The great experiment

One reason I enjoy running is that the sport allows me to indulge my interest in technology. From my first few months using the Nike+ Sportsband to my switch to the Garmin 50 I have tracked my performance and progress and studied the results. Technology isn't limited to sports watches, I started a site within emergingrunner.com called Runner's Tech Review to provide feedback on every type of fitness technology I use. To be sure, some of this technology is battery powered but much of it isn't. Sports drinks, running shoes and energy bars are all technologies in their own right.

I've just replaced my Blackberry with an iPhone and I'm learning to deal with it. In many ways it's a step down from its replacement but it offers some capabilities to runners that the Blackberry cannot match. For one thing I can finally look at comments posted on my Runner's World Loop blog without being tethered to a PC. I thought I would have better tools for mobile posting using Safari but Blogger doesn't really work right. There may be issues with Flash or Java. I can post simply by sending an email to a special address so I've found a good solution for that. The big exciting technology opportunity is leveraging the GPS capability of the iPhone. I mentioned MotionX yesterday and put it to the test walking a few places in the city. The system had a difficult time acquiring a signal but that could be related to the many tall buildings in mid town NYC. Today I will try a run with the iPhone using MotionX to track my speed, distance, elevation and route. I'm hoping that it works better than the Qstarz Sports Recorder.

To hedge my bets, I'll have my trusty Garmin as backup and it will be interesting to compare results between the two. The only concern I have is the weather. Storms are expected and I don't want to soak the iPhone.

MotionX looks cool but I'm going to miss my Blackberry

I received my iPhone 3GS a couple of days ago and it was DOA. I got a 3G loaner unit in the meantime and installed MotionX, an application that uses the location aware capability of the iPhone to capture data via GPS. I have not been able to use it yet but perhaps at lunch I'll test it out. This app creates a KMZ file like the Qstarz 1300S that can be overlayed on Google Earth to show path, speed and elevation data.

I'll admit to some frustrations with the iPhone. The text input is a few steps down from my Blackberry. There are many things that are simple on the Blackberry (like posting to my blogs) that are going to be difficult with the Apple. I'm actually using my Blackberry to do this post because, despite the iPhone's full browser capability with Safari, the Blogger interface doesn't work.

I know I'll eventually get it sorted out and I'm really excited to have a resource that can use GPS to capture running data and display it in real time (sorry Qstarz). I'll need to get a sleeve holder at City Sports for the iPhone so that I can run with it. Perhaps I'll use MotionX today to track my way and back to the store..

Hot slog

No matter how hot a summer day can get, running conditions at 4:00 AM are usually fairly comfortable. I've experienced mornings when it was downright chilly even though the day's high would reach the mid 80's. Yesterday morning was cool and humid but today was hot and very humid. As I stepped out for my warmup I could feel the moisture in the air and I wondered how this might affect the quality of my run.

I took off and randomly chose a street to follow. I like to choose my path through the neighborhood in real time rather than map it out ahead of time safety purposes. I don't want anyone noticing that I run past here or there every day at 4:15. Despite the oppressive conditions I pushed somewhat at the beginning to help accelerate my transition from anaerobic to aerobic breathing. I've been thinking a lot about cadence lately and wondering if I could increase my running speed by increasing my steps per minute. Soon I started feeling the heat and hoped the run would go by quickly. When I checked the Garmin I saw that I had only been outside for seven minutes. It seemed longer than that and I could tell that the next 2/3rds of the run would be a slog.

I ran with my Brooks this morning and they were fine so this was a good test of their performance compared with the NB 460's that seem to enable my best paces. There was a lot more activity than yesterday including the first time I saw another person, not a runner, but someone coming home very late. There were three or four cars which is also unusual. One was tossing the NY Times onto people's driveways and the other was tossing Newsday. On my short ride to the train station this morning I counted five runners along the way. I wondered how they were dealing with the heat, humidity and sun. No one was smiling. I ended up running about 22 minutes at 9:19, certainly unworthy of a contribution to the Garmin fund. All the same I was happy to have toughed it out on a brutally warm morning. Every bit helps.

