Snowy conditions -- I'm just not Inuit

All of the above

 Today's run (Stillwell Woods): 3.2 miles

It's probably an urban legend that the Inuit's Aleut language has dozens of words for snow. If they do then I think I've run in every kind today.  I've been on vacation for the last week and have either run or cross-trained every day since Friday the 18th. I had every excuse to rest today, my last day of vacation, but I thought that another run at Stillwell might be a better way to close things out. The rains and warm weather have done a great job clearing the roads where I live and I'd hoped that would also be the case when I arrived at Stillwell this morning. 

Despite the ubiquity of green across the lawns in my neighborhood, Stillwell's athletic fields were still covered by a thick blanket of white snow. I didn't know the conditions of the interior trails but I suspected (correctly) that the big field past the trail head would be runnable. Once I'd parked I made my way over sheet ice onto the main trail that was covered a foot deep in grainy-icy snow rutted by footprints and tire marks. I began to run on that, taking pains to maintain balance. It was like snowshoeing without snowshoes. After a few hundred feet I took a right onto a trail that looked partially clear and followed it, doing the best I could to avoid the slippery patches of packed snow and ice.

I took the trail to a point where I reached a steep hill that I managed to scale with the momentum from my approach. I knew that I was just south of the big field and followed a snow covered trail until I reached the opening. Once I broke free from the snow (and about 20 feet of sheet ice) I followed the trail around the field. The wind from the north was stiff which somewhat offset the easier effort from running on hard-packed dirt. As I rounded a corner I encountered a couple of mountain bikers who told me that the eastern side trails were still pretty rough. I elected to stay on the field loop and finished after completing a few more circuits. The toughest part of the run was at the end when I took a wooded trail back to the start that had snow, ice, slush, rocks, roots and mud and I finished by gingerly stepping over a sheet of ice formed by runoff from the trail head's snowbanks.

I'll take a rest day tomorrow and will appreciate it fully. Over the last seven days I've run 20 miles and elliptical'd another 6. I would have liked to have done a few longer runs during my time off but it was a trade-off between frequency and distance. I'm hoping next weekend's conditions will be more favorable for a higher mileage effort or two. As for today, I like variety but not when it comes to running in snow.

Negative splits lead to a positive view

Today's run (street): 4.1 miles

My wife suggested that I take a break from working out today and I had the mindset to do that. The thought of another run around the almost too-familiar streets of my neighborhood was not compelling. I was feeling generally negative about doing any activity. The rain did a good job of clearing snow in my town and I considered a return to Stillwell but we have a big day planned and I was again pressed for time. I dressed for a run without really knowing where I would go, finally deciding the easiest way to get it done would be to hit the local roads.

As a compromise to my negative mindset I considered running slowly and making it an easy workout that I could count as a partial effort. With no targeted distance, route or pace in mind I took off and chose lefts and rights almost randomly. At one point I came upon another runner who I followed for a while. I'd seen him on the road before and I was curious to see how our paces compared. It turned out that we both were running about the same pace and I wasn't interested in catching up to him so I peeled off to another road and let him go. When I passed the first mile I saw that I'd averaged 9:55. I picked up the pace a little and covered mile two at 9:46 and improved to about 9:40 for mile three.

Throughout my run I'd actually felt great. The weather was cold but mild and I was enjoying a run where I could take my mind off the effort and look around at my surroundings. After completing three miles I decided to run the last mile with a little more speed and covered it at 9:10. Not especially fast but far faster than the prior three. I enjoyed the run, felt strong and hit negative splits throughout my distance. My splits were negative and by the time I arrived home my mindset was far more positive.

Half marathon shopping

A good resource for finding half marathons

Today's workout (elliptical): 45 minutes

The rain was plentiful this morning and it has washed away much of the snow on our lawn. There are still some areas that haven't seen sunlight since mid-December but it's good to see some green again. I've done daily workouts since last Friday but haven't felt like I've done much to build the stamina I'll need for my upcoming half marathon. I took some inspiration from my wife, who runs 45 to 60 minutes daily, and spent 45 minutes on the elliptical machine while she did her treadmill workout. I used mid level resistance for the first 30 minutes and then stepped up the difficulty for the final 15. Even with that extra challenge, today's workout still felt easier than my prior two runs.

