Exhausting week and pumpkin-y run

Pumpkin: gourd and shirt category

Today's run (street): 3.5 miles

I knew I was facing a long, tough week despite the Monday holiday. It seemed to take forever to get to Friday. Besides a busy workday schedule, I had an exhausting Board of Directors dinner on Thursday night that got me home fairly late. It didn't help that I needed to get in the office extra early on Friday morning. My Friday evening was spent at a fun event called Rise of the Jack O'Lanterns but I was reaching zombie state by the time I turned in.

I managed to sleep later than my usual 6:00 AM rise time and hoped that all those hours of rest would restore my energy level. However, even after eight hours sleep I was feeling run down. Any thoughts of getting out for an early run were offset by fatigue and slight dizziness. I had two cups of strong coffee and it wasn't until I checked in with the Runsketeers to get a read on how to dress for my run that I geared up and headed outside. By then it was almost 10:30.

Conditions were fall-perfect, the temperature was in the low 50's and the sun was shining. I wore a long sleeve running shirt with compression shorts under regular running shorts. I also wore a pair of light knit running gloves that kept my hands comfortable. I followed one of my usual routes around the neighborhood and motored along at a comfortable pace. The lack of hard effort and the cool dry air kept me sweat-free throughout half the run. The air had the smell of maple and burning leaves and the pumpkins and Halloween decorations were out in force.

I haven't checked my Garmin data, but I know today's performance was unremarkable. Some of that was due to feeling less than 100%. I also know that I'm never going to get back to my old performance level if I continue to run only three to four times a week, mostly at distances between 3-4 miles.

Just a few years ago, I was typically running 6 days a week and logging between 18-22 miles. That put me in a position where I could run a 5 or 10K at a moment's notice and confidently hit my targeted pace times. Until I can figure out a way to fit in some additional weekday runs, I'll need to be satisfied with the pleasant, easy runs I'm doing these days.

Holiday run by any name

All clear on the local roads

Today's run (street): 3.6 miles

Happy Columbus Day. Or as some people are calling it, "Indigenous People Day." I know there's controversy around that. What's really important is that I had the day off. Between my working from home Friday, the weekend and then today's run, I was able to string together four consecutive workouts for the first time in weeks.

The good thing about running a lot is that your body gets used to it and it's easy to get into rhythm. I liked the experience of running on a weekday morning without squadrons of parents swarming the roads to drop off their kids at school. No buses either, and even the garbage trucks were silent. The time went by fairly quickly and I ended up covering more ground than I'd planned.

Later in the day we stopped into Trader Joe's at the Gallery at Wesbury Plaza. While there, we walked over to SA Elite. This is basically a running discount store and a great place to find bargains if you time your visit right. Today I looked at ASICS running vests that were on sale for about $20. It was a really good price, but I didn't like the way the collar fit, so I took a pass.

Purple-y purchase

My wife was luckier and found a pair of ASICS Kayano 20's for a great price. Her GT-2160s have at least 700 miles on them and I've been after her to retire them. I have a pair of Kayano 20's that I use for recovery runs and love them. I think she'll appreciate this new pair just as much.

Runsketeer run with a Vonnegut twist

I miraculously remembered to take our selfie

Today's run (Bethpage bike trail): 4.5 miles

There's a short story written by Kurt Vonnegut called "Harrison Bergeron" that summarizes today's Runsketeer run. In the story, the main character is saddled with government-provided "handicaps" to counter his intelligence and athleticism and ensure an egalitarian society. In my case, it was my speedy friends who were recovering from recent races that allowed us to all run together the entire time.

TPP and I met up on Colonial Road around 7:30 AM to start things off. Our plan was to run to Bethpage State Park and connect with SIOR who who would join us around 8:00. TPP and I took off at an easy pace that allowed us to chat as we made our way south. It seemed like we covered the 1.5 miles in three minutes. We arrived at Bethpage a few minutes before SIOR, but soon enough her semi-tractor trailer of an SUV pulled into the lot.

We made a plan to run south for four miles out-and-back which would give me and TPP a total of 5.5 miles. Due to TPPs intense duathlon yesterday and SIOR's marathon last weekend, everyone was happy to run my pace. It reminded me of the first time we ran together at Eisenhower Park, when I was better able to keep to the pace they'd set. Like before, the time went by quickly and we ended up turning around after 1.5 miles. That resulted in a total of 4.5 for me and TPP.

