Will rest and core work beat heat and humidity?

Why is it that on the Friday before a race the conditions in the city have to be so perfect? 57° with 45% humidity is ideal but I won't be running in Central Park today (or anywhere else). While I'm sure that running hard the day before a race probably affects my performance on race day, I'm not convinced an extra day's rest helps all that much. I took two rest days before the 2010 Dirty Sock and still struggled mightily at the end. The Great Cow Harbor 10K was a rough ride even though I followed my two day rest policy. However, both of those races occurred on days that were extremely hot and humid and perhaps those factors trumped the benefits of resting.

The two best races that I ran in 2010 were the Hope for the Warriors 10K and the Long Beach Turkey Trot 10K. These races were run in cooler temperatures than the Dirty Sock and Cow Harbor 10K's. In both cases I rested two days before and did a 20 minute core workout the day before each race. I won't fool myself into thinking the core exercise made the difference but it may have helped. Weather predictions for Sunday are showing high 50's to low 60's with relatively high humidity and possible thunderstorms. I can't control the weather but I can control my training, so I'll do my core workout and leave the rest to nature.

Workout canceled

I wasn't sure about this morning's weather so I'd planned an elliptical workout in case it rained. When I got up I decided to take an ad hoc rest day instead. No real reason for that except that I got a late start this morning and didn't want to disrupt my schedule. I'm sure my knee won't mind. I just noticed that the New Hyde Park 8K is happening the weekend after next. I'm hoping to beat my 2009 and 2010 race times (which were identical) this year. Even if it's only by a second.

Recovery method: longer running instead of rest

After yesterday's run I was concerned about my left knee and its recovery. It's been almost a month since I aggravated this knee. The injury was probably caused by too much distance and hard training prior to my half marathon. Since then I've kept my runs relatively short and have tried to do more low impact activities like elliptical and biking. That seems to be working.

This morning my knee feels even better than it did before yesterday's long run. There was an article in a recent Running Times that said easy long runs can be preferable to resting for recovery from minor leg and knee issues. Supposedly the easy running over longer distance helps oxygenate muscles. Considering how well I feel today, this method may have merit.

The RICE stuff

The good news is that I seem to be doing everything right in terms of treating my knee injury. The bad news is that I seem to actually have an injury. I had hoped the pain was just soreness caused by a couple of longer than average runs this week but I obviously aggravated the tendons around my knee. Most of Friday's run happened on dirt trails and I would have expected that surface to cushion the pounding but the previous day we'd hiked a good distance and the day before that I spent 35 minutes on the elliptical using its highest setting. I'm a little nervous that I won't sufficiently recover for the LI half marathon that takes place one week from today.

I'm resting today and if my knee doesn't feel perfect on Monday I'll rest again tomorrow. If my recovery requires a hiatus from all workouts between now and next Sunday I'm prepared to do that. Besides, at this point I don't think additional short distance running will build any more conditioning. On race week a taper helps maintain fitness and rest is already part of that strategy. I've been practicing RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation and I'm definitely noticing some improvement. I'll continue to follow that process and hope for the best.

Taper plan & knee pain

Ice me!

I know I've pushed a little harder than normal over the past week, including two 8+ mile training runs, but I was surprised to wake up with a sore knee this morning. I'm not even sure if it's my knee or the muscles surrounding it, but it's clear that after ten days of runs and workouts I need to take a day to recover.

As predicted, the rain is coming down hard this morning. I'm actually happy about that. Nothing to tempt me to step out for a few miles. Rest is both prescribed and necessary. I'm using the Active Wrap cold packs to ice my knee and the areas directly above and below it. I'm not sure whether to run tomorrow (if the weather gets better) or if I should give my legs another day of rest.

I'm being more conservative about this taper than usual. Right now I'm thinking that I'll hold off this weekend and do easy runs on Monday and Wednesday, with a tempo run on Tuesday. I'll then rest on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and limit my activities on those days to walking or core work. I'm hoping that additional rest days will pay off. Eight days to go and counting...

Finally, I'm excited that my running buddy Brian will be joining me at the LI Half Marathon. He ran it last year and carried a video camera, documenting what turned out to be a difficult race. I'm thinking he'll have a better time of it this year. I'm hoping that I'll be able to keep up with Brian and another friend, TC, who just ran the Hook Half Marathon in under two hours.

Maintaining the right tempo

Thanks for making my point Newsday!

Today's run (street): 2.5 miles

My wife handed me the paper when I got home last night and told me to check out the second section. Newsday had run an article about minimalist running and she mischievously annotated the story showing the points I'd made in my "How to" post on Monday. I thought that was pretty funny.

