Taper week run

Today's run (street): 2.5 miles

Since I'm tapering this week I decided to forgo my usual post-weekend rest day. Although I did get out for a bike ride yesterday, I was disappointed that my planned run was cut short due to the weather. Between Friday and Sunday I'd ran a total of 13 miles, two of them as speed drills. It was mostly quality miles and it provided me an opportunity to get used to the Hattori's that I plan to wear during next Sunday's 8K.

The big mistake I'd made prior to my half marathon was over-training the week before my race taper. To prepare for that distance I'd done two 8+ mile training runs, some rigorous cross training sessions and a number of other miles. I ended up with a sore knee or IT band (still don't know which it is) that plagued me through the half. Until recently, the soreness was still making some of my runs difficult.



A Hattori's best friend

 Today's run was my typical weekday workout, 2.5 miles. I'm very pleased with the Hattori's so far, having done two 5+ milers in them. I think I'll be fine in them for Sunday's race. Yesterday I bought a pair of Wigwam Ironman triathlete socks (thin, seamless, wicking, stretchy) that work better with the Hattori's snug fit than standard running socks. I'm hoping that the rain holds off tomorrow morning when I go out for my penultimate taper run.

Cutting it short

Today's workouts (street): 1.2 mile run and 7 mile bike

Happy Memorial Day. I went out for a run early in the morning and timed it imperfectly. What started as a misty drizzle turned into a hard driving rain by mile one. I headed straight home when I started seeing flashes of lightning nearby. Later in the day the skies had cleared and I considered trying another run, but instead decided to take the bike out for a ride. It wasn't the long run I'd hoped to do today but I was pleased to get in a second workout on what turned out to be a very busy day.

Garmin 210 - trouble keeping track on the track

A shot of the track from this morning

Today's workout (track): 8 x 400's plus 3 mile run

Since I'm racing again next Sunday, I wanted to get in a little speed work before I taper my training next week. This morning I headed over to the local high school track to run some intervals. There were a handful of runners and walkers already on the track when I arrived but the lanes were fairly clear. I brought a stopwatch as well as my Garmin and I ended up using the FR 210 to record my runs and used the stopwatch to time my rest periods between intervals.

I didn't run the intervals hard. My goal was to do mile-equivalents a little faster than my 5K race PR and I managed to average 8:06 across eight quarter miles. I hoped that would recruit enough fast twitch fibers to give me some speed when I ran the following three miles (5K actually) and it did. I averaged 8:45 for that run.

A clear margin of error

The Garmin did not do a good job capturing my route. The picture above is a grab from Google Earth using the imported KMZ file. I stayed primarily in a middle lane but the GPS interpreted that much differently. Even though the 210 is always a little off I still like it a lot. It's great to be able to run without swapping the foot pod every time I change shoes. Especially in the case of the Hattori's that don't even have a place to attach a foot pod.

I'm really happy with today's workout. While I'm still not speedy, I've proven to myself that I can run sub-9:00 paces when I need to. The Hattori's were interesting to use on the track and they responded well when I took off in a sprint to begin each interval. I haven't decided what I'll do for tomorrow's Memorial Day workout but I am hoping to fold in a bike ride or two before I return to the office.

First run in the Saucony Hattori's

The Hattori's are a simple solution

Yesterday's run (Central Park): 3 miles
Today's run (street): 5.15 miles

Occam's Razor promotes the principle that we should tend towards simpler theories. William of Okham probably wasn't thinking about running shoes back in the 14th century but the idea still holds. This morning I went for my first run wearing the new Saucony Hattori's and the experience made me really question why running shoes (even some "minimalist shoes) need so much material, cushioning and height. The Hattori is so simple but it lacks nothing.

I put the Hattori's on over my thinnest pair of running socks and wished I had socks that were even thinner. If I were more comfortable running without socks I would have done that. With socks, the fit was tight, even though the shoes were my size - 10.5. But tight in this case means snug. The flexible upper stretches like a SPIbelt so there was no consequence to my toes even though I ran in them for five miles.

Another thought that kept recurring as I ran was the idea of proprioception, an awareness and connection to the ground. Although the Kinvaras are a minimal style shoe, they stand more than 20 mm off the ground and have a difference of about 6 mm between heel and front. The Hattori sits your foot just 4 mm from the ground with zero drop and you notice that right away as you take your first strides. You can really feel the ground so you better be striking forward, lest you land on a piece of gravel on your heel. That will teach you. It's not hard to land forward though, this shoe does that work for you.

I was somewhat concerned that a shoe that offered no real protection and little cushioning would take a toll on me after even five miles but I had no troubles during or afterward. I have been running in the Kinvaras for over a year so perhaps I was already conditioned to a more minimal experience. I loved the feel of these shoes from the first steps off my driveway. I felt like my running was easier than normal throughout my workout.

