A detour on the path and a pain in the knee

Detour at mile 3

Today's run (Bethpage bike trail): 5.1 miles

I headed out to Bethpage this morning around 7:45 AM. It was a little later than I'd hoped to run, but I needed to stick around the house and help my son get ready for today's science fair. I didn't help with the actual project, that is so complicated and sciency that I can't understand anything in his research reports and display board except his name. My contribution was to help him tie his tie before he boarded the bus to Great Neck.

I don't have an Empire Passport this year so I didn't go to the park to start my run. I probably could have got in for free because the guy who works the entry booth sometimes lets me park without paying. He's a great guy and a really good judge of people. Instead, I parked on Colonial Road which is located about a mile north of the Bethpage lot.

My plan was to run north so that worked out fine. I usually start on the bike trail at Haypath and run to the LIE overpass on Washington Ave and back. That's just about five miles. Today I decided to get my five a different way with a detour up Old Country Road.

I did not get off to a good start. My legs felt heavy and my stride felt awkward. I really hoped it was something that would change as I warmed up. I loosened up eventually, but it took a couple of miles of running for that to happen. There were many runners out today, mainly groups. At one point I saw so many people running that I thought there was a race going on.

I turned around after two miles and ran south until I reached Old Country Road. I then ran west almost to Plainview Road and then back to the bike trail. I ended up covering my targeted five and got to see other sights off the beaten path. Actually the path on Old Country was pretty beaten. So much so, that I feared I'd trip on the many torn up slabs of concrete sidewalk.

Profound statement from CaptionBot

When I got back to my car I noticed some pain at the top of my knee. It only hurt when I put pressure on it or turned it when pushing up to stand. I looked up the symptoms online and they seem to match something people call patellofemoral pain. One site suggested ice, elevation and compression. I put on my ACE knee brace that got me through a meniscus tear without surgery many years ago.

I'm fortunate to work with experts in health and physiology and I plan to seek their advice tomorrow. I'm hoping that the brace and a couple of days rest will help in the meantime.

Running in circles while my friends ran at Bethpage

I forgot to mention the invisible airplane on the track

Today's run (track): 4.1 miles

Due to a science fair scheduling conflict, I needed to run extra early this morning. That was fine, as I'm trying to go back to early day running. The downside was that I missed SIORs run-palooza at Bethpage this morning. This was another Life Time Run Club adventure and today's group included both TPP and KWL. Long before they all went out, I was at the Syosset HS track getting in 16 laps. The Runsketeers had a great time and I'm very jealous.

I always hope that the track will be empty when I arrive, but there's usually someone there before me. That was case today. It was mostly walkers, but there were a couple of guys running intervals and one person run/walking wearing a pair of big studio headphones. I tuned everyone out for the most part rather than construct back stories of every person on the track like I usually do. I just wanted to get through the workout and stay on schedule.

I'm going to need to go out early again tomorrow. I'd like to do at least five miles so I'll probably run somewhere outside my neighborhood. I can't go too far or too long, because I need to be ready for yet another science fair. But no such problems next weekend. After Monday, science fair season will be over.

CaptionBot sums up my run experience

 

Today's run (street): 3.2 miles

I used to be very disciplined about my running and would usually get out before the sun came up. In recent years I've slipped from typical 6:00-ish start times to a more indulgent 8:00 AM. Later starts led to later finishes that cut deeply into my weekend mornings. I've been thinking it would be good to return to earlier runs, starting today.

Although earlier starts were already part of the plan, I needed to be back in time for an 8:00 AM video call today. Having my running done by 7:00 AM gave me more time to get things done this morning. And I can always use extra time.

Being out at 6:30 AM was a different Friday experience for me. No recycling trucks or parents speeding down the road on their way to dropping their kids off at school. It was a chilly 38° and the glare from the rising sun was blinding, but I enjoyed being out there. I ran okay and covered my usual 5K Friday route. When I got home I took a selfie on my driveway to memorialize my multi-colored outfit.

