50+ Masters Training and Racing Open Forum

FORGOT to mention...so nice to get back to watching track & field this weekend.

For those of you that don't know, i write daily about the sport...mostly history along with a fair dose of current events.

Here was my take on yesterday's 114th Annual Millrose Games coverage:

MY MILLROSE MONOLOGUE

Far be it from me to judge the Millrose Games and associated telecast...but let me do so any old ways🤣

IMHO, there were more highlights than lowlights...I dug much more than I did not dig.

Let me get the crap that bugged me off my chest first.

The fact that the meet organizers couldn't get a correct shot put measurement on Crouser's epic indoor chucks just burns my brownies.

Use an effin' steel measuring tape and leave the jive ass lasers at home.

The TV crowd was all like, 'WOW, world record...how cool was that?'

Alas, the laser malfunctioned and mis-measured said heave.

My second beef? Des Linden as a color commentator.

I know she knows what she's talkin' about...but just because you're an extraordinary athlete, that has NOTHING to do with being a good announcer or coach.

The good s%*t? Well, there was plenty.

Props to Nick Willis on the 20 year sub-4 streak...that was mighty 'far out, man.'

Also, in that same race, props to Sowinski as just a superb rabbit. Dude totally gets it. He set up a really great race, as evidenced by the Hoare, Kerr, Alexander marks...solid as a Flinstone boulder.

Elle in the women's mile was smokin' hot as a pistol...you gotta' love her vim and vigor. And shoot, Josette just continues to amaze.

I totally grooved on the sprints and hurdles...Devon Allen from behind and Christian Coleman from the front...cool breeze.

I dug athletes moving up and down...Brazier strategically executed far too soon, and then had to go far too wide...Gabby looked fit in the shorty race...Mu was a DNF and I am hoping for the best for her from here on the sidelines.

Hoppel demonstrated veteran skills and patience in subduing what appeared to be a sage move by Saruni in the metric half.

Finally, how about Geordie Beamish in that uber-loaded 3K?

The young Oregon alum knuckleheads made an extraordinary run for the finish tape, but in doing so, totally took their eye off the prize. Their race within the race opened the door wide open for the carpe diem driven Kiwi who slipped by on the inside.

And did you see his victory run...that cat coulda' run 8 more miles, by the looks of it.

IF you've made it this far down into my rant, I appreciate you.

Thank you for being a track geek friend and indulging me in my sofa surfing 'observations'. 👊

DickMargarita wrote:

I haven't had much free time to post, so a rundown of last week. I'm starting to get into a good early-season training groove. First race is on the horizon in early March - 10M race....Total 86M

Nice week, DickMargarita. Lots of miles and some decent quality!

Week Two: Bayshore HM.

Feeling mostly good these days physically. I seemed to feel really good on the workout days but struggle a bit on the easy days. That seems to be the way it goes for me though so I just need to get thru those days! Ran everyday logging 48.3 miles. Dark & cold most of the time so I was on the treadmill Mon-Sat. Ran outside today in a sunny 16 degrees.

Mon: am: 3 Miles in 26:10 [8:43 per mile] pm: 3 Miles in 25:16 [8:25 per mile]

Tue: 8 Miles in 1:02:31 [7:48 per mile] inc. 4xmile with 1/4 jog rest 6:50.8, 6:49.0,6:47.0,6:29.8

Wed: am: 3.5 Miles in 30:52 [8:49 per mile] pm: 3.5 Miles in 30:03 [8:35 per mile]

Thu: 7 Miles in 57:10 [8:10 per mile] with 8x30 sec @ 5:50 pace, 2 min send offs.

Fri: 4 Miles in 35:05 [8:46 per mile]

Sat: 11 Miles in 1:28:58 [8:05 per mile] Started at 8:49, covered up the console and ran. Increased the pace .1mph after each song. Had no idea of pace or distance until I first looked and saw 10.25/7:30 pace! Increased to 7:24 then accelerated to 6:00 pace the last 1/4.

Sun: 5.33 Miles in 44:48 [8:24 per mile]

We're supposed to get blasted Wednesday with more snow & cold. I'll probably be on the treadmill all week again which isn't all that bad. It sure beats the alternative of fighting the nasty-ness outside!

