One Step Closer

And the tougher it gets,and the more that I sweat,and the harder it fights and the deeper it bites I'm one step closer to home
One Step Closer-The Alarm

Another day,another 8 miler.....to quote an old Monty Python sketch"still I was getting used to it by now"!!!
I managed to drown out the negative voices in my head that were doing there best to convince me not to run,the old "you should be tapering for 5th Avenue Mile" chestnut popped up and maybe if I weren't taking the of 5th Avenue Mile off{the 9th week of my training cycle,eight weeks on,one week off}I would have worked a taper into the final three weeks but since I am taking that week off there's no slacking off this week or next week and w/ that I was stretched,changed and out the door by 4.30pm.

If Monday and Tuesdays runs had been punctuated w/ some time honoured "verbals" at ignorant motorists,no madam I don't know you're making a right hand turn onto 48th St cos A I'm not a mind reader and B that's what your turn signals are for and dude no turn on red means NO TURN ON RED at South St bridge then yesterday was the turn of pedestrians to incure my wrath,at least twice people stepped out in front of my w/out once looking up to see if the sidewalk was clear,I realize I tend to disappear if I turn sideways but c'mon.....look where the hell your going,as for the obstinate individual who flat out refused to yield the inside of sidewalk to me as I ran towards them just after the South St bridge heading towards Franklin Field I have NO problem using the C word to voice my displeasure at your lack of common decency,next time do the responsible thaing and allow me to keep going along the inside of the sidewalk and I'll keep my profanities to myself..........

Heading along the Schuylkill Bank just after mile 2 of my 8 miler I was very aware of a runner on my left hand side trying his utmost to overtake me,given this was my third 8 miler in three days period not to mention temps of 86,88 and now 89 degs it would've been easier to let him have it......but we all know that wasn't happening!!!.
"Cuz" wasn't taking no for an answer and had another nip at my ankles w/in 100m which earnt him the same reaction,I upped my pace "if you want it,you'll have to earn it" I'm not going to just give it to you period but on a day when I saw my 1,500m world ranking drop from 3rd to 6th maybe I was feeling extra mean!!!!
Third time was NOT the charm for "cuz" either as we hit the slight uphill b4 Paine Park,although this time he did manage to get ahead of me for all of two seconds b4 I not only slammed that door shut but also threw away the key by freewheeling down the downhill oposite the Art Museum,a mile and a quarter later as I made the turnaround at half way who did I see some 30 meters behind me....I guess he figured "forget it" and let me go......good instincts!!!!

24 miles for the week w/ two rest days on tap b4 hopefully  getting access to Geasey Field on Saturday and then going long on Sunday,three down two to go for the week as I close in on a 178 mile month which may explain why I'm feeling a little leg weary but since I consider running a metaphor a life there are no short cuts and you get out what you put in.......

WWMD......What Would Mo Do?

Another easy 8 miler out and back along the Schuylkill Banks and Kelly Dr aka the office given the time I spend out there on a weekly basis.
The ongoing issue of adding a 8.4m tempo run once around the Art Museum loop continues to dominate my thoughts.
I haven't done any tempo runs for a while so it's probably not the worst idea in the world to add one a week to my rotation,in all fairness it'll probably begin the week of Sept 15th when my off season phase of traning begins,i'm effectivly dropping my mid week track workout for the tempo run and it looks like Tuesday would be a good day to slot it into the schedule sndwiched between a pair of 10 milers on Monday and Wedneday which will serve as an easy run on Monday off the back of my Sunday long run and then a recovery run on Wednesday off the back off a tempo run......#sorted.

The logistics of the tempo run around the loop tend to be the only sticking point is it easier to go directly there from work,have at it and then walk down the Schuylkill Banks to Market St to jump the #34 trolley home,or come home,take the trolley to 30th St and walk down the banks to Lloyd Hall,do the loop then walk back to 30th St.....the problem w/ coming home first is the temptation to say feck it and not head back out especially once we get into October,November,December so it looks like the former not the latter will be the way to go.

While the prospect of a third 8 miler tonite is somewhat "been there,done that" I'm looking to make up the 2 miles I lost last week when all the changes to my schedule meant I came up short of my preferred 40mpw at 38 miles ergo why this weeks schedule looks like 8,8,8,4,14 =42mpw

Concrete Jungle

After getting spoilt running on the lush green grass of Lehigh Universitys cross country course on Sunday it was back to reality and the urban jungle of concrete and asphalt that makes up my out and back 8 miler along the Schuylkill Banks and Kelly Drive yesterday.

