Three cheers

Today's run (street): 2.5 miles at 9:38 per mile

It has been an interesting week already. Two of my colleagues have left my office floor, one permanently and the other for a few months. My friend Sedentary Man is moving to another division located three floors down from mine. Happily our paths should continue to cross and while I'll miss my neighbor I benefit by having a great new neighbor (and dedicated cyclist/runner), FS, who will be taking over Sedentary Man's department. Also leaving this week is Adventure Girl who is doing graduate school research in the northwest this summer. I'll miss SM and AG but I'm excited for their new opportunities and experiences. The other big news is that last night Mrs. Emerging Runner was honored to receive a national PTA award as a life member of the New York State Congress of Parents and Teachers. This was a big surprise and our kids were very excited to go up with her as she received the award. Even after that late night she was back on the treadmill this morning at 6:00 AM!

Speaking of early mornings, I somehow made my way outside at 4:00 AM for my daily run. I was also tired from the long day and evening's activities but I used my sleep-like state to ease me through the workout. Halfway through my 2.5 mile run I started putting a little more speed into my stride but my overall pace was, well, sleepy. I'm not sure whether I'll run or elliptical tomorrow, I'll see how I feel in the morning. I'm hoping to do a noontime run in the city with my friend Steve on Friday to end the week. Next week I'm traveling again which presents another chance to run in a different city. My schedule will be very tight on that trip so a run is unlikely but you never know.

Summer running

After four days of sunny weather it really feels like summer has arrived. I'm no fan of the heat but I'm not dreading it as much as I did last year. It was the hot weather that pushed me to do more trail running last summer and I've enjoyed that experience many times since. Now that the state parks on Long Island have been fully funded I'm looking forward to revisiting some, like Caleb Smith State Park along with others that were due to close. My company is once again offering "Summer Fridays" that allow staff to finish the work week around 1:00 PM. I usually work the mornings, go out for a NYC run at lunchtime and then head home. I did some great Friday runs last summer with Adventure Girl in Central Park, on the west side bike paths, over the Brooklyn and GW Bridges and along the Old Croton Aqueduct trail. Just thinking about the possibilities gets me excited and I hope to recruit some running friends to join me this year. I used to dread summer because of the heat, but running on the trails and in the city has turned that into a real positive.

A Stillwell Woods trail run wraps up the week

Today's run (Stillwell Woods trails): 4.7 miles at 9:54 per mile

It may have been the realization that the long Memorial Day weekend was coming to an end that had me feeling a little low this morning. In anticipation of a full day's activities I set out early on a trail run at the local preserve (Stillwell Woods). I had hoped that the hard activity combined with running the wooded paths would help me improve my mood.

The weather people were reporting hot conditions so I dressed accordingly. The shade from the trees held off the heat from the sun but it was still extremely humid, even at 7:30 AM. I've learned enough about the trails to navigate with some confidence and I followed a two mile route that took me east and south. I repeated that loop but picked up the wrong trail at a cross point that took me in an unfamiliar direction. At one point, as I followed a tight singletrack path, I was startled to see a large dog standing in my way. I hoped the dog was friendly and was glad when its owner appeared and quickly called it off. Later in the run I saw them again but this time I was prepared for the encounter. Occasionally I'll encounter an overly exuberant dog in my runs at Stillwell but I'm happy to say the dogs are never aggressive or threatening. Along the way I encountered a few other people running their dogs and a handful of mountain bikers bombing down the trails at speeds I would not have attempted. I eventually found my bearings and made my way back to a trail along my planned route where I continued until I reached the big field. One loop around that field and my run was done.

It's been a week packed with many runs including some fun experiences in Cambridge, at Eisenhower Park and today on the trails. I plan to rest tomorrow and then start planning for my next race, an 8K that happens on June 13. I plan to go shopping this week for a new lightweight tech shirt to help me handle the summer heat. That's always a nice way to elevate the mood and break up the work day.

