Even Saucony's website is minimal

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I noticed that Saucony has changed the look of their website to super minimal this week to celebrate the launch of the Hattori. I just looked at a pair at the Super Runner's Shop in NYC. Can't wait to try them on.

Going more minimal

Today's workout (elliptical): 25 minutes

The waiting is the hardest part

I've been waiting excitedly for my Hattori's to arrive from Saucony. I was told to expect them early this week but, so far, nothing. I'm curious to see how I'll run in a shoe that provides little in the way of cushioning and with zero drop-off between heel and toe. I've been running in "minimalist" shoes (Saucony Kinvara and now Mirage) for over a year without a problem. The Hattori represents a whole new level of minimal.

Last summer I experimented with pool shoes, running a couple of miles around my neighborhood to see how it felt. Unlike the shoes I was wearing, my pool shoes gave me no option but to land forward in my stride. The downside was that my feet quickly developed blisters. I suppose socks would have helped that but the pool shoes were far too floppy to seriously consider for distance running. I'm hoping the Hattori's provide the same connection to the road that I got from the pool shoes but will also provide the protection and comfort of a trainer.

Planning my long weekend race training

Today's run (street): 2.5 miles

I went back out to the streets this morning after two days of rest. Although the temperature got into the low 80's yesterday and similar weather is predicted for today, I was happily surprised by how cool it felt when I stepped outside. It took almost a minute for the Garmin to lock onto a GPS signal so I used that time to do a few dynamic stretches.

The two day's rest definitely helped me at the start. Instead of the early discomfort from transitioning between anaerobic and aerobic running, I was good to go from the start. I followed my basic route and threw in some speedy sections throughout the run. My knee felt fine but I did experience some sharp shin pain a couple of minutes into my run. That went away and didn't return so I'm not going to worry about it.

I'm beginning to think about my (long) weekend's running and what might be the best workouts to close my training prior to my taper for the 8K. Right now I'm thinking one long run, one speed session and one shorter, but faster, run. Maybe I'll hit the trails with the bike as well. Lots to look forward to and hoping for good weather.

Workout canceled

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

Recovery method: longer running instead of rest

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

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

Long run at Bethpage and REI is here!

My run among the bikers

Yesterday afternoon's workout (biking): 5.8 miles
Today's run (Bethpage State Park): 6.6 miles

Yesterday afternoon I had a break in the schedule so I went out for a neighborhood bike ride. I kept it to about 30 minutes. The first three minutes had some stops and starts due to equipment issues that I needed to resolve on the fly. A half hour provided enough time for me to feel like I'd done some work. Still, it was easy enough that I didn't need to disrupt our evening plans with another shower.

This morning I headed over to Bethpage to do my long weekend run. I haven't done much more than five miles on any run since the half marathon. Even though my knee is still tender it's ready for more distance. I targeted 6-7 miles for this morning and ended up running 6.6. When I arrived at the park the parking lot was 3/4 filled and I noticed a lot of bikers gathered near a table set up near the bike path starting point. I learned later that the were holding an event called Bike MS: Traffic Free Family Fun Ride.

I knew then that I'd have plenty of company on the trail and I worried a bit about inexperienced cyclists who didn't understand how to share the road with runners. With one exception, a serious looking cyclist who came up behind me and passed to my left with barely a foot of clearance, the other bikers were extremely courteous. Most experienced cyclists provided the requisite and helpful "On your left" as they approached.

I had a PowerBar Strawberry Banana gel prior to my run and I carried my Amphipod hand bottle filled with G2. Both provided good energy. I ran at an easy pace and was able to manage the frequent hills without much trouble. Near the end of my run I was passed by a young woman who was moving so well that she soon passed me again,  going the other way. I wasn't trying to break any speed records but she was probably running double my speed at that point.

The MS Bike volunteers cheering in another cyclist

Once I crested the dreaded last hill I was ready to call it a run. I was happy to note that my knee held up well till the end. As I made my way to the final downhill that leads to the start of the path I saw the two "cheerleaders" who were waving their pom poms to celebrate every charity biker who finished. The high school aged cheerleader even gave me my own rah! rah! finish that I appreciated. It was a nice event for an important cause and they had a great turnout.