Out the door just after 4.30pm in sunny skies and 86 degree temps,after last weeks san shades conditions it was back to the tried and tested Three S's Shades,Shorts and Sleeveless running attire,w/ Sept 1st a week away now the days of the Three S's are on borrowed time sadly,this time next month I'll be looking for my short sleeve dri fit shirts as we roll into October just as cross country season starts.....
B4 then there's the oh so small matter of 5th Avenue Mile,not including last nites 8 miler I'm looking at another 8 or 9 runs between now and then,the beauty of an easy 8 miler last nite was time to think about how I wanted to tacle the next two weeks...the schedule I thought up on the out bound 4 miles looked radically different from the one I came up w/ on the inbound 4 miles as I look to keep the same level of intensity w/out over extending myself between now and next weekend.

I hummed and harrd about throwing in a pair of 8.4 tempo runs around the Art Museam Loop this week and next week and thought it wasn't a bad idea till the notion of back to back 14 milers on Sunday and next Monday taking advantage of Labour Day potentially allows me a whole weeks rest from Sept 6th till Sept 13th which I like the idea of,the issue of the 8.4 tempo run this week still exsists otherwise I'm looking at back to back to back 8 milers which I feel maybe a tad too rote for my liking,"variety is the spice of life" afterall.....

Upstairs At Eric's/Erik's

If you're waiting for the blog entry from Saturdays 2x150/4x400/Decathletes Mile don't hold your breath.....
After waking up later than I would've liked at 9.15am I discovered the reason  for my sound sleep.....rain and by the time I waited it out it was gone 11.30am b4 I ventured cross town to Geasey Field only to discover to my utter horror.............................fuckin' band practice on the infield again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Band Practice on a fuckin Saturday......you've gotta be fuckin shiitin' me!!!!!!!! and w/ that went my plans for a repeat #ohfuckinbollocks
Thankfully yours truly took his three year stint in the Cub Scouts to heart "Be Prepared" was the Cub Scout motto so when I threw in that mid week 2x150/4x400/Decathletes Mile two weeks ago the weekend of the Track Pentathlon it meant that even w/ Saturdays shut out I can still get my six repeats in b4 5th Avenue Mile.........providing I can nail them both down on the upcoming two Saturdays.....I'd like to think w/ next weekend being Labour Day weekend there'd be NO Band Practice which just leaves the following weekend {Sept 6th} to take care of business.....even if I have look elsewhere to get it in......#fuckinbandpracticeareyoufuckinshittinme

Sunday saw me make my first trip out to Lehigh University to get a lay of the land so to speak for two of my upcoming cross country races,the Paul Short xc8k in October and the Masters Club Nationals xc10k in December.
While it was a glorious morning to jog the 10k course and part of the 8k course to get a 10 miler in I suspect conditions to be  far brisker and far muddier not so much in October for Paul Short on Oct 4th but definately for Club Nationals on December 13th!!!
Back home by 1pm and every the Boy Scout it was laundry first b4 I could relax on the recliner and catch the Spurs QPR game from earlier in the morning that I'd used the dvr to record so I could have my cake and eat it.
While it's early days yet two games into the new season both Eric Dier and Erik Lamela look like the best thing since sliced bread IMHO Dier has two goals in two games......not too shabby for a defender and Lamela was at the heart/hart of everything good on the pitch yesterday

She Loved Like Diamond

A Show Of Strength After Losing Out To The Dancing Horses

I've felt it was only a matter of time b4 my luck ran out getting weekday repeats in at Temple's Geasey Field well the other {running}shoe fell this week.
Initially I tried to get my 4x1 mile repeats in on  Tuesday only to encounter Marching Band practice on the infield,I'd encounterd this issue a few years back at roughly the same time of year in my 5th Avenue Mile build up but undeterred I figued I'd try my luck on Wednesday since my last two mid week repeats had been on Wednesdays w/out issue and when I arrived at Geasey Field at 3.45pm w/out a Cymbal,Oboe or any other instrument in sight I thought I was home free........as I laced up my running shoes I happened to look over my right shoulder to see hordes of Marching Band peeps decending en mass on the infield #ohbollocks
Sure enough 200m into my warm up I was politely informed by campus security that the track was closed,while I have no issue w/  the university "pulling rank" as it is afterall their facility I do question the use of  venue,the artificial pitches above the track are  much bigger and what about the football fiels which is across campus?.....NO!!!! the infield of the track it is and w/ it my midweek repeats are done.
Granted I only had this week and next week to try and squeeze in two more 4x1mile repeats b4 Fall Semester begins on Sept 2nd and the week after that is my rest week b4 5th Avenue Mile after which is my off season where I only plan to be on the track once a week on Saturdays till mid December so I can't be that indignant about it,and who knows maybe this is the universe's way of telling me to back off a little as I get closer to 5th Avenue Mile{three weeks from Saturday},I won't taper in the conventional way of reducing mileage but only having one hard workut a week from here on in may not be the worst thing in the world.

