Yesterday was 4.3 @ 12:31 pace.
Today was 4.4 @ 13:25 pace on trails for half and the other road. Ran early and it was already over 80.
Hips very sore. As I get around during the day doing various walks it helps. I stretch about 10 minutes before. I might stretch in the evening as well. It’s what Robert would do I figure.
4.3 @ 12:25 pace. Overcast and cooler in the mid 70s. If I’m going to continue with this power jogging then a new pair of shoes is in order.
Got to start working on strengthening the lower back. It’s not going to just vanish. Make a mental note today to look into it.
4.3 @ 13:11 pace. Straight ballin’ speed.
The last couple days were very helpful for gathering info. I took a beating though. Keeping it simple by very, very slowly increasing mileage is easy to manage because the next day is simple. My goal is to make things better along the way. The biggest item is lose weight, closely followed by hammy stretches. What is always there is pain in my pelvic structure and lower back. Beside running I walk 2-3 miles a day to keep things loose. I need to find a good stretch/strength for my lower back.
I look forward to every morning. I started to eat some easily digestible carbs about 45 minutes before I run. That and 3 cups of 50/50 black coffee. I went and got white bread, applesauce, graham crackers and bananas. Put down 150-200 calories.
4.2 @ 13:08 pace and it was brutal. I was on the verge of heat exhaustion. I should have stopped about half way but I forced it. I’ve felt better finishing most of my ultras than today. Two bad days in a row. I start out fine, but quickly deteriorate. Probably the high protein volume and calorie cutting. I’m going to try something new tomorrow and eat some simple carbs about 45 minutes prior to running.
4.2 @ 11:56 pace. Struggled the last half. I know why. Gonna have to make an adjustment. My back is still an issue, but two separate stretches are keeping me in the game for now.
The wife has Cat Stevens playing. Pleasant bonus.
To motivate myself I think I need to start pondering race goals either real or imagined. One adjustment I made is abandoning walking for brief stretches inside my running. Takes forever to cover any sort of distance. I still walk some every day to burn calories and keep limber.
So the two faux events would obviously be the Ice Age 50 mile and a road marathon. It motivates me to train and then analyze what I am doing and how this would map over these distances. I’m just starting back running so for now the goal times would be 11:00 and 4:00. That’s 13:12 pace on trails and about 9:09 pace on road respectively.
My last Ice Age was in 2023 with an 11:02. My last marathon was Lakefront in 2015 in 3:06. Pipe dreams.
For Ice Age I’d look at a 48/52 split which is a 5:16/5:44 split. 12:38/13:45 pacing. That’s an aggressive split, one that would take a lot of work.
So for me that’s getting my everyday training pace to about 10:15 minimum on pavement. I don’t generally take days off unless I have to. The volume would need to approach 65 miles a week and I would run the same volume every day. I would probably only do 3 long runs of like 22 - 26 - 30. Those would be trail. Mostly everything else on pavement because that works for me.
For grins I searched for aggressive 50 mile trail race training for a 65 year old. Puff the Magic Dragon advice. Like Frank Shorter said years ago, “It’s not all good looks and a secret recipe.” People are soft. And I am as well!
Time to change that.
In 2008, Tom Bunk at 66.5+ years old ran the Ice Age 50 mile in 8:35 and change. That’s a 10:20 pace and the age group record. Now that I’m 64, it really is an exemplary time that’s hard to get your head around. My last 6 trail 50 milers on 3 different WI courses were between 11:02 and 11:57. And that’s been a few years ago.
Most locals knew Tom. I certainly learned a lot from him. What secret sauce did he have? Tom’s training seemed simple. Almost everything was run on the trails and he ran long every Saturday. Not to mis lead anyone, Tom routinely put the coals to it the last half.
Just thinking about it, I think Tom and a few others (Clem certainly is at the top of this list) seemed to have shortened the conversion pace per mile from roads to trails. I’m thinking as much as 50% better than good runners, not the Girl Scouts.
My only clue to this is Tom’s theory was your Ice Age time should be 2 x your current marathon time plus one hour. This was never close for me, but it worked for him. I was more of an add 1:35.
Look at Clem. 2:32 times 2 is 5:04 plus 1:00 is 6:04. He ran just under 6:00. That’s insane.
4.0 today @ 11:44 pace.
4.0 @ 12:31 pace. 4 cups of coffee just to loosen up.
Richard joined the Church today. 96.5 years old.
I can still eat a whole medium pizza.
Donna’s watermelon she grew is fantastic.
Pirates win. Need bullpen help to make playoffs. Half game back in wildcard.
Two hour nap. I must of been tired. Dreamt I had a full length, asphalt basketball court in the backyard. I have dreamt in the past I could gorilla dunk.
