Ok for Quality, Not Distance

Week of Sept. 2 ~ 8
76.6km / 47.6 mi.

Not achieving my target of 90km per week. It seems that doing three hard workouts per week does not leave me enough energy to run twice a day on Thursday and Sunday. Which is ok, I suppose....

Monday
3:30 with X-country team - 11.6km. 1.6 + 1 warmup.
3 mile tempo run with two junior varsity boy runners at 7:24/mile (4:38/k) on dirt course with one hill, and one more mile in 7:16. Nice, comfortable pace on the tempo run. (This day should actually be a harder tempo run.)
Weather: 30C/86F, 60%
Weight: 58.6kg

Tuesday
Gym workout

Wednesday
17k (5 + 12)
11:30 - Despite my "no two-a-days", I did go out for an easy 5k, having rested Tuesday.
7:30 - club track workout of 1000m x 6.
3:55/50/49/50/53/51 (200m jog in 2:30, 3:50 after 4th)
Quite warm and very muggy, so this was not a bad workout. Had several guys to run with and worked hard.
Weight: 57.9kg

Thursday
4:00 with X-country team - 14k.
1.5 easy, then up and down 80m hill for 4,3,2,1 minute with 1 minute rests.
1.5k easy, then 9k at about 6:00/k
Weather: 28C/82F, humid
Weight: 57.8kg

Friday
12:00 - 12k easy.

Saturday
3:30 - 14k. 4k warmup, 3k x 3 in 13:51, 14:04, 14:07 (5 min walk).
Planned to run this pace (about 4:40/k) - nice "cruise interval" pace.
Weather: 28C/82F, not humid, so felt cool.
Weight: 58.4kg

Sunday
11:00 - 8k at very easy pace. Strange - felt very weak after 3k and walked 3 times. Decided to walk home after 4k, but 1k from home started jogging and then felt ok, so ran 4k at a normal easy pace.
But didn't feel up to going out again in the afternoon.
Weather: 26C/79F, but 90% humidity.
Weight: 57.3kg - maybe this is too low....

Bit of a Mishap

Week of Aug 26 ~ Sept 1

52.9km / 32.8 mi.

Monday
4:00 - 6k very easy with HS cross-country team - their first practice. About 20 boys and 20 girls on the team.
Have a sore lower back. It got sore last night for some reason.
Weight: 58.4kg

Tuesday
4:00 - 4.2k. Was a bit more than halfway into an easy run with the kids, had just picked the pace up a bit, when...I smashed my head into the branch of a tree! Not a horizontal branch, this was sticking out straight (hidden by leaves) and had been cut off, so was sharp. It took a nice gouge out of the top of my head. It didn't hurt too much, so I thought I was ok. Had my hand over it, the kids saying, "Are you ok, Mr. Poulson?" I said, "Yes, I'm ok," and took my hand away. It was covered with blood, and blood started running down my head. The kids started yelling, "No, you're not ok, Mr. Poulson, you're not ok!"
So I walked back 20 minutes to the school, accompanied by one of the girls in case I passed out, with my shirt pressed to my head. I was fine, had no trouble getting back and went to the nurse, who put disinfectant and a bandage on it.
My wife puts disinfectant on it and changes the bandage each day, so 5 days on and it seems to be healing all right. I was going to give you a photo, but it's not very pretty.
So that was the excitement for the week.

Wednesday
7:30pm - 5,000m club time trial.
Head felt ok, so decided to run the 5,000. I told the club members, "If my head starts bleeding, tell me and I'll stop." They laughed, but I said, "No, I'm serious!"
Well, it was ok and I ran 19:46. Splits of 3:51/57/4:00/3:59/59. Not great, but I'm still not in very good shape. And it was hot and humid. Anyway, I wanted to run under 20:00 and did.
The strange thing was, I picked up the pace from 4,000m, went around and pulled away from two guys, and then ran hard the last 400, but those 2 ks were both 3:59. I think that shows that the heat takes more out of you than you realize.
Weather: 28C/82F, 58%
Weight: 59.1kg early am, 58.2 before running

Thursday
4:00 - 10k, with 8k running with junior varsity kids at easy pace.
PS: Took my hedge clippers with me and rode out to the tree before practice and cut off that branch! Held it up in front of the kids before practice and yelled, "I got my revenge!" Good for a laugh.

