Energetic morning run

I must have had a good night's rest last night because I woke up ready to run this morning. It's not always that way. I do end up getting out and doing my mileage each day even as I fight sleep while I change into running clothes. Today felt different and despite what felt like a swelling in my big toe (my son has struggled with that problem for months on and off) I couldn't wait to hit the street. This weekend I bought a generic version of "Breath-right" strips that are designed to help keep nasal passages open for sleeping or athletics. My sinuses often bother me when I run so I thought this may be a good way of managing that problem. I bought "small to normal" size and it seemed a little small although I don't think my nose is that big. The adhesive didn't work as I'd expected and while I did get it positioned and noticed a difference in my air intake the strip eventually detached during my run. I'm thinking I may upgrade to the brand name and go up a size.

As I said above, my energy level was good as I started my run and I tried to keep a decent pace as I varied between normal and fast segments. I tend to run slower at 4:00 AM than I do at 7:00 AM so when I finished 2.5 miles at 8:48 per mile I was pleased with the outcome. My toe problem was not a factor and now feels close to normal. The cold air continues to support my energy level on these morning runs. I'll continue to experiment with the nose strips and gauge the effectiveness of the energy chews during this weekend's runs. Anything that provides a competitive edge is worth considering. 12 days and counting, I almost wish the race was this Sunday.

I relay want to go fast

We're getting closer to race day and all I can think about is getting through this week. Between budgets and industry presentations I'm very oversubscribed. At least running provides a good channel for dissipating stress. My work colleague, whom I'd mentioned in Saturday's post, ran the Baltimore half marathon in an impressive time despite her leg injury. I'll need to ask her how close she kept to her race strategy. I'd be thrilled to come anywhere near her pace in the relay.

AG gave me race info today (she's the team captain). We got our race number and lots of other info about race day. I'm thinking about going out fast (for me) for my first leg since it's only three miles. I'll have 90+ minutes to recover before my second leg. AG is planning to pace me on the six miler and that will help because at that point I may have trouble motivating myself. She will be running about 11.5 miles in total. Almost half a marathon and I'm worried about doing nine! Of course AG has previously completed three half's and is a far more experienced runner than her teammates. That's why she's the captain!

My plan tomorrow morning is to get out and run some tempo paces. I read in Runner's World that decreasing distance (during tapering) while increasing speed/pace is an effective way of improving performance on race day. With the early morning cold temperature a little fast running will be a great way to keep warm.

6 miles run around a lake - what could be better?

I was psyched to see the temperature on LI was 38 degrees when I watched the news at 6:00 AM this morning. In the last year I've learned that I run much better when it's cold and I enjoy the experience more. That is until the temperature drops into the teens and then I love it a bit less. Still, I'll take 18 degrees over 88 anytime. The plan was for me and my nephew to run Stillwell Woods, a local preserve that has many twisty trails and variable elevations. These trails are really meant for cyclists and you see many of them there, often when you don't expect it. The experience of running Stillwell can be amazing as the scene changes from moment to moment and the challenges can go from modest to ridiculous. It's two weeks until the Cape Cod Marathon and I knew I needed to focus more on distance than terrain so we decided to go with a Plan B instead: Belmont Lake State Park, home to the Dirty Sock 10K.

The trails at BLSP are straight and the elevations are modest and few. Most importantly, the course is much more measurable and measuring distance against my readiness was my goal. We both appreciated the cool air and the absence of humidity when we arrived. As an experiment we ate a couple of Luna Sport Moons to get some start up energy. The pomegranate flavor was good and between that and the beautiful day I was really ready to get going. I was concerned that a strong start would lead to a weak finish but that was not the case. We headed north along the main trail and it was nice to experience the course again without the competitive edge of a race. DaveADK and I ran this route a couple of weeks before the 10K and it was a similar feeling. Knowing the route somewhat I expected it to seem longer but it was very much the opposite. My nephew maintained a strong pace alongside me and when we got to the north lake I told him about some of the experiences I'd had at that point of the race. I remembered thinking that getting around the lake was going to be tough but today it was fairly easy. In fact today's run was remarkably smooth. At the 4 mile mark I had another Luna Moon to see if it would give me a boost. It's hard to say if it did but my lack of difficulty throughout the latter part of the run indicates it may have helped. I'll be bringing some along during the marathon runs.

We ended up covering 6.13 miles at 9:22 but our pace felt faster than that. Although the course is flat for a wooded trail it does have surfaces that inhibit performance so I'm equating 9:22 to about 9:07 on the street. I really think we could have pushed it harder, especially near the end, but we elected to just enjoy the experience at a pace that felt good. I'm pleased with my progress as I move closer to October 25th. Today reinforced that I can cover 6 miles at a credible pace without pushing close to my limits. I have a feeling that facing 9 miles on the marathon course will test those limits.