Have a good run,

Dave

MikeF. wrote:For those of you that don't know, i write daily about the sport...mostly history along with a fair dose of current events.

Mike, where can I find your daily postings?

Also, you mention your wife growing up in Scranton -- my dad was Class of 1935, Scranton High School. It's been a long while since I've been there, but I can still clearly see the great heaps of coal alongside I-81.

Robert E. - Best wishes with the latest surgery

BigMango - Wow! Stellar marathon. Congrats.

MagicShoes: Best to your wife.

Igy: Ditto! A weeks ago I took my wife to the ER -- scary.

racerdb: I'm looking forward to seeing how the HM goes for you. Nice to have the treadmill option. It's been very challenging on the roads lately. Beautiful today, though.

.[/quote]

Mike, where can I find your daily postings?

Also, you mention your wife growing up in Scranton -- my dad was Class of 1935, Scranton High School. It's been a long while since I've been there, but I can still clearly see the great heaps of coal alongside I-81.

[/quote]

Allen 1959, small world…my wife too attended Scranton Central…then, Penn State. She was both a high school and college classmate of NFL hall of Famer, Mike Munchak.

RE: most of my writings can be found here on my FB page:

https://m.facebook.com/mike.fanelli?ref=m_notif&notif_t=feedback_reaction_generic

….and I also write the occasional Track & Field News piece…in fact, will have a feature there next week. It will run on the 60 th anniversary of the world’s first ever indoor sub 4:00. In writing it, I had a delightful 1.5 hour call early this week with inimitable Jim Beatty 👊

RE: most of my writings can be found here on my FB page:

https://m.facebook.com/mike.fanelli?ref=m_notif&notif_t=feedback_reaction_generic

Great daily posts Mike, read a month's worth, good stuff. We have a couple of common running FB 'friends". Just sent you a 'request' Initials: "WF"

I had a decent training week - Not super high mileage but at 65 y/o and nothing big on the horizon it was enough.

-43+ miles for the week

-Three good workouts accounting for 20% of the total: Tuesday with local track club was 12x400 at 5k road pace w/200jog recovery (indoors - yay!), Thursday 16x200 hills 39.5' climb with jog down recoveries - balmy 20 degrees, Saturday 3x1 mile up tempo (00:30 slower than 5K pace bundled up against the 18 degrees plus wind (I bailed on my morning group Parkrun as it was -4 with added windchill and the course was 80% snow covered and twisty). I threw in 7x150 strides on today's short easy day. Daily 5:00 forearm planks and a little additional core -nothing fancy. All in all a good week

Tuesday night at the University's indoor I will try an establish a baseline mile time. The scheduled workout calls for starting with 1600s and then 800s, but I may modify it, go hard on the first (adding 9 yards to make it 1609) drop the second 1600 and work the 800s after changing back into light trainers. There were about 25 folks there last week and should have not problem finding someone to run 00:47- 00 :48 200m laps.

This year could be interesting as racing starts to get going just gotta stay healthy...

MikeF. wrote:

RE: most of my writings can be found here on my FB page:

https://m.facebook.com/mike.fanelli?ref=m_notif&notif_t=feedback_reaction_generic

Not Done Just Yet wrote:

Great daily posts Mike, read a month's worth, good stuff. We have a couple of common running FB 'friends". Just sent you a 'request' Initials: "WF"

I've been away from FB for over a year now but checked out your postings. Good stuff! What's really weird is we have 191 mutual FB friends. And I seriously only know like 12 people in real life....

The snowstorm Wednesday is zeroing on us. They're now predicting over 12", on Groundhogs Day. Which means six more weeks of treadmill!

That's all I've got.

Dave

As Always, Great Prose Mike F.

Welcome Back Dave.

Trying to whip myself into Indoor Shape for Houston Indoor (Who Dey Sunday). Today's track session was so hard for me I felt like crawling into a fetal position but now have to coach the high school kids.

2 mile warm-up including 2 x Flying 30s (Thanks Coach Frankie)

1000m in 3:15.0. Lost focus in the middle. Full recovery; sort of.

400m in 70pt.

400m in 70pt.