Later in the day we went over to the REI that (finally!) opened on Long Island. I felt like a kid in a candy store and I could have spent the entire day there. We got our daughter a mountain bike and I also picked up some gels and Brooks running shirt that was on sale at a great price. It's been a busy and active weekend. Since noon on Friday I've done almost 14 miles running and another 5.8 biking. I'm looking forward to my weekly rest day tomorrow.

A rigorous rainy run in Central Park

Remember the Maine! Because that where we're meeting.

Yesterday's run (Central Park): 4.65 miles
Today's run (street): 2.5 miles

There's quite a contrast between today's bright sun and yesterday's rainy, cloudy skies. Friday morning had started out dry but, by 10:00 AM, the streets were wet and the umbrellas were open. I mentioned in a meeting that I planned to go out at around noon for a run in Central Park and got the expected "You're crazy" and "Why would you want to do that?" responses. I checked in with my friend CK who was game for a run, regardless of the weather. We confirmed our plan to meet at the statue of the USS Maine at 12:30.

It was chilly and drizzling as I began my walk to Columbus Circle. I wore a short sleeved shirt and running shorts because the humidity was in the mid 70's and I knew I'd get hot while running. I arrived early at the statue and CK was already there. We started our run by heading south along the lower loop,  and then heading east. The rain wasn't too bad and, despite my glasses, I had no problem seeing. My real problem was keeping up with CK.  He was looking to move along at a faster pace than the 9:30 that I was maintaining as we worked on the first few hills.

We kept going north until we reached the reservoir and ran around it until we'd reached the west side. From there we exited onto the bridal path and tackled a hilly section before we crossed over to West Drive. We increased our speed from there, running closer to a 8:50 mile, which was a hard pace for me and a relaxing one for CK. Those hills always get to me.

We finished where we started and by then the rain had increased to a steady fall and I felt cold on the walk back to my office. By the time I got there I was soaked, a combination of sweat and rain. I toweled off with Wet Ones and grabbed a quick bite. Though I hoped I could spend the afternoon sequestered in my office, I was pulled into a bunch of meetings. No one seemed to notice that I'd gone without a post-run shower.

This morning I was extremely pressed for time so I went out for a short run. I'm planning to do some biking with my daughter later so I didn't care about distance. Speaking of distance, my friend FS ran the Brooklyn Half Marathon this morning. Conditions were ideal so I'm hoping she had a great experience. That race was my first choice for my first half but registration was closed by the time I tried to sign up.  Maybe next year.

Central Park running on the schedule

If the weather holds through lunchtime I'll be running in Central Park with my friend CK. The last time we ran together was in January along the streets of Naples, FL, in the early morning fog. CK is a far better runner than me but he's very patient and flexes (somewhat) to my pace. It usually becomes a subconscious tug of war between us where he ever-so-slightly pushes us towards an 8 minute pace while I push back in the other direction.

We're targeting about four miles today, or maybe a little longer than that since we plan to run up the east side of the lower loop, circle the reservoir and then head back down. CK has been dealing with a chronic foot injury for a while so his distances are limited. That works for me. Lengthy runs in the middle of the workday can make for an uncomfortable afternoon in the office, especially when there's no after-run shower. If the rains do come that could solve the problem quite nicely.

The Hattori's will show me how much minimalism I can take

The Saucony Hattori - a most minimal shoe

Today's workout (elliptical) 25 minutes

I'll be posting my review of the Saucony Mirages soon on Runner's Tech Review and I'm excited that I'll soon receive a pair of Hattori super-minimal shoes from Saucony. The Hattori are a zero-drop shoe that weigh an unbelievable 4.4 oz and are being marketed as a trainer -- not just for intervals and racing. My taste in running shoes has changed for good since I switched to the Kinvaras about a year ago. The lower platform and a flatter drop (the Kinvara's is ~5.5 mm) feels right to me, more so than the built-up Brooks Adrenalins that had been my gold standard.

The Mirages have proven to be a worthy addition to my collection and I would probably appreciate their minimal features more had I tried them before the Kinvaras. Going from the Kinvaras to the Mirages is a bit like trading up from a fast but simple sports car to high performance luxury GT. It will be interesting to run in the Hattori's which may be more like riding a trail bike. That actually sounds pretty good.



