300s, 200, 150

Amazingly quiet and beautiful at the Marist School in Atlanta this evening.  Dry, mid 60ºs with a light breeze under the setting sun.  Felt sore and rusty after the Friday stadium stairs, sore calves.  For a track in a major city, it was as quiet as Sewanee.

2 x 300m - 43.5, 43.8 

200m - 27.5

150m - 20

Ran the 300s hard, the second one really kicked my butt.  I took ample rest between each sprint.  This was really just maintenance, nothing really substantial but a very tiring workout as everything was 85-90%.

I'm really trying to reduce weight now.  Not near an accurate scale, but around 147.  This weight would put me right in the middle of the normal healthy BMI range, but not good enough if I want to run fast.  Would like to be 141.  Harder every year to get the weight off.

Enjoyed watching my team - GPTC win the Penn Relay's M50 4x400 by a mile.  The highlight of the meet for me was watching MTSU win the 4x200m, first relay win at Penn in 23 yrs.  I also was blown away by the Jamaican HS team from Calabar that ran times that would beat 99% of all colleges: 39.5 in the 4x100 and 3:03.79 in the 4x400.

I'm beginning to really see how hard it is to maintain fitness with age.  I never remember working this hard during HS track, yet I was still a fast 100/200 sprinter.  My brother excelled at the highest levels as a polevaulter, but I don't recall him working very hard on his strength and speed.  I'm just glad I'm getting healthy again and can still do it.  I'll try to race in 4 weeks, see where I am.  I'm getting close to committing to Spokane Nationals.

My dad turned 78 today, my brother is retired, and I'm 58 in 2 months... the sunset of my athletic career.  As Alan told me the other day, it's about the journey.

800m + stadium stairs

I'm really in poor shape still.  Today really drove the point home.  Beautiful morning at the MTSU track, mid 50ºs and sunny.  I met Jacob and we warmed up and ran an 800m before hitting the stadium stairs.

Hoka trainers on 

400m warmup, stretches 

800m - 2:46 (83, 83) 

15 x stadium stairs 

My 800m was pathetic.  I thought I could break 2:40 but didn't come close.  Jacob ran 72-78 splits, my last 100 must have taken me 21+ sec.  Pathetic.  I'm just too heavy and have lost any foundation I had built up in Jan.  I was definitely in better shape in Jan when I ran 57.02 at Vandy.  My foot has not allowed me to get the volume in.  Taking 4 weeks off the track is costly.  At least I have another month before I race.  It'll probably be 2 or 3 weeks before I attempt anything in spikes.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to keep doing 2 foundation workouts a week, and maybe one quality speed workout.

The stairs were hard as usual, we'll see how I feel tomorrow from them.

146.8 lbs after workout.  I can feel I'm carrying an extra 5 lbs.  Although I'm off the bread, I've developed an almond butter habit.  I have to knock that off to lose this last 5 lbs.  Always the hardest.  As usual, I have to do some fasting to get to my race weight.  Once there, easier to maintain.

slow stuff

This morning on the track at Sewanee, cloudy, bleak, 55º... wet track.   Guess I'm not ready to go every other day yet, wasn't hitting my splits.  Ran faster a week ago. At least I got some meters in.

Hoka trainers on 

350m warmup, stretches, drills 

600m - 1:51 

500m - 89 

300m - 47

I didn't take full rest between the 600 and 500, probably why the 500 was so slow.  The last interval was supposed to be a 400m but I bailed after 300 when I saw I wouldn't hit my goal of 62. I should've finished it in a 64-65, but I copped out.  Not a good day.

In order to protect my feet better, I've added a lot of stuff in my new trainers.  In addition to the stock inserts, a thin shock protectant insole called Noene, then some Profoot plantar supports, and then some custom cut 5mm gel soles that I placed under the stock insert on the outside of my forefoot where I strike.  My heels barely fit in my shoe with heavy socks but it's very soft. Should be protective. I have 2 pairs of active trainers, one new, the other just slightly worn.  I have a third that I use in the gym.

I still need to lose 5 lbs.  146.7 lbs after workout.

May try to hit the stadium stairs on Friday.

foundation / spectator at SAA meet

Dodging rain showers on a nice spring day, about 60º and breezy at the Sewanee track.  It rained all day yesterday so I went to the weight room and did a brief but focused weight workout.  Today, the track was quiet and all the stuff left over from the SAA conference track meet was gone.

Needed to put in as much volume as I could today.  Not ready to run fast.

Sunday night, the weight room was a ghost ship, no one there:

3 x 15 w/ 80 lbs  - single leg squats/squat jumps  

15 box jumps

Monday on the track:

Hoka trainers on 

400m warmup, stretches, drills 

2 x 600m - 1:49, 1:49.5 

300m - 45.5

This workout was hard but much less painful and hard on the body as my workout on Friday.  I now know not to start a workout with a 61 400m in my present shape and expect to accomplish anything.   I could have done more if my feet could handle it, but it was enough since I expect to be out here again Wed morning.  I remember doing a lot of 600s in my '15 training cycle.  That was a good season, didn't run anything shorter than a 400m for 5 weeks.  (partly due to a hip flexor).  I still haven't had the balls to try a tempo workout yet, but that is coming.

