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.

A little rain won't hurt a run

Today's run (street) 2.8 miles at 9:06

If I were asked to describe my favorite running conditions I'd probably choose to have temperatures in the 40's, low humidity and indirect sunlight. I'd rather run in the 20 degree cold than the 90 degree heat but I'll run in both. I've run during snowstorms and loved the experience and I've done runs under the noon day sun with so much humidity that I was tempted to quit and walk home. I know people who only run outdoors under ideal conditions but I think that misses the point. Running is about playing the cards you're dealt. How can you understand your capabilities and limits if you only run when the weather cooperates?

When I stepped outside today I thought I'd experience the same conditions as yesterday, cool with a light mist. It's hard to tell too much about the outside weather in the early morning darkness and as I took off on my run I felt a steady rain coming down. It wasn't pouring but it was indeed raining and I had to quickly decide whether to continue or go back inside and run on the dreaded treadmill. I don't mind rain, in fact I like it a lot. My issue with rain is practical. I wear glasses and the combination of summer heat, humidity, rain and darkness make it difficult to see in certain circumstances. After a couple of minutes I concluded that the rain was light enough to manage through, so I continued to follow my planned route. I maintained a steady pace, keeping cadence in mind, and ran without a problem until I reached the two mile mark. At that point the rain became heavier and the humidity was beginning to fog my glasses. I was able to see well enough to keep going and I continued on my planned route back to my starting point.

On the last half mile of my run I was running south along a road that connects to my street and I noticed headlights from a car that seemed to be coming north from the middle school. The effect of these lights on my glasses was diffusion due to the humidity and rain. I became concerned about being able to see my way along the road but I didn't want to run on the sidewalk because there are many uneven sections that could cause a trip. I decided to cross over to the other side and hug the road. This small change offset the direct light that I could now tell came from an unmoving car. I was glad to reach my street and turn away from the distracting light and I finished my run soaking wet but pleased with the way things went. Another decent run despite the rain and humidity. I've been edging closer to running 3 miles on these early morning runs but I always run out of time. If only I could run a little faster.

Training went well but the trains? Not so well

Today's run (street): 2.64 miles at 9:08

Yesterday morning a small fire at the Long Island Railroad' Jamaica Station  hub brought down the entire train system for five hours. I managed to get on one of the few early evening trains out of Penn Station and got home without too much of a problem. At 6:15 this morning the trains are still a mess and I thought about working from home when I got up. No commute would mean more time to run. Ultimately I decided to take my chances with the trains and I'm waiting with the other early birds in a cold drizzle at the train platform.

My decision to commute meant following my usual schedule and I hit the neighborhood roads by 4:00 AM. The news said it was 64 degrees but it felt cooler than that when I stepped outside. I felt moisture in the air and realized it was misting. That mist, combined with cool air, felt great as I took off on my run. I noticed that my feet, really my toes, were still sore from Sunday's race. Although the Dirty Sock course is fairly flat and the trails are well groomed I always end up with sore and swollen feet whenever I run there. I had my Brooks today and that really made a difference in terms of protection and comfort. I pounded on, feeling good, happy for the break from hot and humid running.

I followed one of my standard routes and was glad to see that I'd recovered from Sunday's race with no residual aches or pains. The experience this morning was so effortless that my thoughts drifted elsewhere and I had to keep reminding myself to maintain a brisk pace. I had a few extra minutes and considered extending my run but I chose to go straight home so I could check news reports about this morning's train situation. I ended up covering 2.5+ miles at a decent pace. Near the end of the run I passed a house with a guy standing in front -- unusual to see anyone outside at 4:25 AM. Maybe he was up early trying to grab an earlier train in anticipation of a delayed commute. Speaking of which, here comes my train now. Gotta go!

Lesson learned: start focusing on stamina and distance

One thing that became clear to me during yesterday's race was my need to put more focus on distance. The performance gains I had made in prior weeks were seductive and they caused me to think too much about only one dimension of my performance. Four miles run in the mid 8's was a welcome improvement over the mid-9 minute paces I had been averaging over the summer. With everything I'd been reading about the importance of speed work and tempo runs it seemed logical to work on improving pace, especially when measurable gains appeared. As I faced the last couple of miles on the trail yesterday morning I began to regret the lack of longer training runs over the last month. Sure, I could run a decent pace for three or four miles but what happens to my mechanics when that distance is doubled?

