Thoughts on yesterday's race

Yesterday's race wasn't the toughest run I've faced this year, but in some ways I consider it my best effort. That's true, even with the LI Half Marathon I ran in May that was both difficult and humbling. On that race, I missed my performance target by a significant sum, but I am proud that (even with an injury) I didn't walk a single step over its 13.1 miles. Still, I feel that yesterday's Dirty Sock 10K represented my competitive best. There wasn't a single moment when I backed off the throttle, even as my energy levels dropped sharply near the end.

You'd think I would have done better than I did with the effort that I put forth on Sunday. I'll admit that I felt dismay at the hordes of people who caught up and passed me at various times during the race. I thought, "Why are they all running faster than me? How have they trained compared to me?"  The answer is probably a mix of things. First, I'm no longer in my 20's or 30's. Second, I suspect that many participants in yesterday's race probably train regularly at 10K-plus distances with an effort that I usually reserve only for race day.

With that, I'm pleased with the work I did on Sunday to achieve the best time I've ever attained in that race. Like this year's NHP 8K, I've done better the third year than in any previous year. As long as I can hold the gains I feel that I'm on track with my training. It will be interesting to see how I do at the Great Cow Harbor 10K. I don't know if I'll improve over 2010's time, but I know I won't regret my effort.

Effort gap between perception and reality

Today's run (street): 2.5 miles

Yesterday's treadmill run was a welcomed improvement over my prior three runs. This morning I got outside and ran in weather that seemed far colder than the 39 degrees that had been reported on the news. I didn't look once at my Garmin during my run as I worked to maintain a brisk pace. With the paces I've been running lately I wanted to avoid further demotivation by seeing my actual speed. I hoped that my perceived effort matched my performance and in the end I guess that was true.

At first I was disappointed that I'd averaged only 9:13/mi though I felt like I was running at 10K race pace. The important thing I realized was that late last week I was running a minute-plus slower per mile, due to the effects of giving blood. With one more run followed by two days of rest, I'm hoping that I will be close to race day potential by Sunday.

A difficult run on a cold winter's day

H/H Trail Lizards -- great on snow - not so much on the road

Today's run (street): 3.8 miles

My streak of energizing, feel-good runs was broken today with a 3.8 mile run that felt much longer. I was surprised to hit the wall so hard on this relatively short run. Learning from yesterday's experience, I wore my Helly Hansen Trail Lizards because there is still much snow and ice (and ice covered snow) on the roads. Things started out well, I moved right along, hardly slowing down for the snowy-icy patches. The Helly's provided great grip and stability over these areas for the most part though there were some spots that I preferred to dodge rather than run straight though.

My first hint of trouble happened on my first turn into the westerly winds that made the 18 degree temperatures feel much colder. I really wished at that moment that I'd worn my balaclava. On top of the force of the wind, the touch of my glasses against my face grew increasingly uncomfortable. Once I turned another corner that problem fell away and I felt like the worst was over since my body was warmed up, making straight-on winds less of an issue from that point. That much was true and I progressed well but I started to get tired as I neared the 25 minute mark. It may have been the cold or the fact that the Helly's don't run very well on pavement but I began to experience signs of bonking.

My level of effort (using the Daily Mile 1-5 scale) moved quickly from two to three to almost four in a period of five minutes and I decided to re-point my route back towards my home. Despite this difficulty I forced myself to maintain a reasonably fast cadence and came in with a respectable mid-9 overall pace. The runs today and yesterday were not typical street runs as the snow, ice and slush made them more trail-like. Perhaps it was the harder work coming from running the Trail Lizards on the road instead of the trail where they shine. It doesn't matter why, only that today's run was tough and hopefully the next one will be better. Even as I slogged through the difficult last mile I thought to myself how much I loved this crazy sport.

Do, or do not. There is no try

Today's run (street): 2.2 miles at 10:05!

Much to learn, you have

It stormed last night and I was concerned that it would still be raining at 4:00 when I was due to start my run. My plan B was to do an elliptical workout rather than a treadmill run. The skies were clear when I went out and the temperatures, while not exactly cool, were still tolerable. Like yesterday, I experienced some flexibility issues and even felt pain in my right upper hamstring and right knee. After about ten minutes the pain had mostly subsided but I still felt like my gait was restricted. I made a few halfhearted attempts to introduce some speed but I just couldn't get things going. As my son often says (quoting Yoda) "Do, or don't do, there is no try." True enough, I probably should have ended today's run early after such a bad start.

