Saturday, Sept 20

My running was ok this week, just not high volume. I had a good run on Monday evening, running easily for 6 miles at about 5:50 pace. This is equivalent to 10k in about 36:00. Because my left achilles has been suffering from tendonitis for about 2 months now, I can't push off with my foot strike. I normally run with a powerstride( I land on the midfoot even on easy runs) but I have had to modify my gait so as to get through this. What I do is center myself over my foot landing, and use knee lift rather than pushoff to move forward. This doesn't strain my achilles, but it's hard to generate real speed. In order to go faster, I have to spin at a higher cadence, around 100 rpm( as opposed to my comfortable 90).

On Tuesday, I ran with my 15 year old son, Clason, while my lovely wife Ana Liza rode her bike. Clason was setting the pace and distance, and since he wasn't feeling real well, we just went 5K. I skipped Wednesday for rest, and then ran on the treadmill for 7 miles on Thursday evening. I am keeping the incline down right now to .5% because of the achilles, but still clipping along at a 10 mph pace. It is very warm on the treadmill with no breeze and 78 degrees fahrenheit(26 degrees C) Friday I was very tired from a long work week and decided to skip a run. Besides, my achilles is somewhat sore.

As for today, I will probably run outside along a river bed(paved) and go about 8 miles. We shall see. I don't have a lot of pressure yet, as racing season is still months away, but at my age, I want to be ready to go when it gets here.

Its All about my Running and the Science Behind it

This is the blog dedicated for my running. I will be posting all the experiences, both good and bad, about my running. I have many goals still, even at my age of 39. While this may not sound old to some, for a competitive runner it is getting long in the tooth. I have always excelled at running, but at times have proved to be somewhat brittle. I was at the peak of my running when I turned 33, only to suffer a stress fracture in my navicular( an important bone in the foot). I ran for 2 years through pain and suffering, as the injury went undiagnosed by Kaiser Permanente. One doc told me, if it hurts, just stop running! What a moron! A colleague of his, though, Dr. Daniel McDermidt, happened to hear about me and pursued my case on his own time. He found the broken bone and put me on the path of recovery. In 2005, I began running again, but it took some time to work the foot back into running shape. I'm an auto tech by trade, so the standing on concrete all day doesn't help. In 2006, I was divorced and left me a single dad with 2 kids, and that took its toll as well. The bottom line is, in 2008 I'm healthy, happily married to a wonderful and beautiful Filipina, doing a decent job as a dad to 2 teenagers, and ready for new challenges as a runner. My best distance is the mile. For an old guy, this is not a popular distance, as we tend to lose our speed. My best time trial(I've never raced the distance, but want to soon!) is the mile. On June 14, 2002 I ran a 4:05.8 time trial on my lunch hour. In fact, that summer I ran 4 sub 4:10s, and a couple of 2 milers in under 9:00. Now, with increased responsibilities at work(I don't get a lunch hour) and at home, it's hard to stay consistent with my training. Plus, I'm suddenly getting all kinds of little silly injuries. Right now, my left achilles has tendonitis, and I've shortened my power stride to ease the burden. I can now run pain free, but looking forward to getting aggressive again with my pushoff. I believe I can still run sub 4:10 for the mile, which would put me among the very best in the world for my age group. If it doesn't happen, well at least I gave it a shot. I will be posting my workouts and status as I pursue my goals. I hope you enjoy this window into my running.