200m in 33pt

200m in 32pt

2 mile cool-down including 4 x Rome Clocktowers (35-40 sec 12 Degree Hill Sprint)

My experience coaching both sexes, is generally women are much tougher. Yea, I know that is sexist, but it is what I believe.

Igy

“hardscrabble Scranton, Pennsylvania , where she grew up as the Jewish daughter of an independent used car dealer and part time boxer”

No doubt tough enough to handle Corn Pop.

😹

Mon. Just 10 min on the rower 10 min on the elliptical and a steep 2 km run up single track with 140 m elevation gain.

Tue. A steep 5 km trail hike.

Wed. Packed up and drove 3.5 hours to Harrietville.

Thu. Day one of the official rescheduled 4 Peaks. My 37th.

Mt Buffalo 10+kms about 1100m elevation gain. 30+deg C 100% humidity wet trail, very slippery on the loose rock section from 5.5 to 8 kms.

Plodding effort. Feeling lack of recent hard training and slowed by a pair of whigeing hamstrings. 52 at Macky's Lookout should get me 1.43/44. but a slow 2d half and only 1.47.

Last Nov in our unofficial run I was 1.41 I think. PB is actually 67 from back in my 20s.

Fri. Mt Feathertop. 11.5 ish with 1400ish metres of elevation. Weather as for previous day. 2 younger ladies liked my metronome pace and I pulled the train at a good tempo from 1.5 to 9 kms. They could still talk so I waved them by at that point. From 9 to the finish is more rugged. Viz was gone by 10 km at the hut and shortly after I passed the hut the officials stopped anymore runners going on. I plodded on to the top the last section is a rocky ridgeline scramble and this year through pea soup. My 2.11 finish was ok I think 2.06 ish in Nov.

We hike back down to the start from the top after finishing . We soon realised no more runners were going all the way up. The officials decided to declare the race had finished at the hut as a large number had been forced to stop there for safety. My official time was 1.48 to the hut. Shows how tough the last 1.5 km is as it took me 23 mins and I was passing people.

Sat. Mt Hotham. Always a big day, usually my fave and my best. This ytime though I knew my condition wouldn't hold up.

A bit shy of 15 kms with nearly 1400 metres of elevation gain. Thunderstorms early morning cleared to torrential rain but still high 20s C at the start. A poor run through the 6 km to the river. My strenth is usually the 2 brutal walls beyond the river.

Not so this year. I had no power and was soon struggling. I was dropping over a minute a km on the first big climb.

I struggled for rhythm after that on the flatter sections. The last wall is usually my strength but this time I was too knackered to offer up a fight. I just death marched my way through to a 2.56 finish. In Nov I ran 2.38.

Sun. Mystic. The loop course, racing both up and downhill. Around 11 kms ascending 670 before the long brutal descent.

30deg C close to 100 % humidity.

Surprisingly good first sharp climb (40% gradient). Lost ground on some downhills as the hammies were not happy.

Hit THE climb. Literally crawling past people in the first muddy 50 metres of 50% gradient. Once upright I continued to climb pretty well throughout. It eases to 40% then 30 and eventually 15. Once on the rollercoaster fire road I struggled. I couldn't stretch the downs, held my own on the ups.

Finally reached the highest point.

From there it is a plummeting sketchy descent. I skidded my way through, often getting over into the debris on the side of the track. More grip and I could use the stems of the bracken almost as hiking poles. The last 3 km is a super fast winding downhill but I had no superfast legs. I battled away for a slow time of 1.43. I think I was around 10 mins quicker in Nov.

It was job done, certainly a D for done rather than A,B or even a C.

A soak in Morses Creek until the presentation.

My best bud Greg (ex 14.50/2.26) managed 3d 60 plus.

My other good friend Lisa ran a blinder to take second 50-59 woman behind superstar Julie Quinn, I think Lisa was 7th W overall.

Recovery now, get hips and glutes right and then see what is on the radar.

Lots of great training going on in here!