Yesterday I ran in Central Park with my friend Steve and I wore my Kinvaras. It was sunny, hot and humid and we only covered three miles but it felt far harder than the five miles today. I cannot wait for my next run in the Hattori's but I'll need to get some new socks. Did someone say REI?

It's not summer, but it's Summer Friday

Today is the first of my company’s “Summer Fridays” and it’s appropriate that it falls on the day before Memorial Day weekend. I’m not saying NYC is a ghost town this morning but my office floor is virtually empty. Perfect conditions for a productive morning. Some of my best running adventures have happened on Summer Fridays, including runs across the GW Bridge, the West Side Bike Trails, the Brooklyn Bridge and along the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail. Today I’m running in Central Park around lunchtime with my friend Steve. After that I’ll head home to start my long weekend.

When I got home last night my Hattori’s were waiting for me and I wasted no time trying them on. My daughter pronounced them “even cooler than the Kinvaras.” High praise indeed. The Hattori does not look like a running shoe and, if not for its sturdy mid-sole/out-sole, I would take it for a slipper with a very over-the-top design. The shoe fit me snugly and was extremely comfortable on my foot. I then tried it without a sock and it felt great. But I won’t run that way. Not my style. I think I’ll need to find thinner running socks though.

I resisted temptation to run in the Hattori’s last night and I’m not wearing them on today’s run because the zero drop and flat platform may take a little adjustment. You can bet I’ll be running in them tomorrow, or maybe I'll take them for a spin this afternoon when I get home. After all it is a Summer Friday.

Even Saucony's website is minimal

Click on picture for larger view

I noticed that Saucony has changed the look of their website to super minimal this week to celebrate the launch of the Hattori. I just looked at a pair at the Super Runner's Shop in NYC. Can't wait to try them on.

Going more minimal

Today's workout (elliptical): 25 minutes

The waiting is the hardest part

I've been waiting excitedly for my Hattori's to arrive from Saucony. I was told to expect them early this week but, so far, nothing. I'm curious to see how I'll run in a shoe that provides little in the way of cushioning and with zero drop-off between heel and toe. I've been running in "minimalist" shoes (Saucony Kinvara and now Mirage) for over a year without a problem. The Hattori represents a whole new level of minimal.

Last summer I experimented with pool shoes, running a couple of miles around my neighborhood to see how it felt. Unlike the shoes I was wearing, my pool shoes gave me no option but to land forward in my stride. The downside was that my feet quickly developed blisters. I suppose socks would have helped that but the pool shoes were far too floppy to seriously consider for distance running. I'm hoping the Hattori's provide the same connection to the road that I got from the pool shoes but will also provide the protection and comfort of a trainer.

Planning my long weekend race training

Today's run (street): 2.5 miles

I went back out to the streets this morning after two days of rest. Although the temperature got into the low 80's yesterday and similar weather is predicted for today, I was happily surprised by how cool it felt when I stepped outside. It took almost a minute for the Garmin to lock onto a GPS signal so I used that time to do a few dynamic stretches.

The two day's rest definitely helped me at the start. Instead of the early discomfort from transitioning between anaerobic and aerobic running, I was good to go from the start. I followed my basic route and threw in some speedy sections throughout the run. My knee felt fine but I did experience some sharp shin pain a couple of minutes into my run. That went away and didn't return so I'm not going to worry about it.

I'm beginning to think about my (long) weekend's running and what might be the best workouts to close my training prior to my taper for the 8K. Right now I'm thinking one long run, one speed session and one shorter, but faster, run. Maybe I'll hit the trails with the bike as well. Lots to look forward to and hoping for good weather.

Workout canceled

I wasn't sure about this morning's weather so I'd planned an elliptical workout in case it rained. When I got up I decided to take an ad hoc rest day instead. No real reason for that except that I got a late start this morning and didn't want to disrupt my schedule. I'm sure my knee won't mind. I just noticed that the New Hyde Park 8K is happening the weekend after next. I'm hoping to beat my 2009 and 2010 race times (which were identical) this year. Even if it's only by a second.

Recovery method: longer running instead of rest

After yesterday's run I was concerned about my left knee and its recovery. It's been almost a month since I aggravated this knee. The injury was probably caused by too much distance and hard training prior to my half marathon. Since then I've kept my runs relatively short and have tried to do more low impact activities like elliptical and biking. That seems to be working.

This morning my knee feels even better than it did before yesterday's long run. There was an article in a recent Running Times that said easy long runs can be preferable to resting for recovery from minor leg and knee issues. Supposedly the easy running over longer distance helps oxygenate muscles. Considering how well I feel today, this method may have merit.

