Friday, April 30, 2010

Racing through spring

Today's planned run: Central Park

I'm feeling rested after taking a break yesterday. I'm hoping that this will translate into some good running today and over the weekend. I'm planning to run again with my friend in Central Park at lunchtime. It should be 70 degrees by noon with lots of sun. Oh, for the want of a shower in my office!

It's amazing that tomorrow is already May 1st. This year is going by quickly and I attribute much of that to spending a good part of January recovering from pneumonia. It's like I lost a month. But spring is here and the weather has been nice for outside activities. I'm thinking about my racing plans between now and summer. Right now, I've got three events in my sights:

The Brooke Jackman Run for Literacy 5K - May 16
A local race in mid-May. It's a run/walk so my family can also participate.

The XTERRA Trail Race Series 8K run at Stillwell Woods - June 6
This is the second Stillwell XTERRA race this year. I did the first in March and it was tough. Add 1.5 miles  to that course and you have the June 6 race.

New Hyde Park 8K - June 13
I ran this race last year and learned my lesson about starting too fast. I bonked 2/3 of the way through the course but still ended up with a sub-9:00 pace (just barely).

This would mean I'd be running three races in one month's time. It seems like a lot but I do those distances as training runs every weekend. The XTERRA is the biggest challenge and until recently I thought I wouldn't be up for it. I will do what's necessary to be ready to run it by the 6th. After all, racing is a great way to train for other races.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Take a break, it's good for you

Today's workout: Rest day

For the third time this week my day started with the loud bleat of my my alarm clock. Yesterday's run, though short, was tough and I decided that if I woke up on my own, minutes before the alarm as I usually do, I would do my planned workout. If not I'd take a rare mid week rest day because I obviously need it this week. Even so, I struggled with the decision but, ultimately, I'm glad that I rested.

When I ran in Central Park with my friend CK last week I'd mentioned that I run or work out every day except Mondays. He was incredulous (he obviously doesn't read my blog!) and said I shouldn't run so often. I told him the distances I am covering during week days and he agreed that my schedule is probably fine. However, he did say that resting a day or two, or even for a week occasionally, can be beneficial. I guess that helped me feel better about skipping today's planned elliptical session. I'm planning to run in the city tomorrow and I'm sure this week's extra day of rest will help reset my energy level and prepare me for longer runs over the weekend.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Defining a good run

Today's run (street): 2.3 miles at 9:19/mile

By now I've done enough running to know that some runs just go better than others. I don't get upset when I struggle through a run because I know it's circumstance, not ability, that is making the going tough on that particular day. I've done long runs that seemed effortless a day after I ran a particularly difficult shorter run. What defines a good run? Is it how you feel when running or how fast you covered the distance? Or is it the way you feel at the end that matters?

I didn't feel particularly energized this morning when I went out and I started off slower than usual. I know this because my Garmin kept chirping to indicate that I was drifting out of my defined pace range. It was cold at 4 AM and with the wind, even colder. I dressed for the weather but it took me a few minutes to warm up. I usually start my runs on cold days by going north on roads that have slight elevations. This makes me work a little more and helps get my body temperature regulated. The extra work needed for the hill plus that first few minutes transitioning to aerobic breathing sometimes makes it feel hard. That was the case today and it didn't feel much better ten minutes into the run.

It was probably fatigue but my legs felt heavy and though it seemed like I was running at a brisk pace I could see that I really wasn't. I can't say that I enjoyed today's run as much as other recent workouts but when I finally reached home I had the same feeling of accomplishment that I get every time I complete a run. It's a great feeling and I didn't care about the numbers. I got through a tough one today and as I cooled down I knew I'd soon be rewarded with a hot cup of coffee. That was enough to call it a good run.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Pacing discovery on the treadmill


Today's run (treadmill): 2.4 miles at 9:08/mile

Although I was fully prepared to run on the treadmill when I set up my gear last night I felt a little differently this morning. The alarm woke me up from a sound sleep and made me question whether a workout or thirty extra minutes of sleep would do me the most good. I would have liked the extra sleep but I knew if I didn't run I'd feel guilty for the rest of the day. Despite its negative connotations, I truly believe that guilt has its good side. I had a little coffee and got on the machine, resigned to running a couple of miles.

