The weather is unsettled and so are my workout plans today. I decided last night to forgo a Friday morning run even if the skies were clear. For my upcoming race, I'm clearly better off doing more longer distance runs even if my run frequency drops to 4x per week (plus one day of cross training). I'll let the storm decide what I'll do today. I'm forgoing my usual Friday Central Park circuit but if conditions are favorable this afternoon I may go out for a long run nearer to home. If we are seeing driving rain and 30+ MPH winds I'll accept this as a rest day and use that recovery benefit tomorrow morning when I plan to go out for an hour or more.
I've been doing a lot of thinking about ways to facilitate longer runs. Routes that put me on a straight path for long periods seem to work better than those that force me to change course every quarter mile or so. You'd think it would be the opposite because change can help fight off boredom but those long straightaways provide an opportunity to "float" and focus on my surroundings. It would be great to live somewhere like Colorado, California or Oregon that enabled long runs that didn't intersect with traffic. The Bethpage bike path is really the only paved route around here that provides me the opportunity to just run straight ahead. for long distances. Belmont Lake State Park (home of the Dirty Sock 10K) also provides a fairly straight path and it has the extra appeal of being a dirt trail. I'm going to think about my options for longer distance runs over this weekend. Maybe I'll come up with something new to try.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
One out of one doctors say running is good for your heart
Today's workout (elliptical): 25 minutes
I spent much of yesterday at doctor's offices. My appointments were routine (annual physical, etc.) but the process, especially the waiting, can be exhausting. I was glad I ran in the morning because the rest of the day was understandably sedentary. I asked my doctor about an article I'd recently read that said running could pose increased risk to the heart. I wasn't that concerned because the greater risks were with higher mileage, performance focused athletes. My doctor is a nationally ranked cardiologist and I trust his opinion over a newspaper columnist's. He flatly dismissed the risk and said "running is the single best thing you can be doing for your health." That's good enough for me.
I followed my usual schedule this morning and did 25 minutes on the elliptical machine. It was hot and humid but I didn't mind it much today. I selected a higher than normal level of resistance and was able to maintain my usual pace even with wattage output close to 100 (vs my usual 80). I was well soaked when I stepped off the machine but I felt I'd worked as hard (or harder) as I do on my daily runs. It's nice to engage different muscles and to include my upper arms for a change. That's why I devote one day a week to the elliptical. I should probably use it more frequently but if the choice is between running and the elliptical machine it's rare that I'd choose the latter. I'm hoping to run tomorrow but we're hearing that Earl will come close to Long Island tomorrow and (hopefully) move well off shore by late Friday night. If conditions aren't good I may end up on the elliptical tomorrow after all.
I spent much of yesterday at doctor's offices. My appointments were routine (annual physical, etc.) but the process, especially the waiting, can be exhausting. I was glad I ran in the morning because the rest of the day was understandably sedentary. I asked my doctor about an article I'd recently read that said running could pose increased risk to the heart. I wasn't that concerned because the greater risks were with higher mileage, performance focused athletes. My doctor is a nationally ranked cardiologist and I trust his opinion over a newspaper columnist's. He flatly dismissed the risk and said "running is the single best thing you can be doing for your health." That's good enough for me.
I followed my usual schedule this morning and did 25 minutes on the elliptical machine. It was hot and humid but I didn't mind it much today. I selected a higher than normal level of resistance and was able to maintain my usual pace even with wattage output close to 100 (vs my usual 80). I was well soaked when I stepped off the machine but I felt I'd worked as hard (or harder) as I do on my daily runs. It's nice to engage different muscles and to include my upper arms for a change. That's why I devote one day a week to the elliptical. I should probably use it more frequently but if the choice is between running and the elliptical machine it's rare that I'd choose the latter. I'm hoping to run tomorrow but we're hearing that Earl will come close to Long Island tomorrow and (hopefully) move well off shore by late Friday night. If conditions aren't good I may end up on the elliptical tomorrow after all.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Pre-hurricane run
Today's run (street): 4 miles at 9:20
I'm out of the office today and that allowed me a little more time to run this morning. We're back to seeing temperatures in the high 90's after a string of cooler days but, happily, it was still below 80 degrees when I went out at 7:00 AM this morning. If I had more time to run I would have liked to go out for 5 miles or longer. I'm hoping that the Labor Day long weekend will provide the opportunity for a few longer distance runs but hurricane Earl may get in the way of those plans.
