Mark, Jessie and Juno’s Boyfriend

Today I did some off-track conditioning.  I did this instead of run because I overdid it on Monday.  Had a good workout and a great time working out with some cool people I met at the track but ended up overdoing it and was terribly fatigued and sore with tender hamstring and calf yesterday.   I’m not happy with myself.  I need to “train my age” and condition and not let my mind trick me into thinking I’m a slim 23-year old.

So there’s a well-done 3-part series on Comcast On-Demand/Sportskool/Running/Running Training by Mark Verstegen.   The tri-athlete demonstrating the training and conditioning routines with him is awesome.  Her name is Jessie (missed her last name).  She’s strong, efficient, and exact.  I really admire that in an athlete. She’s also well-spoken and concise.  Jessie and Mark compliment each other well, the lessons are clear and I believe they will be very valuable.

I did the second session “Prehab Training”.  The idea behind prehab training is exactly what it sounds like it would be – training that strengthens and stabilizes the body to help prevent injury.  Avoiding injury is a HUGE part of training for any sport.  Nothing sets you back quicker than an injury – especially one that sidelines you.  I want to avoid the frustration and PREHAB.

The videos are online and well worth checking out.  Here’s the link.

I tried using my daughter’s physioball but found it to be, as expected,  too small.  So after the workout I bought one at Sports Authority along with a hi-tech moisture wicking running hat to protect my bald head.

Also picked some anti-chaffing stuff (thigh burn!) which I wouldn’t have known about had I not watched the special features in “Juno”.  Juno’s boyfriend is a distance runner.  There’s a shot of him applying what looks like deodorant to his inner thighs before a run.  Writer and director explain in the special features section that this is not deodorant at all but anti-chaffing stuff.  Figure I’ll try it out for  my run on Friday.   Tomorrow is weight training and hopefully later tossing the football around.

Overall I’m happy with my progress.  Feeling strong today.  Feeling healthy.  Just need to keep within myself here.

Dumb Ass

I’m guessing this won’t be the only time I use this title…

Started off good today.  Ran 1200 meters, walked 2 mins, ran 600 meters, walked 1 min, ran 600 meters.  I felt okay. Didn’t feel like I was pushing and holding steady at 2:40 400 meters.  After I warmed up with that 20 mins I began a light sprint workout – form at 60%.  I ran butt kicks and high legs then began the straight 30 yard sprints and tweaked my left hammy.  Crap.

A hour later what I am most astonished at is that I actually quit working out at that point – just walked to the car, drove home and am RICEing it.  Always a dumb ass (overtraining I suppose this time) but hopefully a little wiser than I might have been not so long ago.

Dizzy Wisdom

A good, even run today.  I am running a little faster and it seems to be okay, that is the pace isn’t leaving me overly tired or sore.  One advantage of training with my experience is knowing that slower and less is better.  I was going to say “training at my age” but age doesn’t necessarily teach you shit.

At the track today were two other runners.  One was a woman, maybe 35 years old, in great shape and obviously an experienced runner.  Great form – a fast, effortless runner who also happened to be pretty.  The other runner was a man about my age, in decent shape but it became obvious he was not in shape for the pace he had set for himself. He lapped me once – almost twice – and I could hear him coming from a hundred paces off – his breathing was terribly labored and he was pounding the shit out of the track.  It was scary as hell as he blew by me fearing that he was bound to die before his run was completed.  I don’t know, maybe he was trying to put on a good show for the woman.  A few years ago I might have done the same thing. But after so many Achilles heel problems, calf strains and shin splints I think I’ve learned my lesson – I want to do this, this Pentathlon competition, and injury is only going to mess things up. As far as impressing the woman goes, I think I pulled that off running my 50-yd sprints at 60%. Deeker Suave!

That would have all been undone though if she happened to see me spinning around in the discus circle off track, getting dizzy and falling into the protective netting!  I must assume that she is a serious athlete and has absolutely no  interest in me and missed my blundering.  (I hope NO ONE saw that).   Point is I need to figure out how one avoids dizziness moving through that circle.  This discus throw technique is going to require some coaching!

Hopeful

I asked one of the high school football coaches how the team was shaping up this season and he shook his head and said “hopeful”.  Hopeful? Hopeful.

I looked at the boys. They all looked nice. Nice is not what you’re looking for in a football team.  Times have changed since 1973. The football team has changed. These boys were x-box pudgy and big footed from eating estrogen-laden chicken all their lives. I’m not blaming the kids for their friendly bovine-like natures. All I’m saying is the 73 Parkside Eagles would totally annihilate the 09 Acalanes Dons.  That is if you could have kept us off the reefer long enough.

I worked a lot today. Actually ran 9 minutes without stopping! It wasn’t so bad. Could’ve gone more. I did sprint work and hops and ran two 100-meter dashes that were suppose to be at 60% but were more like 75%. I did 6 standing long jumps – a real shock to this old body! 5 pull ups.  Good workout.  I became more and more tired as the day wore on and today – the day after – I am sore and tired but confident that I am getting stronger every day and my determination remains high. I am stoked.

Fear of School Teachers (but Not Child Predators)

Today’s workout centered on trying to avoid two middle-age women school teachers walking/running around the track. There were two things about them I wished to avoid. First they talked non-stop. One of them had a horrible accent – maybe Australian or maybe Germanic – anyway just terrible and I am very sound sensitive. Second, I was afraid that these two chatter boxes, who were saggy and probably older than me, may actually have run as fast as me – talking the whole way!

I did avoid them and they were not as fast as me (thank God!).

I ran 4 four-minute runs/1-minute walks pretty smoothly. Had a coughing fit at some point. Pissed behind the storage sheds. Did 5 chin ups. Worked on my sprint form and ran several 30-yard dashes at 50%.

During the sprint work, a woman left her two-year-old VERY MUCH ALONE playing in the long jump pit while she walked 800 meters. How could this woman know this storage shed backside pisser, coughing fit OFF was not a kidnapper? I mean what the fuck! No one else around but me a few yards from the little girl and the idiot mom up to 300 yards away (the chatter box couple had left). Basically I had to keep an eye on the girl the entire time the mom was away.