Rain, pain go away

My running goals for the weekend were to run speed drills today and run trails tomorrow. The rain was coming down hard by the time I headed to the track and I considered staying in and pushing my pace on the treadmill. To me, running outdoors is always preferable to indoors and I decided that a little rain couldn't hurt. Make that a lot of rain combined with fairly cold temperatures and some wind.

When I arrived at the school there was a truck parked on the track and a man was removing hurdles and other equipment and placing them into the truck. He told me he was setting up for a lacrosse game that was supposed to start in an hour. I decided to get my running in quickly before the throngs arrived. Of course, with this weather, most of the game attendees would likely be either players or coaches. I wore my new trail shoes as a hedge against the rain, a long sleeve technical shirt, a pullover light rain jacket and my bamboo running pants. My hands were freezing and I wished I'd also brought gloves.

I did 4 x 400s, running at as fast a pace as I could maintain without risking further injury to my sore leg. I was very surprised by how difficult it was to do this. While I have come far in terms of aerobic conditioning I finished each 400 meter segment feeling more winded than I do when I run five miles straight. It clearly comes from the amount of work being done relative to the distance. According to my Garmin, my overall speed for 1600 meters averaged 7.8 MPH which translates to a 7:41/mile pace. This may be true but I ran 200 meters at an easy pace in between speed segments so that 7:41 does not represent a contiguous mile. It sure made me appreciate other runners I know who regularly break 7:30/mile over multiple miles.

I somewhat regretted how much I pushed myself today, especially after I got home and noticed that the pain had returned to my leg. I stretched and felt better but I need to keep that injury protected over the next three weeks. Today's speed session was not a full workout in terms of total exercise time so, time allowing, I may run a couple of easy miles on the treadmill later in the day. I hope the rain stops early enough to allow the trails to dry sufficiently for a Sunday run. But if a little rain didn't hurt today, a little mud won't hurt tomorrow.

The Emerging Runners, Jr.

My kids are on spring break from school and today my nine year old son is coming in with me to work. He is, as they say, a "serious young man" and he's dressed for the office, tie included. We used to run together on the weekends but after injuring his toe (non-running related) he took a hiatus. We've been talking about returning to the track together and he's also interested in trying the trails. My wife and daughter are also interested and I think a run/hike might be a fun activity to plan for later this spring.

Right now I'm very much in race mode so my running activity this weekend will need to be primarily about that. I have received a lot of good advice in preparation of the event. These are a few essential points:

1. Rest two days prior to race day.
2. Moderate hydration and good carbs pre-race.
3. Dress as lightly as possible.
4. Don't go out too fast, save enough energy for the end.
5. Pay attention to everything and enjoy the experience.

I'm feeling prepared and my biggest concern is pulling a muscle or causing an injury during speed training this weekend. I have another race (a 5K) two weeks after the upcoming four miler. The 5K event will also feature a Kid's Fun Run so there may be an opportunity for me, my son and my daughter to experience racing together.

Bonus miles

I'm home from work today, which gave me an opportunity to run longer than I usually do on a weekday. It may be the full moon, the atmospheric pressure, a cold or an allergy but I woke up feeling tired, weak and headachy. I announced last night that I'd do my morning run outside at 6:15 AM (celebrating the fact that there's now good light at that time) but that was over ambitious and I didn't actually set out until after 8:00 having had more than a few of cups of coffee.

I am in the narrow part of my training cycle and I want to put in as many miles as I can before I go into my 'quiet period' two days before my race. I've had a few recent conversations with other, more experienced, runners and they have kindly provided guidance in terms of preparation for the event. What they don't say (because they're nice) is "Four miles isn't a very long distance so you don't need to do too much to prepare." That is probably true but you only get one first race experience and they respect that.

I didn't set a distance goal for today's run but I'd hoped to do at least 5K. I headed quickly to neighborhood #2 to get a couple of miles down before circling back to my main neighborhood loop. I felt good as I ran but I didn't quite trust it since I was feeling very low just a few hours before. I dressed well for the weather (low 40's) but the sun did get warm near the end. When I reached one of my either-or points on my route (where I decide to take either a longer or shorter leg to the finish) I was happy to note that I had just passed three miles. I wasn't running especially fast but it seemed to be a good pace. I ended up covering 4.1 miles and calculated that I'd maintained an overall pace of 9:06/mile. I could have easily broken 9:00 minutes if I'd paid attention to the Garmin and picked up the pace for a few segments. I'm pleased with the results and glad I traveled more distance than I'd expected to cover. I have the weekend to work on strength and speed and will probably do one more long run early next week while I'm away on business.

