2015 Hangover Fun Run

Happy New Running Year

Today's run (Hangover Run): 5 miles

The Hangover Run is a free event put on every New Year's day by the Long Island Road Runners Club. I ran it for the fourth time today and, for the second year in a row, I was accompanied by running buddies SIOR and TPP. This morning we were joined by SIOR's speedy daughter, a cross-country and track runner.

It's usually freezing cold on New Year's day, so it's a challenge to choose the right running clothes. Too many layers will keep you comfortable prior to the start, but you can overheat on the run. I overdressed for warmth and regretted it. I ended up taking off my gloves and holding them in my hands during most of the run. It wasn't the overheating that got to me today. It was the nagging sciatica that has bothered me over the past few weeks.

We all met up in the parking lot and headed toward the staging area about 15 minutes before the run was set to start. After signing our liability waivers we made our way towards the line. There were about 200 people congregated behind the time clock that counted down to the 9:30 AM start time. Without fanfare, we were off. I felt great and hoped that would continue for the duration of the run.

About a quarter mile into the run, SIOR and SIOR Jr passed me and continued on ahead. TPP did the same at the 3/4 mile point and I saw, after the turnaround, that she'd caught up with the SIORs. The course is a one mile loop with a suggested distance of five miles, so I was able to chart the progress of the others as we passed back and forth.

The soreness started on the second mile and increased as the run continued. I felt like I had another gear but I was reluctant to put too much on the injury. I still don't know the nature of the problem, so I'm being careful about hard I push. I picked up my pace a few times during the last mile and that resulted in my second fastest split. I came through the last mile, with an overall time of 51 minutes. My friends were all  waiting for me at the finish.

As tradition dictates, we headed to Starbucks for coffee and conversation that included a deep analysis of the film 2001: A Space Odyssey. We don't always talk about running.

Happy New Year to everyone. It's nice to start the year with a  challenging run, especially when it happens with great people.

Close encounters on the trail

 

Today's run (Stillwell Woods): 3.5 miles

This morning I went out for a trail run at Stillwell Woods for the first time since late November. I'm still dealing with pain from sciatica and hoped that running on softer terrain might provide some relief. The temperature was in the high 20's and Stillwell's trails were mostly frozen mud. Even so, it provided a more forgiving surface than pavement.

When I arrived I saw a few groups of high school aged runners entering the woods. I wondered if I'd run into these speedsters on the trail. I ran by the first group who were standing around planning their workout. I followed my usual route, going north before turning southeast. When I came around the bend, I saw a couple of guys sprinting toward me on the narrow path. That was disconcerting because the protocol is to follow that section of trail in the direction I was running. I'm glad I heard them a second before they appeared so I could move over and give them room to get by.

I had a few other situations when my path crossed a group, but had no more close calls. I was disappointed that the soreness I've been having was present throughout the run. The pain was minor and my concern was more that running (instead of resting) was enabling the problem. But a runner's gotta run, run, run, run, run so I decided I had to shake it off.

I'll be resting tomorrow and going out next on New Years day with my buddies for the LIRRC Hangover Run. In the meantime, I'm putting heat on the source of the problem and using the massage stick often. Next week I return to work and that will mean a reduction in volume. Usually I'd be unhappy about that, but I realize that it's probably the best thing for me right now.

The two dimensions of running speed

Sample combinations

Today's run (street): 3.4 miles

I was looking at the metrics of today's run on Garmin Connect and thinking about the factors that determine pace. I recently put a new battery into my foot pod so I can capture my cadence as well as time, pace, heart rate and elevation. Besides steps per minute (SPM), the foot pod also shows average stride length. After looking at new and past data, I'm seeing some correlation to pace.

When you think about it, running speed is controlled by two factors -- how far you are propelled with each step and the frequency of these steps. As an example, last year I ran the Hot Chocolate 5K averaging 178 SPM, but with an average stride length of 1.03 meters. That translated to an 8:46 pace. A month later I did the LIRCC Hangover Run averaging 172 SPM and .95 meter stride length and averaged 9:50. Fairly small differences translated into almost a minute difference in pace.

Interestingly, my data shows when I run intervals, my stride length drops to half a meter. However, average cadence jumps up to 188. That usually results in an 8:00 pace or better. I've read that, to improve performance, increasing cadence is a better approach than increasing stride length. I'm sure that's due to the danger of over striding which can put excessive pressure on the knees, tendons and ligaments.

Today both my cadence and stride length were middling and I ended up pacing in the mid 10's. That was by design as I wanted to minimize wear and tear on the muscles that may be aggravating my sciatica. Once I'm past this annoyance I'll start playing more with cadence and will try to make my way to the ideal (180 SPM). I'd like to run some intervals this week get that started, but I want to make sure I don't do more harm than good.

