No brainer to do a recovery run off the back of my repeats and b4 my mile race on Tuesday evening.
Hard to believe come Wednesday not only will be into the second half of the year but also not only three weeks out from Nationals but also four weeks out from Worlds,I can recall when both were in double digits......I guess the sands of time really don't wait for any man......not even moi!
As w/ any easy/recovery run the pace was comfortable{9.32 per mile......according to Daily Mile} as I reached the turnaround in 38.07,the only time I checked my watch,1.16.14 pace.
W/ a race on tap Tuesday evening I used the run to try and visualize how I'm going to run it,of course w/out knowing who's going to be there my visualization and the actual race could well be the time honoured Theory & Practice Being A Horse Of A Different Colour but using my previous 1,500m race at Swarthmore 7 weeks ago as a blueprint that evening I ran a 4.30.64 so a 4.41 mile would quate to a 4.23 1,500m which would be in keeping w/ my minute per week improvement plan,like I said we'll have to see how that plays out this evening.
Finished up my run w/ a 38.13 inbound leg for a 1.16.20,as recovery runs go a reasonable one,the real trick will be seeing what I run the mile in at Ft Washington this evening......
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Monday, June 29, 2015
Day Late,Dollar Short,A Tad Slower,But Done..........
I was looking at eight days in a row,Wednesday thro Sunday followed by Monday thro Wednesday......however a threeteen hour kip and a biblical reinactment of the great flood Saturday took care of that for me!
A wise man once told me "you can do anything you want in this life......you just have to be willing to pay the price that goes w/ it" so my "penance" for seeing Rush on Thursday nite was only five hours sleep b4 returning to work...ontop of my 8 mile recovery run......bottom line following the Copa America and Women's World Cup I naffed off to bed at 10pm......not to be seen or hard from again till 11am Saturday!!!!
Now b4 I hear a chorous of "you lazy bastard" I'm going to say this.......you don't sleep for 13 hours unless your body truly neds the rest......and clearly mine did.....however the ying to that yang was by the time I'd eaten breakfast and gotten myself together the heavens opened w/ a vengence....no repeats today.....unless I was doing laps in a pool,SPLAT! the sound of a fork going into Saturdays plans.....
Thankfully the sun was out in full effect Sunday so I nixed the traditional Sunday long run in favour of Saturdays prepossed 4x400mx4 repeats out in Ardmore at Lower Merion's high school track.
Out to the Mainline by 12.30pm a little more activity on the track than I'd like but hey!
Mile warm up taken care of it was have at it time,last time out over at Haverford on June 6th I went:
68.87 68.58 69.39 71.31
71.73 72.61 73.29 77.94
74.89 73.93 74.75 75.74
73.17 74.16 78.65 72.32
W/ 4 more Saturdays on tap b4 Worlds today didn't have to be the "be all and end all" but that's not to say I didn't want to give it my all....
#1 4x400m
68.74 72.92 72.27 70.02
Not too shabby to kick things off,thought I might pay for the opening 68.74 but the closing 70.02 said otherwise.......
#2 4x400m
70.90 72.32 74.91 74.48
Was starting to feel the effect of the top turn and back straight being ran into a head wind,not the same "pop" off the starting line but still trying to deliver on the home straight.
#3 4x400m
75.80 76.08 76.78 79.00
Fatigue wasn't the only F word being tossed around trust me!!
#4 4x400m
75.33 76.00 77.12 69.12
Solid 69 seconding closing 400m but off a 77 prior it does lose some of it's gloss it has to be said
Overall 13 seconds slower than last time out which is a bit of a boot in the nads however "glas half full" my mile times were:
4.42 4.50 5.06 4.57 which isn't too shabby and helps justify the switch from 4x1 mile to 4x400x4 repeats
A wise man once told me "you can do anything you want in this life......you just have to be willing to pay the price that goes w/ it" so my "penance" for seeing Rush on Thursday nite was only five hours sleep b4 returning to work...ontop of my 8 mile recovery run......bottom line following the Copa America and Women's World Cup I naffed off to bed at 10pm......not to be seen or hard from again till 11am Saturday!!!!
Now b4 I hear a chorous of "you lazy bastard" I'm going to say this.......you don't sleep for 13 hours unless your body truly neds the rest......and clearly mine did.....however the ying to that yang was by the time I'd eaten breakfast and gotten myself together the heavens opened w/ a vengence....no repeats today.....unless I was doing laps in a pool,SPLAT! the sound of a fork going into Saturdays plans.....
Thankfully the sun was out in full effect Sunday so I nixed the traditional Sunday long run in favour of Saturdays prepossed 4x400mx4 repeats out in Ardmore at Lower Merion's high school track.
Out to the Mainline by 12.30pm a little more activity on the track than I'd like but hey!
Mile warm up taken care of it was have at it time,last time out over at Haverford on June 6th I went:
68.87 68.58 69.39 71.31
71.73 72.61 73.29 77.94
74.89 73.93 74.75 75.74
73.17 74.16 78.65 72.32
W/ 4 more Saturdays on tap b4 Worlds today didn't have to be the "be all and end all" but that's not to say I didn't want to give it my all....
#1 4x400m
68.74 72.92 72.27 70.02
Not too shabby to kick things off,thought I might pay for the opening 68.74 but the closing 70.02 said otherwise.......
#2 4x400m
70.90 72.32 74.91 74.48
Was starting to feel the effect of the top turn and back straight being ran into a head wind,not the same "pop" off the starting line but still trying to deliver on the home straight.
#3 4x400m
75.80 76.08 76.78 79.00
Fatigue wasn't the only F word being tossed around trust me!!
#4 4x400m
75.33 76.00 77.12 69.12
Solid 69 seconding closing 400m but off a 77 prior it does lose some of it's gloss it has to be said
Overall 13 seconds slower than last time out which is a bit of a boot in the nads however "glas half full" my mile times were:
4.42 4.50 5.06 4.57 which isn't too shabby and helps justify the switch from 4x1 mile to 4x400x4 repeats
Not Observing The Pagan Sabbath
Two bits of NBC,CNN,BBC Newsworthy notes from Friday,one yours truly actually lacing the up and getting out there to run period muchless off of only 5 hours sleep and it being the Pagan Sabbath{I tend not to run on Fridays if I can help it} and also it was 6pm when I got out there......I can sence heads spinning and exploding so allow me to explain myself........
As I stated earlier in the week I had to sit out Monday & Tuesday as non running issues needed attending to ergo the need to take care of the Tempo run prior to the Rush show.....this however still left Friday needing to be taken care of but given Friday is a traditional food shopping nite it posed a dilemma of sorts....
Even off a recovery run I knew if I ran first the chances of me getting up off the recliner post run were slim to anorexic SO.......a trip to Aldi first then my 8 mile recovery run,ergo why it was close to 6pm b4 I got out to run.
While not looking to make a habit of the 6pm run I must say it was a nice change of pace w/ less traffic both on and off the sidewalks,it didn't hurt it was a recovery run so the pace was easy to begin w/.
38.42 at the turnaround indicated a 1.17.24 finish which would've been fine w/ me for a recovery run period muchless w/ repeats on tap for Saturday{or so I thought!} so notching a 1.17.43 is hardly here or there,bottomline I got the run in,I'd gooten the groceries in and after a much needed shower it was dinner and flicking back between Argentina Colombia in the Copa America and USA China in the Women's World Cup.....as "the auld fella" used to say "it's a hard life,if you don't weaken...."
As I stated earlier in the week I had to sit out Monday & Tuesday as non running issues needed attending to ergo the need to take care of the Tempo run prior to the Rush show.....this however still left Friday needing to be taken care of but given Friday is a traditional food shopping nite it posed a dilemma of sorts....
Even off a recovery run I knew if I ran first the chances of me getting up off the recliner post run were slim to anorexic SO.......a trip to Aldi first then my 8 mile recovery run,ergo why it was close to 6pm b4 I got out to run.
While not looking to make a habit of the 6pm run I must say it was a nice change of pace w/ less traffic both on and off the sidewalks,it didn't hurt it was a recovery run so the pace was easy to begin w/.
38.42 at the turnaround indicated a 1.17.24 finish which would've been fine w/ me for a recovery run period muchless w/ repeats on tap for Saturday{or so I thought!} so notching a 1.17.43 is hardly here or there,bottomline I got the run in,I'd gooten the groceries in and after a much needed shower it was dinner and flicking back between Argentina Colombia in the Copa America and USA China in the Women's World Cup.....as "the auld fella" used to say "it's a hard life,if you don't weaken...."
Friday, June 26, 2015
NO!!!! I Said I Was In A Rush.......