As I started my run I compared the pace on the display to the pace on my Garmin that I knew was accurately calibrated. The two readings were closer than I'd expected them to be. I increased the tread speed and saw that the paces changed in sync with each other but once I got to target speed I found that I could achieve a faster pace on the Garmin, compared to the treadmill's, just by quickening my cadence. When I resumed my default running rhythm the Garmin's readout resumed duplicating the treadmill's. It was an interesting discovery because now I know I can naturally speed up or slow down a little without needing to mess with the treadmill's controls. That makes a big difference to me because much of my frustration with the treadmill is from the tedium that comes with being forced to maintain a hardwired pace.

Although I started off tired I did rebound and got through 2.4 miles at a decent pace. I don't know why I find treadmill running so much harder than road or trail running but I do. Still, I rather it be that way than the other way around.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Sunday run with the Emerging Runner Girl

Yesterday's runs (street): 4.4 miles at 9:02 + .75 mile fun run

Counting Friday's run in the city, I managed to cover a little more than 12 miles this weekend. Out of those twelve my favorite experience was on a distance less than a mile (more below). With last Tuesday's 4.8 miles in Central Park and another 2+ miles on Wednesday, I still fell short of my informal weekly goal of reaching 20 miles. Of course if I include the 2 miles covered on the elliptical last Thursday I'll be able to claim that goal. Okay, done. 21 miles for the week!

As hoped, the rain slowed down by early Sunday afternoon and I took the opportunity to hit the neighborhood streets. I don't generally do my best speed running at 1:30 in the afternoon but I tried to keep the pace as brisk as possible. Due to the wet roads I wore my Adidas Response 15 trail runners. That was less for protection on the slippery road service and more to keep my Brooks GTS 10's from getting wet and dirty. I ran about 1.5 miles on local neighborhood streets and then cut over the neighborhood #2 for the bulk of the run. Since I was running in trail shoes I took advantage of a few areas alongside the road that had packed dirt and grass. It was pleasing to hear the chirp of the Garmin as I passed the two mile point. The third followed surprisingly soon after the second. At one point I looked at the watch and noticed that it was giving me readouts that said "00:15 ahead" which confused me. I then realized that when I updated the FR60's firmware yesterday it switched to a default setup that included a virtual running partner. I would have had fun with the virtual partner if I better understood the interface. I again relied on my heart rate monitor to guide me in terms of effort. My pace seemed fast for those conditions but, after verifying on Gmaps, I confirmed that the Garmin was accurate.

When I got home from my run I was met by my 11 year old daughter who had been riding her scooter and waiting for me to return. We decided to run a loop around some of the local roads and covered .75 miles between 10-10:30 mins per mile. Though it had been months since we ran together she kept up very well. My daughter has near perfect running form and she lands on her front foot naturally. I think she was happy when I told her that I learn things by watching her run. Next weekend I hope we will be able to cover more distance.

It's still very soggy in NYC and on Long Island so I'm not sure what outdoor running I'll be able to do during the week. I'm planning to get at least one Central Park run in before next weekend, assuming we see clear skies this week.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Racing decisions for May and June

Today's workout: Rain delay

I wasn't surprised to see pouring rain when I woke up this morning. All the same I was very disappointed. I'd held out hope that the weather reports would be wrong and that the storm would miss Long Island. No such luck. My issue with running in the rain comes from wearing glasses. A light rain is really no problem, it's sort of like driving through mist. But when the rain starts to come down hard it's windshield wiper time. Since my glasses don't have wipers, running through rain can be very disorienting. I'm surprised there isn't some rain protection invention for runners who wear glasses. I guess corrective goggles or using contact lenses would be my only choices. Neither option is too appealing.

