Resistance - new stuff

Getting stronger and lighter. Felt a little ab soreness after yesterday's road work, but today it feels good. Able to do direct ab strengthening work - like hanging ab raises with no pain.

I'm including an important previously neglected exercise: calf raises on the toes (with ball of foot on a step). I think 3 x 30 with one foot at a time should be good. (so each calf does full body weight 90x). Two exercises that are targeting the ab indirectly are oblique/ab twists with resistance from lunge position, adductor and hip flexor resistance bands. I've also upped the Bulgarian (single leg) squats to 3 x 20 with 50 lbs each leg.

All the usual upper body. Did 20 pull ups today in my first set, more than ususal.

Body weight still 146 lbs., but should be below 145 by next week.

I wish I could get my dad to exercise, even just 10 min every other day.

Leaving the comfort zone

It's the kind of day where no one is outside. 40º, drizzle, dark. The kind of day to be sitting by the fire sipping tea. Plenty of time for that later.

So, I got outside to do some aerobic work on the road. Feeling more fit today. Ran long intervals. Injury has not been an issue. In fact, it feels better, although not yet gone.

1 mile - 6:31 (3:05, 3:25)

4 min rest

4 x 800m - 3 min rest between - (3:17, 3:17, 3:23, 3:11)

4 min rest

400m (straight, in sprint form) - 72 sec

I expected more ab injury soreness from the last track workout, but there wasn't any, even after a 30 min 'Insanity' video cardio workout on Sun. I've invented a few excercises that I feel will help the injury. One is twisting at the waist with resistance while doing a deep hip flexor extension squat. Hard to explain.

Anyway, resistance this week and maybe a speed workout on Friday. I may do 300s on the indoor track. I feel like I may be able to go with 3 running days as planned next week.

My weight is 145.6 after workout. Losing this last 6 - 7 lbs of fat to get to race weight is hard. Will require the 'one meal a day plan' with carb and calorie restrictions, pretty much what I've been doing for the past 4 days.

Holiday workout on the mountain

In Sewanee for the Thanksgiving holiday. Perfect weather for a track workout - 50ºs but windy.

Have felt the injury a little more this week, but it improves on off days. I guess it's something I'm just going to have to live with and hope it continues to improve over time. I wore my ab compression pants for some extra support. My calves were still sore from hiking.

Still feel very out of shape. Again, over anxious and started too fast on the first one.

1000m warm up, stretching, drills

spikes on

4 x 400m - 69, 80, 81, 80 (2 to 3 min rest in between)

200m - 30 sec

Ran the 200m with a fairly aggressive start from down position. The first few steps is the point of greatest stress on the ab.

I want to run faster with more rest in between but that is NOT what I need right now. Next workout will be longer distance, probably 800s.

I've been supplementing the workout with a cardio routine called "Insanity" on video which I've not yet been able to keep up with for the full 40 min. Also the usual resistance.

Not sure of my weight, but I've eaten sensibly this holiday and am probably no more than 147 lbs.

Indoor Track Schedule 2012

Here is a possible schedule for me for this indoor season. Three local venues: TSU, MTSU, and Sewanee; and then the Masters Nationals in Bloomington, IN.

This schedule comes with a few caveats.

#1 - I will need permission to run at MTSU from Dean Hayes (which he has given me previously, but I have yet to run at MTSU due to injury and a schedule mix up).

#2 - What race do I want to run and against who? Sewanee is only good for the 55m - and I could actually beat some people. But, I do not want to run a 200m or 400m race on Sewanee's 160m oval. MTSU races are NCAA Division I which means I will essentially be running alone, up to 4 sec. behind the slowest competitor in the 400m, but MTSU's 300m indoor track with it's long sweeping turns at the Murphy Center (pic above) could render some really good indoor 400m times. Only 3 turns instead of 4.

#3 - Depends on my health and injury status. I'm inclined to believe injury would be more likely in the 55m and 200m. My ultimate goal for the indoor season is to be healthy enough to run all 3 sprint events at the Nationals (60, 200, 400).

TSU's Ed Temple Classic is on a good 200m track and is a big meet. It will be my first meet of the season and I'm leaning toward just the 400m and no other races to be safe.