Running along the Shining Sea Trail

Watch out for turtles!

Yesterday's run (Shining Sea trail): 4.2 miles

We've just returned from a mini vacation to Falmouth MA. This is a favorite spot for the Emerging Runner family and we've been going there for years. The last two times we've visited the Cape, I've taken advantage of Falmouth's Shining Sea Bikeway that goes 10.7 miles from North Falmouth to Woods Hole. Yesterday I covered 4.2 miles of the path and saw some beautiful sights.

The trail was created along the former Plymouth and Vineyard Sound Railroad line that was built in 1861 to run trains from Sandwich to the southern tip of Falmouth. Train tracks are usually constructed on level terrain so the converted bike trail is fairly flat. While the trail did gradually slope up and down at various points, the grade was small. This made the shifts in elevation barely noticeable.

Park and run

Getting to the trail is easy with numerous access points along the way. Last year I entered at the northern trail head and ran a five mile out and back route that brought me through a few cranberry bogs. Yesterday I entered the trail farther to the south where I could park my car and jump right on the path. It was similar to how I access the Bethpage trail after parking on Colonial Road. The Bethpage trail is scenic, but the Shining Sea Bikeway provided some truly stunning views.

I want that shirt

Soon after I started, I saw what appeared to be a dog sitting on the side of the trail wearing a yellow jersey. When I got closer I realized it wasn't a real dog. I was amused to see that jersey was an event tee from the famous Falmouth 7 Mile road race. Not long after that, I saw the first of many ponds and marshes that appeared along the trail. The areas that didn't face water were densely lined with trees on both sides, making the experience more intimate than Bethpages's more open space.

Swans and ducks on Oyster Pond

I imagined that this all looks pretty much the same as it did 100 years ago to people riding the train to Woods Hole. There were a lot of people on the trail yesterday morning walking, riding and running. My route took me to the mid-point of the trail, where I turned around and headed back. If I'd had more time, I would have added a couple more miles. The straight flat trail made me feel like I could run all day.

The only downside of this workout was that it amplified the soreness I've had over the past few weeks. We did a lot of walking yesterday and I was concerned that I had re-aggravated my injury. Instead of running when I got home this afternoon, I went for a 3 mile walk around the neighborhood. So far so good.

If it's better tomorrow morning, I'll try to go out for a few miles in the morning. I have an early obligation so I'll need to get out before sunrise to fit it in. I wish I could run on the Shining Sea Bikeway again, but that will have to wait until our next Cape Cod visit.

Holiday spirit and safety scrooges

How hard is it to understand?

Today's run: 5 miles

Although I don't celebrate Christmas, I do appreciate the holiday. This involves enjoying all the decorations, watching the movie Elf on Christmas Eve and trying to be more patient with people. It was in that spirit that, on today's run, I tried to warn people about the dangers of walking in the street with their backs to traffic. The responses I got indicated a fundamental lack of said spirit.

I usually hold my tongue when I see people walking on the right side of the road (often two abreast), trusting that drivers are paying attention. I've found that people don't value my safety guidance and tend to react negatively when I suggest switching to the other side. One conversation went like this:

Me: You know, it's a lot safer if you run facing traffic.
Woman runner: I've been running in this neighborhood for 20 years and never had a problem.
Me: People didn't text and talk on cell phones 20 years ago.
Woman runner: Pfffft

Since then, I've kept my mouth shut. But today I decided to try again. The first offenders were taking up half the road, making it necessary for cars to move into the left lane in order to pass them. I told these people that walking that way was risky. They told me to mind my own business. The next conversation happened when I was closer to home. A man was walking his dog in the street and I said it's safer to walk facing traffic. He snorted, "Yeah, right" so I responded "Have a good day!"

I get that people can react badly when they get unsolicited advice. My hope is that they'll think about the situation and realize later that what I'm saying is true. So far, I haven't seen evidence of that. If I was more noble, I'd continue to warn people despite these reactions. It's a nice thought, but I think I'll wait until next Christmas to try it again.

T'was the day before Christmas

My view of the world

Today's run (street): 3.9 miles

T'was the day before Christmas and boy did it rain,
   And running in showers is really a pain;

My new ASICS raincoat turned out to be good,
   Mostly because it's equipped with a hood;

I took all precautions so that I'd be visible,
  My outfit was flashy and probably risible;

My route was kept local in case it was pouring,
   Three loops near my house, but it never was boring;

There were few on the street, all due to the raining,
   Just me and the roads, but I wasn't complaining;

The weather got soggy, so after a while,
   I capped off my run at just under four miles;

Tomorrow is Christmas and less rain would be fun,
   With conditions ideal for a Christmas day run;

I hope Santa is listening on this gloomy gray day,
   That bright sunny skies are really the way;
 
I plan to get out no matter the weather,
   But after today it just has to get better.

