Treadmills aren't always portals to boredom

Today's run (treadmill): 3.2 miles

For all my complaining about the treadmill as a portal to mind blowing boredom, I'm sure spending a lot of time on ours. Back in 2011 I managed to go almost six months without using the machine. This was a well timed period between spring, summer and fall when it never seemed to rain at 4:00 AM. On those rare occasions where the weather interfered, I'd default to the elliptical machine.

Once again, the weather kept me inside today. 22 degrees plus wind chill made for an uninviting outdoor running experience. I could have bundled up and gone outside but I wanted to focus on my speed. I don't run as fast with lots of layers and I'll need to figure that out for the race on Saturday. I'm hoping for a mild turn in the weather and I'll stay inside the registration area as long as I can to minimize the amount of time spent in the cold prior to the start. Those five minutes waiting for the gun can get downright chilly.

This morning's treadmill run started fast and I didn't let off my speed until I'd finished. I increased pace incrementally over the last five minutes, pouring it on at the end to simulate the finish of a race. I'm feeling primed at this point and I'm looking forward to returning to the road tomorrow. I'm still not a treadmill lover but, with these speed focused runs, I'm rarely bored.

Snowflake looms so no backing down

Speed play and HR % of MAX

Today's run (treadmill): 5.2 miles

I was up at 5:30 AM this morning and the winds were howling. The news stations were talking about wind chills in the teens and I decided to return to the treadmill rather than face the bitter cold. I'm hoping that by next Saturday the weather will be milder. Many races provide no warming shelter prior to the event. I'm happy that the Long Beach Snowflake race is staged in a school gym located across the road from the starting line.

Yesterday's run was done a little faster than my normal training pace, and I debated whether I should take down the intensity today. I decided to go the other way and started at a brisk pace, maintaining that speed until the 15 minute mark. I increased it 8% at that point for about five minutes. I then backed down to my original pace and held it until I surged again for the final five minutes of my run.

I often question the accuracy of the treadmill's display because the effort required on the treadmill seems greater than an equivalent pace on the road. That's okay, I'd rather have it under-count the distance than gain a false sense of my performance. So my 5.2 miles was hard earned and likely lower than the actual "distance" I'd covered.

I'll probably run tomorrow through Wednesday and rest the two days prior to the race. I've read about the benefits of moderation in terms of weekly distance and the frequency of workouts, so I have no problem with that taper plan. I'm running well but I haven't raced in three months, so I'm not really sure how competitive I'll be. I'm not expecting to beat last year's PR, but I do have a target that I hope to beat. In reality, it's just nice to be back in the game.

Timing is everything with the Fitbit

Little bit, lots of Fit

Today's run (street): 4.3 miles

In life, timing can make a big difference. The big news that I'm leaving my company after 20 years was followed two weeks later by the yet to be confirmed news that my company is in talks to be sold. I'm unbelievably glad to be leaving before that happens. At the other side of the good timing scale, my company is (once again) offering staffers the opportunity to purchase Fitbit trackers at a sizable discount (80%). If I'd left a few weeks earlier, I wouldn't have scored that discount.

The first time they've offered this, I bought a device and gave it to my wife. The Fitbit One is simple to use and it captures a copious amount of performance data. Among the metrics are steps taken, staircase climbs, calories burned and it can even track your sleep patterns. My wife uses it daily to track both her workouts and her daily steps. It provides fun feedback and motivation on its little display.

I decided to try using it because I'll no longer be in an office where I am constantly moving from place to place. My wife pointed out that, even though I'm good about doing my morning workouts, I risk falling into a sedentary lifestyle the rest of the day. I've learned in business that tracking indicators (of things you can control) helps to optimize desirable outcomes. So there you go. I hope to see my new device some time next week.

This morning I went outside for a run for the first time in two weeks. I couldn't believe that was the case until I checked my Garmin Connect logs and saw all the treadmill (and a couple of elliptical) workouts dating back to February 2nd. After checking the weather, I dressed for the cold and made my way outside. I had a slight concern about the residual snow that covered my main escape route, the sidewalks. I figured that if I felt any concern for safety, I'd do a dive into a nearby snowbank.

It turned out to be a very safe run with very few cars. The cars that were on the road maintained a respectful distance and drove slowly. Still I was hyper-vigilant because I don't trust drivers under even the best conditions. I wore a bright orange outer layer on top to maximize my visibility to drivers. I probably could have done with one less layer underneath, but I was fine overall.

