Describe Your Running Today, Part II

Mopak,

Those symptoms pretty well describe whatever it was keeping me suppressed, as well. Good to see rainfall returning to your region. Groin issues are nasty and persistent.Hope your cross training is the antidote.

60+ guys take no prisoners. 61 YO Pirrung went 3:29 at Chicago for 18th in the 60-64. He's the fellow I traveled to the UP with a month ago. The man is a Marathon maniac. He's run a full 26.2 every weekend since Sept12 and keeps getting faster. He was hitting 3:10 last fall but pulled a hamstring this spring and is still rebuilding.

tpcb,

It's fairly called the Big Apple. Pardon my envy.

Today. No run.

yesterday PM: long bike commute, elongated stop at the chinup bar till dark.

today AM: walk to school and back, 46 mins total

driske, Re Big Apple - ironic that the opportunity came along post-dreaming of the MOARG some 200 days ago! With all its virtues and faults nycm has got to be the ideal Mother Of All Running Gatherings! For the world at large for sure. And mothers, we know, can be overbearing at times. Well, after years of nurturing and more or less graceful ageing, there comes a time, when children grow up, to tell mom that she can relax and take it easy for a change...The "nightmare" now is: "will i make it to the start line?" LOL

-506 days to The - original - MOARG (The Mother Of All Running Gatherings) in Gimmelwald, Switzerland, in 2011.

Feeling 90+% today. Went to the shed to work on the windtrainer. Did my 20min progressive warmup, sweating heavily, then lasted just 1 min of my higher intensity progression before bailing. No where to hide on the trainer. I knew straight away I was going to be labouring too hard and just didn't have the power. Spun a brief cooldown then put on the flats and cruised around a nice hour run at an easy pace. Finished with the climb up to Viewing Rock but stayed below the redline all the way.

The groin felt ok, although it usually only bothers me at faster speeds. Pumped out some weights as well.

Dinner was the $5 Bowling Club bbq. I finished the daylight hours off with a brisk hike up to V.Rock and back to shake off the feeling of over eating, my silly 17yo dog met me on my return. He is not really up to steep hills but although (nearly) blind, deaf and demented he loves to walk in the bush.

Yes tpcb,the NYM is perhaps THE mother of all running gatherings. It should be an experience to remember.

30 times over the Melbourne course. Grayson owns one awesome streak. Still nailing 3:30 to boot. What are these guys made of??

Another uninispiring day weather wise. Temps.3C or35F. Snowing heavy soaked flakes that stick to everything.Got out for 2.61mi. in 22:22. Steam rising from the cattle's backs as they graze.

yesterday PM: 40mins baregoot wu on grass at Paolo Rosi track, mixing up drills and quadrupedia, experimenting quite a bit with backwards and sideways; the 8x800m on track: tried to go for 3:00 and 200m recovery when perceived as having occurred as far as time was concerned (i.e. not arbitrary 2mins). 800 splits were like:

3:07 (the first i always screw up)

2:59

2:59

2:57

3:00

2:59

2:59

3:00

The recoveries were always between 1:24 and 1:34

Felt good.

No animals.

mopak: you totally self-treating on the groin or you have access to a knowing professional also?

Self treating at this stage. It has been more niggle than anything else. One of my clubmates is a well respected sports physio but I haven't had a chance to get him to investigate, he operates 50kms from my home. There are no closer options other than a visiting locum physio once per week.

It's only pulled me up short twice, most times it's just a dull, vague ache.It bothered me earlier in the year but came good. I then aggravated it doing some 100s on damp grass. I felt the leg slip a little and it was sore the next day and it just hasn't been 100% since.

I have my 25th year of the 4 Peaks race coming up 2 weeks from now. Once I've got that behind me I might take a week or two off running and just ride and paddle. If it's still lingering I'll head into the big smoke and get Paul to have a look.

Driske, Grayson is one of those guys who just quietly gets the job done. He knows what is required and does it every year. He's very low key about it all. I think his best was only 2.50 or thereabouts. He was still running sub 3 into his 50s though.

