Variety is the spice of running

Over the past four days I have experienced a broad selection of running conditions. I rested today, as I usually do on Mondays, and noticed that my legs feel great this morning. I believe that the diversity of my runs contributed to this. It may be worthwhile to continue to keep variability in my training program.

Last Thursday I was in Philadelphia and chose to stay indoors for my workout. I did a short but fast (for me) treadmill run. On Friday I ran in my neighborhood wearing the Skechers Resistance Runners that provided a different road experience with the unstable mid-sole that proved challenging even on a relatively short (3 mile) run. Saturday I ran just short of 5 miles in my Kinvaras that, despite their minimal construction, are beginning to edge out all other running shoes in my collection. Yesterday I was back on the trails and attacking short steep hills over different surfaces.

I don't do as much cross training as I should, mostly just a weekly elliptical session. Perhaps by varying the way I run I can focus on different muscle groups and achieve some benefits that are lost when running on pavement 90% of the time. I'm planning to run two 10K races in November, one week apart, so I need to get into race training mode. It will be interesting to see how diversity and distance training will affect my performance.

Stillwell run with BJS and Bailey

BJS and Bailey. No pets allowed, good thing dogs can't read

Today's run (Stillwell Woods): 5.1 miles

This hasn't been a long mileage weekend but I've had a couple of really nice runs. This morning I met BJS at Stillwell Woods for some trail running and he brought along his usual running partner, Bailey, a black Lab. Technically, you aren't allowed to bring dogs into Stillwell but many people do. To their credit, most people who run their dogs there have trained them well. Over the last couple of years I have had only one problem with an untethered dog at Stillwell. My daughter was walking with me and a few others when a big dog jumped up on her and almost knocked her down. The dog was running with a mountain biker who had not trained this dog well. Besides that, I've run by dozens of untethered dogs that kept close to their owner's side and didn't act threatening in the least.

Bailey is an energetic, gentle dog but BJS decided to keep her on a leash when we ran because he didn't know how she'd do with the other dogs. We made our way into the woods and followed my usual route. About a mile in I decided to lead us east through more challenging trails. BJS and Bailey had no trouble with the conditions that varied between packed dirt, loose rocks and sand. We ended up at the far east end where the trail terminates at a public road. The trails that took us there were a little rough and we needed to retrace them west. One path we followed was as steep as Widow Hill in Northport, but thankfully not as long. I didn't get lost, or I should say, as lost as I usually do. I managed to get us over to the southern trails that eventually lead back to the main path near the trail head. We finished our run with one circuit around the big field and headed to the athletic fields after covering 5.1 miles in about 50 minutes.

I wore my ASICS 1130's instead of trail shoes and they did well on the multiple surfaces at Stillwell. Unfortunately, either my insole or sock was bunching in a way that dug into the bottom of my right foot. It wasn't too painful but it did make me concerned that I was putting too much sharp pressure on my plantar tendon. BJS would have been happy running longer than the five miles we covered but I started to feel concerned that I could be enabling a problem if I continued. I think that was a good decision because my foot feels fine now. It was an enjoyable run that went by quickly, so often the case when you are running with good company.  I think BJS and Bailey both liked the Stillwell experience and I'm sure we'll run there again. We talked about running in Sunken Meadow State Park where many high school XC teams train. I've heard that's a challenging course. Sounds good to me provided that I wear the right shoes.

Off schedule run

Today's run (street): 4.8 miles at 9:21

I had appointments all morning and after that we spent the day celebrating my son's birthday. That threw off my running schedule and I didn't get out until a little after 5:00 PM. I'm definitely a morning runner in terms of energy peak but I've read numerous articles that claim performance is generally better between 4-8 PM. This is supposedly true for everyone, regardless of when they normally train. I was curious about that when I set off in 50 degree weather that was ideal but for the strong breezes coming from the west. I followed a different route than normal, just for the change.