The weather reports are indicating intermittent rain this afternoon so I may luck out for running later. I had hoped to run with a friend earlier this morning but it was just too wet at 6:00 AM. He and I are planning to try again next Sunday since I've decided not to do the RXR 10K race next weekend that would have conflicted with that. I may run one of the local 5K's taking place later in May or just skip this month for racing and focus on racing in June. There's the XTERRA Trail Series 8K at Stillwell on June 6 and the New Hyde Park 8K on the 13th. The Stillwell #2 race would be my toughest racing challenge to date. Stillwell #1, held this past March in the ice and snow, was very difficult even with the course cut down to 3.5 miles due to trail conditions. I ran New Hyde Park last year and struggled with pace, clocking in just under nine minutes per mile. I'll need to decide which to run in June. Maybe I'll run both.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

A tale of two 3.5 mile runs

Yesterday's run (Central Park): 3.5 miles at 9:12/mile

Today's Run (street): 3.5 miles at 8:45/mile

Yesterday I was excited for the chance to do another run in Central Park. It was a busy Friday and I managed to wrap up morning meetings in time to change and meet up with my friend Steve for the jog up to the park. The skies were bright and the sun was out but the 57 degree temperatures felt cold on the building-shaded streets. We started our run at the 6th Ave. entrance on Central Park South and made our way to the lower loop to run counterclockwise to the north. Steve admitted to really feeling last Friday's workout for a couple of days after our run but he said he could do six today. I told him that he may feel differently once he started to encounter the hills. We set off at a decent pace, low 9's, and enjoyed watching all the activity in the park. At one point we were set upon by a group of tourists on bicycles who didn't seem to understand the concept of sharing the road with pedestrians. We also saw a person running around wearing Kangoo Jumps that look like in-line skates with elliptically shaped spring devices on the bottom. He certainly got some energy response from the shoes. Looked like fun but I'll stick to my Brooks for now.

Once we reached the reservoir we followed the path on the southern edge and then headed south. Steve was very glad at the 2 mile point that we weren't really going to run six. He did a great job keeping up with me and I told him his reward would be downhill running to balance all the hills we'd hit on the way up. We ended up covering 3.5 miles and felt fresh, even at the end. Good thing too because we both had long afternoons ahead. We walked south back to our offices, energized for the rest of the work day.

I woke up this morning with a headache that I attributed to sinus pressure. Rather than hoping it would just go away on its own I took a Sudafed and ibuprofen and chased them with a strong cup of coffee. I headed out around 8:00 AM for my run. I warmed up after about a mile and covered a route that took me first around and then through the neighborhood. I was concerned that the effects of the Sudafed would impact my running and while I felt tired I still managed to keep a decent pace. I originally thought I'd go 40 minutes but I cut it short to ensure I'd be ready in time for this morning's activity, an Arbor Day festival at a local preserve. I was pleased with today's run. I've programed the Garmin to automatically roll through the various metrics as I run such as pace, distance, time and heart rate. I used the heart rate numbers rather than speed to guide me in terms of effort to expend. It paid off with a decent pace, close to what I achieved recently in a 5K race.

Tomorrow I have plans to meet my friend KWL at a local park for a run at 6:30 AM. The weather is supposed to be pretty bad so chances are we'll need to postpone. That would be too bad but I can't complain about all the great running weather (and great runs) I've enjoyed this week.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Will geek appeal get me to the race?

Today's workout (elliptical): 25 minutes

I forgot to set my alarm this morning and slept about 15 minutes later than I usually do. Feeling tired and knowing this late start would cut into my workout, I briefly considered skipping exercise altogether. Thankfully guilt prevailed and I ended up spending about 25 minutes on the elliptical. It was sufficient to raise my heart rate and make me sweat. Other than that I can't remember a thing about it.