After I downloaded the picture I stumbled upon Microsoft's CaptionBot site where you can upload a picture and it captions it for you using artificial intelligence. The results are above. For the record I wasn't exactly feeling "grinning emoji."

The data behind the pace

Open the stride and quicken the cadence

Today's run (street): 5.5 miles

Conditions were chilly this morning and I had to dress like I was going out for a winter run. I feel like it's payback for all those weeks of unseasonably warm weather that we had in March. Somehow I picked the right combination of gear and set out for a run in a nearby neighborhood. I started out with a loop around a local business park that has one hill that I always dread. I did another half loop before moving on to run in what I call neighborhood #3.

Once around the park

My run was fine and, although I thought I was doing a good job introducing speed at times, I ended up running fairly slowly. When I looked at the data from today's run, I noticed that my current pace hasn't degraded that much since mid-2014. It was interesting to see that my training paces were often 2 minutes per mile slower than my race paces. That gave me hope that I could get back into race shape if I wanted to start focusing on performance.

I decided to do an analysis that compared three data points from my run history: pace, stride length and cadence. I randomly selected thirteen runs between 2013 and today that had data captured via my Garmin foot pod. Pace is measured in xx:xx time format, stride length is typically between .8 and 1.1 meters and cadence usually falls (for me) between 160-180 SPM. Those disparities required me to index the metrics so they could all be displayed on the same scale.

My first reaction when the data was visualized was that faster paces are clearly correlated to longer stride length and faster cadence. Not a surprise. I know that 13 data points doesn't yield statistically significant findings, but it's enough information to be directional. It shows that if I want to get back to 9:30 training paces, I'll need to average between 172-176 SPM and stride lengths between .98 to 1.0 meters.

I have work to do to get to those numbers but at least it's a baseline target. I need to decide whether to focus on cadence and let my stride adapt as needed, or if I should try to open my stride before taking on the tougher metric. I'd prefer the latter, but messing with stride length is tricky because over-striding is the gateway to injury.

Fashion backwards at Stillwell Woods

At the top of a rise

Today's run (Stillwell Woods): 3.6 miles
Yesterday's run (Street): 3.2 miles

Hot couture

This morning's run was delayed due to a fashion-related protest by the female representatives at Emerging Runner Inc. I have long been in the camp that men aren't meant to wear running tights without shorts. I've done it a few times during races, but that's different. There are numerous shorts/tights posts in online forums and Runners World did a survey that favored the more modest combination. I wanted to run at Stillwell today and the weather seemed too cold for trail shorts and too warm for track pants. I decided to go with some lightweight running tights.

I knew I'd be running in the woods and thought that would be a situation where shorts-over-tights wouldn't be necessary. After seeing my outfit, my wife and daughter insisted that I add shorts or lose the tights. I was fine with that except that it added an unnecessary layer. I don't think it improved my look. When I got ready to leave, it felt much colder than the 42° that the local news station reported.

Once I adjusted my outfit to match the temperature, I headed over to Stillwell. There were baseball games going on, but the parking area near the trail head still had spots. As usual, there were a few mountain bikers preparing to ride and I zipped in before that happened.

I usually cut left toward the Black trail but decided to run the CLIMB bikeway trail instead. I soon encountered a couple of high school age girls coming from the other direction. About five minutes later I heard them coming up fast behind me. I sped up, mostly because that part of the trail was so narrow that passing would have been difficult. I managed to stay ahead of them until the trail split and I went right while the girls went left.

The downside to going right was that I had to scale a 50' rise at a steep angle to get to the next section of trail. I've taken on that hill many times in the past and was grateful to be wearing my Brooks Cascadias because the surface is mostly sand and loose rocks. People say that you can run trails in road shoes, but this hill is nearly impossible to manage without good trail runners.

Today's route

Once I passed that point, I was on my usual loop. The decision to wear shorts may have made me more presentable to the critters in the woods, but they did restrict my stride. After the initial encounter with those girls I saw few other runners or bikers today. I didn't run well or get into a comfortable rhythm until I was close to finishing. However, I did enjoy the experience of running in the woods.