Since I was already dressed to run once I got home it was a matter of dropping off my bag and heading back out the door for my run,while seldom one to brake my hand patting myself on the back I'm proud of the fact I didn't blow the whole thing off given my level of fatigue.
Having ben a "Boy Scout" most of the year in terms of concerts to financing my trip to Winston Salem I cut loose on Tuesday nite to catch Echo & The Bunnymen at Union Transfer
I've been a fan of The Bunnymen since 82 when I first heard "The Back Of Love" and had been lucky enough to catch them live four times uptill Tuesday nites show at Union Transfer when I ended a 12 year drought of having not seen them and while it made for a long day being on my feet till 11.30pm not to mention not gettting to bed till 12.30am and then having my butt draggin' all day I still made a point of getting out to run despite the siren call of my recliner when I got home from my aborted attempt to get repeats in at Temple.

I can blame my fatigue on a gaffe in terms of milege on the run,given it would've been a 6 miler on the track{4x1 mile w/ a mile warm up and cool down} I only needed a 6 miler out and back along the Schuylkill Banks to Lloyd Hall.....but given I'm programmed to doing 8 milers out to the mile marker on Kelly Dr I ended up doing 8 miles....go me,balls arsed tired to begin w/ and throwing in an extra two miles!!!!
I kicked around several ideas about how to get myself back on  40mpw schedule or even 42 mpw as I hardly feel an extra two miles is excessive but what I'll probably do is make tonite an out and back 12 miler rather than the 14 mile long run I had considered.....gotta save my legs for Saturdays 2x150/4x400/decathletes mile now that I'm only getting one track repeat in thanks to the Dancing Horses...

Hey Little Girl

Easy 8 miler to kick the week off,although no thanks to "Postman Pratt" from last Tuesday I had to schleep over to Piggy Post Office at 53rd and Kingsessing to pick up a book I ordered online of course I get over there and there's a long arse line and only one window open........the upshot of which it was 4.50pm b4 I got home and almost 5.10pm b4 I was stretched,changed and out the door almost 50 mins behind my usual time but in the general scheme of things but what are you going to do......aside from kicking "Postie" in the groin for making you go over to the sorting office and costing you that time but hey that's just me thinking out loud.........!!!!!!

Comfortable evening at 83 degrees as i made sure to keep the emphasis on easy for this run what w/ 4x1 mile repeats on tap Tuesday no point buring up valuable energy this evening,home by 6.31pm roughly a 1.24 8 miler which is par for course.

A happy fourth birthday to my cat Precious,sadly as I'm the one person on the planet w/out a camera phone I don't have a photo of the epitomy of cuteness personified to post on ye olde blog,but trust me she's a keeper......who else would put up w/ her I often ask!!!!
I'm not sure whos life has become more enriched by the whole experirnce,Precious for having me as her human,or me for having her as my cat.....I tend to think it's me even when she pulls stunts like this one,I dig out my running bag  for my repeats and in the time it took to get my flats and running shoes Precious was already curled up inside my running bag and even though I'd like to think I can walk thro walls,spit nails and shit bullets I don't have the heart to move my cat when she's comfortable....so the next time you see one of those "My Cat Walks All Over Me" t shirts think of me!!!!

Easy,Like A Sunday Morning{Long Run}

Following a reprieve of sorts last week by substituting the Sunday long run for the track pentathlon it was back to the time honoured tradition of the 14 miles around the Art Museum Loop yesterday morning.
Out the door by 10.30am it was grey and overcast when I left and minus a brief moment along the second half of the run along Kelly Dr when the sun came out I felt I made the right call not opting for my shades for the run,however despite the Channel 6 weathermans claim that  temps were in the low to mid 70s my dri fit sleeveless shirt was dripping w/ sweat by the time I go home just after 12.30pm.

2.06 for the run which is right on the nose of  9 minute pace for 14 miles having gone 2.08 on my first post Nationals long run and then gone 2.04 the following week I'm happy to keep it "ballpark" but it'll be interesting to see what my time is on Wednesday.......
NO that's not a typo I'm going to do my long run on Wednesday......let me explain.......