My run went well and, despite 14 MPH winds, I managed to beat my average training pace by about 10 seconds per mile. If not for the winds, I may have improved that by another five percent or so. As I ran, I thought about next Saturday when I'll be racing in Long Beach. Last year the temperature was slightly above freezing and there was a mix of sleet and snow falling. I wore my ultra-minimal Hattoris and my toes went numb. But I still ran my fastest 4 mile race that day.

Goodbye office, hello treadmill

See ya

Wednesday's run (treadmill): 2.4 miles
Friday's run (treadmill): 3.25 miles

Although I have been only intermittently engaged with my company in the last two weeks, I was still going in the office a few days to finish up business. Yesterday was the culmination of that. I boxed up my personal items and bubble wrapped the artwork that had hung on the walls of the ten offices I've occupied since joining the company in 1992. It wasn't a dramatic exit, much more, "See ya soon" than "goodbye." But, a day later, I'm already missing my co-workers.

The night before I was graciously treated to dinner by some industry friends who took me to an excellent and very trendy restaurant not far from my office. It had already been a long day by the time I met up with them. The conversation flowed and the evening went long. I didn't get home until nearly midnight. I had to to go into the office early on Thursday morning, so I skipped my workout to allow me to sleep an extra hour.

Wednesday morning I got up at 4:30 AM and did a treadmill run. I knew the day would be long and that I'd be covering a number of sections of the city on foot. That said, I still wanted to get in a workout. I don't remember much about Wednesday's treadmill run except that I had trouble maintaining an aggressive pace. I did manage to get to targeted speed in the final few minutes, but it wasn't a high performance run.

This morning my wife and I had to run an early morning errand and when we returned home, I headed upstairs for a treadmill run. I'm only a week away from the Snowball race so I didn't hesitate to set a fast pace from the start. I was running in my optimal time window and that helped me sustain speeds that were a little too tough on Wednesday morning. I increased the pace until I'd reached my initial heart rate target.

It's funny how runs can vary from day to day. Today everything went smoothly and I was pleased with my performance. It would be great to get to Bethpage this weekend to take advantage of all the hills. You'd think that in 2013, technology would allow me to know if the gates to Bethpage State Park are open before I drive all the way over there. I suppose the best way to confirm that is to use a technology that was invented in 1876, the telephone, and call the park's maintenance office.

Frustration mounts with the ProForm CE 6.0

Hey elliptical, you've gotta screw loose!

Today's workout (elliptical): 25 minutes

Today has been busy. This morning was filled with meetings and this afternoon I presented a technical paper at a W3C conference. I'd had a much different expectation about early retirement. Tomorrow will be even busier. 

This morning I decided to use the new elliptical while my wife ran on the treadmill. It was my second time using the machine and, once again, I was disappointed. I had hoped that this ProForm, that looks a lot like our old X1, would perform in similar way. Aside from the fact that they both provide elliptical motion, the user experience is far opposite.

The difference is in the quality. The X1 had its challenges, but it was a sturdy beast. The ProForm CE 6.0 is a wobbly contraption that squeaks and squeals. The display shows your distance only in revolutions (huh?) and there's no way to pause the timer during a workout.

Why would need to pause the timer? One reason might be that the bolt that attaches the arm to the center post tends to work its way free. I had to jump off the machine this morning at one point and tighten it with an Allen wrench. Lucky for me, I'd removed the decorative plastic collar last week to get to this bolt. I needed to break the collar's connecting tabs when I did that, so it's not going back on.

The rest of my workout went without incident and the bolt stayed in after my mid-session triage. While I consider the CE 6.0 far inferior to the unit it replaced, I still ended up with good workout that got my heart rate to target. It will be back to the treadmill tomorrow. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm actually looking forward to using it.

Housebound, but still pushing race pace

Today's run (treadmill): 3.25 miles

Warming trend

 The roads have been cleared but they're still too narrow to run. The sidewalks are completely inaccessible. So, once again, I hit the treadmill this morning. I wasn't very excited to do another indoor run but I had little choice. Yesterday I went for 5 easy miles, but today I needed to step it up.

We had late morning plans so I had a limited time to run. I figured that I'd go about 30 minutes, a pretty short workout for a Sunday. To get over 3 miles I knew I needed to push my speed. That meant starting at a pace close to where I normally finish and building speed further through the last mile.

