Today's run (street) 2.7 miles
Earlier this week I traded Turkey Trot experiences with my friend CK. He runs the same Thanksgiving day five mile race every year and tries to beat the neighborhood "kids" who are now in their 20's. CK ran that hilly course in 8:20 this year, slower than he'd hoped. I was happy to tell him that I PR'd on the 10K distance and paced under 9:00 per mile. CK said wanted to break eight minutes on his race and I started thinking about what it would have taken for me to do that at Long Beach. For a 10K race (6.2 miles), using my 55:10 time as a benchmark, I would have had to run every mile one minute faster than I did to hit 7:59. Given the difficulty in achieving 8:53 overall, that's a significant challenge. Perhaps breaking 8:40 would be a better target.
This morning I went out with no plans to run fast but when I hit the street everything was working for me. Almost everything, actually, the winds were stiff coming from the north and though I'd dressed for cold the chill and force were a factor. Still, I felt strong and my energy level was greater than it had been in a while. I didn't pay attention to my speed even as I passed the first mile. It wasn't until I passed mile two so quickly that I realized I was pacing far better than usual. I continued to run hard until I reached home and checked the Garmin's readout. Gmaps confirmed the pace: 8:44 per mile. This was the fastest run I've done in a long time. In fact I'll need to look at Garmin Connect to see how long it's been since I've averaged that pace. I don't know how I'll do tomorrow but today I feel good about my abilty to run in the 8:00 range.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Back on the X1
Today's workout (elliptical): 26 minutes
Despite my bravado about running in the coldest weather I couldn't face the below 20 degree wind chills this morning. It's been at least two weeks since my last elliptical session so I decided to defy convention and use the machine on a scheduled running day. I always go into these sessions thinking I'm due for an easier workout than I'd experienced with an equivalently timed run. By the end I felt like the elliptical matches or even surpasses any run that I do at a moderate pace. The elliptical was a nice change from running and I appreciated a few moments when I listened to music while I worked out, free of any ear buds and free to close my eyes without disastrous results. I'll brave the cold tomorrow for a run and gear up accordingly. I'm hopeful that it will be less windy on Wednesday. Today the elliptical provided just the right workout, all things considered.
Despite my bravado about running in the coldest weather I couldn't face the below 20 degree wind chills this morning. It's been at least two weeks since my last elliptical session so I decided to defy convention and use the machine on a scheduled running day. I always go into these sessions thinking I'm due for an easier workout than I'd experienced with an equivalently timed run. By the end I felt like the elliptical matches or even surpasses any run that I do at a moderate pace. The elliptical was a nice change from running and I appreciated a few moments when I listened to music while I worked out, free of any ear buds and free to close my eyes without disastrous results. I'll brave the cold tomorrow for a run and gear up accordingly. I'm hopeful that it will be less windy on Wednesday. Today the elliptical provided just the right workout, all things considered.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Seven the hard way at Stillwell
Today's run (Stillwell Woods) 7.2 miles
Due to tight schedules around yesterday's party I had to keep my run fairly short. Today I considered a trip to Bethpage to attempt a long run on the bike trail. The temperature was in the low 20's with the wind chill so I decided instead to head to Stillwell Woods. I figured that the woods would cut the wind and provide better running conditions than Bethpage. Plus Stillwell is closer and I get in for free.
I parked close to Southwoods Road, purposely locating my car as far from the trail head as I could. I figured I'd add some extra distance by running the quarter mile road along the way to the woods. I felt strong winds at my back and looked forward to warming up further as I ran. I followed my usual loops through Stillwell. After two years I know some trails well enough to run with confidence. That's what I thought anyway. I was moving along, feeling good, and after four miles I varied my route and cut through the southern part of the woods that led me back to the main trail. At that point I was feeling like I'd mastered the geography of Stillwell and despite choosing paths that had many gradual inclines I felt strong. I decided to run for a couple more miles and restarted my usual loop, but at the six mile point I found my way into unfamiliar territory. With only the sun to guide me I followed trails that I thought would bring me back to my starting point.