Champion Activeflex - lightweight, cheap and painful!

Related to minimal shoes, I was at Payless this past weekend because my daughter needed some shoes for an event. I checked out the men's shoes and saw this Kinvara look-alike on sale for $29.99. I tried it on and was surprised by the way it fit. Not too bad. The shoe was lightweight (it really did seem similar to the Saucony) and the foot bed felt springy. I trotted across the floor and that was when I felt the difference, the upper flexed in a way that dug painfully into the top of my foot. I couldn't take them off fast enough. Another example of why we pay for quality brands.

Is cadence the key?

Not quite stepping lively

Today's run (treadmill): 2.51 miles

I had lunch yesterday with a friend, TC, who's just been granted entry to the NY Marathon after being accepted as a charity runner by the Boomer Esiason Foundation (Cystic Fibrosis). TC is about to start serious training and he asked me to help him set up his Garmin FR60 on Garmin Connect. Although TC has been using this watch for months, he's never uploaded his runs. I had no idea that the FR60 could hold 90 workouts but that's what was uploaded. It was interesting to see his runs displayed on Connect. I couldn't help but compare his typical pacing and cadence to mine. It wasn't much comparison though. He seems to average 90 SPM while I'm happy when I exceed 84.

I thought about cadence this morning as I ran on the treadmill. I'm past thinking that any one thing (core exercise, LSD, tempos, Chia) will produce measurable improvement. However, it seems logical that an increase in cadence would align with an increase in running speed. As I worked my way up from my easy start, I was curious to know if my cadence would increase as I moved my pace from 9:50 to 8:50 over my run. After the run I realized that the FR 210 doesn't capture cadence data off the foot pod so I'll never know how I did for SPM today. I guess I'll need to revert to the FR60 for treadmill runs in the future.

The FR 210 and foot pod: challenges and results

Today's run (treadmill): 2.5 miles

Foot pod, meet FR 210

I planned for rain this morning and set up my gear for an indoor run. It would be my first time back on the treadmill in almost a month and a return to using the Garmin FR60 watch for tracking performance. I attached the foot pod to my Mirages (I'm already spoiled by the pod-free FR 210) and reached into the drawer for my FR60. It then occurred to me that the 210 also syncs with the foot pod so I chose that watch instead. After a couple of cycles through the menu, the 210 was paired with the sensor.

I started my run at a moderate pace, which is my method of choice for tolerating the treadmill. Start it easy and end it hard. I had a scare at the beginning that my knee would act up but after a moment of pain it was fine and three hours later it's still fine.

I hit start on the 210 and glanced down after a minute to verify that it was capturing my pace. It wasn't until I'd reached the six minute mark that I looked again at the watch to see that, while it was displaying pace, it wasn't recording time. I don't know why that happened but I hit start again and this time noted that the stopwatch was running.

I used the time display on treadmill and the average pace captured by the Garmin to calculate my actual distance (the treadmill does not do that accurately). It was a pretty good workout and I didn't find the treadmill as tedious as I usually do. Perhaps all that biking this weekend helped my running. If that's the case I'm thrilled to find a cross-training workout that's both fun and beneficial.

Running in the morning and biking after noon

Yesterday afternoon workout (bike): 3.5 miles

Although I only logged seven miles running this weekend I felt like I made progress. I rode my bike on both Saturday and Sunday and added ten miles to my weekend total. In terms of conditioning and recovery, this was a good thing. To be sure, biking miles are not running miles, although the work that KWL and I did trail riding on Saturday definitely contributed to my strength and stamina.

After my Sunday morning run the rain came back and I was glad that I got out ahead of it by running early. By late afternoon the sun was shining and the air felt cool so I took a leisurely bike ride around my neighborhood for about 20 minutes. Just like at Stillwell, it's a different experience when on a bike. You go twice as fast with half the effort. The best part is that biking provides a way to work on leg turnover without impact. My knee has improved well and I attribute that to this weekend's mix of shorter runs and biking. I don't expect to increase the length of my rides but I plan to take the bike out more frequently. It's great to have another non-impact option for cross training. But in the end, the goal is to make me a better runner.