Jim's Running Website

Welcome to Jim Runs!
Jim Lombardi's Running Website
jimlombardiruns@gmail.com

Introduction

I am Jim Lombardi and the purpose of this website is to help me interact with other runners of all ages including those who are in their 60's, 70's and older. I enjoy training for and running races over a wide range of distances. Last year I ran two marathons and this year I ran the Green Jewel 50K and the Canandaigua 50 mile run on my 76th birthday, October 13th. One way that runners can effectively interact is to inform each other concerning their training and racing. If you read the following four links I think you will get a good picture of how I train and race.

My recent training and racing log as I recover from the Buffalo 6-Hour Distance Classic on April 28, 2019 and train for and recover from the Presque Isle Half Marathon on July 21, 2019 is here. The log starts on May 4,2019.

Other training and racing logs can be found in the training and racing section below.

The backbone of a long distance training schedule is the number and quality of the long runs completed in training and racing. From February 2017 to the present I completed 40 training runs and races of 10 miles or more. The average distance for these runs is 16.8 miles. Click here to view a list of these runs including details on pace and in some cases information on nourishment.

I started running regularly at the age of 16 in the Spring of 1959 and have run in at least one race every year since and hope to run for many years to come. I think a key to being able to run for a long time is not to run an excessive number of miles and at the same time to train consistently. I also know that running intervals is very important and I have included interval training throughout my running career. For me I feel that interval training can make up for not running many miles in training. I continue to run intervals with many such workouts being with a running group of about a five to eight runners. To view these group workouts from June 2018 to the present click here.

The development of this website began on Feb. 1, 2016 and the plan is to continually add information. I think my experiences will help me help others enhance their enjoyment of running and improve their race times. I have participated in approximately 850 races ranging from 440 yds to 54 miles and have covered approximately 90,000 miles in training and racing. During a 23 year period ending in 2015 I ran every day. Since then I have been usually skipping about one day a week and sometimes even more when I am tapering for a race. Since 1962 I have kept a diary of my thoughts, discoveries, workouts, and race results. This diary will be helpful for the website's development. Things I do in training, preparing for races, and in competition work for me but they may not work for you. But if there are some things you read here that seem like they may be helpful, give them a try. Please tell me what you think.

A list of over 140 highlights in my running career can be found here.

The list of highlights includes age-graded percentages for many of my races. These percentages were found with the WMA Age-grading Calculator.

Training and Racing

An overview of my training and racing

My mileage has averaged about 30 miles a week during my 60 years of running. I never piled on the miles and maybe this is why I have had only a few serious injuries and I never really burnt out from running. As I mentioned before I have always included interval training on a regular basis in part because I think running intervals helps me run long distances without running a very large number of miles in training. But running intervals also keeps me in shape for running short races. I like running and racing distances of any length up to 50 miles. I also like running on tracks, treadmills, grass, and roads. When I started training for ultramarathons in 2005, I introduced some walking into my training sessions. Recently I have tried running on trails and I know I would like that too but I am not good at it. Years of running on roads have ingrained a running form that causes me to not lift my feet very high off the ground. On trails I trip a lot. I used to mind running hills. Since 2005 I have been running a lot on hills and have grown to like hill running too. I think all runners can benefit from coaches, talking to other runners and reading what other runners do. For many years I had a good friend at Allegheny College where I taught. His name is Ralph White. Ralph is an excellent track and cross country coach. Ralph not only coached Allegheny teams but also started a community running club that was very active during the summer months. I benefited a great deal from his coaching. A key thing that he taught me is that a good training program includes 5 main components: long distance runs, tempo runs, interval training, hill training and rest or easy days. It was under his direction that I learned about the use of weight machines for full body workouts.

I love racing just about any distance.

