Training Log Archive: billh

too rainy for Hub ride so did light core plus 4x6 mnute on the trainer at 150W (warmup), 220W, 225W, and 230W . . . maybe we'll get out this afternoon

Riverfront Mile tonight. I'd be happy with anything under 6:30, hoping for something in the 6:2x range, which I hope would be realistic given a 6:01 recent 1500, but it is on the road yet flat and straight. Somehow I managed to convince myself that the final 100m of the 1500 was an anomaly and I can finish strong tonight. haha, we shall see.

C • well, whatever else the 15... 8

perhaps the worst race of my life . . . ever. the guy at the 1/2 M mark was reading times and I heard "3:17" so I thought "great, if I tick it up a notch I can get under 6:30 . . . the rest of the field had inched ahead of me, just the shufflers behind. about 30 misc folks in a combined open wave, all gender and ages and fitness levels. felt more like a BRR group run than a race. so heard the "3:17" and tried to tick it up a notch. there was a rec runner just ahead of me, shuffling along. I attempted to bridge up to him but the harder I tried the slower I went. after a couple hundred meters of this, I actually felt like just dropping out of the race and walking to the train, since had just passed the lacledes landing metro stop. it would have been so easy. instead, I shuffled in to a 6:58, which means I ran the last 1/2 M in 3:41, embarrassing. some dude at the finish was taking pics of every single finisher after him. I really wanted to take that camera and smash it to pieces.

I have no idea what happened, didn't feel sick but just ran with so little energy. I think the day of week and time of day had a lot to do with it. I never ever work out on Fri pm, end of a long stressful work day of a long work week.

I really have to question whether I want to drive 4 hours round trip to Columbia to run another 6:01 1500 . I really can't justify that. I would just be fuming all the way back. and dreading the race all the way there. don't really want to go through that. I would be better served, doing the JD Phase 3 Week 1 which starts next week. and find a race later in the summer to shoot for. So disappointing to train for 6 months and have this happen.

C • Well, you're right, the tim... 6

bicycle commute to work

took metro down to laclede landing with my metro pass and work id around my neck, dressed out in running kit with race number . . . found the start line about 6:20 and did my warmup on the route to the 3/4 mile mark . . . pretty nice fresh concrete. this was perhaps the best part of the whole race. the warmup. felt OK not great.

easy spin warmup plus light core

the light core

E run to Metro . . . wow, actually enjoyable to run slow. not he searing pain of racing. why do I do it? haha.

planning on the Riverfront Mile, probably reg at the race, since race fee already went up to $35, save the $3.38 online fee.

spin 6 minute for warmup prior to track

E warmup laps at Moss and drills

ps--Moss Field closed June 6 for resurfacing

JD R workout #1 for the week, last week of Phase 2 (redo) . . .

2x200m 2R: 40, 37
2x400m 4R: 1:28, 1:30
2x600m 6R: 2:25, 2:25

humidity was oppressive, just gasping for air, the "altitude of the midwest"

fighting the thought that 6 months of dedication to JD training just went down the tubes . . . in flames . . . like flaming sh*t . . . negated by weight gain.

trying to look on the positive like "I'm' not injured" is a huge positive. rather than "I trained 6 months to go 14 sec slower". it's a true mental game. running is a cruel cruel mistress.

have to believe I actually have the power within myself to eat right and lose weight. it IS probably true the weight gain negated the training. at least as far as time. well, I have my work cut out for me. at least now I *know* . . . what I already knew . . . heavy objects go slower, duh.