Later in the afternoon my son and I watched The Barkley Marathons: The Race That Eats Its Young on Netflix. The race involves running five 20 mile loops (that are actually closer to 26 miles each) in some of the most rugged terrain in North America. The total course has more than 54,000 feet of vertical climb (and vice versa). Many years there isn't a single finisher. After seeing what those people went through, it's hard to complain about the 50 foot challenge at Stillwell this morning, even though I was forced to wear shorts.

A great treadmill experience (finally!)

ER and SIOR take the indoor option

Today's run (Lifetime Fitness treadmill run): 4.5 miles
Yesterday's run (treadmill): 3.25 miles
Friday's run (treadmill): 3.2 miles

I continue to battle a tough work schedule that makes it hard for me to fit in a fourth weekly workout. This week was no exception. There's a lot happening at the office and it's causing more meetings to push me past my usual departure time. I don't get home as late as I did when I worked in the city, but post-dinner running doesn't generally work for me. So it was three runs this week. All three on the treadmill.

I planned to run outside on Friday and put on my new running raincoat due to the misty conditions. As I prepared to go out, the skies opened up and my options switched to the treadmill or the elliptical. Since I didn't do a mid-week workout, I opted for running.

I hadn't run since last Sunday and I expected to have a tough time getting going. I was surprised to quickly find my stride and the minutes rolled by faster than my usual treadmill experience. I had limited time and cut it short after 3.2 miles. I played with tempo over the last mile and was able to get down to a decent pace.

Saturday's weather was equally miserable, so it was back again on the treadmill. I didn't have the same energy level as I did on Friday, but I pressed on. The minutes ticked by more slowly than on Friday and I didn't start my progressive paces until I had 3/4 mile left to go. Still, it wasn't as bad as some recent indoor runs.

This morning's plan was to meet SIOR at Bethpage where she would lead the Lifetime Fitness group run. Unfortunately, the weather had gone from wet to worse overnight and plans were changed to running on the treadmills at Lifetime. As much as I dislike treadmills, there's something I like about fitness center models and something I really dislike about running outside in 50 MPH winds.

When I met SIOR at the gym, she'd already completed a few miles. While she alerted the front desk that the workout was happening upstairs, I went to the locker room to take off my non-running layers. SIOR and I headed upstairs and I saw the huge gymnasium that had basketball courts and a rock climbing wall.

We found side-by-side Life Fitness treadmills and started them up. SIOR resumed watching a Netflix documentary about the Barkley marathons while I tried like heck to navigate to a watchable cable station on the monitor. I really didn't need my screen because there was so much else to look at. The gym is enormous with lots of opportunities for people watching and lots of video screens that provided good distraction.

Treadmills as far as the eye can see

If Friday's running felt easy, then today's run felt effortless. Some of that was due to starting slowly. But even as I blipped up my speed every tenth of a mile, the run never felt difficult. I stopped when SIOR finished her planned ten miles and I ended up covering 4.5. SIOR had more training to do and I had to head out for a brunch. Before we said our goodbyes. SIOR showed me more of the gym, including the area with all the weight machines.

I wouldn't have expected a treadmill workout to be so enjoyable but it was nice to be able to run along with SIOR. I really hope Lifetime gives her more resources to publicize these weekend events because it's a great way to showcase the gym and attract new members. If our schedules work out next time, it will be fun to have the other Runsketeers on the run.

Of running and furniture

A metaphor for running

Today's run (street): 4.1 miles
Yesterday's run (street): 3.2 miles

“The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.” ― John Bingham, No Need for Speed: A Beginner's Guide to the Joy of Running.

I always liked that quote because it sums up the fear so many people have about going out for their first run. Or maybe it's about their first race. Either way, it's about overcoming fear related to running. I have my own, similar quote, but it's not about running. It's about assembling a Danish modern dresser with directions that contain confusing illustrations with no words.

