47 second eigth-of-a-mile run, April 22, using long paces style on outdoors track

For the first time since returning to long-distance running in November '08, I ran eigth-of-a-mile (220 yard) distances, taking approx 5 minute breaks between quarter-miles. Like yesterday I ran on the outdoors track at Leary Field, the 'J. Lee Gould' track.

I left the footwear as it was the previous run; last time I gave myself footwear advice was after the March 25 run (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/74-minute-5-mile-run-march-25-using.html).

Results foot-comfort wise:

Left foot/leg: No complaints with regards to track at Leary Field; some slight pain in balls of feet and toes on sidewalk.

Right foot/leg: No complaints with regards to track at Leary Field; some slight pain in balls of feet and toes on sidewalk.

Seems I got used to the softer outdoors track, so when I returned to the sidewalk, there was some pain in the balls of the feet and the toes.

Makes me feel as if I doubt whether I will ever be able to run faster than say ten minute miles on the road/side-walks without experiencing pain. The feet seem to hit the ground faster at higher speeds.

Wednesday April 22:

I ran half a lap, 220 yard segments on the Leary Field track. I stopped for usually approx five minutes after each 220 yd run. I used style B/E, emphasis on long paces.

Time after 5th mile: 90:02 (four 1/8 mile runs + 1/2 mile run + 1 mile walk + 1 mile run + 1 mile walk): The breaks were the usual format: time at end of run or walk segment rounded up to next minute, plus five minutes, equals start of next segment.

I used the following chant (chanted in my mind not with my mouth/tongue) during the 1/8th mile runs:

'Long are our strides as we streamline the sky
Great is our distance per unit of time

(NEW) Doing...just an eighth of a mile
in that long-paced style

Lord of Roads of Magnificence am I
Lord of Roads of Painlessness am I'

The three stanzas were chanted in various orders.

I stretched before starting the run; had coffee, cod liver oil, c-boost drink.
Times recorded today April 22, using style B/E, long paces, running 220 yard segments; times recorded yesterday April 21 using style A/D, quick short paces, running 440 yard segments (totals show mile-times unless noted):

1st, run: 0:47+0:51+0:55+0:58=3:31 for 1/2 mile+ 1/2 mile run at leisurely pace; 2:27+3:22+4:01+3:16=13:06,

2nd, walked: walked at leisurely pace; 3:41+3:45+3:41+3:45=14:52,

3rd,run: 19:15 (leisurely pace); 3:58(ST)+3:56(FL)+3:52(HB)+3:55(HB)=15:41,

4th, walked: 19:47 (leisurely pace); 3:41+3:41+3:51+3:43=14:56,

5th, run: 19:43 (lesiurely pace); 3:00(QS,ST)+3:15(FL,ST)+3:03(QS,HB)+4:01=13:19

The 0:47 time on the first 220 yd segment was a big relief for me, like avoiding hell on judgement day, despite being thoroughly worthy of being damned.

Because, if I am unable to run the 1/8th mile in 45 seconds, I do not stand much chance of being able to run the mile in 8x45=360 seconds = 6 minutes.

But if I can run the mile in six minutes, I can be at the basic aerobic type fitness level I need to be at in order to be a big-shot athlete. It's common knowledge that my weakness is this kind of endurance, and that aside from this weakness I am a super-star.

I realize that modern conditioning for sports increasingly emphasizes anaerobic endurance, the repeated wind-sprints type of thing; such anaerobic endurance drills require an aerobic fitness foundation.

The speed during the 0:47 run was 56% faster than my fastest quarter-mile of 147 seconds yesterday.

The world record eigth-of-a-mile speed is 12% faster than the world record quarter-mile speed (http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/tfn/records/records.jsp?listId=1 ).

My 56% speed improvement running eigth-of-a-mile distances (compared to quarter-mile speed) the first time running the eigth-of-a-mile (220 yard) distances shows how: at the present time, my weakness lies in slowing down from a speed which is approximately equal to my target speed of 45 seconds per 1/8th of a mile, after having run about an 1/8th of a mile; repeatedly running 220 yard segments is what will get me used to running at the speed I need to run at in order to run a mile in six minutes.

The rain interrupted the workout after four 1/8th mile runs. After this I felt tired; I decided to for the remainder of the day, add just 0.5 miles jogged + 1 mile walked + 1 mile jogged + 1 mile walked + 1 mile jogged, at a leisurely pace, bringing the total miles done on a wet rainy day to five.

I felt sick of pressure, trying hard to score a fast time. I think the new stuff, running half-miles, quarter-miles, 1/8th miles, tired me out and got me sick of pressure.

The running and walking at a leisurely pace was such that the time if the first 0.5 miles had also been run at a leisurely pace, for all 5 miles, would have been 96:13.

