After last weeks less than stellar return to"The Death Zone"I was determined to improve upon my 2/6.
I was confident coming in I,d be better equipt this week than last week,my almost metronomic mile repeats on Saturday gave me confidence that I could get close to my required 68/34-1.42 splits per lap.
Conditions while not as ideal as the majority of last week were conducive to a good performance,albeit a little brisker than last Tuesday and Thursday when I began my workout close to 6.30pm
Repeat#1,67/34-1.41.67,an ideal start,if I could maintain that pace throughout I,d be golden,in order to do so I needed to be 100% focused,untill such a time when that becomes automatic I need to keep reminding myself of that fact.
#2, 70/31-1.41.58,if i,m 100% honest my focus was pulled off it,s square betweeen 200m and 300m,that one lapse almost cost me dearly.
Repeat#3 67/33-1.40.53,quite where that 67 second 400m came from I don,t know,I knew not to ease up too much over the closing 200m in order to conserve fuel,w/ hindsight I wish I could,ve eased down just a tad more.
Repeat#4 it would,ve been all to easy to run up the white flag now that I was ahead of last weeks tally but the seeds I sow tonite bare fruit weeks and months down the line.
72/32-1.44.78,I knew that 67 on the previous repeat was going to take it,s toll,sure it takes it toll tonite,but weeks from now I,ll be able to handle that,that said my reaction at the finish would,ve made Joe Kinnear blush....google Joe Kinnear,s foul mouth tirade at the press last Thursday if you want to understand that comment....
Repeat#5,71/34-1.45.37,under my old barrier of 1.45 I,d still be on pace but I want/have to keep moving forward and to do so means resetting the bar,don,t be surprized next spring if I,m not shooting for 1.40.
Repeat#6,72/30-1.42.82,when I clocked 72 seconds at 400m I knew I,d have to go some to make 1.42,it,s been a while since I,ve collapsed to the track at the end of my 600s,then again it,s been a while since I,ve ended the session{if ever}w/ a 30 second closing 200m.
A good nites work,an improvement on last weeks 2/6,here,s hoping for more of the same if not better in two weeks time when I next enter "The Death Zone"
Monday, October 6, 2008
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Both Sides Of The Comfort Zone
A nice easy 5 mile recovery run to end the week and also round my weekly milage up to 30 miles.
I said this the last time it happened but it,s rare I get to run on a Sunday,this week was brought about since GP gave me back to back days off last Sunday and Monday and given I have two Sunday races coming up in the next three weeks today meant my comfort zone won,t feel too shaken up next Sunday in Greensboro and again two Sundays later at the NJ XC C,ships.
A more dramatic entry to my comfort zone was hitting a movie,it,d been over six months since I,d allowed myself that luxury,but it was well worth the wait to see"Nick And Norah,s Infinite Playlist''which I whole heartedly{albeit Savage Celtic Black Pagan heart that is!!!}recomend.
Sometimes it,s good to shake up ones routine,switching from my prefered Mon,Wed,Fri repeat rotation,having Sunday brunch and catching a matinee movie{less crowded,more fun....and a few $s cheaper}and then taking a casual stroll around Center City b4 heading home mid to late afternoon.
The whole shebang kicks off again tomorrow,6x600m repeats,4x1mile repeats Wed and then XC Masters C,ships next Sunday,outside the lines of running there,s alot going on also,hopefully someday and someday soon I,ll be able to divulge all or most of the details both good and not so good but for now I,ll leave you w/a lyrical snapshot,for the past few weeks "Sometime Around Midnite" by Airborne Toxic Event has felt like it,s not only lodged 24/7 in my brain but also provides a daily soundtrack to my life,if you have the chance check the song out,their debut self titled cd was discribed as "poetry you can dance to"don,t take my word for it,listen to it.
So that,s a movie and cd recomendation from yours truly....all part of my community service,should knock a few hours off,it ain,t easy being a Savage Celtic Black Hearted Pagan,but there,s a price to be paid for everything in life..........