The route

There are a lot of hills in that section, so despite our leisurely pacing, we did a good bit of work. The last part of the southern path is a half mile hill with a 3.4% grade that I always dread. It was no picnic today, but I did fine. About halfway up the hill, SIOR caught up to a Facebook running friend and they traveled together as TPP and I took the lead.

Although we didn't cover our planned distance, I think we were all happy with our runs. Me especially, due to the Bergeroning of my running buddies. SIOR drove me and TPP back to our cars. I played navigator and SIOR really appreciated that.* Later, at Starbucks, I realized how lucky I was to have survived the short ride after she'd told us that she views highway driving as a competitive sport. TPP views it as a chess game, which is slightly more comforting.
* Editor's note: She did not

We did meet up at Starbucks. As usual, I arrived last because I'm a fan of speed limits. While they were waiting for their fancy mocha latte skinny no-caf drinks, I sat with my basic coffee and watched the guy to my left eat the biggest pile of something covered in syrup that I'd ever seen. I didn't know Starbucks had that on the menu. It's like an IHOP with better coffee.

We probably covered 50 topics in the same number of minutes, including that fact that TPP's sister was running the Chicago Marathon today. We wrapped up around 10:00 to get to our days started. This is TPP's first anniversary with paramour and sometime Runsketeer JC, so they'll celebrate tonight. SIOR brought more chaos into her household today with the adoption of a puppy from a rescue shelter. I'll continue to celebrate my son's 16th birthday with the family tonight.

Tomorrow's a holiday and that should keep the streets relatively clear for a neighborhood run. I'm glad to have the opportunity to run four consecutive days. After Monday, I won't get too many chances for a workout until next Saturday. No working from home this week.

Unremarkable run on a milestone post

 

Today's run (treadmill): 3.5 miles

It was nice to sleep later than 4:00 AM today, and my current schedule made a 5:30 wake up seem indulgent. We needed to start our Saturday early and, despite the crisp fall weather, I ended up running on the treadmill. Our morning plans limited my time and using the treadmill saved me precious minutes. I didn't mind too much because low humidity plus the high powered fans on my Life Fitness machine would keep it pleasant.

I tend to dread treadmill runs because they are the least stimulating type of running. I say that knowing how interesting it is to run a dozen 1,600 meter ovals to cover three miles on the track. Even so, the track does offer some visual distractions and provides a real sense of physical progress. Watching TV while on the treadmill can distract me for a while, but I eventually get fed up with commercials and turn it off.

Today's treadmill run was actually pretty nice. I knew I wouldn't be on that long because of my time constraint and the first mile went by faster than expected. I started at my leisurely 60 minute pace (the speed I run when I expect to stay on the treadmill for an hour or longer) but upped that incrementally until I was in the 9 minute range. It always surprises me how easily I can run faster paces when I try. It's the effort of sustaining those paces that works against me. I can do it, I just don't enjoy it.

I got through my short-for-a-Saturday run this morning with time to spare and with a higher regard for the treadmill. This unremarkable run happened to fall on the day of my 2,000th post so yay for that. Tomorrow the Runsketeers will reunite for the first time in weeks. SIOR is taking it easy after last weekend's marathon in St. George, UT, and TPP nailed 2nd in her age group at this morning's Ceder Creek Duathlon. Even with their recovery top of mind, I'll still be hard pressed to keep up with them.

Wrong day for a runner's mullet

Not a good choice for 63°

Today's run (street): 3.2 miles

My new role at work is turning me into one of those people who need to schedule meetings in 15 minute increments. Some of this is due to absorbing a lot of new groups and responsibilities all at once. In the short term, it will be long days. Things should ease up eventually. Last night I left the office a little later than I wanted. By the time I got home it was too late for a run or a workout.

I worked from home today and that saved me approximately three hours of total commuting time. I started working at 5:00 AM and took a break around 8:00 to do my run. It was 63 degrees outside but it felt cold in my house. I probably should have gone with short sleeves, but I went with long sleeves on top and shorts on the bottom. It's what I call a runner's mullet.