In an ideal world I'd have had Thursday and Friday off either side of the Rush show at Wells Fargo Ctr.........however since things got fubar over the weekend and I lost Monday and Tuesday to food shopping and Laundry I guess that plan got shot to shit,more's the pity but frankly a 8 mile tempo run b4 a Rush show just helps get the blood flowing......
Knowing that "time was off the essence" it didn't hurt last nite was a tempo run,the sooner I got done the sooner I could be on my way to South Philly for the show so w/ that i laced em up and got out the door b4 4.30pm.
Conditions were grey and overcast and 81 degrees,not the broiling 91 of two weeks ago but also not the comfortable 66 of three weeks ago when I shatterered my seasons best to a 1.05.35.
One warning sign on the outbound leg along Baltimore Ave was the tables set up for the annual "Dollar Stroll" a Baltimore Ave tradition were stores between 45th and 50th St set up stalls on the sidewalk and sell their goods for a dollar,a good marketing ploy,a nice thing for the neighbourhood.....but a bit of a pain in the arse for me as a runner as the usually spacious sidewalks would now be coverer by the "heaving masses".....hey ho!
From the get go it was clear I was after a brisk time as my outbound splits reflected 7.33 15.54 26.54 and 33.00 at the turnaround,was 1.06 doable?
My inbound splits indicated 1.08 was more likely.....still not too shabby as I closed in on 39th St and the 7 mile mark.......
Crossing 38th St as I had the light in my favour I was cognicent of some "bike activity" ahead of me,one lazy pratt who decided she didn't want to stay on the road and ride around to Baltimore Ave and use the path as a short cut......."Monkey See,Monkey Do" now "Noddy" decides he wants to do likewise and slams on his brakes which forces his back wheel out right infront of me......
Blessed w/ catlike reflexes I see this in the blink of an eye and cut my stride to take me infront of his bike.........
At this point w/out so much as even looking "Noddy" now turns his front wheel and handle bar to his left.....right into yours trulys path and having picked up my pace to beat the light I was running at a decent clip......
I now have a six inch long bruise from just below my wrist to just below my elbow thanks to "Noddy" who was told in NO uncertain terms "you fuckin' arsehole!!!!" as I continued my way over to Baltimore Ave and 39th St,1.00 and change on the watch.........
Seconds later "Noddy" rides by me on the road.......I was beggin' him to say something as he rode by cos believe me a size 10.5 footprint on his arse seemed like a fair trade off for the handlebar bruise on my right forearm.......he wisely kept his mouth shut!!!!!
By the time I passed the Green Line Cafe at 43rd St I got off the sidewalk and hit the bike lane of Baltimore Ave to give myself a clear run,no thanks to "Noddy" there'd been enough action,excitement and adventure for one run thank you very much.......
Home in 1.08.42 a 29 second improvement on last week and a 33.00/35.42 split.
The one night I could've used a nite in w/ my feet up and an ice pack on my forearm was the one night I had to be in and out of the shower toute sweet and on my way to Wells Fargo,hey ho,the brusing will go down,it could've been far worse both for me and "Noddy" and frankly I wasn't missing Rush's 40th anniversary tour while being charged w/ trying to stick "Noddy's" handle bars up his stupid arse...........
Knowing that "time was off the essence" it didn't hurt last nite was a tempo run,the sooner I got done the sooner I could be on my way to South Philly for the show so w/ that i laced em up and got out the door b4 4.30pm.
Conditions were grey and overcast and 81 degrees,not the broiling 91 of two weeks ago but also not the comfortable 66 of three weeks ago when I shatterered my seasons best to a 1.05.35.
One warning sign on the outbound leg along Baltimore Ave was the tables set up for the annual "Dollar Stroll" a Baltimore Ave tradition were stores between 45th and 50th St set up stalls on the sidewalk and sell their goods for a dollar,a good marketing ploy,a nice thing for the neighbourhood.....but a bit of a pain in the arse for me as a runner as the usually spacious sidewalks would now be coverer by the "heaving masses".....hey ho!
From the get go it was clear I was after a brisk time as my outbound splits reflected 7.33 15.54 26.54 and 33.00 at the turnaround,was 1.06 doable?
My inbound splits indicated 1.08 was more likely.....still not too shabby as I closed in on 39th St and the 7 mile mark.......
Crossing 38th St as I had the light in my favour I was cognicent of some "bike activity" ahead of me,one lazy pratt who decided she didn't want to stay on the road and ride around to Baltimore Ave and use the path as a short cut......."Monkey See,Monkey Do" now "Noddy" decides he wants to do likewise and slams on his brakes which forces his back wheel out right infront of me......
Blessed w/ catlike reflexes I see this in the blink of an eye and cut my stride to take me infront of his bike.........
At this point w/out so much as even looking "Noddy" now turns his front wheel and handle bar to his left.....right into yours trulys path and having picked up my pace to beat the light I was running at a decent clip......
I now have a six inch long bruise from just below my wrist to just below my elbow thanks to "Noddy" who was told in NO uncertain terms "you fuckin' arsehole!!!!" as I continued my way over to Baltimore Ave and 39th St,1.00 and change on the watch.........
Seconds later "Noddy" rides by me on the road.......I was beggin' him to say something as he rode by cos believe me a size 10.5 footprint on his arse seemed like a fair trade off for the handlebar bruise on my right forearm.......he wisely kept his mouth shut!!!!!
By the time I passed the Green Line Cafe at 43rd St I got off the sidewalk and hit the bike lane of Baltimore Ave to give myself a clear run,no thanks to "Noddy" there'd been enough action,excitement and adventure for one run thank you very much.......
Home in 1.08.42 a 29 second improvement on last week and a 33.00/35.42 split.
The one night I could've used a nite in w/ my feet up and an ice pack on my forearm was the one night I had to be in and out of the shower toute sweet and on my way to Wells Fargo,hey ho,the brusing will go down,it could've been far worse both for me and "Noddy" and frankly I wasn't missing Rush's 40th anniversary tour while being charged w/ trying to stick "Noddy's" handle bars up his stupid arse...........
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Gentlemen Start Your Engines
Four weeks from today the 2015 edition of Outdoor Masters Nationals in sunny and I suspect hot Jacksonville will kick off,I'm looking at 6 more repeats and two more races between now and then to fine tune things.
After a few days off to take care of non running business it was back to training w/ a visit to the track for 3X200mX3.
Thankfully yesterdays storm had broken the recent heatwave conditions we'd been dealing w/,conditions were hot and sunny {probably 86 degs} when I hit Geasey Field a little after 4pm for my second crack at 3x200mx3,last time out on May 23rd I went:
30.79 31.36 33.08
31.93 32.51 32.66
31.68 31.81 32.37
6 lap warm up taken care of it was time to have at it
32.79 33.24 32.96
A tad miffed that 33.24 snuck in there to ruin a 32 trifecta
31.34 32.40 32.53
Was impressed to open in 31.34 period muchless given I had to swing wide from lane 1 to lane 4 at the top of the home straight to avoid the Marine cadets who were starting their mile.
32.40 33.14 32.79
Boo Hiss another 33 second 200 it's would be easy to blame it on the Marine cadets who were taking up lane 1 but I won't.
Glass half empty I'm 8 seconds down on last time out....glass half full on May 23rd I took 5 min recoveries yesterday 2 min recoveries.
There probably won't be time to get this repeat in again b4 Lyon and Worlds but w/ 6 of the 9 200s at 32 seconds I think I've found my groove for the half lapper
After a few days off to take care of non running business it was back to training w/ a visit to the track for 3X200mX3.
Thankfully yesterdays storm had broken the recent heatwave conditions we'd been dealing w/,conditions were hot and sunny {probably 86 degs} when I hit Geasey Field a little after 4pm for my second crack at 3x200mx3,last time out on May 23rd I went:
30.79 31.36 33.08
31.93 32.51 32.66
31.68 31.81 32.37
6 lap warm up taken care of it was time to have at it
32.79 33.24 32.96
A tad miffed that 33.24 snuck in there to ruin a 32 trifecta
31.34 32.40 32.53
Was impressed to open in 31.34 period muchless given I had to swing wide from lane 1 to lane 4 at the top of the home straight to avoid the Marine cadets who were starting their mile.
32.40 33.14 32.79
Boo Hiss another 33 second 200 it's would be easy to blame it on the Marine cadets who were taking up lane 1 but I won't.
Glass half empty I'm 8 seconds down on last time out....glass half full on May 23rd I took 5 min recoveries yesterday 2 min recoveries.