Still heavy, 147.1 lbs after workout.

SAA Championships
The Southern Athletic Conference is a small school DIII NCAA division that includes 8 schools: Rhodes, Sewanee, Milsaps, Hendrix, Berry, Birmingham Southern, Centre, and Ogelthorpe... all small private schools with 100+ yr histories and high academic reputations.  Not exactly hotbeds of athletic prowess.

It was nice to attend a track meet in my hometown.  I hung with my fellow masters track rival and colleague, Marcus who was there with his family.  His amazing daughter Karmin won 4 medals, in the 100, 200, 400, 4x100 and ran the 4 x 400m.  I don't think I've ever seen a college athlete run 5 races in one championship meet.  She won the 200m in 24.26 - the 2nd fastest DIII time in the US after running 3 races.... the 400m in 56.5, the 100m, and the 4x100m.  I can't believe she finished 2nd in the 100m, just 20min after winning the 400m.  It was nice to see Marcus and his whole family.

To me, the most amazing and inspiring race was the men's 400.  It was won by a 5'6" white kid, a freshman from TX who was representing Hendrix.  I was stunned at how Levi Jones held his form and held off his competitors all the way down the stretch, finishing in a PR 48.74.  Wow.  The kid was built a lot like me, except possibly a tad shorter and a bit more muscular.  He weighed 153 lbs.  Definitely did not look like a typical 400m guy, or like any of his competitors.

Also, I saw a kid win the 100m in 10.57 into a slight headwind, very fast on this track.  I think he's the defending DIII champion from Birmingham Southern.  It was the second fastest DIII 100m this yr.  There were a few others that I think will qualify for the DIII Nationals.

Here is a photo of the SAA Championship Award Ceremony.  Rhodes College won the team title.

I love DIII track

3 hard sprints

Waited til after day 1 of the SAA Conference meet was over in Sewanee and squeezed in a workout between the track meet and a lacrosse game.  Perfect day, upper 60ºs and sunny.

I took 2 days off after the previous track workout and I think I bit off a bit too much starting with a hard 400.  After that, I was toast.

Hoka trainers on 

400m warmup, stretches, drills 

400m - 61.5 (30.5, 31) 

300m - 45.5 

200m - 29

My right foot hurt a bit more than expected and each sprint felt hard.  Not as good a workout as last Tues.  Next time I won't start with a hard 400m.  Any thought of running at the Nashville Masters meet in 2 weeks was dashed today.  I'm not in shape.  I took the last 200m a bit easy because my foot and hip had started to hurt.

147 lbs after workout.

first real track workout in a month

Beautiful day on the mountain.  60º and sunny at noon, breezy with temps climbing into the upper 60ºs by early afternoon.  Shirtless training weather.

Hoka trainers on 

400m warmup, stretches, drills 

600m - 1:46.5 

         5 min rest 

200m - 27 

         full rest 

400m - 62.5 (31.5, 31) 

         5 min rest 

200m - 27.5

 I was planning to do 2 x 600m but I thought some faster stuff would be better.   I ran the 600m in my older Hokas and it felt ok, nothing really hard.   I changed into the new Clifton 3s supplemented with inserts and wow, did they feel supper springy in the next 200m.  Hope they stay that way for a while.  After a good long rest - about 15-20 min, I decided to run a negative split 400m.  I set a goal at 62 (32, 30).  The first 200 was just under 32 but felt too easy, I was thinking I had miss set my timer.  I finished just a step short of 62, and it really wasn't all that exhausting.  Surprising.  The last 200m run into the wind really wasted me.  I was particularly exhausted ... the type of whole body fatigue that knocks me off my feet.  I had to sit in the shade for 10 min before I could get on my feet to walk to my car.  It was a killer.  So, not bad a day... 1400m of work.  I think I might be able to break 60 in a 400m, despite just beginning this training cycle.

Still a bit heavy, 146.4 after workout.  Feet are holding up ok.  Plantar issue is almost gone.

Beautiful spring day... quite a rebound from yesterday when I woke up to a dusting of snow.  Was also freezing last night.   Sewanee Conference Meet on this track Friday and Sat.

sporting my new Hoka Clifton 3s and CW-X tights

back, sort of

Back to the track for my first real track workout in a month.  I didn't do much but I felt ok.  Bad weather, 45º, breezy, cloudy, damp, track was wet.  To give myself maximum protection, I warmed up in my older Hokas and put fresh padded socks and my new Hokas on when I started my sprints.  I used the plantar inserts for extra padding.  The feet felt ok.  The plantar issue seemed almost gone but the right foot was a bit sore after the 700m of sprints.

Hoka trainers on 

400m warmup, stretches, drills 

200m - 28 

300m - 45.5 

200m - 29

I ran the 200s the opposite way.  The 300 felt hard.  I'm probably not able to run a sub 60 right now.  When I get this out of shape, the difficulty transcends simple fatigue into a sickly feeling.  Nothing takes the place of this type of training.  Overall, it went well compared to last week.  Well enough that I may go out again on Tues.  I really need some foundation.  Like some 600s.

Of all the plantar inserts I've tried, the cheapest $8 Profoot ones seem to be the best.  Some people spend $80+ for custom inserts. 

145.9 lbs after workout.