Good runs, bad runs, isn't all just timing?

At some point on this hill I will question why I did this race

Today's run (street): 2.4 miles

I looked at a course map for the Oyster Bay 5K that I plan to run on Saturday, October 15. The first 1.3 miles are all uphill and, according to Gmaps and MapMyTri, the overall elevation gain is greater than James Street, the bane of Cow Harbor racers. The saving grace, if there is one, is that this hill stretches a lot farther than James Street, and that may mean that the grade is lower. I'm hoping that's true.

My run today was a little disappointing. After good experiences on Wednesday and Thursday, where I had great energy and form, I had hoped for another good run. I can't explain it exactly, but I felt unbalanced and under-powered this morning. I even modified my route, shortening its length to save time after a late start. As I was running, I thought about whether I'd be the "Thursday me" or the "Friday me" when I go out on the hilly course a week from now.

So, what does it mean when you run well for days and then you don't? In this case, I don't think it means that much. I probably needed more rest and it wouldn't hurt for me to stretch a little. Sometimes it's timing of your performance curve, good days and bad. Right now I'm hoping this 5K coincides with a good running day. With that hill, I'm going to need all the advantage I can get.

Gear gremlins and going gloveless

A great headlamp when it works

Today's run (street): 2.5 miles

My Petzl headlamp has served me well over the years but this morning I was ready to toss it into the trash. This unit (Tikka Plus) is extremely lightweight and I often forget that I'm even wearing it. But the light weight comes at the cost of fragility. The plastic assembly doesn't secure the three AAA batteries in position very well and slight movements will occasionally disrupt the connection and cause the lamp to go dark. This morning it took me over five minutes to get it operational, time that's much too precious to waste in the morning.

Once I was confident that the lamp was working properly I set out for my run in temperatures that felt far colder than the reported 45°. I immediately regretted not having gloves, but I had a long sleeved jersey that I pulled over my hands. That helped a little, but it caused my shirt to bind around my shoulders and I soon abandoned that solution. I'll plan to bring gloves tomorrow unless it truly warms up as expected. The run itself was great and I nearly broke 9:00/mile which is hard for me to do at that early hour.

I'm toying with the thought of running in Central Park tomorrow. It's been a long time since I've done a city run and since Friday's the lead-in to a holiday weekend, my afternoon schedule is light. I'll decide tonight so that I'll have time to pack gear for the morning. If Friday is as cool and bright as today a CP run could be a great pre-weekend workout.

A zap to the Sole



 Today's run (street): 2.5 miles

The recent change in seasons has reduced the humidity in the air and this is considered good news for runners. However, the consequence of dry air comes from running indoors, when static buildup plays havoc on your treadmill. That was the case this morning for my wife. She is a dedicated treadmill runner and rarely misses a workout. This morning, while adjusting the speed control, my wife felt a burst of static electricity that blew out some of the controls of the unit.

Our treadmill still works, but you can only select speeds of 2, 4, 6, 8, etc. MPH. My wife likes to do tempo runs on the machine and this involves multiple changes to speed and elevation during her workout. Today, she smartly adjusted to a higher incline to make up for slower belt speeds, but it's a compromise to her regular routine. We're hoping the Sole repairman can get to us quickly and restore the F63's controls to full functionality.

I rarely use the treadmill, preferring instead to run outside in the morning. When it rains I am forced to run indoors so I'm hoping that the weather stays dry until the machine is fixed. I had a great run this morning, the temperature was 57 and the humidity was low. I worked on my form and posture as I ran and tried to push my cadence to gain more speed. It's fall racing season so I'm also thinking about incorporating more core work in the days leading up to my next race.

I feel bad for my wife who will need to adapt her routine until the treadmill issues are resolved. She's dedicated to her 5:00 AM workouts but I'm not sure she'd be too keen on joining me on my 4:00 AM runs.

5K is an interesting distance

Today's workout (elliptical): 25 minutes

I've been remiss of late with my Emerging Runner postings. The past week was busy and I occasionally missed my opportunity to write. I hope to get back on track this week. But who says you can't take a blogging rest day every once in a while?

I've had some low level pain in my knee since Sunday so I decided to do a low impact workout this morning. The elliptical machine is a great thing to have under these circumstances. These sessions yield good aerobic exercise and the elliptical motion protects strained muscles and tendons. My goal was to exceed my targeted distance within my allotted 25 minutes and I put some work into that today.

As I went through today's workout, I thought about my next race. It's a 5K, a distance that I tend to avoid because it's a lot of prep for an event that, even for me, goes by in under 30 minutes. But 5K is a great distance for beginning runners who may not be ready to compete on longer courses. Similarly, experienced runners who can test their conditioning by going out fast and keeping the throttle down until they cross the line.

I am looking forward to running this race on the 15th. It's in Oyster Bay, part of the annual Oyster Festival. Although I live near there, I've never run on those roads. I'm curious to see how I'll do in a race where I can push hard, almost from the beginning, without worrying much about bonking near the end (as happens sometimes when I drive hard during 10K's). I'm thinking that speed and hills will be the theme for next weekend. Hope my knee feels better by then.

Two runs: One muddy and one with my buddy

Today's runs (Stillwell Woods: 3.75 miles, 1 mile: street)

I headed over to Stillwell Woods this morning for a change of pace from pavement. I wasn't thinking about trail conditions, but recent rains had soaked the trees and the paths below. I wore my Mirages that do a credible job on dirt trails, but they have no waterproofing capabilities.

After seeing some large pooling along the main trail, I cut into a side path that would lead me toward my usual loop. The mud was slippery and the Mirages, intended primarily for roads, proved unstable at times. I switched to a different route that I thought might be drier and continued along until I crossed back over to my normal route.

I worried about catching a root or a rock that would send me flying into a puddle of muddy water. There were a few close calls but I managed to stay upright throughout the run. As a result of the mud, the trails were almost empty. I only encountered a single mountain biker and a woman who was running her dogs around the big field.

I circled the field thinking that the sun exposure would have dried out that trail, but I found many slippery spots. I finished my run with hard sprint past the trail head to the Stillwell entrance and then back to my car. I felt so good that I didn't want my run to end.

Another minimalist runner in the family

When I got home, my daughter was up for a quick run around the neighborhood. We recently bought her a pair of Saucony Kinvaras and she felt like taking them out for a spin. We took off at a moderate pace with my daughter pulling ahead with a little more speed. We completed our distance quickly and I was pleased to have had a nice cool down run to complete today's workout.

It's been a really nice weekend for running. I'm aiming to run the Oyster Bay Supervisor's 5K on October 15, so next weekend I'll do some speed work and hill practice. For now I'll just enjoy the fact that I had a great trail run this morning. Better still, I was back to running with my buddy -- the Emerging Runner, Jr.