There probably won't be time to get this repeat in again b4 Lyon and Worlds but w/ 6 of the 9 200s at 32 seconds I think I've found my groove for the half lapper
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
2.13.6. Into 11 Goes.............
Running,is a bit like the Priesthood,it's a calling,a vocation and it's for life,it's not for everyone,I can see where non runners look at what I do and say"it's not for me" Saturdays 11 hour round trip to and from New York City on a bus and Subway for 2 mins,13 seconds worth of work underlines that......
Needing an 800m race b4 the upcoming Masters Nationals I rolled the dice w/ the USATFNY C'ships Saturday at Icahn Stadium for a two lap tune up,having seen the seed times at last Sundays Eastern Regional C'ships I'm glad I went w/ this meet.....NOT that there was much comfort and joy at these C'ships as there were 19 sub 2.00 guys in the field #thosewerethedays circa 07/08
Anywho I needn't worry about the studs as were put in two heats of "open" leaving 10 "old farts" aka Masters runners to duke out their own heat.
Even then you had an uneven field:
Jonevan Hornsby 35-39 1.57.00
Sherman Lau 40-44 2.01.00
Matt Chaston 45-49 2.07.00
Yours Truly 50-54 2.10.00
John Affleck 50-54 2.20.00
Noel Haynes 65-69 2.32.00
Patrick Viola 65-69 3.00.00
Oh well too late now it was gonna be what it was gonna be,w/ the deadline for Masters Nationals entries this Thursday at midnight this was my one shot at an 800m seed time,and if it didn't pan out I had the luxury of last summers 2.09.81 in my back pocket if needbe I'm NOT getting screwed like I did last year w/a non seeded heat.
Great! no Wi Fi on the bus upto NYC at 11am......but at least the rain helped w/ passing the 2 hours as I took an inpromptu nap....
Funny thing about the rain, when I wrote my Outdoor schedule in late March/early April I didn't legislate for rain period muchless in my mid June meets but here it was,oh well!
Thankfully by the time I arrived in Midtown at 1.20pm it had stopped and by the time I exited the Subway at 103rd & Lexington Ave to take the 103rd St bridge to Randall's Island and Icahn Stadium it was just grey and overcast.
Funny to think of this as not only my first Outdoor NYC meet this year.....but also my only one,w/ it being a World Championship year the dynamics have altered to accomodate that,fingers crossed I'll be back in 12 weeks time for 5th Avenue Mile,but that's a ways off yet.
Arrived at Icahn by 2.45pm some 50 mins b4 gun time,enough time to check in and get my hip and chest numbers,heat #3 lane #2 ans warm up and stretch.
The game plan was to try and latch onto Matt Chaston and work off of him given he was a 2.07 but once the stagger broke Jonevan,Sherman and Matt were "off to the races" w/ me trying to reel them in.
I felt strong on the opening 400m and went through the bell in 64 seconds which based off my training is where I felt I should be but sadly the gap between Matt and me and then me and John in 5th meant I was more or less in "no mans land".
4th in 2.13.6 NOT something I'd like to repeat in 4 weeks time when I next lace em up over 800m at Nationals but at least then it'll be a level playing field w/ all 50-54 runners,I still have four weeks of training and two mile races to help get me sharper and quicker to hopefully add to my 800m Outdoor Nationals tally of 1 Gold 3 Silvers and 1 Bronze in Jacksonville.
Needing an 800m race b4 the upcoming Masters Nationals I rolled the dice w/ the USATFNY C'ships Saturday at Icahn Stadium for a two lap tune up,having seen the seed times at last Sundays Eastern Regional C'ships I'm glad I went w/ this meet.....NOT that there was much comfort and joy at these C'ships as there were 19 sub 2.00 guys in the field #thosewerethedays circa 07/08
Anywho I needn't worry about the studs as were put in two heats of "open" leaving 10 "old farts" aka Masters runners to duke out their own heat.
Even then you had an uneven field:
Jonevan Hornsby 35-39 1.57.00
Sherman Lau 40-44 2.01.00
Matt Chaston 45-49 2.07.00
Yours Truly 50-54 2.10.00
John Affleck 50-54 2.20.00
Noel Haynes 65-69 2.32.00
Patrick Viola 65-69 3.00.00
Oh well too late now it was gonna be what it was gonna be,w/ the deadline for Masters Nationals entries this Thursday at midnight this was my one shot at an 800m seed time,and if it didn't pan out I had the luxury of last summers 2.09.81 in my back pocket if needbe I'm NOT getting screwed like I did last year w/a non seeded heat.
Great! no Wi Fi on the bus upto NYC at 11am......but at least the rain helped w/ passing the 2 hours as I took an inpromptu nap....
Funny thing about the rain, when I wrote my Outdoor schedule in late March/early April I didn't legislate for rain period muchless in my mid June meets but here it was,oh well!
Thankfully by the time I arrived in Midtown at 1.20pm it had stopped and by the time I exited the Subway at 103rd & Lexington Ave to take the 103rd St bridge to Randall's Island and Icahn Stadium it was just grey and overcast.
Funny to think of this as not only my first Outdoor NYC meet this year.....but also my only one,w/ it being a World Championship year the dynamics have altered to accomodate that,fingers crossed I'll be back in 12 weeks time for 5th Avenue Mile,but that's a ways off yet.
Arrived at Icahn by 2.45pm some 50 mins b4 gun time,enough time to check in and get my hip and chest numbers,heat #3 lane #2 ans warm up and stretch.
The game plan was to try and latch onto Matt Chaston and work off of him given he was a 2.07 but once the stagger broke Jonevan,Sherman and Matt were "off to the races" w/ me trying to reel them in.
I felt strong on the opening 400m and went through the bell in 64 seconds which based off my training is where I felt I should be but sadly the gap between Matt and me and then me and John in 5th meant I was more or less in "no mans land".
4th in 2.13.6 NOT something I'd like to repeat in 4 weeks time when I next lace em up over 800m at Nationals but at least then it'll be a level playing field w/ all 50-54 runners,I still have four weeks of training and two mile races to help get me sharper and quicker to hopefully add to my 800m Outdoor Nationals tally of 1 Gold 3 Silvers and 1 Bronze in Jacksonville.
Friday, June 19, 2015
Negative Split,Positive Reinforcement
10 miler to keep me on pace for the week,since I normally do 6 miles w/ my warm up,repeat and cool down on Saturdays but race tomorrow and will only do 4 miles I opted for the 10 miler on Thursday.
In an ideal world I would've liked to have done this run on Monday given I have a wedding to attend on Friday which while I'm honoured to be invited....anywhere to be honest does force some logistical issues between that and Saturdays day long sojurn to New York City{for just over 2 mins work!!!}however thanks to "Cersei Lannister"{my boss.....yeah that's what I REALLY think of her!!!!} I got out of work half an hour late on Monday and that ontop of chores that needed doing stuck a fork in Mondays 10 miler.....now that I've unburdened myself from that time to move on.....
Stretched and out the door by 4.45pm another afternoon the skies were grey but also the temps were down....72.....8 degs cooler than yesterday but alas no "wiggle room" for switching my tempo run to Thursday....well I could've but hardly advisable w/ the 800m race Saturday afternoon!!!
Given this was an easy run I made a point of not checking my splits untill I reached the turnaround just b4 St Joe's boathouse in 45.32 a 91.04 time,fine by me I was figuring 9 min mile pace anyway.
Took full advantage of working off a runner ahead of me to close ground on her leading upto Girard Ave bridge....I could quite easily have tucked in behind her to continue "admiring the view" but I may not've clocked the finishing time I did if I had of.......!!!! coz I'm the first runner to admit he was checking out a female runner on our respective runs.......hey I did think to myself when I passed her she could now check out my butt.........probably not as picturesque as hers to be honest but the thought was there!
I continued to reel off 9 min mile pace and came through mile 9 in 82 mins and change it was gonna be close to 91 mins but somehow I found a negative split 45.32 out,45.12 for a 90.44 finish.
So that's me done now till roughly 3.35pm Saturday afternoon now,we'll see how my first Outdoor 800m goes,good,bad or indifferent you'll read here hopefully on the bus ride home from the Big Apple.
In an ideal world I would've liked to have done this run on Monday given I have a wedding to attend on Friday which while I'm honoured to be invited....anywhere to be honest does force some logistical issues between that and Saturdays day long sojurn to New York City{for just over 2 mins work!!!}however thanks to "Cersei Lannister"{my boss.....yeah that's what I REALLY think of her!!!!} I got out of work half an hour late on Monday and that ontop of chores that needed doing stuck a fork in Mondays 10 miler.....now that I've unburdened myself from that time to move on.....
