More tomorrow after I hit the road. or should I say, the dirt.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Rocky Mountain high
We've settled into our Colorado digs and have looked around a bit. The mountains are amazing and I can't wait to do some running. We have trails that start right out the back of the hotel. One leads directly to the Garden of the Gods.Take a look at this tweet to see a picture out our window: http://twitter.com/EmergingRunner/status/18311930370
Saturday, July 10, 2010
The Emerging Runner Two-Athlon
 |
| Running (top), swimming (bottom), results (middle) |
Today's run (street): 4.15 miles at 9:52
Yesterday afternoon the Emerging Runner Family held our first Emerging Runner Duathlon. Or as my kids insist on calling it, a Two-Athlon. The event pitched parents (The Sunset Swimmers) against kids (The Wave Runners) on a course that included seven laps around a backyard "track" and then three laps across the length of the pool. With temperatures close to 90 degrees the running was hot but the swimming was great. Although we weren't aiming for an Ironman-level challenge, these ten laps weren't as easy as they sound. It was quite an anaerobic workout.
I have no idea of the length of the running course but running at a full sprint in the heat with sharp turns around the pylons was harder than I'd expected. We all stayed within a few seconds of each other in terms of lap times but those seconds added up to make a difference. I'm usually reluctant to jump right in the pool but not during this race. We're all pretty strong swimmers and our times were fairly close on that segment as well. With no handicapping, the Wave Runners took the prize by beating us by a margin of three seconds. It couldn't have been much closer. My son took the overall finisher prize by winning both the running and swimming segments, beating my overall time by 8 seconds. Very humbling. My wife and daughter finished close to us which explains the razor thin margin of victory. So the kids have bragging rights until the next race.
We leave for our trip tomorrow so I thought I'd get one more east coast run in before we head to the Rockies. Just as I prepared to start my run the skies opened up with some much needed rain so I stood in the garage with my daughter and watched it come down. Soon the clouds moved on and I headed out. After a rain the air feels cooler and I enjoyed that for about ten minutes until the humidity came back in force. The heat and moisture in the air didn't make me want to stop running but it definitely affected my speed. I ended up running about 40 minutes and covered a little more than 4 miles. I thought of my friend FS who raced this morning in Central Park and probably experienced both the rain and the humidity over the 10K course. I'm glad I wasn't racing today. I'm going to try to post while I'm away using my iPhone. I hope that works, otherwise I'll be posting a lot of stuff when I return!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Injuries, pains and hot sushi
Today's run (street): 2.5 miles at 9:20
All runners worry about injuries, especially those that happen quickly and interrupt our lives. Even non-athletes experience injuries. My mother is in the process of selling her home on Cape Cod and was preparing for a yard sale when she tripped on a box and fell. This resulted in two broken wrists. She's recovering from yesterday's surgery and is facing weeks of rehab. Our family is fortunate that my brother and his family live in Boston and are taking great care of her. It's scary to think about how something as sudden and unexpected as a fall can change your life so quickly.
I've been very fortunate in terms of injuries over the last couple of years since I've returned to running. I caused my own problems early on when I went to the track for speed work and ran some intervals too fast without properly warming up. I pulled an abductor muscle on my left side and for months this injury acted up like clockwork whenever I'd reach the third mile of a run. I also developed a nagging pain in my right leg that would show up at the beginning of a run but that usually dissipated after a few minutes. I eventually solved that problem by replacing my Nikes with Brooks Adrenalins. Those Brooks cured my pain within a week and have never caused me pain. My original pair have 600+ miles and I can still run in them without a problem. I've been fortunate to have avoided any other running injuries since the ones that I've mentioned. I'm sure sure if I pushed more and did regular speed workouts I'd probably end up hurting myself again. So ultimately, being a lazy runner can be a good thing.
All runners worry about injuries, especially those that happen quickly and interrupt our lives. Even non-athletes experience injuries. My mother is in the process of selling her home on Cape Cod and was preparing for a yard sale when she tripped on a box and fell. This resulted in two broken wrists. She's recovering from yesterday's surgery and is facing weeks of rehab. Our family is fortunate that my brother and his family live in Boston and are taking great care of her. It's scary to think about how something as sudden and unexpected as a fall can change your life so quickly.
I've been very fortunate in terms of injuries over the last couple of years since I've returned to running. I caused my own problems early on when I went to the track for speed work and ran some intervals too fast without properly warming up. I pulled an abductor muscle on my left side and for months this injury acted up like clockwork whenever I'd reach the third mile of a run. I also developed a nagging pain in my right leg that would show up at the beginning of a run but that usually dissipated after a few minutes. I eventually solved that problem by replacing my Nikes with Brooks Adrenalins. Those Brooks cured my pain within a week and have never caused me pain. My original pair have 600+ miles and I can still run in them without a problem. I've been fortunate to have avoided any other running injuries since the ones that I've mentioned. I'm sure sure if I pushed more and did regular speed workouts I'd probably end up hurting myself again. So ultimately, being a lazy runner can be a good thing.
 |
| I guess cooked sushi defeats the concept |
It's easy to be a lazy runner with the weather this week. The temperatures have dropped to the 70's in the early mornings but the humidity remains high. I got out this morning and did my miles but it was definitely a workman's effort to get through the run. I was amused by the above sign in our corporate cafeteria yesterday notifying employees that "Sushi Thursdays" were cancelled due to the heat. Not being a fan of sushi I was amused by this action. However, there were lots of disappointed people. On the bright side, while the mercury rose outside, the mercury levels of the sushi eaters didn't!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Anticipating altitude adjustment
Today's workout (elliptical): 24 minutes
Despite the heat of the last few days my running comfort has been fine. The old cliche "It's not the heat, it's the humidity" actually makes great sense. While it has been relatively dry this week, this morning's dew point of 70 and temperatures heading to the 90's makes it feel darn uncomfortable. I forgot to set up my running gear last night and when I got up I thought it would be easier and more time-efficient to do an elliptical session. That was a good decision and although the indoor air was plenty humid I had little trouble getting through my workout.
