One of my favorite long runs was a 15 miler from my coach, Dan Durante’s house up on Summit Road in the Santa Cruz Mountains. My team, Paul Gyrorey and I would not miss long runs during our time at Santa Clara University. Paul and I would get out about 7:30 on Sundays, and Dan would run a few miles with us, then cut back to his house. Running down the quiet roads off Summit Road meant that we would seldom see cars, well except during Christmas tree season. We would be surprised by all kinds of weather, from rain, and sun to snow (only a few times).
My coach had a menagerie in his yard. A Llama, a goat, and a tortoise, among other creatures. Dan was a character, perfect to coach us, as he taught in the Engineering school at Santa Clara. Dan was ‘possessed by the scientific method ‘(a quote taken from the late Kenny Moore about the late Ron Hill). He helped teach us how to manage our own running, and to get as much as we could out of it.
I recall Steve Wonzniak, one of the founders of Apple Computer, riding his little motorcycle alongside us as he went to get a newspaper at a little store on the course. Our runs in the Santa Cruz mountains kept us strong and gave us a break from the madness in the Silicon Valley.
Do you have favorite long runs?
The adidas Marathon Trainer, my go to mileage shoe, introduced to me by Gary Goettelmann of Ryan’s Sports in about 1977. I loved that shoe.
Your workout today, June 5, 2022: Sunday: 75-80 minutes moderate pace, on trails
2022 RunBlogRun Spring Middle Distance Daily Track Training (800m-5000m), Week 21, Day 7
Monday: warm-up, 40-50 minutes moderate running, 6 x 150m stride outs, cooldown
Tuesday: Warm-up, 30 minutes moderate running, 2 sets of 10 x 150m, cut downs, 200 m walk-jog between, 30 minutes moderate running, cooldown
Wednesday: warm-up, 40-50 minutes, moderate running, 6 x 150m stride outs, cooldown
Thursday: Warm-up, 8 laps on the track, sprint straights, jog turns, 30-minute easy run, cooldown
Friday: warm-up, 40-50 minutes moderate running, 6 x150m stride outs, cooldown
Saturday: warm-up, primary race distance or, 3 miles, sprint straights, jog turns, cooldown
Sunday: 75-80 minutes moderate pace, on trails