Long run at Bethpage and REI is here!

My run among the bikers

Yesterday afternoon's workout (biking): 5.8 miles
Today's run (Bethpage State Park): 6.6 miles

Yesterday afternoon I had a break in the schedule so I went out for a neighborhood bike ride. I kept it to about 30 minutes. The first three minutes had some stops and starts due to equipment issues that I needed to resolve on the fly. A half hour provided enough time for me to feel like I'd done some work. Still, it was easy enough that I didn't need to disrupt our evening plans with another shower.

This morning I headed over to Bethpage to do my long weekend run. I haven't done much more than five miles on any run since the half marathon. Even though my knee is still tender it's ready for more distance. I targeted 6-7 miles for this morning and ended up running 6.6. When I arrived at the park the parking lot was 3/4 filled and I noticed a lot of bikers gathered near a table set up near the bike path starting point. I learned later that the were holding an event called Bike MS: Traffic Free Family Fun Ride.

I knew then that I'd have plenty of company on the trail and I worried a bit about inexperienced cyclists who didn't understand how to share the road with runners. With one exception, a serious looking cyclist who came up behind me and passed to my left with barely a foot of clearance, the other bikers were extremely courteous. Most experienced cyclists provided the requisite and helpful "On your left" as they approached.

I had a PowerBar Strawberry Banana gel prior to my run and I carried my Amphipod hand bottle filled with G2. Both provided good energy. I ran at an easy pace and was able to manage the frequent hills without much trouble. Near the end of my run I was passed by a young woman who was moving so well that she soon passed me again,  going the other way. I wasn't trying to break any speed records but she was probably running double my speed at that point.

The MS Bike volunteers cheering in another cyclist

Once I crested the dreaded last hill I was ready to call it a run. I was happy to note that my knee held up well till the end. As I made my way to the final downhill that leads to the start of the path I saw the two "cheerleaders" who were waving their pom poms to celebrate every charity biker who finished. The high school aged cheerleader even gave me my own rah! rah! finish that I appreciated. It was a nice event for an important cause and they had a great turnout.

Later in the day we went over to the REI that (finally!) opened on Long Island. I felt like a kid in a candy store and I could have spent the entire day there. We got our daughter a mountain bike and I also picked up some gels and Brooks running shirt that was on sale at a great price. It's been a busy and active weekend. Since noon on Friday I've done almost 14 miles running and another 5.8 biking. I'm looking forward to my weekly rest day tomorrow.

A rigorous rainy run in Central Park

Remember the Maine! Because that where we're meeting.

Yesterday's run (Central Park): 4.65 miles
Today's run (street): 2.5 miles

There's quite a contrast between today's bright sun and yesterday's rainy, cloudy skies. Friday morning had started out dry but, by 10:00 AM, the streets were wet and the umbrellas were open. I mentioned in a meeting that I planned to go out at around noon for a run in Central Park and got the expected "You're crazy" and "Why would you want to do that?" responses. I checked in with my friend CK who was game for a run, regardless of the weather. We confirmed our plan to meet at the statue of the USS Maine at 12:30.

It was chilly and drizzling as I began my walk to Columbus Circle. I wore a short sleeved shirt and running shorts because the humidity was in the mid 70's and I knew I'd get hot while running. I arrived early at the statue and CK was already there. We started our run by heading south along the lower loop,  and then heading east. The rain wasn't too bad and, despite my glasses, I had no problem seeing. My real problem was keeping up with CK.  He was looking to move along at a faster pace than the 9:30 that I was maintaining as we worked on the first few hills.

We kept going north until we reached the reservoir and ran around it until we'd reached the west side. From there we exited onto the bridal path and tackled a hilly section before we crossed over to West Drive. We increased our speed from there, running closer to a 8:50 mile, which was a hard pace for me and a relaxing one for CK. Those hills always get to me.

We finished where we started and by then the rain had increased to a steady fall and I felt cold on the walk back to my office. By the time I got there I was soaked, a combination of sweat and rain. I toweled off with Wet Ones and grabbed a quick bite. Though I hoped I could spend the afternoon sequestered in my office, I was pulled into a bunch of meetings. No one seemed to notice that I'd gone without a post-run shower.

This morning I was extremely pressed for time so I went out for a short run. I'm planning to do some biking with my daughter later so I didn't care about distance. Speaking of distance, my friend FS ran the Brooklyn Half Marathon this morning. Conditions were ideal so I'm hoping she had a great experience. That race was my first choice for my first half but registration was closed by the time I tried to sign up.  Maybe next year.