Marathon relay training with 14 days to go

I'm thinking about one of my work colleagues who is running in her first half marathon today in Baltimore. By now the race has already been run and I'm hoping she is celebrating a great experience. Last time I spoke to her she was concerned about an IT band injury. She was concerned about how that injury would affect her performance. She told me that her doctor discouraged her from getting a cortisone shot. The advice was that she should be able to feel the injury and, therefore, know when to stop or protect it if things got worse. I have a feeling things went well.

I'm less than 15 days from my marathon experience in Cape Cod. Not quite a half but longer than I've ever run in a single day. I keep thinking about the pluses and minuses of running two legs totalling 9 miles versus running that distance at a single time. I'm starting the race with a three mile leg and then running the fourth leg (six miles) after my teammates complete about 12 miles in between. Depending on how quickly they cover their distance I'm guessing I'll have 1:30 to 2:00 hours in between my runs. While I'm happy to have a rest in between I'm worried that my endurance will be affected by the lapse. The concern is that I will build up so much lactic acid after the first leg that my legs will be dragging halfway through the second. I suppose there is a strategy to help lactic acid dissipate sooner, probably through stretching or massage. I'll happily take guidance and suggestions.

I was feeling a little weak yesterday after my run and throughout most of the day. I had hoped to run five+ miles today on the street to ratchet up my conditioning as I move closer to race day. I've averaged 20 miles a week over the past couple of months but I've stepped it up to 23 miles the last couple of weeks. I felt okay when I went out this morning and headed straight for the industrial park because I need to train for "memorable hills" and there are some long steep ones there. I split off into neighborhood #4 and then tracked further east into the next town. I felt good although I did hit the wall somewhat at 33 minutes but I knew that I could endure it. Since I'm going to be on the trails at Stillwell Woods tomorrow I didn't want to burn out today so I redirected home and finished with 4.75 miles at a Gmap verified 9:09. I felt good about today's effort because my level of conditioning transcended the weakness and fatigue that I'm experiencing today. I hope this continues tomorrow, it's been weeks since I've been on the trails and Stillwell is no place for weakness.

Re-committing to my GTS-9's

I'm interested in running shoes because they are the one thing that separates me from the road, trail, track or treadmill when I run. I own five pairs that I use interchangeably but the alpha pair are my Brooks Adrenalin GTS-9's. Those who have read this blog over the last year know what a complicated relationship I have with these running shoes. I regretted the purchase as soon as I brought them home and wished I had chosen the other pair I liked: ASICS GEL 2140's.

I chose the Brooks because, in the store, they felt better than the Saucony and New Balance models that I'd tried on that day. It was a tie between the ASICS and the Brooks and I chose the Brooks because they felt infinitesimally better. When I got home I tried them on again and noticed the tongue position caused discomfort at the top of my feet when the shoes were tightened. I also felt that the shoes lacked the bounce ands spring that defined my Nike Turbulence 13's. After boxing them up, taking them out and trying them on again and repeating that over the next couple of days, I finally decided to keep them and in the long run that was a good decision. Yes, they still dig into the top of my feet when tightened too hard and they don't feel as energetic as some of my other shoes but they very quickly undid the damage that my Nike's were causing me before replacement. The cushioning of the Brooks is appreciated on longer runs and this morning I tightened only to the point of stability. No pain and a very good ride.

The cushioning properties of these shoes have made me think a bit more about moving to a lighter, less protecting pair. I'm a lot lighter myself since I started running last October and I'm intrigued by the minimal style shoes that take mass out of the mid-soles for weights in the 9-10 oz. range as opposed to the 12+ oz. weight of stability shoes like the GTS-9's. I read a shoe review in this month's Men's Journal that covered minimalist running shoes. The top rated shoe was the NB 1225 that happens to be the model my friend CK just bought. He's had some serious foot problems so I'm surprised that he'd want something so austere but he loves them. Apparently they are the best of breed for light (12 oz.) motion control shoes. Another highlighted pair were the Brooks Ghost 2 that weigh in at 10.8 ounces. I picked one up in a running store once and it felt weightless. I'd like to try that shoe since I am firmly back in the "I like Brooks" camp now.

I covered 2.5 miles at 9:03 this morning. The time flew by and I found myself a bit farther away from the house than I'd planned so I needed to put some effort into the last half mile to meet my schedule. It all worked out fine. Tomorrow I'll try for 5-6 miles on the street and Sunday I'm running Stillwell Woods with my nephew. It's been a while since I've hit the trails so I'm looking forward to the experience and hoping for cool weather.

