Destination run to see my family

Care to donate?

Today's run (street): 6.5 miles

Although I had both a primary and backup plan for today's run, I ended up choosing another option entirely. My wife and kids had volunteered for an event that benefits the Long Island Cares food pantry that was taking place at a local shopping center. I decided to run there and back from my house for a change of pace workout.

I often think about ways to break away from the constraints of my local neighborhoods but I've been reluctant to cross major roads during my runs. I simply don't trust drivers to do the right thing. I've stopped counting the number of cars that I see blowing through stop signs on my local streets. My default expectation is that people will ignore the rules and I react accordingly.

The route I planned to get to the Plainview Shopping Center had a no major roads to cross, but it did require me to cross the entrance and exits to the Northern Parkway off South Oyster Bay Road. The sparse Sunday morning traffic resulted in a clear path both coming and going back. I was prepared to wait but I was able to cross both times without stopping.

My route took a side path through a neighborhood that's situated directly north of the shopping center. I planned that part to ensure that I'd cover more than three miles in each direction. Once I came back to South Oyster Bay Road I was just west of my destination and I ran along the brick walkway until I reached my family on the other side, near Woodbury Road.

It was fun to hang out for a few minutes with my wife and kids. My wife had some water for me that I really appreciated. My kids were busy collecting donations and selling tee shirts in support of the event. I was proud of them all for donating their time for a good cause.

I started feeling chilled because it was surprisingly cold outside and I was sweating from the first half of my run. Once I got going on my run, the cold worked to my benefit (for a while) but I had worn long pants and a long sleeved jersey and the heat soon returned. My progress back went remarkably fast and, before I knew it, I was back on the streets of my own neighborhood.

I ended up covering 6.5 miles at a low 9:00 pace and there were enough hills to make me feel like I'd done a decent workout. I would still like to do some hill repeats before the race so next weekend I'll make my way to Bethpage. I was happy to cover 11 miles this weekend and was glad to cover some new territory along the way.

Father's Day on the run

Nothing like a good run to start things off

Today's run (street): 4.3 miles

It's Father's Day and I am happy for a number of reasons. First, I'm getting to spend the day with my family doing the things we like to do together. That started yesterday when my son and I went to see the movie Prometheus. We'd waited a long time to for this movie to come out and although it didn't live up to expectations, we had fun dissecting the plot and debating the meaning of the film.

Today's activities revolve around the whole family. Before we got the day started, I went for a run around the neighborhood. The temperature and humidity are expected to rise as the week goes on, but this morning was cool and partly cloudy. I wore the Spiras for a change of pace and they felt good as I started up the road. The cool air was energizing, and there were a lot of neighbors outside who greeted me as I ran by.

I'd originally planned to cover about three miles easy, because I knew I had a big day ahead and I'll have plenty of time for longer runs this week. The run felt so good that I added some extra streets to my route that increased my total to 4.3 miles. As far as it being an easy run, I hit the accelerator at the two mile mark and that put my pace into normal training range.

I was pleased that this "easy" run turned out to be a better workout than expected. One of many reasons why this is a happy Father's Day weekend.

A shoe-in for holiday shopping

Sunday's weather was much better than Saturday's and I headed out around 7 AM with the intention of covering more distance than I'd done in any other run over the last week. It was colder than I expected and I regretted not bringing a hat that covered my ears. I knew that the heat I'd generate from running would eventually resolve that and it did after about ten minutes. I headed over to neighborhood #2 for a change of pace and did the widest loop I could navigate and ended up covering about 4.75 miles at 9:08. I then returned to my nice warm house where everyone was up and ready for breakfast. Before long my brother and his family headed into the city to see my dad and to take in the sites at Rockefeller Center and Central Park. We had a fun visit and it was great seeing them again after visiting them in Boston just a few weeks ago.

I heard from my friend at work who recently ran the Baltimore Half Marathon with an impressive time. She suffered some injuries post-race and was advised by her doctor not to run for some weeks. I was happy to hear she was back on the road and running pain-free. She recently bought Brooks Adrenalins after analysis at Jack Rabbits in Union Square. I'm very curious to hear her impression of the 10's since they are on my short list for when I replace my 9's that have about 400 miles on them at this point. I'm also interested in the new ASICS GEL-2150's and the Mizuno Wave Inspire 6's. It's great when you have to buy new running shoes. Happy Holidays!

The Emerging Runner, Jr.

I ended up covering over 12 miles this weekend after all with a pre-dinner run on Sunday with my daughter. She really wants to run and lately, when we've been out for walks, she's taken off sprinting a few blocks ahead, always raring to go further and faster. She's a great athlete and I'd love it if she took an interest in distance running.

Our plan was to go up, over and back along some adjacent streets and cover a distance that I knew to be .65 miles. I thought she'd tire half way around but she moved right along, happily talking while maintaining a credible pace. We finished the .65 mile loop and she asked to stop for a minute before resuming through the middle school grounds and up a longer road before heading back home. When we finished I noted that we'd covered 1.2 miles. We were both hot and wet, some of it due to running past homes that were watering their lawns near the sidewalk. I wore a cotton jersey and was amazed how soaked I'd become on such a short run. The humidity was brutal and I once again appreciated the benefits of wicking technical jerseys.

I'm hoping to run with my son next weekend and to continue running on weekends with my daughter. It was pure joy to see her by my side, knowing that in a few years I may not even be able to keep up with her. In the meantime I'm still the fastest runner on my block!