In March 2010, I competed in the 800 meters, 1 mile, and 3000 meters at the National Indoor Masters Championship in Boston. Later that year I ran the Canandaguia 50 mile run. I tremendously enjoyed all these races. I can remember the 3000 meters like it was yesterday. In this race Tom Jennings (the Tom Jennings from the Philadelphia area) and I pushed each other to probably the best times we could have run (about 11:30). Jennings out kicked me in the end but I really did't care. It was a great run for both of us. You can watch a video of this race. You may find the whole race interesting but the race really starts after the 6 minute mark in the video. There are two races going on at the same time, one for the 60-64 age group and one for the 65-69 age group. Jennings (yellow shirt) and I (white shirt) are vying for first and second place in the 65-69 age group. Watch the video.

Results for races I recently ran

Green Jewel 50 K,Cleveland Metroparks, March 5, 2016
Mind the Ducks 12 Hour Run, Webster NY, May 15, 2016
Human Race 5 K, Meadville PA, May 30, 2016
Butler 5 Mile Run, Butler PA, June 25, 2016
The Presque Isle Half Marathon, Erie PA July 17, 2016
Human Race 5 K, Meadville PA, May 29, 2017
Butler 5 Mile Run, Butler PA, June 24, 2017
The Presque Isle Half Marathon, Erie PA July 16, 2017
Erie Marathon, Erie PA, 70 and over age group results, Sept. 10, 2017
Amsterdam Marathon, Amsterdam The Netherlands, 75 and over age group results, Oct 15, 2017
The Character Counts 6 K, St Augustine Florida Feb 3, 2018
Green Jewel 50 K,Cleveland Metroparks, June 2, 2018
Ellwood City Ledger 10K,Ellwood City PA, June 30, 2018
Heritage Days 5K,Greenville PA, July 7, 2018
Presque Isle Half Marathon,Erie PA, July 15, 2018
French Creek Half Marathon,Meadville PA, Sept 1, 2018
Canandaigua 50 mile, Canandaigua NY, Oct 13, 2018
Erie Personal Endurance Classic,Erie PA, Oct 20, 2018
Buffalo 6-Hour Distance Classic,Buffalo NY, April 28, 2019
Trailblazer 15K,Meadville PA, July 14, 2019
Presque Isle Half Marathon,Erie PA, July 21, 2019
Stop, Drop and Run,Barnegat, NJ August 31, 2019

My ultramarathon results

Results listed on UltraSignup

All time best performance in a 6 hour run for USA men in the age groups (70-74) and (75-79)

Recent Training and Racing Logs

My recent training and racing log as I recover from the Buffalo 6-Hour Distance Classic on April 28, 2019 and train for and recover from the Presque Isle Half Marathon on July 21, 2019 is here. The log starts on May 4, 2019.

My training and racing log as I prepared for the Buffalo 6-Hour Distance Classic on April 28, 2019 is here. The log starts on March 30, 2019 and ends on May 3, 2019 .

My training and racing log as I recovered from the Canandaigua 50 Mile Run and the Erie Personal Endurance Classic both in October 2018 is here. The log starts on October 13, 2018 and ends on March 29, 2019.

My training and racing log as I prepared for the Canandaigua 50 Mile Run on October 13, 2018 and the Erie Personal Endurance Classic on October 20, 2018 is here. The log starts on July 21, 2018 and ends on October 20, 2018.

My training and racing log as I prepared for the Presque Isle Half Marathon on July 15, 2018 is here. The log starts on June 9, 2018 and ends on July 20, 2018.

My training and racing log starting on February 24, 2018 is here. The log covers training in Amsterdam and prep for the Green Jewel 50K on June 2, 2018. The log ends on June 9, 2018

My training and racing log for the beginning of 2018 is here. The log starts on December 30 2017 and ends on February 23, 2018.

My training and racing log after the Amsterdam Marathon in The Netherlands on October 15, 2017 is here. The log starts on October 14, 2017 and ends on December 31, 2017.

My training and racing log as I prepare for the Amsterdam Marathon in The Netherlands on October 15, 2017 is here. The log starts on July 7, 2017 and ends on October 20, 2017 .