Tracking tag that's built into the bib
My racing plans have been on my mind lately. I'm still on the fence about whether I will do the RXR LI Marathon 10K the first weekend in May. I enjoy racing and I do believe it helps push me to higher levels of conditioning than I would reach were I solely a recreational runner. The thing is, I just raced a couple of weeks ago and I really just want to take a few weekends to get out and have fun on the roads and trails. It's different when preparing for a race where every run is about preparing to meet performance goals. On the other hand I've only competed in one 10K, a trail race, and I'm curious to see how I'd do in a road race at that distance. I did the LI Marathon 5K last year so the 10K would represent progress, or at least a new experience. I should be able to run 6.2 miles competitively right now without a lot of race-specific training. I have until Sunday to decide. That's when registration closes. They have a new system where your race number is also your tracking tag. The geek in me is really intrigued by that. It may be enough to get me to the starting line.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Central Park: once around for good measure

Central Park Reservoir (1.58 miles around)
Yesterday's run (Central Park): 4.8 miles at 9:18/mile

Today's run (street): 2.16 miles at 9:37/mile

Yesterday  afternoon I ran in Central Park for the second time in less than a week. I met my friend CK at the statue of the Maine in Columbus Circle and we set off with a vague plan to cover the distance to the reservoir and back. CK is still dealing with a foot injury that has forced him to scale back on his running in favor of other sports and activities. Like the last time we ran, he said he'd need to take it easy due to the foot injury. This time I knew not to believe him. CK laughed at me as I prepared the Garmin for the start. He's more old school, relying on time from his stopwatch rather than using an over-engineered running watch that captured distance, pace, etc. However, I noticed that he asked me more than once how far we'd gone during the run.

The sun was high in the sky but the heat was moderate. By the midway point I did find myself gravitating to the side of the road that had the most shade. By the time we reached the reservoir I began to feel the effort. CK managed to subtly push the pace past my default comfort zone. I wasn't exactly hurting but I felt like I was running at race pace although the Garmin's display did not reflect that. By the time we'd circled the reservoir and headed toward the east side of the upper loop I was ready to slow down. We ended our 4.8 mile run near the outlet to Central Park South and then grabbed some water to cool down. Once again I had a great Central Park run and CK pushed me hard, as always.

I tossed and turned last night and I believe that related to being so wired from the midday run. My plan for this morning was to cover two miles at an easy pace to balance the hard work from yesterday. I was suspicious that my recent recalibration of the Garmin led to under-counting my distance so I used this morning's run as a benchmark, comparing the Garmin numbers to Gmaps. Both came out exactly the same: 2.16 miles. I was hoping the Garmin was off which would explain why I felt I worked so hard yesterday and only managed a 9:18 pace. I guess I need to work a little more on speed. The hills didn't help but I can't blame them. What goes up one also comes down and it probably evened out in the end..

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Keeping up with the older crowd

Today's workout: Central Park run (scheduled)

Yesterday was a busy work day but I'll admit to occasionally checking updates on the Boston Marathon during the race. An amazing record breaking run for Robert Cheruiyot and two Americans finishing in the men's top five. Later I looked at the searchable results to get a sense of the paces that people were maintaining over 26.2 miles. It's a given that the elites can run 5 minute miles all day but I was surprised to see how many "regular" people were hitting paces that I can't manage at a fraction of the distance. I looked at my own category and saw that age is no excuse for slowness. Seeing what my contemporaries did was in equal parts inspiring and intimidating. Then again, a couple of weeks ago, a 73 year old man beat my 5K finish time by 37 seconds.

I'm heading out at lunch to run with a friend who has a few years on me but can outrun me any day of the week. We're going to Central Park to run about 4 or 5 miles. Temperatures will be in the low 60's with sun. I'm hoping I can keep up and I'm glad I've made progress on the hills because there will be a number of them. My friend has been plagued with a foot problem and he claims that will force him to hold back a little. I've heard that one before!

