Dang, where do I start from last week? Started the income tax season and no time during weak to post/comment:

@Redrunner: I've been using the RA LHR forum since late 2009 and was making good pace improves even tho using a MAF which is to high for me with all the meds I am on. Body and brain had a lot of objections in 2011 as I mentioned, so time to reset. Will keep this forum posted.

@Lake & Veg - great job on your respective races. Speedsters compared to me!

@MattJ - sympathy wrt new job. I've established more than one technical support org in my days, can swing either way as to fun or pain. Good luck on the fun part. As to Achilles, I didn't use stretches last year, used ice, biofreeze and rest. Lots of slow walking between any attempts at running. All of it on level ground and some in shoes to reduce stress on the Achilles.

As to pacers - I can't contribute, have never used one. They don't have them slow enough for me in most races. My pb being 2:55. hope to improve it at the 3M half in two weeks - its a mostly rolling hills, down hill point to point course.

Did first MAF test using new measured MAF of 95 this morning. Felt good. 29F, pre-dawn at the start using HS track, wore my VFF Sprints. 1.75mi w/u, 3 MAF mi; .5 mi c/d. Could have done more MAF miles but nature call forced use of a foul porta potty near the track. Spent 1:24hrs on feet. Was planning on a lap or two in socks which I had with me, but after the bio break was to upset to think about that.

Am thinking about tomorrows long run. Might find some level ground, carry hydration and shoot for 3hrs part of it BF if ground is warm or in socks if cold. Have gotten 5.7 mi on one pair of socks w/no holes so far. Guess form has improved.

Wow, Frog! That is just sensational, well done!

Bobev, I was sad to read your recent post about the extent of your health problems and the AO exposure- I knew of course about the heart problems. I admire your courage and perseverance, a healthy activity can only be good for you. My son has some fairly serious heart problems  but is dedicated to a healthy lifestyle including running and is able to live a normal life.

The form drills I have tried are high knees, bounding for stronger quads, fast feet, butt kicks (kicking up heels). I also do a few other things which may be useful, long strides to combat age related tightness, running backwards,  and swiveling my hips while sprinting to strengthen abdominals. I also try to remember to keep my head up and elbows in at my hips, but who knows if any of this stuff helps?

Lakerunner- it just occurred to me- calcium and vitamin D- drink milk! Of course it is not as simple as that, but it might help a little.

Great result, you should be over the moon pleased with that.  Fan-tas-tic!  You must aim for sub-2:00 in your next half, that barrier is sooooo close.

 

And, yeah....Miller Lite, is that the best you can do? Your body deserves better for its work today.

Yep, now that I'm knee deep in DFH 90 min and Dale's pale ale, I can confirm I was strictly typing about caliber, not calories. Again though, well done, and looking forward to the sub 2, after which I know you'll have some better beer stocked for the celebration

hit n run

Simon: thanks for the comment. Actually the heart attack was the best thing that happened to me, at least the way it happened. If the ER had uncovered reflux instead of accidentally inducing the attack I would not have known about 95%+ blockage and probably would have dropped dead. 2011 sucked because I didn't listen to my body and got discouraged thinking about fighting a losing battle/e.g. odds against ya because of family history and AO exposure... finally snapped out of that crap, feel healthy and ready to race again.

Form - I've been following Barefoot Ken Bob's form for both BF and minimal shoe running, bent knees, rapid turnover, light landing ball/heel/toe order, deepening squat to force legs to lift. It's actually helping me learn to BF crushed gravel trail.

No run yesterday. Left calf cramped Sat night. So did sun salutations and floor exercises. So its screw a 3hr long run before the 3M half in two weeks. Am just going to do my 1-1 1/2 hr runs and stay healthy. I know I can finish the race and if its faster than 2:55 for a PB I'll be happier than just finishing.

3.1mi BF this morning. Temps jumped to 63F & misty, so got out there and also did the .21mi gravel trail. Getting easier as landings get lighter and more rapid.

I had the opportunity to run my first ever indoor track meet yesterday, and I'm pretty pleased with the results.  We got there early, and I quickly started my pre-race routine of drinking as much water and going to the bathroom as many times as I possibly could.  I think I downed at least 7-8 bottles in just an hour and a half.  Warmed up with about a half-mile (less than usual since I was having pain in my left shin) and a couple striders + tuck-jumps.

The first race was the 4x800m, and I'd never raced an 800 before so I had no idea what to expect.  I took my leg comfortably fast, passing the person in front of me in the second lap and maintaining a lead for the rest (it was a 200m track, so 4 laps).  I finished in 2:38, which translates to a 5:18 pace or so.  I felt like I had a lot more energy at the end and could've gone faster if I had known how to properly pace an 800.

There was then about an hour break before the 1600m.  I did a couple striders and tuck-jumps before the start, then lined up with the others.  There were three guys' heats: sub-5 milers, 5-5:30, and 5:30 up so my mile PR of 5:49 placed me in the slower, 3rd heat.  I was seeded third in that one out of 11 guys so I lined up 3rd closest to the inside of the track, after a teammate who was seeded 2nd.  The gun went off (that thing's loud!) and we all sprinted to gain position.  I tend to start races slow and count on people slowing down while I run pretty much even splits, so I started near the back of the pack.  After the first lap I had fallen in behind my teammate in 4th place.  A few laps in and the leader slowed - he had gone out too fast and couldn't keep it up.  We all moved up and I found myself running beside my teammate, tied for second place.  In the 7th lap my teammate slowed so I was running alone with the lead guy.  This felt incredible - I had a chance of taking first place!  In the last lap, the guy put in his kick and the #1 seed came from the back with a ton of energy and a crazy kick to take the lead.  I found out that although I had plenty of endurance, my speed was lacking and they both got some distance ahead of me.  I ended up taking 3rd place with a time of 5:38 - if you add the extra 9 meters this was a mile PR of 10 whole seconds since November!

It looks like maintaining higher mileage (albeit only around 30mpw for now) has been of great benefit for the short time I've kept it up.  I improved my mile time a lot just by doing more easy running and not focusing on speed.  On the other hand, my kick was weak and my 800 did not go as well as possible, so I think I've sacrificed some speed for the extra endurance.  Looking back on these races I'm really optimistic about pretty much all of the goals I've set myself this year.  McMillan's putting my equivalent race performances at a 19:38 5k, a 40:47 10k, a 1:08:20 10-mile, and a 1:30:45 half based on the 1600m race.  I don't think I'll want to take my first half at sub-7 pace but that should give me plenty of room to beat my original goal.  My mile and 5k goal might require more speedwork, but I'll see where I go continuing to build my weekly mileage.

Glad you had such a great experience at your first indoor track meet, Snow! Sounds like it was a lot of fun. You obviously put a lot of thought into your training and monitoring your results.

I was lazy yesterday so I switched my long run to today.  It was around 30F and still pretty slushy and icy around here.  The first couple miles felt fine, but after that I started slowing down and getting a dull ache in my left leg from the lower shin to the top of the calf.  It feels like the shin splints I got in early fall.  Aerobically I felt great, so hopefully these will go away soon so I can finish the HM training strong!  I'm less than 8 weeks out from my first race and getting excited.

Good racing, Snow, and I enjoyed the report.

Glad to see all of you training hard- I have been lazy as always, but did 17k, a bit less than 11 miles in cold and windy conditions yesterday.

I am discouraged by the effort it takes to do what would have been easy two years ago!