tomorrow then may head down to ATL to train where it's warmer.  May try another 400m TT when I get down there.  Next opportunity to race will be 1/4.  

Just finishing up grades this semester and it's good to get it done.  

Sat for commencement today... in my robe and hood, wearing my WMA Championship medal.  Only time I ever wear it.  

Stored my boat in the shed for the winter.  Brought my plants in.  

Sunday, we're receiving an arctic blast, but it will be short lived.  Sunday will be windy with high temperatures maybe reaching the mid 20ºs with wind chills all day in the low teens, single digits overnight.  

By Tues, generally in the 50ºs

2x300m, 150m

 I got up very early Friday and caught a flight back to Chattanooga and got back to Sewanee by 11am.   Not feeling really energized, I hit the track about 1:30.  It was cold and windy, but sunny.  Not sure what I wanted to do but I opted to try and best myself on the 3x3w/3 since this was going to be probably the best day for weather in the next weeks.  Terrible, wet, and cold weather forecast on every workout day for next 2 weeks.  

My 3x3w/3 failed.  I went out too hard on the first one and knew midway through #2, I would not be able to do a meaningful set or improve from the previous.  So, I rested several minutes and did a 150m easy.

Stretches, drills, bands, 50m strides

Hoka Rocket x2 on 

2x300m w/ 30 sec rest - 49.84, 53.34

150m - 21.93

HR after #1 max 179, recovered to 131.  HR after #2 176, recovered only to 148 after 3 min and was still sucking wind.   So, I bailed.  Disappointing.  I could've stuck it out and ran a 56+, but decided not to.  

I need to continue with the hills, go indoor and do some weights, form drills, short speed.   Indoor facility has free weights and machines, weight sleds, and short track. 

Not progressing much.  Probably go back to turf on Tues, track is hard on the knees.

Will go to the gym tonight, do some long (200m) hills tomorrow.  

140.6 lbs after workout.  

Will probably go indoor for one of these:  Workout weather: Sun - rain ending, windchill 36º,  Tues - 40% chance rain/snow, windy, windchill 29º,  Friday - 58% chance of rain, windchill 39º

casual biking, resistance, food

Peak color today, perfect weather, high temp of 73º today.  Set out on my bike, stopped briefly at the college football game (Sewanee lost 28-0), then to the weight room to do a brief weight workout.

Hard to believe that by tomorrow night it will be freezing, and will remain below freezing for 30 hrs through Monday to Tues morning.  Bike tomorrow, track Tuesday in the cold.  Winterized the boat, partially, will put heaters in for safety as well.

I also completed my last obligation (the last $25) for my $250 wellness incentive by conversing with a 'health coach' for 20 min.  She turned out to have no significant training aside from a psychology degree (from Sewanee!) 21 yrs ago.  I ended up coaching her on her health and orthopedic problems. 

Some photos of this incredible day. 

 

Food.

I recently got a craving for sushi so I ate some regular brown rice sushi.  2c cooked is about enough for 3 sushi rolls, about 18 pieces.  That much rice has 600 cal, 140 g carb.   Tonight I tried the dried konjac rice and it was great!  Honestly could not tell the difference with this brand and regular white rice, however, it is ridiculously expensive.  About 8x as expensive as regular rice.  $9 for 2c cooked rice!   

The difference is 2c of this rice cooked has 232 cal and 48 g carb.  About 1/3 the cal and carb.   I'm going to try the Livivia brand which is essentially the same nutritional values and ingredients (konjac and rice flour) but a bit cheaper.  Much prefer the dried konjac rice to the wet packets that smell wierd.   

These rolls were sardine, avocado, cucumber, carrot, sweet red pepper sesame seed.  

Hills

Hills on Roark's cove Rd.  Was joined again by by Dr.  Scott.  Beautiful fall day, peak color.  Warm, mid 60ºs.  

Started with a 20m warmup on the track.  

Stretches, drills, bands

Hills 200m - 46

4 x 100m ~ 21.3- 22.5

The first 200m felt pretty bad, but after that, the aches and pains were gone.  100s were good, took significant rest between.  Max HR was just 169.  

141.9 lbs after workout.  Started eating carbs a bit.  Had a craving for sushi rolls so made some at home with organic short grain brown rice.  Going to try the konjac rice.

Starting to think about that Indoor M65 4x4 WR.  It's really soft - 4:24, that's only 66 / leg.   GBR has a team that could easily break it as they ran 4:03 outdoor.   On a good day with the right people and their A game, I estimate we could get a team together including me and Ron that would run sub 4:10.  But I know the Brits will probably go after that record soon.  