Monday, April 19, 2010

Which race to race?

Today's workout: Rest day

My city run last Friday was a great lead-in for a satisfying weekend of running. It's rare that I string three days of excellent running in a row like that so I appreciated it all the more. All that running has made me think about my summer racing schedule and the races and distances that I should target. We're more than halfway through April and I've still not decided how, or even if, I'll compete in May. I've considered the RXR LI Marathon's 10K, stepping up from the 5K that I ran last year. The 5K course was flat but uninspiring, more like running in an industrial park than on a race course. Except for that, there aren't many local races to choose from in distances greater than 5K. I love running 5K's but I'd like a little more variety and distance right now.

June has the opposite challenge. There are two races I'd like to do - the New Hyde Park 8K and the XTERRA trail series second Stillwell race. As I reported back in March, the first Stillwell XTERRA was pared down to about 3.5 miles due to icy conditions on the trails. Even at that length it was a great struggle to manage that course. The June race won't have the ice factor so the run will be an 8K over difficult terrain. Even with my daily running, hill training, cross training and passion for the trails I'm concerned that I could run competitively that day. I would train even harder than I did for the first one and I think I'm in better shape than I was in early March when I was still dealing with residual issues from pneumonia. The New Hyde Park 8K is a less interesting course than Stillwell but I've felt like I had a score to settle because the original race result posted me at 9:00 per mile and I really wanted to break 9 minutes. I checked the results again and they now have me listed under 9:00 so that argument is moot. I'm going to take a look at the RXR 10K course map to see if that route is more interesting than the 5K. I still have a little time to decide on June's challenge.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Breaking 9:00 at Stillwell on my pre-birthday run


Today's workout (trails): 3.9 mile at 8:58/mile

I was concerned that between Friday's long run in the city and yesterday's brisk run in the neighborhood that I'd be too tired to do much in terms of a workout today. A year ago I ran my first race, the 2009 Marcie Mazzola 4 mile run. I didn't place in my age group that day but I walked away with a prize nonetheless. It was a $50 gift certificate to a local restaurant which I won because I had the closest birthday to race day. Tomorrow is my birthday but we're celebrating it today because it's the weekend. There's lots going on today so I decided to indulge in a trail run before things got too busy. Yesterday's overcast weather had transitioned to sunny skies by 8:00 AM today and the cool dry air made for perfect running weather.

I've become familiar enough with Stillwell to navigate it in a semi competent way. Between my basic knowledge of the trails and the direction of the sun I can usually make my way around without getting too lost. I successfully found the Black Trail this morning and followed it for a while. As I ran through switchbacks and roller coaster elevations I recalled that we traveled that way along the Xterra race course. I eventually reached a fork and had to choose a direction. I noticed a couple of runners a few hundred feet ahead so I began to follow them. There were lots of runners and mountain bikers on the trails today and everyone I encountered was friendly and polite. I caught up with the two runners ahead and passed them quickly. A few minutes later I came around a bend to find about six other trail runners who may have been waiting for the two that I'd just passed. We all said hello as I passed and I heard one of the woman say "I don't think I could keep up with him." Ha! If she only knew.

I wore my new iPhone armband which is better made than its predecessor but I had trouble getting it tight enough on my arm. I do have some upper arm development but this holder seemed like it was made for bigger biceps than mine. I used MotionX to record my path and I'm always surprised when I see where I ran versus where I thought I ran. I didn't go as far east as I planned but I covered a lot of ground north to south and finished with a loop around the open field trail. I ran faster than usual for a trail run and I noted again how well my Helly Hansen Trail Lizards handled all types of rock, scree, roots and sand without a problem. I've done a lot of running over the last week and I feel very good about my performance. Tomorrow is the Boston Marathon. I'll enjoy that vicariously on my rest day.
 

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