Halfway through my run I renamed it the "runner's bad decision" because the low clouds had given way to sunny skies and I was heating up fast. My distance target was modest and I knew my run would be short enough to bear the heat. About 2/3rds through my run, my cell phone rang. It was my office and I had to think about whether I'd cop to running when I answered it. Luckily it took so long to fish my phone out of my SPIbelt that the call went to voicemail. On the bright side, that short break cooled me down nicely.

The fact that someone was waiting for me to respond motivated me to pick up my speed. I covered the last mile much faster than the previous two and I was back home and on the phone in 10 minutes. I'm glad I had the opportunity get my run in today. Next week will very tight and I'll need to go into the office on Friday. Monday is a holiday so I'll get to string four runs in a row. That's good because, after Monday, I'll probably go run-less until next Saturday.

Knight sighting on my run

This jacket is actually neon bright

Today's run (street): 5.25 miles

While it wasn't a great week for running volume, I was glad to get a couple of decent runs in over the weekend. Yesterday's treadmill workout was the right way to go. For some reason, the running experience on our Life Fitness machine is much better than on our old Sole F63. Today I had the opportunity to get outside and was rewarded with perfect weather conditions.

 

Rain wasn't expected but the skies were low and cloudy with 55° temperatures and a 9 MPH wind. That was a chilly combination, so I decided to wear my new running windbreaker. Its high visibility orange color would stand out on a dark morning. I was concerned that the jacket's lack of venting would build up heat as I progressed through the run. I managed to stay comfortable by opening up the front zipper and letting in wind-cooled air.

I wanted to cover at least five miles today and that meant running on almost every street in the neighborhood. Not much to report, although I did encounter some guys dressed like Templar knights running around inside a small park with an un-costumed guy following them. I assumed they were filming their own sequel to Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I was tempted to stop and take a picture, but I was moving along well and didn't want to stop.

I received my replacement charging clip for my Garmin F210 this week and was able charge my watch without having to precisely position rubber bands to attach the broken unit to the watch. As I mentioned yesterday, my work schedule is getting a bit tighter. I'm committed to getting back to at least four workouts a week and will need to do one or two before my work day -- or after. Easier said than done.

More work could mean less workouts

Today's run (treadmill): 3.4 miles

A couple of years ago I left a long term job with thoughts of working only when I felt like it. I started consulting and found myself just as busy. Still, without a daily commute into the city, I had far more flexibility for running. After one of my consulting engagements turned into a permanent role, I found myself spending more time working and less time running. This week I accepted a promotion at my new company that greatly expands my responsibilities. The downside is that it will further restrict my workout opportunities during the week

As a result, I missed working from home this Friday. Worse, I skipped my usual Friday run that kicks off my weekend activity. Besides dealing with another long drive to and from the office, I'm feeling the guilt of going from four workouts per week to only two this week. I intend to resume my working from home on Fridays, but my new role involves a lot of interaction with people. As I transition to this position, those discussions are best done face to face.

At least I'm home on Saturdays and it was good to run regardless of what else was happening. "What else" turned out to be driving rain and I found myself on the treadmill for the first time in at least a month. I have no love for the treadmill, but it met the need. The outside temperature was 53° and the guest room felt cool and comfortable. I locked into a pace and set my mind on a time to finish.

The treadmill has a great fan and it made a big difference when set to high. The miles went by surprisingly fast. I turned off the TV after the first ten minutes because the noise was beginning to bug me. That was an improvement and before I knew it I was ready to stop. I won't have a high number of miles this week, but after five days off from any type of exercise, I felt good about today.

While my 3-something mile treadmill run was a decent workout on a rainy day, my fellow Runsketeer SIOR managed to run 26.2 miles high in the sky in St. George, UT this morning. Not only that, she did the marathon in around 3:30 on a course that required running up and down a volcano.

What I did on my run times 2,000

This is how it started

Today's run (street): 4.9 miles

During yesterday's run, my buddy Steve asked me the reason why I started my running blog. I told him I'd started it as a journal of my running experience and I had no expectation that, seven years and 2,000 posts later, I'd still be regularly writing about my running. Emerging Runner is still mostly about the simple experience of running, although I do occasionally venture into the areas of news, reviews and opinion.