It may have been the slight anxiety that comes from being lost or the fact that I encountered some steeper rises but I began to feel tired and frustrated by the lack of directional context. Maintaining my sun-based navigation method I eventually came to a path that I recognized and I followed it west until I reached the playing fields at Stillwell. From there I ran straight across in a beeline to my car. The freezing winds hitting me head-on were brutal and that last quarter mile seemed to take a very long time. I quickly got into my car and downed an electrolyte drink, sweating and freezing at the same time. I was happy to have covered over 7 miles today, bringing my weekend total to almost 12. I guess I'll have to wait another day to run 10. Seven in the woods was plenty hard today.
Due to tight schedules around yesterday's party I had to keep my run fairly short. Today I considered a trip to Bethpage to attempt a long run on the bike trail. The temperature was in the low 20's with the wind chill so I decided instead to head to Stillwell Woods. I figured that the woods would cut the wind and provide better running conditions than Bethpage. Plus Stillwell is closer and I get in for free.
I parked close to Southwoods Road, purposely locating my car as far from the trail head as I could. I figured I'd add some extra distance by running the quarter mile road along the way to the woods. I felt strong winds at my back and looked forward to warming up further as I ran. I followed my usual loops through Stillwell. After two years I know some trails well enough to run with confidence. That's what I thought anyway. I was moving along, feeling good, and after four miles I varied my route and cut through the southern part of the woods that led me back to the main trail. At that point I was feeling like I'd mastered the geography of Stillwell and despite choosing paths that had many gradual inclines I felt strong. I decided to run for a couple more miles and restarted my usual loop, but at the six mile point I found my way into unfamiliar territory. With only the sun to guide me I followed trails that I thought would bring me back to my starting point.
It may have been the slight anxiety that comes from being lost or the fact that I encountered some steeper rises but I began to feel tired and frustrated by the lack of directional context. Maintaining my sun-based navigation method I eventually came to a path that I recognized and I followed it west until I reached the playing fields at Stillwell. From there I ran straight across in a beeline to my car. The freezing winds hitting me head-on were brutal and that last quarter mile seemed to take a very long time. I quickly got into my car and downed an electrolyte drink, sweating and freezing at the same time. I was happy to have covered over 7 miles today, bringing my weekend total to almost 12. I guess I'll have to wait another day to run 10. Seven in the woods was plenty hard today.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
First run, then party
Today's run (mixed surfaces): 4.25 miles
It had been a very busy work week and it seemed to take a long time for the weekend to arrive. Today is also a busy day and it's going to get busier. We're hosting our annual holiday party that will start in the early afternoon. Final preparations are going on although most things are done. Happily, my wife doesn't leave too much for the last minute. I took the opportunity to go out for a four mile run around the neighborhood this morning before I prepared for the day. I began by heading north and following the perimeter road that runs west. A good part of that road is downhill but most of the benefit that's gained through gravity was countered by stiff wins blowing east. After about a mile I headed south along another busy road whose sidewalks are covered with layers of dried leaves. I normally enjoy running on this type of surface because it's softer than pavement but the depth of leaves made the terrain unstable and I was concerned about slipping. I ran slowly and carefully through this stretch.
I turned into the neighborhood at the south end and began to follow most of my usual roads. At the 20 minute mark I looked at the Garmin and saw that I was running at about 9:55 per mile. I figured out later that the calibration on the foot-pod was off and I was actually running faster but my reaction was to pick up my speed for the second two miles. I ended up with an overall pace of 9:40. I thought that was okay considering my slow start and the slower speed I maintained when running on the leafy sections. Today's run felt good and I know I could have gone on for a lot longer but I'm on a schedule today. Pretty soon our guests will be arriving. If all stays on plan I'll get out for a true long run on Sunday.
It had been a very busy work week and it seemed to take a long time for the weekend to arrive. Today is also a busy day and it's going to get busier. We're hosting our annual holiday party that will start in the early afternoon. Final preparations are going on although most things are done. Happily, my wife doesn't leave too much for the last minute. I took the opportunity to go out for a four mile run around the neighborhood this morning before I prepared for the day. I began by heading north and following the perimeter road that runs west. A good part of that road is downhill but most of the benefit that's gained through gravity was countered by stiff wins blowing east. After about a mile I headed south along another busy road whose sidewalks are covered with layers of dried leaves. I normally enjoy running on this type of surface because it's softer than pavement but the depth of leaves made the terrain unstable and I was concerned about slipping. I ran slowly and carefully through this stretch.