Morning Glory

Time to add another $20 to the Garmin fund for todays' early run. I was hoping to beat 9:05 and continue my steady improvement in pace during these morning excursions. I went out fast from the start encouraged by the fact that, right now, I am not suffering any injuries that would mitigate my efforts. I knew I was moving well and I thought about how running with others can help improve speed so I imagined I was trying to keep up with a fast paced crowd. In truth it was just me and lots of rabbits. I decided to run hard for as long as I could and throttle back if I got tired. I knew I could run one mile fairly fast (compared to my average pace) so I was curious to see how far I could go before I started to feel depleted.

It was cool but already humid and those conditions worked for me. I felt like I had a fair amount of glycogen on reserve as I passed the 12 minute mark. I didn't look at my pace or distance and I was very curious to know if I was really doing well or if I was experiencing a 4:00 AM delusion. I returned home after covering 2.5 miles in about 22 minutes and was very pleased to see I'd averaged a pace of 8:40/mile.

I think today's $20 was well earned but lately I'm wondering whether I want the 405 or if my new 3GS iPhone will provide adequate utility for GPS and elevation mapping. But that's a subject for another post!

The Emerging Runner, Jr.

I ended up covering over 12 miles this weekend after all with a pre-dinner run on Sunday with my daughter. She really wants to run and lately, when we've been out for walks, she's taken off sprinting a few blocks ahead, always raring to go further and faster. She's a great athlete and I'd love it if she took an interest in distance running.

Our plan was to go up, over and back along some adjacent streets and cover a distance that I knew to be .65 miles. I thought she'd tire half way around but she moved right along, happily talking while maintaining a credible pace. We finished the .65 mile loop and she asked to stop for a minute before resuming through the middle school grounds and up a longer road before heading back home. When we finished I noted that we'd covered 1.2 miles. We were both hot and wet, some of it due to running past homes that were watering their lawns near the sidewalk. I wore a cotton jersey and was amazed how soaked I'd become on such a short run. The humidity was brutal and I once again appreciated the benefits of wicking technical jerseys.

I'm hoping to run with my son next weekend and to continue running on weekends with my daughter. It was pure joy to see her by my side, knowing that in a few years I may not even be able to keep up with her. In the meantime I'm still the fastest runner on my block!

Short and sweet

I had hoped that today's run would be the longest of the weekend and I was aiming to cover 5 miles. I was happy with my weekend runs with AG at Stillwell and around the neighborhood and looked to cap things off with a slightly longer Sunday run. The weather was not looking good and there was thunder but no rain. I was anxious to get out to run before the storm and I hit the street anticipating a fast return at the first sign of lightning. I pushed the pace and went west on Jericho Turnpike so I could make a loop around the neighborhood and cut in towards home if necessary. I decided to run with my NB 460's today to compare them to the Helly Hansen Trail Lizards and I was once again impressed with the versatility of the New Balance shoes.  About ten minutes into the run the sun came out along with the heat and humidity. It quickly became clear that I wouldn't be covering five miles under those conditions so I made my way back having run a total of 3.7 miles at 8:46/mile.

I finished the three day period with 11 miles, a little short of what I'd done on recent weekends. All the same I felt that Friday's trail run and today's brisk pace were worthy of contribution to the Garmin fund. I'm up to $100, a third of the way there. My next goal is to break 9:05 on a 4:00 AM run next week. I may help myself out by running again with the New Balance 460's. They may be made for trails but they do darn well on the road.

Our natural resource

Nature was the theme of the day on Friday as the whole family headed out to the trails at Stillwell for a forestry tour conducted by none other than Adventure Girl herself. My wife and kids often visit the nearby trails for hikes but they wanted to know more about the forest, plants and trees. It was a different way of viewing Stillwell which I have previously seen only while bounding over trails, roots, puddles and rocks. We had a great time and learned a lot along the way.

After the tour my family returned home to look up the samples they collected. AG and I remained at the Preserve to do some serious trail running. I'm planning to run the Dirty Sock 10K in August so I'm trying to log some trail time. AG may join me in the race although she'll be back at grad school by then so it may be hard for her to get there. We brought along the Qstarz 1300S Sports Recorder so we could record our run and later view the area we covered on a map. Stillwell has lots of trails, some with fairly challenging sections and the layout of the trails can be confusing when you're viewing them from the ground rather than from Google Earth. I had my compass and that helped a lot. AG has a much better sense of place and direction and was able to identify some trails that we'd previously covered. The last time I ran that course I'd suspected that I was circling back over old ground a few times and now I'm sure I had. We wore our Helly Hansen Trail Lizards for a true field test and liked the result. The full report is being written for Runner's Tech Review but, in short, we felt they were capable trail shoes for shorter length runs like the 4 miles we covered yesterday.

