Not so welcome back to work run

Today's run (street): 2.5 miles

I got the prize today

No return to work would be complete without a commuting disaster and the LIRR never fails to provide one. The consequence of that was a 2.5 hour trip home last night. While I was able to find a seat on my very crowded train, the long ride aggravated some soreness in my upper thigh. Not a pleasant experience and I'm concerned about this. Running with a mid-foot stride is supposed to eliminate injuries but I still have tenderness in my right knee and now this soreness on the left.

Usually, after two days rest, I'm rewarded with an above average run. That was not the case today. Although the temperature was in the mid 70's the humidity was sky high and I felt the weight of that from beginning to end. I struggled to get any semblance of speed. Although I did better on the second half of my run, it was still a crawl. Tomorrow morning is supposed to be better so I'll chose to ignore today's mediocre experience and hope for some big improvement on Wednesday.

Zombies? Lifting? Obstacles? Isn't running hard enough?

A friend of mine is considering a race called the Civilian Military Combine which is described as the "ultimate test of your strength, endurance, and agility." According to the website, the CMC competition "is broken down into three components to test strength, endurance and agility. Race day structure will consist of “The PIT” (lifting element) into a 7 mile mountain race with 7 strategically placed massive military obstacles." Sounds like fun!

In the same vein, I recently got a press release for another event called Run for Your Lives where "Runners [will] navigate a series of 12 obstacles throughout a 5K course in an attempt to reach the finish line — all while avoiding zombies." This sounds less rigorous than the CMC, but knowing how I feel after only running a 5K I wonder if it would just be too much.

I'm looking forward to the Dirty Sock 10K in August. No strength tests or obstacles, just 6.2 miles through steamy woods. Both times I've run it I've practically needed an IV with electrolyte fluids at the finish. I know my limits. I wonder about those that don't.

Saucony Hattori's: read all about it on RTR

New on Runner's Tech Review

Today is the last day of my vacation. It's been very relaxing and I've had lots of fun with my family and done some great runs. I'll be taking another week off in mid-July when we head to Maine and spend some time at Acadia National Park. I can't wait to run on the carriage roads that are adjacent to the ocean and the mountains.

We've posted our latest shoe test on Runner's Tech Review. Me and the Harrier of the Night both provided our perspectives on the Hattori's after a month's use on the road, track, trails and mountains. I'm on the fence whether I'll go for a run or go out on my bike today. I may just enjoy this last day of vacation by skipping my workout. A little more recovery prior to returning to work couldn't hurt.

Initiating my friend to trail running

Today's run - notice GPS drift between loops

Today's run (Stillwell Woods): 3.75 miles

I'm back to the routine of frequent runs at shorter distances these days. I had been doing a lot of 6+ mile base-building runs up until my half marathon but then I switched to a more middle distance focus as I prepared for the NHP 8K. I've been on vacation this past week, but the time has been dedicated to preparing for a big upcoming event and some necessary house projects. That has prevented me from indulging in too many 90 minute runs.

Still, every run, at any distance, has value if you are running quality miles. That's been the case for me over the last eight days. This morning my friend Steve came by and we headed over to Stillwell to run the trails. Steve and I both work in midtown and we often run together in Central Park. He's never run trails so I initiated him at Stillwell Woods, the place where I first ran off-road.

Stillwell can be a rough place for runners, with steep inclines, sharp drops and unstable terrain. I didn't think it would be fair to drag Steve through the rocky, twisting, hilly Black Trail his first time out. Instead, I took him along a loop with flat, packed dirt pathways that works well for running. This loop does have a couple of loose rock and sand-covered climbs so it still presents a challenge.

Steve did well the first time around but at the two mile mark I could tell that the extra work was beginning to take its toll. We circled the trail a second time and, to Steve's credit, continued to maintain close to the same pace, averaging 9:40 overall.

We'd started with a little fog and cloudy skies but by the time we came back through the trail-head it was sunny and hot. That's another reason why I like Stillwell in summer - the canopy shields the trail and keeps the temperatures ten degrees cooler. It was another quality run and my third trail run this week. Soon enough, I'll return to my neighborhood roads for my daily runs. It sure was nice to spend a little more time in the woods today.

A different type of workout today

Today's workout (treadmill, various speeds/elevations): 35 minutes

I was on the fence about today's workout and considered taking a rest day this morning. I've only skipped one day over the last ten so it wouldn't have been a bad thing to take some recovery time. My wife got on the treadmill for her daily run and I kept her company while I decided what to do.

As much as I prefer outdoors to indoors for my workouts, I decided to follow my wife on the treadmill for a low speed run, using different levels of elevation. I started slowly with a 2% incline. After three minutes I started increasing my speed every two minutes and my elevation almost as often. By the time I reached the 15 minute point I was running at a 6% grade at around 6 MPH. I maintained that balance for 15 more minutes and then dropped the incline to 2% and increased the speed to 7 MPH for the last five minutes.

By the end of the workout I was soaked with sweat. I was happy to have met the challenge of maintaining my run with a decent incline for over 30 minutes. One benefit of running with elevation is that it takes some pressure off the knees.  I'm noticing it hours later. Tomorrow morning I'm running with a friend at Stillwell Woods, my third trail run of this vacation. It's been a good week for running, with some interesting variety along the way.