Most engineers, at the least the good ones, like to learn from their experiences and take notes and just kind of keep track of things. Engineers are just stupid about calculating fuel mileage, gas prices, project costs, household budgets, loan principal remaining, exercise journals and so on. I have done all of these and still continue to keep an exercise log( two formats) also keep track of my projects and loans. My training log is actually in Excel and is over 2600 lines at this point. I keep track of location and any environmental oddities and the calories, body weight, time, intensity and the heart rate and elapsed time for each distance ran. Excessive recordkeeping? Maybe, but it is helpful to review after good or poor performances and try and find the key factor that has effected the outcome.
The latest meet was very successful. I felt very good and still had a little left at the finish of the 200 and was not in a coffin at the end of the 400. In recent races I had been breaking down at the very end and getting beat. That situation is what my most recent training was trying to overcome and to a certain extent it was successful. What was different?? My weight was at 200 pounds which I want get into the mid 190's for the Nationals. I also started some new type of running that would minimize the risk to my feet--they are my real weak area now. I started doing 800 meters on the track at a pace that would finish at 3:40 to 3:50 minute range. Slow? Yes. My goal was to manage my heart rate the first 600 and ramp up the speed the last 200 meters so I would not lock up the hammies but get some real strain on them. I think this was effective in getting my fitness to a higher level. I did the long and slow 1 or 2 times per week. Going forward, this will be a major part of my training and I will do it 2 per week. Even at the 3:40 pace, my heart rate be at 96% max at the half way point. So, I was running an entire 400 meters with my heart rate 95 to 99% of the maximum of 169. My breathing was OK and I could manage to control it well enough to keep my running form in the last 200 meters, but yet still get a great heart and lung work out. This seems to be the most significant change.
I did my speed work all in the last three weeks before the finals and this was incredibly helpful in staying healthy. There was a lot of good runners at the State that had injuries from training that keep them in the stands. I made that mistake when I was 55 and it has not been repeated.
Another area that I have been trying to improve is strength. I have done weight room work in the past and have had some really sore legs the next couple of days. I have finally found a way to fix the soreness and now I can run the next day with my long and slow session. I have finally realized that I need to do cool down running after the legs strength work. After I get the legs done and a session takes about 60 full minutes, I run around the gym track and I actually look like an old man jogging. The knees are ouchy and power is just not there, but I get in some laps and call it a day. I think this bit of running is enough to flush out the lactic acid and speed the recovery immensely.
So going forward, I am looking at my training cycle to be weights, low and slow, speed, rest, repeat. The weights are tough to do on the road and I will try to make sure I can get them in at least weekly.
Now the anal retentive section:
I have been doing this Sr Olympian thing since I was 54 years old--actually 53.5 years, with my birthday in November , it is to my advantage for the age groupings. My first meet was the 2010 Tennessee State meet. My previous meet was the 1975 Ohio AA State Meet in the horse shoe at OSU. In that meet I ran a 50.7 split 440 meters to lead of the 6 th place RV Bears mile relay team with a time of 3:28.0. At 54 I ran 61.0 seconds in 400 meters and won by a bunch. At the Ohio championships I long jumped and took 5 th at 21' 1 3/4". I no longer do any jumping--my leg knee gets way to mad and it kills my running--I am just a runner now. Also at 54 I ran 200 meters in 27:30 seconds to win in the TN State meet. My fastest time in high school was 24.2 as a junior or sophomore on cinders. I could not win the 200 in high school, so I did not run it (coaches decision)! River View High school had a cinder track and it had a long chute that was set up to run the 220 on a straight!!!!!!!!! I suck at straightaways now, I guess I sucked than too. I really think if my high school had run the 220 on a curve, I would have won some meets at that distance. I think it is quite interesting how things develop over time. Running the curves is one of my major strengths now.
I have been asked how many medals have you won? My stock answer is a bunch. The correct answer is a bunch. In my seven years of running the TN State Finals I have won 9 golds, 9 silvers and 1 bronze medal in three different age groups and running 20 events. I have won 3 (1 gold) in Ky and one at the National Meet, but the TN medals are most useful for any real comparisons. Total medals are 23 at the State or National level. Only one bronze--which was when I was the old man in the class at 50 meters. Ran a great time and got smoked.
As I review the results, I am most competitive in the 200 and 400 meters with 3 golds in 400 and 4 in the 200, 2 in the 50 meters. None in the 100--the straightaway thing again.
Silver medals are 2 in 200, 2 in 400, 4 in the 100 and 1 in the 50.
Bronze--50 meters.
There was three times I did not run the 400 due to illness or injury.