After actively returning to running two years ago I've steadily increased my speed and distances to the point where I run mostly in the low 9's and do weekend distances up to about 8 miles. Due to time constraints I've rarely been able to run more than 20 miles per week, with most of my longer runs happening on Saturdays and Sundays. Having a whole hour to run is a luxury and using yesterday's performance as a yardstick that only gets me about six miles. So finding enough time for real distance running is its own challenge. I've really enjoyed the long slow distance (LSD) runs where length, not speed, were the goal. That may be one reason why I prefer trail running; the course and the terrain are so variable that pace becomes less relevant. This weekend I'm hoping to get in at least one long run to help prepare for the Cow Harbor 10K in late September. Distance should help my stamina and once that's improved I can again start thinking about my pace.

Race summary: 2010 Dirty Sock 10K

Spying the finish line was a most welcome sight

Dirty Sock Run: 6.2 miles (10K) at 9:37 (net)

I had high hopes for a better performance than last year at today's Dirty Sock 10K. My training had gone well and I've been pacing regularly in the mid 8-minute range.  I took the last two days off from running and carefully timed my nutrition this morning for optimal benefit. This set an expectation that I'd beat last year's time, at least by a little. The Dirty Sock course is a (mostly) out and back route that begins along the western trail, runs north, circles Belmont Lake and returns the same way (except for the last 1.2 miles). The trails are well groomed, not at all technical, and while there are numerous elevation changes, most are within a 1% grade up or down. This is a great course to run at a moderate pace in the company of friends. Running it as a race, with humidity levels approaching 100%, it begins to feel less fun.

Our day started early and we arrived for registration an hour before the start. The earlier rain had slowed to a drizzle but I still had concerns about its return. The race setup was similar to last year and there's always comfort in knowing what to expect. I was disappointed that there were no bagpipers at the starting line this year but there were many people milling around, stretching, warming up and catching up with friends. My daughter and I took a walk up the trail to look for the starting line and when we returned we found my wife and son chatting with DaveADK, a friend from last year's Dirty Sock Run. Dave had a foot issue and is on the good side of recovering from an eye problem so it was great to see him there. A little later I ran into BJS who ran a practice run with me on the Dirty Sock course a few weeks ago. We walked back to the trail head together where I found Team Emerging Runner awaiting my return. I told them "See you at the finish line" and BJS and I made our way to the starting line. The trail is fairly wide but with 500 people queuing for the start it gets fairly crowded. When the gun went off it took us half a minute to reach the starting line and then we were off. BJS and I conversed for most of the first mile but the density of runners and the narrowness of the trail made it difficult from there.

I made my way past many runners and felt like I was doing better than I did last year. I caught up with DaveADK who was cruising along well and then I caught up with a group of other runners as I ran under the route 27 viaduct. Soon after I encountered race officials on bikes who were yelling "Move to the right!" as the lead runners came by on their way back from circling the lake. By the time I reached Belmont Lake I was feeling the humidity and the effort and while I was tired I knew I had enough left to complete the course. How fast I could do that was another story. I ran in my Helly Hansen's today because I thought the rain would make the trails too muddy for my Brooks. The trail condition stayed excellent throughout the race and I would have done fine in the Adrenalins after all. No harm done, the Helly's did a great job too.

I grabbed water a couple of times, they had an impressive number of water stations that helped greatly in the humid conditions. I had brought a box of raisins as a late race booster and had a small handful  as I passed the mile 5 marker. I think that made a difference because I was growing fatigued and a few people were passing me. I resumed my pace and re-passed some that had overtaken me, all the time thinking that I was about to run the longest 1.2 miles I'd run this year. Just like last year it seemed to take forever to travel the scenic last mile of this race, past the lower lake and over trails that wound and wound until FINALLY, I saw daylight and heard the race announcer on the PA. Unlike last year when I felt like I could not have run another foot longer than necessary to finish, this morning my speed just felt constrained near the end. As I approached the finish line I saw my daughter and then my wife and son and crossed the line with almost the same time as last year. Dave and BJS followed me in very soon after, hard efforts all around.

