Grete Hund, best wishes to you, sounds like your mileage and speed have been great, and now you get to finish the work. Ken, great to hear your news, too. Cannot wait to hear final 1500m results from KP.
Grete Hund, best wishes to you, sounds like your mileage and speed have been great, and now you get to finish the work. Ken, great to hear your news, too. Cannot wait to hear final 1500m results from KP.
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Week 125
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Hello 50+er's. This week was much like the last. Still not training; just doing a few easy-moderate runs and the same PT everyday as I described last week.
Sun: 5 easy
Mon: off
Tue: 4.2 easy-ish
Wed: 2.5 with a bunch of 30-40m retro-running sets
Thur: off
Fri off
Sat: 5.1 easy-to-moderate
Total: 16.8 miles
I'm going to ask that we reevaluate my trajectory at PT this week, as I don't feel we're making any advances at this point.
Thanks Charlie for your $0.02 regarding orthotics. As I hope was evident in what I said last week, I'm very much on the fence about them, and I definitely plan to continue doing lots of walking in flexible shoes (e.g.-Nike Frees, trail gloves). Not so sure about going barefoot, though; I've been a tenderfoot all my life.
Best wishes to Gretehund on your race today in NYC (I know you won't see this until post-race). May all your good, solid training be fully validated. Looking forward to your report!
RIP Al Sheahen: a true pioneer in the advancement of Masters Athletics.
http://masterstrack.com/2013/10/26244/
http://www.runnersworld.com/general-interest/masters-running-advocate-al-sheahen-dies
Props to my old High School for pulling out 2nd place in the Wisconsin Div. 1 State XC meet. They'd lost two of their usual scorers yet still managed bring in 7 runners ahead of the team that beat them (Solinsky's old school). And to Olin Hacker for bringing the individual state crown back to West High for the first time since Bob Gordon did it back in the mid '60's.
And it's nice to see 50-yo Gary Stevens ride Mucho Macho Man to victory in the Breeders Cup Classic.
OK, that's all I got. Hope you all are in a good place. Look forward to hearing what is happening in your neck of the woods.
Cheers!
Oh, and Rtype, thanks for your comments on/endorsement of elliptical trainer. Truthfully, I still haven't come to terms with the fact that I would benefit from stationary aerobic exercising; even this PT stuff is boring me to tears. The ElliptiGo on the other-hand seems like a cool product....if only I could afford it. Obviously, I need an attitude adjustment.
L2b, I second the motion on the elliptical. If you crank up the resistance you will get quite a workout. IMO, the more mature we become (NOT "the older we get") the more we benefit from some lower impact stuff. Since I need to keep close tabs on my Achilles and its tendency to flare up with overtraining, the elliptical is a supplemental training tool for me.
Re: workouts, I am up to a mile warm up, 7x50m sprints, and a mile cool down. The cool down is pretty slow since the sprints are done at an honest effort and are cooking my legs. I do that 3x week and once a week I lift some heavy weight. I hit new PRs on the glute machine yesterday. Those of you who read SoCalPete's RT column of a few years ago know that "You sprint with your a$$." I can tell the difference in my 50m sprints. It's fun to push off from the track and feel the power in your leg propel you up and forward. When I hear my feet hit the track, it's a "pop pop" sound, as opposed to a "plop plop." Best way I can describe it. My achilles is still cooperating, thank you, thank you! I will start back up with hurdles in the upcoming weeks. Time to get back on that horse.
Healing wishes to all who need them and good luck to all racers!
Enjoying watching the NYCM. Go Grete Hund!