I turned into the neighborhood at the south end and began to follow most of my usual roads. At the 20 minute mark I looked at the Garmin and saw that I was running at about 9:55 per mile. I figured out later that the calibration on the foot-pod was off and I was actually running faster but my reaction was to pick up my speed for the second two miles. I ended up with an overall pace of 9:40. I thought that was okay considering my slow start and the slower speed I maintained when running on the leafy sections. Today's run felt good and I know I could have gone on for a lot longer but I'm on a schedule today. Pretty soon our guests will be arriving. If all stays on plan I'll get out for a true long run on Sunday.
Friday, December 3, 2010
What's behind a default running pace?
Today's run (street) 2.5 miles
Paces are a funny thing. I often find it difficult to gauge my speed as I run. There's a default pace that I maintain when I'm not thinking about performance. That's usually my starting point for taking it up a notch in a tempo run or slowing down to conserve energy on a longer run. I'm still not sure why my stride and cadence always seem to lock in around 9:30 per mile. Why not 9:00 or 8:30? When I run I sometimes imagine that I'm in a race with other runners. I do this because in races my pace usually drops into the 8:00 range. The theory is good but the practice is usually unsuccessful. Just imagining competition doesn't seem to help my performance. I'm sure there's much more to it than simply having others (real or imagined) by your side.
This morning I took off on a very cold morning with no regard to my speed. When my Garmin chirped at the first mile I looked at the watch to see that I'd paced it at 10:06. This was a surprise and even a shock because I'd felt like I was moving faster than that. I picked things up and by the 1.5 mile mark I was running closer to 9:40 per mile. Still not fast but definitely faster. I wasn't thinking about my speed but I was concentrating on where my feet were landing. My average cadence has increased about 3% since last year which I thought should yield faster paces overall.
I think my focus on mid-foot landing might actually be preventing progress on speed because, while my steps per minute may have increased, my stride length has probably decreased. I'm okay with that because as I build my base I'm expecting to continue increasing cadence to the point where my speed does increase. Since I can rarely tell how fast I'm actually running I should probably look more often at my watch to see how I'm performing. I've always resisted that because I don't like the pressure to maintain a specific speed. I guess I need to decide what's most important.
Paces are a funny thing. I often find it difficult to gauge my speed as I run. There's a default pace that I maintain when I'm not thinking about performance. That's usually my starting point for taking it up a notch in a tempo run or slowing down to conserve energy on a longer run. I'm still not sure why my stride and cadence always seem to lock in around 9:30 per mile. Why not 9:00 or 8:30? When I run I sometimes imagine that I'm in a race with other runners. I do this because in races my pace usually drops into the 8:00 range. The theory is good but the practice is usually unsuccessful. Just imagining competition doesn't seem to help my performance. I'm sure there's much more to it than simply having others (real or imagined) by your side.
This morning I took off on a very cold morning with no regard to my speed. When my Garmin chirped at the first mile I looked at the watch to see that I'd paced it at 10:06. This was a surprise and even a shock because I'd felt like I was moving faster than that. I picked things up and by the 1.5 mile mark I was running closer to 9:40 per mile. Still not fast but definitely faster. I wasn't thinking about my speed but I was concentrating on where my feet were landing. My average cadence has increased about 3% since last year which I thought should yield faster paces overall.
I think my focus on mid-foot landing might actually be preventing progress on speed because, while my steps per minute may have increased, my stride length has probably decreased. I'm okay with that because as I build my base I'm expecting to continue increasing cadence to the point where my speed does increase. Since I can rarely tell how fast I'm actually running I should probably look more often at my watch to see how I'm performing. I've always resisted that because I don't like the pressure to maintain a specific speed. I guess I need to decide what's most important.
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