Despite yesterday's restful workout, my return to speed went seamlessly. I had no trouble maintaining a brisk pace throughout the 30 or so minutes that I was on the treadmill. I ran hard, covered my distance and finished feeling like I'd been racing. The difference between today's effort and a race effort was about 20 seconds per mile. I didn't want to go all out, but I did want to get my heart rate up into zone 4. I ended up just about there by the end.

With this snow, I'm not sure when I'll feel comfortable going back to the streets to run. I'm hoping for warmer temperatures and sunny skies over the next few days. According to the weather reports, I may get my wish.

Loathing this makes the treadmill more tolerable

Pretty sure I remember this happening before

Today's run (treadmill): 5.2 miles

Hey, has anyone notice that it snowed? Seriously, the news stations are treating this blizzard like the second coming of Sandy. For most people in the area, it was just a bunch of snow. But I do have sympathy for the thousands who lost their power last night. Sandy happened at the end of October when temperatures were generally in the low 40's. Freezing temps + no power = misery.

I was thrilled to see that we still had our power when I woke up this morning. The roads were covered in deep snow at 5:00 AM. My town supposedly received 18"-24" and I was glad that we'd chosen to let our landscaper plow the driveway, rather that go out in shifts every few hours to shovel. I actually enjoy the whole shoveling experience, but this seemed a more practical way to move that much snow.

The snowplows went to work around 7:00 AM and I decided that the streets were no place to be. I debated between the elliptical and the treadmill and chose the latter. Today's goal was five miles that I would run at a moderate pace. After a string of intense workouts, I wanted to ease up a bit while I still got some miles in. I wasn't running outside, but the view from the window was postcard pretty.

I have trouble hearing the TV when I'm on the treadmill so I usually watch the news. That's because it's more visual with lots of readable information on the screen. But today I just couldn't stand the repeating stories about the storm. Is it really that fascinating for people to hear that snow had fallen? Perhaps so. Instead of the news, I put on one of the commercial-free music channels provided by our cable company.

I started my run listening to really bad music. Most people like songs that connect them to positive experiences. For example, the music that was playing on a first date or during a fun event with friends will provide more meaning. Sometimes those songs are bad, but you love them anyway. The channel I chose was playing that whiny, tuneless rock from the 90's that is usually described as grunge. I dislike it, but I kept listening, because it helped distract my enmity for the treadmill.

It turned out to be a very good workout and I was glad that I picked a run over the elliptical. It looks like street conditions are not going to support safe running for the next few days so I'll remain inside. That being the case, I hope the TV news becomes more interesting. Or the music gets better.

Blizzard conditions outside and hard running inside

Ready or not, here it comes

Today's run (treadmill): 30 minutes

The snow is upon us and, as the local weather guy just said, "You ain't seen nothing yet." The wind is blowing and I'm worried about losing power. Despite all the contingency planning, I have little reason to believe LIPA and National Grid will be up to the task. I'm glad we have a generator that can power a hot plate and heater (plus TV, laptop, phone, and coffee machine) but I'm hoping we won't need to do that.

It wasn't snowing when I was ready to run this morning, but conditions had already turned unpleasant. The wind was building and there was intermittent rain. My wife did her daily treadmill workout and I followed her once she'd finished. Due to the weather, I had no intention of going into the city today. I was able to conduct a lot of business from the comfort of my home office/guest bedroom/fitness room.

I got right into my run, starting at a brisk pace and speeding up further as I got closer to the end. It's true that the more you run faster paces, the easier it is to maintain them. I don't think the treadmill display is close to accurate. A 9:30 pace feels super fast and a 9:00 pace feels like a sprint. Technically, I ran a 9:19 pace, but it felt harder than the 8:45 I ran outdoors a few days ago.

I may do a combination elliptical and treadmill workout tomorrow. If we don't have power, my only option will be the elliptical without display or resistance. I'm hoping that we'll get through this storm free of disruption to both power and running.

Severely concerned about my outdoor running

The quiet of my mid-afternoon train heading out from the city was replaced by the squeal of a dozen cellphones that had just received the same Severe Weather Alert. The message was terse: "Blizzard warning this area. Prepare. Avoid travel. Check media." After Sandy, Long Island does not kid around when it comes to severe weather events.