I followed yesterday's good run with one that felt as good, but for some reason I ran the route 40 seconds slower than I did on Tuesday. It was puzzling to me, especially since my intention was to tempo at around 20 seconds above 5K race pace. After looking at my splits I saw that I simply went out too slow for the first 15 minutes but made up some time in the last third of my run. At that point I'd dropped into performance gear and run at about 8:20/mile.

I'm sure the additional rest I'd had prior to yesterday's run had something to do with my better performance. That seems to reinforce the idea that rest + training is the right combination for optimal performance.

Catching a break

It's always hard coming back to work after a week away. The luxury of sleeping until 6:00 AM gave way to my 4:00 AM wake up time this morning. I finally gave myself a rest from running today and the timing was good because it's raining hard outside. Looking back on my week of daily workouts I'm pleased with everything I did, but I'm a little disappointed that I had no memorable runs. It would have been fun to go to some new place to run or to get together with a running buddy or two. Still, it was nice to go out each day without too much concern about meeting a schedule.

The weather should stay relatively warm throughout the week and hopefully by Saturday I'll be able to run at Bethpage again. I'm also thinking that it's been a while since I've tackled the Muttontown Preserve and I'd also like to do that. Today it's back to work and tomorrow it's back to running.

The right decision was to run

Today's run (street): 2.5 miles

The great debate raged on this morning as I poured my coffee before heading back upstairs to change for my run. I've had trouble with my sleeping patterns this week and woke up feeling too tired to run today. But feeling tired is only one factor in my decision to take an ad hoc rest day. At 3:50 I was undecided and at 3:55 I was sure that the benefits of resting another 45 minutes were greater than the benefits of a marginal run. By 3:58 I'd decided that a run was the better choice and quickly dressed before the devil on my other shoulder talked me out of it.

As a compromise to the way I felt I began at a deliberate pace and picked it up after about a mile. It was cold this morning and even though I wore two substantial layers I still felt a chill in my upper body. My faster second half of the run helped to warm me and by the end I was sweating. My splits were almost a minute apart with my second 1.25 mile paced around 9:10. I was glad that reason (and guilt) drove me outside for today's run. I am definitely in need of better sleep but I'm feeling fine two hours later so no harm done this morning.

Happy 2011!

Happy New Year! For no particular reason I chose not to run today. I was caught up in New Year's activities this morning that carried into the afternoon. By the time I was ready to run I'd decided to forgo my workout. I'll defer my first run of 2011 to tomorrow morning.

Ideally the paths at Stillwell will be runnable on Sunday. I've been happy for the opportunity to run outside this week a couple of times but the snow has limited me to my main neighborhood. It's wonderful to have local streets that are safe for running but following the same course does get tedious. I wish there were web cams at Stillwell and Bethpage (and Belmont Lake for that matter) that showed conditions in real time. That would save me a trip if the snow is still too deep for running. I'll probably head to Stillwell first, because it's closest, and check that out. If things don't look good I'll probably return home and have my first run of the year around the neighborhood. Either way it will be a celebration of running in good health in January. I'll never take that for granted again.

Why I skipped my workout

I work for a company that virtually shuts down between Christmas and New Year's day. Business still goes on during that time but many people take "Dark Week" for vacation. I've always liked taking that time off, with little going on in the office I can detach fully from work and relax with my family. As it happens, I frequently end up battling a cold - or worse - during that period. I've contracted the flu more than once during the holiday week and last year was the worst ever: severe pneumonia requiring a week's stay in the hospital.

Since that experience I've become more concerned when I begin to feel out of sorts. Last year, during the break, I went from feeling well to going into a zombie-like state in a period of 24 hours. It didn't help that this happened on New Year's day when a visit to my doctor was impractical. Waiting until after the weekend to see my doctor was a terrible decision but a lesson learned. All this is leading up to my rationale for skipping today's run. I felt okay but was a little more tired than usual when I got up. I had laid out clothes for a treadmill run but I decided to forgo exercise and take the extra time to rest. I have a long and busy day today and I thought (and still think) it was the right way to go. It should warm up slightly from now through the weekend so I'll feel better about running outside on those days. Nine days until I start my end-of year vacation. I'm doing what I can to avoid a repeat of  last year's experience.

Weekend running: Bethpage, NY Marathon and time travel

I decided to skip yesterday and today's workouts to give myself a chance to further recover from my cold. I learned from my bout with pneumonia that running, instead of resting, can be a bad trade off. I originally planned a run with JQ for lunchtime but he needs to attend a meeting. I could run alone but it's probably better for me to rest. I've suffered a painful sinus condition over the last couple of days and thankfully I'm feeling much better this morning.