John’s Roast Pork. Sandwich shop in Philly. Might go up next year for a bite. Catch the Pirate game as well.
Boundary Waters looking grim with the fires.
Gonna try 4.0 again tomorrow before I ramp up to 4.1.
4.0 this morning @ 12:44 pace. Looking to find a way to increase mileage so I can become trimmer. Not liking the fat body look. The challenge is my structure. I’m crooked as hell.
I typed in beast mode training for a trail 50 mile. Pretty comical. Is 45-55 miles a week beast mode? Of course the plan would be more than adequate, but again the main thing is not the main thing. It seems you spend as much time doing other stuff besides running.
They described the run as a big buffet style eating fest. That’s not my experience at all. Calories are important, but it is very personal. They stress back to backs versus the one long run. You could sell me either way because I have experience. I think someone newer benefits more from the long run.
At the end of the day it is volume of miles a week to me. I believe one could basically go run 2 hours daily and do super well. You want to know what rubs. Run 6-7 hours. You want to know what to carry, what to eat, what electrolytes work. Run 6-7 hours. Want to know how to handle cold, hot or rain. Go run 6-7 hours.
I see electric bike people with water packs. What you want to bet they have cappuccino machine at home.
The opening to the song Shaft is dynamite. I’m just saying.
24 official days of work before retirement. I still have the gas down. Running through the tape every day.
Boundary Waters trip in jeopardy with the fires. Might have to do flowage or UP.
I was at the dermatologist and they called for Mrs. Jones. Of course I said out loud - we have a thing going on! Pretty well received. It’s an older crowd.
Working on my gravitas on the electric bikes phenomenon. I may have used that word wrong, but it is a running blog.
As I contemplate some big adventure, it takes a whole lot of getting in shape and denying oneself. Which takes me back to my former philosophy of keeping the main thing the main thing. In the day I just pounded miles, worked, and raised a family. I never stretched, cross trained, lifted, watched what I ate or worried about dipping snuff. Listen to me, it was damn near Bastille Day everyday. Come and get some.
Then you age out to a degree and every other week you are going to get after it…I farging swear. Such BS. You are never your own Grandpa brother. Sure…some amazing tune comes on and you drift back into adrenaline phase thinking it is time to release the hounds. Then you have to mow the damn yard, or put a fuel line on the beater and reality sets in.
Let me tell you something. I didn’t have this name for it, but in the day it was the general philosophy. In the 2024 election cycle they called it too big to rig. You’re damn right. Can you dig it? Adopt a workout, double workout, yard work, middle of the 95F weather and just freaking 396 Chevelle SS it.
P-funk brother.
Anyway…my buddy from HS is calling. Keep the faith.
4.1 @ 12:12 pace. Not bad. If I dropped 15 and maybe figured out a way to become more flexible there might be hope for me.
Going to try and get some canoeing in later. Maybe I’ll find one stretch to start and go from there.
Leave for Boundary Waters on August 20th from Florida.
3.2 canoe
3.2 jog
8 hours of world class paint sales.
I like running out and backs because when you turn for home the run is essentially over.
Braves at Pirates @ 6:40 tonight for those keeping track. Remember Ralph Garr? The Road Runner.
A jog/walk special in the neighborhood that covered 5.3 miles. Walked a bit with John my neighbor. All in all it was 14:02 pace. Still near the Mendoza line for Ice Age.
I didn't forget you. I'm jog/walking about twice a week. Today was 7.2 averaging 12:56. It's getting a hair better. I will be in Red Lake, MN with the boys this week so not much jogging around while ice fishing. Plus it's colder than a well diggers ass.
Still plan on showing up at the 12 hour on 2/14. Maybe 20? It'd be a good goal. It's going down to 28 - 30 here tonight. Keep the faith!
I've been on the road for work chasing power, oil & gas, steel fabricators, and industrial contractors for business. It was a good trip. Lots to follow up on. When I get in the cover Florida mode, real life can disappear. It's what we do. Big guys in twos, little guys in bunches. I pick chunks out of my stool bigger than some of these guys.
So...with my meds I have a high risk of skin cancer and you get this stuff cut out. Like anything else after a while you start asking questions. They wanted to do this special procedure and in short I asked what the success rate is with what I normally get and it was 99.6%. That's a 60-70% price difference Bruh than the new procedure. Talk about up sale! Plus it's 20 minutes versus 2 hours. This is my second dermatology outfit here in FL. I will leave it at that.
So I signed up for a 12 hour event here on the trails in town for 2/14. It is a free event. My goal was 25 miles in 6 hours, but I may have to change the goal if the Achilles is barking. I'll know tomorrow because I'm gonna hammer it. I'll be leaning in hard...like taking a big whiff of jalapeños. Freaking Dave Wottle territory. Hold my beer.