“The miracle isn't that I managed to assemble this overcomplicated bunch of furniture parts that came with indecipherable directions. The miracle is that I had the courage not to ship it back to Denmark and ask for a refund.” ― The Emerging Runner.

Also, I haven't finished assembling it.

Besides spending time on that project, I've actually gotten out for a couple of runs. I'd hoped to complete four workouts this week but my hopes for an after work elliptical session were dashed by a late day meeting on Wednesday. Thursday night I had to attend a business dinner and didn't get home until 10:00 PM.

Friday was Mrs. Emerging Runner's birthday and I took it as a vacation day. My kids were off from school so we celebrated the day together. I got out fairly early and did my usual 3 mile neighborhood loop. Despite some misty rain at the start, 94% humidity and 10 MPH winds, I was comfortable in shorts and a single shirt layer. I ran okay but I was impatient to get through it. No miracles on that run.

This morning I got out a little earlier and faced much colder conditions. I've been trying to be better about selecting running clothes that will keep me comfortable through my run rather than only at the start. The 16 MPH wind was more than I bargained for and I regretted not having an over the ears hat. I broke away from my local streets and ran over to an adjacent neighborhood in Woodbury after covering a little more than 4 miles.

I went back to dresser assembly in the afternoon and made some progress. I've discovered that putting this unit together works better when I just focus on one challenge at a time. Just like the expression, "run the mile you're in",  my approach is to assemble this thing one confusing instruction page at a time.

Run with SIOR for a Life Time of fun

Where the elite meet to run

Today's run (street): 6 miles

After weeks of  unseasonably warm weather, our luck finally came to an end on the first day of spring. Yesterday's  conditions were brisk but comfortable, but we woke up to a temperature that felt like 24° today. Although it was the first day of the vernal Equinox, I went to Equinox's competitor: Life Time Athletic in Syosset. I was there for the Life Time group run led by the one and only SIOR.

I met SIOR in the lobby of the Life Time Athletic building. This is not to be confused with the Time Life building where I spent most of my career. Life Time is huge and opulent and and there were lots of people streaming in at 8:00 AM. As I mentioned, it was freezing outside and apparently everyone preferred to run on treadmills rather than join me and SIOR on the road. They missed out, because group running is fun and it makes long distances seem a lot shorter. At least that was the case for me today.

SIOR and I took off at 8:15 AM and tucked into an adjacent neighborhood that had long, straight and wide roads. SIOR's phone app wasn't telling her which roads to follow so we used our sharply honed innate navigation that pretty much kept us on the same two loops. We did branch off onto another loop for our last two miles. We'd both dressed for cold but it was really chilly. I managed to warm up about two thirds through, SIOR not so much.

I loved the run and the opportunity to chat which made six miles feel like I was only running three. I'll admit that I ran extremely slowly, as I do these days, but my run coach didn't complain about the slow pace bothering her knees. She did one-step me most of the run and I was really hoping that would produce a faster pace on my part. Nope. Closer to the end, SIOR picked up her pace but she never went so far ahead that she was out of sight.

Today's route

We'd intended to run five miles but ended up covering six. If other people were brave enough to leave the temperature-controlled fitness club, they would have had their choice of 5, 10 or 15 mile distances. The group run is open to anyone, and you don't have to be a Life Time member to participate. I really hope more people show up next time because it's a good workout and you can learn technique from a certified running coach.

After our run, SIOR and I headed over to a Starbucks on Jericho Turnpike, a new location for a Runsketeer après-run coffee break. I am really glad to have covered six miles today. It was fun and I felt good. I probably could have - and should have - pushed a little harder. Warmer spring weather should bring more participants to SIOR's group runs. I think the weekend group events will be posted on the Syosset Life Time Facebook page with time details. Tell your friends!