Mon = 3 elliptical @ 6:46 pace
Tue = 3 run half trail, slowly
Wed = Rest, long work day
Thr = 3 run medium
Fri = (25 pushups/crunches + 15 reps with 15 lb dumbbells on 9 different exercises) X 2
Sat = 3 run @ 8:55 pace
Sun = (25 pushups/crunches + 15 reps with 15 lb dumbbells on 9 different exercises) X 2
Total run miles = 9
Although it is a little embarrassing to share just how out of shape I got during my injury; four weeks ago I struggled to run a single mile in 12:04. That was the first mile I had run in 4 months. Saturday I ran 3 miles in 9:43, 8:46, and 8:18 totally pain-free. August the 30th 2012 was the last time I ran a mile or more pain-free. Also, I’m down 6 pounds with 14 to go.
And I have to credit the elliptical for giving me some kind of workout while my foot healed. Also Lucky, I can testify that the elliptical is especially good at reducing not only impact but any movement at all of the feet and ankles. I would not use it for a knee injury, but anything below the knee stays quiet.
Belated Greetings re Masters Worlds Athletics friends. I went from the track to the airport for a week long biz trip to Italy. I'm so glad to be home in Oregon after 17 days on the road.
My 4th Worlds was another fantastic experience and I KNOW I was fortunate to just take part. Despite how fit I was from that 3:27 1200m time trial 10 days before the 800 Semi-Final resulting in an injured foot, I am totally satisfied in that I raced 2 SFs and 2 Finals. The age-grade tables show 90-91% for all 4 800/1500 races. 9th in 800 & 11th in 1500 were no shot whatsoever at a medal. Yet this Worlds was special. I could go on forever with the hardship details of Brazil. But I wont bore you or whine. In addition to this Worlds I have 4 medals of all colors from the first 2 experiences, a 4th from the third (and I shamefully thought that sucked!, to remind me how lucky I am to participate. THIS is the Gold Medal. The camaraderie alone begins a "Friends For Life" fellowship with no prejudicial, racial, or national borders. It is quite simply WONDERFUL. I know y'all get this as we on occasion meet at USA Nationals on the oval or xc terrain. And the fact that we have this Masters Thread concurs.
So I raise my glass to y'all for supporting me from afar and more than this "just toeing the line" wherever, whatever that may be.
Your running buddy,
KP
KP, I am in awe of your times. Probably you are a little dissatisfied with 9th & 11th but it looks like the men you were up against also know a thing or two about training. Well done, thanks for the world view.
Rtype wrote:
Although it is a little embarrassing to share just how out of shape I got during my injury; four weeks ago I struggled to run a single mile in 12:04. That was the first mile I had run in 4 months. Saturday I ran 3 miles in 9:43, 8:46, and 8:18 totally pain-free. August the 30th 2012 was the last time I ran a mile or more pain-free. Also, I’m down 6 pounds with 14 to go.
That is wonderful news, especially when considering your last pain-free mile was 14 months ago! When I first started up again about 7 weeks ago, a half mile left me gasping and exhausted. Now I'm actually sprinting. I still have around 9 lbs to lose, but it used to be twice that amount. The best part is not being in pain any longer; I so appreciate that. I don't think I'll ever take it for granted again.
You're enjoying gradual but steady improvement - keep looking forward!
KP you are one tough competitor physically and mentally. You also seem to see what is really important.
L2B Well my orthotics reply was not so clear. They are great for fixing certain types of problems if you can find someone who knows how and why they are changing your foot strike. Sometimes the bones need to be aligned but in all cases strong muscles/tendons/ligament in your ankles/feet/toes are key.
Rtype keep on keeping on. Hope you continue to run pain free.
Spikez pop pop sounds very good.
Alan wish you would post more I miss your point of view
Watched NYC. The coverage is just terrible but the races were interesting. 2:57 for Joan Benoit Samuelson.
Training just keeps going well. The hard downhill running has me full of hope.
This weeks main workouts
1.
-90 minutes uphill hike
At about 55 percent of MHR
Resting 60
Hike HR 130
Max190
Followed by 1.6 miles hard down a steep hill (Devils Rest to Wahkeena intersection ) then back up to the top in 19 minutes (TOUGH) then back down hard felt great.
30 minutes easy hiking back down the hill
2.