I'm sure the humidity had something to do with my slower than expected time. It was truly brutal but everyone was up against the same conditions this morning. It was my 10th race since returning to running almost two years ago and I left the event feeling good about competing, even though I really only compete with myself.  As soon as I see my family waiting for me at the finish line the memory of hard effort gives way to a feeling of accomplishment and that's why I do it. Before I know it, I'll be running the Great Cow Harbor 10K. It will be my first 10K on pavement and the course presents some real hill challenges. I need to increase my distances on my longer training runs to get more performance into the last few miles. That's for another day, now it's time to relax and enjoy the feeling of a good race run hard.

Thoughts on Sunday's Dirty Sock 10K

I just got word this morning that my friend KWL ran his first 10K and broke 9 minutes per mile. Excellent. He's a sub-nine minute runner so I'm not surprised by his achievement but today's 6.2 miles was also a personal distance record. To date, the only race I've run at that distance has been the Dirty Sock Run and I get to do that again tomorrow morning. I didn't run yesterday and I'm not planning to run today. I've learned after running nine races over the last 16 months that proper rest before racing is a key component to the conditioning process. All the same I feel a certain tension today. It's not because I'm racing on Sunday, I'm certain it's because I depend on my daily run to keep me balanced and free of stress.

We were planning a hike to Bear Mountain on Thursday but I wasn't feeling well that day. Instead we plan to revisit Caleb Smith State Park this afternoon for a hike. I had considered an easy two or three mile run today, but I'm thinking a low impact activity like hiking will be be a far better activity. I'll probably finish the day by following the Lolo Jones core exercises that I have found useful for flexibility. After three weeks of running with a focus on performance and a couple of days off from running I'm satisfied that I've properly prepared for tomorrow's event. I'm still thinking about my racing gear, pre-race nutrition, caffeine ingestion, hydration and pace strategy and I'm looking forward to seeing some running friends at the race. I don't know if my training has been good enough to help me beat last year's time tomorrow but I'll find out soon enough.

Wrong turn at Stillwell

Yesterday's run (Stillwell Woods): 5.17 miles at 9:29

I had a tough time getting going on Thursday despite going to bed relatively early and sleeping past 6:00 AM. I realize now that it was related to a combination of a sinus condition and an issue with my glasses. At the time it was a mystery as to why I was so darn tired. It was hard to get moving and it took me two hours to finally get out for my run at Stillwell Woods. My plan was to follow the relatively flat eastern loop within the woods running it three times to get some mileage in before I rest until race day. If all had gone according to plan I would have totaled 6 miles at a fairly brisk pace before declaring the end of my taper. Things didn't go according to plan.

I was still feeling a little sluggish when I set off on the trail but the canopy shielded me well from the sun and the breezes channeled through the trees were cool and invigorating. The trails at Stillwell are not well marked and I'm often thrown off course. After my first loop I made a slight mistake that put me on a shorter trail back to my starting point. No harm done but it did disrupt my three loop plan. Once back on track I continued to follow the planned path but for some reason I chose the wrong trail at around mile four and the trail led to a low lying area surrounded by four steep paths. This forced me to go up one of these trails that are angled at 40 degrees or more. I picked the one that I thought would put me back towards my intended route and I managed to get up despite the fact that I was running in my Brooks GTS 9's. This hill climb took a lot out of me and once I reached the top I re-oriented myself and ran another mile back to the trail head. That last mile was at 10:16 and frankly I was surprised I broke 11:00 by the way I felt.

I was exhausted and dizzy at the end and probably overdid it on the run. I'm hoping that despite that rough experience I gained some marginal conditioning that will help me on race day.  I'll know soon enough. In the meantime I'll rest and recover and hopefully peak at 8:00 on Sunday.

Hamstrung performance

Today's run (street): 2.9 miles at 8:48

I thought my string of speedy runs had come to an end this morning when I took off and felt a painful twinge from my right hamstring. I'd been feeling some tenderness there over the last day but this felt worse. Instead of rushing to a full gallop I shortened my stride a little and tried to maintain a fast cadence. That helped take pressure off the problem and after a few minutes, probably because my leg muscles had warmed, the pain subsided. I maintained the upright form that I use when trying to land on my mid foot while wearing a conventional shoe like the Brooks GTS 10.

The route I'd chosen covered more distance than I usually run before work, almost 3 miles today. I thought my overall time would be markedly off compared to recent days when I knew I was meeting an aggressive pace. When I checked the Garmin at the end I was surprised to see (and later confirm on Gmaps) that I'd again beaten 9:00 by a tidy margin. That pleased me to no end because it proved that even under suboptimal conditions I can still run in the eight minute range.

