Getting it done

Today's run (treadmill): 2.5 miles

I didn't have time to run and barely had time to post yesterday so I made sure I got in a run this morning. I was tempted to rest when I got up this morning because I was feeling fatigued and had a sinus headache. Yesterday was a big day at work, as is today, and additional rest would not have been a bad choice. All the same, a dedicated runner runs through minor illness and doesn't let it get the best of them. That's what I told myself as I stepped on the treadmill and hit the start button.

It must have been extraordinarily dry today because once I got up to speed I hit the fan button and received a shock that shut down the treadmill. I managed to bring it back within 30 seconds but it was disconcerting to stop suddenly and the shock I received was no picnic. Once I was into my run I settled in for the duration. It was a very average run from there. Not overly taxing or particularly fast. I ended up taking a couple of aspirin post-run and wished for more time to rest before my shower. The workout did bring back my energy level and I was glad to have done the run. It will be a long day but at least I accomplished something even before the sun came up.

Crazy Days

This week is a bit intense for me in terms of business schedule. Consequently I'm not able post with regularity but I'll catch up later this week. I had higher hopes than this for my 800th post on the Emerging Runner, but this is it!

A pace I can live with

Today's run (street): 4.12 miles

Yesterday afternoon I updated the firmware on my Garmin FR60 which reset the watch to its factory settings. I was happy that I had the foresight to upload this week's runs to Garmin Connect before I did the upgrade or they would have been lost to the ages. I restored all the settings and preferences but I neglected to re-pair the watch to the foot pod. When I went out for my run this morning I hit the start button and didn't think much about it. A few minutes into the run I looked at the display and saw it was tracking time but not distance and I realized that I hadn't paired the unit. I figured I'd just Gmap the route I ran and calculate pace later, based on the recorded time.

I recently had a similar experience when I saw that I hadn't started the Garmin after I'd begun to run. I ran most of  my route knowing that my speed and distance weren't being captured and that was both annoying and liberating. Today I felt better when I discovered the problem because at least I had captured the run time. I decided to forget about pace, speed, etc., and just ran free for 30-40 minutes. I took it easy because that was what I'd originally intended for this run -- a short version of LSD. About 30 minutes into the run I was feeling like I could run all day and it occurred to me that I should think about a pace that I could maintain comfortably for a half marathon.

Today's pace was 9:53. Not fast but manageable over long distances. It would be good (psychologically) to average below 10 min/mile for the half marathon. The challenge of running a half under two hours is much greater -- I'd need to average 9:09 or better to do that. I'll work on my distance as much as I can from here on. With the temperatures moving toward the 50's I might get the first chance in a while to do a long run at Bethpage next weekend.

A run that went according to plan

Today's run (street) 5.3 miles

Although we'd been hearing that the temperatures would rise by this weekend it wasn't the case this morning. It was barely 20 degrees at 8:00 AM and the sun was blocked by clouds. I'd dressed for the cold (layered compression pants, warm hat, running gloves) but I only wore a half-zip, with a short sleeved jersey on top because I knew I'd eventually get hot. It was breezy but the winds didn't have the same force as those that I'd faced on Thursday in Central Park.

Once I got going I started to think about route and distance. I often have great ambition at the beginning of a run in terms of what I'm prepared to do. Sometimes I match, or even succeed my intended goal but there are still occasions when I don't. Happily, today's energy level matched my plan. I'm on target to run more miles this week than I have in the prior two weeks and it's easy to explain why. Twice this week I've run outside and I'm planning another outside run tomorrow. My runs on the treadmill are great workouts but I just can't endure it for long periods of time.

Although this morning's run was contained within the streets of my neighborhood, I still appreciated the winter scene. The snow covered lawns made the suburban roads appear more like country lanes. The cold air helped me along and I maintained a decent pace throughout my planned course. I finished up after completing a little more than five miles. I could have gone longer but I stuck to my plan. It was great to be back on the road again. I could get used to that.

Running in a freezing wonderland

It looked a lot like this in Central Park on Thursday

Yesterday's run (Central Park): 3.26 miles
Today's run (treadmill): 2.3 miles

The temperature stayed in the low 20's most of Thursday although I'd hoped it would warm up a little more by noon. JQ was not able to join me so I headed out alone to Central Park, ducking through buildings along the way to keep warm. The wind and cold were brutal but the sun was shining and I knew that I'd be fine once I got going on my run. I reached the Park, that was covered white with snow, and began to follow my usual course. I started with the lower loop and ran counter-clockwise, east then north. There were only a few others along the path: an occasional cyclist, a few other runners and a handful of freezing tourists.

I kept my pace brisk in an effort to heat up quickly and it worked. By the first mile I had become comfortable with the weather but I struggled a little with the hills. It's been a while since I've run with any real course elevation because most of my running this year has either been on the treadmill or on the basically flat roads within my neighborhood. I ultimately did fine with the hills and managed to maintain my pace. Before long I had passed 3 miles and was nearing my end-point when a tall runner, wearing black compression gear from head to toe, passed me like I was standing still. I was actually moving fast (for me) at the time, maintaining about an 8:30 pace. Overall, I averaged 8:46 per mile, helped along by the freezing but energizing wind. I finished hot and sweating but by the time I returned to my office I was cold and dry again.

This morning I planned for an easy run on the treadmill. I had a late start and felt I'd gotten some good speed work in yesterday. My first mile was slow -- just below 10 min per mile, and I didn't even need to turn on the treadmill's cooling fan until ten minutes into my run. I stepped up the speed from there and ran the second 1.3 miles closer to a 9:00 pace. My "easy" run turned out to be a little harder than planned but it felt good. I cannot maintain a slower than normal pace on the treadmill because the numbers on the display taunt me to run faster. That's okay, at least the first mile was easy.