I ended up running a relatively short 22 minutes because I'd started a bit late and wanted my 15 minute post-run coffee/recovery time before I officially began my day. My son has elementary school graduation tomorrow so I'm taking Thursday off. That will give me more time to run in the morning. I think some dynamic stretching may help my performance tomorrow and I'll try to sleep past 5:00 AM for the additional rest I surely need. Tomorrow I will do. Trying doesn't seem to help.

If I'm on vacation why am I working so hard?

Today's run (Stillwell Woods): 4.75 miles

Winter showed up again on Long Island this morning - 28 degrees with a steady breeze from the east. This is my first day of vacation and I decided to start things off with a trail run at Stillwell Woods Preserve. I have no issues running in weather like this because my body temperature usually regulates after a few minutes and that was the case today. After a week of workouts that focused on inclines, (both on the treadmill and elliptical) I thought that Stillwell would be a nice change of scenery.

The morning sun was very bright at 8:00 AM when I set out for my run and as I made my was past the trail head I noticed a number of frozen puddles on the main path. I maintained a moderate pace to conserve energy that I knew I would need once I encountered the many steep inclines along the trails. I took a different route than I normally take to get into the interior of the Preserve and was rewarded by about eight minutes running on relatively flat, narrow singletrack. Shortly after that I hit a cross point and I needed to decide which way to go next. Using the position of the sun to help navigate east worked well until the trail switched back and forth a few times. I ended up on a path that terminated south at a fence. I had a pretty good idea from previous runs that this path was going to end but I wanted to attack the steep hill that led up to the end of the trail. Once I got to the top I saw a path that led east. The trail was steeply banked and it twisted around a ledge. I imagined that only a serious mountain biker would dare take on that narrow ledge, one false move would result in a quick drop about 20 feet below. Once I made it down I immediately encountered another steep rise that went on for a while. I gave up any pretence that I could run the whole thing and hiked the last hundred feet until it leveled before rising again.

Once I got past this and a few other challenging hills I returned to the mostly flat trails and headed west, guided by the shadow from the sun. I was pleased that I was able to navigate today without really getting lost and I confidently found my way out to the open field. I did one lap around on that path and then headed out to the athletic fields and finished by running around three of the baseball fields before returning to my car. As usual, Stillwell provided a tough challenge and it forced me to consider my true level of fitness. Don't tell anyone, but I think I did more work today than I did all week in the office!

Pledge your own race miles in 2010

I'm feeling very good about the idea of combining running with giving and I am very pleased with the number of people who have said they would consider my suggestion of self-pledging based upon the number of miles they run next year. I'm going to put a tracker on The Emerging Runner that displays my progress. Anyone else who wishes to display their own progress is welcome to email their stats and I'll display them as well.

After a couple of really good runs this weekend on the trails at Stillwell Woods I returned to the street for a morning run. I felt fine when I woke up, got ready ahead of schedule and appreciated that running conditions were very good: mid-40's with just a little wind. I wore my ASICS for a change and they didn't feel tight enough as I set out. That was too bad, annoying but not worth a stop to re-tie them. I felt fatigued in the first few minutes and I hoped that would give way to more energy as I hit my stride. I never reached that point though, the entire run was a slog. I felt like I was carrying a pack or a sand filled vest. From beginning to end it felt like I was working too hard. I only covered about 2.2 miles and was happy to return home after that unsatisfactory run. All the same, I did my daily work and I really hope I'll feel more energetic tomorrow.

Running cold is no sweat

During Wednesday's run I noticed a chill in the air but even with a short sleeved jersey and running shorts I was comfortable. I ran my distance and worked up a decent sweat. Yesterday the weather was even colder during the day and as I prepared my gear for this morning's run I included a pair of compression shorts and a long sleeved technical jersey. That was a smart move because when I stepped outside the temperature was 39 degrees. I know that by December my sense of what's cold will differ. Right now 39 degrees is darn cold. After wasting a couple of minutes waiting in vain for my iPhone to acquire a GPS signal I hit the start button on my Garmin and set off on my run.

Now the great thing about running in the cold is that it motivates you to work harder so that you'll warm up faster. Usually, in the summer, I would start to noticeably sweat around the one mile mark. On humid days that would happen sooner. This morning I completed 2.4 miles in a little over 21 minutes and returned home barely sweating. I felt strong and energized and regretted my time constraint because I would have preferred to cover much more distance. It made me wonder how a run like that compared to Tuesday's when the temperature was closer to 60 and I finished hot and perspiring. Do two runs, of approximately similar lengths and finish times, require the same effort if one run leaves you damp as a wet noodle and the other leaves you wanting more? It seems like when you push so hard that there's nothing left at the end it means you've engaged in a higher level of work. But if the numbers don't show a difference then perhaps it's really the same work being done. If that's the case I'll take 39 degrees anytime.