Next Sunday a bunch of Greater Philly Track Club guys are heading up to Lehigh to preview the Paul Short xc course,not only is it my first xc race of the xc season on Oct 4th over 8k but it's also the site of the December 13th Masters Nationals XC Club Nationals c'ship over 10k so a little recon never goes amiss and while a switch up of the schedule never hurts it'll be interesting to see how I handle my 14 mile long run on a week day after getting up t 5.10am and putting in a full shift at work......between 01 and 05 I had to do it for my marathon training so it shouldn't come as too great a shock to the system,file it under the things I do to have my cake and eat it,get a feel for the Paul Short course and still get my long run in as I strive for another 5 day 40 mile week in training

Ere We Go,Ere We Go,Ere We Go

Ironic that Saturday marked four weeks till 5th Avenue Mile and effectivly the end of my season it also marked the start of the 2014/15 English Premier League season which means for the next nine months much of my schedule will be dictated by when my beloved Spurs play!!!!!
Taking a leaf out of our motto Audere Est Facere or To Dare Is To Do for those of you not fluent in Latin I hit Geasey Field for the fourth of seven scheduled 2x150m 4x400m Decathletes Mile repeats at 9.45am secure in the knowledge I'd pre set the dvr to record our season opener away to wet spam{West Ham} for the 10am kick off,keen as I was to see the game live the prospect of not arriving at Geasey Field till 1pm and subsequently not getting done till gone 2pm kind of kills my whole day so it was the workout first then home gone lunch time to enjoy the game......and fingers crossed I'd be celebrating two victories!!!!

Following my easy mile warm up it was time to have at it,10 days ago on my last crack at this repeat I went
23.13
23.28
on my opening 2x150m repeats
66.26
67.00
67.24
67.73
on the 4x400m repeats,followed by splits of
1.23
1.28
1.26
1.17
for a 5.34.16 Decathletes Mile

Saturday went:
2x150m
22.88
22.79
Maybe I need to watch more Usain Bolt highlites via "Athletix" b4 my 150s in the coming weeks!!!

4x400m
64.57
65.52
66.07
67.36
Granted I was losing a second per 400m but I was still steeets ahead of my Aug 6th outing,I'm no Martyn Rooney{European 400m Champion} but I bet he can't do what I did over the Decathletes Mile.......

1.21
1.26
1.26
1.14
5.27.83
My fastest Decathletes Mile to date as I continue to lower that time each week,w/ three more repeats on tap the next three Saturdays it'll be interesting to see how much faster I can get not just w/ the mile but also the 150s and 400s

Having done my bit on the track I returned home to catch the  wet spam SPURS game......oh the unbridaled joy at scoring the games only goal in stoppage time to win 1.0......C'MON YOU SPURS!!!!

A Sobering Thought

No matter what the trouble we carry round inside, we're never safe from the truth but in the truth we can survive when his wall of denial comes trumblin' down down to the ground
Wall Of Denial Stevie Ray Vaughan

8 mile recovery run after my 4x1 mile repeats in 79 degrees...you've just gotta love it!!
It was also my maiden run in my new running shoes,after two "tours of duty" w/ the Adidas Adizeros I switched for now to a pair of Reebok Z Quicks which I have to say I liked for this run,and I'm sure over the coming 350 plus miles that I wear them I'm sure they'll do the job.

In a classic" a funny thing happened on the way home" moment I found myself in a Center City Liquor store picking up a bottle of Cognac as a going away present to my co work John who retires tomorrow after 29 years at the hospital,the "funny thing" was that yesterday was the twenty sixth anniversary of me getting sober.
While I don't talk much about my struggle w/ alcohol back in the day or  my subsequent recovery over the past twenty six years the fact is had I not gotten that moment of clarity on August 14th 1988 I wouldn't be sitting here now writing this of that I can be sure and while getting sober came too late to save my marriage it did at least save my life,so here's to another day.

As for my co worker John's retirement it's a tough one for me,I've never worked w/ anyone for fiveteen years b4 so knowing after Friday we won't work together ever again is a strange thought and while there were times in the past fiveteen years I wanted to kill him, the good times far outweighed the bad times ergo why I was in a Liquor store buying him a bottle of Cognac as a going away present on my sober anniversary......one of lifes delicious ironies I guess!!!! and while I hope John enjoys every last drop of his Cognac I'll look forward to another day of sobriety

A Day Late But Not A Dollar Short

Keen as I was to get my 4x1 mile repeats in on Tuesday the fact it was to coin an English expression"pissing out of the heavens" forced me to wait a day,rather than do them for the sake of doing them Tuesday in less than flattering conditions I waited it out and was rewarded w/ blue skies and sunshine and temps in the mid 80s yesterday afternoon,score one for patience!!!

