Showing posts with label negative. Show all posts
Showing posts with label negative. Show all posts

Sunday, August 31, 2014

Cool, energizing, hot and humid

Saturday's run - negative splits
Today's run (street): 3.9 miles
Yesterday's run (street): 5.5 miles

This weekend has turned out to be busier than I expected and all my hopes for running with friends has gone by the wayside. I did manage to eke out ten miles between yesterday and today, but only by wedging those runs between other activities.

Yesterday's run was great. It was a little warmer than Friday, but still cool, dry and energizing. I did a tempo run, keeping my pace moderate for the first 20 minutes before increasing my speed throughout the rest of the run. I ended up running negative splits, with the last mile equaling my 2012 training pace.

This morning was so humid that I almost skipped my run in favor of an indoor elliptical workout. At least I could do that with my big fan cranked up to hurricane setting. TPP, SIOR and I tried to coordinate a run the day before, but I couldn't allocate the time to do anything but a short local run. As it turned out, that was probably for the best, since weather conditions were draining.

I knew from the start that I'd be in for a tough time this morning. All the moisture in the air inhibited oxygen flow and I adjusted my speed to maintain a good aerobic balance. I had no breathing issues but the sodden air did not help my energy level. I'm sure I'll cringe when I see the Garmin data from today's workout. My cadence was probably 5 SPM slower than on Saturday.

Tomorrow is the last day of summer vacation for the kids and we have a lot planned. I may squeak in a few miles or do a short elliptical session in the morning. Depending on the weather later in the day, I may end up doing my workout in the pool.

Friday, August 22, 2014

Attitude problem

 
Today's run (street): 3.5 miles

I took a step backward this week by skipping my Tuesday morning treadmill run. I'd set up my gear the night before, and fully intended to do the workout. When I woke up, I felt exhausted and decided to skip my run. My schedule didn't allow for any running on Wednesday and Thursday, so I was excited to get back to it today. I shouldn't have got so excited.

Although my legs felt heavy and sore before I went out today, I expected to snap out of that once I got going. I headed out through the neighborhood, but couldn't generate much speed for the first few minutes. My stride was constricted and I felt a little queasy. I was uninspired and it didn't take long to realize that I was in for a tedious run. So much of running comes down to attitude, and this morning I had a bad one.

The thing that got me through today's run was knowing that I only needed to cover a few miles. I tried to think positively about the circumstances; the weather was good and I appreciated being back on the road. Yet, when my Garmin chirped at mile one, I didn't feel like I'd made much progress and I knew I had a lot more ground to cover.

Eventually my form improved and I began to feel better physically. I haven't checked the data, but I think I ran faster as the run went on. Even so, I was disinterested in the workout and only looked forward to getting back home. There are days when the experience of running turns around a bad mood and provides a great feeling of accomplishment. Today was not one of those days.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Hoping seasonal happiness is just a trail run away

We are only weeks away from New Year's Eve, but I'm not feeling the holiday season like I have in prior years.With last Friday's unconscionable violence in Connecticut, and worries about an impending "fiscal cliff" that could drive us back into recession, it doesn't seem like the best of times. On the bright side, I'll get to spend some good vacation time with my family next week. I'm also looking forward to running the LIRRC Hangover Run on January 1st.

That's the thing about running. No matter what's troubling you, you can always look forward to your next event. Over the past few years, I've found that an upcoming race can help offset negative thoughts and motivate me to train harder. Thinking about running on the trails at Stillwell or Bethpage has helped me through more than one difficult work day. Unfortunately my schedule will prevent me from doing any off-road running until later next week. But when I do, I hoping to finally recapture that elusive holiday feeling.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Negative splits on a chilly morning

Today's run (street): 2.65 miles

All week we've been hearing forecasts calling for warm weather with predictions that temperatures would reach 70º by Friday. I must be missing something because it has been chilly most days this week and this morning was no different. I listened to the weather report and dressed in single layers for today's run. Fortunately I thought to wear running gloves and I was happy to have them. The winds brought the temperature down into the mid 30's and I found myself wishing for an extra shirt.

Saucony Grid Tangent 4
 I wore my Saucony Grid Tangents this morning for a change of pace but my pace didn't change much. My stride felt encumbered for the first mile but I loosened up soon after that. The second half of my run was 6% faster than my first and though my recent paces have not been extraordinary I've been achieving negative splits on almost every run. I'm hoping to get out for 10 miles on one of the days this weekend. Speed will not be my goal but that doesn't mean it won't be on my mind.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

When negative is a positive

Today's run (street): 2.8 miles at 9:01

Yesterday afternoon I caught up with CK, one of my running advisers, and we talked about what it takes to run negative splits, especially over distance. I've had experiences in races where I'm overtaken on the last mile by people who seem to come out of nowhere. Though I struggle to keep from being passed I'm not usually successful. I told CK that my speed tends to degrade along a linear slope and that my end pace is often 30 seconds (or more) per mile slower than when I start. CK said that if that's the case I'm probably going out too fast and that a slower start on longer runs will provide a stronger finish. He also said that once a week I should do shorter distances (e.g., 2 miles) and run at race pace to build my speed.

I thought about that this morning as I prepared for my morning run. My calf muscles are still very tight from Sunday's practice run and I wasn't sure whether to start fast and finish fast or experiment with the "Start slow, finish strong" idea. About ten steps in I knew that I could handle some speed and after a minute I picked up the pace. My form felt misaligned during the first mile and that prevented me from settling into an efficient rhythm but after about eight minutes things seemed to come together. I planned to run more than two miles so I tried to keep aware of my speed and cadence and, as I moved past the two mile mark, I picked up my pace even more. The result was a credible 9:01 but, better still, I tracked negative splits after the first mile. I don't consider today a speed workout but it was directionally positive. Tomorrow I'll focus even more on my pace and leave stamina building for the weekend. CK and I may do a lunchtime training run in Central Park on Monday -- five miles including those hills above the reservoir. I can't say I love the idea but I need to be prepared for the James Street challenge.
 

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