Hill sprints but added some flat and downhill speed.
Sprint uphill 50 secs
10 jumping pullups
walk 2 minutes
sprint 60 meters (20 meters downhll then 40 on the flats)
walk 1 minute
repeat for awhile
The rest was easy 3 hour walks and one 3 hike up to Devil's Rest with some other climbs to get in 3 hours .
Greetings from NYC! Couldn't have asked for a better day weather wise. Unfortunately I did not hit my time goal of 3:20 or better.
Finishing time was 3:27:34 per Garmin. Not as good as my Houston race last year (3:26) and seriously thought I was on track for a better time. But my last NYC was a 3:54 in 2010, so I am going to take the 3:27!
Weather could not have been better for me. Overcast, breezy (but not blowing or ever a factor from my perspective) and in the mid to high 40's. Never felt hot or cold all day - just right for me.
Coolest part of the day was pre-race. Our wave had access to a warm-up area that the elite female runners were using. So I did an easy 5 min jog and then some strides right next to some of the female elites. Note that my strides were = to their easy jog! Still a fun thing to be so close to greatness.
Started on the bottom part of the Veranzano Bridge. I got to start on the top in 2010 and the scenery up there is something to behold. Not able to get that same sense of awe starting on the bottom.
As always, the first mile is slow (up the bridge) and next one is fast (down the bridge) so I had to be conscious of slowing myself down when I hit mile 3. There are so many people running right around me that I never felt buffeted by the wind. But people were spread out enough that I did not have any obstructions. Just have to be careful at the water stops - which is probably the same at every race.
7:35 per mile pace felt comfortable - no problems with breathing or uncomfortableness in legs, etc. and held it through mile 22. Had some nice steady-paced runners that I stayed with most of the race. You could tell they had done NYC before and seemed to know upcoming turns so helped me stay on the tangents.
There is this one stretch - miles 15 and 16 - that I remembered from last time. We are on a bridge - and all you can hear is the runners around you, because no spectators can be up there. It is really the only section where it is quiet (except for pit-pat-pit-pat of running shoes on concrete). A lonely, desolate feeling starts to creep over...it is far enough into the race that there is not a lot of talking at this point.
But as we approach the end of the bridge, I can hear it....and it starts to build...it is the roar of the crowd on 1st Avenue in Manhattan. As you exit the bridge and spit out onto 1st Avenue it is almost deafening! Such a great part of the race and knowing it was coming was even more exciting this time. My sister who lives in Manhattan was at mile 18 and we got to see each other so that was fun.
No problems with my hips tightening up (which was the problem in Houston last year). But at mile 23 it felt like someone unplugged me from the wall. And my pace slowed wayyyy down - like into the 9 min/mile range. I just kept telling myself to keep running. Don't stop. No matter what happens, just don't stop. At mile 23 is the final serious hill up the backside and into Central Park. Then we get a nice downhill, so I did a little better there. But seriously thought I was going to urp at this (urp = vomit) point. Just kept telling myself that all I had to do was to keep running - do not stop. Do not get a drink of water. Just keep running and it will be over soon. And promising myself at this point that I am never, ever, ever doing this stupid marathon crap again!!
Alot of people are passing me at this point, but also seeing a few people cramping and one guy just falls over on the sidewalk from leg cramps. Thank goodness a spectator stops and helps him.
I saw the "800 m to go" sign as we hit Columbus Circle and then the 400 and 300 and 200 and seriously think my legs are going to cave and I am going to pass out. Watch shows I did a 9:09 that final mile. But it was it. I hit the finish line and that was it. Didn't pass out or hurl, so all is good.
Mary Whittenburg (NYRR exec director) is at the finish line right in front of me so she congrats me and I congrat her on a great race. That was fun for me. Sure it is a veryyyy long day for her.
By the time I got dressed in some warm clothes (which they transport via UPS trucks from the start), ate a little something and got a very hot, very large coffee in a nearby coffee shop, I felt pretty good.