Despite being somewhat tired from the day, I was moving along well and was surprised by how quickly I reached the first mile. I managed to string together enough roads to total 4.8 miles before finishing. Not too many people were out at this hour and those that I did see were walking their dogs. I was happy to have completed a Saturday run but I felt bad that I didn't even cover 5 miles. I could have easily run another quarter mile but when I got close to home I decided to call it a workout. I'm planning a morning run at Stillwell tomorrow and I think I'll aim for the more distance. I may also take on some of the challenging paths that I've avoided the last few times I've run there.

First impression: Skecher's Resistance Runners

Today's run (street): 3 miles at 9:30

I'm working from home today and I thought I'd take a few extra minutes for my morning run. It was dry and clear with no rain in sight so I took the opportunity to wear the Skecher's Resistance Runners (SRRs) for the first time on a run. I walked around with them for about 30 minutes prior to heading out to make sure they felt sufficiently stable. The last thing I need is an injury caused by footwear.  I'll do a full writeup of the shoes on Runner's Tech Review but I'll relate my first impressions below.

When running with shoes of this design it is important to set expectations. The things I'd expect from a conventional running shoe just don't apply. It is as unfair to ask a dog to turn vegetarian as it would be to ask the SSRs to move with the foot like Brooks Adrenalins or Saucouny Kinvaras. The SRRs are designed to purposely introduce unstable movement into the running process. I understood that as I stood in the driveway and felt the gentle rock of the shoes that is caused by the asymmetrical mid-sole. The SRRs are not comfortable but they aren't made to be. They also run a bit narrow and short for their size. It was an odd sensation when I took off on my run. I'm used to the Kinvara's flat, minimal presence and the SSRs made me feel like I was running with half a tennis ball baked into the bottoms. The SSRs are far heavier than the Kinvaras, or any of my other running shoes for that matter. I kept telling myself "It's okay, they're a special training device, think of them that way."

I can't say I enjoyed the ride but I did feel like I was getting a workout. It may have been the design or merely the extra weight but I felt it in my legs. I couldn't tell where my foot was landing but I tried to focus on the mid to front range. I did notice that when I allowed the shoe to heel strike the energy return was pretty good. Too bad I'm trying not to run that way. My pace began to suffer noticeably after the first mile and I'm sure it was due to the extra work the shoes required. I finished after three miles feeling like I'd given my legs a good workout but not feeling like I'd exerted myself too much overall. I can't see ever switching to this shoe as a regular trainer but it may yet provide some training benefit. I'm going to put them in the rotation for a while to see how they feel after a few more workouts. In the meantime, I'm still questioning whether they fall into the category of training resource or gimmick.

Treadmill knows best

Today's run (treadmill): 2.4 miles at 9:01

I've been traveling on business the last two days so I needed to adapt my workout to my location. I attended a conference in Philadelphia and stayed in a hotel located on Market Street, about a half mile from the Schuylkill River. I had hoped to do some picturesque city running but I questioned the safety of the area in the early morning darkness. That left me no choice but to use the hotel's fitness center that was well equipped with treadmills and elliptical machines.

I got down to the center at 5:00 AM and was surprised to see the room empty. It's rare when I find treadmills readily available in these places. I usually need to wait or I just go for a run outdoors. The treadmill immediately frustrated me. I simply wanted to start, get up to speed, and run my time. Unfortunately the treadmill would have none of that. I finally got it started and punched in my speed but the machine had decided it was going to let me run for only 20 minutes. It was a fast 20 and I ran my last six minutes under 8:30 per mile. After 20 minutes the machine kicked into "cool down" mode and I stabbed at the speed button to get back to my pace. After a few minutes it shut down and I gave up. Too bad because I had run well and would have liked to continue.

I'll be happy to return to the road on Friday provided the rain stops. if it doesn't, I'll have my first experience with the Resistance Runners on my guestroom treadmill.

Hard to resist trying the Resistance Runners

I don't yet know about the shoes but the packaging was impressive

After regretting my run on Tuesday morning and realizing that I needed some rest, I decided to forgo my planned elliptical session today. I'm glad that I did because I've been dealing with slight pain stemming from either my upper hamstring or my glutes. I don't think I'm hurting it when I exercise but it will heal better with an occasional break from those activities.