I've made some great friends and running buddies through emergingrunner.com whose support and snark motivate me to keep running and writing. Runsketeer buddy She is Out Running will be running the St. George Marathon in Utah this coming weekend (in 95° weather). Last weekend she ran the Reach the Beach 200 mile relay. Her hilarious relay writeup should not be missed.

I managed to get myself out the door early today and kept it local, since yesterday's trail run satisfied my need to break out of my neighborhood. It was cooler and drier than yesterday, and it took me a full mile to build a mild sweat. This was the first run in recent memory when I didn't pay attention to how much distance I had left to cover before heading home.

Ignoring my Garmin was liberating, but I lost track of progress and ended up back at my house a tenth short of my 5 mile target. All the same, I strung together four good runs this week. I'm expecting the coming week to be very busy and I'm hoping that doesn't interfere with my workout schedule. With this weather, I want to get outside as often as I can.

Stillwell running with my fiscally fit buddy

Post-run photo at the Emerging Runner HQ

Today's run (Stillwell Woods): 4.25 miles

It's hard to believe that a couple of weeks ago I was cursing the August heat and humidity. This morning our local station reported a temperature of 58° at 6:00 AM, signaling fall is truly here. I was pretty psyched about that because my friend and financial guru Steve was coming by to discuss the Emerging Runner family portfolio. We planned to follow that with a run.

Near perfect conditions during our run

Steve is a dedicated CrossFit guy who has focused lately on weight training. Although running is only a component of his workout regime, he is always up for a run on the road or trail. A few years ago, when we both had offices in midtown Manhattan, we'd meet for runs along the West Side bike path and around Central Park. Steve and his family moved to Atlanta a couple of years ago, but he comes up frequently to see his clients in the NYC area. We're always talking about fitting in a run when he comes up, and today was the perfect day to do it.

We decided to run at Stillwell Woods today. It's been months since I've done a real trail run and the cool conditions made it a perfect choice. I wore my Brooks Cascadias but Steve had his Brooks Glycerins, so I routed us along a less technical section. Giant Bicycles was running a clinic at the western end of Stillwell and I feared that we'd be overrun by mountain bikers. That didn't turn out to be the case, but we ran into swarms of high and middle school cross country runners who frequently blocked our path.

Today's route

Considering my current struggles with speed, we moved along nicely and I was able to maintain my end of the conversation. The weather clearly helped both my breathing and my energy level. Although Steve hasn't run in a while, he had no trouble with the course or the distance. We ended up covering 4.1 miles per Garmin, but I mapped the route using Gmaps and determined that we'd actually covered about 4.25 miles.

Considering the fact that one trail mile equals 1.18 road miles in terms of effort, it was as though we ran 5 miles today. Actually, I made that up, but I'll bet you believed me, I may aim for an actual five miles tomorrow. If weather conditions are anything like today's, I might even do more.

Garmin design failure no excuse for a new watch

Mis-connection

Today's run (street): 3.25 miles

Having a day off on Wednesday certainly made my work week go by quickly. Before I knew it, Friday had arrived. Yesterday was an interesting day. Some organizational changes meant that I had a new team to manage. I was fine with that, although I only found out about it that morning. I was thrilled not to have to drive to my office today, and that allowed me to do my usual Friday morning, pre-weekend run.

I work from home most Fridays, and the lack of a commute gives me plenty of time for a run. I had an early meeting happening via Google Hangout that put pressure on me to run and get back in time to look presentable on camera. That meant getting my procrastinating butt out the door early. On the positive side, the recycling trucks had not yet made the scene. On the negative side, our quiet neighborhood was already being overrun by cars and buses speeding their way to the middle school.

It was 64° with a little more humidity than on Wednesday, but it felt cooler. This was likely due to wearing short sleeves this time. The middle school traffic eventually disappeared and I thought I'd caught a break. But right on cue, I saw a stream of cars and buses heading to the elementary school. I avoided those roads and finished up my run.

Later in the day, I took a break to download my Garmin data and discovered the charging-data connector had broken since its last use. The design of the FR210 is a step backward from my old (non-GPS) FR60 that connected to my PC wirelessly and downloaded data automatically. The FR210's connector has a set of copper pins that match up with contacts on the watch. The connector is held in place by a spring driven clasp. It's a terrible design and, now that it's damaged, I'll need to figure out a way to keep it connected for charging.