I'm planning to meet Dave tomorrow at Bethpage for a long run, probably seven or eight miles. I haven't done a run over six miles since Brian and I reran the Cow Harbor course a couple of weeks ago so it will be good to catch up on my miles. After this weekend I'm racing the next two (11/14 & 11/21 -- both 10K) and I'm running a 5K on Thanksgiving with my wife and kids. Another good reason to take today to rest.

If the timing works I'll head downtown around noon to the Jacob Javitts Center to visit the NY Marathon expo. My friend FS is running it for (I think) the third time and I'm excited for her. She and her husband are great competitors and they do many NYRR races. They also run marathons and half's in different parts of the country along with the occasional 100 mile bike run. I'll be cheering for her on Sunday. Also notable this weekend is a special run that Adventure Girl is leading at Yale. She's taking her Harriers running group out at 1:45 AM on a long run with the goal of returning to their starting point before they even left! Note that daylight savings time starts at 2:00 AM : )

Resting easy

I chose not to run yesterday to help my recovery from this cold. There are few things I dislike more than a hacking cough but that's been my experience since Thursday. Yesterday my wife and I went on a brisk hour walk in the neighborhood and I wore the SRRs which seem to contribute well to the workout. I'm becoming less skeptical as I use them. I think less is more when it comes to running shoes but as a training tool they seem to be helping me strengthen my upper hamstrings and glutes.

My mother and her friend are our weekend guests and we're planning to head out for a hike after lunch. If I can't run then at least I can get some activity in. Tomorrow, if it's clear that I've begun to recover well, I plan to go out for a 5 or 6 mile run. If not I'll continue my rest. It's the longest I've gone between runs while not tapering for a race. Another day of rest will probably benefit me more than running right now.

Why race if you're not gonna win?

Well this is it -- race week. Five days to the start of the Great Cow Harbor 10K. I don't know what it is about this race that fascinates me but I've thought a lot about it since I signed up in August. Racing is a curious thing. Unless you are very fast, the chances of placing overall, or even in your age group, is statistically very low. So if it's not about winning, why do we race? The easy answer is because it's inexpensive fun. You register for a event and you have weeks to enjoy the anticipation. It's all upside until you reach that inevitable part of a race where you are pushing to your limits and questioning your decision to enter in the first place. No matter what, once you cross the finish line everything is fine and the pain is forgotten. Bananas and bagels never tasted so good, water was never so refreshing. Even Gatorade is palatable. I'm sure there are aspects of racing that tie into our natural instinct to compete, although most recreational runners are really competing with themselves. I honestly hope BJS and Dave do great even if that means beating my own time. I'm not just saying that because it's likely that they will.

I was going to do a hard run with a friend at lunchtime but my schedule won't allow it. I'll need to defer that to October. It's just as well on this taper week that I don't push as hard as I normally might. Saturday and Sunday were both great and different workouts. I guess I'll take a page from the quote of the week and savor the rest. My friend FS ran the 18 mile pre-marathon tuneup yesterday in Central Park. She was remarkably unfazed when I saw her this morning. Three times around the park means three times over the Harlem Hills. No matter what I've put myself through of late it won't touch that effort. I'm looking forward to my run tomorrow with JQ. The weather should be cooler than today with less wind. I think we'll keep the pace moderate but the hills on the lower and upper loops will keep it interesting. Today I'll just enjoy my rest.

Crossing off cross training

I went to bed last night expecting to do a morning elliptical session but I've decided to forgo my workout today. I'm still feeling some residual soreness from Sunday's race and I've been feeling tired -- more due to work intensity than running. I'm glad I rested and I have no regrets that I didn't do my cross training this morning. The weather looks promising tomorrow and I'm thinking about doing a city run around midday. I've planned a long training run on Saturday with DaveADK and another run on Saturday morning with KWL. With all that upcoming running the benefits of rest seems to outweigh the benefit of one more workout. At least that's how I'm viewing it today.

Foregoing my run today

No workout today

I decided to forgo my usual Thursday workout this morning and take an additional day of rest this week. I'm looking to add more distance to my weekend runs and I've recently added a longer run on Fridays in the city. It's taken a while but I'm beginning to understand the value of rest as an enhancement to my training. On a recent run with my friend and running advisor, CK, we talked about the frequency of my runs. CK suggested that more rest would be beneficial for recovering from longer runs and the additional rest would probably help me improve my performance. I'll see if that's true tomorrow where I plan to run the big loop around Central Park (6 miles). My goal is to average around 20 miles a week and I should be able to do that even if I take two days of rest on some weeks.

Take a break, it's good for you

Today's workout: Rest day

For the third time this week my day started with the loud bleat of my my alarm clock. Yesterday's run, though short, was tough and I decided that if I woke up on my own, minutes before the alarm as I usually do, I would do my planned workout. If not I'd take a rare mid week rest day because I obviously need it this week. Even so, I struggled with the decision but, ultimately, I'm glad that I rested.