I can remember how just a couple of months ago, 96 minutes on the outdoors sidewalks course would have been the result of maximum effort and a new personal record (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/02/running-shoes-1-layer-gel-heel-to-toe.html).

Today the speed at a leisurely pace, 96 minutes for five miles, was 71% of the speed on the course when making a maximum effort (current personal best 68 minutes for the five miles) (68/96=0.71).

This tells me something significant. It tells me that when I feel tired, too tired to work out, I can still go out and do a workout at a leisurely pace that causes me no discomfort whatsoever, at a speed that is 71% of my maximum speed.

This implies that persons such as myself, are liable to skip a workout which we could easily perform at 71% of max effort, on the grounds that we are too tired to work out.

It would be nice at thus juncture to be able to snap a finger and have a humble underling, who has a Phd in statistics, and a Masters in exercise science, to promptly and obediently supply the info as to whether the smartest coaches and physicians think that a workout at 71% of maximum effort, is worth anything in terms of improvement in conditioning and health.

Off the bat, I would estimate that a workout at 71% of maximum effort accomplishes more for conditioning and health than idleness along the grounds that a weightlifter whose maximum for the bench press is 10 repetitions of 200 lbs, would consider 10 reps of 145 lbs to be a worthwhile activity, better than inactivity, so long as the 10 reps of 145 lbs did not result in the body being overworked due to too much weightlifting being done.

In the weightlifting world you often hear it said, especially with regards to weightlifting for the purpose of building up sprinting speed and jumping ability, that it is wise to lift at about 67% of maximum personal capacity and that lifting at a heavier than 67% level can be dangerous or counterproductive.

I think people underestimate the similarity between weightlifting and track. People under-estimated the contribution weightlifting can make to track performance.

The way people used to insist that to train for a mile one must run distances longer than a mile as opposed to distances shorter than a mile, was related to their failure to appreciate the role of simple muscular strength of the right type in the right places when it comes to running, which was related to a failure to see similarities between track and weightlifting (over-specialization of labor again?).

In general a long slow minimally-interrupted five mile run at 71% maximum effort, when one is used to almost daily long but faster minimally-interrupted five-mile runs at 95% or more of maximum effort, can be better than inactivity because the body gets used to the almost-daily 95% efforts on five mile runs, and suddenly switching to just half-mile runs with a break every half-mile, and quarter-mile runs with a break after every quarter-mile, and eighth-of-a-mile runs with a break after every eighth of a mile, hits the body the way withdrawal from an addictive drug hits the body; seems such withdrawal should be gradualized, especially since a five-mile run does not damage the body/mind via side-effects the way an addictive drug does.

I find the five-mile runs promote my general sense of mental and physical well-being. This in turn can result in an improvement in track performance. There is more to life than track performance, and certain types of exercise can improve life in these non-track areas. Improvements in areas of life outside of track, can result in improvement in track performance.

The footwear today was the same as the previous run. This footwear setup is described at http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/68-minute-5-mile-run-march-29-new.html .

'Twas a day-time run, and then a night-time run.

The black heavy sweatshirt, long-sleeved collar-less sportshirt made of t-shirt-type material, t-shirt, sleeveless t-shirt, shorts, & headband were a little too warm during the first four 1/8 mile runs.

The weather during the workout (2:33-2:57 PM) was: avg 55 degrees, 1 mph wind, avg 0.25 in/hr rain (http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/wxStationGraphAll?day=22&year=2009&month=4&ID=KMAWESTO6&type=3&width=500&showsolarradiation=1&showtemp=1&showpressure=1&showwind=1&showwinddir=1&showrain=1 ).

The workout started at 2:33 PM; the fourth 1/8 mile run was completed at 2:57 PM. At this point I had to take a break because the rainfall level changed from tolerable (0.2 inches per hour) to intolerable (0.5 inches per hour). The evening portion of the workout lasted from 9:32 PM to 11:11 (109 minutes including breaks).

Advice to myself for the next run fotwear-wise: Same as that listed in the March 25 post (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/74-minute-5-mile-run-march-25-using.html ); no need to do anything.

In accordance with the rotation entered into the blog-record March 15 (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/76-minute-5-mile-long-length-paced-run.html ), run the next run, using style C/F, the syle that combines length of pace with quickness of paces, pausing five minutes after each quarter-mile to rest/take-notes.

Running Tactics Slash Strategy

Yesterday, I estimated that when I ran the 147 second quarter-mile, my fastest of the day, I ran the first 220 yds in 49 seconds (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/04/25-minute-quarter-mile-run-april-21.html ).

Today I managed to run 220 yards in 47 seconds.

Just goes to show my competence in applied math.

Incidentally, Tom Wolf was on my high school soccer team; he later became an applied math big-shot...once I dreamt that everyone around was a monkey but he was a human...which means that, I am capable of thinking that he is less monkey-like than the people around here).

@2009 David Virgil Hobbs