Does form follow function?

Last night, on my way down to Penn Station, I observed a runner making his way through the crowded mid-town streets. I wondered, with all the great places to run in NYC, why he picked Time Square at rush hour. What I noticed about this runner was how inefficient he looked as he ran. His stride reminded me of Elaine's dancing on Seinfeld with both feet splaying left and right and his elbows were swinging like a race walker. It made me wonder whether this was an extreme example of pronation or supination or just poor technique.

I began thinking about my own form and as I came into Penn I began watching my feet to see if they did anything strange when I walked. They looked fairly straight and I questioned whether that was due to my conscious observation. Walking with my head down was not smart because I almost ran into some people so I stopped the experiment without reaching a conclusion. I tried to look again during this morning's 4:00 AM run but quickly (and smartly) chose keep my eyes focused on the road.

There are a number of running stores in NYC that have treadmills and video cameras that allow sales people to capture a person's stride so they can recommend a specific shoe or shoe type. A ten second walk across the floor was all the analysis done to put me in my Brooks so I really don't know if I'm an efficient runner. I'm thinking about my next pair and whether I want to price shop for what I think I want or if it's worth paying more to find out what I really need.

Thanks for your opinion but I love running

Our neighbors hosted a party yesterday to celebrate their son's graduation. I was talking with a few people when my neighbor walked over and mentioned that he hadn't seen me running in the neighborhood on Saturday. I told him that I'd done a run on the trails at Stillwell instead. I said that he should join me there some time but he smiled and said he'll stick with walking on the treadmill. This exchange prompted a few people to ask me about my running. One person (predictably) reacted as if I'd said that I'd spent the morning killing baby dolphins. "The only time you'll catch me running is when the beer truck is leaving." Hey, thanks for your opinion. Others were more gracious about it but still implied some negativity with statements like: "You're going to ruin your knees" and "Walking is just as good." I told one person that running shoes have evolved to the point that knee problems are unlikely as long as you replace your shoes after four or five hundred miles. He said that he had better things to spend his money on. You just can't help some people.

I've learned long ago that these negative reactions are mostly a projection of people's insecurities. Their negativism likely comes from guilt that they aren't able, or willing, to do the work. I remember when I was very active with karate some people would either poke fun of it verbally or do dumb things like pretend to shoot me with their finger to show that even the best martial artist is powerless against a gun. My point back to them was while they could pretend their finger was a weapon, mine actually was. After a while I'd just agree with them because it wasn't worth discussing.

In truth, I'm pleased that so many people find running to be a distasteful activity. Although I like seeing other runners on the road or on the trails I also like that most of the time it's a peaceful solitary experience. So when people drive by and look at me running with a miserable expression on my face, they can feel good about why they don't subscribe to this crazy sport. For me, I may look unhappy but I love it nonetheless. So in a way we all win!

Sometimes it's just about getting out

My 5+ mile rough trail run on Saturday took a real toll on my energy level for the rest of that day. I wanted to nap at some point but I never had a chance. Before I knew it, it was time to go out for dinner with other activities following. I slept like a rock overnight but still felt a little tired this morning. I suspect I'm fighting off a bug or something but it may just be a case of too much activity and not enough rest.

My plan today was simply to get out and run in the neighborhood. I had no planned route, distance or pace and I considered going out without my Garmin to reinforce that today's run was about running and not performance. I knew I just couldn't leave my watch behind but I decided to use it only for monitoring elapsed time. My starting pace was slow and I was fine with that. I thought I might go for a high mileage run so conserving energy would be important. I crossed into neighborhood #2 because I hadn't gone through there in few weeks. There were lots of people on the street, mostly walkers, but a few were running. It was cool and the sun was low so I was fairly comfortable for the first 20 minutes. Soon after that I began to feel fatigued and thought about whether I really wanted to do a long run after all. I decided to head back to my neighborhood, targeting 5K as my total distance.

My curiosity got the best of me so I peeked at the distance on the Garmin and saw that I was approaching 3 miles at around the 27 minute mark. I changed course and headed back home, completing 3.4 miles at a mid-9 minute pace. I was actually surprised that my pace was as good as it was considering that I wasn't moving that well and hadn't tried to step it up along the way. Overall it was an unremarkable run but I was glad to have done it. The rest of today is taken up with a party and some family activities. I'm hoping to take my bike out later if time allows. Or maybe I'll go for that nap.