Stretched and out the door by 4.45pm another afternoon the skies were grey but also the temps were down....72.....8 degs cooler than yesterday but alas no "wiggle room" for switching my tempo run to Thursday....well I could've but hardly advisable w/ the 800m race Saturday afternoon!!!
Given this was an easy run I made a point of not checking my splits untill I reached the turnaround just b4 St Joe's boathouse in 45.32 a 91.04 time,fine by me I was figuring 9 min mile pace anyway.
Took full advantage of working off a runner ahead of me to close ground on her leading upto Girard Ave bridge....I could quite easily have tucked in behind her to continue "admiring the view" but I may not've clocked the finishing time I did if I had of.......!!!! coz I'm the first runner to admit he was checking out a female runner on our respective runs.......hey I did think to myself when I passed her she could now check out my butt.........probably not as picturesque as hers to be honest but the thought was there!
I continued to reel off 9 min mile pace and came through mile 9 in 82 mins and change it was gonna be close to 91 mins but somehow I found a negative split 45.32 out,45.12 for a 90.44 finish.
So that's me done now till roughly 3.35pm Saturday afternoon now,we'll see how my first Outdoor 800m goes,good,bad or indifferent you'll read here hopefully on the bus ride home from the Big Apple.
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Temps Down,Pace Quicker,Happy Runner
Thankfully the recent preview of the potential "Dog Days Of Summer" has died off a little,to put things in prespective,two weeks ago when I set a seasons best for the tempo run it was 66 degrees which I said at the time probably aided and abetted my time,last week it was 25 degrees hotter at 91 degrees which saw my time balloon up from 1.05.35 to 1.15.30
Today was a comfortable 80 degrees smack in the middle of the 66/91 temps of the last two runs so I hoped my time would fall between 1.05/1.15.......
A brisk opening mile in 7.32 set me up nicely under the grey skies as I hit the sidewalk around 4.50pm.
Sub 16 at 2 mies along the Schuylkill footpath and the 26.46 at Lloyd Hall and 34.02 at the turnaround,a potential 1.08.04
While the temps may've dropped the humidity hadn't and the evening air hung heavy overhead, it's days like these I don't begrudge paying a little extra for Dri Fit running gear.
Based off my outbound splits I knew what to expect at Lloyd Hall{41 plus} and mile 6{52 mins plus} which indicated a 1.08 finish.
1.01 and change at mile 7 I knew I'd be close but not close enough,1.09.11 a 34.02/35.09 split.
A 6.19 improvement on last week,a small victory but none the less a victory as the countdown to Saturday at Icahn continues.......
Today was a comfortable 80 degrees smack in the middle of the 66/91 temps of the last two runs so I hoped my time would fall between 1.05/1.15.......
A brisk opening mile in 7.32 set me up nicely under the grey skies as I hit the sidewalk around 4.50pm.
Sub 16 at 2 mies along the Schuylkill footpath and the 26.46 at Lloyd Hall and 34.02 at the turnaround,a potential 1.08.04
While the temps may've dropped the humidity hadn't and the evening air hung heavy overhead, it's days like these I don't begrudge paying a little extra for Dri Fit running gear.
Based off my outbound splits I knew what to expect at Lloyd Hall{41 plus} and mile 6{52 mins plus} which indicated a 1.08 finish.
1.01 and change at mile 7 I knew I'd be close but not close enough,1.09.11 a 34.02/35.09 split.
A 6.19 improvement on last week,a small victory but none the less a victory as the countdown to Saturday at Icahn continues.......
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Back On Track
Ok,crap pun great workout,what do you want from me I'm still reeling from the "Game Of Thrones" finale.......#jonsnowlives
Following Saturdays mish mash of a 8x800m repeat I really needed a solid repeat this afternoon period,muchless given this was my last one b4 Saturdays 800m race at the USATFNY C'ships at Icahn Stadium
Arriving at Geasey Field at 3.45pm two things struck me.......this is North Philly afterall......ohh I went there!!! One was the track was almost deserted and two it wasn't as hot and oppressive as it was on Saturday lunchtime at Lower Merion....ie no heat haze coming off the track on the top turn as i roundered the bottom turn!!!
Six lap warm up conducted it was "have at it" time for my first ever :2x300m 3x200m 1x400m repeat
based on recent 300s,200s and 400s I thought my splits should be:50 50 32 32 32 70 I went:
49.92 51.58
32.23 32.37 32.55
66.52
Overall very pleased w/ this performance,I'm not going to split hairs about the 49/51 300s I'd have liked 50/50 but hey! three 32s on the 200s was nice considering the headwind on #1 and #3 as for the 66 second 400.......ohh how a man could get used to that......
Following Saturdays mish mash of a 8x800m repeat I really needed a solid repeat this afternoon period,muchless given this was my last one b4 Saturdays 800m race at the USATFNY C'ships at Icahn Stadium
Arriving at Geasey Field at 3.45pm two things struck me.......this is North Philly afterall......ohh I went there!!! One was the track was almost deserted and two it wasn't as hot and oppressive as it was on Saturday lunchtime at Lower Merion....ie no heat haze coming off the track on the top turn as i roundered the bottom turn!!!
Six lap warm up conducted it was "have at it" time for my first ever :2x300m 3x200m 1x400m repeat
based on recent 300s,200s and 400s I thought my splits should be:50 50 32 32 32 70 I went:
49.92 51.58
32.23 32.37 32.55
66.52
Overall very pleased w/ this performance,I'm not going to split hairs about the 49/51 300s I'd have liked 50/50 but hey! three 32s on the 200s was nice considering the headwind on #1 and #3 as for the 66 second 400.......ohh how a man could get used to that......
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Mix And Match
Maybe I should've gotten up earlier to hit the track today,afterall I knew come lunchtime we were going to be in the 90s but when your forced to answer the call of the alarm at 5am on a weekday it's almost sacraligious to set the alarm on the weekend.....besides I won't have the luxury of being able to switch the times of my 800m and 1,500m at Nationals in Jacksonville from mid morning/lunchtime so to take a leaf out of the Roy Keane playbook "failure to prepare,prepare for failure"
Arrived at Lower Merion high school track just a few miles down the road from Haverford College out on the Main Line around 12.30pm,I'm no stranger to the track here,it was a "go to" track for several workouts back in the day and having flaunted the "track closed" issue last week at Haverford I wasn't sure I could get away w/ it again this week....and NO my decision to run at Lower Merion had NOTHING to do w/ my friendship w/ Nurse Marion at work.......that's purely a happy coincidence....and the first chav to throw up the"there are no coincidences" chestnut will probably end up in hospital......#nuffsaid
Mile warm up b4 launching into what was scheduled as 8x800m,last time out on May 20th I went:
1.15/1.18-2.33.69
1.20/1.14-2.34.06
1.17/1.15-2.32.91
1.18/1.19-2.37.82
1.15/1.22-2.37.19
1.20/1.16-2.36.72
1.21/1.17-2.38.53
1.21/1.14-2.35.70
#1 800m
1.17/1.15-2.32.57
Not a bad start to procedures, a negative split and a second up on last time out....
#2 800m
1.20/1.17-2.37.24
Not happy opening in 1.20....that shit might fly early in the season but 6 and 9 weeks out from Nationals & Worlds.....
#3 800m
1.20/1.15-2.35.83
Loving the 1.15.....not so passionate about the opening 400m in 1.20
#4 800m
1.20/1.14-2.34.63
While 2.34 isn't too shabby in the context of repeats another opening 1.20........
#5 800m
1.21/1.13-2.34.77
Wasn't the reason I kicked mile repeats to the curb the "deadweight" middle laps?????? Mr opening 400m in 1.21..........
#6 800m*
1.24/1.10-2.35.25
I need to quantify that following an opening lap of 1.24 I stopped,slapped the shit out of myself since I don't have a coach to do if for me and said "enough of this bollocks" following a 3 min respite I logged a 1.10 400m......400s it is would be to see out the repeat
#7 800*
1.12/1.15-2.28.25
400m mode w/ 60 second recoveries....is it too late to switch to the 400m at Nationals and Worlds....LMFAO!!!!
#8 800m*
1.31/1.10-2.44.84
Brain fart! thought I could finish the session w/ an 800m......sound theory.....but didn't have the legs for it so following my woeful opening 400m in 1.31 which saw me jog the home straight I blew the doors off w/ a 1.10 to finish the session off.
A mixed bag for sure,I need to consider going 4x400mx4 for the remainder of the season as my long repeat,IF every lap counts then I need the all out 400s as these 1.20/1.21s are for the birds.
W/ a race next Saturday I don't need to concern myself w/ next week but come the following Saturday{June 27th} it's "shit or go sailing" mode.....I fancy sailing myself........