Arrived at trusty Geasey Field at 3.45pm it was close to deserted which suited me,don't get me wrong I'm happy to share the track w/ others.....just not the inside lane when I'm doing my repeats!!!!
Mile warm up b4 a quick check of my last set of mile repeats from two weeks ago on July 29th,went:
1.18-1.22-1.23-1.17-5.20.1
1.20-1.24-1.23-1.14-5.21.9
1.22.1.25-1.25-1.18-5.30.0
1.23-1.25-1.24-1.14-5.26.2

#1 mile
1.16-1.20-1.21-1.16=5.13.3
I'd have to go back two years to find a mile repeat that swift,had I done too much too soon or was there still gas in the tank?

#2 mile
1.16-1.23-1.24-1.17=5.20.2
As is more often my won't the middle two laps dip a little lower than I would like but it's hard to grumble w/ a 1.16/1.17 opening/closing lap.

#3 mile
1.20-1.26-1.25-1.18=5.29.6
I was beginning to feel the pace a little now but compared to two weeks ago I was still ahead of where I was then,albeit only by a second

#4 mile
1.21-1.27-1.23-1.15=5.26.4
A bit of back and forth compared to the closing mile 15 days ago but out in 2.48 back in 2.38 w/ another 1.15 closing final 400m

9 seconds faster than last time out so clearly July 29th wasn't a one off,w/ three more 4x1 mile repeats on tap b4 5th Avenue Mile it'll be interesting to see what else I can do w/ this repeat b4 Sept 13th

A Return To The Same Ole Same Ole

After a week of switchin' up ye olde schedule to get the Track Pentathlon in it's back to the tried and tested format this week,easy 8 miler,4x1 mile repeats,8 mile recovery run,4x400/decathletes mile,14 Sunday long run.

Was pleasently surprized my legs weren't as thrashed as I thought they might be after the pentathlon,maybe laying on my back w/ my legs up for 10/15 minutes after each event helped drain some of the lactic acid off them although the easy 8 miler yestereday and this afternoons 4x1 mile repeats might be a different story.

Did some research on my previous results at the Track Pentathlon,obviously my times in 2010 when I won the event are my best times but Sundays times rank #2 all time,granted in 2011 I was dealing w/ the whole anemia issue and 2012 I think I'd already "checked out" for the year post Nationals but at 50 to be running quicker than when I was 47 and 48 is a feather in my cap

The format for the Track Pentathlon changed in 2011 after the initial:3,000m,800m,200m,1,500m,400m it went to it's current:3,000m,200m,1,500m,100m,400/800m but here are my times from 2010,11,12,14

3,000m
9.07.18
9.48.00
10.23.97
9.33.33

200m
27.35
29.68
31.07
28.88

1,500m
4.19.08
4.37.92
4.46.35
4.30.68

100m
------
14.82
15.73
14.54

800m
2.07.18
2.25.71
2.21.15
2.12.81

My points total over the years reads
430.02
395.90
382.86
417.50

Iron Man V

If it's the middle of August it must be the annual Greater Philadelphia Track Club Track Pentathlon,edition number five.
Back in it's inaugural season in 2010 I won the whole enchilada 3rd in 2011 and  8th in 2012,I sat out last years event as I was just returning to running following my stint on the DL w/ my second bout of tendonitis in my right achilles but I was fully fit and ready to tackle five races in just over two and a half hours this year.

Could've done w/out getting up at 6am to catch the 7.11am R5 to Ft Washington train but getting up early goes w/ the terroritory sometimes and since I'd done my best Boy Scout impression on Saturday afternoon I discovered Starbucks was open at 6am on 34th St four blocks from the train station at 30th St......it's one thing getting up at 6am,it's another to compete over five distances between 8.30am and  12.30pm but to do either w/out my beloved cup of rosey lee...... that's just crazy talk......ps if Starbucks would like to use me as a spokesperson for Venti Zen Tea I'd be more than happy......they don't have to pay me just give me a free Zenti Zen Tea once in a while.....just putting it out there........!