I'm out of the office on Thursday and Friday and I'm planning to do a long run tomorrow. I'll probably rest on Friday and Saturday to be primed for this Sunday's race. We're planning on going hiking this week so I'll need to ice my hamstring after that. The weather report for the weekend has changed from intermittent storms to clear and sunny. It will be great if that holds. Last year it rained on Saturday which caused some puddles on the trail, but overall the paths were dry. The less mud the better on Sunday, especially if I run in the Brooks.

Dirty shoes planned for the Dirty Sock 10K

My GTS 9's in pre-muddy form

Today's run (street) 2.5 miles at 8:44

I own three pairs of trail shoes but I'm thinking of running the Dirty Sock race in regular shoes this Sunday. The trail at Belmont Lake is mostly flat and well tended and there isn't a lot of surface that requires the extra traction of more purpose-built shoes. The reason I'm thinking this way is that I'm concerned that my feet may take a beating after six miles. Last year I ran this event in my New Balance 460's that are great but are a half size too small. I can get away with 3 or 4 miles on the 460's but I ended up with a black toenail after last year's race.

My Adidas Response 15's have been my MVP running shoes, serving well on both streets and trails and filling in as casual shoes when I travel. However, they also lose appeal after five miles of hard running. My feet took a beating the last time I used them for a long trail run. I have a pair of Helly Hansen Trail Lizards that impressively tear up the rough terrain at Stillwell Woods but they may be overkill for Sunday's race. I'm inclined to pull my old Brooks GTS 9's back into service instead. These shoes do very well over long distances and, even after 600 miles, they look and feel almost like new. My only concern relates to vanity as I'm reluctant to get them muddy. I suppose I can always hose them off after I run.

This morning I continued to run with a focus on speed and cadence and achieved 8:44 per mile overall, despite very high humidity. It's still a little challenging to maintain enough concentration at 4:00 AM to keep with a consistently brisk pace. I have been running in my Saucony Grid Tangent 4's over the last week but I've switched to my Kinvaras for this week's taper. I'll probably do my last training runs in my Brooks GTS 10's to get used to a little heavier shoe. My biggest concern at the moment is how the rain predicted for Saturday might affect conditions on Sunday morning. If it's muddy course on race day I may need to run in trail shoes after all.

Tubes, zig-zags, bounces, shocks and resistors

K-Swiss goes tubular

A couple of weeks ago my daughter and I were on the train heading back from the city when we stopped at a station. Directly outside our window was a billboard ad for the K-Swiss Tubes running shoe. Knowing nothing of this shoe, I judged it on design alone. Built within the outsole were a series of open "tubes" that run perpendicular to the length of the shoe. The tubes were clearly designed to disperse shock and (I'm guessing) return some energy from the impact. I just remember thinking that I would never wear that shoe in public.

Adidas Mega Bouncer

Nike's Shox absorber

Reebok gets Ziggy

The Reebok ZigTech shoe provides a similar visual reaction. In the case of this shoe it's a rippled outsole (e.g., "zig-zag") that supposedly provides a flexible high energy experience. I've been amused by the marketing of the shoes and the fact that not one athlete who endorses them is known for their running. I don't know if the technology works but they sure look funny.

One model of a weird shoe that I have tried is the Adidas Mega Bounce. I like Adidas as a brand so I put on a pair out of curiosity. I expected springiness but all I felt was awkwardness. So much for that. I'd put the Mega Bounce into the same category as the Nike Shox. This shoe is built with shock absorbers in the back that remind me of the air shocks I installed on my Mustang when I was in high school. This shoe seem to be popular and they are fairly pricey but I rarely see them on the feet of real runners.

Skechers resists running

This weekend I saw an ad for Skechers SRR (Skechers Resistance Runners) that looks like a cross between those ubiquitous "Shape Ups" and a running shoe. Their website claims that dramatic gains in postural, gluteus medius and calf muscle activation (???) will come with the use of these shoes. Okay, good to know. I realize that all of the serious running shoe companies have their own unique science. Brooks has DNA and BiOMoGo, ASICS has their GEL and Trussic technologies, Saucony has "Pro Grid" and Mizuno has the Wave. At least these features are integrated into the shoe in such a way that they look like serious footwear. I could say I'm not one to judge but clearly I am. The question is, if K-Swiss or Skecher were to send me a pair of their latest models, would I give them a fair shake on Runner's Tech Review? The answer is yes. However, I guarantee most of my testing would be done in the early morning, in the dark, so I'd have the lowest chance of being seen with them in public.

