Monday, January 26, 2015

Train, slow up, cut back on gorging food

Two weeks to go before the Southeastern Region Masters Indoor Meet.  At the track on Sunday, it was maybe 37 degrees.  I warmed up with pseudo lunges -- my knees don't bend that well -- high knees, butt kicks, and a slow traverse of the track.  The plan was for 5x400 with interspersing walk 400m.  The first two were a bust.  Halfway around and I was walking.  Partial quad wipeout, partial breathing.  Result: 2:24 or so for the 400m.  I am really feeling like an ancient, these days.  I wised up a little on the last three attempts by slowing up my pace, managing to get to the finish line, without walking, in 2:02 - 2:04. Nonetheless, it was an effort!   To think -- last year I was able to do 400ms one after another (no interspersing walk) with a minute break between.  Not fast, but at least completed.

Next, I tried the 200m.  The first two attempts were hard, but I got there.  The third was a total failure. I dropped to a walk halfway, thinking no way and just bag it.

Next the 100m, but this time I decided on an 80% effort right off the bat. (One would think I had been doing that, or 50% effort in the earlier distances, based on my times, but sad to say, nope.  I was going as "fast:" as I could.  "Fast" is a relative term -- faster than a snail -- or faster than a New Mexico roadrunner?)  I did three 100m at about 80%, averaging about 22-23 seconds.

And that was it for Sunday.  Not a long or exhausting (except the 400s!) workout but all I wanted to do.  The 400s are so discouraging that it seems as if there is no point being out there, at times.  

This morning, at CG, this being Metabolic Conditioning week, by the time I got to the sprint out and back (touching the ground at each end) for four minutes, I found that after the fourth time I was slowing up and huffing and puffing. By number eight I walked part of the way out, dragging back.  I managed ten and a half by time end.  Then, it was on to the other joy: suicides! (Run out to a cone and back, then out to the next cone and back, etc)  Talk about slow grind to a halt.  I had nothing in the tank.

Time to add a lot more protein - meat -- rocket fuel to my diet!  Protein shakes five mornings a week get tiring.

At least I can go out and do some kind of running training.  Not so for the folks along the NE coast for the next week.   It will be beautiful.  To be enjoyed from a warm room looking out.

  

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Once again -- not ready for competition

Not ready for   .. any track competition.  Forget prime time!


Here it is almost the end of January 2015 and I can not complete even one 400m without walking.  Forget how long it takes.  About 3 or 4 weeks ago, I returned to Sunday track practice and it was bad.  Since then it has not improved. Last week at UNC's Belk, I was able to trot around only if I maintained something like an 11 minute pace. This, after a half hour warm up of knee lifts (in my case slow and not high -- creaky knee), lunges, butt kicks etc.  When my running pal and I tried a decent run around (she recovering from knee surgery) I could not do it.  I got just a bit over 200m and bonked.  We moved onto 200m. Again, I could not complete the full 200m.  In the end I did one 100m in a partially decent speed.

It is not just lack of lung power, but leg strength as well.  Towards the end of the 200m runs, the legs felt weak.  The old rubbery feeling.  Very discouraging.

This week, I measured out about 1/4 mile on a local packed dirt-sand greenway.  The route is not flat and has some curves in it.  It is also week 3, high intensity week, of this session of Camp Gladiator.  So, early morning five days a week I do CG and then have some R&R at home before attempting the greenway 1/4 mile.  I have yet to get through any of the repeats without walking.  I made it easy by running one 1/4 mile then walking back to the start before running again.  The most I have been able to do is five repeats, none of which have taken less than 2:16 minutes and today's was 2:34!  More than a minute longer than my last competitive 400m!  (And today I felt a twinge in my left quad.  Stretching after helped.)     


Southeastern Regionals Indoor is February 8th.  I signed up for the 400m, 200m, and the 60m.  All in one day.  USATF Indoor Masters Nationals (championships) is March 20-22, also at JDL Fast Track in Winston Salem.  I would really like to drop the 400m.  I have not yet signed up for Nationals.  There are those who say I have to "defend my title".  Ugh.  That was an aberration.  The thought of trying to just get around the indoor 200m track twice is not enticing.  I suppose I can do it if I can cut back on my pace and just forget about anything other than finishing without walking.  The problem is I tend to speed up and then deflate, like certain Patriot footballs.

Too little training, endurance, muscle strength.