A comfortable visit to neighborhood #2

Today's run (street): 4.91 miles

I wanted to go to Bethpage to try the bike trail this morning and also buy an Empire Passport but my schedule was just too tight. We have someone coming to give an estimate on a home improvement and I wanted to make sure I got in my run before that. Instead, I went out for a neighborhood run and mixed it up by routing through the streets of neighborhood #2 where I hadn't run in a while. The roads were remarkably clear considering yesterday's 3" snowfall. The cold temperatures created patches of rough ice along the roadside and I had to step around the frozen areas that appeared in my path.

My trusty Adidas Response 15's

I wore my Adidas Response trail shoes that have been out of the rotation for months but seemed to be the right shoe for today's conditions. They're great shoes but are built a little too high to facilitate mid-foot landing. This is why I only run in them occasionally. I started slow to loosen up in the cold weather and fell into a nice comfortable rhythm. I was loving the feeling of moving along smoothly but I worried that I wasn't pushing hard enough to make it a real workout. I threw in a few fartleks (Danish for "speed play") where I'd cover a few hundred yards at faster pace before resuming my more moderate pace. The miles ticked off fairly quickly and the running probably seemed easy because my last run at Stillwell Woods provided a much harder challenge.

After covering some distance in the other neighborhood I swung back to my own and finished by following my measured mile loop in reverse. My Garmin had me a tick over 5 miles but Gmaps said it was less. My FR60 calibration woes continue, it seems that no matter how I adjust the Garmin it always seems to over-count my distance.

Finding your rivals

Not all races are listed but it's still a good resource

Today's workout (elliptical): 30 minutes

Happy President's Day. I like long weekends, especially those that extend through the entire week. My kids are off from school so I'm taking the week off as well. Unlike many of the people we know we're not heading off to warmer climates this week. There's plenty to do here, like shoveling three inches of snow of the driveway this morning.

This morning I was playing around on a site called Athlinks that aggregates races in a database and allows participants to "claim" their events. Once done, a runner has a collection of their race results and the usual social networking tools (profile, pictures, Twitter feed, etc.) for sharing or member interaction. Those features are common now but Athlinks also provides a list of your rivals and how you've performed against them. Athlinks automatically finds runners who have raced against you and lists their age, gender and won-lost record. It was interesting to see someone I've beat 7 times (he's 78) and a couple of others who have trounced me 5-0.

Those who have beat me multiple times have usually outpaced me by one or more minutes per mile. I'll likely lose to them in future match-ups. The interesting comparisons are those where I've both won and lost to the same person. Those people are truly rivals and it's about our readiness on race day and how well we leverage or react to race day conditions. I still prefer to view racing as "me versus myself" and I don't really view these people as rivals. These race day match-ups are more like benchmarks that will help me understand how close I came to reaching my potential.

Icy trails at Stillwell and a talking robot at my side

Treacherous going on the trails

Today's run (Stillwell Woods): 3.2 miles

I had high hopes that the recent warm temperatures had melted the snow on the trails at Stillwell Woods. After days of 40, 50 (and briefly, 60) degree temps I thought that was a reasonable expectation. I was very surprised to see that the local temperature was 19 degrees this morning and when I arrived at Stillwell I saw that the melted snow had refrozen into ice and hard icy snow. I wore my Helly Hansen Trail Lizards in anticipation of rough terrain and set off over the packed but rutted ice and snow. I was still hoping that the interior trails would be bare and more runnable, perhaps protected from the canopy above.

I wore my Garmin and also brought along my iPhone to capture my route using MotionX. It had been a long time since I carried the iPhone on a run and used that app. The app has been updated numerous times since then and after the first minute a robotic female voice said "You have run for one minute and have traveled zero-point-one-0 miles. Your pace is ten minutes per mile." That spooked me but then I realized that my robot friend would be "updating"me on progress every minute going forward. I considered switching off the MotionX app but decided that I'd just let it go as I didn't want to play with my iPhone while I ran on these tricky trails.

The trails were covered by hard snow rutted with impressions from hikers, runners, animals and mountain bikers. I didn't sink into the snow but the ruts that were formed when the temperatures were higher were a few inches deep and a misstep would easily result in a sprain or fall. There were small exposed dirt channels at the edge here and there and I ran on those when I could. The progress reports from MotionX kept coming and I couldn't believe each time that another minute had passed. I enjoy a hard challenge, especially on the trails, but I was growing concerned that I'd trip on a rut and get hurt. I followed the path back to the open field and finished my run with two laps around the perimeter. The field was mostly devoid of snow because the sun had gotten to it so my last mile was on muddy dirt and grass.

I was happy to be back to the woods for the first time in 2011 and it was a different kind of workout than I'd expected to get. I was so happy to have chosen the Helly's for the job today. I'm going to head to Bethpage State Park this week and get an Empire Passport so I can get free access into the NY State Parks where I normally have to pay admission. It will be nice if Bethpage's bike trail is clear when I go there. The 14 mile out-and-back route (or 10 or so miles of it) would be a good kick start to my half marathon training.

