Celebrating New Year's Eve with hill sprints

I wasn't planning on working out today but after a day at an Orlando theme park, eating cake, french fries, and fried fish... I needed it, bad. My dad bought me a 'meal ticket' and the options were a bit limited and I was hungry.

So today, without a track, I ran the largest hill in the immediate neighborhood. About a 250-300m distance (measured crudely with GPS).

Half mile warmup, stretches

6 x 250m hill sprints on toes (walk down in between)

1/4 mile cool down jog

I was concentrating on good form and power. After the third one, I was feeling the familiar 'full-body pump' and the last few were hard.

Some of the recent progress on my quest to get body fat % down has been lost this week due to unusually rich food and family meals. My weight has fluctuated wildly. For example: Wednesday night - 147.4, Thursday after workout - 142.8. Friday night - 148.4, Saturday morning after workout - 144.2. Still hope to be around or below 140 lbs. by race day in one week... but, it's only the season opener and I was in much worse shape last year at this time; I didn't start competing til Feb, a month later. I've not been strict about my diet and... dinner party tonight, lobster tail on the menu.

Since I'll be traveling on New Years Day, I'll miss the annual Jan. 1 early morning run up the W Road to the top of Signal Mtn with Bill Minehan and friends in Chattanooga. Oh well, I'll have to make up for it on Monday when I get back to the track.

Happy New Year !

The Villages, FL High School Track workout - REJECTED

It was a perfect winter day in Central FL, mid 50'sº at 10 am.

While visiting my parents in FL, I decided to go to the local high school to get a workout.

The Villages High School was just 5 miles away and their track was beautiful, open, and not being used... not a soul in sight.

I did my usual 800m warmup and drills and was just about to don the spikes and run a 600m when a white pickup pulled up. It had a landscapers logo on it so I didn't pay much attention to it. Then a short fat guy got out and politely explained to me the track was closed to the public. I thought about saying to him, "wait one minute" while I took off and ran a 400m, there would have been nothing he could do.... I was warmed up and ready. But, I dutifully complied and left - rejected from the facility.

So, I did a brisk run and some floor exercises:

800m warm up, stretching, drills

20 min street run with hills

resistance, plyos - single leg jumps

Have gained some weight during the holiday. 142.8 after workout. Hard to imagine racing in one week. We'll see how it feels when I get home.

Exercising the aerobic system

This is supposed to be my recovery week, but I'm really not in great shape. And, I don't need to recover from any really hard work, because I never think I'm working hard enough. Since my pubalgia symptoms have been more noticeable this past week, a two-run week probably won't hurt.

A gray cold blustery day on the mountain. 40º and windy, but feels colder. Today, I ran on the Sewanee track, most of the time with sweats on, and in my heavy training shoes. Despite the slow times, it felt like a good workout and a good effort:

1 mile - 6:49

2 x 800 - 2:49, 3:09

400 - 74

(3 - 5 min rest in between)

I've discovered some new warmup and therapy exercises for the pubalgia syndrome. One is simply dragging each foot on the ground inward so as to provide adductor resistance. Another is to do single leg squats with the non squatting leg going out side ways on the way down, and then dragging on the ground inward while ascending from the squat.

Christmas eve and day involved massive and rich eating which I participated in. Not too much damage done however, I don't have an accurate scale, but I think I'm less than 143 lbs, and plan to eat light today. At least I did a nice moderate hike on Xmas day, so I wasn't a total slug.

I have to remember that this is only Dec., and this first meet is just a beginning and not to expect too much. I am a bit concerned that my speed is totally untested and I haven't touched the starting blocks in months. I don't quite know how my body will respond from the stress of 100% starts and sprinting. Not quite sure what I should do with my last few workouts before the meet. At least one session should be in the Murphy Center with blocks and running indoor turns.

Soon ... off to FL with the lovely Iska to visit my parents who have been married 52 yrs today.

Negative Split 400s - Christmas Eve morning

Christmas Eve morning on the track, 37º and hazy sunshine.

Wanted to be a bit cautious today since I didn't want to aggravate old injuries, but still work hard. So, I ran my 400s easy for first half, then hard for the second.

Effort seemed like 65-70% for the first 200m, then 80-90% for the second 200m.

Overall times were slower because I wanted negative splits.

Here it was:

800m warm up, stretches and drills

4 x 400:

67 - (36.5 / 29.5)

68 - (36 / 32)

68 - (36 / 32)

66 - (33 / 33)

(rest intervals: 3, 4, 7)

My weight is 140.2

(139.8 after sauna - first time under 140 since July)

Next workout will be on Monday in Sewanee.

Merry Christmas!

Holiday sprinter treats

It's hard for most people to have sweet treats during the holiday season without packing on the calories.

With my first track meet 2 weeks away, I want to be below 140 lbs when I race, so I watch what I eat. That doesn't me I'm depriving myself!

Here's a favorite dessert and drink that I enjoy, a better alternative to the traditional cakes and cookies.

Fried spiced apple:

one apple sliced

1 tsp honey or maple syrup

1 ounce water (or tea or juice)

cooking spray

dash: stevia, cinnamon, nutmeg

6-8 crushed toasted almonds (or walnuts or pecans)

Spray non stick pan. Arrange apple slices on pan. Mix honey or syrup with tea (or water or juice) and pour over apples. Sprinkle spices and stevia to taste while cooking slowly over medium heat for several min. Add water if mixture begins to dry up - boil water down to a thick cinnamony sauce. Serve with topping of crushed almonds.

This has about one-fifth the number calories per gram of cookies. Good, warm, sweet, tasty.

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As an alternative to egg nog - which can have close to 400 calories per glass, a very delicious and dangerous bourbon drink:

1 or 2 shots of good Bourbon (I like Blanton's, Bulliet, Wild Turkey)

4 - 5 ounces of organic 2% milk

Honey, maple syrup, or stevia to taste

dash vanilla

cinnamon and nutmeg

Add ingredients to a shaker or jar with crushed ice. Shake, strain, serve. Can also be served hot. About 1/3 the calories of egg nog.

Two of these will put me right to bed. Happy Holiday!

Resistance and plyos

Stadium stairs this morning and resistance tonight.

I'm loving a new plyo exercise: single leg leaps starting in lunge position with front leg on a 12 inch high step.

Concentrating on leaps, ab/adductor work, hams, quads, upper body, and cleaning my house.

Saturday, I'm planning on doing some negative-split long sprints. Unlike running 90-100%, these are safer.... because I can run the first 200m at 70% effort and the second 200m at 95% effort and the second 200m will only be a few seconds faster (hopefully). So, I can put out nearly full effort and not be sprinting fast enough to risk injury. I'll be shooting for repeats of 35/30 ... or something.

Stadium stairs x 26

Woke up at 8, looked at the radar... heavy rain coming. If I wanted to run the stairs, had to do it now... so I hit the stadium at 8:20, gray skies, 47º.

My back still hurts and the ab injury is not completely gone, but I persevered ... had to do one better than last time.

26 x Stadium stair runs

2 x 100 striders on grass

Weight: 141.4 lbs

Ok, I'm home....

let it rain....