I'm thinking about running in Colorado next week and wondering how that will go. With altitudes of 6,000 feet and higher I know I won't be running very long. AG wrote about her acclimation to high elevations in Oregon where she's doing a research project this summer. I know she has adapted well -- in fact he'll be running a half marathon there next month, but I won't be on vacation long enough to build much capacity. There is a trail very near where we're staying and I plan to run that first. The main trail is only about a couple of miles but even a four mile out-and-back may be far too much to take on without proper altitude conditioning. I may end up doing most of my workouts in the fitness center and focus my outdoor efforts on hiking. I'll have to see how it goes.
Despite the heat of the last few days my running comfort has been fine. The old cliche "It's not the heat, it's the humidity" actually makes great sense. While it has been relatively dry this week, this morning's dew point of 70 and temperatures heading to the 90's makes it feel darn uncomfortable. I forgot to set up my running gear last night and when I got up I thought it would be easier and more time-efficient to do an elliptical session. That was a good decision and although the indoor air was plenty humid I had little trouble getting through my workout.
I'm thinking about running in Colorado next week and wondering how that will go. With altitudes of 6,000 feet and higher I know I won't be running very long. AG wrote about her acclimation to high elevations in Oregon where she's doing a research project this summer. I know she has adapted well -- in fact he'll be running a half marathon there next month, but I won't be on vacation long enough to build much capacity. There is a trail very near where we're staying and I plan to run that first. The main trail is only about a couple of miles but even a four mile out-and-back may be far too much to take on without proper altitude conditioning. I may end up doing most of my workouts in the fitness center and focus my outdoor efforts on hiking. I'll have to see how it goes.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Mid-foot running is great but where's the speed?
Today's run (street): 2.6 miles at 9:32
Stepping out in the Kinvaras for this morning's run reminded me why real running shoes, even lightweight minimalist ones, serve an important purpose. I did well with my pool shoes on Sunday and had no residual aches or pains after my run but my feet felt far better during today's run in the Sauconys. The Kinvaras are almost flat between heel and front foot but they aren't built as low to the ground as some other lightweight trainers. The slightly higher platform allows for a little more cushioning and provides a comfortable ride. My longest run in them so far was 5.5 miles but I have no concerns about doubling that distance (except, of course, for my own limitations). It's interesting that I've lost a lot of speed in the last couple of months. My first runs in the Kinvaras were under 9 minutes per mile. Now I'm averaging closer to 9:30 miles most days regardless of the shoes I wear.
It was 85 degrees and humid when I started my run at 4:05 AM today. With no sun and a slight breeze it wasn't bad. For some reason the Garmin foot pod always over-counts distance on the Kinvaras, probably due to the flatter angle of the upper compared to my other shoes. This translates to faster paces on the FR60 display and more distance captured. I always check my route against Gmaps to find the margin of error and saw that the indicted distance and pace (2.67 mile & 9:18/mile respectively) were overstated by 3%. I can rarely tell while running at 4 AM whether I'm tracking mid 9:00 miles or high 8's so I'm often disappointed (and occasionally delighted) when I calculate based on Gmaps. Regardless of pace or distance I got out there in the heat and covered some good ground while reinforcing my mid foot striking style. The speed will come. I keep telling myself that.
Stepping out in the Kinvaras for this morning's run reminded me why real running shoes, even lightweight minimalist ones, serve an important purpose. I did well with my pool shoes on Sunday and had no residual aches or pains after my run but my feet felt far better during today's run in the Sauconys. The Kinvaras are almost flat between heel and front foot but they aren't built as low to the ground as some other lightweight trainers. The slightly higher platform allows for a little more cushioning and provides a comfortable ride. My longest run in them so far was 5.5 miles but I have no concerns about doubling that distance (except, of course, for my own limitations). It's interesting that I've lost a lot of speed in the last couple of months. My first runs in the Kinvaras were under 9 minutes per mile. Now I'm averaging closer to 9:30 miles most days regardless of the shoes I wear.
It was 85 degrees and humid when I started my run at 4:05 AM today. With no sun and a slight breeze it wasn't bad. For some reason the Garmin foot pod always over-counts distance on the Kinvaras, probably due to the flatter angle of the upper compared to my other shoes. This translates to faster paces on the FR60 display and more distance captured. I always check my route against Gmaps to find the margin of error and saw that the indicted distance and pace (2.67 mile & 9:18/mile respectively) were overstated by 3%. I can rarely tell while running at 4 AM whether I'm tracking mid 9:00 miles or high 8's so I'm often disappointed (and occasionally delighted) when I calculate based on Gmaps. Regardless of pace or distance I got out there in the heat and covered some good ground while reinforcing my mid foot striking style. The speed will come. I keep telling myself that.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
Posts