Tapering on

A couple of weeks ago AG asked me about my "taper plan" for my upcoming race. Being a race newbie I didn't understand the phrase. I actually thought it had to do with taping my foot for support. She explained that runners often reduce, or taper, their running routine during the weeks leading up to a race. The object is to build an optimal balance between rest and conditioning.

With my race less than two weeks away I've been thinking about the best way to prepare myself for competition. Last weekend (counting Friday) I did longer runs for three consecutive days for a total distance just short of 12 miles. In deference to a slight but persistent leg injury, I have folded in a few elliptical sessions this week which provide less strain on certain affected muscles. I'm out of the office on Thursday and I'm hoping to do a long run in the morning plus longer runs over the weekend.

Next week is when the tapering will start. I'm going to be traveling on business for most of next week so I'll need to work my routine around that. Happily I'll be up at MIT and if weather and schedules cooperate I'll get to spend some quality time running near the Charles river. I'm traveling back on Saturday and I'm not planning to do any running that day. In fact I'm thinking of resting on Friday as well, perhaps only doing core stretching.

Will it make a great difference to rest a couple of days before the race? I'll let you know on the 19th.

Trail shoe, meet treadmill

This morning, before my run, I realized that the foot pod for my Garmin 50 was still attached to one of my new NB 460 trail shoes. The effort to remove and then attach it to my regular shoes is minimal but just time consuming enough for me to think twice about it. As I've mentioned before, every minute counts in my early morning routine.

In the interest of time I decided to run with the 460s on the treadmill. I figured they performed well on the street so it wouldn't matter too much if they weren't made for running on a treadmill surface. Starting up was a little tough which I attributed to both the tread of the shoes and to some residual stiffness I have in my right leg. I'm planning to visit my orthopedist after my May race to get to the root of that problem which, at the moment, involves some slight pain and restricted mobility when starting a walk or run.

I got up to speed fairly quickly and the 460s, though not especially heavy, felt like I was running with comfortable work boots. As usual, my treadmill display shut down after about five minutes (as a technologist I am horrified by the failings of most running technologies I've used. But to be fair the treadmill is over a decade old) so I pushed the speed control blindly until the Garmin registered 7 MPH.

I ended up running 1.81 miles at an 8:50 pace. Although the use of these shoes on the treadmill was not ideal they're proving themselves to be a great buy. Tomorrow I'll aim for the same distance with the Nike's to compare experiences. I'm betting that under the same conditions, with the right shoes, I should be able to improve on that pace.

Treadmill and elliptical, Viva la différence!

I reverted to the elliptical this morning and welcomed the lower impact workout after three days of long runs. While the net benefit of a 22 minute workout may approximately equal that of my usual weekday treadmill run I never feel as though I work as hard on the elliptical. I read an article some months ago that compared the differences between treadmill running and elliptical workouts. Besides the obvious differences in leg motion and the involvement of the arms with the elliptical, the article maintained that the two activities were approximately the same.

If that's the case, why does the elliptical seem so much easier? According to research I've done, while the two workouts burn approximately the same amount of calories per hour (assuming treadmill speed and elliptical resistance are equalized) the lower impact on the user's joints with the elliptical creates a perception that the user is doing less work. That makes sense to me. What also contributes to the difference is that the treadmill sometimes seems a barely tamed beast. At speed, the user must maintain a precise pace and correct position on the tread or risk a serious accident. The noise from a treadmill can also be very loud and that can contribute to tension and perceived effort. The percussive motion of running can cause vibration, so much so that my clock often turns or even falls off the night table when I turn up the speed.

On the other hand the elliptical is whisper quiet (except for mine that occasionally makes a clacking sound when it becomes unbalanced at certain speeds) and this allows the user to watch television or listen to music at a normal level. You can even close you eyes and drift into an alpha state as you operate the machine. Try that on a treadmill. I also find that on longer sessions I can spread the pain a little by making minute adjustments between the efforts I put to the leg part versus the arm part as I maintain a certain rate. It's much more civilized.