First impression - Helly Hansen Trail Lizards

I've patiently waited all week for the opportunity to try my new Helly Hansen Trail Lizard running/hiking shoes so I put them to the test this morning. We will be posting a full review in the coming weeks on Runner's Tech Review but I'll give some first impressions here.

Today's run was at Stillwell Woods Preserve that has many different trail conditions and surfaces. I started with a run across grass from where I parked my car to the trail head and noted that although I'd requested size 10.5 shoes they seemed very roomy in the toe box and at the heel compared with my Brooks, New Balance and Asics shoes that are also in that size. The generous toe box didn't concern me. I'd rather error on the side of it being too large versus being too tight. The heel was a concern because of stability and slippage that could lead to blisters. It wasn't pronounced and I had good socks so that didn't prove to be a problem.

I followed the paths I knew but quickly found myself in unfamiliar territory. I skirted some big muddy sections then came upon some steep inclines with large rocks and I put the shoes to the test. The challenge was well met, no issues with traction. I would have liked more support and snugness around the back but the shoes themselves felt more stable than I'd expected. I can also see using these shoes for straight trail hiking. I dodged a number of bikers along the way and encountered some very rough terrain with pronounced inclines and declines, the surface often consisting of rough sand and rock. I had no trouble with that but the shoes really felt good when I found a trail of hard packed dirt. The running there was a pleasure and I think these shoes compared favorably to the New Balance 460's in that respect.

I had a very small compass (the face was smaller than a dime) so I needed to stop a few times to get a read. I spent some time getting lost and with the hills I got very tired and took a couple of short rest breaks. At one point I crossed paths with a mountain biker who was also a bit lost so I looked at the compass and sent him toward the difficult trails that he wanted and headed off to complete my run. As I exited the trails I ran on grass but then cut over to the pavement to get a feel for running on the street. Here I saw a big difference between these shoes and the NB's as the Helly Hansens are clearly made for softer surfaces. I ended up running 5.2 miles, much of it up steep trails, and the Trail Lizards handled it all competently. The big test was how I felt after the run and I was happy to note there was no foot or leg pain and my biggest current concern, a slight groin pull, felt much better at mile 5 than it did at mile zero. Trail running is clearly kinder to my body than street running but I love them both. I'll be writing more about the Trail Lizards, my next test will be to face them off against the NB 460's over similarly rough terrain.

Run like a girl - I wish!

I went for my second run in Central Park this week, this time accompanied by Adventure Girl. She was due to fly out later so we decided to do our usual work week ending run a day early. As we made our way into the park we talked about our run plan. AG noted that I'm constantly mentioning my need to improve my speed. She suggested that we proceed at a faster than normal pace and either incorporate some tempo changes or finish the workout with some intervals. I decided that the tempo method was better because I knew that I'd spend the whole run worrying that I'd have the energy to do speed drills later.

We started with a brisk pace and with the temperature in the low 70's it felt just right. Shortly into the run AG pointed to a sign and said "We'll sprint from that sign until we reach the lamp post, slow down for recovery for three more lamp posts, and repeat." When we reached the sign we both took off, I ran hard but AG was a blur, gaining about three feet per second on me until she reached the marker. I've always been a good sprinter so it was interesting to be the slow one. AG has clearly honed that quickness on the soccer field where your ability to burst is key. It was a little humbling but I wasn't humiliated because I felt good and I knew I was running well.

We ran four sets and then resumed a good steady pace, faster than what we usually run. We continued north past the lower loop and cut west across the Great Lawn before turning south toward our designated end point. We encountered some hills but they didn't slow us down much and near the end AG took off for the finish and I sped up but did not nearly match her pace. I actually lost sight of her and passed her while she waited at the end. If I didn't hear her call out to me I would probably have kept on going for a while.

It was a great run and I felt good about my speed progress. My daughter mentioned the other night that the expression "Run like a girl" is offensive. She's right, it can be. But to me it's an aspiration.