Arrived at Germantown Academy just after 8am,checked in for my bib number  and dropped off my bag on the infield b4 a two mile warm up around the track and then decamped under Nick Berra's tent along w/ Peter Brady,Mark Williams and Chris Blondin who along w/ Nick I dubbed "The Four Horsemen".
First up the 3,000m I ran a bad 3,000m two years ago which set me up for a below par performance for the whole event so I was hell  bent on getting out of the blocks {so to speak} a lot better this time out.
Chris Blondin took up the challenge from the gun and while my pre race plan had been to tuck in behind the "The Four Horsemen" I must have been feeling my oates as I went w/ Chris and got ahead of Peter,Mark and Nick.......I for get when those guys went by me maybe 4 or 3 laps to go but my 9.33.3 earnt me 87.74 points on the age graded scoring table and I was in the lead......
The sprints always do me in,I'm not a sprinter and since the Track Pentathlon is a one off I don't feel the need to work on my 100m and 200m to improve them,finished a distant 4th in the 200m in 28.88 which is still a respectable time but only earnt me 77.63 points which is where I tend to lose ground overall in the event.

1,500m next an event muchmore in my wheelhouse,once again I was the caboose to the "Four Horsemen" but they pulled me to a 4.30.6 time which earnt me 89.04 points,I was third w/ two events to go behind Nick and Mark.
The 100m let me down,I don't think using blocks would make a huge difference as like the 200m I brought up the rear of the field in 4th in 14.54 and only 75.52 ponts going into the final event the 800m.
Maybe if the powers that be had put me in the same heat as the ''Four Horseman" I might've scored better in the 800m but given Peter went 2.03.08,Mark went 2.03.36,Nick went 2.05.61 and Chris went 2.07.57 it's fair to say I'd have been a ways behind them,as it was I got the next heat where for the third time this year I went gun to tape for the win in 2.12.81......not too shabby for a 5th event if I say so myself!
87.58 points for a grand total of 417.50 for fourth place and $75 which will offset the cost of a new pair of running spikes for the 2015 season so not a bad mornings work if I say so myself.

While Nick ran away w/ the event.....no pun intended w/ his score of 429.60 the next four of us were this close:
Mark Williams 419.33-Vicki Fox 419.11 Your Truly 417.50 Peter Brady 416.81.
Post awards and photographs it was a cooldown b4 retiring to the nearest waterhole for some well earnt lunch and a couple of cold beverages to celebrate our endeavours and the thoughts about coming back again next year to do it all over again......sure I'll be another year older but that just helps my age graded score which the Track Pentathlon is based on.....till edition VI.....

My Ever Changin' Schedule

Continuing the theme of the week it was "all change" on Saturday,as is my won't more often than not I hit the track but w/ Sundays 5 event Track Pentahlon waiting around the corner I figured there was no need to go back to back track so I opted for an easy 8 miler.

Even though I'm a self confessed creature of habit I will admit the switch up in my schedule this week wasn't a bad thing,doing the same workouts on the same day week in/week out can get stale so the switch up this week to accomodate the Track Pentathlon came as a welcome change of pace and I didn't have to sacrifice my two workouts or my long run so to speak by tweaking things this week.

While it felt odd not to be on the track on a Saturday there'll be plenty of time for that on Sunday w/ a 3,000m200m1,500m100m and 800m on tap so needless to say the key word for Satudays 8 miler was EASY.....

Ten

I try not to repeat myself w/ my blog be it the text or the picture/picture In use,I was reasonably confident I'd used Pearl Jam's iconic debut cd "Ten" once b4 for a 10 miler so I wanted something different.....but what?????? then it hit me like a 2 by 4 between the eyes......Bo Derek!!!!!
Ok so what's Bo Derek got to do w/ running you ask?well she IS running in this photo from the classic movie "10" and frankly she looks "fit as fuck" plus,my blog,my rules if you don't approve the exit signs are clearly marked....don't let the door hit you in the arse on the way out!!!!

So having established it was a 10 miler what else is there for me to say.....for those of you still actually  reading the text!!!!!
Between the two 10 milers this week not to mention the cool 81 temps it felt like September in August which will be good prep for six weeks time when I hit off season mode in mid September w/ a schedule that'll roughly look like 10,10,8,8{repeats}14=50 mpw
While upping from 8 milers to 10 milers is no major hardship the extra 20 mins out on the run might take a bit of getting used to,for now it'll be hard to see any difference in the daylight issue but as we creep closer to October but that's an issue for further down the road,let's enjoy what is left of our summer

Swings & Roundabouts

In a week where I'm switching things up to begin w/ it should come as no surprize not only was my mid week track workout switched from Tuesday to Wednesday but also the nature of said workout.
The reason for the switch from Tuesday to Wednesday was straightforward enough as my Sister and Brother In Law were flying back to London on Tuesday nite so I figured one last meal together b4 they left wouldn't hurt and frankly the difference between a Tuesday repeat or Wednesday repeat is neither here nor there......the  reason for the change of repeat was slightly more complex!!!!