Today I hit the dreaded trainer to try that session I sooked out of yesterday. Still couldn't quite nail it but I did get some good work done.

20 mins progressive warmup. Starting on the little ring and biggest cog, moving through the gears each 5 mins. Finished the warmup with HR @130.

The session is continuous gear shifts on the big ring 4,3,2,1 min then back down the gears 1,2,3,4 mins. No rests.

Unfortunately I only got through to the 3 min stint before the hr was sky high (already 166) and the legs burning. I took a 1 min spin then did the 2 mins but hr hitting 175 and the legs were trashed. I finished off with alternating 1min on 1 min off for 10 more mins -Hr hovering between 165/150 through the 10 mins. 5 mins spin in granny gear to finish.

No animals in the shed while on the trainer but my wife and I had a face to face chat with a large male roo on our evening walk.

driske wrote:

Back from the Windy City intact. My pride is a bit tarnished, but who am I trying to kid anymore. Like it or not I've slowed down.

3:38:24 chip time on splits of 1:50;50 and 1:47:34

Looked pretty cold out there. Nice work on a negative split in those conditions. On to the next.

today AM: walk to school, walk back-

lunch: 1hr easy in the park, plus 2k brisk on asphalt to pick up ed at school

PM: wlak to school to pick up daughter and back home

tomorrow: kids athletics

Sunday: "awareness" 10k in L'Aquila near the recent earthquake epicenter. Will try to make into a 20k with long wu and cd, and just to let the scenery simmer in. Going with the family, managed to find one of the few rent places hich was totally undamaged by quake. still we are a little apprehensive- Anyway, we shall see. there are people still living in tents in one of the country's coldest cities. That should make for some daily running to describe. just hope the Earth doesnt shake.

Mopak: the large roo. forgive my roo ignorance. I suppose no danger but isnt it possible the guy "jumps" you in some way?

The temp. at start time 7:30AM CST stood at 29F (-1C).

Sunshine prevailed and the shared heat of that much humanity in close proximity made the cold less noticeable. Inject the usual adrenalin, and most runners went bare legged onto the course. Winds were only light and variable. 10 degrees warmer would have been nice, but this beat the conditions of the last 2 years by a landslide.

On to the next- Nov.1. I can't make it to NYCM like tpcb. But there's a 26.2 mile stretch of rail trail in southern Wisconsin calling my name that day.

AM. 10K@ 49min. What a sweet difference a day can make.

Sunshine, dry frost, no wind or traffic. Legs regaining some "pop".

A 53min run through the McIvor Range, tough hilly trails.

Re the roo encounter tpcb. They can be aggressive from time to time. This fella was a younger male. The others had hopped away but he just turned and looked then stepped aside and returned to grazing. It seemed a mutually unthreatening situation. He almost certainly would have grown up feeding in my garden and feels comfortable near people. Unusual though to get as close, probably within 2/3 of a metre.

Hope the ground remains unshaking for you during your visit.

mopak, driske, some pan-global contiguity going on.

Saturday: kids athletics,The track was closed for an american football game. Went to Villa Borghese park by the Piazza Di Siena oval where later on the day there would be a marathon relay race (4 men, 1 woman for approx 8.4km each - 109 teams) Our adult team came 4th overall!

We colonized a hedge-enclosed pine wood with a fallen trunk we used for obstacle-course and balance drills. My kids ditched gymnastics and came along. Would have liked to stay for the relay but wanted to drive to L'Aquila with daylight. Went to help out with race logistics, prepare bibs, entries ect. Early to bed

Sunday:

AM 6:30, 1hr walk around the hostle where we stayed and light drills, breakfast. Bagged the longish run plan in lieu of helping with parking logistics for runners from out of town from 8 till about 10:15AM

It was a morning of cold drizzle, and wet chilly rough asphalt in what has become a ghost town, and was to be very temporarily revitalized by some 1500 runners from sorrounding regions.