At the end, even as I completed my workout this morning drenched with sweat, I still felt that I was missing something. Perhaps it's that running is more aerobic and just plain harder to do. I love that I have a choice between the two machines. The treadmill will always be the preferred challenge and the elliptical will always be a great compromise in terms of doing a workout or taking a rest day.

A well balanced run

My usual routine involves two longer weekend runs and then either an easy run or light elliptical workout on Monday morning. Since Friday was the start of my running weekend I should have made today's exercise more like a rest day. I mentioned yesterday that I bought a pair of NB 460s and I wanted to see how they performed. I thought about heading over to Stillwell Woods Preserve to test them on the trails but I was constrained for time and I really wanted to get a feel for the shoes on the street.

I dressed light and it was cool but not too cold when I started out. I chose an uphill road as my first leg to help with my warm up and to take advantage of the energy that comes at the beginning of a run. I was very pleased with the feel of the 460s. They are roomier than the Kutus with a higher toe box and, with the exception of some slight slipping at the heel of my right foot, they felt great. I was moving very well as I crisscrossed through the neighborhood streets but then I came upon some stiff headwinds coming from the west. I remember thinking how nice those winds would feel later in the run after I'd heated up a bit. Although I'd planned a relatively short run I was feeling good and decided to run four miles since I'm just 13 days away from my 4 mile race.

I felt as though the Garmin was over-calculating a little and a mapping on Gmaps confirmed that. I ended up running about 4.2 miles with an overall pace of 9:07, which I thought was good considering that I was completing over 11 miles within three days. I learned on my Stillwell run and confirmed on Friday that softer surfaces and hills are still a challenge for me. This signals an opportunity to build up those muscles. I think next Sunday I will run some trails as a conditioning exercise one week before my race.

Emerging Runner News: I am happy to report that the Emerging Runner was the number one blog on the Runner's World Loop in March.

When all else fails blame the shoes

After watching the ever-changing weather yesterday we made a decision to head to Central Park at the end of the workday. It was still a bit misty and somewhat cool as we walked to the park and it seemed to be great conditions for a run. Adventure Girl led the way taking us on the Bridal trail along the western side. With respect to the weather I wore a light but non-breathable windbreaker over a short sleeve jersey and a hat. That turned out to be a mistake because the weather cleared soon after we started and I began to overheat very quickly. I also wore my Nike Kutu trail runners because of the rainy conditions and it was a good idea to have trail shoes since the running surface was muddy and uneven. I never really liked the Kutus that much, I bought them too small and while they are okay for shorter runs they aren't so good overall. Consequently, I had a tough time almost from the beginning and AG was gracious to stick with me even though I was maintaining a glacier-like pace around 10:00 per mile.

She had joked about being concerned about keeping up with me before we ran. That was not an issue and I have many things I could blame (clothes, shoes, heat, time of day) for my slow pace. In my defense it was a hilly course and I'm just not used to a surface like that. The intended course was about 4.5 miles but I had to stop at 4.3 miles (ave 9:53/mi) with the last half mile on a paved surface. My legs were tired during most of the run but I wasn't winded. We walked back to the office and it felt good. I had a great time and I wish I was a better running partner but now I know what I need to do in terms of preparing next time.

This morning I decided to do a relatively easy run to assuage my damaged ego and did a 3-mile run through my neighborhood. I felt pretty good and the difference between the Nike Turbulence 13s and Kutus was evident. I ran slowly compared to recent street runs finishing with an overall pace of 9:10. We went out to do some errands and while my wife shopped with the kids for summer swim clothes I tried on some running shoes. The place we were at had some good brands but not the high end shoes. I decided to pass on buying any of the shoes I tried although they were inexpensive but at the last minute I saw some New Balance 460 trail shoes on sale so I tried them and really liked the way they fit. I'm going to run with them tomorrow to see if they feel good running. If that's the case I might keep them at the office. I'm thinking about buying some shoes to replace the Turbulence 13s which are rolling up to 400 miles. I don't know if that's necessary since they still feel pretty good.