The only regret I have today is that I'm going to have to wait to test my newest running technology:  Skecher's Resistance Runners. Despite my earlier post where I poked some fun at gimmicky running shoes including these, Skecher's still offered to send me a pair to test. I'm used to companies that understand runners and running shoes but Skecher's seems to still be on the learning curve. When they asked for my shoe size I told them 10.5, D width. I soon received a call saying that they don't make them in a wide sizes so would I want to go up to an 11? I straightened her out on the fact that D is standard width but I wished I had chosen size 11's after I tried them on last night.

The shoes arrived yesterday in a huge box that was quite impressive. Cool materials, fancy overlays and lots of marketing hype about the benefits of the shoes. I don't know if this what you get if you purchase them retail or whether this is special packing for journalists who test their products. It was very different from the boxes you get from Brooks and Saucony that are made for easy recycling. The shoes aren't as silly to look at as I thought they'd be. I can certainly wear them in daylight hours but I won't be using them in a race. That is, unless they make me an 8 minute/mile runner. My initial impression was that they are snug for their size, especially at the toe box, and that the purposely unstable mid-sole is interesting. Interesting good or bad is yet to be determined. I'm traveling today through tomorrow so I won't have the chance to run with these shoes until Friday. I'll admit to being more curious about these shoes than I'd imagined I'd be.

Which friend do you want to be?

Today's run (street): 2.6 miles

I know a person who runs about 40 minutes every few days. The time is arbitrary because he doesn't wear a watch. He thinks that he runs about four miles each time he goes out but he's not really sure. My friend has little idea of his pace but guesses he runs around 10 minutes per mile. I know another person who cycles through a weekly regimen of training: intervals on the track, tempo runs, strides, Fartleks and distance runs. He knows his paces for all these activities. He usually hits his desired numbers. These two people enjoy running, but the way they engage is very different.

I'm somewhere in the middle in terms of activity and expectations. I do care about my distance and pace but I don't devote much time to the core training activities that help make one faster or better prepared for tough conditions. I view my running satisfaction against two criteria -- performance and experience. Performance is defined for me very specifically: a pace as far below 9:00 per mile as possible or covering a challenging distance. Experience is much more arbitrary. That's defined by how I feel. Some runs are relatively slow but feel great. That's a successful experience. Other runs hit the mark on performance but the price paid is pain and/or injury. Not so successful. As a recreational runner I look for equilibrium between these two criteria. When that balance is reached I am a happy runner.

Today I was not a happy runner. I took my usual rest day on Monday and by last night I was feeling ready to run. We had kinetic storms overnight with wind, thunder and lightning and I feared I'd be stuck on the treadmill today. It was slightly rainy when I got up at 3:45 and I decided to go for it. From my first few steps off my driveway I could tell that I would have trouble on this run. I couldn't generate the leg turnover I needed to get to my desired speed and I felt a bit tired. I hoped that initial fatigue would give way to a boost of energy after a few minutes and while things did improve, it wasn't by much. I ended up running for 25 minutes and only covering 2.6 miles in total. Sub-par performance against my expectations and a fairly miserable experience in the process. On one hand I did go out under rainy skies and did my workout long before most of the world was thinking about waking. If I was friend #2 I'd be furious about my poor performance. If I was friend #1 I'd probably think "That wasn't as much fun as usual, maybe next time I'll feel better." I think friend #1 makes the better point.

Kinvaras as a daily trainer?

These cool Kinvaras are becoming my everyday shoe

The transition to fall weather makes me happy. Although it will take some time to adjust my running gear so that I don't go out under-dressed like yesterday, I still welcome the change. This morning the temperature where I live is 51 degrees, perfect for a run but quite chilly when standing on the train platform. I always wish for this weather when enduring the heat of summer or the frigid cold in January. I'll enjoy it as long as I can.

