Sunday, February 9, 2014

Snowed out at the track, but not at the park

Track was snow go
Today's run (street): 4 miles

I ended up wimping out of the GLIRC run today. I debated whether to head over and see the condition of that route (it would have been a five minute drive), but finally decided to pursue a different workout. I haven't focused much on my speed lately and the Bethpage trail relay is next week. A track workout would be ideal so (after much preparation and stalling) I made my way to the high school track.

I was hoping the track would be clear, but when I arrived I saw that it was covered by at least three inches of snow. It would have been perfect conditions for Yaktrax or snowshoes. I was dressed for a cold outdoor run and didn't want to return home to the treadmill so I thought about my other options. First was the paved area at Stillwell that was right across the street. I knew that I could run a .6 mile loop there. Similarly, I thought about running the half mile route around the driveway loops at the middle school in my neighborhood.

Neither choice appealed to me, so I started to head toward the GLIRC office. I figured that I could park around there and pick up the northern end of the bike trail where the Clubhouse runs start. On my way there, I swung through the local business park and saw that it had clear roads and sparse traffic. I pulled into one of the lots and started a run going clockwise around the loop.

I had put on a lot of layers and immediately noticed how it restricted my stride. The 1.2 mile loop rises and falls with the clockwise direction, providing about 40 feet of elevation gain within a .4 mile section. I usually run it that way, rather than going in the opposite direction where that elevation stretches across 3/4 of a mile.

After so many treadmill runs in the past few weeks, I found the pavement a little jarring. I thought about my blogger buddy SIOR who goes out for runs in the double digits a few times a week (20 miles yesterday!) while I struggled to get my road legs back. Soon enough, the snow will leave us and I'll begin my base training runs for the half marathon that will culminate with 12+ mile runs.

At 2.8 miles I needed to stop at an intersection where a few cars were taking a left toward Jericho Turnpike. I hit stop on the Garmin while the cars went by and (apparently) did not properly restart it. About five minutes later, I heard a beep and saw that the Garmin was shutting down to preserve battery. I restarted the watch and tried to estimate how much further I'd need to run to cover four miles.

Round and round the park
I figured that a side route towards the Route 135 underpass would gain me the distance I'd need to make four miles. I would have aimed for more distance, but my right knee was feeling slightly sore. I finished up fast, with my best pace of the run on the last quarter mile. I knew it was the right time to stop when I reached the lot where I parked. I Gmapped my route when I got home and confirmed my distance.

I only covered about eight miles over the weekend, despite my goal of doing ten. That was fine because my legs got a good workout, especially today. I do need to dial up the speed to help prepare for next weekend. With snow falling tonight, that will probably have to happen on the treadmill.

7 comments:

  1. Nice run and I always love a post with a shout out! 'sup?! What time did you get to the GLIRC office? Were there members returning from their run? You probably could have gotten some cake.

    I read your comment on TPP's site. I hope they don't cancel our race. That would be a bummer. If so, we'll just have to sign up for another relay...like Hood to Coast or a Ragnar...

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    1. Thanks - I never did make it to the GLIRC office because I stopped and ran at the business park before I got there. If I'd remembered the cake I wouldn't have stopped.

      Regarding the relay, as much as I love trail running, I don't love the idea of sharing ice and snow covered paths with dozens of other competitors. It just takes one person to trip and bring down the rest.

      H2C and Ragner are great for pros like you : ) But maybe Ocean to Sound?

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    2. A Ragnar sounds like a complete blast. I'd love to do the Adirondacks some year in the future.

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    3. I know people who've participated in Ragner relays (and H2C as well) who said it was a great experience. I think much of it would be fun, but I'm not sure about living out of van for two days!

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  2. I only did 3 miles this weekend.
    I'm still envious of how much closer you are to all the available car-free running spots.

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    Replies
    1. You and A are welcome to come run around here with me anytime. Selfishly, that would get me past the shorter distance doldrums when I cut runs short due to boredom.

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