The shoes are minimal but the benefits are not

Today's run (street) 2.65 miles

Today is supposed to get very hot with temperatures in NYC reaching 95°F. It was far cooler at 4:00 this morning and I took a different route than normal just to break things up. I was also able to take advantage of a slightly earlier start than usual. Today's run felt much like yesterday's although I didn't push as hard as Tuesday and ended up running about 18 seconds/mile slower. But I covered more ground than my usual early morning distance and, once again, felt that the Hattori's provided me with a much more efficient stride.

The biggest difference between these shoes and almost every other shoe I've run is the way they feel on hills. Credit goes to the mid-foot strike and the lightness of the shoe. It's almost like downshifting for extra power and torque. While I don't look forward to hills, I'm not looking to avoid them. At one point I thought the Kinvara was the best shoe I would ever experience but the Hattori's seem to have an even more positive affect on my running style.

Surprise encounter at 4:00 AM

Today's run (street): 2.5 miles

I've probably done close to 250 runs at 4:00 AM. Through that time I've seen a handful of walkers or people leaving their houses. A couple of years ago I was spooked to see what seemed to be a race walker pass me like an apparition one morning. There was no acknowledgement of any kind from this person who slipped by less than two feet away from me.

This morning I had my second close encounter and it was a different experience. I was running well and had just reached the halfway point of my route when I noticed movement about 200 feet ahead of me. It was very dark and this person was out of headlamp range, but I thought it might be someone walking in the opposite direction. Suddenly, as I rounded a bend, I saw it was another runner, heading my way. A young guy, teens or 20's, no reflective wear or headlamp. Not even a shirt. We got within ten feet of each other before he reacted with a startled sideways jump and a gasp.

He quickly realized that I was just another runner on the road and I yelled a friendly "Good Morning!" and he responded in kind. He must have been in the zone not to notice me until we practically met but I understand that as well. 4:00 AM running can be a little hypnotising until you get used to it. I'm hoping that my shirtless friend learned a lesson today about staying alert. Perhaps the next time I see him he'll have his own headlamp and reflective vest.

No regrets

Yesterday afternoon's workout (cycling): 4 miles

When I look back on a race I often think about the things I wish I'd done differently. Sometimes I lament the way I'd paced my run and other times I'll regret that I didn't do enough focused training. I can usually identify at least one problem that I wished I'd corrected prior to race day. But, for yesterday's 8K, I can happily say that I wouldn't have changed a thing.

The important point I took from this race is the knowledge that I'm capable of running a mid-8:00 pace for five miles. Even at the finish I felt strong. I had been concerned that I was losing some of my edge because my average training pace has degraded some over the last couple of years. I realized yesterday that, for many months, I'd backed off too much on performance in favor of having more comfortable runs. Only recently have I persistently focused on performance, including speed work on the track and extra workouts from cycling.

If yesterday's performance is an indicator of  how I trained then there's not much I'm going to change. Even so, although I was happy with the way things went at the race, I can't ignore that I finished solidly mid-pack and toward the back of my age division. There were a number of speedy middle-aged club runners on the course yesterday so I understand why I placed where I did. Maybe next time I can be a little more competitive.

Race report: 2011 New Hyde Park 8K

An 8K PR for the ER

Today's run (New Hyde Park 8K): 5 miles at 8:40/mile

As they say, the third time's the charm and that was the case for me after today's race. I had hopes of beating my prior finish time of 44:42 that I ran in both 2009 and 2010 and I certainly did that. Last year I went out much slower than the prior year and picked up my pace later in the race. That resulted in a better experience than 2009 (when I went into energy debt by mile 4) but my time ended up exactly the same. But that's ancient history -- the better story is today's race.

TEAM EMERGING RUNNER

Form doesn't always follow fashion

Although my wife and kids try to join me at every race, for some reason they could not attend prior to this year. It was a great psychological bonus to have them with me today. We arrived early and were able to park at the school, unlike last year when I needed to park some blocks away. I saw many familiar faces, this is very much a running club race, and I knew that it would be a fast field. The scene was familiar and, per tradition, the race tee was, umm, aesthetically interesting. But it is 100% polyester so I can run in it.

Registration was well organized, as usual

PRE-RACE PREP
We watched the mini run for kids and then made our way towards the starting line. I was feeling good and my Hattori's felt light on my feet and ready to race. What had started out as a cool and cloudy morning had turned sunny. Thankfully, it still wasn't all that hot. I took a GU Roctane gel 30 minutes before the start. I also carried a small bottle of water in case I needed to refuel near the end of the race and wanted some hydration along with the gel.