A gorgeous day on tap for today Saturday, 68ºF... but then a vicious cold front coming Sunday -Tues.  It is forecast to be below freezing from Sunday night to Tues morning, a low of 18ºF on Tuesday morning.  Tues track workout will be about 40º with a wind chill around freezing.  Going to have to partially winterize my boat and bring in plants.  

Peak color weekend... 

 

NY bike climb #2

Today was hot, 98º with heat index around 110º, some readings as high as 115º.   I parked at the Conklin Town Park did a climb up Powers Rd to Wilcox Rd and back.  It was hard but not as hard as my hometown hill in TN.  It was a climb of about 600' over about 3 miles (my two GPS gave wildly different readings: 611' and 683', topo map says 580').

Seeing the first glimpse of Powers Rd hill was a little daunting.  Steep but not long.  Heart rate was high but not max, and much of it due to the heat.  I was in the 140s just biking on the flat to get to the base of the hill.

HR over 153 - 36:52

HR over 170 - 14:02

HR over 180 - 0:10

I made it up Powers Rd without even using the low 'granny gear.'   Actually more by mistake than by design.  The bike has a triple crank and I was on the middle sprocket the whole way up, thought I was on the smallest/lowest gear.  

Tomorrow is my last day to bike so I may try Banta Rd.  The stats show that it is comparable to Roark's Cove Rd in Sewanee.

Bike: Cannondale hybrid

Sunscreen:

Neutrogena 70spf

bike climb/ training methods debate

After Monday's speed session, I felt soreness in my lower back, hams, and in the right proximal ham, which is new, (it had always previously been the left).  Nothing serious but it made me think of the two basic rules in the Bill Collins masters training book that strongly guided my entry into masters track:

1. Don't train in spikes

2. Don't run 100% all out in training 

What I take #2 to mean is all out top speed like 40m - 100m.   Allan recently criticized me for not doing both of the above, but to me, getting to the start line healthy is #1.  Allan is the fastest man in the world over 60, but I have run literally more races in one season than he has run in his master career.  Also, my injury to race ratio is at least 20X better than his.  As I age, I think I need to stick closely to these 2 rules.  I've ignored both and they have come back to bite me.   Running at 400m race pace is not 100% all out running, so that is fine.  It's ridiculous to believe that running a half or 3/4 second off your 100m PR in training shoes is going to adversely affect your top speed development.   The strength derived from submaximal tempo training certainly will increase speed.  But, then again, I'm not a 100m specialist like Allan.  

The newest "fad diet" of training methods is Tony Holler's "Feed the Cats" regime that is basically a training method emphasizing a high percentage of all-out short sprint training.  Flying 30s, 60s, etc...  Now this can make sense for a high schooler, as he is a HS coach, but NOT for the aging masters.  A lot of masters subscribe to this and I see it as risky and of limited effect, especially for anything longer than 100m.  Frankly, I find it an attempt at a 'shortcut' to doing the hard intensive tempo interval work that has been proven successful in elites from Michael Johnson to Jeremy Wariner, or anyone who trained under Clyde Hart.  Face it, not many masters have the stones to do intensive tempo 200m and 300m repeats, especially week in and week out.  However, I do understand that the best speed reserve is top speed, and if you don't have it, it's hard to get it.   But at the very least, top short speed work should be used sparingly toward mid and championship season.  And, there is a difference between 98% and all out 100%.   I've found many times I've run faster at an apparent 98% effort as opposed to 100%.   Bottom line is that no masters over 60 is going to run a faster 200m or 400m if all they do is 30s and 60s.  

Anyway... 

Very cold today, mid 30ºs with gusty winds.  Light snow dusting overnight.   Quite a change from the low 60ºs yesterday.   If the weather were better I might go to the track, but with some lingering soreness, I'm going to pass and do some strength today.  

Yesterday, I did a Roarks cove bike climb.  Modest pace, just under 25 min.  HR stayed under 170 for the whole climb except for 30 sec at the end.  It was under 164 for most of the climb despite the fact I was breathing pretty hard at times.  

I was given a Cervelo biking kit with pants, shirt, cap by my tenant, so I tried out my first pair of bicycle pants on this ride.  I guess they were too big as I was always pulling the padding back up from the rear as it kept getting pushed forward.  Probably won't wear them again.  

Tomorrow, I am going for my appointment with the oral surgeon.  The tooth feels better, almost normal now.  I wonder if I should even get the surg
ery?  Probably so.  Since I will be in town, I'm going to get a blood draw for some of my tests purchased from Ulta.  

Yesterday, I ate some boiled hulled barley for variety.  It was ok.  Nutritionally, oat bran seems superior having less carb and calories, more protein.