Don't feel too bad today. The Achilles is barking a bit so I had to walk easy and cutback the distance. That's what happens when you drop the big engine into a Pinto body. No matter. Twern't no Grizz left anyway. Put in 3.5 on the canoe.
Today was a scale day. That sucker read 185 and the guy in the mirror looked a bit like an old Dudley Doorite fellar with a stomach pack on. It was grim.
Back to stamping out widgets tomorrow. Probably head up to the Jacksonville area mid week for a day or two. Make a couple cold calls and see my future be my future.
Today I put in 9.3 and averaged 13:38 per mile. My longest single effort by far in over a year. It's like a toy was pulled out of a box of cereal and I've been put in charge of it. I don't think I jogged a total of 25 miles last year. Not that it was missed, but 17 pounds were added to the frame. Even a walk-run format helps burn higher calories. I jogged 36% of the effort. I almost had to learn how to jog again.
Again, my tendency is to overdo things and today was probably a hair more than I should of done. This whole experiment is to find a way not to trash my back, hip, and pelvis on the left side. I was pleased with today and it's a first step towards 2/14. For now I am trying to stick to 2 days a week of adding jogging. Probably stick with Wednesday and Saturday. The other days I'll canoe, bike, and walk. These aren't anything more than comfortable efforts, but I get in around 2 hours a day of activity. Physically I'm in decent shape, but fat and stupid mostly. Any improvement will primarily be from losing weight.
Like most lifetime endurance enthusiasts, it just makes sense to have something on the docket to work towards. I have some large canoe goals. I'm looking at a big loop of 2-3 days travel and roughing it. Not always easy when you're part of a two person tag team. I feel ready to jump in and go, but not an easy sale. I'm making two weekly trips to MN this year. Ice fishing in a couple weeks at Red Lake and the Boundary Waters in August. Good or bad I'd leave on an adventure every month before the sands of time expire, but you gotta dance with the one who brung ya.
Kind of tired today. Achieved 20,000 and 21,000 steps the past couple days which is a lot for me. Did 4.5 on the canoe at O dark 30. I was even sub par for that. That's okay as trying to learn rest is still an enigma.
Tomorrow is going to be a mostly walk and some trotting around at the park trails. I'd like to achieve 8-10 and see what pace that works out to. If I can stay out of the pelvic pain zone there is a good chance I'll keep working towards my goal adventure on 2/14.
Tonight is Black Flag night. It's a modification that mainly involves me, a fire, wings, green onions, and possibly a refreshment. This takes place about 2 out of 3 weeks. I burn all the tree fodder, landscape refuge and petroleum based packing material that shows up in these packages to the house everyday.
If someone were to ask me what I thought the best path was between weekly miles or the long run once a week phenomena I'd pick weekly miles. I'm not discounting the weekly long run ideology for ultras...heck I used it myself...successfully. With the need to be acquainted with electronic devices as it is today, it seems the time required for weekly miles is probably unprobable.
Someone just advised me there is a burn ban. "A possible $1,000 dollar fine or even jail time." Look out momma there's a white boat coming up the river.
While out on a 5.5 mile walk this morning I was breaking down what was needed to achieve a goal I'm looking at on 2/14. More later, but having something on the radar helps stay in the zone of analysis, learning, and edge rushing of sorts. It brought back memories of training for a marathon time.
One could go on for hours, but for me it all came down to what exact pace per mile could I potentially carry to the finish. All workouts and trials were geared towards knowing this exact pace within about 5 seconds. It is possible to train this way and remove any doubt on race day. It is probably one of the most effective ways to distribute your resources and if done correctly may even result in a negative split.
Here's an example. Four other friends and myself decided to run Boston 2016 together as just a fun run. First we had to get a bit under our qualifier time. I needed a 3:20 and went out and ran a 3:15:58 off general conditioning and man I paid the price. I decided I would train specifically for a marathon in the fall at Lakefront to improve my chances of getting in.
I set a goal of sub 3:10. That's 7:14 pace. I went out to the South track and did a long effort and was right near this pace, but it was freaking work with perfect conditions. From there everything was tailored to achieve this pace and project it over the whole distance. As I continued to train and improve it seemed possible to run a 3:07. At Al's Run 8k that year I punched in what a 3:07 time converts to an 8k time and it was just over 32 minutes. I used the hillrunner.com calculator. I ran the 8k in 31:55 which was a good marker.
I ran Lakefront a few weeks later in 3:06:15 with a negative split effort at 54 years old. This demonstrates to me that this type of training works at any age and if calculators are used properly can be a useful resource.