C • What would your weight be i... 2

light core . . . normal DOMS from race, all systems go, no latent injuries.

it's one thing to know what to do . . . another to actually do it. like "don't go out too fast and then fade" . . . but in the 1500, I ran the first 1200 at about 6:00 plus pace, then dramatically faltered in the final 300 and especially the last 100 death marched it in, terrible. . . . 6:01, 14 sec slower than last year (and15 lbs heavier probably negated 6 mo of JD training)

then same thing in the 400, had the outside lane 6 assignment with evidently faster guys to the inside, who certainly made up the stagger. 1:13 and 5th place out of 6 in the age group, at least clocked a time in my first ever timed 400, winning time was 1:03, same guy who ran a 2:20 in the 800 yesterday, and won the 1500 in 4:50, just missing the track record.

on the plus side, I felt like I did all the stuff outside the race correctly, sleep race prep food, hydrated, cooled myself with ice, warmup, put my body in the best possible position to do its best. not a twinge of any injury. really felt OK on the laps early laps before I tied up. just . . . didn't . . . run . . . fast. duh! the opposite of last year where my total focus was on weight loss but did minimal running and most of my hard intervals on the bike trainer. was much faster but got injured. now if I can just put the two together.

bike spin on trainer warmup one hour prior, plus light core

warmup at Gay Field, home of the Clayton Greyhounds . . . black rubber track, can feel the heat coming off the track even at 8am in the morning. mid-70's but felt hotter. 4 ST, warmups, light drills. felt ready.

opened the first 300 in 1:07, just over 6:00 pace, on the shoulder of the eventual 2nd place guy. he seemed to slow so I eased off the front a bit. Gilker the sub-5 guy was long gone. Felt like I was really racing for time, wanted to best my 5:47 from last year. 2nd lap went OK, basically maintained pace, running on my own. 3rd lap starting to feel the cracks in the wall appear but decided to expend energy to keep pace. I forget my split but think I came around in maybe 4:4x with one to go. went around turn 1 and did a quick shoulder check and the #2 guy was about 30m back. so just bore down. Rudy was my cheering section on Turn 3 and decided to "give it my last sprint". Rudy said later I held off the charging 2 and 3 guys around the turn. Then came around and saw the finish 100 m away, and asked the legs for one more burst, and they did not reply. Tied up badly and got passed by 2 and 3 at about 50m mark, and watched helplessly as they finished ahead of me. Terrible feeling.

chilled out at a local coffee shop till the 400m at 11:30. drank some coffee hydrated. meanwhile the temp climbed to 85F. sunny, hot and humid. got back to the track and did some minimal warmup. no one was running, everyone chilling out in the shade. kept an ice bag on my neck and dowsed my head with ice water, lay down in the shade. felt nice cool and ready.

never ran a timed 400 before but had just watched 12 heats of boys and girls class 3, 4, 5 state level runners perform the 400 and saw how tough it was, typically they charged out fast in the 200m and then just seemed to be going in slow motion coming down the straight so promised myself I would gauge my effort and not go out too fast.

I was way out in lane 6 with 5 guys to my inside, one of whom had run the 4x400 in high school, Gilker. Gun went off and I felt a slight twinge in both calves at the sudden force of the violent start and hoped I had not done anything, after a couple steps, all systems go. Gilker had made up the stagger from lane 2 coming turn 2 already. then two other guys blew by me on the back stretch. though I felt like I was comfortably smooth and "fast". hit the 200 mark and again asked the legs for something, not much to give. came around turn 4, and tied up really bad, just staggering in . #4 guy came by me at that point. just death marched it across the finish in 1:13. Terrible.

the only positive is that I now have a time in the books, and something to improve. I like the distance enough, would definitely consider racing it again. I feel like I could improve my time substantially by proper pacing. and training. I do enough 200 and 400, think I like that distance.

too much drama to recount . . . rain delay, spiked, lost a shoe, massive blisters . . . bottom line . . . billy brought home the hardware . . . two All-State top 8 finishes, team 4x8 8th in state, billy 3200m 7th place in tough heat and humidity with one second PR at 9:44. he gave it his all, left it all on the track. great bookend to his high school running career.

C • oh, it was also a PR- didn'... 1

looks like 70F and 74% humidity for the STL senior 1500 tomorrow 8am . . . should be pretty nice conditions

C • I'm probably (90% and risin... 2

E shakeout at Moss . . . drills, light core

4 ST . . . 3 laps