Looking at the medals-- I waste my time with the 100-total agreement there. I can win the 50 at the local and state meets and I am competitive at the State and nationals in the 200 and 400 meters. I plan on playing to my strength at the Nationals again next year--50 meters for fun, 200 and 400 meters to make the finals and the 4 x 100 relay to get the Tennessee Tri Stars another medal. My training will work towards strength in the longer sprints and not getting hurt!!
Have great Holiday and remember to "Not Act Your Age"
The latest meet was very successful. I felt very good and still had a little left at the finish of the 200 and was not in a coffin at the end of the 400. In recent races I had been breaking down at the very end and getting beat. That situation is what my most recent training was trying to overcome and to a certain extent it was successful. What was different?? My weight was at 200 pounds which I want get into the mid 190's for the Nationals. I also started some new type of running that would minimize the risk to my feet--they are my real weak area now. I started doing 800 meters on the track at a pace that would finish at 3:40 to 3:50 minute range. Slow? Yes. My goal was to manage my heart rate the first 600 and ramp up the speed the last 200 meters so I would not lock up the hammies but get some real strain on them. I think this was effective in getting my fitness to a higher level. I did the long and slow 1 or 2 times per week. Going forward, this will be a major part of my training and I will do it 2 per week. Even at the 3:40 pace, my heart rate be at 96% max at the half way point. So, I was running an entire 400 meters with my heart rate 95 to 99% of the maximum of 169. My breathing was OK and I could manage to control it well enough to keep my running form in the last 200 meters, but yet still get a great heart and lung work out. This seems to be the most significant change.
I did my speed work all in the last three weeks before the finals and this was incredibly helpful in staying healthy. There was a lot of good runners at the State that had injuries from training that keep them in the stands. I made that mistake when I was 55 and it has not been repeated.
Another area that I have been trying to improve is strength. I have done weight room work in the past and have had some really sore legs the next couple of days. I have finally found a way to fix the soreness and now I can run the next day with my long and slow session. I have finally realized that I need to do cool down running after the legs strength work. After I get the legs done and a session takes about 60 full minutes, I run around the gym track and I actually look like an old man jogging. The knees are ouchy and power is just not there, but I get in some laps and call it a day. I think this bit of running is enough to flush out the lactic acid and speed the recovery immensely.
So going forward, I am looking at my training cycle to be weights, low and slow, speed, rest, repeat. The weights are tough to do on the road and I will try to make sure I can get them in at least weekly.
Now the anal retentive section:
I have been doing this Sr Olympian thing since I was 54 years old--actually 53.5 years, with my birthday in November , it is to my advantage for the age groupings. My first meet was the 2010 Tennessee State meet. My previous meet was the 1975 Ohio AA State Meet in the horse shoe at OSU. In that meet I ran a 50.7 split 440 meters to lead of the 6 th place RV Bears mile relay team with a time of 3:28.0. At 54 I ran 61.0 seconds in 400 meters and won by a bunch. At the Ohio championships I long jumped and took 5 th at 21' 1 3/4". I no longer do any jumping--my leg knee gets way to mad and it kills my running--I am just a runner now. Also at 54 I ran 200 meters in 27:30 seconds to win in the TN State meet. My fastest time in high school was 24.2 as a junior or sophomore on cinders. I could not win the 200 in high school, so I did not run it (coaches decision)! River View High school had a cinder track and it had a long chute that was set up to run the 220 on a straight!!!!!!!!! I suck at straightaways now, I guess I sucked than too. I really think if my high school had run the 220 on a curve, I would have won some meets at that distance. I think it is quite interesting how things develop over time. Running the curves is one of my major strengths now.
I have been asked how many medals have you won? My stock answer is a bunch. The correct answer is a bunch. In my seven years of running the TN State Finals I have won 9 golds, 9 silvers and 1 bronze medal in three different age groups and running 20 events. I have won 3 (1 gold) in Ky and one at the National Meet, but the TN medals are most useful for any real comparisons. Total medals are 23 at the State or National level. Only one bronze--which was when I was the old man in the class at 50 meters. Ran a great time and got smoked.
As I review the results, I am most competitive in the 200 and 400 meters with 3 golds in 400 and 4 in the 200, 2 in the 50 meters. None in the 100--the straightaway thing again.
Silver medals are 2 in 200, 2 in 400, 4 in the 100 and 1 in the 50.
Bronze--50 meters.
There was three times I did not run the 400 due to illness or injury.
Looking at the medals-- I waste my time with the 100-total agreement there. I can win the 50 at the local and state meets and I am competitive at the State and nationals in the 200 and 400 meters. I plan on playing to my strength at the Nationals again next year--50 meters for fun, 200 and 400 meters to make the finals and the 4 x 100 relay to get the Tennessee Tri Stars another medal. My training will work towards strength in the longer sprints and not getting hurt!!
Have great Holiday and remember to "Not Act Your Age"
The other thing about engineers is they make good husbands. They pay the same attention to detail about everything.
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