Windy morning run

Today's run (street): 3.85 miles

A morning appointment prompted me to run early today. As I prepared my running gear I heard the winds howl and I checked the thermometer to see that the temperature (with wind chill) was in the low 30's. My window of time before I needed to leave for my appointment was small so I figured I'd be happy to get three miles in. I'm on vacation until the 28th so I wasn't as concerned about covering distance as I normally would on a Saturday.

I wore a stretchy short sleeved base layer under a half zip that my kids gave me for Valentines Day. On top of that I wore my trusty ASICS windbreaker and that turned out to be a perfect combination for today's conditions. I had a busy work week that preempted my running schedule. I missed my Tuesday workout and did not feel well on Thursday so I didn't run that day. I slept well last night and had hoped this week's light workout schedule would have set me up for an energetic run. Even so,  I struggled a bit at the beginning but that could have been due to the stiff headwinds that made it hard to maintain good running form.

I've taken to having a gel 30 minutes before my longer runs but I forgot to do that until a few minutes before I left. Consequently,  I didn't get any benefit until I was halfway through the run. I never felt particularly good but as I progressed through my route I did run better, with negative splits for the second and third miles. I'm not sure if I'll visit Stillwell or Bethpage tomorrow or if I'll wait until Monday to try a trail run. I'm concerned that we'll get more snow on Monday and that could push my opportunity for off road running even further away.

The end of a long strange week

Today's workout (elliptical): 25 minutes

This has been a strange, long week. I felt ill on Wednesday morning but managed to power through a run. That may have been a mistake. Wednesday was an all day industry meeting that I co-facilitated. From the beginning of the day to the end I suffered a pounding headache and by the time I got home I was ready for bed. Thursday morning I felt just as bad so I stayed home. No workout yesterday, just a lot of sleep.

This morning was far more pleasant and while I still woke up with a slight headache I felt much better overall. I thought a run, even an easy one, might be too much too soon so I settled in with the elliptical for a lower impact workout. That was a great decision that put me back into workout mode and built a good sweat. I finished up strong and energized. The temperatures have risen through this week and should continue to rise throughout the day. I'm wondering if I'll even be able to hit the trails over the weekend. That would be a great end to a difficult week.

Getting it done

Today's run (treadmill): 2.5 miles

I didn't have time to run and barely had time to post yesterday so I made sure I got in a run this morning. I was tempted to rest when I got up this morning because I was feeling fatigued and had a sinus headache. Yesterday was a big day at work, as is today, and additional rest would not have been a bad choice. All the same, a dedicated runner runs through minor illness and doesn't let it get the best of them. That's what I told myself as I stepped on the treadmill and hit the start button.

It must have been extraordinarily dry today because once I got up to speed I hit the fan button and received a shock that shut down the treadmill. I managed to bring it back within 30 seconds but it was disconcerting to stop suddenly and the shock I received was no picnic. Once I was into my run I settled in for the duration. It was a very average run from there. Not overly taxing or particularly fast. I ended up taking a couple of aspirin post-run and wished for more time to rest before my shower. The workout did bring back my energy level and I was glad to have done the run. It will be a long day but at least I accomplished something even before the sun came up.

Crazy Days

This week is a bit intense for me in terms of business schedule. Consequently I'm not able post with regularity but I'll catch up later this week. I had higher hopes than this for my 800th post on the Emerging Runner, but this is it!

A pace I can live with

Today's run (street): 4.12 miles

Yesterday afternoon I updated the firmware on my Garmin FR60 which reset the watch to its factory settings. I was happy that I had the foresight to upload this week's runs to Garmin Connect before I did the upgrade or they would have been lost to the ages. I restored all the settings and preferences but I neglected to re-pair the watch to the foot pod. When I went out for my run this morning I hit the start button and didn't think much about it. A few minutes into the run I looked at the display and saw it was tracking time but not distance and I realized that I hadn't paired the unit. I figured I'd just Gmap the route I ran and calculate pace later, based on the recorded time.

I recently had a similar experience when I saw that I hadn't started the Garmin after I'd begun to run. I ran most of  my route knowing that my speed and distance weren't being captured and that was both annoying and liberating. Today I felt better when I discovered the problem because at least I had captured the run time. I decided to forget about pace, speed, etc., and just ran free for 30-40 minutes. I took it easy because that was what I'd originally intended for this run -- a short version of LSD. About 30 minutes into the run I was feeling like I could run all day and it occurred to me that I should think about a pace that I could maintain comfortably for a half marathon.

Today's pace was 9:53. Not fast but manageable over long distances. It would be good (psychologically) to average below 10 min/mile for the half marathon. The challenge of running a half under two hours is much greater -- I'd need to average 9:09 or better to do that. I'll work on my distance as much as I can from here on. With the temperatures moving toward the 50's I might get the first chance in a while to do a long run at Bethpage next weekend.

A run that went according to plan

Today's run (street) 5.3 miles

Although we'd been hearing that the temperatures would rise by this weekend it wasn't the case this morning. It was barely 20 degrees at 8:00 AM and the sun was blocked by clouds. I'd dressed for the cold (layered compression pants, warm hat, running gloves) but I only wore a half-zip, with a short sleeved jersey on top because I knew I'd eventually get hot. It was breezy but the winds didn't have the same force as those that I'd faced on Thursday in Central Park.