Waited for my hubby to finish. He also did not do as well as his training predicted, but we both agreed that we were toast at the end. Stopped by a cool burger joint that my sister recommended (Island Burger) on the way back to the hotel and they gave us a free burger and fries for running the marathon! Who can beat that.
For me, the last few miles of a marathon remind me of being in labor - that feeling of mind-body separation and the mental commitment to never, ever, ever do this again!!! And then I finish...and walk around a bit... and say, maybe I'll run another one this spring to see if I can hit my elusive 3:20 goal...
But first, I am going to take a week off and relax.
Thanks to all on the 50+ masters training board this training season. It helped me a bunch and kept me pushing when the wheels fell off.
I live to race another day!
Good week, ~ 19:05 treadmill 5k, but basketball not so good. I prepared my legs for the change of direction but forgot about wrist range of motion (6 years since I last played) and suffered a bad sprain on a fall (charge), hopefully only that. I'm glad though that nothing like a torn acl or something like that happened.
Central Park is a lot tougher than people realize, particularly once one gets tired. Sometimes the cold can start to affect that late in the race too. Good effort, even if not your goal Grete. Burgers always a craving after a marathon, very nice of the NYC burger joint!
Heartbreaking finish to Indiana state XC when leader (~40m) with less than 200m to go hit the wall and fell 3 times in the last 150m. There is a long straight to the finish in Terra Haute, ~ 500m, and I think he was already pushing it by the time he got to the straight and then kicked too early. He finished 23rd? Last year he was runner-up.
It's all relative!
Have a good week, and heal.
Congratulations to KP and Grete on inspirational race performances. I had one of the not unusual good news/bad news masters effort weeks. 40 miles this week with a 6k XC race yesterday. The good news was that I ran a minute faster than two years ago on the course and won the 60+ age group. The bad news was that my right calf started hurting at about 3 miles and I have strained the muscle right above the achilles attachment point. With drugs, ice and rolling, it felt better today and I have two weeks until our local championship race. I wlll get in my usual workout time walking this week until it feels right and then get back to running.
GreteHund wrote:
I just kept telling myself to keep running.
You were supposed to tell yourself "Alan says I got this." :)
Your training was great, I know only a couple of runners who *could* do a Pfitzinger plan, neither of them is M50+. There is no way I could ever do one of his plans. Compare your legs this next couple of weeks to previous post-marathons. If they snap back quickly, then your training was fine.
3:27:34 was a good run, first question is: If you had paced differently, could you have run a minute or two faster? You were aiming for even splits; for me a planned negative split is safer because if it's not my day then a planned even split actually would have had me go out too fast(!). Plenty of time to think about the second question: What to do differently next race? My guess is that "train better" is not the answer. Maybe taper differently somehow!? Also, not sure about it, but wanting to urp(*) might be dehydration.
(*) Your definition is the current one, but from an old Bill Cosby routine, "My wife is urped again" meant pregnant.
Week **126**: 6 hours 45 minutes in 7 runs.
Not as big a jump as it might appear, because I cut back to only 50 minutes on the elliptical, down from 2 hours recently and 4.5 hours at the peak. In other words, running+elliptical has been steady all along at about 8 hours (or so) per week. In the last couple weeks I added in a 30-minute session per week on the stair master, prepping for hillwork.
Next race, 5K on January 1.
@lucKY2b - If you are doing much walking, try shortening your stride a bit, it's easier on the hip.
@Charlie - I was depressed by my lack of training volume. Starting to get excited again so will be checking here more frequently.
I started to feel like a runner this last week.
S: 4k jog (21:23) + 4x60sec strides + 1k push (3:43) + 4k jog (19:47).
M: 30min jog + 4x45sec strides + 6min surge + 10min jog.
T: 30min jog + 4x30sec strides + 90sec inclined push + 10min jog.
W: 15min jog + 4x30sec strides + 6:23 surge + 4min jog.