About 141 lbs this morning.   
 

frigid 2x300, 150 tempo

 Same workout as last time but slower.   Was thinking about gutting out my first unholy trinity today (3x3w/3) but I decided to wait for better conditions.  Still not tough enough.  Sunny but an occasional NE breeze today, temperature holding steady at freezing, 32º.  This time of yr, after 2pm the sun is pretty low and it starts to get cooler.  Still ok for sleeveless t-shirt and shorts during the actual sprints, track suit on for warmups, and jacket in between reps.  

Just basically getting it done today.

Hoka trainers on

stretches, drills, bands, 100m

Hoka Rocket X2s on

2 x 300, 150m w/ 3 min rest - 51.84, 54.78, ~26

Certainly slow but hard effort anyway.   HR hit 173 at end of first rep, and it didn't feel hard, and  recovered to 129 before second.  Despite the slow pace, HR hit 184 at end of second rep and I wasn't pressing that hard at the end.  HR was 145 just before 3rd rep.   Only my hands suffered in the cold, as I was using finger gloves to operate my timers.  

Wed is my last day at MTSU for the yr.  Frigid weather continues.  Sunny Thurs - Sat.  Thur-Friday same as today, but bitterly cold wind chills on Thurs.  Sat looks good.  Sunny, light winds, mid 40s.  I may bike on Thur and wait til Sat to go to the track, or I may go Fri and Sun.   Sun - Tues a change in weather, low-upper 50º cloudy and rainy.  I might do bike on Sunday, and visit the wet track on Mon or Tues.  

Weight holding at 140.6 lbs after workout 

Bike climb

Bike climb today, pretty hard effort, just under 23 min to do the Roark's Cove Rd climb.  Must be getting in better shape as the heart rate per effort is less than it was.  Cool tonight, in the low 60ºs, not cold.  Still t-shirt weather.  

Roarke's cove rd. bike climb - 22:58

Max HR - 180

Avg HR - 159

HR over 170 - 4:40

HR 164-170 - 9:11

Will try to do some resistance tomorrow and track on Tues.  Next 2 days in the upper 60ºs and sunny.  Friday cooler, only about 60º but sunny.  No freezing weather in the forecast.   They predict a colder and snowier winter than usual.  

Love this time of year.  Work for the semester is winding down, student concert over, just 2 work weeks left (but they'll be just 10 hr weeks).

Planning on another boat trip on Sunday and bike climb with Bill.  

Happy to say, foot is feeling better.  May try a 300m Tues.  Sure is taking a long time to get back in 400m shape.  Not even close.   

Bike climb

Bike climb up Raccoon Mtn with Bill again.  We took it much easier this time, a few minutes slower than last Sunday.  

HR was much more reasonable this time.  Over 170 for just 5:48 total, over 179 for less than 2 min.  Peak at 181.  

Cloudy. fair weather.  Temperatures generally in the 60ºs.   Fall colors are late this year.  Warm weather forecast to continue.  Highs upper 60ºs to low 70ºs in Sewanee.   T-shirt weather down the mountain. 

Hard to believe just 3 full weeks of school left this yr.

View from the top, and an unusual fellow mariner this morning on the river. 

  

200s, weight pulls, weather

I got to the SAS track Sunday evening, waiting until near sunset, and I saw a fairly intense thundershower heading my way, it was isolated, the only one in the state and it had to be threatening my workout.  Otherwise, nice weather, upper 60ºs, breezy.

I drove through the storm and to my delight, the rain ended less than a mile from the track and it was dry.  Went through my warmup but the sky was threatening.  Just as I was finishing the warmup, it came.  A 15 min heavy shower.  It left standing water on the track.  

By the time it was over, I tighened up a bit but I was running out of daylight and I launched into my first 200m.  Felt really clunky.   Rested about 15 min, the second was better.

I finished with weight pulls til I ran out of daylight.  

Hoka trainers on

stretches, drills, 100m, bands

Hoka Rocket X2s on

200m - 28.29 (13.47, 14.82)

200m - 27.53 (13.06, 14.47)

7 x 90lb 25m weight pulls (sets of 3x and 4x)

I was rewarded with a great sight during my workout....

It was more tiring than I would have expected.  Probably due to the physical labor I've been doing.  I've got the shed I'm building ready to roof, so I'm going to leave it alone for a while and visit Roya in Atlanta.  This construction project has been very hard on the body, I'm spoiled and not used to physical labor, and I'm doing it alone which adds an element of difficulty.   It's taken away from my gym workouts, I haven't been in a week since I started this project.  