And so there,s a change in your emotions when all of these memories come rushing like feral waves to your mind,of the curl of your bodies like two perfect circles entwined"
I said this the last time it happened but it,s rare I get to run on a Sunday,this week was brought about since GP gave me back to back days off last Sunday and Monday and given I have two Sunday races coming up in the next three weeks today meant my comfort zone won,t feel too shaken up next Sunday in Greensboro and again two Sundays later at the NJ XC C,ships.
A more dramatic entry to my comfort zone was hitting a movie,it,d been over six months since I,d allowed myself that luxury,but it was well worth the wait to see"Nick And Norah,s Infinite Playlist''which I whole heartedly{albeit Savage Celtic Black Pagan heart that is!!!}recomend.
Sometimes it,s good to shake up ones routine,switching from my prefered Mon,Wed,Fri repeat rotation,having Sunday brunch and catching a matinee movie{less crowded,more fun....and a few $s cheaper}and then taking a casual stroll around Center City b4 heading home mid to late afternoon.
The whole shebang kicks off again tomorrow,6x600m repeats,4x1mile repeats Wed and then XC Masters C,ships next Sunday,outside the lines of running there,s alot going on also,hopefully someday and someday soon I,ll be able to divulge all or most of the details both good and not so good but for now I,ll leave you w/a lyrical snapshot,for the past few weeks "Sometime Around Midnite" by Airborne Toxic Event has felt like it,s not only lodged 24/7 in my brain but also provides a daily soundtrack to my life,if you have the chance check the song out,their debut self titled cd was discribed as "poetry you can dance to"don,t take my word for it,listen to it.
So that,s a movie and cd recomendation from yours truly....all part of my community service,should knock a few hours off,it ain,t easy being a Savage Celtic Black Hearted Pagan,but there,s a price to be paid for everything in life..........
And so there,s a change in your emotions when all of these memories come rushing like feral waves to your mind,of the curl of your bodies like two perfect circles entwined"
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Welcome To A Bollockin' Free Zone
After two less than satisfactory repeat workouts this week I was hell bent on ending the week on a high note,besides not wishing to get another bollockin' from GP I also wanted to prove a point,if only to myself
As a miler my bread and butter repeat is the 4x1 mile repeat,during the course of the year I may switch up certain workouts on the track and on hills but the staple repeat,week in,week out is 4x1 mile,make no mistake about that and I was damned if I was about to knawls up this repeat like I had my 600m and 1,000m earlier in the week,besides unlike them my previous mile repeats were only a few weeks removed,4x1mile on Sept 6th and 3x1mile on Sept 13t.
I love coming out to the main line on Saturday mornings to workout,aside from being closer to my beloved Villanova University I enjoy the fact getting up early to get out here gives me a jump start on my day plus the train ride and subsequent wait for said R5 allows me if need be a chance to catch up on my diary,right now certain entries require more pages so the 20 min journey helps facilitate that.
I arrived at Haverford around 9.35am,by the time I was done stretching and my mile warm up those already on the track were getting done and those still using it were not in lane 1,good omens,the plan of attack an opening lap of 75 seconds to set up the potential for a 4.59 mile,GP and I discussed the strategy last nite,nothing fancy this time out,a straight up attack of sub 5 minute miles w/ hopefully each mile getting faster.
Mile #1 splits of 72,78,79,70-4.59.41,a rightious begining,but Tue and Thur had begun well b4 the proverbial arse fell out of them,I was determined not to allow that to happen this morning,I can hardly tout myself as one of the countries best masters milers if I can,t execute my tried and tested repeat now can I??
Mile#2 72,77,77,70-4.56.71,frightningly metronomic of me....but in a positive way,I don,t know I,ve ever opened miles 1&2 w/ back to back 72 second splits,could I keep it up?