Tough going for an easy four

Today's run (street): 3.9 miles at 9:17 per mile

By now I expect that my friend FS and her husband are celebrating their finish at Boston's Run to Remember Half Marathon. This race, that begins and ends in Boston's World Trade Center, covers a lot of ground including a lengthy segment that has runners going over the Longfellow Bridge as they make their way along Memorial Drive. The span on Memorial goes past Harvard University and then back again to the starting point. Having covered the Charles River segment twice last week I'm a bit envious but realistic enough to know that I'm not prepared to take on 13.1 miles. I am looking forward to hearing the details next week when we all return to the office.

My running challenge this morning was far more modest. I intended to go out for a 3 to 4 mile run and ended up just short of the 4 mile mark. The Garmin was not tracking accurately so I thought I had covered 4.06 miles when in fact it was 3.9 (per Gmaps). My sub 9-minute run was actually closer to a mid-9:00 effort. But effort was the operative word and this morning it was tough going. The chirp from the Garmin that signaled that the first mile had passed surprised me because it happened faster than I'd expected. I figured I was just having a good run and I was wearing my lightweight Kinvaras so why not? By the end of mile two things had reversed themselves and I was ready to start wrapping things up. I'm not sure what accounted for that but it was possible that the increasing sun and heat combined with the extra work running in the near-flat Kinvaras were the culprits. I have not had an off day since last Monday so it may have been an issue of over-training. I was happy to have completed four miles although it turned out later to be just shy of that distance.

 The rest of the day has been spent with family and we're enjoying the long Memorial Day holiday with plenty of pool time. Tomorrow I'll aim to start even earlier to better manage the heat. Tuesday I'll rest. I think I need it.

Gear matters

5.1 miles at Eisenhower Park

Today's run (Eisenhower Park): 5.1 miles @ 9:23 per mile

I've said it before but I'll say it again: gear matters. I'm beginning to understand that a person's running pace is related to both their physical abilities as well as the unique conditions and variables that make up a run. Hills and heat can slow down a runner while the right weather can make a run feel effortless. A shirt that fails to wick moisture can contribute to overheating and ill fitting socks or uncomfortable running shorts can distract from a runner's focus. Every variable can yield a positive or negative influence on performance. What is a quick drying shirt worth to you on a hot, humid day? I'd say plenty. What about running shoes?

If you asked me a month ago what I averaged for pace I would have said that I run between 9:05-9:25 per mile. In a race I'd usually beat the low end of that by 20-30 seconds. Again, it's the conditions that make the difference with all those other runners helping to sweep you along. Recently I've been alternating between my mainstay Brooks Adrenalin GTS 10's and two pairs of lightweight Saucony running shoes. When I run in the Brooks I'm a solid low-9:00 miler. If I'd needed heavy motion control shoes I might be working hard to regularly break 10 minute miles. When I run in the Saucony Kinvaras I often attain paces below 9:00 per mile. If I'd always run in the Kinvaras I'd have considered myself a sub-9 minute mile runner all along.

The Saucony Grid Tangent 4's provide an even greater boost. I regularly run 8:40 minute miles with the Tangents which I consider to be a decent 5K race pace. I haven't yet raced in these shoes but I'm hoping the combination of speed boost from the shoes plus a faster pace through competition will help me beat my racing PR of 8:19 per mile. My next race is an 8K that pushed my limits last year so it will be interesting to see how the variables work on that day.

This morning I returned to Eisenhower Park to run the paths, some of which I'd traveled on a Red Cross walkathon with my family earlier in the month. I locked onto a course defined by arrows painted on the ground and followed that all around until I found myself back near where I'd started. I took a more free range route from there, circumnavigating the big pond where people sail three foot remote controlled sailboats and then passed through the Veteran's Memorial gardens. At that point I began to hear the sound of a marching band blasting out patriotic music as was fitting on this Memorial Day weekend. I finished after completing five miles and while my speed wasn't impressive it was definitely a good workout. So perhaps I may have covered more distance at a faster speed were I wearing my Sauconys. Gear definitely matters but between the GTS 10's and the Tangent 4's, it's all good.