I wore my Saucony Kinvaras during yesterday's run and I've started to really appreciate them. Lightweight but not insubstantial, they are minimally constructed but still reasonably supportive. The Kinvara is a neutral shoe and I thought I'd have trouble with it because I pronate when I run. I've had some 8+ mile runs with them without experiencing any problems with my knees or legs and that brings me to question the idea of stability shoe engineering. I suspect that because the drop off between heel and forefoot of the Kinvara is only 4mm, compared to 12mm, (common for standard trainers) the shoe facilitates a more natural mid-foot landing. This would logically neutralize the effects of pronation. I continue to rotate through my other pairs and still consider my Brooks GTS 10's my everyday shoe, but the Kinvaras are forcing me to rethink that these days. If I do move primarily to the Kinvaras I'll need to consider their durability and the thermal properties of the barely-there uppers compared with the Brooks' more substantial build. After all, it's getting colder out there these days.

Finally, a cold morning run. Wish I dressed for it...

The ducks were out at Caleb Smith this morning

Yesterday's run (street): 4 miles at 9:08
Today's run (street): 7.4 miles at 9:28

I waited until about noon on Saturday to run, mostly due to my reluctance to work up a sweat in the morning without the option of showering afterward. I spent the last 36 minutes strapped to my doctor's HRM in order to capture Saturday's workout. It was a pleasure to finish the run and end my 24 hours with this unit that was attached to me by four electrodes. I was still a little tired from Friday's stress test when I hit the road and though I managed a decent pace I felt like I was running in low gear the whole time. It felt as though I had a tether attached to me that prevented me to maintaining my desired cadence. My goal was to go out for a quick three miles but I ended up covering four. Upon returning home, I happily detached the electrodes and packed the HRM for return to the lab.

This morning I left early for my week's long run. My neighborhood boundaries limit my options for running real distances, after that I need to cross some traffic to prevent repeating the same roads. It was a chilly 38 degrees at 7:00 AM, far colder than I'd planned for the way I'd dressed. I did wear my best long compression pants but I didn't bring gloves nor a long sleeved shirt. I regretted my lapse when, after two miles, my hands were still semi-numb. Besides all that my run was pleasant, starting with a loop through my main neighborhood before heading into neighborhood #2 for a few miles. I stayed conscious of my pacing and tried to keep in the low 9:00 range. Despite the cooler temps my overall pace shows that I lost about ten seconds on each split. Although the numbers don't show it, I still felt like I ran better today than yesterday.

After a greatly appreciated (post run) hot shower we headed over to Caleb Smith State Park for a late morning hike. It's a really nice preserve with well marked trails. Every time I go there it reminds me of how much I'd like to actually run there. My wife, daughter and son did do some running while we were there but I chose to hike. I don't like running in jeans and my legs were fairly shot from the morning's seven miles. Despite missing my usual Friday run I still managed to get some good miles this weekend. The cold weather is definitely to my liking. I just need to be smarter about how I dress for it.

Doctor's orders: more stress

Yesterday's workout (Stress test): 4 hours

Having a top ranked physician as your doctor has its pluses and minuses. On one hand you know that you are getting the best care that medical insurance can buy, but it also means that you are monitored closely and forced to take tests to confirm that everything remains normal. I'm not fanatical about my health but me and my family meet annually or (semi-annually) with our doctors and dentists just to confirm all is well. Yesterday, as a follow up to August's physical, I went through a stress test that involved a number of activities. The process is time consuming and not particularly difficult but in the end it is exhausting.

Soon after my arrival I was injected with Thallium 201, a trace agent for monitoring blood flow through the imaging process. No big deal except for the idea of having a radioisotope coursing through your veins and arteries. The half-life is 73 hours so I won't be boarding any airplanes this week. I was assured a number of times that it's extremely safe. I guess I have to take their word on that. The first activity was a full body scan on a flat imaging bed that required keeping absolutely still for about 15 minutes. Running has taught me much about patience while enduring discomfort so that was a piece of cake, despite the need to hold my arms far forward and holding my head at an unnatural angle. After that I was hooked up to a bunch of electrodes and put on a treadmill that increased in speed and tilt angle over a 20 minute period. Being a runner helped me there, though I'll admit that the apex of speed and elevation became challenging. Still, I never reached the point where I was sweating profusely.  Halfway through the process I was re-injected with Thallium while I was in motion. That was a little weird.