Good run with a side of Danish

Bygge mig og være glad

Today's run (street): 3.5 miles
Yesterday's run (treadmill): 3.1 miles
Wednesday's workout (elliptical): 30 minutes

According to the World Happiness Report that came out this week (yes, this is a real thing), Denmark is the world's happiest country. I'm guessing that's because they spend their days laughing at Americans who buy their DIY furniture. A good chunk of my day was spent assembling an eight-drawer dresser. Actually I only had the patience to assemble the drawers today. And not all the drawers, just the ones that had parts that were manufactured correctly. hvorfor skal jeg det til mig selv?

Wrongly drilled piece on left. Thanks Denmark!

Earlier in the day I went out for a very nice run around the neighborhood. I resisted my tendency to overdress and braved the 40° chill until my body heat caught up. I felt great throughout the run and capped my distance in deference to my morning schedule. After lunch I turned my attention to building the dresser and got an impromptu upper body workout moving two heavy boxes full of dresser components up the stairs.

Yesterday I had an even tighter schedule and needed to get my run done before an early meeting. The only way to pull that off was to use the treadmill. It was fine and I was entertained by our new TV in the guest room. I started the run feeling like it would never end, but happily it did. I only subject myself to about three miles on the machine for sanity's sake and I cope by telling myself, "Only X more miles to go before I can hit stop!"

I did manage to get an elliptical session done on Wednesday and that will get me to four workouts this week. It's not quite where I want to be, but better than I've been doing lately.

I'm vertigo-ing to take Sudefed next time

Once again, pseudoephedrine saves the day

Today's run (street): 3.75 miles

I had a very nice Saturday until about 8:00 PM last night when I started feeling dizzy. I have very sensitive sinuses and big changes in temperature tend to affect me. It's usually in the form of a pounding headache. Occasionally, the only effect will be a feeling of light-headedness, which is far more tolerable. Unfortunately, the dizziness sometimes provokes it's evil twin, nausea, and then it's no fun at all.

By 8:30 I could tell that this would be more than a passing thing. I considered using nasal spray or taking a decongestant, but I was also starting to feel sick. Instead, I headed upstairs to go to bed in hopes that I could sleep it off.

Today is the start of daylight savings time, and when I woke up, I thought I'd slept until 7:00 AM. Actually I did, but my internal clock thought it was 6:00 AM. Still, I managed to get more than eight hours sleep and all signs of last night's vertigo were gone. I was concerned about overdoing it today, and decided to keep my run short.

The weather was pleasant and I dressed correctly for a change. I'd taken Sudefed when I got up in hopes of warding off a recurrence of sinus trouble. I expected to feel tired on the road. Instead, the decongestant had the opposite effect. My stride felt loose and my energy level was higher than it's been in weeks. I felt so good I wondered if pseudoephedrine is a banned substance.

I stayed in my neighborhood, but mixed up my route to keep things somewhat interesting. Unlike many runs, I wasn't thinking about how much more time or distance I had to cover. I was really enjoying being outside on a beautiful (if humid) pseudo-spring day. I never looked at my watch during the run, and was surprised to see that I'd exceeded my three mile target by 20%.

I didn't get in all the workouts I'd hoped for over the week, but I had some challenging days in the office that kept me late a couple of days. This week should be better and if I'm able to stay on schedule I'll aim to add a Wednesday and/or Thursday workout.

Running bargains, get them while they last

Friday run: note the runner on right side of picture

Today's run (Bethpage bike trail): 5.2 miles
Yesterday (street): 3.2 miles

I got out early on Friday before my day started and covered my minimum distance for a run (5K). When I stepped outside, I noticed the scent of spring in the air. The temperature was 59° with a steady breeze that energized me from the start. It seemed quiet for a Friday, perhaps because I went out early. No recycling trucks or buses, just me, the road and a surprising number of people out walking. I also saw a runner (see picture) who decided that the middle of the road was a smart place to run.

Today's route

This morning the weather was cooler, high 30's according to News12, and I dressed for it. I wanted to cover five miles and headed over to the Runsketeer rendezvous point on Haypath Road. My route plan was to start at Haypath and run to Washington Ave. as my turnaround point. I had plenty of company on the bike trail, including some people walking with large dogs. I was careful to leave a lot of room each time that I passed by.