Arrived at Lower Merion high school track just a few miles down the road from Haverford College out on the Main Line around 12.30pm,I'm no stranger to the track here,it was a "go to" track for several workouts back in the day and having flaunted the "track closed" issue last week at Haverford I wasn't sure I could get away w/ it again this week....and NO my decision to run at Lower Merion had NOTHING to do w/ my friendship w/ Nurse Marion at work.......that's purely a happy coincidence....and the first chav to throw up the"there are no coincidences" chestnut will probably end up in hospital......#nuffsaid
Mile warm up b4 launching into what was scheduled as 8x800m,last time out on May 20th I went:
1.15/1.18-2.33.69
1.20/1.14-2.34.06
1.17/1.15-2.32.91
1.18/1.19-2.37.82
1.15/1.22-2.37.19
1.20/1.16-2.36.72
1.21/1.17-2.38.53
1.21/1.14-2.35.70
#1 800m
1.17/1.15-2.32.57
Not a bad start to procedures, a negative split and a second up on last time out....
#2 800m
1.20/1.17-2.37.24
Not happy opening in 1.20....that shit might fly early in the season but 6 and 9 weeks out from Nationals & Worlds.....
#3 800m
1.20/1.15-2.35.83
Loving the 1.15.....not so passionate about the opening 400m in 1.20
#4 800m
1.20/1.14-2.34.63
While 2.34 isn't too shabby in the context of repeats another opening 1.20........
#5 800m
1.21/1.13-2.34.77
Wasn't the reason I kicked mile repeats to the curb the "deadweight" middle laps?????? Mr opening 400m in 1.21..........
#6 800m*
1.24/1.10-2.35.25
I need to quantify that following an opening lap of 1.24 I stopped,slapped the shit out of myself since I don't have a coach to do if for me and said "enough of this bollocks" following a 3 min respite I logged a 1.10 400m......400s it is would be to see out the repeat
#7 800*
1.12/1.15-2.28.25
400m mode w/ 60 second recoveries....is it too late to switch to the 400m at Nationals and Worlds....LMFAO!!!!
#8 800m*
1.31/1.10-2.44.84
Brain fart! thought I could finish the session w/ an 800m......sound theory.....but didn't have the legs for it so following my woeful opening 400m in 1.31 which saw me jog the home straight I blew the doors off w/ a 1.10 to finish the session off.
A mixed bag for sure,I need to consider going 4x400mx4 for the remainder of the season as my long repeat,IF every lap counts then I need the all out 400s as these 1.20/1.21s are for the birds.
W/ a race next Saturday I don't need to concern myself w/ next week but come the following Saturday{June 27th} it's "shit or go sailing" mode.....I fancy sailing myself........
Friday, June 12, 2015
Hot & Bothered
I knew I was in for a hot one when the Newsman on the radio said at 8.20am "going upto 90 degrees this afternoon"........yea!!!!!
I remember as a kid there used to be a Science show on BBC1 on Thursdays b4 "Top Of The Pops" called "Tomorrow's World" that used to feature....well you know science stuff which mostly went over my head but I do remember one episode where they went to Houston to prove you could fry an egg on the sidewalk as it was so hot........that's how the loading dock felt yesterday!!!! shame it doesn't retain that kind of heat in the dead of Winter!!!!
By the time I hit the road at 4.50pm the mercury had risen to a "toasty" 91 degrees and between running on asphalt and past concrete buildings let's just say you could've renamed me the "Sultan Of Sweat"!!!!!
Even though this was billed as a tempo run I kind of knew the heat was going to take care of that and by the time I reached the turnround in 36.26 I pretty much knew evan a 1.10 was wishful thinking.
The heat had already sapped my strength by then,I "let my guard down" mentally,no point trying to grind out a fast one today physically that ship had sailed too.....and yeah it was either the Titanic,Queen Mary or the Marie Selest!!!!
Home in 1.15.30 9.55 slower than last week but also 25 degrees hotter.......I don't play the "heat" card too often but fuckin ada!!!
Still glass half full at least I went out and ran but upon returning home said half full glass became empty glass as I had a mega thirst that needed quenching......thank God for fruit smoothies in the fridge when it's this hot!!!
I remember as a kid there used to be a Science show on BBC1 on Thursdays b4 "Top Of The Pops" called "Tomorrow's World" that used to feature....well you know science stuff which mostly went over my head but I do remember one episode where they went to Houston to prove you could fry an egg on the sidewalk as it was so hot........that's how the loading dock felt yesterday!!!! shame it doesn't retain that kind of heat in the dead of Winter!!!!
By the time I hit the road at 4.50pm the mercury had risen to a "toasty" 91 degrees and between running on asphalt and past concrete buildings let's just say you could've renamed me the "Sultan Of Sweat"!!!!!
Even though this was billed as a tempo run I kind of knew the heat was going to take care of that and by the time I reached the turnround in 36.26 I pretty much knew evan a 1.10 was wishful thinking.
The heat had already sapped my strength by then,I "let my guard down" mentally,no point trying to grind out a fast one today physically that ship had sailed too.....and yeah it was either the Titanic,Queen Mary or the Marie Selest!!!!
Home in 1.15.30 9.55 slower than last week but also 25 degrees hotter.......I don't play the "heat" card too often but fuckin ada!!!
Still glass half full at least I went out and ran but upon returning home said half full glass became empty glass as I had a mega thirst that needed quenching......thank God for fruit smoothies in the fridge when it's this hot!!!
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Turn It Up,Bring The Noise,Public Enemy #1
Bass!How low can you go? Death Row,what a brother know once again,back is the incredible rhyme animal,the incredible.
D,Public Enemy number one,"Five O'' said"Freeze"! and I got numb can I tell em that I never had a gun? But it's the wax that the Terminator X spun
Bring The Noise-Public Enemy
If it's Wednesday it's short repeats at Temple after work! and todays bill o fare 3x300m/3x200m a repeat I've kept in my rotation since it's debut on Valentine's Day.
Last time out on April 4th I went:
51.73
52.61
53.78
33.82
35.00
32.66
Mediocre at best but easily beatable this time out I felt,arriving at a nearly deserted track at 3.55pm I quickly took care of my 6 lap warm up b4 launchig into my assault on the repeats.
50.47
51.31
51.92
As I've said repeatedly....pun intended you never want your repeats to resemble an EKG chart going up,down,up,down more like a heart rate monitor I'm closing in on 50,50,50 maybe next time out in July?
33.83
32.70
32.65
For once the wind at Geasey Field was on the home straight so maybe I miscalculted by starting at the 200m start meaning #1 and #3 would finished into a headwind where as the more traditional 400m start would've meant only #2 was into the headwind......either way I still dropped two 32s.....
An 8 second improvement over April 4th,sadly on a six week rotate it means this repeat will fall the week of Nationals so I'll have to push it back a week....who knows by then maybe the 50,50,50,32,32,32 series won't be a pipe dream????
D,Public Enemy number one,"Five O'' said"Freeze"! and I got numb can I tell em that I never had a gun? But it's the wax that the Terminator X spun
Bring The Noise-Public Enemy
If it's Wednesday it's short repeats at Temple after work! and todays bill o fare 3x300m/3x200m a repeat I've kept in my rotation since it's debut on Valentine's Day.
Last time out on April 4th I went:
51.73
52.61
53.78
33.82
35.00
32.66
Mediocre at best but easily beatable this time out I felt,arriving at a nearly deserted track at 3.55pm I quickly took care of my 6 lap warm up b4 launchig into my assault on the repeats.
50.47
51.31
51.92
As I've said repeatedly....pun intended you never want your repeats to resemble an EKG chart going up,down,up,down more like a heart rate monitor I'm closing in on 50,50,50 maybe next time out in July?
33.83
32.70
32.65
For once the wind at Geasey Field was on the home straight so maybe I miscalculted by starting at the 200m start meaning #1 and #3 would finished into a headwind where as the more traditional 400m start would've meant only #2 was into the headwind......either way I still dropped two 32s.....
An 8 second improvement over April 4th,sadly on a six week rotate it means this repeat will fall the week of Nationals so I'll have to push it back a week....who knows by then maybe the 50,50,50,32,32,32 series won't be a pipe dream????
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Maintaining The Status Quo
Coming off of long repeats on Saturday and Sundays long run I opted to exercise Monday as a rest day b4 launching back into the swing of things w/ an easy 8 miler Tuesday.
Last weeks schedule of :easy 8,short repeats,8 mile tempo run,long repeats,long run had worked well for yours truly so why not stick w/ it,alas next week in order to "have my cake and eat it" I'll need to forgo Monday as a rest day as I race on Saturday ergo a Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday rotation......however that's next week let's worry about that when the time comes shall we!