Friday
11:30 - Gym workout
3:30 - 6k with 1 mile time trial with varsity girls, on part asphalt, part dirt path in a park. Myself and the top girl ran 6:20, with 5 other girls close behind us - great! This was a good pace for them in the heat.
Top two boys ran 4:47 and 4:48!
Weather: 34C/93F
Weight: 57.7kg


Saturday
12:30 - 16.5k in the heat! Total 1:29:12 @5:24/k but with first and last 10 mins very easy. A very tough run.
Weather: 36C/97F ? (33 in shade, but much hotter in the sun).
Weight: 57.5kg

Sunday
Rest - hard run yesterday and have a 4 mile tempo run with the varsity boys tomorrow (not with the top boys!)
Back is still sore each day, but when sitting, not when running or walking. I'm not sure what this is, hope it goes away.

A Tiring Week

Week of Aug. 19 ~ 25

80.1km / 50 mi.

Monday
4:30 - 12k with 6k very easy, 6k in 28:36 @4:45. 2k splits were 9:52/9:35/9:07.
Felt very stiff at first, managed to run after stretching a bit at 6k. The last 2k was a bit of a surprise.
Weather: 32C/90F, 55%
Weight: 58kg

Tuesday
3:00 - Gym workout

Wednesday
7:30pm - club track workout. 7.6 k with 400 x 4 x 3
92/86/82/82  85/86/86/83  87/84/86/81 (walk abt 1:25 after each, 2:50 after 4th and 8th)
Felt ok but not great. Ran fairly hard - tough workout in high humidity!
Weather: 30C/86F, 80%

Thursday
10:30 - 8.5k very easy.
5:00 - 14k in 1:23:04 @5:56 (out @6:09, in @5:43). Felt much better than in the morning, although legs tired.
Weather: 32C, 31C, 60%
Weight: 58.2kg

Friday
1:00 - Gym workout
3:30 - 12k in 1:13:35 @6:08 (6k in @ abt 5:50)
Weather: 29C/84F, 60%
Weight: 57.6kg

Saturday
3:30 - 14k with 4k WU, 4k/3k/2k tempo, 1k WD
Really stiff and tired - could barely move at first. Walked and stretched after each WU km and managed to set off at a good pace. 4k in 18:10 (9:05/9:05) @4:32 - wlk 5 mins - 3k in 13:24 @4:28 - wlk 5 mins. 2k in 9:05 (4:36/29). Really good effort, esp. the 3k and the last k.
This is a good workout - I recommend it. (Ideally, you should get about 10 sec per k faster each interval. But hard to do on a hot day.)
Weather: 31C/88F, 55%
Weight: 57.9kg

Sunday
1:00 - 12k very easy. Lower back sore (got sore last night) but ok when running. Knee slightly sore. Very stiff and tired. Schedule called for 8k+8k, but cut it back to one run. (Have to run with kids tomorrow - first day of American School cross country practice.)
Weather: 25C/77F, 80%
Weight: 57.6kg

57.6kg is 126 lbs — light!

Good Training Week

Week of Aug. 12 ~ 18

81.5km / 50.6 mi.

Held back a bit on the distance (81.5 vs. program target of 90) and not running fast yet (not in shape), but a good week of training with no aches or pains.

All temperatures are taken in the shade, but also sheltered from any breeze.

Monday
4:00 - 12k with 6k easy in 33:38 (5:36/k) and 6k tempo in 27:07 (4:41/k). 2k splits were 9:30/16/23. First hard workout in 6-1/2 weeks. Legs felt good after warmup and some stretching after 6k.
Weather: 35C/95F, 55%
Weight: 58.3kg

Tuesday
Gym workout.

Wednesday
7:30pm - club track workout. 1200/1200/1000/1000/800/800
4:42/4:39/3:48/3:53/3:07/3:01
200 jog after each in 2:30~3:00, walk after the 800.
Good workout in the heat. Pushed them all, esp. the last 800.
First good track workout since June 19.
Weather: 31C/88F (on the track), 60%
Weight: 58.9kg

Thursday
9:00am - 6.5k very easy (means over 6min per km.)
4:30 - 8.5k in 51:30 @6:03/k. Felt ok.
Weather: am 32C/90F (sunny), pm 30C/86F (cloudy, breezy so feels cooler)
Weight: 58.2kg

Friday
11:30 - Gym workout.
1:30 - 10.5 in 1:00:32 @5:46. Walked 200m in the middle.
Weather: 34C/93F, 55%
Weight: 57.9kg

Saturday
4:00 - 3k WU, 3k x 2, 1k WD
3k in 3:14/26 @4:24/28 (walk 5:00 in between)
Felt good. Not going all out, but it felt fast enough. Planned to cruise at 4:30~40, but cruised even faster, even in the heat.
Weather: 32C/90F, 50%
Weight: 58.4kg

Sunday
10:00 - 10k in 58:37 @5:51 Legs felt ok, no stops.
4:15 - 12k in 1:11:01 @5:55. Felt ok, but not as good as am. No stops. No aches or pains!
Running twice a day is much more pleasant and easier on the body than one long run, especially in the heat. Glad I'm no longer training for marathons!
Weather: am 30, pm 32 (with breeze)
Weight: 58.1kg. Basically achieved my target of 58kg, so now will aim for 57, which with running 90km a week may be doable. (In the past, I was _never_ this thin. It feels good.)