My log as I prepare for the Butler 5 miler on June 24 and the Presque Isle Half Marathon on July 16, 2017 is here. The log starts on May 27, 2017 and ends on July 21, 2017.

My log starting on March 11, 2017 and ending on May 26, 2017 is here.

My log as I prepare for the Mill Creek Distance Classic (Half Marathon) is here. The log starts on Dec 31, 2016 and ends on March 10, 2017.

My log for October, November, and December of 2016 is here.

My log after the Presque Isle Half Marathon is here. The log starts on July 16, 2016 and ends on Sept 16, 2016.

My log for the Presque Isle Half Marathon on July 17, 2016 is here. The log starts on May 21, 2016 and ends on July 19, 2016.

My log for the Mind The Ducks 12 Hour Run and the recovery following the run is here. The log starts on Feb 20, 2016 and ends on May 22, 2016.

Past Training and racing Logs

Coorespondence with Ralph White

I mentioned how coach Ralph White helped me. By 2002 when I was 60, Ralph had moved on to coaching at another college. For awhile I corresponded with him about my key workouts. If you think you could benefit by reading my emails click below. I have not included most of Ralph's emails to me but he always responded with good advice.

Read my correspondence (Nov 2002-Oct 2003) with Ralph here.

Training for the Casino Niagara Half-Marathon in 2004

On October 24, 2004 at age 62 I ran the Casino Niagara Half-Marathon in 1:29:35 and was first among 17 runners in the 60-64 age group. The schedule of my key workouts for the year before that race is given in the 5 links below. On days not listed in the schedule I ran mainly on roads at an average pace. Total miles for each week are also given.

My workouts between Oct 11, 2003 and Jan 17, 2004 are here.

My workouts between Jan 18, 2004 and March 13, 2004 are here.

My workouts between March 14, 2004 and June 18, 2004 are here.

My workouts between June 19, 2004 and Sept 24, 2004 are here.

My workouts between Sept 25, 2004 and Oct 24, 2004 are here.

While following a training schedule similar to the one outlined in the above links, your speed should be adjusted to match your present fitness level.

Race Reports

The 2018 Canandaigua 50 mile Race Report is here. Saturday Oct 13, 2018.

The 2016 Presque Isle Half Marathon Race Report is here. Sunday July 17, 2016.

The 2016 Mind the Ducks Race Report is here. Saturday May 14, 2016. The Mind the Ducks website is here

The 2016 Green Jewel 50K Race Report is here. Saturday March 5, 2016. The Green Jewel 50K website is here

Food for The Green Jewel 50 K 2016

My wife Mary Jane always meets me at aid stations during ultramarathons. Before each event we prepare a schedule that lists my approximate arrival times and what I think I will need at each station. The schedule we used at the Green Jewel 50K is here.

Fuel for an 18 mile training run

Click here to read "Eating and Hydrating Before and During an 18 mile Training Run." This article is an excerpt from my training and racing log.

Tempo Runs

I mentioned that coach Ralph White introduced me to tempo runs. Dr. Jack Daniels has determined that ideally tempo runs should last about 20 minutes and should be done at threshold pace. He discusses tempo runs and threshold training in a 2005 Running Times article which is republished by Runner's World in an online article. In that article Daniels defines threshold pace and a quantity he calls VDOT. If a runner's VDOT is known, then the runner's threshold pace can be determined. Another Daniels article has a table that relates VDOT to how fast a runner has raced. There are many racing distances included in the table ranging from 1500 meters to the marathon. You only need to have raced one of these distances to use the table to find your VDOT. There is another table in that second article that relates VDOT to the runner's threshold pace. These two tables are all you need to find out what your threshold pace should be for a tempo run.

Let's consider an example. Open the link to the second Daniels article and scroll down to the two tables. From the first table, if your 10K race time is near 50:03 your VDOT is near 40. Remember, if you haven't raced a 10K, you can use some other race time. Now, from the second table a VDOT of 40 gives a threshold pace of 8:12/mi for a tempo run lasting 20 minutes. Paces for tempo runs for other lengths of time are also given in the second table.