T: 0
F: 20min jog + 60sec gallop + 4x20sec inclined strides + 15sec inclined "sprint" + 10min jog.
S: 20min jog + 200m-200m-100m-100m strides + 400m surge (1:16) + 10min jog.
S: 3k jog (16:39) + 4x45sec strides + 3k tempo (11:28) + 2k jog (10:08).
Mechanically, I feel very good. The 76sec 400m on Saturday was very cruisy, much easier than 78sec the previous week. Things are looking up. I have 4 months to prep for a sub 17:30 5k goal.
Nice work at NYC Grete! THAT is a bucket-list event and you clearly had an experience of a lifetime. Thanks for the story telling. Brought back fond memories for me when i ran it after 911. Can sill feel my sore hand from high-fiving firefighters.
KP
DrT wrote (2013-10-17, &page=152):
Greetings to you all, I've been absent of late on the board due to work demands (emphasis added). No good news from my end in any case. Yet another gastroc tear 10 days ago....
Isn't this the same scenario that led to your soleus injury back in May? You didn't say if it was the same calf this time. You also didn't say whether it was the side that had the achilles surgery.
Grete, way to stay strong, and all you others, too, like Lucky, KP, Ken, and you guys. I have not met.
Ran an 8 Km in 38:36 on. Sun, love the course,historic Cliff Drive in KC.
Brief vacation in Phoenix but got food poisoning today, shoot.
Back to KC and work
Tempted to go to Boulder for. USA XC, weather for travel shaky.
KP, bet you are excited about the World Indoors bid.
I'm back after being away in the mountains for the last 4 days.
My week and a bit.
Mon - 10km paddle on the lake.
Tue - 14km run 1h 39m. Seriously steep and rough trails. Belted out the last few kms between 4.40-5min km pace.
Wed - 43km ride on fairly sensible terrain in 2hrs.
Fri - I stopped on the way to the mountains for a brisk 3.2k paddle on Lake Buffalo .
Sat - First day of the 4 Peaks.
"MYSTIC".
A nice sharp start to our 4 days of fun mountain racing.
This little gem is 6.8 miles in length (Strava is in "American" distances so I'll use them). It starts at 1100 feet and gains 900 feet in the first mile, a short respite down to 1700' and then climbing another 1000'in 1/2 a mile. Some rolling ups and downs before a sharp rise to peak at just on the 3000' at 3.7ml. A mad skiddy descent to 2000' by mile 4 and then a more leisurely descent on fire roads back to the 1100' start.
My race went pretty well. First climb was strong, good rhythm on the easy run to the big climb. Strong on the "monster" but did have to bring in the "fell walk" quite often. Strong again across the top of the ridge. It took a bit to loosen up on the steep descent but eventually got the legs moving. I realised I was on for about a 75min. time which would be as fast as any in recent years. I tried to attack the fire roads but my lack of faster training kicked in here and I ended up with a 76 min time. Still happy as 2 mins faster than last year. 5th O/50 for the day. My best buddy Greg led the O/50s with a very tidy 66.min.
Sun.
"FEATHERTOP"
The 2d highest peak in our State.
A long grinding climb with a wicked sting in it's tail.
6.9 miles rising from 1600' to the top at 6238'
There is no real respite from the climbing on this one. The last 1/2 mile rises about 400'on terrain that at times defies the description of "trail".
My 28th year so I know it well and I just settled into the work immediately. I switched my watch over to time of day so as not to check familiar checkpoints.
The last few years my leg power and motor have begun to let me down by the old hut ruins 3/4 of the way up. The track becomes rougher with more root and rock steps. Not so this year though, I seemed to be doing it much easier. Before I knew it I was at Federation Hut with just a mile to go. I checked the watch and liked what I saw. I took off hard across the saddle and 1/2 mile later hit the rocky steps to start the final climb. The temps were soon down to zero celsius and a sharp wind was coming in on my left but the sky was blue. The false summit appeared sooner than I thought and I hammered over it and spotted the finish, a quick dash along the only decent bit of track and I stopped the watch at 1.49. 4 mins faster than last year. 3d fastest O/50 both for the day and now overall. Greg extended his lead with a 1.43.