Mile#3 72,77,76,71-4.56.27,marginal but a triumph on two scores,w/ 200m to go I got the balence right,back off too much and risk a slower than 4.56.27 mile,speed up too much and risk depleating my reserves going into mile#4,plus a golf buggy dropping off water on the sideline for the upcoming Haverford soccer game was in lane 1 down the back straight on laps 2 and 3 forcing me out into lane 2.....but my spilts never reflected this.
Mile#4 71,78,77,67-4.53.99 4/4 and each mile faster than the prior one.
79 seconds was my slowest lap the entire session,my math isn,t that good to workout what my average split per lap came out to and dispite my victory I found fault w/ the final mile....leave it to me yeah???
4.53.99 is hardly something to be sniffed at,nor is a 67 second final lap,however prior to 5th Avenue Mile I was closing in 4.50 w/ a 64 second final lap,but I wasn,t running at the pace I was today over the previous 3 and 3/4 miles,in time I,ll crank these splits and lower the final mile and closing 400m split believe me.
As a miler my bread and butter repeat is the 4x1 mile repeat,during the course of the year I may switch up certain workouts on the track and on hills but the staple repeat,week in,week out is 4x1 mile,make no mistake about that and I was damned if I was about to knawls up this repeat like I had my 600m and 1,000m earlier in the week,besides unlike them my previous mile repeats were only a few weeks removed,4x1mile on Sept 6th and 3x1mile on Sept 13t.
I love coming out to the main line on Saturday mornings to workout,aside from being closer to my beloved Villanova University I enjoy the fact getting up early to get out here gives me a jump start on my day plus the train ride and subsequent wait for said R5 allows me if need be a chance to catch up on my diary,right now certain entries require more pages so the 20 min journey helps facilitate that.
I arrived at Haverford around 9.35am,by the time I was done stretching and my mile warm up those already on the track were getting done and those still using it were not in lane 1,good omens,the plan of attack an opening lap of 75 seconds to set up the potential for a 4.59 mile,GP and I discussed the strategy last nite,nothing fancy this time out,a straight up attack of sub 5 minute miles w/ hopefully each mile getting faster.
Mile #1 splits of 72,78,79,70-4.59.41,a rightious begining,but Tue and Thur had begun well b4 the proverbial arse fell out of them,I was determined not to allow that to happen this morning,I can hardly tout myself as one of the countries best masters milers if I can,t execute my tried and tested repeat now can I??
Mile#2 72,77,77,70-4.56.71,frightningly metronomic of me....but in a positive way,I don,t know I,ve ever opened miles 1&2 w/ back to back 72 second splits,could I keep it up?
Mile#3 72,77,76,71-4.56.27,marginal but a triumph on two scores,w/ 200m to go I got the balence right,back off too much and risk a slower than 4.56.27 mile,speed up too much and risk depleating my reserves going into mile#4,plus a golf buggy dropping off water on the sideline for the upcoming Haverford soccer game was in lane 1 down the back straight on laps 2 and 3 forcing me out into lane 2.....but my spilts never reflected this.
Mile#4 71,78,77,67-4.53.99 4/4 and each mile faster than the prior one.
79 seconds was my slowest lap the entire session,my math isn,t that good to workout what my average split per lap came out to and dispite my victory I found fault w/ the final mile....leave it to me yeah???
4.53.99 is hardly something to be sniffed at,nor is a 67 second final lap,however prior to 5th Avenue Mile I was closing in 4.50 w/ a 64 second final lap,but I wasn,t running at the pace I was today over the previous 3 and 3/4 miles,in time I,ll crank these splits and lower the final mile and closing 400m split believe me.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Eight Is Never Enough
In the immortal words of Marv Albert"YES"I scored Oasis tix this morning for their Camden show Dec 19th an early xmas gift from Liam and Noel Gallagher.