85 degrees when I hit the sidewalks at 4.50pm,give it another month maybe not even b4 we hit 90 degree temps.....all good prep for Jacksonville and maybe Lyon though....
As this was an easy run no need to be"on it" mentally last nite,speed,pace,splits were all secondary alhough I did clock my turnaround time at 38 and change.
Not govererned by the clock for once I could allow myself the chance to think about the upcoming schedule,next Saturdays 800m at Icahn my only 800m b4 Nationals and last race b4 the entry deadline in 14 days days time,then there are two mile races at Ft Washington on June 30th/July 14th as my final tune up races b4 Nationals in Jacksonville on July 23rd{800m} and 24th{1,500m} and then Worlds in Lyon on Aug 12th {1,500m prelims} and hopefully Aug 14th {1,500m final}
Home in 1.17.27, slow but prehaps prudent to save my fast twitch muscles for Wednesdays short repeats and Thursdays tempo run........short term goal/big picture.......
Last weeks schedule of :easy 8,short repeats,8 mile tempo run,long repeats,long run had worked well for yours truly so why not stick w/ it,alas next week in order to "have my cake and eat it" I'll need to forgo Monday as a rest day as I race on Saturday ergo a Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday rotation......however that's next week let's worry about that when the time comes shall we!
85 degrees when I hit the sidewalks at 4.50pm,give it another month maybe not even b4 we hit 90 degree temps.....all good prep for Jacksonville and maybe Lyon though....
As this was an easy run no need to be"on it" mentally last nite,speed,pace,splits were all secondary alhough I did clock my turnaround time at 38 and change.
Not govererned by the clock for once I could allow myself the chance to think about the upcoming schedule,next Saturdays 800m at Icahn my only 800m b4 Nationals and last race b4 the entry deadline in 14 days days time,then there are two mile races at Ft Washington on June 30th/July 14th as my final tune up races b4 Nationals in Jacksonville on July 23rd{800m} and 24th{1,500m} and then Worlds in Lyon on Aug 12th {1,500m prelims} and hopefully Aug 14th {1,500m final}
Home in 1.17.27, slow but prehaps prudent to save my fast twitch muscles for Wednesdays short repeats and Thursdays tempo run........short term goal/big picture.......
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Really Old Man??....You Want Some Of This????
If it's Sunday then it's the traditional Sunday long run 14 miles around the Art Museum Loop,very much my "bread and butter" run for a Sunday as it adds 14 miles to my weekly mileage and when things have gone to plan that's 40 miles.
Out the door a tad closer to my prefered time of 10am this week conditions were sunny and warm as I set off w/ not too much to concern myself w/.
In my book Sunday solo runs should be ran at 9 min mile pace,it's about the mileage in a week where minus the easy 8 miler to kick off the week it's all about speed,short repeats,8 mile tempo run,long repeats it's nice to have a sedate run,take in the sights and sounds around the river along West River Dr,b4 crossing Falls bridge onto Kelly Dr and eventually "the road well travellled" as I hit the section of Kelly Dr where I turn on my 8 milers,then it's the Schuylkill Banks,Schuylkill footpath,South St bridge,Spruce St,onto Baltimore Ave and eventually Ceder Ave,sure maybe running the same route/routes is predictable and maybe even boring but for me it allows me to gauge where I'm at week in,week out.
The first time I checked my watch was as I crossed Falls bridge the half way point,60 and change,I couldn't see the exact seconds and damn sure wasn't stopping to get a balls dead acutare split......60 and change worked for me thank you very much as I continued to plough through my run.
For whatever reason West River Dr tends to be less populated then Kelly Dr,why I don't know but Kelly Dr allows me other runners to work off of if need be....I guess I was "in a zone" today as I wasn't really paying much if any attention to runner ahead of me........till the long section along the Schuylkill Banks between Lloyd Hall and the Schuylkill footpath roughly miles 11 and 12.
I began systematically picking off runners w/out giving it too much though as I approached the 676 bridge that links I 95 and I 76,I saw a runner ahead of me and began to visualize the closing stages of the upcoming 1,500m final at Worlds in Lyon.
Slowly I reeled "cuz" in,most runners you overtake tend not to concern themselves w/ the pace of other runners...but periodically "there's always one" who takes exception/unbridge and DING DING DING we had a winner.....
I pulled up alongside "Cuz" who instantly speed up to which I made an audable "really???" as I lenghtened my stride to pull alongside again......now "Cuz" gets REAL PISSED and begins to sprint......I could've let it and him go.....but I didn't.........
"BOOM" dropped the hammer and left him choaking on my dust never to be seen again as I continued south along the Schuylkill Banks......"bye,thanks for coming,see you next time or never....SUCKER!!!''
l don't set out to "wear the prick suit" I really don't but when runners pull that shit every now and then the Barney Stinson in me says "challenge excepted" and some poor sap is left to cry into his post run Gatorade...
Home in 2.02.13 a 8.45 improvement on last weeks time,I wouldn't mind going sub 2.00 next week if it happens great,if not no biggie,another week in the books that's what matters,bitch slapping some fool is just the icing on the cake!
Out the door a tad closer to my prefered time of 10am this week conditions were sunny and warm as I set off w/ not too much to concern myself w/.
In my book Sunday solo runs should be ran at 9 min mile pace,it's about the mileage in a week where minus the easy 8 miler to kick off the week it's all about speed,short repeats,8 mile tempo run,long repeats it's nice to have a sedate run,take in the sights and sounds around the river along West River Dr,b4 crossing Falls bridge onto Kelly Dr and eventually "the road well travellled" as I hit the section of Kelly Dr where I turn on my 8 milers,then it's the Schuylkill Banks,Schuylkill footpath,South St bridge,Spruce St,onto Baltimore Ave and eventually Ceder Ave,sure maybe running the same route/routes is predictable and maybe even boring but for me it allows me to gauge where I'm at week in,week out.
The first time I checked my watch was as I crossed Falls bridge the half way point,60 and change,I couldn't see the exact seconds and damn sure wasn't stopping to get a balls dead acutare split......60 and change worked for me thank you very much as I continued to plough through my run.
For whatever reason West River Dr tends to be less populated then Kelly Dr,why I don't know but Kelly Dr allows me other runners to work off of if need be....I guess I was "in a zone" today as I wasn't really paying much if any attention to runner ahead of me........till the long section along the Schuylkill Banks between Lloyd Hall and the Schuylkill footpath roughly miles 11 and 12.
I began systematically picking off runners w/out giving it too much though as I approached the 676 bridge that links I 95 and I 76,I saw a runner ahead of me and began to visualize the closing stages of the upcoming 1,500m final at Worlds in Lyon.
Slowly I reeled "cuz" in,most runners you overtake tend not to concern themselves w/ the pace of other runners...but periodically "there's always one" who takes exception/unbridge and DING DING DING we had a winner.....
I pulled up alongside "Cuz" who instantly speed up to which I made an audable "really???" as I lenghtened my stride to pull alongside again......now "Cuz" gets REAL PISSED and begins to sprint......I could've let it and him go.....but I didn't.........
"BOOM" dropped the hammer and left him choaking on my dust never to be seen again as I continued south along the Schuylkill Banks......"bye,thanks for coming,see you next time or never....SUCKER!!!''
l don't set out to "wear the prick suit" I really don't but when runners pull that shit every now and then the Barney Stinson in me says "challenge excepted" and some poor sap is left to cry into his post run Gatorade...
Home in 2.02.13 a 8.45 improvement on last weeks time,I wouldn't mind going sub 2.00 next week if it happens great,if not no biggie,another week in the books that's what matters,bitch slapping some fool is just the icing on the cake!
Saturday, June 6, 2015
Two Dimes & A Nickle
We're only at home when we're on the fly
Dreamline-Rush
I believe it's an old US Marine quote"we don't plan,we improvise well today was one of those days trust me!
Starter for ten I realize a block from home I'd left my notebook on the living room table,I do a quick U turn to retrieve said notebook but figure now I'll miss the scheduled 11.24am trolley,no big I'll walk the 10 blocks to 40th to give myself a choice of 4 trolleys to 30th St where I catch the train to Haverford.......of course today's the day said trolley is running late as I discover 4 blocks later as it wizzes by me,then further insult to injury as I reach 40th St a 36 is just pulling away.....hey ho!
I arrive at 30th St knowing the 11.49am should be long gone......only to see a 10 mins late beside it when I arrive on the platform at 11.56am the upshot I'm out to Haverford by 12.26pm...........
