Wednesday, Sept. 28th, 2011
I have an overstretched right calf and I’m fixing it.
EMS
- 25min hamstrings active recovery (after this >> so much better)
- 3 x 20min calves relaxing massage
Why the double sessions?
They wake me up !! They’re actually very refreshing, as the morning ones are always grass and strides, and then I can do 8 hours of work more at peace =) (less leg pain sitting at the desk, too)
p.s. I also wholeheartedly believe now that training more frequently, gives the body less of a shock when it starts training, so less chance of injury, when being careful of course with the surfaces and type of training… (I overstretched the calf because of a ‘sudden 40min long run’.)
Thursday, September 29th, 2011
morning stretching and self calf massage
- 17min biking
noon training with the sicilians and a new philosopher sprinter friend who now doesn’t know what to quite do with his diploma.
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20min warm up
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stretch, drill, stride
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6 x 150m in trainers (still being careful), 3min recoveries @20.7, 19.7, 21.2, 19.8, 20.5, 22.2
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35 min gym (strength, abs and stretching)
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17min biking
Today was a 5k run at the track during my training (the sicilian coach also ran it ), in memory of a fellow runner of them (I understand that he was a father to many). It was very nice… more than 40people running it. I like that stadium… it’s full of friendly events and nice people.
Calf was very fine during training today. I can just feel it ‘stretched’ when I stretch it. So I don’t stretch it too hard.
So far so good.
I’m loving the weather.
Andddd I just ate a whole lot of chocolate. 3 days of non-perfect diet, and I can feel a degree chance in leanness…
Perfection is hard work indeed.
Friday, Sept. 30th, 2011
I’m bummed that this month does not have one extra day.
Oh well =)
morning:
15min warm up, quick stretch
- 10 x 40m grass hills (walk back recoveries)
- 1 x 100m grass run
- stretching
evening:
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20min bike to the park, quick stretch
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30min run
short tempo: -
100, 150, 100, 150, 150, 200, 150, 200 (total 1200m)
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20min bike back
Saturday, Oct. 1st (yikes) 2011
Weeks fly by too fast, I work work work every singe day, and writing a book on one’s own research while making from scratch all of the graphic illustrations (because I’m O.C.D. and too artistically inclined) is just too darn overwhelming =O
Track saves =)
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16min bike to the track
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22 min warm up, stretch, many drills, 4 strides
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5 x 30-40m accelerations from on-the-stomach
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3 x 60m EFE
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10 sets of (6 hurdles) mobility; 5 for each leg leading
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30min gym (strength, abs, stretch)
-
16min biking back home
I hope it stays sunny forever. It may only rain on a few Sundays.
On the book issue, what do you mean?
What do YOU mean, Nick??
I mean that it’s just… a LOT of work !!!
Sunday, Oct. 2nd, 2011
2.5 hours on my bike around the peripheral ring of Milan, taking notes on 22 public open urban spaces =P It was nice …
Monday, Oct. 3rd, 2011
morning:
- 10min warm up
- 11 x 100m tempo runs on grass
evening:
- 20min biking to Sicilian home
- 40min run at the park with older Sicilian
- 17min biking back
bloody blister … (literally)
Tuesday, Oct. 4th, 2011
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17min biking to the track
-
15min warm up
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stretch, drill, stride, put on spikes
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5 x 200m w/2min rests except 4min rest before the 5th one. @29,30,30,30,31. Hamstrings had a heart attack after the 4th one.
Good session, considering I didn’t feel ‘bouncy’ at all today, and the bloody blister was right over a spike… ouch. -
10min cool down and quality talking, then good stretch
-
20min gym session (mostly arms and abs)
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17min back home.
note: words can’t really explain (shortly enough) how grateful I am for my Sicilian training group. Accumulating with lactic acid is actually a joy, when done collectively =P Only to mention one benefit.
note 2: I just noticed that the last 3.5 weeks I have been working for every single day on my thesis, for a minimum of 6 and maximum of 11 hours per day.
I … need … a … break …
(meeting with my professor tomorrow).
Wednesday, Sept. 5th, 2011
good dayyyyyyyyyy… my meeting with my professor went EXCELLENTLY, and she said that I will be finishing this February =))
Of course the defense has not taken place yet, in front of the board, but things seem smooth. I was so extremely wonderfully happy.
Training was also good. Nice and easy tempo day.
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25min bike to the park
-
10min easy jogging
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100-150-100-150-150-200-150-200
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100-150-100-150-150-200-150-200
(total 2400m) -
25min biking back and good stretch
Watched Twilight (1). I loveddd it. I have so many movies to catch up to. …
Thursday, Sept. 6th
Sometimes I forget that my last day of passive rest was more than 7 days ago…
So today I might just not do anything, although my legs are hurting and they’re craving for run through’s … (is this activation-addiction, or signs of stress?)
Addicted to track… I think.
And my research work too.
Yesterday I decided after my meeting not to do anything research-related (although it didnt’ really count, as I did have that meeting and talked about it with my professor…)
And I ended up going to the library, getting three books and then skimming though them at night.
The last day that I did not touch my research was I think in the middle of August.
I don’t know how I could ever have a ‘normal’ life.
But that’s ok, of course.
I miss Dejan. This is actually torture.
Training saves. … How do people exist without it??
Watching New Moon tonight, I can hardly wait …
Good old days! 