I really focused on slowing down easy days to attack workout days a bit more. My recap:

Mon: 11.7M @ 7:29s + 4x 20" strides

Tue: AM 4.5M @ 7:58s | PM Hills 3' 3' 2' 2' 2' 1' 9M Total

Wed: 12M @ 7:02s

Thu: 10M @ 7:23s

Fri: Workout 14' tempo (5:33) + 14' of 2/2 (5:15/6:00) Total 10.3M

Sat: Hilly 9.3M @ 8:01s

Sun: LR 16M @ 6:55s A few uptempo middle miles, and a fast close the last 2M

Total 83M

Not Done Just Yet wrote:

Tuesday night at the University's indoor I will try and establish a baseline mile time.... There were about 25 folks there last week and should have not problem finding someone to run 00:47- 00 :48 200m laps.

Reporting early this week:

I hit my target pace without overdoing it and completed my modified workout. Averaged :47.3 for the mile baseline test in light flats on Tuesday night. 400 jog recovery, then an 800 at sub5k pace, then 6x400 at 1:35-1:36s w/ 200 jogs. Finished with 2x200 100R at :44, not super speedy but okay based on the previous 45 minutes worth of effort. Felt okay. With spikes, and race conditions feeling I may be able to hit 6:05-6:07 on February 22nd when we next do mile repeats.

SE Michigan got hit with a blanket of snow on Wednesday and again today (Thursday) Trudged an easy 7 miles yesterday (purposely leaving the watch at home).

Today again trudged the 1.5 mile to the University parking structure where it was still 19 degrees but at least dry and did 12x300m gentle ramp repeats with = jog downs.

Considering the weather I have no idea how I am going to get a decent third workout in on Saturday. It doesn't look promising.

I will certainly cherish moderate temps and weather when Spring rolls around this year.

Yeah. Saw Milrose on Youtube. What a kick taking down that Nike Duo. Wonder what he closed that last 100 in.

Had my first prostate check 10 days ago. No sign of cancer but the specialist reckoned it was a bit too enlarged be ignored so he prescribed me 2 months supply of pills (18 a day) to bring it down. No real side effects however the medication is leaving me a bit flat so just been resting up. Give it a couple more days before I start running again.

Anyway hope your other half is good. She sounds pretty tough

Keep up the good training

Showing a nice bit of speed. Any plans to race indoors? Also what times are you hoping to run on the track in the Summer as we both seem to be very similar standard.

DickMargarita wrote:

Lots of great training going on in here!

I really focused on slowing down easy days to attack workout days a bit more. My recap:

Mon: 11.7M @ 7:29s + 4x 20" strides

Tue: AM 4.5M @ 7:58s | PM Hills 3' 3' 2' 2' 2' 1' 9M Total

Wed: 12M @ 7:02s

Thu: 10M @ 7:23s

Fri: Workout 14' tempo (5:33) + 14' of 2/2 (5:15/6:00) Total 10.3M

Sat: Hilly 9.3M @ 8:01s

Sun: LR 16M @ 6:55s A few uptempo middle miles, and a fast close the last 2M

Total 83M

Hi DickMaragarita,

I am trying to figure out you aerobic capabilities. Have you done a lactate testing lately? Which protocol? Or what can you run in 1 hour?

Cheers

Anyone competing at NSG's in Florida this year? Looks like the T&F venue is at the Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar. May 11th-16th.

I'm registered for Miramar.

66 years old

Cancer survivor

46th year of training .. or 47th

Surgery for torn miniscus scheduled for February 23rd

Orthopedist walked in with MRI and had surgery orders already in hand and signed! Ha

He said mine was torn pretty good. I still have problems putting weight on the leg when I first get out of bed or if I sit in a chair for over an hour.

Funny thing is when I get loose I can still jog which is what I’m doing.

5 miles a day plus 5 sets of curls and 3 sets of pull ups every other day.

I may cancel the surgery. I’m not sure.

I’m wondering if eventually it won’t get better on its own but I will say the other two miniscus surgeries I had this one hurts the most after I sit and it stiffness up.

I feel like maybe I should apologize to Medicare if I go through with it ha

Pre-surgery consultation is Feb 17th and the doc seems great. I’ll see what he has to say

I’ll be back to normal training by April 6 no matter what

@Robert E . Lee, Serious question - can a meniscus tear get better on its own? I have been dealing with something funky for about 2 years now that migrates around my knee but mostly felt around a tendon that attaches to the back of the knee. I know when I messed it up while experimenting with a loose running gait during repeats at an end of a run. Last time I experimented with this type of gait.