The race was over but we still have to walk or jog back down to the start. This part of the Alpine N.P has no roads, lifts or development, just some refuge huts.
Mon -
"BOGONG"
The highest peak in the State. Normally we run Mt Hotham on this day but the track was closed due to landslip. This meant a drive across to another valley for an old favourite of mine.
A relatively easy run for 1.5 miles leads to the start of Staircase Spur and a 4 mile climb from 2300" to 6496'.
The spur is steep to very steep in most places. Quite a few sections are big natural rock steps.
The legs were far more recovered than normal. I was struggling a bit on the flatter stuff and was pleased to turn up the spur as it reared up at a 20+% gradient. A steady rhythm until the 2d 1/2 and plenty of big rock and root steps started to shake things up.I got into a battle with one of the women runners. Her shorter legs a disadvantage at times on this type of terrain. Word came down that the race would finish a bit shy of the summit. This made no difference to our battle as I had no ability to accelerate. A brief bit of flatter terrain left me 15 secs behind in the woman. Nothing I could do but just keep plodding until crossing the line in 1.37. This again was 3d fastest O/50. Greg again led the old brigade with a blistering 1.28. Nearly everyone hiked the short distance to the summit. The timekeepers had made the right call though. It was blowing hard up there, the track was glazed with frozen streams and the windchill was very harsh. The timekeepers had to hike up at 5am and "set up shop" (as they had the previous day)then wait for the nearly 300 participants before hiking back down.
Oh yeah, this was another one with a hike back down to the start after racing up.
Tue -
"BUFFALO"
A slightly more civilised day. We start at the Nat Park gates and follow the popular "Big Walk" track up to the famous Mt Buffalo Chalet. We actually occassionally meet up with bitumen road.
6.1 miles starting at 1070' and finishing at 4482'. It is steep early and gets technical in a few spots after 1/2 way. The latter section has some fast flats and a bit of downhill.
A check of the results showed me to be a couple of minutes up on the 4th O/50 going into the final day. Last year he ran this one in 1.30 to my 1.37. I knew I needed to put my head down and hammer.
I couldn't believe how good my legs felt early on and I pushed it pretty hard on the early steep climbs. I again put the watch onto time of day with the plan to check my split at Mackys Lookout. Normally I can double the time from there.
The feeling good thing started to fade a little a few minutes from Mackys but a look at the watch cheered me up, 44.50. From here it is rough going for awhile. We run on a huge granite wall. The track is mostly smaller rocks on the water grooves. It's hard to run fast on this stuff.
I was able to keep it together and let fly once on the more runnable trails and finished in 1.30. 3 mins up on the other fella.
Greg nailed this one, as usual, in 1.18. A very comfortable winner of the O/50s.
An interesting weekend. As I've been battling a problem with my left knee/ITB I have been restricted to mostly very slow runs on the tough stuff near home. My weekly kms have been pretty low but obviously this stuff has kept me in good nick.
My recoveries over the weekend were surprisingly good. I've done this event 28 times and I don't think I've ever recovered better from day to day. 2 x 20 mins soaks in ice cold creeks/rivers post run and 2 x 20 min self massage of the legs with a tennis ball was my routine.
Today, I rewarded myself with a nice rest day today. Spent my time working in the garden and cutting down some old trees.
GreteHund. Sorry to see you didn't hit your goal time but well done to tough it out and still hit a solid time.
mo'pak nice running/climbing/descending/enduring man I can only dream to be able to do 4 fantastic races 4 days in a row. These courses are very much like what I enjoy doing these days. The Columbia River Gorge just east of Portland has a ton of these trails. If you ever get out / over this way and want a tour look me up.