I run tempo runs approximately once a week ranging from 20 minutes up to an hour. Daniels recommends that tempo runs be on a relatively level surface so that the pace can be easily controlled. It is hilly in Meadville PA. So during the winter my tempo runs are usually on a treadmill and other months on an outdoor track.

Something interesting happened: A New Workout For Me

Update on Something Interesting Happened

Dealing with injuries

During my years of running I have experienced many injuries and some of these have been reoccurring. These include injuries to my hips, groin areas, hamstrings, Achilles tendons, arches, and the balls of my feet. At times my right knee has had some discomfort and when I was young I had a few bouts with shin splints. Recently I developed a shin splint in my left leg by running a long hilly course after not doing any hill running for awhile. Until I was in my late sixties I was mainly able to deal with injuries by stretching and cutting back on my speed and mileage. Quite a few times when one of my Achilles tendons bothered me I would run with extra heel lifts. The pain would eventually go away, I would take the lifts out of my shoes and I would be fine. A few years ago injuries started to hang on longer and I needed a better way to deal with them. Hopefully my recent approach to curing injuries with self-massage will be of interest to other runners.

A video that shows how I massage my Achilles tendon is here.

How I healed the ball of my foot

I think the way the ball of my right foot was healed could be very helpful to others. It does not involve cortisone shots but does involve massage and stretching.

I started effective massage of my sore left Achilles after visiting a therapist. To find out more about this you should click the "MORE" link above. I also tried massaging the sore ball of my right foot. It did not respond until I also started stretching it in a certain way. To stretch the bottom of my right foot, I put the tips of my fingers of both my hands under the toes of this foot and my thumbs on the tops of the two toes next to my big toe. The thumbs are positioned where the knuckles of the two toes stick up a little. Holding my toes in this way, I pull them upward and back in the direction of my leg thereby stretching the muscles in the ball of my foot. I hold the stretch for about 30 seconds and then I rest and repeat once. I started stretching my foot in this way when it was very sore. I did it every day and the ball of my foot got better and better. After a month my foot was considerably better. After two months I was able to run with no discomfort. I still stretch and massage both balls of my feet almost every day as a protective measure.

Interesting and Inspirational Runner Stories

Walt Peterson - August 1, 2016

Between 2014 and 2016 when I was running around the Allegheny College athletic fields, quite often I saw Walt Peterson running and walking with his dog Rocky. In the beginning we would just say hi and maybe talk a little. I began to wonder why I saw him so often. Then in May of 2016 we got to talking quite a bit. I found the answer to my question. He is running and walking 8 miles a day at age 73. But that is not the most intriguing and amazing thing about Walt. His story is one of determination and it shows what we can do to make our bodies healthier and our lives happier. I asked Walt to write about his journey so he could share it with others who may find it helpful. Walt's story is here.

Beta Blockers and Running Performance – August 3, 2016

Approximately 20 years ago in my early 50's, I was diagnosed with glaucoma. Under the care of my ophthalmologist, the effects of glaucoma have been kept in check with the use of various eye drops. A few years ago my doctor suggested that I try a drop that contained a beta blocker. He warned that fatigue is a reported side effect and possibly could affect my running. I decided to try the drops and found that they noticably affected my performance if I tried to run fast. My doctor immediately prescribed a non-beta blocker alternative. I realize that some runners may have conditions that make it necessary to use beta blockers. But I suggest in any case that you tell your doctor you are a runner. Also sometimes drug interactions can cause beta blockers to have an extra strong effect on your running and you should ask about this too. Phil Krajewski's story is an excellent example of what could happen to a runner who does not know that some eye drops could contain a beta blocker. Phil's story is here.

Tom Hayden, Runner and Organ Donor Recipient – May 8, 2017

I met Tom Hayden about 40 years ago. We both loved running and teaching science, so it's no surprise that we became friends. Because of an inherited heart disease that went undetected for many years, Tom has undergone heart valve replacement surgeries. Tom is still running! Read his inspirational story here.