CLUNK!!!! orange plastic fencing around the gates to the track,big machinery on the infield,wooden board across the track at the start of the 400m on the home straigh and just beyond the 300m point of the back straight and a official sign reading "Track Closed For Renovations May 26th-September 30th..............
Fuck No I wasn't turning back,said machinery was idel,a couple of other runners were on the track and being a weekend I figured any official Haverford bods were home I was getting my workout in,we'll deal w/ the issue of Haverford being available for future repeats next Saturday,besides if peeps wanted me off the track they'd have to catch me first!!!!!
The original game plan was for 4x400m/mile x2 a repeat I began in the late fall as an extention of the 4x400m/mile pre 5th Avenue Mile workout I'd been doing since 08.....however when I last conducted that bad boy on April 12th I was using old math 4 min recoveries inbetween 400s and the mile....given last weeks 4x400mx4 w/ 60 second recoveries something had to give as I wanted to keep the 60 second recoveries between 400s and opted for 90 seconds between #4 400m and the mile w/ a 5 min rest between sets.......after the first set of 4x400m and 90 seconds rest my opening 400m of the mile was....frankly pants so the next plan was 2x4x400m,mile mile but I realized my mile splits were gonna be two bob off 90 sec recoveries so I said feck it 4x400mx4 it was!!!!!
Last week on a scheduled 4x400mx4{albeit my first ever} I went
70.85 72.92 71.56 71.91
72.15 72.57 72.76 72.95
76.08 74.93 74.76 74.68
77.34 74.33 75.20 72.16
We'd have to see how today "change on the fly" version went wouldn't we???
#1 4x400m
68.87 68.58 69.39 71.31
The opening 68s were probably "in the mix" because I thought I'd only be running two sets of 4x400m!!
#2 4x400m
71.31 72.61 73.29 77.94
Obvs,I like that 77.94 back but I was commited to the long haul now...so help me God!
#3 4x400m
74.89 73.93 74.74.75 75.74
I had considered 4x400mx3 w/ a mile at the end but figured even at 75/76 range my 400s would be quicker than my mile so feck it we were going w/ 4x400mx4....not sure if the brain sent that email/text to the legs though?!!!
#4 4x400m
73.17 74.16 78.65 72.32
The 78.65 was a bit of a dagger to the heart......but the closing 72.32 soon erased that from my memory!!!!
It's been a while since I've keeled over and collapsed onto the track at the end of a workout but today seemed like a day for said reaction
Minus 5 compared to last weeks debut/more conventional 4x400mx4 repeat,the margin could've been greater w/out that 77.94 and 78.65 to bring it done if I say so myself this was a job well done.
Clearly w/ 60 second recoveries the 4x400m/mile don't fly....know what I'm liking these 4x400mx4 repeats so I think the rotate becomes 4x400mx4/8x800m....just need to figure out what recovery between 800s to use....3 mins???
Dreamline-Rush
I believe it's an old US Marine quote"we don't plan,we improvise well today was one of those days trust me!
Starter for ten I realize a block from home I'd left my notebook on the living room table,I do a quick U turn to retrieve said notebook but figure now I'll miss the scheduled 11.24am trolley,no big I'll walk the 10 blocks to 40th to give myself a choice of 4 trolleys to 30th St where I catch the train to Haverford.......of course today's the day said trolley is running late as I discover 4 blocks later as it wizzes by me,then further insult to injury as I reach 40th St a 36 is just pulling away.....hey ho!
I arrive at 30th St knowing the 11.49am should be long gone......only to see a 10 mins late beside it when I arrive on the platform at 11.56am the upshot I'm out to Haverford by 12.26pm...........
CLUNK!!!! orange plastic fencing around the gates to the track,big machinery on the infield,wooden board across the track at the start of the 400m on the home straigh and just beyond the 300m point of the back straight and a official sign reading "Track Closed For Renovations May 26th-September 30th..............
Fuck No I wasn't turning back,said machinery was idel,a couple of other runners were on the track and being a weekend I figured any official Haverford bods were home I was getting my workout in,we'll deal w/ the issue of Haverford being available for future repeats next Saturday,besides if peeps wanted me off the track they'd have to catch me first!!!!!
The original game plan was for 4x400m/mile x2 a repeat I began in the late fall as an extention of the 4x400m/mile pre 5th Avenue Mile workout I'd been doing since 08.....however when I last conducted that bad boy on April 12th I was using old math 4 min recoveries inbetween 400s and the mile....given last weeks 4x400mx4 w/ 60 second recoveries something had to give as I wanted to keep the 60 second recoveries between 400s and opted for 90 seconds between #4 400m and the mile w/ a 5 min rest between sets.......after the first set of 4x400m and 90 seconds rest my opening 400m of the mile was....frankly pants so the next plan was 2x4x400m,mile mile but I realized my mile splits were gonna be two bob off 90 sec recoveries so I said feck it 4x400mx4 it was!!!!!
Last week on a scheduled 4x400mx4{albeit my first ever} I went
70.85 72.92 71.56 71.91
72.15 72.57 72.76 72.95
76.08 74.93 74.76 74.68
77.34 74.33 75.20 72.16
We'd have to see how today "change on the fly" version went wouldn't we???
#1 4x400m
68.87 68.58 69.39 71.31
The opening 68s were probably "in the mix" because I thought I'd only be running two sets of 4x400m!!
#2 4x400m
71.31 72.61 73.29 77.94
Obvs,I like that 77.94 back but I was commited to the long haul now...so help me God!
#3 4x400m
74.89 73.93 74.74.75 75.74
I had considered 4x400mx3 w/ a mile at the end but figured even at 75/76 range my 400s would be quicker than my mile so feck it we were going w/ 4x400mx4....not sure if the brain sent that email/text to the legs though?!!!
#4 4x400m
73.17 74.16 78.65 72.32
The 78.65 was a bit of a dagger to the heart......but the closing 72.32 soon erased that from my memory!!!!
It's been a while since I've keeled over and collapsed onto the track at the end of a workout but today seemed like a day for said reaction
Minus 5 compared to last weeks debut/more conventional 4x400mx4 repeat,the margin could've been greater w/out that 77.94 and 78.65 to bring it done if I say so myself this was a job well done.
Clearly w/ 60 second recoveries the 4x400m/mile don't fly....know what I'm liking these 4x400mx4 repeats so I think the rotate becomes 4x400mx4/8x800m....just need to figure out what recovery between 800s to use....3 mins???
Friday, June 5, 2015
I'm Not A Playa,I Just Crush Alot!!!!
I knew when I opted to take Monday off that I'd denied myself an ideal schedule of Easy Run Monday,Repeats Tuesday,rest day Wednesday,Tempo Run Thursday.....that said w/ this years Nationals schedule requiring me to race the 800m on Thursday b4 coming back for the 1,500m on Friday maybe back to back repeats and tempo wasn't a bad idea???
In keeping w/ the week I've been having at work{good news the freight elevator is back up and running again......that THUD you heard is the breeze block falling out of my arse!!!} I didn't get home till gone 4.30pm and it was closer to 5pm b4 I was out the door but frankly at this time of year it's hardly an issu....that said we're now 17 days away from Summer Solstice and the Longest Day.....so you know what that means?????.......Winter Is Coming!!!!!
I could tell early into the run I was "up for it" 7.34 at the mile marker,sub 13 at South St bridge,15.44 at mile two along the Schuykill footpath and sub 27 at Lloyd Hall.
I reached the turn in 33.16,even if I ran a 35 min second half I was looking at a potential 1.08 time having recently broken through the 1.10 barrier w/ a 1.09.16 I had to fancy my chances.
As each of the return leg mile markers yielded fast splits I believed I wasn't going to buckle or crack,40 plus at Lloyd Hall,50 plus on the Schuylkill footpath but more telling was 58 plus at the 7 mile mark at 39th and Baltimore Ave,my first sub 60 to date.....oh it was so on now!!!
Giving everything I had left up the "home straight" I got a pretty clear run of all the cross streets between 40th and 50th and crossed the "finishline" in front of my door step in........1.05.35......
Out in 33.16 back in 32.19.....not too shabby if I say so myself!
Clearly back to back days hadn't hurt me too much,although it must be said the 66 degree temps probably helped too,either way I was taking it.....a job well done.
In keeping w/ the week I've been having at work{good news the freight elevator is back up and running again......that THUD you heard is the breeze block falling out of my arse!!!} I didn't get home till gone 4.30pm and it was closer to 5pm b4 I was out the door but frankly at this time of year it's hardly an issu....that said we're now 17 days away from Summer Solstice and the Longest Day.....so you know what that means?????.......Winter Is Coming!!!!!
I could tell early into the run I was "up for it" 7.34 at the mile marker,sub 13 at South St bridge,15.44 at mile two along the Schuykill footpath and sub 27 at Lloyd Hall.
