Training Log Archive: PG

At the Smith indoor track by myself, both in the sense that no running partner and also hardly anyone else there, just a couple of walkers. Such a pleasure on a windy, rainy, and rather dark morning.

Usual warm-up, mile and a half including a couple of faster 200s (50, 49), then did a couple more 200s (46, 45), the point being to make my expected pace for the 3K seem a little more comfortable. Legs felt neither great nor terrible.

What the hell, other folks were doing a 3K time trial, figured I might as well too.

Only raced the distance a couple of times, 10-15 years ago in my early 50s, both times right about 10:40. My best for the distance was surely during an old standby we used to have at USOF conventions for a number of years, a 2-mile run/race, this one was in San Diego, busted a gut to try to break 11 minutes, did 10:59, but then I was never sure if the track was 400 meters or 440 yards, and it was probably the former. But that still would have given a 3K time of about 10:20. But that was a long time ago and in a different body.

My guess for today was something better than 12:30 should be possible, 12:20 would be very nice, 12:10 would be really hard. 12:30 was 50-second laps, so I just figured I'd try to keep it under that and see what happened.

4:04 for the first K, seemed OK. 4:02 for the next K, definitely working hard, various ways of telling, the perceived effort, or the heartrate, or the fact that it starts getting harder to do the lap math every time around.

And then a very nice 3:54 for the last K, full effort. Heart-rate was 170 with still a couple of laps to go, which is high for me these days. But one thing you learn, and today was a reminder of it, is that you can always keep going. Needed 43 on the l;ast lap to break 12 minutes, gave it a good try but just missed. Still very pleased.

48:31, 49:31, 48:80, 48:85, 48:87 = 4:04.14
48:55, 48:54, 48:48, 48:45, 48:10 = 4:02.12
48:40, 47:95, 47:60, 46:78, 43:52 = 3:54.25, total 12:00.51

C • Max. H.R. 4

And then a mile afterwards. And off to work.

3000m run - Splits

Event: US Team (unofficial) 3K time trial
 

A day off from most everything, no running, no work, no heavy lifting. Had my niece visiting for the weekend, such a pleasure. Back to reality tomorrow.

On the treadmill, thought I should add a hill, so 1 mile at 5 mph and 10%, plus a couple miles before (9:45, 8:35) and one after (8:35). Mt. Washington is 7.6 miles @11.5%, would be shooting to do 13-minute pace (about an hour and 40), not 12. So a little steeper and a little slower. But this was enough of a taste to realize that a lot of work would have to be done. On the other hand, wasn't really breathing hard, just the legs were aware it was uphill.

Lovers Lane loop, clockwise, modest effort except the last couple miles were faster. Cloudy and dreary out but not yet raining, so I figured I better go outside since I may stay in tomorrow.

Listened to Fresh Air, first an interview with someone I'd never heard of, a writer with some neurological disorder. Among her ailments had been a migraine that lasted a year! And then a short interview with Ricky Gervais, quite nice. And the timing was perfect, ended just as I got back to the gym.

Route (forgot my 305).

Conversation at work this afternoon, client is an old lady, about 75, still a good bit of pizzazz. And I swear I'm not making this up.

(Her) You look different, you've got a tan. Have you been south?

Nope, but I just got back from a run. Oh, and I've shaved my beard off.

(After looking at me a little more closely) I never realized how good looking you are.

C • Compliment... 4

Thursday morning at the track with Dave. Usual warm-up, included a couple of faster 200s, which felt relatively easy, a good omen after the last couple of days of dead legs. Spent most of the warm-up trying to explain to Dave where the Robert Frost trail goes on Mt. Toby. He's run in the area a lot, but his memory for trail bends and trail junctions is as bad as mine is for anything I ever learned in school. Warm-up went by very quickly.

Dave's choice today and he wanted to do 4 x 1200 at current 5K place which he figured to be 22 minutes, meaning the 1200s in 5:15-5:20, but I figured his (and my) current 5K pace was more like 21 minutes, meaning the 1200s in 5:00-5:05 pace. He's was feeling a bit down, I think he'd planned on doing the workout last night (alone, in the dark at the Amherst College outdoor track) but had bailed on it. So he was thinking 5:15-5:20 was going to be hard.

So rather than arguing, I just took the lead, he was right on my tail the whole time. And it all went by with just the right effort, not too easy and not too hard.

Splits (1200, jog 400 not too slow):
5:06.5, 2:05
5:04.5, 2:08
5:01.0, 2:01
4:54.3

And then a slow 800.

Very pleasant today, had the track almost to ourselves. And so nice to have good legs.

Another day of not much energy, though I wasn't try to run fast so it wasn't a big deal, other than it's a whole lot more fun to run when the legs feel good. Still, when it's sunny and upper 50s out, there is no reason to complain.

Which gets me thinking, does complaining make you feel better? Because there are some people who complain all the time. I assume they are complaining by choice, I doubt that complaining is hard-wired into your brain, and if they are doing it by choice, then why? Enjoying it? Benefiting others by pointing out what's wrong with us, i.e. doing a public service?

I certainly get my share of clients who complain. About taxes. About government, About whatever. I mostly ignore them and move on as quickly as possible. Unless they're complaining about my services and then I listen real carefully. Fortunately not many of them.

What I really need now is a nap. There's no couch in the conference room. That's my complaint for the day.... :-)

Entertainment today was Fresh Air, included a review of the new Alice in Wonderland film. That's a story I ocaasionally see references to, and I have no idea what goes in it. I think I started to read it once and never got past the first couple of pages. Maybe I should go see the movie.

C • Does complaining make you feel better? 20

It seems like class is going to end the end of this month, as the instructor is pregnant, due in July, and not having the easiest pregnancy. I'll have to see if I can find another class.

Had a client a couple of weeks ago, had her second kid last year, both were born in April. They planned that way, and were quite pleased with the good execution. She's a teacher, so an April birth gives her maternity leave through the end of the school year plus the summer off, so really 4 to 5 months before she has to go back to work.

C • April babies 1

Legs were just dead today. Felt tired warming up, felt tired trying to run faster, felt tired afterwards. Some days are just like that. Don't think I've had one that bad for a while. Reminds me of times starting back up after a long layoff for injury and every day was like that for quite a while.

Out to the golf course. Warm up for 9 holes, then the plan was to run the next 18 hard from tee to green, recover from green to tee.

I tried. But the fast wasn't fast, certainly wasn't getting the heart going much faster. So I decided 9 holes of that was enough, did another 10 holes at a slow pace and headed for the showers.

A workout to forget. But it was a beautiful day.