An Armstrong TV - Sport's Close-Up Interview: Distance Running

Mike Fiorilla interviews Jim Lombardi and Tom Hayden. Watch the interview

60 years of running: Jim Lombardi,
A video by Abby Lombardi - June 7, 2018

My granddaughter Abby produced this video for a course she took in high school. Watch the video here.

The Joy of Running

I enjoy running with other runners. In 2002 I ran the Baltimore Marathon with my daughter Laura. She had never run any races before, trained for 6 months prior to the event, and raised money for an AIDS clinic in Washinton DC. In 2011 I ran the Philadelphia Marathon with Denyse Hannon. It was her first marathon. The first photo below was taken a few hundred yards from the finish and you can see the big smile on Denyse's face. That's me with the blue shirt. In 2012 I ran the Drake Well Marathon with another "first-timer", Olivia Hemlock. It was great to be with Laura, Denyse and Olivia at the end of their first marathons to experience their joy. Memories of them will be with me forever. There is nothing quite like running with a first-timer and I recommend it to all runners.

Jim Fitch introduced me to ultramarathoning in 2005. Among other things, he told me about the Mohican 100 Mile Trail Run and mentioned pacers. In many ultras, a runner is allowed to have a pacer who runs or walks with the runner during some portion of the second half of the run. Later in 2005 I paced Jim in the Mohican 100. That same year I ran the JFK 50 Miler. In 2012 I paced Jim for 30 miles of the Pine Creek Challenge 100 Mile Run. The second photo below is at the 95 mile mark. Ultra runners and their pacers often become good friends if they aren't already. This is another of the many joys of running.

George Sheehan in the 1960's

In 1963 I met George Sheehan at one of my first road races. It was in Plainfield NJ. We both had just joined the Central Jersey Track Club. Over the next 5 years we competed in many of the same events and traveled together for some of them. For a number of years he bought me subscriptions to Browning Ross's publication the Long Distance Log. I believe it is the second running magazine. In 1965 George, Ed Ayres and I made up the Central Jersey TC team that won the Cherry Tree Marathon in Central Park against teams from the NY metropolitan area. Ed is known now as the founding editor of Running Times magazine and author. George is known now as a running philosopher and author. I knew him as easy to talk to, a tough competitor and a good friend. In 1972 I moved away from New Jersey and only met George a few times at races after that. One time was in 1983 at the Dublin Marathon. Another time was at a Hamot 10K in Erie PA a few years before George died. Both times George was a guest speaker. In 1982 we met by chance at a race in Southern New Jersey. The photo below was taken after that race. The newspaper article seen below appeared in George's newspaper, the Red Bank Area's Daily Register the Monday after the 1965 Cherry Tree Marathon. It reports the Central Jersey TC team results.

With George Sheehan in 1982

Running in Amsterdam

Many times when traveling I look for a race to run. It's fun to meet runners I would otherwise not meet and run on new courses. Our daughter Laura lives in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. She and her husband Joe O'Brien have two girls Maureen and Oona. Mary Jane and I visit them twice a year and often stay about a month each time. They live in the southern part of Amsterdam near Amsterdamse Bos (Amsterdam's Woods). This beautiful area is miles wide and long and has many paths and trails for running. It's a great place and many runners take advantage of it. I have run quite a few races in the Amsterdam area. One time Joe and I ran a race that we thought was a 10K. Actually the race was 10 miles and somehow this important bit of information was lost in translation. You can imagine our dismay when after pacing for a 10K we got to the 10K mark and found we had 4 miles left. Years later we still laugh about it. The Amsterdam Marathon is a big thing and many spectators come out to cheer along the way. The finish is on the Olympic Stadium track where Olympic events were held in 1928. Joe and I ran the marathon in 2011 and we did that side by side the whole way. We had a great run. The first photo below is of Joe and me after the Amsterdam Marathon. In 2014 we ran together in the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transendence 6 hour Run on a mile loop. Most ultramarathoners don't like small loops, but I don't mind them at all. It was nice to have Mary Jane, Laura, Maureen and Oona see us after each mile. A very friendly group organized and directed the run. By the middle of the six hours the lap counters were kidding with Joe and me and cheering us on. The group also made friends with our family. At the award ceremony they asked Maureen to hand out the flower awards to the age group winners. The second photo below shows Maureen happily awarding flowers.