I may be old but I'm slow

During my Tuesday morning run in Central Park I spent time observing other runners that shared the path along the lower loop. There is no typical runner but there certainly are types: 20 something women running in pairs, weight challenged runners (joggers?) doing their best to move along, hampered by poorly chosen clothing (long sleeves, cotton jerseys) plus a mix of single runners, young and old, purposefully working their way around the path. That's me.

I mostly held my position during this run and overtook a number of slower runners. At one point I heard footsteps coming up quickly from behind and before I knew it I was passed by two younger guys who were chatting away as they ran by. I tried to keep pace with them but they were tracking at least a minute per mile faster than me. I watched them disappear into the distance, their gait effortless, their nonchalance annoying. I soon forgot them and went back to my normal pace scoping out the other runners, hoping to find someone older and slower than me to pass. Minutes later a distinguished looking gentleman (he looked like one of those guys who plays the president on TV) flew by me going faster than the two young guys before him. Instead of being mad I was pleased. That guy clearly had some years on me and he was moving. There's hope for me yet!

So the question is how do I do that? If I stay on the same path I'm on (approximately 20 miles/week - average pace around 9:00) will I ever improve? Or worse, will my speed decline as I get older? I know that Tempo runs and intervals can help my speed but I just want my running to be fun and enjoyable.

I was talking to a colleague before a meeting yesterday and he told me he was running in an NYRR corporate run that evening. I said that I ran and that maybe we should run together sometime. He said sure. He then told me he's training for a marathon and runs 40-50 miles a week in the 7:00 range. I said I usually run between 8:50 and 9:20 so we probably shouldn't run together after all. He looked at me, smiled and "Yes, probably not."

Trading pace for pleasure

I was woken up around 1:30 this morning and noticed that the rain was coming down hard. I went back to sleep hoping that whatever storm was passing through would be long gone by 4:00 AM. When my alarm clock went off my first thought was a concern that the rain was still there. If so, I'd have little choice but to remain indoors and run on the treadmill. Happily things were clear and I made way outside to run in the cool misty air.

It's been a long time since I've done an indoor run. Between my early outdoor runs in the dark, weekly rest days and elliptical workouts I've managed to avoid the dreaded tread. The last time I ran on it I had a fairly pleasant experience but most of the other times it was near torture. Now that I'm doing all my runs on trails and pavement I've noticed my average pace has suffered compared with where it was months before. I'll blame that on the treadmill too. Even though I disliked the experience the actual performance metrics were more impressive with most of my indoor runs clocking well below a 9:00 pace.

Still, I'll take the tradeoff of loving the run versus loving the pace. I've always felt that treadmill paces were artificially low because the motion of the tread does some of the work for you. This morning I hit the streets at 4:09 and ran a little over 22 minutes covering 2.43 miles. Although I tried to push it and really felt that I did I only averaged 9:12/mile for the run. When I compare this focused effort on a relatively flat route to yesterday's 8:49/mi Central Park run with lots of hills I'm a bit puzzled. No matter, 9:12 at is the fastest time I've done for a very early morning outdoor run. I'll call that progress.

Helly and Moji

In the last couple of days I've received some cool stuff to test. Yesterday I got the Moji-To-Go that, according to the site, is "a thermally insulated stainless steel canister that keeps the Moji Cold Cell at its optimal cooling state for 4 - 6 hours." This solves a basic problem with the Moji Knee: how do you keep it frozen for hours while you are running in a remote area? AG is putting it to the test between soccer games and trail running and we'll be reporting on that on Runner's Tech Review soon.

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Today we received our Helly Hansen Trail Lizard running/hiking shoes to test on the trails. They certainly look great and I couldn't resist trying them on between meetings. They feel very responsive off the heel and I can't wait to introduce them to dirt this weekend!

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This morning I did a Central Park run around the lower loop and a couple of paths inside. Covered 2.15 miles at an 8:49 pace. Not a bad way to start a busy Tuesday!