Strategic rest

This has been an exhausting week and it took its toll this morning. I went to bed tired and woke up the same way. Although I planned to follow my usual schedule and elliptical today I decided to try to gain an extra hour's sleep instead. Yesterday I forced myself to run in the rain because I was feeling strong but conditions seemed unfavorable. That did not constitute a good enough reason to skip the workout. It would have been easy to get on the elliptical machine and sleep walk through a session this morning. I'm sure I would have benefited from the exercise but sometimes rest provides the bigger benefit.

I'm glad I listened to my body rather than following my routine out of habit and guilt. I plan to be back on the street tomorrow at 4:00, hopefully more rested and ready than today. From the business perspective it's a stressful time. Sometimes it's hard to know whether running or resting is the best response to these situations.

Dark windy rainy running

My first thought before I changed into my running gear this morning was how easy it would be to skip my outside run and spend 30 minutes on the elliptical machine instead. Not that I'm so much a creature of habit that I can't occasionally deviate a little from my routine (Thursdays are normally my elliptical days) but a decision to not run would indicate a lack of discipline. While I proceeded to change I noticed some sounds outside that made me wonder about the weather. At 4:00 AM it's very dark and difficult to see much out the window. It sounded like wind so I chose a long sleeve tech jersey for its more thermal properties.

As I watched the garage door rise to reveal the conditions of the day I saw that the driveway was black with rain coming from a moderate downpour illuminated by the street lights. I rethought my plan to run and reconsidered the elliptical but decided to go for it despite the rain. I have been fortunate to avoid rain for months on these morning runs but I knew that some day that streak would end. I started the Garmin and headed out thinking I could always head back home if it became too unpleasant. As it turned out my experience was great. The air had a strong ocean smell, the temperature, while cool, was still comfortable. The rain helped maintain the coolness and I was pacing briskly.

During the run the rain started falling harder but let up soon after. Between the wind and the trees I got plenty wet but it wasn't unpleasant although the wicking properties of my running clothes were quickly overwhelmed. My jersey probably accumulated 8 ounces of rainwater during the 20+ minutes I was out running. I came home after covering 2.3 miles at 8:48. I thought I was running better than normal for that time of day and the numbers showed that to be true. I'm not hoping for rain tomorrow but if it comes I'll know how to make the best of it.

Moonlight Paranoia

I awoke seconds before my alarm went off and stared in disbelief at the clock that flashed 3:50 AM. I went to bed last night exhausted and as I headed to the guest room to change into running gear I had to remind myself that running is something that I choose to do. By the time I finished preparing for the run I had transitioned from sleepy to semi-awake. I retied my right shoe and soon regretted that action when I took my first steps into the street and felt a sharp pinching at the top of my foot. Since I'm on a tight schedule in the morning I chose to run with the pain rather than stop and restart. I figured the shoe would eventually loosen up enough to displace the pressure.

That worked out okay and while I dealt with the pain I was distracted by the shadows cast by house floodlights, street lights and secondary shadows that came from the almost full moon. I'm already a little paranoid running around the neighborhood in the dark at 4 AM. The effect of two asymmetrically placed shadows, one ahead to my right and the other just in sight slightly behind me, created a sense that I was being closely followed. The quiet of the night punctuated only by the spitting sound of sprinkler systems and the thwacking sound of my own running shoes is both creepy and serene. With the addition of these shadows it was even creepier and much less serene. All the same I didn't worry much about it once I figured out the source of my paranoia. It helped that my shoe loosened up enough to make the majority of my run pain free.

I ended up covering 2.5 miles at 9:07 and I felt very good during the run. I'm discovering that hills and long elevated stretches are easier to take when it's 50 degrees outside. I'm really hoping for cool weather on October 25th. I have a feeling my experience at the marathon will be shaped as much by the conditions of the day as by my own readiness.

Two a day, but not running

I ended up only running once today. There was too much that needed to get done this morning for me to run, wait and then run again. But I am posting twice! Yesterday I covered 6 miles with a run that started in neighborhood #4 and then moved along to neighborhood #2 before I did a few loops within my own neighborhood. Today I set out for a run around the perimeter of my neighborhood, first tracking west along Jericho Turnpike and then south on the main road that borders us to the west. It was a fast run and I covered 4.25 miles at 8:58. Both runs this weekend totaled about 10.25 miles and my average pace overall was under 9:00. I am pretty happy about that since I'm in the final weeks of training prior to my marathon relay.

The cooler weather definitely helps my effort. My Runner's World co-bloggers have convinced me that a hot and sweaty run of the same distance and speed of a cool and dry run is more work. That means I need to up my game as fall progresses and not accept the status quo of summer performance metrics. I purposely looked for challenging elevations today in anticipation of what the marathon website calls "memorable hills." This morning there was a segment on the news about the ING half marathon and they had a sports doctor who was promoting plyometrics as a training technique. I tried a few activities in my den until my son pointed to the mini trampoline that was sitting a couple of feet away. Sometimes I miss the obvious. I'll try to incorporate that into my training as well. I'm looking forward to continued coolness for my morning runs although you'd never know it was fall today with temperatures hitting 76 degrees.