When searching for information concerning ultramarathon running in The Netherlands, I found this wonderful link. It has a great deal of information concerning ultramarathoning around the world. It even ranks yearly ultra results for open and age group runners from around the world.

Running Photos

The first photo below is Gary Bell and me just before the start of the Butler 5 Mile Run in 2017. The second photo is of Don Marco, Gary Bell and me. We all ran in the 70 and older age group in the Butler 5 Mile Run in 2017.

Just before the start of the Butler 5 miler 2017

After Butler 5 Miler 2017
left to right:
Gary Bell, Don Marco,
and Jim Lombardi

A great thing about running early in the morning is you get to see things you wouldn't normally see. The first photo below is the scene we were treated to during registration for the Trail Blazer 15K on the Ernst Trail in Meadville PA. Notice the Sun shining through the fog. By the time the race started the Sun had burned off the fog and the sky was blue. Photo by Mary Jane Lombardi.

Mary Jane and I have two children, Jamie and Laura. As mentioned above Laura and her family live in Amsterdam. Jamie, his wife Sheryl and their two girls Lynnea and Abby live in Meadville PA, the same town as Mary Jane and I. The second photo below of Abby and Jamie was taken at the finish of the Human Race in Meadville on Memorial Day 2015. I think the lighting is interesting. Also notice how both runners have both feet off the ground at the moment the photo is taken. Photo by Mary Jane Lombardi.

Trail Blazer 2017
The scene during registration
Notice the Sun shinning through the fog between the trees.

Abby and Jamie
Memorial Day 2015
Notice all four feet off the ground.

The first photo below was taken during the 2011 Amsterdam Marathon. Joe O'Brien and I are wearing blue shirts. Mary Jane and I have stayed a few times in an apartment with a window that faces the windmill seen in the background. As a matter of fact we were staying there at the time Maureen our grandchild was born. The night before she was born Maureen's four grandparents had dinner in the "Windmill View Apartment." It was just by chance that the photo was taken as we were passing the windmill. Photo by John Collins of Amsterdam.

The second photo was taken after the Butler 5 Mile Run in 2016. Gary Bell and I have run in many of the same races during the last 30 years or so. I met Rod Brest a few years ago. Last year we started running interval sessions together. I recently met Ron Bennett.

With Joe O'Brien
Amsterdam Marathon 2011

After Butler 5 Miler 2016
left to right:
Ron Bennett, Rod Brest,
Jim Lombardi and Gary Bell

The next photo is of Colton McCurdy and me wearing Allegheny College sweaters. Colton graduated from Allegheny in 2017 as a computer science major and I taught Physics for 34 years there. I retired in 2006. I have known Colton since he was born. Colton helped me set up this website and I have enjoyed a few running workouts with him recently (summer 2016).

With Colton McCurdy
Colton helped me set up this website.

You can visit Colton's website here

Photo of me at the start of
the Canandaguia 50K 2015

On a hot summer day in 1968 Gary Muhrcke and I ran side by side for 15.5 miles in a big race in NY. I was fortunate to be able to outkick him. Two years later Gary won the first NY city Marathon.

"Charity Miles" is a free app that allows you to earn money for a charity by running, walking or biking. You can choose from a large list of charities. Your charity gets 25 cents/mile when you walk or run and 10 cents/mile when you bike. The app uses your phone's GPS outdoors and its motion detectors indoors. If you run 20 miles a week you could earn $260 in a year for you favorite charity. You can change from one charity to another any time. My charity is "Feeding America" and I really feel good that I am doing this. Check out the app at CharityMiles.org