An all encompassing problem

I like running trails because they provide a constant source of challenge and mystery. What's around the next bend of this twisty path? What exactly is the source of that rustling sound that follows me along the way? Once I get over this steep hill will the terrain get better? Exciting. The other part of the challenge is navigation. Where exactly am I? Am I heading toward or away from my intended destination? Why did I just come out onto the street? It's fun to be lost when you know the bounds of your trail area but there are times when I really wished I'd brought a compass.

Yesterday I made a trip to Dick's to try and find one that I could wear on my wrist or clip to my shorts. I didn't have too much luck, the ones that they did have were either too big or limited in other ways. I went online later to see if I could find something suitable. Nothing has jumped out at me. My requirements are simple. The unit must be small enough to be unnoticeable when not needed and large enough to be useful when it is needed. It needs to be easily accessed while running in clothes that have no accessible pockets. It can't dangle on a lanyard because that will be annoying. I don't want to spend a lot for a digital compass or a 5-in-1 device that has capabilities I don't need for recreational trail running.

All I really want is to be able to find my way back to my starting point when the midday sun is directly overhead and it can't help me navigate. Any suggestions?

I guess horribly wonderful describes it

There's a great Adidas ad in the July issue of Runner's World: a background of pavement with two running shoes, the back of one and the top of the other. The image evokes two runners in line. The tag line is "Because I'm loving every wonderful horrible minute of this." So true. I'm probably the 50 millionth runner to conclude that running is fun because it's hard but it's also fun to see that sentiment recognized by others. Even if it's in an ad.

Last week I came across a book in the library by a British author named Russell Taylor. The title of the book is "The Looniness of the Long Distance Runner." This title is obviously homage to
"The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner" by Ian Sillitoe but the book is actually a diary of writer as he prepares to run the New York Marathon. The format of the book reminds me of my own blog with its daily (or, in his case, not daily) accounting of workouts and progress. He's a lot funnier than me and his one year plan to go from being an out of shape late 30's aged guy to a marathon runner is more ambitious than my modest goals. Reading the book does remind me of the obligation one takes to remain fit and to keep progressing. But we do it because - to borrow from the Adidas copywriter -
we love every wonderful horrible minute.

This morning I rounded out my holiday weekend running with a 4.7 mile run that (not counting when I take a car) took me farther outside my neighborhood than ever before. I intended to explore neighborhood #4 and then make my way over to neighborhood #2 but I reached a point where I could run along the sidewalk of a relatively busy road that would lead to a new series of neighborhoods in Woodbury. The sidewalk on this main road was covered with dead leaves that had a cushioning effect not unlike cinders. I enjoyed the respite from the pavement when I could. I turned into one neighborhood and realized that we had looked at houses on the street before we bought the one that we're in. I ran by the house and decided we'd made the right decision because the neighborhood we chose is much better for running.

Yesterday I took our bikes out of the shed for the first time this millennium and after pumping up the tires, fixing the chains and washing them off they were ride ready. I took my bike out a couple of times, the second time I followed one of my running routes. It was amazing to cover that distance in a fraction of the time with a fraction of the effort. Fun but not the horribly wonderful experience I get from running.

Hitting the trail - literally

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It's a beautiful 4th of July Saturday and I'm doing today's post from the back yard. Before our big cookout, my wife and kids have set up a tarp on the lawn and are doing an art project with pasta. Something to do with creating stamps that look like fireworks. It looks like fun.

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I've been busy over the last two days. Yesterday afternoon I did a short run through the neighborhood, covering 3.18 miles at a moderate pace (9:18). I did about half this run along the outside roads that frame my neighborhood. One road (the sidewalk really) has so many patches of dirt that it's almost a trail. The other outside road cuts east along the north side and has a hill that looks difficult to the eye but is fairly modest when you run it. I wanted to keep this run short because the previous day's OCA trail was a fairly hard effort. I came home from my Saturday run and immediately changed into swim shorts and jumped in the pool. I was so hot that it took about a minute in the cold water before I actually felt cooled off.