I decided to take a break this morning after considering either a run or an elliptical session.  I've been pushing myself rather hard of late and I thought a day's rest would be the most beneficial path. I just gave up my monthly LIRR pass in favor of individual tickets. That meant that I'm also forgoing my monthly metro card. So on the days I came into the office this week, I walked from Penn to midtown and back rather than paying for a ride. It's not a substitute for a workout, but it's a couple of miles at a fast walking pace.

I'm hoping the dire warnings about a blizzard are more hype than reality. It's not that I don't like snow, or shoveling. It's actually the opposite on both counts. But large amounts of snow interferes with outside running (How I wish I'd bought snowshoes last year) and it can bring LIPA to its knees. Of course we now have the generator in case we lose our power. Unfortunately I don't have a 15 amp extension cord that will reach the treadmill on the second floor.

Early morning run at a more reasonable hour

Today's run (treadmill): 25 minutes

Today has been an interesting day. It was my first time back in the office since last Wednesday and I was definitely in a different mode. I can't say that I miss the old schedule. Waking up at 3:30 every day is (hopefully) a thing of the past. I had so many great conversations today that I barely made a dent organizing my office materials. I'm sure I'll make much better progress tomorrow.

This morning's workout happened at a far more reasonable hour than normal. 5:00 AM is early for many, but it allowed me almost 90 minutes more sleep than I'd usually get. Once again, I hit the treadmill hard, starting at a speed that I usually wouldn't reach until I'm five minutes to the end of the workout. I've found that when I'm consistently running faster paces I establish a new benchmark for my normal speed. Somehow, over time, I always end up reverting back to my equilibrium pace.

Still, today was another great run and I'm not sure if it has more to do with a renewed focus on speed or simply getting more rest. It's probably a little of both. I'll probably do another treadmill run tomorrow (or an elliptical session) and get outside for Friday's workout. That's contingent on whether we get the 6"-12" of snow that's predicted to fall prior to the weekend.

Fast paced run despite a Bethpage lockout

Snowed out again at Bethpage

Today's run (street): 3.4 miles

I had a great run today, but it wasn't the one I had planned. I headed out early to Bethpage to run the bike trail and to take on some hills. When I arrived, I saw that the drive leading into the park was locked and gated. I thought at first to drive to Haypath Road and park where the Greenbelt trail continues north. Along the way I noticed that the bike path had a lot of snow, so I headed back home.

My neighborhood roads had some icy patches this morning. I'd initially dismissed the idea of running in my neighborhood, but when I returned from Bethpage I saw that the streets looked much clearer. I figured that since I was already dressed for an outdoor run, I'd be better off outside than on the treadmill. After minutes of standing out in the cold, my Garmin acquired its signal and I was finally off.

Today's plan was to run hard, and that's what I did. There was still residual snow on the far right and left sides of the streets, but I felt that I had enough room to maneuver to maintain safety. Traffic was sparse, so I was able to focus on the effort at hand. For the longest time, I've been running at what I call "equilibrium" pace. That's the speed I go when I just tune out and run, usually between 9:30-9:55 per mile.

The speed and effort curves crossed to the left of normal today and I came through the first mile in the 8:30. I didn't record a single split above 9:00. Following my 8:30, my timing went 8:59, 8:58 and 8:26 (for the partial). My overall pace was 8:45/mile, making it my fastest training run in ten months. My heart rate stayed exactly where I wanted it, topping out about 5 BPM below max.

The shorter distance prevented today's harder effort from causing me undue fatigue. In fact I've felt more energized than usual since the run. The challenge will be to maintain that level of focus going forward, at least until race day. Not every run needs to be speedy, but that will be my bias between now and the 23rd.

Preparing to run the Snowflake

Even though I've been away from the office since Thursday, this has probably been the busiest week I've had this year. I'm not complaining, but my plans to run today needed to be postponed. I was planning to go into the office tomorrow, but that's also going to have to wait a day.

I may head to Bethpage on Tuesday morning to enjoy the peaceful experience of running without the weekend crowds. I am definitely in the mood to take on some hills and push the pace. Even though the Snowflake Race will happen on the pancake-flat streets on Long Beach, I've found hill training to be a great way to improve my speed.

My friend Steve, who has run this race with me the last two years, won't be able to join me this year. He has two reasons, one good and one bad: paternity leave (good), knee injury (bad). I'm anticipating a very cold morning on race day and a very big crowd at the starting line. I have done pretty well at this race and, last year, I achieved a 4 mile PR. I don't know about this year, but I plan to be competitive. I may be busy, but not too busy to get out and start training tomorrow.