When I ran in Central Park with my friend CK last week I'd mentioned that I run or work out every day except Mondays. He was incredulous (he obviously doesn't read my blog!) and said I shouldn't run so often. I told him the distances I am covering during week days and he agreed that my schedule is probably fine. However, he did say that resting a day or two, or even for a week occasionally, can be beneficial. I guess that helped me feel better about skipping today's planned elliptical session. I'm planning to run in the city tomorrow and I'm sure this week's extra day of rest will help reset my energy level and prepare me for longer runs over the weekend.

Rain, rain (don't) go away

Today's workout: Rest day

We changed our plans for a short vacation in western Massachusetts when we saw that the current torrential rainstorm's duration would coincide exactly with our scheduled time away. Instead we stayed local and amused ourselves with distractions that included a Wii tournament. I was soundly whipped at tennis by my daughter and out boxed by my son. Well at least I got a little exercise. Very little.

Tomorrow's weather looks to be equally stormy but I'm hoping that there will be a window of time when the rain stops long enough for me to get in a neighborhood run. Barring that, I'll return to the new treadmill and work around the slipping belt by staying farther to the left side. I got a notification that the new parts have been shipped so it shouldn't be long before the treadmill becomes more of an asset than a liability.  Thursday, Friday and the weekend days look to be much more running-friendly than today, tomorrow and Wednesday so I'm sure I'll still get plenty of miles in on this vacation.

I've learned to listen to my body

One positive thing about my recent illness is that it taught me that I have limits and that I need to respect those limits. Otherwise I might end up back in the hospital. I had a couple of good runs over the weekend and rested yesterday. I figured that this week would be the right time to slide back into my daily running routine. The only modification I'm making this week is that I'm running indoors on the treadmill rather than the road at 4:00 AM. Last night, after an energizing day at work, I started to feel ill on the train. I was suddenly fatigued and had quickly developed a headache. That carried through the rest of the night and when I woke up this morning I debated whether to push through it and do my run or get back in bed and rest more.

Prior to my pneumonia I would have definitely pushed through and run. I've had success in defeating colds by overwhelming them with activity. This morning that felt risky and while I felt a bit guilty about it I knew I needed to listen to my body and rest. I ended up sleeping another hour and then slept the 40 minutes on the train into the city. Three cups of strong coffee and two ibuprofen have brought me back for the most part. Now that I'm feeling better I'm wishing I still had running clothes in my office so I could do a few miles in Central Park at lunch. In the end I know rest is the better cure so I'll live with not running today. I'm planning to run the treadmill tomorrow morning if my body tells me I can.

Many thought running caused my pneumonia

Rest days are the theme of the week for me. I had planned to do an elliptical session this morning but I figuratively hit the wall on Tuesday afternoon and dragged myself home. My wife said it's crazy to work out when I still haven't adjusted back to the work-week schedule. I took that as sound advice and skipped today's workout. Perhaps tomorrow I'll try again or I may just wait for Friday for a moderate run.

It's hard to write a blog about running when you're not actually running. People have been very gracious and encouraging in their comments and I guess some of the reason is that we've all been forced into recovery for one reason or another. According to what I've read more than 65 percent of runners suffer running related injuries each year. Many haters people probably find that to be solid evidence that running does you more harm than good. My wife said she was asked numerous times whether my running caused my pneumonia. She simply responded by saying that my conditioning probably helped keep the illness from being as debilitating as it might have been. My brother had great response when someone suggested that my pneumonia was triggered by working out too much and keeping my weight too low: "So would he have been better off packing on the pounds and sitting around on the couch than exercising and running?"

With everything that's transpired over that last three weeks my weight has actually dropped lower than I want it to be. That's what happens when you go two full weeks without an appetite. Well my appetite has fully returned and I'm tempted to regain about five pounds via junk and comfort food. I'm happy to say that I've been good about not doing that so far. My weight will come back to the proper level on its own - that's one thing I thing I know I can count on.

Day off from running

I don't often catch colds although I do occasionally get symptoms that I fight with a combination of rest and exercise. This week I've suffered a sore throat that quickly gave way to a sinus headache and fatigue. I'm pleased that it hasn't gone further than that but I wish it would just go away. I laid out my running gear last night but when I got up this morning. I questioned whether exercise would do more harm than good and briefly considered an elliptical session but I ended up getting back in bed until 5:00.

I have a very busy schedule today with a presentation mid-morning so I decided to go the resting route instead. It was a morning made for running so I had slight pangs of regret as I headed out for the train today. All the same, I have learned that while sometimes the best response to an impending illness is to fight back with a rigorous workout, some days the best exercise is rest.