This will be my 9th Oasis gig in 12 years,should,ve been my 10th but for their Philly show on the "Heathen Chemistry" tour in 02 getting cancelled due to an accident suffered by Noel in Indianapolis.
W/ my ipod in hand and Oasis playing I shuffled off to Clark Park this evening to crank out an easy 5 miler blissfully unaware that "Charlie Dibble" was not best pleased w/ my pacing last nite,I never got that email,by all accounts I got a right royal bollocking for my lack of pacing which is fair enough,GP and I talked about it this evening,I,m man enough to admit I got it horribly wrong last nite,I,ll take whatever criticism comes my way for that performance and try and do better next time out.
W/ my schedule as it is it may be Oct 30th b4 I get another crack at 2x1,000m but I,m ok w/ that for now I need to focus on tomorrows 4x1mile repeats,and hope to clock if not 4 sub 5 min miles,close to it.............I don,t want another bollocking from "Dibble".
This will be my 9th Oasis gig in 12 years,should,ve been my 10th but for their Philly show on the "Heathen Chemistry" tour in 02 getting cancelled due to an accident suffered by Noel in Indianapolis.
W/ my ipod in hand and Oasis playing I shuffled off to Clark Park this evening to crank out an easy 5 miler blissfully unaware that "Charlie Dibble" was not best pleased w/ my pacing last nite,I never got that email,by all accounts I got a right royal bollocking for my lack of pacing which is fair enough,GP and I talked about it this evening,I,m man enough to admit I got it horribly wrong last nite,I,ll take whatever criticism comes my way for that performance and try and do better next time out.
W/ my schedule as it is it may be Oct 30th b4 I get another crack at 2x1,000m but I,m ok w/ that for now I need to focus on tomorrows 4x1mile repeats,and hope to clock if not 4 sub 5 min miles,close to it.............I don,t want another bollocking from "Dibble".
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Been A Long Time..........
I,m being cryptic again w/ my titles and as the author of this blog I,m ok w/ that,granted I could be referencing the fact tonite was my first 2x1,000m repeat in 14 weeks,I could be talking about the now off again rumours that Led Zep are going to tour next year,I could be relishing the fact Oasis tix go on sale tomorrow,I haven,t since "Manchester,s Finest" since 05 or I could be coy and say another factor in said equation is on a "that,s for me to know and for you to find out"level................who doesn,t love a good conspiracy?????????????????????????????????
To the track and the matter at hand,2x1,000m,conditions were idealic the kind you see in movies or read in books but seldom get to run in,clear skies no wind,mild evening,next to noboby on the track,I almost wanted to bottle that moment in time and keep it w/ me forever,I guess as long as my pc,s hard drive stays in tact I should be ok,long after my memory fades the evidence will still be on my pc and in cyber space.....
Buoyed by the conditions and emotions that of late have lifted me to a level of running and indead life I,ve seldom visited in recent years I began briskly 66 seconds for my opening 400m,I was aimimg for 70 seconds back to back to clock 2.10 at 800m,I clocked 2.18 thanks to a 72 second second lap,there was enough juice in the tank to produce a 31 second closing 200m to clock a 2.49.76 split,brisk was putting it mildly,on June 26th I went,70,71,32 to clock 2.53.31.
It was wishful thinking to believe I could match that on repeat#2,on June 26th I went69,72,29 to clock 2.50.96,tonite I could only muster 72,75,30 to clock 2.57.09.
Much like Tuesday nite I began well but the weeks of not doing these particular repeats came back to haunt me in the latter stages,that,s ok.........for now but rest assured over the coming weeks and months I,ll be striding and striving to get faster.
To the track and the matter at hand,2x1,000m,conditions were idealic the kind you see in movies or read in books but seldom get to run in,clear skies no wind,mild evening,next to noboby on the track,I almost wanted to bottle that moment in time and keep it w/ me forever,I guess as long as my pc,s hard drive stays in tact I should be ok,long after my memory fades the evidence will still be on my pc and in cyber space.....