I reached the turn in 33.16,even if I ran a 35 min second half I was looking at a potential 1.08 time having recently broken through the 1.10 barrier w/ a 1.09.16 I had to fancy my chances.
As each of the return leg mile markers yielded fast splits I believed I wasn't going to buckle or crack,40 plus at Lloyd Hall,50 plus on the Schuylkill footpath but more telling was 58 plus at the 7 mile mark at 39th and Baltimore Ave,my first sub 60 to date.....oh it was so on now!!!
Giving everything I had left up the "home straight" I got a pretty clear run of all the cross streets between 40th and 50th and crossed the "finishline" in front of my door step in........1.05.35......
Out in 33.16 back in 32.19.....not too shabby if I say so myself!
Clearly back to back days hadn't hurt me too much,although it must be said the 66 degree temps probably helped too,either way I was taking it.....a job well done.
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Money,I'm Telling You,It's The Targryen Blood In His Veins!!!!
I hope it's not de ja vu all over again but 10 years ago on the eve of my last big European running adventure{Athens Marathon} the freight elevator at work that connects the loading dock to the storeroom crapped out,mass carnage on the job for 9 to 10 weeks.....it wasn't fun.......
So,I'm 10 weeks out from Worlds in Lyon and guess what?????????YEP the fuckin' freight elevator crapped out again!!!!!!!!!Seriously I need a word w/ my ancestors cos this luck of the Irish blarney ain't cutting it!!!
10 years ago the motor burnt out on the elevator which required a new one being built from scratch hence why it was out of use for 10 weeks which believe me was a nightmare,this time out it sounds like it's a coil that's knackered so hopefully it's just a matter of finding a replacement,ordering it,having it delivered and fitted,the elevator tech told me it could be back up and running by Monday....a drop in the ocean compared to 2005 but none the less a ballbuster for my job which is complicated enough w/ the day to day stuff let alone no friggin' elevator!
Upshot of yesterday no lunch which is one thing but on a day I planned to hit the track on the way home thay kind of sucked.....hey ho.
Arrived at Geasey Field at 4.05pm,nobody on the track which is always a good sign,five lap warm up b4 "have at it time" today's bill o fare 5x200m/4x300m/3x200m
Last time out over this repeat on Mar 15th I went:
30.19
30.94
32.60
33.00
34.01
50.64
52.64
52.53
54.34
34.54
34.08
34.97
This was 7 seconds slower than my previous go round on this repeat but w/ 11 weeks elapsed since then I was confident I could lower those splits this time out......
5x200m
32.84
32.78
33.14
31.75
33.33
Not too shabby if I say so myself,a tad miffed #3 and #5 along the back straight were effected by the wind otherwise I could've had 32s on 4 out of 5.....
4x300m
49.20
50.59
50.31
50.53
BOO FRICKIN' YAR!!!!
I hit tose suckers out of the park compared to March 15th,was feeling it at 200m on #3 but managed to keep it going.
3x200m
32.51
33.42
32.10
No let up in the final 200s,again that sodding headwind along the back straight cost me a second....
A 12 second improvement on the March 15th effort which on it's own merit is a feather in my bandanna....the fact after the opening three 200s I was 5 seconds "in the hole" speaks volumes of what I did in the 300s and final 200s.
After a crapfest at work to go to the track and do what I did was pleasing......not to mention a nice way to forget what happened on the job and what I might be walking into tomorrow......I was so giddy when I got home even the cat got an extra hug and kiss off me!!!!
So,I'm 10 weeks out from Worlds in Lyon and guess what?????????YEP the fuckin' freight elevator crapped out again!!!!!!!!!Seriously I need a word w/ my ancestors cos this luck of the Irish blarney ain't cutting it!!!
10 years ago the motor burnt out on the elevator which required a new one being built from scratch hence why it was out of use for 10 weeks which believe me was a nightmare,this time out it sounds like it's a coil that's knackered so hopefully it's just a matter of finding a replacement,ordering it,having it delivered and fitted,the elevator tech told me it could be back up and running by Monday....a drop in the ocean compared to 2005 but none the less a ballbuster for my job which is complicated enough w/ the day to day stuff let alone no friggin' elevator!
Upshot of yesterday no lunch which is one thing but on a day I planned to hit the track on the way home thay kind of sucked.....hey ho.
Arrived at Geasey Field at 4.05pm,nobody on the track which is always a good sign,five lap warm up b4 "have at it time" today's bill o fare 5x200m/4x300m/3x200m
Last time out over this repeat on Mar 15th I went:
30.19
30.94
32.60
33.00
34.01
50.64
52.64
52.53
54.34
34.54
34.08
34.97
This was 7 seconds slower than my previous go round on this repeat but w/ 11 weeks elapsed since then I was confident I could lower those splits this time out......
5x200m
32.84
32.78
33.14
31.75
33.33
Not too shabby if I say so myself,a tad miffed #3 and #5 along the back straight were effected by the wind otherwise I could've had 32s on 4 out of 5.....
4x300m
49.20
50.59
50.31
50.53
BOO FRICKIN' YAR!!!!
I hit tose suckers out of the park compared to March 15th,was feeling it at 200m on #3 but managed to keep it going.
3x200m
32.51
33.42
32.10
No let up in the final 200s,again that sodding headwind along the back straight cost me a second....
A 12 second improvement on the March 15th effort which on it's own merit is a feather in my bandanna....the fact after the opening three 200s I was 5 seconds "in the hole" speaks volumes of what I did in the 300s and final 200s.
After a crapfest at work to go to the track and do what I did was pleasing......not to mention a nice way to forget what happened on the job and what I might be walking into tomorrow......I was so giddy when I got home even the cat got an extra hug and kiss off me!!!!
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Trust Me,The Wet Look Is In This Season
For the third time in three days on my 8 milers out and back along the Schuylkill Banks and Kelly Dr I got soaked,ergo my claim that the wet look is in this year,it's not as if I'm a regular on the fashion runways of London,Paris,Milan or New York although in my youth I did some catalogue work for a fashion house......sadly I was modeling gloves!!!!!!!
Unlike last Wednesday and Thursday when I got caught in the rain inside the final mile yesterday it was pissing down from the getgo but I wasn't willing to sit out a run so baseball cap,rain jacket and three quarter length bottoms were the warbrobe choices of the day.......no need for hair and make though for obvious reasons!!!!!
Given this was an easy run I didn't have to worry about pace but as I'm almost programmed to do so I did check my turnaround split 37.17 1.14.28 pace if I wanted it......but w/ track repeats on tap for tomorrow there felt no need to begin hyrdoplaining along Kelly Dr and the Schuylkill Banks.
Secure in the knowledge my entry to Worlds in Lyon was already taken care of b4 yesterdays deadline I didn't have to worry about that......I do have to worry about the 83 other M50 1,500m entries though as the clock truly begins to tick in the countdown....prehaps why I was out in the rain again taking care of business again?
It could've been worse{NO it was already raining!!!} I could've been heading to Icahn Stadium last nite for #2 of the Twilight Series and running my only 800m b4 the deadline for Nationals,at least I still have 17 days and potentially 5 more repeats b4 then,although if nobody enters the USATF NYC C'ships{as of yesterday not a single entry online for the 800m????!!!!} I could be going mano e mano w/ my old rival the clock.......tick tock,tick tock........
Unlike last Wednesday and Thursday when I got caught in the rain inside the final mile yesterday it was pissing down from the getgo but I wasn't willing to sit out a run so baseball cap,rain jacket and three quarter length bottoms were the warbrobe choices of the day.......no need for hair and make though for obvious reasons!!!!!
Given this was an easy run I didn't have to worry about pace but as I'm almost programmed to do so I did check my turnaround split 37.17 1.14.28 pace if I wanted it......but w/ track repeats on tap for tomorrow there felt no need to begin hyrdoplaining along Kelly Dr and the Schuylkill Banks.
Secure in the knowledge my entry to Worlds in Lyon was already taken care of b4 yesterdays deadline I didn't have to worry about that......I do have to worry about the 83 other M50 1,500m entries though as the clock truly begins to tick in the countdown....prehaps why I was out in the rain again taking care of business again?
It could've been worse{NO it was already raining!!!} I could've been heading to Icahn Stadium last nite for #2 of the Twilight Series and running my only 800m b4 the deadline for Nationals,at least I still have 17 days and potentially 5 more repeats b4 then,although if nobody enters the USATF NYC C'ships{as of yesterday not a single entry online for the 800m????!!!!} I could be going mano e mano w/ my old rival the clock.......tick tock,tick tock........
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