AG stayed with us until this morning and we did a 5K+ neighborhood run cutting into neighborhood #2 along the way. Today's run was at a fairly easy pace and served as a good recovery from the rigor of Stillwell. AG wore her Helly's and pronounced them less than ideal for the street. That was the conclusion I'd also reached the first time I tried them on pavement. Before AG left us for more weekend adventures she engaged in some competitive Wii play with my son and daughter. I don't remember who won but any of them can beat me. It was a great, educational and fun filled running weekend. The best part is that there's much more to come!

Into the woods

I'm beginning to think about my 10K trail race in August. The course looks interesting, it starts at the southern end of a park and the runners move north to the top, double back along the same route and return. Along the way there's a lake to get around. I really love trail running and I enjoy racing but I'm wondering how well the two will mix. The races I've run have all been road runs with even terrain and enough room for everyone to find their own lane. Trail running, I've discovered, often involves narrow paths with obstacles to avoid. What is the protocol for this? How do faster runners get by slower runners when the trail is less than a foot wide? Who has the right of way and what happens in the out and back section when traffic doubles? I don't know why I'm worrying about this now but it comes from what I've learned in the races I have run:

1. Know the course ahead of time. Even if you can't run it beforehand, familiarize yourself with the layout using Gmaps. This provides context for how far is left to go.

2. Use tools like Google Earth to detect marked elevation changes. My April race provided a few unwanted surprises that worked against my race strategy. My end of race sprint reserve was eaten up by a final steep hill 1/4 mile from the finish.

3. Despite the adrenalin rush at the beginning that prompts you to go out fast, be thoughtful about energy conservation for the first couple of miles. A speedy start can work for you on a 5K but a 10K, especially on variable surfaces, will require every ounce of reserve.

Despite my questions about the trail race experience I am very excited to participate in this event. Later today AG will be taking me, my wife and the kids on a nature walk in Stillwell Woods and we'll follow that with a trail run. We'll be putting the Helly Hansens to the test for that and report back on how they perform on Stillwell's more challenging trails.

The one after 9:09?

You might recognize the subject of this post as an old Beatle's song. For me it's a question of how I'll do the next time I go out for a run at 4:00 AM compared to the last two days. This early morning outdoor running has been a great enhancement to my overall workout program. I cannot remember the last time I got up at 4:00 knowing that I would need to endure the tedious and percussively loud whine of the treadmill. I appreciate the machine and respect that after more than a decade it still does the job. I built my running fitness with this treadmill over many months. However, respect and affection can be very different things.

Moving from a seven-day-a-week (five on the treadmill) routine to five days running outdoors, one day of elliptical and one rest day schedule has been a big improvement. I've never been much of an outdoors person (ask my wife) but running has changed that. Give me the road and the trails (or, worst case, the track) and I'm happy. I get up excited at 4:00 AM knowing cool conditions and quiet streets await me. The only downside has been that my pace seems to suffer early in the morning, especially compared with my past treadmill experience. Where I was running 8:50 miles on the treadmill I was running 9:30 or slower outdoors. I guess it has to do with the machine providing more help than I thought.

This morning I went out fast and tried to maintain a fluid pace. I knew from experience that feeling like I was moving along quickly can be deceiving at that hour. I ended up covering almost the same distance as yesterday, 2.4 miles, but my pace had improved to 9:09. This is definitely the direction I want and I'm wondering if I can maintain this progress going forward. In the meantime it's another $20 into the Garmin fund for breaking 9:10 before the birds are up.

