I only run on days that end in a "y."

OK - so last night after work I felt terrible!  My wife had a work function to attend so I had the 2 kiddos.  When I took my 3 year old daughter to bed I checked my temp - it was 101.  Ouch.  I was quite certain there was no way I was going to run this morning.

I woke up at 4:30 am and I thought I felt much better. ( I went to bed just after 9 pm so I got some good solid sleep.)  I feel back asleep and woke up again - with no alarm - at 5:15.  I got up, knowing that I should stay in bed, and put my running gear on.  I felt pretty good except for a bit of a cough.  So much better than the previous evening.  

I drove downtown, did 2 easy warm up miles on the trail and met the group at the Austin High track.  I decided to stick with some faster guys and see if I could hang.  The workout chart says I should be running 800m repeats in 2:40-2:50.  I have never run consistent repeats below 2:50 before, usually it is the last one when I drop it.  What is great about being in the running group is there are always faster runners that you can hook up with to push you. 

Anyway, the first 3 went pretty easily, the 4 a bit harder, the 5th the legs were really complaining as well as the lungs, and the 6th was a tough-it-out-this-is-the-last-one kinda repeat.  I was shot after the 6th one.  1:30 walking recovery in between repeats.

Splits: Note: Paces per cool running pace calculator.

800m @ 2:47 (5:36 pace)

800m @ 2:48 (5:38 pace)

800m @ 2:44 (5:29 pace)

800m @ 2:46 (5:33 pace)

800m @ 2:49 (5:39 pace)

800m @ 2:46 (5:33 pace)

 2 easy miles on the trail back to the car. 

My wife was not happy with me when I came back, that's for sure! She thinks that running while sick is idiotic.  My daughter locked me out when I came home, too.  So much for a nice home coming! :-)

BTW - there is hope for us aging runners!

Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine
April 10, 2011

Intense Training Maintains Endurance in Older People

        Last Saturday, a 75-year-old man and a 69-year-old woman
rode a tandem at the Sebring Tandem Rally, covering 51 miles at
an average speed of 18.9 miles per hour.  We used all the energy
we had trying to stay with the bikes in front of us.
        You lose power and strength with aging, but you keep most
of your endurance.  The limiting factor to how fast you can run or
ride a bicycle is the time that it takes to move oxygen from your
lungs into your muscles.  This is measured with a test called
VO2max.  The higher the number, the faster you move oxygen into
muscles.
        Dave Costill of Ball State University studied marathon
runners in their prime in the late 1960s and then again 25 years
later. In 1970, Derek Clayton of Australia held the world record in
the marathon at 2 hours and 8 minutes.  In 1992, his orthopedic
problems limited his running to 3-4 very fast miles per day.
His VO2 max remained the same.  His maximum heart rate slowed
from 188 beats per minute at age 28 to 176 at age 50.  He gained
only 2 kilograms of weight going from 73.1 kg to 75.2.  Other
world class marathon runners who continued competing over the
25 years had an average drop in their VO2 max from 70 down to
65, a small reduction.
        The world records for the marathon and mile for all ages are
less than 10 percent slower for 50-year-olds, and a rapid decline
in age group world records starts only after age 70.  This applies
to both men and women.
        You have to work gradually into any exercise program.  If
you are thinking of starting an exercise program or increasing its
intensity, you probably should check with your doctor.  Intense
exercise can kill people with blocked coronary arteries.  Training
for older people uses the same principles as those used by
younger ones.  You train intensely three days a week, and go 
slowly on the other four days.  We average close to 20 miles per
hour on our 25-mile rides on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays
and only 10-12 miles per hour on our four recovery days.
        As you age, you lose muscle fibers and strength.  However,
if you train intensely, you can maintain the size and number of
mitochondria in muscles that use oxygen to convert food to
energy, which helps you to keep your ability to move fast over
long distances.