My route around the neighborhood was similar to my daily course but I ran a little longer today and there was enough light to see without a headlamp. I saw many neighbors out walking or riding bikes and had to remind myself that it was the middle of the work week and not a Saturday morning. Although it was 77 degrees and rising, I didn't feel at all uncomfortable during my run.
I wore my Saucony Kinvaras as a change from the Brooks and I'm beginning to favor them over most of my other running shoes. Still, on runs greater than 6 miles, I'm concerned that the Kinvaras will provide enough protection for my feet. I'm still dealing with the effects of the Dirty Sock race from two weeks ago that left my feet swollen and the tip of my left-middle toe black. I've been primarily wearing the Brooks since then and that's helped my foot to recover. The Saucony's uppers are gossamer thin and the toe box has enough volume as not to create further problems on shorter runs like today's so I'm now rotating them with the Adrenalins.
I want to get in a few long runs between Friday and Monday but with the storms coming through I'm not sure that will be possible. I don't mind running in a little rain but I'm going to stay indoors if I see "Hurricane Warning"scroll across the bottom of my TV this week.
I'm out of the office today and that allowed me a little more time to run this morning. We're back to seeing temperatures in the high 90's after a string of cooler days but, happily, it was still below 80 degrees when I went out at 7:00 AM this morning. If I had more time to run I would have liked to go out for 5 miles or longer. I'm hoping that the Labor Day long weekend will provide the opportunity for a few longer distance runs but hurricane Earl may get in the way of those plans.
My route around the neighborhood was similar to my daily course but I ran a little longer today and there was enough light to see without a headlamp. I saw many neighbors out walking or riding bikes and had to remind myself that it was the middle of the work week and not a Saturday morning. Although it was 77 degrees and rising, I didn't feel at all uncomfortable during my run.
I wore my Saucony Kinvaras as a change from the Brooks and I'm beginning to favor them over most of my other running shoes. Still, on runs greater than 6 miles, I'm concerned that the Kinvaras will provide enough protection for my feet. I'm still dealing with the effects of the Dirty Sock race from two weeks ago that left my feet swollen and the tip of my left-middle toe black. I've been primarily wearing the Brooks since then and that's helped my foot to recover. The Saucony's uppers are gossamer thin and the toe box has enough volume as not to create further problems on shorter runs like today's so I'm now rotating them with the Adrenalins.
I want to get in a few long runs between Friday and Monday but with the storms coming through I'm not sure that will be possible. I don't mind running in a little rain but I'm going to stay indoors if I see "Hurricane Warning"scroll across the bottom of my TV this week.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Okay soldier, give five happy baby poses!
Today's run (street): 2.7 miles at 9:38
Most mornings I wake up before my alarm goes off and that makes it easier to get up. The vestiges of sleep are already gone by the time I make my way down to the kitchen for my coffee and I'm already thinking about the route I'll run. Today I needed the alarm and as I poured my cup, my still-sleepy mind lobbied for just another rest day. The thought of returning to bed was tempting but I view ad hoc rest days warily. Too many of them could lead to a permanent change to my running schedule. It's a slippery slope. I just called on my favorite motivator, guilt, and was quickly out the door.
When I stepped outside I saw that conditions were good, with cooler air and low humidity. I'm not focused on speed right now so I felt no pressure to push my pace (and I didn't.) I did a variation to my normal route and that kept it interesting. At the two mile point I actually felt stronger than when I'd started and I took a slightly longer route to finish my run of 2.7 miles. The lengthy run on Saturday with 15 total miles over the weekend put me in a different state in terms getting through today's run. I found it easy to go on auto pilot and think about other things as I went along and this made today's run even more enjoyable. Tomorrow I am out of the office and I plan to run a little longer in the morning and build some more mileage.