I hope to race at least a 100m in a meet Sat.  Maybe a 200m.  It's a pretty small meet, hopefully it won't be canceled.  There are only 2 other masters so far, one guy my age.  So, I hope to be on the track tomorrow and Thurs for some short quality stuff.  

143.4 lbs after workout.  

I actually entertained the idea of going to Sweden and tying it in with a vacation with Roya, and just run the 200m.  Registration just closed and I think I'd have a decent shot to make the Final, no real chance to medal, however.  I don't think there will be 8 people there that can beat me, maybe.  It's a huge meet, on the scale of Lyon 2015.  80+ in the M60 200m.   But I decided against it.  I told myself and Roya I wouldn't do any championships this summer.  Next 2 summers I definitely will, if my body holds up, so I need an extended break and we're going to the Alps hopefully this summer to hike, and eat.  I expect to take off much of Aug and Sept from training.   

split 450, split 400

One of those totally miserable weather days.   Mid 30ºs, dark, wind, fog, rain occasionally mixing with snow.  Occasional gusty winds from the W-NW.   I got to the track in a steady drizzle, and when the drizzle turned to a light wind driven rain, I retreated back to the car to wait it out.   It never really stopped but when it went back to a drizzle, I headed out.   Normally, mid-30ºs is t-shirt weather for me if it's sunny and no wind.   It's just the wind/rain/snow that makes it cold.   Still trained in shorts and a light long sleeve T.   After my initial warmups, I retreated to the mens room to do band work, massage gun, and put on my new Hoka Rocket X2s.

Hoka trainers on

stretches, drills, 100m, 2x50m, bands

Hoka Rocket X2s on

'split 450' - 300m - 44.87 / 90 sec rest / 150m - 23.12

'split 400' - 300m - 45.37 / 90 sec rest / 100m - 14.98

Was a good brief conditioning workout.    I was actually surprised the 300s were as fast as they were considering the conditions and the head wind all around the turn.  I took about 12 min between sets and went into the mens room to warm up.  

The new Hokas felt good.  They really delivered in this messy weather.   

It occurs to me that it is going to be tough to get workouts in before SE Masters next week.  I work T-TH and travel Friday.   I can't go 5 days before a meet and not train.  Options are, train early T or W, train late indoors on Thurs.  It would be to train Friday, I'd have to be on the track before 8am.   I'll work something out.  That being said, I'm going to train as much as possible this week including some consecutive days.  So, I may be out tomorrow.  

I have been cross training as well.  As much as I didn't want to do it, I was at the gym last night doing my 20min stairmaster hill program and 2x500m w/ 1 min rest on the rower.

139.0 lbs after workout.

gym: stair master, rower

Still 'snowed off the track' and taking a needed break from running, which is ok.  Next meet 18 days away and time to get in a good hard training cycle on the track before that.  Just treading water now and trying to keep some semblance of fitness and my weight under control.

Past two nights in a row I've done 20min Stairmaster hill program (level 15) and a short interval set on the rower, 3x500m w/ 1min rest avg about 2:04.  

Stairmaster is quite a good machine, far better for strength than those 'elliptical' machines,  but it is often abused.  Typically people (especially women),  cheat by supporting their body weight on the rails with their elbows, or locking out their elbows with palms forward.  Makes it a lot easier.  Ideally, when doing stairmaster, you should not attempt to support your weight with your hands and arms at all.

Last night, most of the snow was gone except on country roads like mine where there was still lots of snow and slush.  With the temps now in the 50ºs, and lots of rain coming, it will be gone today.

This semester is as busy as any I've had at the college and I hope I haven't bit off more than I can chew... have 25 total students at 2 colleges, an in person class and an online class.  In order to teach fewer days I'm doing a long one on Thurs, about 10 hrs.  

I want to be back to the track on Friday, upper 50ºs and a small chance of rain. 

Weigh is ok, hanging around 140 - 141 lbs

Last night... 

indoor tempo 150s, 200

Second workout in a row at the Sewanee indoor track.  Not my favorite place to train but without this track, I wouldn't be running at all.  Happy to have the place to myself.   Another blast of severe cold tonight through the weekend.  Will be in the single digits Fº next 2 nights and below freezing til Mon.   Main roads are ok but all others are ice.

I feel like I've lost fitness due to the weather interruptions of my training and change of plans not to go to ATL.  I'm also a bit heavier today and I'm not certain about going to the meet on Sun.  Unless I get a good lane, I probably won't go.  Even with a good lane, I doubt I can improve on my last weekend's time.  Should find out my lane draw tomorrow and make a decision.  The cold weather disappears but then there's rain for a week.  Track won't be clear by Monday, so my next outdoor track workout will be not until Friday.  