Late start on a rainy day run

Back in business

Today's run (street): 3.4 miles

Our guests were leaving mid-morning, so I delayed my run until after they'd left. The intermittent rain made it an easy decision. I got out around 11:00 when the rain slowed to a mist. I only planned to run for about half an hour and thought that short period of time would help me avoid the next downpour.

The sciatic pain has eased considerably and didn't restrict me much on the run. I'd forgotten that today was Tuesday and not the weekend. I was surprised to see so much activity on the road. When I came to the top of the first street, I encountered a gaggle of town trucks blocking my way. This caused me to change direction and follow a road that I rarely take. It was a nice change from my usual route.

The run was fine, but it seemed to take a lot longer than 32 minutes to complete. I put a little more into the second half and was pleased to see that I was maintaining about 80% max HR. If I wasn't so concerned about re-aggravating my sciatica, I would have pushed even harder. The rain didn't stop, but it never got any worse.

Later in the day I finally got around to replacing the battery in my foot pod. I haven't used the pod in a number of weeks so I'm happy to get it back working. Next time I go out I'm going to be able to capture another important performance metric - cadence - and use that, along with heart rate, to help me amp up my speed.

Throwing caution to the run

Gimme shelter

Today's run (street): 3.8 miles

We have guests staying with us until Tuesday, so I've lost my running locker room (AKA the guest room) for a few days. I got my stuff together early so I could go out before our visitors arrived. My goal was to run about 5 miles. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out that way.

The soreness I've experienced over the past two weeks seemed to be going away and I had high hopes that I'd be free of it by next week. When I started my run, the pain was even more noticeable than it was at the beginning of yesterday's run. My plan was to do a couple of loops around the business park and then add some miles in an adjacent neighborhood. After running a mile in my neighborhood, I felt concern about overdoing it and modified my route in the name of caution.

I ended up staying on my local streets and kept it moderate. As I warmed up, the pain began to minimize and I wondered if I should do some extra dynamic stretching or put direct heat on the sore area right before my next run. It was chilly this morning so I had a couple of thermal bottom layers that probably contributed to my fast warm up. Along with that, I wore my new-old running vest and an actually new ASICS PR Shelter beanie that I got last week.

Even though I cut it short, I was glad that I was able to get in a run this morning. Better still, the soreness has diminished throughout the day. I'm hoping that means the inflammation that is triggering my sciatica is lessening. I'm continuing to run easy, even though I want to start picking up my training pace so I can prepare for racing in early 2015. I just have to be a little more patient.

New life for some old gear

Aging like fine wine

Today's run (street): 4.3 miles

I was recently in SA Elite looking at their holiday sale items. They had ASICS running vests for 20% off, but the price still seemed high for a jacket without any sleeves. Since then, I read a piece on winter running that mentioned the benefit of keeping your core warm on very cold days. A warm core helps keep your extremities and the rest of your body warm.

I didn't buy a running vest, but with this morning's wind chill, it felt like 28° outside. Rather than put on two long sleeve layers, I put on an acrylic fleece Sports Illustrated promo vest that I had from my Time Inc. days. The vest is lightweight and has a mesh liner inside. After a decade using it to keep warm in my office, it had a new use.

After choosing the vest, I needed to pick the shoes I'd wear on today's run. I'm no longer concerned that the Kayanos are causing my sciatica, but I decided to go back to my Sauconys to see how they felt on a run. The appropriation of the vest as running gear inspired me to pull my ancient Brooks Adrenalin GTS 10s out of the closet and use them instead. The 10s probably have 1,000 miles on them, but they are still viable.

I've always worn my Adrenalins when dealing with minor injuries because they seem to correct whatever problem is plaguing me. My shoe size has increased in recent years and the toe box is too tight for longer distances. If they were a half size bigger I'd put them into the rotation. The soreness in my glutes was there when I started, but it wasn't as pronounced as it was at the beginning of yesterday's run. I was hoping for a further reduction in the pain once I began to warm up.

Some mild discomfort remained throughout the run. Surprisingly enough, I found the pain to be a good distraction from the boredom of my neighborhood roads. I decided to be cautious and keep the run under five miles today. I may go further tomorrow. I'm out of the office until January 5th so I'll have a lot more days to run during the week. I'm really hoping to be free of this soreness by the time me and my buddies do the LIRRC Hangover run on January 1.