The indoor 400m is completely different from the outdoor in terms of strategy. It is almost impossible to pass after the first 200m since the runners cut to the rail after the second turn on a 200m track. Almost all passing done in this race is in the last 60m straight to the finish. I have no idea what a 400m race is like at the Murphy Center. I suppose it's possible to run it entirely in lanes on the 300m track. I may go scout it out at the first MTSU meet on Dec. 10. I wish I was ready to run, but no way.

Not that I will run in all of these, but these are the possibilities:

1/7 - TSU - Ed Temple Classic

1/21 - MTSU

1/29 - TSU Invitational

2/4 - MTSU or Sewanee

2/11 - MTSU

2/25 - Sewanee

3/16-18 - Bloomington, IN - USATF Indoor Nationals

Today, I did upper body and hip flexor resistance. Still sore in the left medial ham. Ab feels better. Will probably hit the track in Sewanee on Sat morning.

Dodging rain - road miles and resistance

On a rainy warm early afternoon, I waited for a break in the rain to hit the pavement. Quite sore in the glutes and medial hamstrings from yesterday's 2 x 20 Bulgarian squats with 50 lbs, I decided to go three miles. Not a great effort but a good sweat and some necessary calorie burning.

Light stretches

3 miles - 23:38 (7:52 pace)

I've not exhibited much self control on diet - I attended a nice wedding on the mountain with Iska and didn't spare the skillet apple pie and German chocolate cake. I was 152.4 on Sunday night, several 'evacuations' later, I was 4.4 lbs lighter in just 12 hrs. - 148.0 Monday afternoon.

After workout today I am 146.2

I don't think workouts like this are particularly helpful so I'm going to keep the mileage to 2 miles or less in the future. Bill Collins recommends occassional 3 mile runs in under 24 min in the off season.

Inventory:

Quite sore in the upper medial hams and glutes. Felt 'the injury' a little more than last week, probably due to the speed workout. Still not bad. Comes and goes. May wait til Sat for my next track workout.

KUDOS:

To my nephew Kris who completed his second Phily Marathon!

Spikes On!

For the first time in over 15 weeks, I tore around the track with my spikes on... and it felt good. Still not running fast, no more than 75%. But it felt good to run with sprint stride again ... and no pain.

I felt a lot of apprehension while packing my spikes and getting ready to leave. "Am I ready for this?" I was a bit nervous, and my hamstrings sore from Wed resistance, so I decided to do a good warmup and then decide. The Dean Hayes Track was bathed in brilliant sunshine on a cold breezy upper 40º's morning. In the first 100m of my first warmup lap I decided it was a 'go' ... it felt good. So after an 800m warmup, a few dozen leg swings and sprinter drills ... on with the spikes and off with the sweats.

800m warmup, stretching and drills

5 x 400m - 2 min rest in between - 73, 76, 83, 87, 86

The last 2 were mean. Fatigue dropped me off my toes on the last turn of the last two 400s - I was not able to maintain good form the whole way but I made sure I got it back for the last 100m straight. The first one felt great and easy. I think I could run a low 60's 400m right now but I won't be going there for at least 3 weeks. My splits were lopsided as usual ... 34/39 and 35/41 on the first 2. Next time, I'll try for some negative split 400s, even if they are slower overall. Next running day - Mon or Tues, probably do a mixed workout of foundation and long sprints, 800s and 400s. Week after next, I will move to 3 days a week of running if all goes well.

Weight is beginning to come down - 146.6

I hope to be consistently below 145 by Dec and race weight by Jan.

Resistance

Just one set of lower body resistance bands, Bulgarian squats x 20 w/ 50lbs, and upper body - pull ups, pushups, dumbell flys, rowing, shoulder press.

My injury seems related to the adductors... when doing adductor work with bands, that is when I feel the injury the most, but it's not bad and it goes away with more exercise. It's weird. I don't feel it in my groin like most adductor injuries, I feel it in my gut.

So... I did 2 sets of those.

Light workout. Don't want to be sore since I may put the spikes on Friday. It's supposed to be very cold though, probably only in the 40s by mid day.

Ate too much last night, 148.8 today. Let's see if I can be below 145 after workout on Fri.