Today Adventure Girl is conducting a training session with her relay team on the trails in Prospect Park. I'm not sure she even broke a sweat yesterday so I think she'll be fine for that rigorous activity. My wife ran 30 minutes today which is very impressive and I'm hoping that we can get to the track again soon. I'm targeting at least 4 miles tomorrow. It would be great if these new shoes feel as good on the street as they do in my den.

Weather or not

Anticipating a long run later today in Central Park, I skipped all forms of exercise this morning. It was an odd feeling to watch the news at 4:30 AM with neither the sweat nor endorphins that usually follow a vigorous session on the treadmill. I'm really hoping that the weather cooperates this afternoon although it isn't looking too good right now. As of 6:30 it was raining and that is supposed to continue throughout the day. According to Weather.com it should be 57 degrees with thunderstorms, 74% humidity and windy at 4:30 PM when we plan to start. The only element I can think of to make conditions worse would be the addition of a sandstorm. The thing that will determine whether we run is the intensity of the storm itself. Rain, heat and winds are challenges to overcome but lightning is something to avoid at all costs.

As I look out my office window onto 6th Ave. (above) it's not looking too good: dark, gray and rainy although I'm not hearing any thunder. Tomorrow and Sunday I'm hoping to do a couple of long runs but we're supposed to get some rain and 25 to 35 MPH winds. I'm not sure how I'm going to do it but I'm planning to cover at least 8 miles this weekend, weather notwithstanding.

Running for office

Over the past few years I've noticed another commuter who always gets up from his train seat as we head into the East River tunnel and then proceeds to do calf and leg stretches as we come into Penn Station. When the doors open he's already moving, bounding up the stairs on his way to work. I've recently noticed that this man wears running shoes and despite the fact that the rest of his wardrobe (coat, suit and tie) is all business I'm guessing that he runs to his office each day.

Although running to my office each day from Penn (approximately 1.3 miles) presents an opportunity to add more miles to my weekly total I don't think I'll follow his lead. There is merit to the concept but I don't need to show up at my building each day looking like a damp washcloth. I did a great pre-workday city run a few weeks ago but that was in cooler weather and we wore real running clothes. Tomorrow afternoon Adventure Girl and I have planned a run in Central Park late in the day. It's a 4 mile route that includes the reservoir. It sounds like a great way to end the work week and a good jumpstart to my weekend training. I'd like to start a running club with colleagues and members of my team because so many people from my office are runners. We've even joked about doing a staff meeting as a group run. Of course, it would be great if my company had showers available to people who wanted to break up their day with some exercise but in these days of cost cutting that's not likely.

This week's Sedentary Man

In this week's column Sedentary Man explains the rules of HORSE and also recognizes Carl Yastremski's little known contribution to fitness in Major League Baseball. SM told me that as a Bosox fan he thought I would like that mention. His column is an encouraging message to those of us who plan to run past retirement age. Read it here...

In addition, I have been the featured blogger on the Runner's World loop community page. It's not much more than a goofy picture but you can check it out here before I'm replaced by another community member.

19 days and counting...

My race countdown clock is now at 19 days. What was once an abstract, future date is now just three weekends away. Many runners I know have competed for years. They have t-shirts, running bibs, PR's and stories. Aside from a corporate challenge I ran in 1992 that is disturbingly fuzzy in my memory, I am a complete newbie.

I do appreciate the encouragement that I've received from more accomplished and experienced runners. Unlike other sports where I've competed, ice hockey, karate and, yes, tennis, there seems to be little in the way of trash talking among those who run. The Runner's World Loop community is an interesting and eclectic group of runners at all stages. Some are new to the sport and others are quite experienced. I often see RW Loop blog posts from people who run 6 and 7 minute paces and wonder what they think of those (like me) who brag every time they break a 9:00 mile. My guess is that they think "good for you" based upon the encouraging comments I've seen on mine and other's blogs.

I weighed in today exactly where I wanted to be. I ran 1.8 miles at 9 min/mile and, by stretching before I ran, I had minimal leg soreness. I'm ready for my first race. In fact I wish it was this upcoming weekend. But since it isn't happening for 19 days I'll take the opportunity to refine my performance a little more. I hope to maintain or exceed an 8:50 pace for the 4 miles. I've heard that racing provides extra motivation and adrenalin and I'm counting on that for meeting this goal.