Sunday, February 28, 2016

Some improvement running at Bethpage

Making strides
Today's run (Bethpage trail): 5.1 miles

I'm happy to report that I was not the dog's dinner on today's run. I wanted to break away from my neighborhood and headed over to Bethpage to run the bike trail. I know I should be running 6 or more miles at least once a week to raise my base, but that hasn't been happening. I wasn't prepared to do six today, but I thought five was reasonable.

With 9 MPH winds, the real-feel temperature was 42°, although it felt much chillier. If my running jacket hadn't been ruined yesterday, I may have worn it as a top layer. I was lucky not to have that option because I heated up a lot as I progressed. By the end, I was regretting my second layer, hat and gloves.

The run went okay, but the hilly route felt ponderous. I felt a little rough throughout the first half mile and realized that I'd only covered a tenth of my targeted distance. I hoped that my aerobic engine would soon kick in. I cruised along, tolerating the ups and downs of the rolling course and dreading the mini-mountain I knew I'd need to climb at the start of my last mile.

Most of the run was at my usual speed but, near the end, I began experimenting with different pacing. I shortened my stride and increased my cadence while maintaining the same level of effort. I didn't know this at that time, but this change provided a measurable improvement in my pace.

I don't know if I can permanently adapt to this running style, but if I'm successful, I should be able to improve on my current performance. I plan to try doing it for longer periods in hopes that it will begin to feel more natural.

4 comments:

  1. Excellent! (Mr. Burns voice, not Spiccoli)

    There are numerous websites that will tell you exactly what to wear in specific temperatures. I feel like I told you this before. On multiple occasions.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Either Burns or Spiccoli would have been acceptable. Although I now despise Sean Penn.

      I know there are websites that tell you what to wear, but I wasn't able to find the one that explained how to dress when it's 46° with 9 MPH winds and 46% humidity.

      Delete
    2. If you google "what wear running", the first thing to come up is a Runner's World guide that also takes into account wind and conditions. The wind Sunday morning was negligible.

      Maybe you were looking in the wrong place for the answer. Like a Magic 8 Ball

      Delete
    3. I'll have you know that the Magic 8 Ball is responsible for every major decision I've made as an adult. And Magic 8 Ball said wear gloves and a hat.

      Delete

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