An unsatisfying dessert

Today's run (Stillwell Woods): 3.3 miles

Have you ever been served your favorite dessert only to be disappointed after eating it? What should have been an enjoyably indulgent experience ends up lacking and all you're left with is the calories. I thought about that analogy during my run at Stillwell Woods this afternoon as I pushed myself along the trail. After being snowed out of Stillwell since November I was hoping that today's run would be a welcome dessert after the gruel of a tough winter.

I'm a morning runner and generally perform with less energy as the day goes on. A busy morning prevented me from doing an early run so I decided to try a trail run after lunch. Despite today's struggles, there was nothing I could blame on fatigue or hunger. I'd gotten a full eight hours sleep, had a light, nutritious lunch and waited an hour before I headed out. I felt relatively energetic at the start but soon after I'd reached the interior trails at Stillwell I started feeling lethargic and had trouble getting comfortable with my stride. My plan to take on some of the more difficult trails gave way to an easier, flatter route. After a while my aerobic breathing came in balance and the running got easier but my legs still felt heavy.

About halfway through my run I forced myself to stop thinking negatively about my running and, instead, paid attention to the beautiful sights along the trail. That helped me get through the remainder of my route and despite feeling overworked I finished with an overall pace in the high-nine range. Studies have shown that people perform better in the afternoon than in the morning, regardless of what time they usually train. Perhaps that's why my performance was decent despite my difficulties.

A final note: This morning my wife attended the Gabriel Gifford Honorary Save-a-Life training session that was put on by our local Red Cross. She found this hands-on program extremely useful. Later in the day she reviewed what she'd learned with the kids, using a training kit she purchased while she was there. On top of that she was interviewed by WCBS radio and she talked about the fact that many people fear CPR because they think it requires mouth-to-mouth contact when in truth this process can be effectively administered using only your hands.

Negative splits on a chilly morning

Today's run (street): 2.65 miles

All week we've been hearing forecasts calling for warm weather with predictions that temperatures would reach 70º by Friday. I must be missing something because it has been chilly most days this week and this morning was no different. I listened to the weather report and dressed in single layers for today's run. Fortunately I thought to wear running gloves and I was happy to have them. The winds brought the temperature down into the mid 30's and I found myself wishing for an extra shirt.

Saucony Grid Tangent 4

 I wore my Saucony Grid Tangents this morning for a change of pace but my pace didn't change much. My stride felt encumbered for the first mile but I loosened up soon after that. The second half of my run was 6% faster than my first and though my recent paces have not been extraordinary I've been achieving negative splits on almost every run. I'm hoping to get out for 10 miles on one of the days this weekend. Speed will not be my goal but that doesn't mean it won't be on my mind.

If I designed elliptical machines

Today's workout (elliptical): 25 minutes

The latest issue of Running Times came yesterday and my wife told me I'd be excited to see it. One of the main articles was a review of minimalist running shoes that (curiously) included the Karhu Fast 2's. I'm behind on reading my running magazines but I think this issue may jump to the front of the line. If nothing else, I'm interested in how Running Times views this Karhu model whose high ride seems anything but minimal to me.

The rain from yesterday has headed east but I decided to stay indoors today and cross train on the elliptical. As I went through my workout I thought about a better way to design the machine so that resistance from the upper body poles could be set independently of the lower body setting. The only way to get a decent upper body workout on my machine is to set resistance over 100 watts which means the entire workout feels like you are going uphill while wearing ankle weights. Of course, many would say that a high level of effort is exactly the point of the machine. This may be true but at 4:00 AM all I want is a reasonable cardio workout with some whole body benefit. Listen up elliptical machine manufacturers!

I miss the morning drought of 2010

No running in the rain this morning* 

Today's run (treadmill): 2.4 miles

Last year I had a five month span between spring and fall when I avoided running on the treadmill. We had no rain at 4:00 AM between the period of May and October , at least on the days when I'd planned to run. This winter has not been a runner's paradise and I've found myself on the treadmill more often than not during my weekday morning runs. I expected rain this morning and headed directly to the treadmill without checking outside. I'm not sure it was raining when I started but it was pouring by the time I'd finished.

Familiarity can breed contempt but it can also be comforting. Since I had nothing but contempt for the treadmill historically, there was no place to go but up. I followed my usual routine today, progressively increasing my speed and finishing at around an 8:50 pace. Knowing that I don't need to get up to speed right away makes it easier to motivate myself to start. By blipping the FAST button every few minutes I can manage my level of effort. My only rule is that I can only go faster, that is, until I've reached my planned end time when I stop recording my run on the Garmin and finish with a few minutes of cool-down running.

I may go for a Central Park run on Friday with my friend CK. It's supposed to get up to 70 degrees which is nice, but also sweat inducing. I've got a big meeting Friday afternoon and it wouldn't be right to sit there looking like a wet dog. I'll figure it out whether to run at noon once I get an updated weather report.

*Picture courtesy of  brokenheartedrunner.wordpress.com

Putting the Karhu Fast 2 Rides to the speed test

I do love them for the elliptical machine

Today's run (street) 2.5 miles

After writing about my running shoes yesterday, I decided to try another run in the Karhu Fast 2's. I'm planning a full review of these shoes for Runner's Tech Review and didn't feel that I'd spent enough time running in the Karhu's to form a complete opinion. The Fast 2's have served me well as a stable shoe on the elliptical, but that's certainly not what they were designed to do. The name Fast 2 implies that they are, well, fast. I'd never tested them at speed so I had that in mind when I went out early this morning.

Although the shoes, at around 10 ounces, are lightweight, they seem bulky compared with the Kinvaras. It feels like a lot of shoe. When I took off on today's run I was conscious of the thick out-sole and the "fulcrum" technology that supposedly drives the runner forward. I decided to try some quick acceleration to see if the shoe transformed to a quasi-racer when run at higher cadences. That's a trait of the Brooks GTS-10s that run like a luxury sedan until you pour it on and they become more like a sports car. The Fast 2's didn't give me the feeling of speed. In fact, during "speed play", they felt less stable than when I ran at my normal pace.

I maintained a decent pace for 4:00 AM (9:12) and felt the Karhu's didn't hold me back from doing that. I don't know the exact height of the heel and mid-sole but I felt like I was riding a little too high. Since the Kinvaras are my standard platform that's no surprise, but most of my conventional shoes feel more stable than the Karhu's. I'll put a lot more into the review and will also include Adventure Girl's comments as she's  testing a pair as well. It will be interesting to hear her opinion and whether it's the same - or different - than mine.