Liking the Garmin FR60 (so far)

Today's workout (treadmill): 2.2 miles with 2% to 5% incline

As planned, I used today's run to complete my hill training for Sunday's race. Until the new treadmill is repaired tomorrow (I'm really hoping a replacement motor will remedy the belt slips) I'm being careful not to run at faster speeds on the machine. I set a pace just below 6 MPH and pushed the incline steadily up to 5%, starting first with 2% and adding a percentage point every couple of minutes until I reached 5. Even at a slower pace, running a 5% grade was hard work. Near the end I brought the incline down to 0 and ran the last couple of minutes around 6.8 MPH. I received my Garmin FR60 yesterday and put it to work today. It was great to see it sync up with my FR 50's foot pod and while the interface on the FR60 is still fairly opaque it's an improvement over its predecessor. Once I understood the menus and navigation I realized that FR60 has some very nice features that the 50 lacked, such as automatic capture of split times. I'll need to calibrate the FR60 because its distance numbers weren't aligned with the treadmill's but I've also been suspicious of the treadmill's accuracy and that could be related to the motor problem.

The FR60 has something called "Race Mode" that sounds interesting. I plan to look online at the expanded manual to understand what that means and how it differs from normal training mode. Tomorrow I plan to go out for a regular run to finish my training for the race. I feel good and I did very well with the inclines. Although my pace was modest the effort was not. Based upon the summary metrics, adjusting for the incline (per my chart) I averaged an equivalent of 9:00 per mile on a flat course. I'm happy with that since I usually reduce my normal pace by 20-30 seconds per mile on race day.

My 500th post!

Today's workout: 2 mile tempo at 8:41 per mile

It's hard to believe but today's post is the 500th since I started The Emerging Runner in 2008. I like having a bit of history to look back upon. My original goal for this blog was for it to be a journal of my experience returning to running. I do use it for that and I find it helpful to occasionally look back on what I was doing a year ago to see if I've made any progress or if I'm looking at running differently. I'd say there's been progress and my view of running hasn't changed a bit. Both good things.

With all my hill work and trail running over the last week I felt that I needed to do a more speed-focused workout today. Last night I mapped a run that measured exactly 2 miles that I planned to cover at 5K race pace. One reason I kept the distance down to two miles was to motivate myself to run faster than I normally would at 4 AM. Another reason for the exact two mile route was to quickly compare the distance MotionX was mapping compared to my actual, known distance.

The run went well. I didn't expect to hit a record breaking pace because I generally run about 15 seconds per mile slower at this early hour. The run felt fast and I knew I'd do better than normal (and I did) but I was still disappointed with my 8:41 pace. MotionX, the GPS app I've been using on my iPhone, was again way off. It measured the run at 1.86 miles. It's easy to see why it does that. Looking at the map trace from the GPS signal shows a number of vectored corners and shortened paths that add up to less total distance. This confirmed that the GPS always under-counts distance and today's margin of inaccuracy told me that it was off by 7%. That's disappointing and it's the primary reason that I didn't buy a GPS watch to replace my Garmin 50. I've been told that the Garmin GPS watches are far more accurate than the iPhone but I'll stick to the foot pod for now.

Into the taper

Today's workout: rest day

Self destructing iLUV iPhone armband

My vacation is over but I'm still feeling the benefits of a good eight days of running. While I was off I ran 30 miles and much of that was done on challenging terrain. I'm six days away from my next race, the Marcy Mazzola Foundation 5K, and now in taper mode. After ten hard miles over the weekend and Friday I decided to take my usual rest day today and then use Tuesday through Thursday for my final training. I'll rest this coming Friday and Saturday and then race on Sunday. I'm planning to do an early street run tomorrow on a predetermined course and I'll set my target for a fairly aggressive pace. On Wednesday I'll do a treadmill run with inclines for my last hill training exercise and Thursday will be my last run of the week. I ended up buying the Garmin FR60 and I hope that it comes soon so I can familiarize myself with it before the race. Between the treadmill, my Garmin 50 and my iPhone armband it's been a bad month for running technologies.

$2.22 per mile and worth every penny

Today's run (Bethpage trails): 3.65 miles 

I was hoping that there would be no parking fee to Bethpage State park this morning because of the holiday but the guard was there to collect my $8. In truth, I'm happy to pay for access to this park, especially with all the talk about cutting back on funding to Long Island's State Parks because they don't make enough money. I can't believe the hypocrisy in that. Parks aren't supposed to make money, they are there to provide people with a higher quality of life. Using the same logic perhaps we should close the schools because they are really unprofitable.

I paid my fee and parked in the nearly empty lot. There were a few people out running on the bike paths but I headed straight for the trails. What I remembered about Bethpage was how well they kept the trails and as I entered the main trail head I appreciated the expansive, flat and groomed path in front of me. I initially followed a marked trail that took me in a circle back to the start. I knew that would likely happen but I held hope that this trail would bring me east and north but instead it did the opposite. After entering the woods for a second time I locked onto a trail with blue markings that I followed for close to a mile. This trail was narrow but flat and it twisted and turned a number of times. Along the way the arm band that I've used to carry my iPhone finally gave way and I needed to stop for a moment and fish the device out of clump or sprouting plants. The only other interruption was when a mountain biker came up from behind and I paused to let him by. He was polite and apologetic about it and he should have been since bikes are not allowed on those trails.

I eventually locked onto a trail that I followed along the western perimeter all the way south to the bike path. AG and I had followed part of this trail last summer and exited at the same point, right before a steep hill that goes on for about a quarter mile. I was both annoyed and happy about this. Annoyed because I wasn't pleased to do the work but happy because the rest of my run had taken place on flat terrain and this gave me another chance to practice hill running for next Sunday's race. Once I'd crested the hill I jumped back on the dirt trail and finished my run through the woods. It was a great experience, perfect weather over really fun trails. It's back to business tomorrow but it's been a great week for running. Our treadmill is scheduled to be repaired on the 8th and I'm expecting a new running toy as early as tomorrow. Can you guess what it is?

Running and hiking make a great combination

Caleb Smith State Park has 543 acres of trails and wetlands

Today's run (street): 4.6 miles at 9:07/mile

I'm nearing the end of my vacation so we jammed a lot of activities into the day. My kids are happier because they don't return to school until next Wednesday. It's been a great week and there's still another day left before I have to head back to the office. After yesterday's moderate workout at the park I decided to only do a 4 mile run this morning because we planned to go for a hike a little later. I headed over to neighborhood #2 where I covered about three miles and finished up back in my own neighborhood after completing a total of 4.6. Conditions were near perfect, 44 degrees and dry, and I dressed correctly. I pushed my pace a little more than I have been doing and was not disappointed to average 9:07 per mile.

A few hours later we headed to Caleb Smith State Park in Smithtown, a 543 acre preserve with groomed, well marked trails. The park is beautiful, featuring ponds and streams, with lots of small side paths that take you over wooden bridges. We saw lots of interesting trees and plants and we even saw a snake. The biggest surprise for me wasn't seeing the snake in the woods, it was the fact that my kids wanted to pose next to it for a picture. There are a number of trails to follow. A circuit that includes the yellow and blue trails is 2.25 miles. I'd like to do a couple of laps around that course sometime.

I'm not sure how I'll finish my vacation in terms of running but I think a trail run would be the best choice tomorrow with temperatures in the low 70's expected. I'm not sure if I should head to Stillwell, Muttontown or Bethpage but either way I'd be making a great choice.