Having gone w/ 4x1 mile repeats last Tuesday and w/ the mindset that the midweek repeat between then and 5th Avenue Mile would be 4x1 milers I now had the issue of my weekly 2x150m/4x400m/decathletes mile on Saturdays....w/ this Sunday being the Track Pentathlon did I really want to expend that much energy the day b4 my 3,000m,200m,1,500m,100m,800m races????
While the answer to that question was a resounding NO!! the next question was do I want to sacrifice one of my 4x400m.decathlete mile workouts b4 5th Avenue Mile?.....another resounding NO!!! so now what?
Chicken or Beef? Fries or Baked Potato? Window or Isle????? decisions decisions.....

Opted for my 2x150m/4x400m/decathletes mile repeat as the workout I least wanted to pass up so when I arrived at Geasey Field at 3.45pm I knew what lay in store for me,my only issue w/ the switch of days on this workout was the logistics,obviously on a Saturday I'm coming to the track straight from home as oppossed to getting there after work where I've not only been up since 5.10am and put in a full days shift on the dock but also at 4pm compared to 11am the heat can be a  factor.......yada,yada,yada....I was here,i was prepared to give it my all and if at the end of it I fell a few seconds shy of Saturdays splits then so be it.

23.13
23.28
A second down on each 150m from Saturday
22.61
22.83
Now for the 4x400m repeats Saturdays yeilded splits of
65.40-65.93-67.26-67.26
Today went
66.26-67.00-67.24-67.73
Collectivly I was down by 5 seconds from Saturday but for shits and giggles compared to my 4x400m from 12 days ago on my debut I went
66.07-66.71-68.43-69.02
So make of that what you will?

Decathletes Mile
Saturdays splits were
1.25-1.30-1.29-1.15=5.39.0
Todays
1.23-1.28-1.26-1.17=5.34.4

Wow! the 5 seconds I'd lost over the 150s and 400s I clawed back to finish dead even in that respect but obviously 5 seconds quicker on the mile.
Like I said Swings and Roundabouts......botom line another repeat in the books #jobdone

All Change For Zoo Station

Variety,we are lead to believe is the spice of life and while I don't disagree I also stick close to the principle that "tried and tested" also works so for a self confessed creature of habit like me that means that the "Change Is Good" mindset is a conflict of interests......however I'm not that far gone that I won't switch things up when circumstances dictate,it's all well and good having a routine but if you can't be flexible w/ it you're gonna come unstuck somewhere down the road trust me.

W/ Sundays Track Pentathlon on tap not only is my Sunday long run off the schedule I also need to switch things up this week if I want to "have my cake and eat it" and get a 5 day 40 mile week in which would explain the two 10 milers on tap Monday and again Thursday this week,it'll be good practice for a couple of weeks time post 5th Avenue Mile when I transition into off season training and there'll be two 10 milers a week on my schedule as I up my 40mpw tally to 50mpw but more of that closer to Sept 15th.
So having explained why I was out there on Monday over 10 miles I now have to explain why I was doing so at the ungodly hour of 9.30am!!!!!!

My sister and brother in law were in Philly over the weekend so I took Monday off work to hang out w/ them but b4 that could happen the "thou must train" comandment had to be invoked ergo why yours truly was "getting his run on" at 9.30am!!!!!
Obviously it's only on rare occassions I get to run that early on a weekday,weekends and holidays maybe but seldom otherwise so I took full advantage of the fact the banks and Kelly Dr were near deserted,it'll be a different story on Thursday when I return to the tried and tested 4.20pm time slot.

The run its self was non discript,having taken care of business over 14 miles on Sunday a 10 miler should come as no challenge and it didn't.....that said I'm glad I have a rest day between the is 10 miler and my next track workout on Wednesday as i'm feeling a little a little "dead from the knees down" but that could be a result of 24 miles in two days.
Run taken care of it was off to the Philadelphia Zoo for a couple of hours w/ my sister,it's been a while since I last set foot inside America's first Zoo.
I recall a number of years ago when I resumed running on a regular basis {2001}there was a 10k called the A To Z 10k which began at the Camden Aquarium and finished at the Philadelphia Zoo and as part of the entry fee for the race you were allowed free admission into the Zoo post race which was a fun way to unwind after the race.