Off and running

START
We started on time with a field of almost 300 runners. I hit start on the Garmin 210 and took off quickly, happy to see my family on the sidelines. I felt good knowing that I'd see them again in about 45 minutes. I had prepared well for this race -- two day's prior rest, a reasonable taper, core exercises the day before, my favorite gel in my system and adequate hydration before the start. Plus my excellent Craft running shirt and those Hattori's.

THE RACE
When my Garmin chirped at mile one it took me by surprise. Interestingly, the FR 210 indicated that mile a few 100ths sooner than the official mile station. I've been a little suspicious of the measurement of this course because my Garmin FR 50 and 60 always over counted and my prior mapping of the course on Google Earth put it a tick longer than 5 miles. Since the GPS never over counts it makes me wonder a bit.

More importantly, I felt great after mile one and that continued as we headed north on New Hyde Park Road. Mile two comes along the service road on the LIE and I found myself passing people instead of being passed (as was my experience last year). I was still feeling strong at the third mile and decided that I didn't need an additional gel to get me through the duration. By mile four I knew I was on track to beat my prior time but knew I still had another mile to cover. I went against instinct and surged on the uphills, surprised to find I still had energy when I got to the top.

When we turned into the neighborhood that backs the school I knew I just needed to maintain a decent pace to finish under nine minutes a mile. I was feeling good until a race volunteer yelled "Just over half a mile to the finish!" For some reason that made it seem like I had more distance to run than was in my head but I knew that soon it would be less than a half a mile.

THE FINISH
I finally saw the yellow street sign and green lawn of the school a few hundred feet ahead. At that point a young woman pulled beside me and said "This is it" before dropping into gear and leaving me in the dust. I kept up my charge and when I hit the lawn I sprinted toward the finish line. I noticed my son and daughter running on the sidelines in my direction and I looked for my wife who was getting ready to photograph me crossing the line. It was the first time I ever got a picture of me finishing that race (top photo).

My Garmin recorded the race as 5.05 miles and I'll take a look at the route it captured when I upload it on Garmin Connect. I knew I beat my prior time and was really happy to see that I achieved a pace that I'd even consider good for a 5K. After grabbing some water and walking off some post race energy I checked the posted times and verified that I had a new PR.


EMERGING RUNNER COMMUNITY
I was very happy to meet another runner, Paul (below right), who told me that he's an Emerging Runner reader. Paul was running in Saucony Mirages and they worked for him, helping him to a sub 7:00/mile finish. Amazingly, Paul had raced the previous day and he told me that he races about once a week. No wonder he's so fast! I was really glad he stopped to talk and I'll look for him at other races, but I know I won't be able to keep up with him once the gun goes off.

Two runners: one fast, one emerging

I'm very pleased with today's race for so many reasons. It was my best race performance this year and it reinforced to me that my training and preparation are on track. I loved the Hattori's and I don't want to run in anything else now. I don't have any more races on the calendar until the Dirty Sock in August but I'm tempted to find a 5K to run in July.

I'm 40% short of "good"

With an emphasis on "hard"

Today's workout (core and strength training): 20 minutes

I'm being tortured again by the beautiful weather. Just going outside to put up a new clock in the pool area has me itching to go out for a run. It's sunny, 64° with 54% humidity today. Maybe I'll allow myself a very easy bike ride later.

This morning I ran through my standard set of core exercises and added some other elements. I never feel like I work hard enough after completing a core session even though I add more repetitions than what's specified in my instructions. I started reading the current issue of TrailRunner magazine and saw an article about improving your strength-to-weight ratio. The article includes a chart that lists the amount of push-ups that a person should be able to do based on their gender and age.

The ideal core strength-to-weight ratio (CSSWR) is 4 (or below) with 4+ to 8 categorized as "adequate." I missed the ideal by quite a bit and while I got close to doing 20 push-ups I'm still about 40% short of being "good." I'm guessing that these categories are based on tuned, not recreational, athletes like me. But I like a challenge and now that I have a benchmark I'll see how well I progress against this index.

Tomorrow I'm running the NHP 8K for the third consecutive year and I go into it feeling relatively ready. I'm planning on wearing the Hattori's for the first time in a race and that will be interesting. In terms of performance I'm hoping that I'll beat my prior time but I'll be happy just as long as I enjoy the experience.