Six miles in the morning, party in the afternoon

I heard from Fred Haslett, the president of the LIRRC, the running club that organizes many races on Long Island. Fred said that they had sent out email and set up a hot-line as well as putting information on their website to tell participants how to deal with the triathlon that interfered with access to the 4 mile race on September 13. I guess once I participate in an LIRRC race I'll get put on that email list and get a heads up on conditions. I appreciated Fred's comment and I look forward to participating in their run series.

Last week I received my SpiBelt (SPI = small personal items), a runner's version of a fanny pack. It's a nice design, basically a zippered compartment made of stretchy material that can hold money, keys, ID, or even a cell phone. The SPIbelt is built to hug the runners body at the belt line and does not interfere with running motion or balance. I took it with me during a six mile run yesterday and included some cash and my identification card. I completely forgot about the SPIbelt while I was on my run. That's certainly the idea. I was thinking that I may put some GU in it for a boost during the second leg of my relay at the upcoming Cape Cod Marathon. I'll be covering my experience with the SPIbelt in greater depth on Runner's Tech Review after the marathon.

After yesterday's long run we headed to out to Adventure Girl's housewarming party in New Haven and had a great time. With the kids, we arrived early and left early but by the time we left the place was filled with Yale grad students, good friends and family (some four legged). Quite a few runners in that group. The great food and home-made desserts will hopefully power me through my runs today. My plan is to try a two-fer again, but not too long in terms of distances. I'm feeling a little sore after yesterday's run so a little stretching is probably advised before I head out for today's workout. Only 21 days to the marathon relay...

Running cold is no sweat

During Wednesday's run I noticed a chill in the air but even with a short sleeved jersey and running shorts I was comfortable. I ran my distance and worked up a decent sweat. Yesterday the weather was even colder during the day and as I prepared my gear for this morning's run I included a pair of compression shorts and a long sleeved technical jersey. That was a smart move because when I stepped outside the temperature was 39 degrees. I know that by December my sense of what's cold will differ. Right now 39 degrees is darn cold. After wasting a couple of minutes waiting in vain for my iPhone to acquire a GPS signal I hit the start button on my Garmin and set off on my run.

Now the great thing about running in the cold is that it motivates you to work harder so that you'll warm up faster. Usually, in the summer, I would start to noticeably sweat around the one mile mark. On humid days that would happen sooner. This morning I completed 2.4 miles in a little over 21 minutes and returned home barely sweating. I felt strong and energized and regretted my time constraint because I would have preferred to cover much more distance. It made me wonder how a run like that compared to Tuesday's when the temperature was closer to 60 and I finished hot and perspiring. Do two runs, of approximately similar lengths and finish times, require the same effort if one run leaves you damp as a wet noodle and the other leaves you wanting more? It seems like when you push so hard that there's nothing left at the end it means you've engaged in a higher level of work. But if the numbers don't show a difference then perhaps it's really the same work being done. If that's the case I'll take 39 degrees anytime.

My first year running anniversary

I didn't intend today's post to be another rant about technology but, through some glitch I can't really understand, I've lost the post I wrote for today. The iPhone strikes again. That's all I'll say about it.

So one year ago today I completed my first continuous run of any measurable length (more than a mile but just barely) after six weeks of fitness walking. That led to workouts that included walking with some running that then switched to running with some walking. On October 1, 2008 I just ran and that's been the case ever since.

Over the past year I've reached speed and distance goals that I would have never thought possible last October 1st. I've learned to love trail running and I've explored city running in ways I'd never experienced before. Running has become part of the family lifestyle and we're all active. My wife, who inspired my return to running through her tenacious and consistent daily workouts, has continued to inspire me. My kids enjoy my running and they have started to make it their own. Adventure Girl, my city running partner, has returned to school but she has left me with the spirit of adventure that I maintain through solo runs in Central Park. My friends and accomplished runners CMc and CK continue to view my progress with amusement and provide invaluable lessons on technique and expectations. People, like my dad, patiently listen to my running stories and genuinely seem to care about my progress. Emergingrunner.com and Runner's World Loop readers have provided guidance, information, support and friendship that has helped to motivate both my running and writing. Thank you all for a great year.

Today I chose to do an elliptical session rather than a symbolic run to commemorate this anniversary. I chose to go this way because running has simply become part of what I do, like taking the LIRR into the city each day. Although I suffer less when running. There are still many trails to run and adventures to be had. I hope I am as excited and motivated next October 1st as I am today.