Sadly the A To Z 10k folded and became the Ben Franklin Bridge 10k which while not w/out its charms isn't the same as the A To Z race,I spent he best part of three hours in the Zoo on Monday,obvously there have been a lot of renovations there over the past 13 years but the chance to see the animals up close was a treat

Play The Game{s}

If It's Sunday it's the long run.....at least for this week as next Sunday see me taking on a beast of another type the Track Pentathlon but more about that next week.
Out the door by 10.30am my prefered time for tackling the Sunday long run,knowing I'll be out there for just over  two hours I prefer to start around 10.30am and be all done by 12.30pm if possible.

It struck me early on into the run along the  Schuylkill Bank b4 I even reached the Art Museum Loop that there were more runners out than usual but it should come as no major surprize given the time of year.
The Virginia Beach Rock & Roll Half Marathon is only four weks off,followed hard on it's heals by the Philadelphia Rock & Roll Half Marathon some three weeks later by which time it'll practically be October which is Fall Marathon season so I won't be surprized to see more runners out there w/ me on the Sunday long runs over the coming weeks and months.

Of course that said about more runners than usual out there didn't apply to running in the same direction as moi as I only passed two runners heading north along West River Drive and then another two going south along Kelly Drive after crossing Falls Bridge at the half way mark however I was able to shave four minutes off of last weeks 2.08 time w/ a 2.04,considering I shoot for 2.06s{14 miles at 9 min mile pace=2.06} I was content w// both last weeks time and this weeks,it' all about putting the miles in not how fast I do them.

Post run I got to do something I haven't been able to do in the previous twenty eight years........watch Commonwealth Games highlites!!!!!!
Having come to America in 87 following the 86 Edinburgh Games I figured I was SOL for catching any Commonwealth Games highlites from here on in.......unless  I went to Canada every four years to catch them on tv,which while NOT a bad idea seems like an extreme way to  see them,not to mention a chronic waste of trips to the "Great White North" if all I was going to do was watch tv!!!!
Anyway imagine my delight if not gobsmacked surprize on Friday nite while I channel surfed to discover that CBSSN had two one hour highlites shows per day one from the afternoon events and one from the evening events.
Glass half empty I discovered this on day nine of  the games,a little heads up earlier might've meant watching the whole shebang,glass half full I could now enjoy the final three days of the action.
Obviously just like the Olympics the Track & Field program was my main focus but like the Olympics i found myself enjoying other sports some of which get next to no coverage:Badmington,Squash,Bowls,Table Tennis,Field Hockey,the list goes on.......
I still have the closing ceremony to watch,aside from the pomp and pagentry that goes w/ them I read Kylie Minogue performed..........................hold all my phone calls.................

It Takes A Second

In an apartment in Times Square you can assemble them anywhere,held to ransom hell to pay a revolution everyday USSR,DDR,London,New York,Peking it's the puppets it's the puppets pulling the strings
Seconds U2

My second crack at the 4x400m/decathletes mile which while a 5th Avenue Mile workout may  stay in the rotation once I resume weekly/biweekly repeats in December once I return to preparing for both indoor and outdoor track.
Arrived at Geasey Field at 10.35am,once again it was close to deserted thanks to rain earlier which suited me as I prefer the track to myself period but more so w/ the 4x400m repeats where every second counts so it's better for me if I can hog the inside lane w/out having to weave across the track. and lose precious time.
Mile warm up and into the 2x150s........
22.61
22.83
Having opened in 23s last week this was an encouraging start,as a non sprinter I'm often surprized at my speed over the shorter distances.....but trust me when I say having found my niche as a 800m/1,500m runner I have NO plans on switching anytime soon!!!!

Following my  four minute recovery it was time for the 4x400m repeats
65.40
65.93
67.26
67.84
Wow! last week I opened w/ splits of
66.07
66.71
68.43
69.02
So clearly w/in a week there'd been improvement,how deep I can carry that improvement over the coming weeks as the countdown to 5th Avenue Mile continues{6 weeks and counting} remains to be seen.
Now for the fun part my decathletes mile off of only 4 mins recovery.....if this wasn't self inflicted I'd be in touch w/ the Court Of Human Rights in Strasbourg about crule and unusual treatment!!!!!

1.25-1.30-1.29-1.15=5.39.0
A four  second improvement on last weeks
1.24-1.31-1.31-1.17=5.43.2

Overall I had to be pleased,last week was about putting down a marker and from here on in it's about trying to get faster,today I can up trumps which is always pleasing it remains to be seen if the coming weeks will be as successful