 

Hoka trainers on

stretches, drills, bands, 2 x 100m

3 x 150m w/ 30 sec rest - 22.14, 23.30, 24.40

200m - 27.93

2 x 150m w/ 30 sec rest - 22.31, 24.10

Really tiring as I'm not in peak shape.  Hard to hold form on those turns.   The track has 2x55m turns and only 2x22.5m straights.  It's like running in a circle.  Now I'm not sure I want to race on those turns.  Tough place to race a 400m when the straightaways are only 22m.

140.0 lbs after workout  

Now is the dead of winter....

The snow falls hard and don't you know?   The winds of Thor are blowing cold

Snow drives back the foot that's slow...   The dogs of doom are howling more

That song always reminded me of cold dark winter.

frozen in, schedule change

Yesterday, I drove around Sewanee for some sightseeing.  I opened the gate to Brakefield Rd and drove into the woods.  The snow was at it's heaviest, coming down in huge flakes.  

The trees were encrusted in ice, beautiful against the blue sky.   It got up to about 12ºF during the day.

Jumpoff Rd., Sewanee

Then I drove to the track, was surprised to see the Lacrosse coach and team shoveling snow off the field.  They had almost half of it done.  Hopefully, they'll do all of it so I can use the field if not the track.

I was determined to do something so I tried riding my mountain bike.   Snow too crusty.   So then I did 5 x 75m sprints up my driveway.   Felt bad, foot sore.  Probably due to the cold since it was 10º, bad footing, and all that wood hauling on Sunday.

My driveway

So, I registered for the KMS meet in Birmingham on Sunday.  I'm likely not going to the Jan 28, Coach Miami meet.   With poor training conditions this week, I doubt I will be able to improve my time from the faster Vandy track, but it will give me a chance to race against some low level college guys, unlike Vandy where I raced some of the best.  Sewanee's team will be there and maybe I'll meet the new coach.  It's the first meet of the season for many of them so there will be slow guys in this mostly DIII meet.   Last year, there were 6 who ran over a minute, quite a low level for collegiate men.  

One big question is health and fitness.  Roya came back from her trip last night with COVID.  1st time.  I may have been exposed.  She knew she was sick so we kept our distance so I'm hoping for the best.   I've never had covid so I really never want to get it.  I tested negative yesterday because I wanted to make sure I didn't get it at Vandy.  I'll test again in the next days.  Feel fine now. 

The Fowler center is open, I will go there for a workout today.  If the field is clear, I may do a tempo set of 100 repeats on turf.  Still in the mid to upper teens, but sunny, light winds.   Fowler has some of those wheeled weight sleds so I'll bring my harness, do some strength and speed. 

I was happy to hear fellow M63 masters Duane D. was granted permission to race at Vandy this weekend, even though he had to withdraw due to injury.  He said he's had some very good communication with the coach and she doesn't seem too hostile to masters competitors.   He told me he cited my example of running there, so I guess the new coach is aware of us masters now.    If I had known, I would have also requested permission for this weekend because I love that track, and will race there every chance I get.  

Still light.  138 this morning.  

420, 150, 100, 50

A very difficult return to the track Tues.  I wasn't quite recovered from the weekend.  Windy (N-NW) and very cool at the Sewanee track.  Mid 40ºs but sunny.  

Hoka trainers on

stretches, drills, 100m, bands

Hoka Roket X2s on

400m - 65.90 / 90 sec rest / 100m - 14.68

150m - 21.07

50m - 6.62 (rolling)

I had planned to do a split 600m, 500m /100m... but gave up after 420m in a strong headwind.  My 400m split was slow. Was very fatigued considering the slow speed.  Everything felt hard today, clunky, hurtin' form. 

Goes to show that hiking can not take the place of track sprinting.... even though during the hike, my heart rate did stay in the 120s on average for about 2 hrs, peaking in the low 130s during steeps.  

I did burn a lot of calories during the trip, so I'm light, but soft.  Muscle mass diminishes quickly at this age.   It's a constant battle.   If I'm not doing some small amount of strength training daily, strength goes away.  Even one set of pullups, pushups, and core is better than nothing.

140.9 after workout.

Cold snap ends tomorrow and back to 70º by the weekend.  Was 26º last night and had to put heaters in my unwinterized boat.  Fall colors are a less brilliant than usual due to the drought.  Second driest only to 2016 - the year Gatinburg burned.  That year Sept and Oct yielded 1.10" of rain.  This yr only slightly better with 1.46" of rain in the 2 months combined.  Only one chance of light showers forecast in the next 10 days.