Buoyed by the conditions and emotions that of late have lifted me to a level of running and indead life I,ve seldom visited in recent years I began briskly 66 seconds for my opening 400m,I was aimimg for 70 seconds back to back to clock 2.10 at 800m,I clocked 2.18 thanks to a 72 second second lap,there was enough juice in the tank to produce a 31 second closing 200m to clock a 2.49.76 split,brisk was putting it mildly,on June 26th I went,70,71,32 to clock 2.53.31.
It was wishful thinking to believe I could match that on repeat#2,on June 26th I went69,72,29 to clock 2.50.96,tonite I could only muster 72,75,30 to clock 2.57.09.
Much like Tuesday nite I began well but the weeks of not doing these particular repeats came back to haunt me in the latter stages,that,s ok.........for now but rest assured over the coming weeks and months I,ll be striding and striving to get faster.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Fall
October 1st,wow,I,m less than two weeks away from XC Masters Nationals, compiling a Halloween mix tape and getting ready for a month of 3 XC races,summer feels like it was a ways ago and in some respects it was,but once again as I don my philospheres cap, in running as in life,respect your past but don,t be a slave to it.
This evening dispite some rain I kept my appointed easy 5 miler around Clark Park,nothing a lite running jacket and a baseball cap couldn,t cure,XC season or not it,s important to retain the status quo that has thus far this year yeiled great results{respect your past}but if I,m to add my name to the GPTC XC club records I have to treat each day and each workout/recovery run w/ the same hunger that took me to my first pr/club record,granted the XC 6K became mine by default since it was the first time we,d raced that distance but w/ three races this month and the potential to add my name to three more XC club records I need to answer the call each and every day.
Tomorrow sees a return to the 2x1,000m repeats which like last nites 6x600m haven,t been conduted since the summer,June 26th to be exact,we,ll see what tomorrow yeilds.
This evening dispite some rain I kept my appointed easy 5 miler around Clark Park,nothing a lite running jacket and a baseball cap couldn,t cure,XC season or not it,s important to retain the status quo that has thus far this year yeiled great results{respect your past}but if I,m to add my name to the GPTC XC club records I have to treat each day and each workout/recovery run w/ the same hunger that took me to my first pr/club record,granted the XC 6K became mine by default since it was the first time we,d raced that distance but w/ three races this month and the potential to add my name to three more XC club records I need to answer the call each and every day.
Tomorrow sees a return to the 2x1,000m repeats which like last nites 6x600m haven,t been conduted since the summer,June 26th to be exact,we,ll see what tomorrow yeilds.
A Day Late................
B4 the finger pointing begins I didn,t write a blog entry yesterday due to fatigue not because I was disappointed w/ my overall performance,and asides from being a day behind I would also have been able to capitalize on yesterdays date significance.
Sept 30th is my grandfather Francis,s anniversary,I wasn,t even 3 when he died in 1966 but he was the only one of my four grandparents that I ever met so the emotional connection has always been there,the fact I was christened after my father and grandfather means I carry the memories of Kevin and Francis w/ me where ever I go,I,m often asked what the F in my signature stands for,most think it stands for Fiesty but no it,s Francis!!
I hadn,t done a "Death Zone"6x600m in 11 weeks since July 21st so I knew it was going to be a step up tonite especially as the bar has now been raised to 1.42 per repeat,oh well,gotta begin somewhere I guess,the game plan was 400m/200m splits of 68/34 to clock 1.42
After my stretches and warm ups it was show time,last weeks 3/4 would count for nothing tonite and I began well enough w/ a 69/32-1.41.14,a more conservative opener than last week which given the extra 2 600s tonite was prudent.
70/32-1.42.73,for #2,I was guilty of not focusing 100% on that second opening 400m,something I fell foul of last week and it cost me 4 sub 1.42 60os.