After arming-off the last latecomers, went to the start, joined the backpack, took off my shoes, and raced. Had my vibrams but decided to go bare on the fly to feel the Earth mo better. It was a 5k loop twice around the "zona rossa" the "red area" which has been closed off to residents and visitors alike. First time round easy, second time harder. No watch. There was a 100m stair of sharp gravel up the Forte Spagnolo (spanish fortress)which caused for a major slowdown. Overall quite memorable. A long downhill section made for a major footbeating however no damage.

In contrast to the cold damp temperature, met a lot of warm and generous Aquilani who have had to deal with quite a bit of stress since last April 6. Some are still sleeping in tents, caught between bureacracy and the fear the Earth will shake again.

Interesting overnight for the kids. Caught by the atmosphere and rain they missed their race and laughed about it.

And thankfully the Earth did not shake.

mopak, driske, some pan-global contiguity going on.

Saturday: kids athletics,The track was closed for an american football game. Went to Villa Borghese park by the Piazza Di Siena oval where later on the day there would be a marathon relay race (4 men, 1 woman for approx 8.4km each - 109 teams) Our adult team came 4th overall!

We colonized a hedge-enclosed pine wood with a fallen trunk we used for obstacle-course and balance drills. My kids ditched gymnastics and came along. Would have liked to stay for the relay but wanted to drive to L'Aquila with daylight. Went to help out with race logistics, prepare bibs, entries ect. Early to bed

Sunday:

AM 6:30, 1hr walk around the hostle where we stayed and light drills, breakfast. Bagged the longish run plan in lieu of helping with parking logistics for runners from out of town from 8 till about 10:15AM

It was a morning of cold drizzle, and wet chilly rough asphalt in what has become a ghost town, and was to be very temporarily revitalized by some 1500 runners from sorrounding regions.

After arming-off the last latecomers, went to the start, joined the backpack, took off my shoes, and raced. Had my vibrams but decided to go bare on the fly to feel the Earth mo better. It was a 5k loop twice around the "zona rossa" the "red area" which has been closed off to residents and visitors alike. First time round easy, second time harder. No watch. There was a 100m stair of sharp gravel up the Forte Spagnolo (spanish fortress)which caused for a major slowdown. Overall quite memorable. A long downhill section made for a major footbeating however no damage.

In contrast to the cold damp temperature, met a lot of warm and generous Aquilani who have had to deal with quite a bit of stress since last April 6. Some are still sleeping in tents, caught between bureacracy and the fear the Earth will shake again.

Interesting overnight for the kids. Caught by the atmosphere and rain they missed their race and laughed about it.

And thankfully the Earth did not shake.

NEW XC 10K PR yesterday: 35:54!!

65 minute easy run today, intervals tomorrow...

NEW XC 10K PR yesterday: 35:54!!

65 minute easy run today, intervals tomorrow...[/quote]

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For 34 min., hardish for over 26 min., 7 1/2 min. jog cooldown[quote]Happy Runner 123 wrote:

Tpcb,

The earthquake zone had to make for high drama as race backdrops go. Seems bureacracy is never adequately equipped to meet the needs of the populace at times like this.

New Orleans still is but a shadow of the city it was prior to Katrina.

Our weekend was mundane by comparison.

Parents day at the younger daughters college started with a small 5k. The Bride and I cruised to a 37:19 behind younger daughter whose 30++ netted her $20 prizemoney. Unbelievable.

Campus tour highlight was a glass blowing demo. Raw powerful art.

Food, football,dorms, and sunny, well kept, green spaces.

Family day it was, and I needed that.

i offer mea culpas for my posting tardiness.....got in an easy 41' with the team on Thursday.....a 'feel good' 5M on Saturday through some new territory.....brisk but still in shorts.....looking at Wednesday as my next opportunity.....hopefully i'll offer a more timely report....

-502 days to MOARG in Gimmelwald 2011

today AM: walk to school, walk back.

today Lunch: 1hr exercises in the park, wore shoes, feet needed a break, they really did after yesterday's run, a real break...

AM: walk to school and back

PM striders, chinup bar, exercise, 2k jog, 2k walk from kids gymnastics