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I wanted to run Stillwell this weekend. The Bethpage trail run last weekend and Thursday's OCA run have really got me excited about that aspect of the sport. I cannot wait until I get my Helly Hansen Trail Lizards to test. Until then my New Balance 460's continue to impress, a great value for the money.
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I headed over to Stillwell Woods Preserve this morning and set off on the trails with the intention of expanding beyond the primary loop that I had previously run. I had looked at the area on Google Earth to try to understand the trail layout and I traveled south off the main trail until I started encountering some large muddy patches that were somewhere between the size of a puddle and a pool. I edged along the side of those until I reached a fork where, in one direction, the trail seemed to drop off the face of the earth. I suspected that trail was favored by extreme mountain bikers so I chose the other way and traveled along a series of narrow but interesting paths until I found myself facing a hill that made the ones in Brooklyn and Washington Heights look modest. No matter, I attacked it and did fairly well but with the tree cover I was somewhat disoriented in terms of direction. I picked another trail and ran for about 10 minutes in perfect conditions where I saw and heard a number of animals.

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At one point I began encountering bikers which made me nervous due to the width of the trails. I was hoping that I was going in the right direction, based upon the sun I knew I was traveling west. I crossed paths with another runner and immediately came upon some mountain bikers who yelled a cheerful hello. I was feeling good about this run, taking in the cool air, the sun and the interesting sites when I suddenly found myself face down in the dirt. I had tripped on a root that ran across the path and I landed on my forearms which took most of the impact. I stood up and established that I was bleeding and scraped up but nothing seemed broken. I continued for another mile and left the trail, making a loop around the soccer fields before returning to my car. I ended up running 3.61 miles at a mid 9:00 pace. Surprisingly good considering the hills and the falling incident.

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When I got home my kid's faces said it all. My daughter immediately grabbed the first aid spray and my wife took a picture of my damaged body. After a shower I saw that it was all superficial cuts and scrapes so I started thinking about a Bethpage run tomorrow. Stillwell is an interesting and different experience from Bethpage but both are awesome. This trail running is great fun and it seems to be a good way to run without generating leg pain.

Awesome day on the OCA

From a running perspective, NYC provides many resources either within the city or close by. Between the subways and the commuter train lines a number of great running paths, parks and bridges are just minutes away. While Central Park is a fantastic place to run it's sometimes a great change to explore other places. Through the spring AG and I have run in some interesting places in and around NYC. We were combining our weekly business updates with our runs but once summer Fridays started we've ended that shortened day with more recreational runs. I mentioned in a previous post that AG will be heading to grad school at Yale in August (but happily remaining an integral part of my team in a part time capacity) so we will soon have fewer opportunities to run together.

We decided to have at least one more running adventure before her new schedule takes over and we jumped on the Metro North commuter train to Irvington, NY with a plan to run 5 miles along the Old Croton Aqueduct. The trip from Grand Central Station was quick and we got off the train and walked a few blocks to the entry point of this trail that runs 26.2 miles (interesting that it's the same length as a marathon) from Van Cortlandt Park at the Bronx County/City of Yonkers border to the Croton Dam in Cortlandt. The trail is mostly hard packed dirt and fortunately the hard rain held off and that kept it from becoming too muddy. We both brought our trail shoes and they came in handy through some wet patches that we did encounter. In less than 5 minutes we had our first wildlife sighting, deer that were scattered on both sides as we ran by.

We saw many birds and at least one rabbit. The trail is basically flat which makes sense because the original use of this trail was to convey water to NYC. There were some uphill stretches and we wondered how they transported the water along those areas. Our plan was to run the trail south from our starting point to the Greystone train station and hop on the train back to NYC. We thought we'd built enough time into our run but near the end we found ourselves racing the clock and we covered the last segment at a faster pace before heading off to the street to run to the station. We made it with less than 5 minutes to spare and it was a bit of a shock to go from our hot, soggy, humid state to the refrigerated train car. Felt pretty good though.

I had forgotten to transfer the Garmin foot pod to my trail shoes so I had no way of judging distance or pace except to estimate that 50 minutes would approximate to five miles. AG wore the QStarz device and hopefully that will provide more data for us. It was a great start to the long weekend, a tough but exhilarating run that was exactly what we'd hoped for. I'm not ready to hit the street yet this morning but hopefully I'll be up for nice recovery run this afternoon. I might hit the trails at Stillwell or Bethpage some time this weekend. I definitely have less leg pain after running trails compared to running on pavement. Maybe it is the shoes.