On #3 I again went to sleep on the top bend although it was the last time it happened tonite as I clocked splits of 71/32-1.43.25,the perfect 6 was gone but I was ok w/ that,after 11 weeks I couldn,t expect top waltz back in and hit one out of the park.
72/33-1.45.52 for repeat#4 it was begining to become hard work now and I for one welcomed that,in running as is in life anything worth having is something worth fighting for,if I,d come in here tonite and cranked out a 6/6 1.42 6x600m it,d be difficult to come back next Monday and do it again,at least now I,ve got something to strive for next week and the subsequent weeks after.
73/38-1.51.44 it felt as frugly as it sounds my head was rolling from side to side and I failed to power through the finish,for a split second I considered calling it a nite at 5 repeats,but I,m no quitter on the track or in life,it was the second time today I,d faced disappointment and just as I,d dusted myself off earlier in my day and carried on fighting the good fight it,d be no different on the track this evening.
On a final repeat be it 600m,1,000m,400m,mile there,s a feeling of wanting to"leave it all on the track"you got the rest of the evening to suck it up if need be so why not"have at it"?73/33-1.46.27,a modicum of satisfaction to end the session on.
It should be pointed out when I began my 6x600m at 1.50 I didn,t go 6/6 right off the bat,ditto for my 1.45 attempts so to begin my quest for 6/6 at 1.42 at 2/6 is hardly the end of the world,next Monday I,ll hope to go at least 3/6,prehaps 4/6.
Sept 30th is my grandfather Francis,s anniversary,I wasn,t even 3 when he died in 1966 but he was the only one of my four grandparents that I ever met so the emotional connection has always been there,the fact I was christened after my father and grandfather means I carry the memories of Kevin and Francis w/ me where ever I go,I,m often asked what the F in my signature stands for,most think it stands for Fiesty but no it,s Francis!!
I hadn,t done a "Death Zone"6x600m in 11 weeks since July 21st so I knew it was going to be a step up tonite especially as the bar has now been raised to 1.42 per repeat,oh well,gotta begin somewhere I guess,the game plan was 400m/200m splits of 68/34 to clock 1.42
After my stretches and warm ups it was show time,last weeks 3/4 would count for nothing tonite and I began well enough w/ a 69/32-1.41.14,a more conservative opener than last week which given the extra 2 600s tonite was prudent.
70/32-1.42.73,for #2,I was guilty of not focusing 100% on that second opening 400m,something I fell foul of last week and it cost me 4 sub 1.42 60os.
On #3 I again went to sleep on the top bend although it was the last time it happened tonite as I clocked splits of 71/32-1.43.25,the perfect 6 was gone but I was ok w/ that,after 11 weeks I couldn,t expect top waltz back in and hit one out of the park.
72/33-1.45.52 for repeat#4 it was begining to become hard work now and I for one welcomed that,in running as is in life anything worth having is something worth fighting for,if I,d come in here tonite and cranked out a 6/6 1.42 6x600m it,d be difficult to come back next Monday and do it again,at least now I,ve got something to strive for next week and the subsequent weeks after.
73/38-1.51.44 it felt as frugly as it sounds my head was rolling from side to side and I failed to power through the finish,for a split second I considered calling it a nite at 5 repeats,but I,m no quitter on the track or in life,it was the second time today I,d faced disappointment and just as I,d dusted myself off earlier in my day and carried on fighting the good fight it,d be no different on the track this evening.
On a final repeat be it 600m,1,000m,400m,mile there,s a feeling of wanting to"leave it all on the track"you got the rest of the evening to suck it up if need be so why not"have at it"?73/33-1.46.27,a modicum of satisfaction to end the session on.
It should be pointed out when I began my 6x600m at 1.50 I didn,t go 6/6 right off the bat,ditto for my 1.45 attempts so to begin my quest for 6/6 at 1.42 at 2/6 is hardly the end of the world,next Monday I,ll hope to go at least 3/6,prehaps 4/6.
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