Friday, Oct. 7th, 2011
7:30am training:
- 10min warm up
- grass strides: 5 x 80m
short hills:
- 10 x 40m (walk back recoveries)
6 o’clock evening training: the weather got colder and I feel it on my shins…
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20min biking to the park
-
20min ‘cool down’, where the last 10’ had 5 x 100m strides ‘blended’ inside.
-
20min biking back
I need to learn liking this cold again… ughhh. Or maybe it was just today. Fingers crossed =)
Saturday, October 8th, 2011
17min biking to the track for Sicilian training
20min warm up, stretch, drill, stride
5 x 80m , walk back recoveries <6min rest)
5 x 60m, walk back recoveries <8min rest)
1 x 300m , relaxed and easy, at 46 secs (weather much colder too, so this was good)
17min biking back
Sunday, Oct. 9th
20min biking to park
45min Sicilian run (at 4.44per km, and some faster with one at 4.25)and 2 strides in the end
Sicilian lunch
20min biking back
yes
Yours currently injured
John
It was nothing serious - it only bothered me for a day or two. As you can see, I’ve been training every day, since.
Plus, calf cramps have always been an issue with me, and it’s mostly a matter of proper stretching. And not a matter of doing an extra ‘warm up/activation’ on the grass in the a.m. … prior to 8hrs of sedentary work and evening training.
Monday, Oct. 10th, 2011
Took the day off today because I got sick in the evening yesterday, and had a very slight fever for half the day today.
Now perfectly fine =D (after consuming paracetamole medicine, multivitamins, C supplements, green tea, and 4.5 liters of waters )
Just some abdominal exercises though …
Tuesday, Oct. 11th, 2011
-20min biking to university
I had coffee with some other colleagues, and how gooddd it is to get some feedback on my work by others. When I think that I’m just mediocre, some friends will pop out to tell me with honesty that I’m working harder than most, with excellent results.
How refreshing =))))
I hope this turns out well until the very end.
I also really value my decision to stay in Milan for these 6 months (well, 5 remaining now). Not only is it more easy to get in a ‘rhythm’ of constructional production, but training has also become tons more consistent, in terms of effort and frequency. I generally feel very very good so far… Perhaps the weather has helped too. It’s wonderful out again.
Sicilian training:
- 20min warm up, stretch, drill, stride
- 7 x 150m, w/walk back recoveries, except before the 7th one I skipped a rep, hence longer recovery for me, @ 21.3-22.8" (last one was the faster one)
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35min gym (strength, abs and stretching)
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20min biking home
Training is so much fun again, and although I know that the program has nothing to do with Charlie stuff and what I’ve been trying to follow in the past, I know that at this point, whatever I can do consistently, will have good results. (I hope) As long as I am careful of course.
So far so good ! (please don’t be negative on this , looking for the first opportunity to say "THERE, see what happened now because you didn’t follow plan CF, or you didn’t do this or that … " It’s really important for me now that I’m training, and with GREAT support. While phd is moving along .
Thank you =)
You are exactly right! 
And this I learned from Nikoluski
Wednesday, Oct. 12th, 2011
7.30am training:
- 10min warm up, stretch
- 5 x 100m runs on grass (a la tempo) (morning sessions are starting to feel very comfortable ! Well, the weather’s been nice too …)
- 12 x 40m hills w/walk back recoveries (nice feel)
7pm training with older Sicilian brother (the younger one will not be running this year, due to an overloaded academic program. Darn academics. Actually darn to his genius mind, because he’s trying to finish extra early - law school … )
Anyway, the older brother is a really great athlete… and now a good friend… I feel so happy to be training with him and not alone, I just cannot stress this enough … I must have suffered all this time alone, really Now I understand …
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17min biking to starting point
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45min long run ( hahaha …) this was actually pretty ‘fast’ for me, at 4:32’ per km and the last km went faster (4:22). (Sicilian did an extra 2km in the end at 3:33 and 3.13 … pssss)
good stretch -
8min cool down back
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17min biking home
Thursday, Oct. 13th, 2011
Ohhhhhh my goodness… I got food poisoning today, it seems. I’ve never felt so HORRIBLE in my life. I had a slight irritation before and after training, but when I got home… (by bike :S) it started… and I couldn’t move a step, and I was cold, and had a fever, and couldn’t get to the kitchen to make me some soup and drink some milk… but I made it.
I took some paracetamole medicine, which took care of the fever, and some japanese friend’s stomach-pain medicine, and now I’m SOOOO relieved that this pain is gone.
Oh goodness…
Training was good though
(17min biking to meeting place)
(half hour drive to a new track where the Sicilian coach trains a group of youngsters. I trained with a talented 18 year old)
(the time is now 6pm and it’s rather humid but nice)
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24min hard warm up (my mistake to warm up outside with the older sicilian brother and his friend … that was taxing…)
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stretch, drill, stride
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400m @ 65" ( :o ) rather easy. This was refreshing … , 5’ break
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300m @ 46", 5’ break
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200m @ 29", 5’ break
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200m @ 29" (here I get a very intense pain up in the liver while doing this, but this happens often due to fatigue. )
(15min drive back to sicilian place - less traffic…)
I was very happy … I gave the sicilian brothers portrait gifts, and I so LOVE making this kind of art-gift… I just love it
I’ll post them on my website tomorrow probably.
I pray to all mighty existences that I don’t have any more stomach pain tomorrow…