Running and sailing -- how's that for a duathlon?

Setting sail on the Eisenhower Park pond

Today's run (Eisenhower Park): 4 miles at 8:32

This morning me and my friend KWL headed early to Eisenhower Park for a training run. We're both competing next weekend -- me in the Dirty Sock 10K and he will be running a 10K on Saturday and participating in a 100 mile cycling event on Sunday. Our plan for today was to cover about four miles around the park and then meet up with my wife and kids for a little remote control sailing. More on that below.

KWL has only been running for about a year. In fact it was just a year ago that he participated in a Fun Run that I'd organized in Central Park and, without any prior training, he beat a handful of experienced runners. He's an avid cyclist and that athleticism carries over to other activities. Our run together was well timed (for me) because KWL set a quick pace and we ran the 4 miles with split times of 8:28, 8:18, 8:31 and 8:48. We started with a couple of laps around the southern paved trails and finished with a lap and a half around the big pond. At least that was my 4 miles. KWL continued to run another mile while I waited for my family to arrive. I was very happy with my pace but less happy with my stamina. I could have run another mile when I stopped because I began to tire. I didn't want to overdo things since I'd run hard the preceding week and I'm planning to keep up the pace in my final runs prior to race day.

Tall Ships ready to set sail

After the running was completed we met up with my family. KWL opened the back of his car and showed the kids the two remote control sailboats that he and a friend had made. The kids were surprised to see that the boats stood higher than their own height. These sailboats were impressive and as I watched them glide over the water I was amazed by their speed and maneuverability. The fact that the boats had no motor for propulsion (only a small servo for turning the sails and the rudder) made it both a serene and exciting activity. Near the end my son handed over the controls of his boat and I got to do a little sailing myself. We ended our Eisenhower Park activities by 10:00 AM and still had plenty of day left. It was a great way to spend our Sunday morning with a good friend and I had yet another great training run.

Training is paying off with two speedy runs despite the hills

Friday's run (Central Park): 3.25 miles at 8:39
Today's run (street): 4.5 miles at 8:36

We have guests coming over today so I set out early to get in my run. My focus, both today and yesterday, was on maintaining a brisk pace over routes that presented some hill challenges. Yesterday I headed to Central Park around noon and followed a route that started by following the lower and upper loop on the east side. I crossed to the west north of the Great Lawn and finished my run down the loops along the west side. The temperature was around 75 degrees and that helped at the start. I ran the first mile, that has a couple of noticeable elevations, at around 8:05 per mile, which is fast for me. My split speed decreased for miles 2 and 3 but I did keep my pace well under nine minutes the whole way through. A focus on speed has definitely improved my performance and I'm happy with the numbers but I do wish I could just go out there and run for fun. But running for fun does not contribute enough to conditioning and I only have one week before the Dirty Sock 10K.

My run this morning mostly took place in a business park located near my house. it's not the most visually interesting place to run but the wide open streets and a loop that is 2/3 uphill and 1/3 downhill makes for a great training ground. I ran the loop two times and tried to maintain a rapid cadence. I averaged 88 SPM for the first mile and gradually fell to 83 SPM by the last half mile. Even so, I bettered the 80 SPM that I have averaged most of this summer. I finished my training cycle by ducking into neighborhood #3 which is mostly flat and provided a welcome relief from uphill running. From there I headed home, tired but still remaining under the 9:00 threshold.

Last night my wife told me about a 5K race that was being held at Sand's Point this morning. She suggested I run it because it's a beautiful place right on the water. I decided that I needed to do the hill training instead, to prepare for next week's race. It would have been fun to spontaneously run a 5K but part of my enjoyment of racing is the anticipation of the event and the strategy and training that precedes it. I'm really curious about how I'll do next Sunday. Will my performance training pay off or will I end up close to my time from last year? I thought I'd trained better and incorporated better strategy before the New Hyde Park 8K in June but I ended up no faster (or slower) than my 2009 run. I'm planning to run with my friend KWL tomorrow and then run on Monday through Wednesday during the week. I'll finish my taper with an elliptical session and rest for Sunday. At least that's the plan for now.