Although this would be a great excuse to upgrade to a more contemporary model, I really have no need for a newer GPS watch. A quick search on the web showed that I can replace the connector for $15 through Amazon - so that's on order. I have my issues with the FR210, but after almost five years, it continues to be a very reliable unit.

Atone deaf

It's not kosher to sample this artwork

Today's run (street): 3.25 miles

This seems to be the week for religious observance and celebration. Apparently the pope is in Washington D.C. today (you'd think the news would cover that). Today is also Yom Kippur, a holiday dedicated to self reflection and atonement. I don't personally subscribe to any religious dogma, but I do think there's value to taking a day to appreciate what you have. My kids have the holiday off from school, so I took the day off as well. Not that I've done much reflecting or atoning.

I suppose I did a little of the former during my morning run. It was a cool 64° with low humidity. I miscalculated on my gear and wore a long sleeved shirt with running shorts. I was comfortable at first, but began to regret my clothing choice after a half mile. Fortunately, there was a strong breeze coming from the northeast that kept it tolerable most of the time.

Given the holiday, I had the roads pretty much to myself. I gave thanks for the lack of school buses and maniacs driving sanitation trucks and atoned for not doing speed work on a day that would have been perfect for it. I didn't push too hard, but still ran a little faster than my current normal. The low humidity probably helped there.

Yom Kippur is a holiday where observant people fast until sundown. I broke that rule about fifteen minutes after waking up this morning. Maybe earlier, if drinking coffee is also out of bounds. In between not reflecting and atoning, we took a drive over a nearby college to see a great exhibit by the artist Kevin O’Callaghan. The above picture is an example of his work. In the spirit of fasting, I didn't take a bite.

Supinating is how I roll

Virrata out-sole wear courtesy of supination

Today's run (street): 4.3 miles
Yesterday's run (street): 5.1 miles

Fall is almost here and I'm loving the cooler temperatures. Unfortunately, the humidity still thinks it's summertime. That's true, but running conditions have improved over August's dog days. Stepping out to mid-60's temperatures provided a welcomed boost this morning. I had two good runs this weekend, even though my positive performance from Friday wasn't duplicated on either day.

Yesterday I broke out of the boundaries of my neighborhood, venturing into the nearby business park and the neighborhood that connects to it. I'd targeted 5 miles and ran easy. That turned out to be a good idea because the humidity was an oppressive 88%. This morning felt cooler and a moderate breeze from the north provided a nice offset to still-present humidity. I'd considered a trail run but didn't want to deal with mountain bikers at Stillwell. I ended up staying local.

The best thing about today's run was that my energy level was running a few notches above usual. Feeling stronger prompted me to step up my pace and open my stride. It was during my run on Saturday that I noticed how my form has changed since dealing with my herniated disc. I still have slight discomfort in my left thigh, especially when I push my speed.

After yesterday's run, I looked up strides and landing styles and realized for the first time that I am actually not a pronator. That label was given to me seven years ago by the salesperson at Super Runner's in Huntington after she watched me walk across the store. That resulted in my purchase of a pair of Brooks Adrenaline 9's that I loved dearly and wore for 1,000 miles.

Although pronators are supposed to wear stability trainers, I've always felt comfortable running in neutral shoes, especially the minimal variety, That explains my love for the Kinvaras and my appreciation of the Saucony Virratas that I recently replaced with the Kinvara 5s. The article I read showed wear patterns and connected them to different types of strides: pronator, over-pronator, neutral and supinator.

According to the illustrations, I'm a supinator, someone whose foot rolls outward on landing. I looked at my Virratas, the shoes with the most outdoor mileage, and the wear pattern clearly shows that I do this. So now I'm confused. Stability shoes are built with a medial post or some type of multi-density material in the mid-sole to neutralize inward rolling. I get that. What I don't get is when I look up "best shoes for supination" most results point to stability shoes. But since it's the opposite problem, wouldn't stability shoes amplify supination?

While the running world works to figure that out, I'll stick with my minimal neutral models. The only downside to that is my preferred shoes use a fairly soft material on the out-sole that is apt to wear out from all my supinatin'. Still, I'd rather run in shoes that feel right, rather than ones that are made for people who supinate. So far, that seems to be the right approach.