Once I got going I started to think about route and distance. I often have great ambition at the beginning of a run in terms of what I'm prepared to do. Sometimes I match, or even succeed my intended goal but there are still occasions when I don't. Happily, today's energy level matched my plan. I'm on target to run more miles this week than I have in the prior two weeks and it's easy to explain why. Twice this week I've run outside and I'm planning another outside run tomorrow. My runs on the treadmill are great workouts but I just can't endure it for long periods of time.

Although this morning's run was contained within the streets of my neighborhood, I still appreciated the winter scene. The snow covered lawns made the suburban roads appear more like country lanes. The cold air helped me along and I maintained a decent pace throughout my planned course. I finished up after completing a little more than five miles. I could have gone longer but I stuck to my plan. It was great to be back on the road again. I could get used to that.

Running in a freezing wonderland

It looked a lot like this in Central Park on Thursday

Yesterday's run (Central Park): 3.26 miles
Today's run (treadmill): 2.3 miles

The temperature stayed in the low 20's most of Thursday although I'd hoped it would warm up a little more by noon. JQ was not able to join me so I headed out alone to Central Park, ducking through buildings along the way to keep warm. The wind and cold were brutal but the sun was shining and I knew that I'd be fine once I got going on my run. I reached the Park, that was covered white with snow, and began to follow my usual course. I started with the lower loop and ran counter-clockwise, east then north. There were only a few others along the path: an occasional cyclist, a few other runners and a handful of freezing tourists.

I kept my pace brisk in an effort to heat up quickly and it worked. By the first mile I had become comfortable with the weather but I struggled a little with the hills. It's been a while since I've run with any real course elevation because most of my running this year has either been on the treadmill or on the basically flat roads within my neighborhood. I ultimately did fine with the hills and managed to maintain my pace. Before long I had passed 3 miles and was nearing my end-point when a tall runner, wearing black compression gear from head to toe, passed me like I was standing still. I was actually moving fast (for me) at the time, maintaining about an 8:30 pace. Overall, I averaged 8:46 per mile, helped along by the freezing but energizing wind. I finished hot and sweating but by the time I returned to my office I was cold and dry again.

This morning I planned for an easy run on the treadmill. I had a late start and felt I'd gotten some good speed work in yesterday. My first mile was slow -- just below 10 min per mile, and I didn't even need to turn on the treadmill's cooling fan until ten minutes into my run. I stepped up the speed from there and ran the second 1.3 miles closer to a 9:00 pace. My "easy" run turned out to be a little harder than planned but it felt good. I cannot maintain a slower than normal pace on the treadmill because the numbers on the display taunt me to run faster. That's okay, at least the first mile was easy.

Return to Central Park

Coney Island, NY - start (or finish?) to 2011 Brooklyn Half

It's almost mid-February and I have yet to run in NYC this year. That will change today when me and my running buddy JQ head to Central Park around noon. We had planned a run a couple of weeks ago but a snowstorm made that impossible. Conditions that day were so bad I wasn't even able to get into the office. It's cold out today (low 20's) but at least there's nothing coming down.

I'm excited to head back to the park, run outdoors and catch up with JQ. I've been hoping for a thaw that will rid us of the accumulated snow and open up more venues for running. My outdoor runs have been limited to a few neighborhood excursions plus last Saturday's race in Long Beach. I love Central Park any time but I'm especially keen to run there again after so much time spent on the treadmill. I'm thinking about the NYRR Brooklyn half marathon as my first-ever race at that distance.

The Brooklyn half marathon routes through Prospect Park, another place (similar to Central Park) where I've always wanted to run. That race ends at Coney Island (or the other way around). I'm not really sure how they're mapping the course this year. That would be a new adventure but today I'm just looking forward to running the loops again in Central Park.

I'm no running addict!

Today's workout (elliptical): 25 minutes

You know you're an activity-focused person when you wake up happy that your day's workout is only a 25 minute elliptical session. It's not that the elliptical is light exercise, it just feels easier than the treadmill. I used a little more resistance than normal today and finished hot, sweating and with a heart rate that proved I'd worked hard.

Someone recently suggested that I'm addicted to running and I laughed at the idea. I like running -- I suppose at times I love it -- but there's nothing about my experience that fits the definition of addiction. I highly doubt there are meth addicts out there who wake up and have to talk themselves into using their drug of choice. A year ago, when recovering from pneumonia, my doctor ordered me to forgo running for a few weeks. During that time I was worried that I'd lose conditioning and would need to start all over again. It wasn't withdrawal that I'd experienced, it was the fear that all that I'd worked for would be lost.

I think most of us who run, bike, swim or otherwise exercise are driven by the positive results of physical activity. I'm sure there is a small percentage of people who take working out to an extreme level and develop a true dependency for activity. For me, I appreciate the endorphin rush that comes after a hard run but that's really the dessert, certainly not the meal.