The next part of the test was another round of imaging that seemed longer and even less comfortable. I was then brought into another room for a sonogram of both carotid arteries. During the treadmill and sonogram testing I was asked why I was being tested because my results looked fine. That was good to hear. The final step was to be fitted with a heart monitor with four electrodes that would record cardio-activity for 24 hours. I'll get to take that off at noon and I'm looking forward to that. I can't shower until it's off so I didn't run this morning. I'm deciding whether to run with it just prior to removal or to wait until I take it off. I'd be interested to know how my heart rate varies when monitored by a more sophisticated instrument that the Garmin's HRM but I doubt the doctor will show me the raw data. However, they might share the highlights. The best part of having completed the stress test is that, unlike yesterday morning, I'm now allowed to drink coffee. I missed that a lot yesterday. I far prefer it to Thallium 201.

Will this brand Thriv?

Thriv's Path Crew running shirt

Yesterday's run (Central Park): 3.1 miles
Today's workout (elliptical): 25 minutes

It's no secret that I like running gear and that I'm interested in technologies that help a runner achieve their best performance. I appreciate the innovations that come from the big running shoe companies so long as they provide benefits and aren't just selling marketing hype. When I see something new I pay attention, especially when it represents innovation. Over the weekend we stopped into Sports Authority to find a gym bag for my daughter and I noticed they had a new line of running clothes under the brand name Thriv. The Thriv shirts, apparently made in India, were very appealing. They were soft like cotton and colorful, but not garish. The labels claimed great wicking capabilities through their combination of organic cotton and bamboo and the prices were competitive. I bought a red "Path Crew" jersey in size large (no medium choice) because this particular model was discounted to $20.

I wore my new Thriv shirt on my run in Central Park with JQ yesterday. It was dry and cool, with some sun, and we followed our standard three mile route while enjoying the park and maintaining our usual, lively discussion. The shirt was very comfortable and the fit was generous. I would have preferred it to be a size smaller but it was fine for a workout of this type. Since we were running a couple of minutes per mile slower than my usual training pace I didn't generate my normal level of perspiration but I did sweat some and the shirt wicked it fine. However, the Path Crew didn't do a good job of evaporating moisture compared with my experiences wearing the Nike Sphere and Brooks Rev T jerseys. I'd put Thriv in the middle of my running shirt collection in terms of effectiveness, better than the C9's and REC Tech's but not at the level of the ATAYNE, Adidas, Nike and Brooks shirts. For $20 it's a decent addition to my athletic-wear collection. Still, I'll probably stick with the brands that provide both innovation and performance, even if it costs me more.

Relays and races

Last Sunday's Newsday carried a story about a team of runners that participated in the annual Ocean to Sound Relay that's held each year on Long Island. The course is 50 miles in length, starts at Jones Beach State Park and ends at the Sound in Oyster Bay. Each leg of the race is between 5-7 miles. I ran my last long training run for Cow Harbor at Bethpage State Park the same day of this year's race and encountered numerous relay runners who were coming through at that time. It reminded me that my experience running with a relay team in happened almost a year ago. It was the Cape Cod Marathon Relay in Falmouth, MA and our intrepid team of four (actually three as one member had contracted H1N1 virus) covered the 26.2 mile course. It was the longest distance I'd ever run in a day, 9 miles, with AG leading the charge by running 11 miles straight through. It was a great weekend and a very fun experience and I hope to participate in another relay of that type someday. I'm considering fielding a team for next year's Ocean to Sound race. It might be a great training exercise for the 2011 Cow Harbor race that's run the following weekend.

In the spirit of running two races on consecutive weekends, Dave and I are looking to run a 10K in Babylon on November 14 (Run for the Warriors) and then race in the Turkey Trot in Long Beach the following Sunday. It's really great to have a race on the calendar because it gives you something to train for. I love the whole race experience, the nervous energy before the start, the race itself and the great feeling of completeing another test of one's capabilities at the finish. I don't always like how I've performed but I've never finished a race and felt my time would have been better spent doing anything else. I'm planning another midday run in Central Park today. I'm hoping that the weather holds and that the rain that's been predicted doesn't show up at noon.