I am training for a half marathon but I don't know which one to choose. Unless I'm willing to travel a little my choices are limited. Each has its pluses and minuses:

1. Suffolk County Half Marathon - March 27

Plus - Small event, less than 500 runners
Minuses - Perhaps too small, only one month left to train

2. 13.1 Marathon - April 2
Pluses - Opportunity to participate in NYRR race, cool Craft race shirt
Minuses - Course looks like a lab maze, $80 entry fee

3. RXR Long Island Half Marathon - May 2

Plus - Local and convenient
Minus - Course does not look that interesting

4. Brooklyn Half Marathon - May 30

Pluses - NYRR race, Prospect Park and Coney Island usually bookend the course
Minuses - Date not good for Team Emerging Runner, course details have not been set

5. Hampton's Half Marathon - Sept 24

Pluses - Later in the year, more time to train, course has ocean views
Minuses - $70 entry fee, is held just a week after Great Cow Harbor 10k

 I'm hoping to decide soon which race to run. There's also the Queen's Half Marathon which is a possibility but July may be too hot for me for a race of that distance. There's also the Great South Bay Half in Islip but the course looks too circuitous for my taste.  I'm hoping my friend Brian will join me on my first half marathon. Perhaps he has a preference that will help my decision.

Quantity or quality?

Today's run (street): 4 miles

I sometimes see references to "quality miles" and "junk miles" in running magazines and I'm still not sure what that means. I've always believed that any run that doesn't contribute to injury or lead to exhaustion (and illness) are beneficial. Perhaps for people who run 20 miles per week (like me) every mile is a "quality mile." Miles gained on hills or doing speed work may be of even higher quality.  It could be that for 70+ mile-a-week runners that an extra five or 10 could be considered gratuitous, with little extra benefit.  If I ever get to running 70 miles per week I'll know if that's true.

My thinking about quality miles started this morning as I considered my run. I've run or crossed trained every day since last Friday and my average distance per run has been longer during this vacation because I've had more time to run. We're expecting rain and heavy winds starting tonight so Friday's workout will have to happen indoors. I decided to get in my last outdoor run before the weekend on the streets of my neighborhood since the residual snow has rendered most other venues un-runnable. After a fairly average start I began to tire at the 2 mile mark. I've been concerned that my success building my base closer to 8 miles toward the end of last year has eroded due to the lack of opportunity for longer, wide open runs. Darn this snow!

As I ran around the local roads today I thought about the benefits I was gaining from this four mile run. Like yesterday, I completed my route feeling spent, but unlike Wednesday, I didn't run all that fast. I guess I'll consider today's workout a "maintenance run." That sounds a lot better than calling it "junk miles."

All dressed up but no where to run

Today's run (street): 3.2 miles

I finally made it to Bethpage State Park this morning but it turned out to be a wasted trip. I had hopes of purchasing an Empire Passport and using it for the first time while I ran a section of the Bethpage bike trail. I knew my bike path run was in jeopardy after I saw that trail access was blocked just south of its intersection with the main road. I decided to continue on, thinking that I could still buy the Passport and possibly run the wooded trails if they were clear. After a quick look I realized that those trails had too much snow cover to provide a stable surface for my Kinvaras. There was no one working the toll station so I continued to the trail head and saw that the entrance was blocked by a gate. Even if the bike path wasn't gated I could see that it would be impossible to run the trail because it was covered with a thick layer of ice.

I returned home and did today's run in my neighborhood. We had plans mid-morning so I needed to keep it short. That ended up to be a good thing because I felt tired throughout the run and my fatigue intensified as I went on. Despite my lowering energy level I kept my pace brisk and that resulted in a difficult last mile. At the end I felt like I'd run a 5K race and noted that my pace was over 40 seconds per miles faster than yesterday's run.

A great addition to the Emerging Runner family

Hoping for better results with a better brand

This afternoon I picked up a pair of New Balance compression shorts to replace a pair of Layer 8's that ripped all along the waistband after a wash. My wife bought a pair of of ASICS GEL-2160's to replace her Saucony Fusion 2's that she'd run in over the last year. I was happy with her choice of the 2160's and I hope she is too. I'm looking forward to trying my new gear out tomorrow even though, with all this ice and snow,  I'll need to stay local for my run.