Later in the day we went to the Gallery at Westbury and saw (as I'd predicted), that the SA Elite store was closing. This used to be my favorite place for running clothes and shoes. In the beginning it was a beautiful store with most of its merchandise related to running. I've bought a lot of shoes and running clothes there over the last few years.

My bargain jackets

I ended up buying a duplicate of my dog-bitten ASICS rain jacket (discounted to $13!!) and a high reflectivity ASICS jacket for $23. We also got some old-school Onitsuka Tigers for my son for $30, a yoga mat for my daughter and a couple of shirts. The whole thing came to less than $100. There's still a lot of merchandise, so I recommend a visit soon. They say the store will close when there's nothing left to sell.

One last  thing - I want to give a big shout-out to Runsketeer SIOR for running a great 15K race on a very hilly course in King's Park this morning.

Me and the Tartan track personnas

Counter clockwise and counter-counter clockwise

Today's run (track): 4.1 miles
Yesterday's run (street); 3.4 miles
Friday's run (treadmill): 3.1 miles

It was a busy week and I didn't manage to get a workout in before Friday. My Friday schedule was jammed with meetings from 9:00 to 5:30, so I needed to get my run done fairly early. I worked from home on that day and was lucky that I didn't have to do my long commute in falling snow. But outside conditions were slippery, making the treadmill my only option for running.

No surprise to anyone, I found Friday's run almost unbearable and was determined to get outdoors the next day. The snow on the roads had melted, but conditions were still pretty rough. The local news station showed  a temperature of 30°, so I dressed for moderate cold. It was sunny when I stepped outside and I was concerned that I'd overdressed. A few minutes later I was wishing for another layer.

Saturday frozen face syndrome

Feels like freezing

The moment I turned the first corner on my run, I was hit with a blast of numbingly cold air that gave me an instant sinus headache. I quickly thought through my intended route to determine whether I should change streets to minimize the wind. By the time I'd reached my first mile, I'd heated up enough to manage through the cold. It was a low performance run overall, but I managed to get through my miles and I didn't get bit once.

I usually reserve my longest run of the week for Sunday, but this morning I had a serious motivation problem. None of my favorite venues seemed appealing (Neighborhood: ho hum, Bethpage: too many hills, Stillwell: too many mountain bikers) and I wasn't going near the treadmill again. My wife suggested the track and I couldn't find an argument against that. So off I went.

Although running around the track can be viewed as monotonous, I find it much much more pleasant than the treadmill. At least the track provides sensory stimulation through forward movement. On top of that, I always encounter a different cast of characters as I circle the Tartan track. By the end, I've usually monitored their workouts and made up names for each of them.

This morning, it was just me and walking man, a big middle aged guy who was wearing air buds but no hat or gloves. Walking man and I were soon joined by high school running girl who eventually lapped me. But while high school girl had speed, I had endurance, and I noticed her slowing down and eventually talking walk breaks. So I won. Walking man started running, slower than me if that is actually possible. A young guy also joined us, running his laps pretty fast.

I did my first two miles going in the traditional counter-clockwise direction and then did two more clockwise, allowing me to see the faces of the other runners. Most importantly, running that way prevented the humiliation of being lapped by young running man and a young running couple who came by a little later. I did manage to lap the walking-to-running man and a bunch of miscellaneous walkers who'd also come by.

I did a little more than 16 laps and focused on my shortened stride which I'd hoped would enable a higher cadence. It did not, and the end result was an unprintably slow pace. That is, except for the last lap where I said "screw it" and ran about a 9:15. That was when I lapped walking-to-running man.

So, this week it's been three very different runs with the common theme of low performance. I don't really care about that, but I sometimes feel guilty for not going out with the, "All you need is all you got" attitude that I had a couple of years ago. I'm really going to try for four workouts this week and may even stretch it to five if my schedule isn't as insane as last week's.