Banking on a Garmin 405

I've decided to target $300 for my Garmin 405 fund. As I'd mentioned previously, I'm going to contribute $20 to the fund every time I achieve a goal or perform a notable run. The goals are quantifiable but the other criteria are objective so I'll serve as both the banker and the judge. As long as I think I've earned the contribution I'll award the cash. Last Friday's 4.7 mile Central Park run was on the bubble because I didn't break 9:00/mile. On the other hand it was almost five miles, somewhat hilly with 90+ percent humidity and temperatures in the high 80's. So 9:04 overall for that distance earns the first $20. Sunday was 3.7 miles under 9:00/mi so that gets the prize as well. $40 banked.

This morning I was questioning whether to attempt my early morning run. The rain was coming down hard moments before I dressed to run. With the 4:00 AM darkness, despite my headlamp, I had concerns about visibility. I opened the garage and saw that the rain was very light, barely there in fact, so I took off hoping for the best. It really turned out to be the best, the cool breeze and the light moisture in the air felt great. It wasn't too dark and I felt limited only by the amount of time I had to run.

I ended up covering 2.4 miles at 9:16/mile. It was the fastest I've done at 4:00 AM but the judge is not awarding any prize money for that. Considering that it's tougher to go fast minutes after awakening from a sound sleep I'll concede to a goal of 9:10 for an early morning pace. Once I reach that I'll bank the money and revise the goal closer to 9:00/mile.

Erase the Bethpage 5K, bring on the Dirty Socks 10K

Last night I went online to see if registration had opened up for the Bethpage 5K. This race, held at Bethpage State Park on 7/27, is one of a series of summer races held at state parks on Long Island. I know that participation in this series is high and that people who signed up for the entire series are given priority. The race planners expect so many runners that they've asked that people carpool to the event to minimize the amount of cars and traffic. They also said that single race registration for Bethpage would only open up the week before the race. When I got on the website to get information it said "No single race registration." So, unless that was a placeholder that will be taken down today it looks like I may be out of luck for next Monday. If I am unable to participate in the 5K it will be the first month since March where I won't be racing. I suppose I could count last week's Fun Run as my July event.

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While I would love to do this 5K it would have required me to rush home early from the office and battle the crowds to make the 7:00 PM start. I think I have found a better challenge: the Babylon Dirty Socks 10K on August 23rd. This event was suggested by one of my co-bloggers on the Runner's World Loop and it looks very interesting. Most of the course is on trails and the topography is fairly flat so it could be a fast race. I have not yet competed in a 10K event so it's an opportunity to do that distance plus a trail race, both for the first time.

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This also gives me about a month to prepare and train. What better excuse for me to hit the trails next weekend?

In praise of the NB 505

At the time that I resumed running almost a year ago I only owned a single pair of athletic shoes. Those shoes were New Balance 505's; cushioned cross training/walking shoes that I'd had for years. I started my return to running by walking, covering two or three miles on the treadmill or in the neighborhood a few times a week. Up until then the 505's had served me well as the shoes I wore every weekend for almost any activity except for formal occasions.

Even with four of five years of use they still looked brand new and felt great whenever I wore them. They were perfect walking shoes and despite my assessment that I've put more than 600 miles onto these shoes they still serve me well since I don't use my many pairs of running shoes for anything but running. If my wife says we're going to Target or to the market I still reach for my 505's. 

It wasn't until I began adding some runs within my walks last August that I realized that the cushioning and stiffness of the NB's worked against me. I soon bought my first pair of running shoes (Nike Turbulence 13's) and moved to full time running. The rest, as they say, is history. Funny that when I've tried on NB street running shoes a few times since then I haven't loved the fit. However, my NB 460's are still a great choice for the trails.

I had hoped to hit the trails at least once this weekend but since my weekend schedule was tight I needed to stick close to home both days. Yesterday I covered 3.5 easy miles and this morning I went out early and was ready to move a little faster. It was about 65 degrees with moderate humidity and light winds so I worked a little on my speed and looked for routes with hills or long inclines.

After spending some time within the neighborhood I moved over to the western edge road and then went east to attack the lengthy hill on Jericho Turnpike before I re-entered the neighborhood. I ended up covering 3.7 miles at an 8:54 pace. I thought that was great considering the tougher than normal course. A brisk and challenging Friday run in Central Park and a rigorous run on Sunday book-ended three miles of CFMs on Saturday.  I covered a little less than 12 miles on those three days, a bit shorter than what I've been doing over that span but I'm definitely running harder these days.