There was an article in today's NY Times about the Army's new methods of training that involve less traditional exercise like sit ups and more yoga and Pilate's. It's not about the Army being more new age-y, it's a necessary change to accommodate the more out of shape recruits that are coming on board. The article also had this quote: “We haven’t eliminated running,” General Hertling said. “But it’s trying to get away from that being the only thing we do.” I hope they don't continue in that direction. Yoga and Pilate's may be beneficial, but for a soldier, running is essential.
Most mornings I wake up before my alarm goes off and that makes it easier to get up. The vestiges of sleep are already gone by the time I make my way down to the kitchen for my coffee and I'm already thinking about the route I'll run. Today I needed the alarm and as I poured my cup, my still-sleepy mind lobbied for just another rest day. The thought of returning to bed was tempting but I view ad hoc rest days warily. Too many of them could lead to a permanent change to my running schedule. It's a slippery slope. I just called on my favorite motivator, guilt, and was quickly out the door.
When I stepped outside I saw that conditions were good, with cooler air and low humidity. I'm not focused on speed right now so I felt no pressure to push my pace (and I didn't.) I did a variation to my normal route and that kept it interesting. At the two mile point I actually felt stronger than when I'd started and I took a slightly longer route to finish my run of 2.7 miles. The lengthy run on Saturday with 15 total miles over the weekend put me in a different state in terms getting through today's run. I found it easy to go on auto pilot and think about other things as I went along and this made today's run even more enjoyable. Tomorrow I am out of the office and I plan to run a little longer in the morning and build some more mileage.
There was an article in today's NY Times about the Army's new methods of training that involve less traditional exercise like sit ups and more yoga and Pilate's. It's not about the Army being more new age-y, it's a necessary change to accommodate the more out of shape recruits that are coming on board. The article also had this quote: “We haven’t eliminated running,” General Hertling said. “But it’s trying to get away from that being the only thing we do.” I hope they don't continue in that direction. Yoga and Pilate's may be beneficial, but for a soldier, running is essential.
Monday, August 30, 2010
The incremental distance conundrum
I covered more than 20 miles last week, putting me about three miles ahead of my normal weekly total. The long run on Saturday accounted for almost a third of my week's distance and it really underscored the fact that while I run often, I usually don't run that far. I've concluded that the progress I've made on speed has not helped to increase my stamina. I really need to improve my endurance if I want to run well at my next race. Looking at my history on Garmin Connect I see that my average run length is about 3.5 miles but my median distance is slightly less than three. This is no surprise because many of my runs happen in the early morning hours when I hit the streets at 4:00 AM and have no more than 25 minutes to get in a run. Best case, were I to push my speed to 8:30 (a reasonably fast pace at 4AM) I would only cover 2.94 miles within that time. I do want to increase mileage and I think it will take some combination of the following:
- Earlier rising to get out sooner, providing more time to run.
- Sleeping in my running clothes to reduce amount of prep time before I run.
- Running faster.
- Giving up some post-run recovery time in favor of more run time.
- Running on my rest day (Monday).
- Running on my cross-training day (Thursday).
- Doing no less than 5 miles on my weekend runs.
- Focusing on adding a mile every week from my prior week's total.
I'm sure doing these things will help increase my weekly distance total but not every option is practical. In reality, it's not adding the incremental fractions of a mile that will make a difference, it's increasing the frequency and distance of my longer runs. My friend FS said that a focus on time running, rather than specific distance or speed, may be the key. That's good advice. I'm hoping to get three 50+ minute runs in this week. It's a start.
- Earlier rising to get out sooner, providing more time to run.
- Sleeping in my running clothes to reduce amount of prep time before I run.
- Running faster.
- Giving up some post-run recovery time in favor of more run time.
- Running on my rest day (Monday).
- Running on my cross-training day (Thursday).
- Doing no less than 5 miles on my weekend runs.
- Focusing on adding a mile every week from my prior week's total.
I'm sure doing these things will help increase my weekly distance total but not every option is practical. In reality, it's not adding the incremental fractions of a mile that will make a difference, it's increasing the frequency and distance of my longer runs. My friend FS said that a focus on time running, rather than specific distance or speed, may be the key. That's good advice. I'm hoping to get three 50+ minute runs in this week. It's a start.
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