Acquitting the Kayanos

Not guilty

Today's run (street): 3.4 miles

I've been worrying all week that my persistent soreness might be caused by my new Kayanos. In the past, I developed an injury that related directly to a pair of running shoes. In that case, the shoe had almost 700 miles and the outsole was worn down to the point of imbalance. Although the Kayano is a stability shoe, (which should probably help a problem like this) adapting from more minimal trainers could still cause an issue.

In terms of pain, I've been reading an article in Running Times (RT) that says soreness lasting more than 72 hours could signal a chronic injury. I'm going on two full weeks with mine. This morning I had to make a choice to try to run or find some other form of activity. All week I've been using the massage stick and doing both dynamic and core stretching. I had less pain when I got up, so I figured I'd try a run.

I wore the Opedix Knee-Tecs that promote stride alignment and also provide warmth. I needed the former to help with my injury and the latter to deal with the chilly temps. Due to my concerns about the ASICS, I probably should have worn my Virratas. I opted instead for the Kayanos to see if the problem got better or worse after the run.

I felt trepidation after my first few steps. The pain was radiating back to front but not to the degree where I had to consider stopping. The RT article said if pain decreases during a run, the injury is probably less serious. I hoped the pain would minimize once I began to warm up. At the half mile point I began to feel some pressure on one of my arches and started to question the shoes again.

I thought about how unfortunate it would be to discard these $160 running shoes (which I saw for $99 at Sports Authority last weekend and actually bought for $64). As I ran further, the pain had reduced to minor discomfort and the arch pressure had gone away. The big question was how I'd feel when I got back home.

I finished the run and concluded that the Kayanos did no further harm. I used the massage bar, iced the tender area and was pleasantly surprised to find that I felt better than before I left. So far so good. I'll try to step up the mileage tomorrow and I hope to continue seeing improvement. After some success pushing speed last weekend, I'm anxious to get back to faster paces.

I think I have a syndrome

So far, December has been a very low mileage month. Some of that has to do with my schedule, but this week it's mostly due to a persistent soreness that may or not be sciatica. Sciatica's root cause points to scary sounding things like lumbar spinal stenosis, isthmic spondylolisthesis and Piriformis syndrome. As bad as they sound, most relate to disk compression or misalignment. I think Piriformis syndrome, when the sciatic nerve is irritated by inflammation, is the most likely culprit.

I bought a massage stick and have used it frequently since Sunday. It helps me put pressure where I feel the most pain but I suspect that I'm not really getting to the source of the problem. I get relief immediately after using it, but the next morning the soreness returns. Despite everything, this ache hasn't lessened much since the last time I ran. That's frustrating because I want to run tomorrow, but I'm very concerned that will worsen the problem.

If I was smart I'd take this opportunity to shift to a form of cross training that provides cardio benefits without aggravating my injury. But that would require me to use weights or do push-ups or something. The elliptical is a possibility, although my hope is that I'll wake up tomorrow pain free and ready to run.

Gaining SKLZ to beat the pain

Sticking it to sciatica

Today's run (street): 4.25 miles

Dedicated runners often endure discomfort for extended periods of time. That's a great attribute, but it's always important that they listen to their bodies closely enough to distinguish between good and injurious pain. This can present a dilemma - when is it okay to run and when is it best to rest? I thought about that today after waking up with the same soreness that plagued me since last weekend.

Pushing hard during yesterday's race was the likely reason for the return of this pain. I like to do a recovery run on the day following a race and was anxious to get outside this morning. Although my hamstring/glute area remained tender, there was no sharp pain. I weighed the benefits of running easy with the possibility of exacerbating the problem. I decided to go for it and gauge whether I was doing more harm than good as I moved along.

My start wasn't encouraging. Yesterday I came across the starting line with a lot of energy. This morning my legs felt heavy and my stride felt out of sync. The soreness was there, but I didn't feel as though I was making it worse. I'd committed to an easy pace and was concerned that I'd be tempted to pick up my speed as I went along. I watched my progress carefully to make sure that didn't happen.

The pain subsided as I warmed up through the run, but it never fully left. I would have liked to cover more than 4.25 miles to get a little more distance into my weekly volume. I chose to cut things short rather than invite further injury. Hours later I'm happy with that decision.

This afternoon I picked up a SKLZ massage bar that is similar to the "Stick" and other muscle rollers. I liked this design because it has some heft and the rubberized roller turns more smoothly than other devices I'd tried in stores. I put it to work as soon as I got home and it definitely provided a pinpointed soft tissue massage experience. Whether it will help my muscle pain still needs to be determined.

Tomorrow is my usual rest day and I'm going to extend that at least through Tuesday. At this point I'm pretty sure my soreness issue is sciatica. It's still uncomfortable but I'm hoping that a combination of rest, heat, ibuprofen and massage-barring will help address that quickly.