Leg is Ok, Ready to Run

Week of Aug. 5 ~ 11

38km / 23.6 mi.

Took it easy this week just to make sure the calf muscle tear has healed, and I'm now sure that it has, so I'll start my training program from tomorrow.
Which will be:
Mon: 12k - 6 easy, 6 at "good" or "fast" pace, depending on how legs feel.
Tues: Rest
Wed: 11k - w/ intervals on the track, 1000m x 6 or similar variations.
Thur: 17k - am 8.5k easy, pm 8.5k easy
Fri: 12k easy
Sat: 14k - 3kWU, 10k of some type of long intervals, 1kWD (or switch with friday?)
Sun: 24k - am 12k easy, pm 12k easy (or 10/14)
Total 90k / 56 mi.

Monday
10k easy with walks after each 2k
Weight: 58.2kg

Tuesday
Gym workout

Wednesday
7:30pm - 8k track workout, 1000 x 6. All about 5:10, last one 4:53 - just easy to test the calf. No pain or stiffness at all.
Weight: 58.9kg

Thursday
10k easy, walks after 4k and 8k.

Friday
Gym workout.

Saturday
2:30 - 10k easy. Hot! 37C/99F. Was doing 2k loops at a decent pace with other guys. Drank water after 3rd, 4th and 5th. Planned to do another but felt a bit dizzy, so quit.
Weight: 58.2kg

Sunday
Gym workout
Weight: 57.7kg.

T&F World Championships has started out great for Japan with a bronze medal in the marathon by Fukushi. She is a real character, has long been my favorite Japanese runner. I've liked her ever since a long ago interview in which the announcer asked her, after winning a race, so what are you aiming for next? It's an annoying question, when you've just finished a big race, but Japanese always say something like: The Olympics is 2 years away, so I'll start training for that. Fukushi said: I'm aiming to see how much beer I can drink tonight.

Back Running Again

Due to a minor but painful calf muscle tear, I did not run all of July. Started in very gingerly Aug. 1, then the 3rd, 4th and 5th did 8k, 8k, 10k at an easy pace with several rest walks. No pain or stiffness at all, so I guess the calf has healed.

I'll rest tomorrow and do a moderately paced track workout wednesday as a test. If all is well, I'll get back to regular training next week.

Have lost 2.5kg since getting back from Thailand - pretty impressive considering I wasn't running.
Down to 58.2kg. The goal was 58, so I've revised that to 57. Kenyan thinness, here I come!

Have also been doing abs or a gym workout every day. People marvel at my 6-pack abs.

First photo is of me in two months time.
Second photo is of club members at the beach, with me up on the left.

Back from Bangkok with a Muscle Tear

Had a nice 17-day vacation in Bangkok (as well as Koh Samui and Hua Hin) visiting my daughter and her husband. Ate far too much, but only gained about 2kg, less than I expected.

I didn't get the muscle tear in Bangkok, rather, I diagnosed it there. This was the calf issue that I suddenly got on June 29th. I finally realized that it was more than just a cramp/strain and had to be a tear. Minor I think, but a tear nonetheless, and therefore it's wise not to run until it heals — another two weeks?

As for the knee, I went to a hospital in Bangkok with a good sports clinic. They did an MRI and the doctor showed me that I have a tear in the meniscus. Not plica syndrome as I had thought (hoped). Also  some cartilage wear, which may be causing pain as well. Arthroscopic surgery can fix the tear (which is not large), but not the wear. If I do nothing, the tear does not heal on its own.

The surgery in Bangkok would be surprisingly expensive, so I opted not to have it done. Once I start running again, I'll decide what to do. Not having run for 3 weeks, I have no pain in the knee and almost no inflammation. That is, it looks almost, but not quite, the same as the other one.

Met Marty (One Man Running Club) twice in Bangkok; the first time we went to a New Zealand fish restaurant, the second time he took me, my wife and daughter to a really good Arabian restaurant. He was confident about the Pattaya Marathon, and he came through with a perfect run, as most of you have probably read about.

So I had a setback on the "Kenyan-thin" program, but made progress on the "Kenyan-tan" side. The Kenyan speed is not there yet, either. By the end of August, I plan to be pretty good in all three areas.

Good running,
Bob