Running through the clouds

Still foggy two hours later

Today's run (street): 2.6 miles

For me, the appeal of running correlates directly to the conditions at hand. 40° on a bright Saturday morning with no time restrictions is very appealing. Running in the dark at 4:00 AM just minutes after waking from a sound sleep is far less appealing. In some cases, after I've begrudgingly prepared for my run, something happens to change my outlook. That was the case today.

It seemed a little humid as I dressed for my run and I left off a top layer thinking it would be warmer than yesterday. Again, I had trouble getting my Petzl Tikka Plus headlamp to work. The batteries get easily unseated within their housing and this prevents the lamp from switching on. As well as it has served me, I think the Tikka is due for replacement because these problems are costing me precious time.

I stepped out and watched the garage door rise, revealing my neighborhood shrouded in heavy fog. The street lights projected ethereally and the density of the fog kept visibility to about 30 feet. I thought it looked amazing and suddenly looked forward to starting off on my run.

The run itself was unremarkable. I'm still working through some mechanical issues but it was fun to see the world through this haze of distorted light. Running is a physical activity, but so much about it is enhanced by the experience itself. A four mile run in the woods, where your view and conditions change constantly, is far more interesting than a four mile run on treadmill. Today's route was similar to the course I run every day. But what I experienced this morning was much more interesting and different than normal.

Passing the test

Today's run (street): 2.5 miles

Today's run was an acid test for me. I wanted to gauge my fitness for next Sunday's race to see how I felt coming off a difficult seven miler with one day's rest. I probably dressed too warmly for the weather but the distance was short so I avoided overheating.

I started at an easy pace, though not as slow as Sunday's, and increased my speed as I went on. By mile one I was running at my 10K goal pace and my last half mile was 30 seconds faster than goal pace. I didn't feel especially strong and my stride was not fluid, but I felt on track to compete. I'll sign up today for the race and train the next two days. I'll follow that with two day's rest prior to Sunday's race.

I have a decision to make

The switch to daylight savings yesterday was a welcomed change. It made only one hour's difference but it allowed me to sleep a little longer on Sunday and still get out early for a long run. The whole day seemed longer, as did the entire weekend. This morning the train station was no longer swathed in darkness like it had been over the past few weeks. I only wish it was this light out at 4:00 AM.

Yesterday's run was plenty tough for me and I'm seriously reconsidering my plan to run a 10K race next Sunday. For no single reason, I've been off my athletic game over the last month and have not run particularly long distances on weekends. I usually cover 10-12 miles on weekends, but that average has dropped 30% since September.

I'm going to think about whether to run the Hope for the Warriors 10K or use next weekend to help me prepare better for the 11/20 Long Beach Turkey Trot. I may have disadvantaged myself yesterday by not refueling during the run that took over 70 minutes and that could account for my near bonk. I'll make a decision today so I can know how to conduct this week's training.

There was an interesting article in yesterday's NY Times about Lauren Fleshman, a 5,000 meter champion, who ran the NYC Marathon to help improve her short distance competitiveness. She talks about the need to change up training to achieve significant progress. I liked this quote: “At 30, I’m not going to get dramatically better doing the same thing.”  It made me think about my own training and what I really can expect to get out of the workouts I do, week after week.

NYC Marathon morning run at Bethpage

Today's run (Bethpage State Park): 7.1 miles

Today is the New York Marathon and I watched the race on TV after my run on the bike trail at Bethpage. It was an exciting finish for the women, with Dado overtaking Keitany's lead in the last miles through Central Park. On Friday, I made my annual pilgrimage to the NYC Marathon Expo at the Javits Center and brought along KWL who had never attended it.

The Expo was even more overwhelming this year than last and I saw Dean Karnazes and met Marshall Ulricht, whose book "Running on Empty" I'd recently read. It was amazing to talk to this man who set records for running across America, starting in San Francisco and finishing in New York 52 days later.

With Desi Davila - Boston Marathon record-holder

I also met Desi Davila, who finished second in this year's Boston Marathon and holds the fastest women's time ever in that race.  Desi was sweet and humble, I mentioned the cover story about her in Running Times and she just smiled and nodded. She told me she was skipping the NYC marathon because she's training for the 2012 Olympics. I will be rooting for her to make the team!

Today I took advantage of the Daylight Savings Time roll-back and got out early for my run. I planned to take it easy so I could benchmark my condition and see how ready I am for a 10K next Sunday. It was chilly and I wore layers and gloves and I felt pretty good for the first four miles. At around the five mile point I started feeling some weakness. I'm thinking that my base has probably slid back to about 4 miles since Cow Harbor. I slowed down a little to get past a hilly section and tried not to think about the last mile that is the toughest part of the return leg.

By mile six I felt similar to how I'd felt near the end of my half marathon, my spirit was willing but my legs were not. I told myself "just keep going" and I did, although I'm not sure how I managed to get over that final hill.

I may not run the Race for the Warriors next weekend because (as of right now) I don't feel prepared to run a competitive 10K. I guess I can run it as a training exercise for the Long Beach Turkey Trot the following week. I'll decide that in the next day or so. I'm hoping that my experience today had more to do with having a slight chest cold than the fact that my conditioning isn't where it needs to be right now.

Slight concerns for my 10K readiness

Today's run (street): 3.25 miles

I would have like to cover more distance this morning but I had an early appointment that limited my running time to about 30 minutes. It was 38° according to News12 when I prepared for my run and I bundled up with long pants, long sleeved shirt, a hat and gloves. I worried that I'd get too hot at some point but with only thirty minutes on the road I stayed fairly comfortable throughout my run.

Yesterday's performance was sub-par and that workout served only to keep continuity in my schedule. I felt a little pressure when I went out today knowing that this weekend is the last time that I can train at any real distance for next weekend's Hope for the Warriors 10K. I am still feeling under the weather so I compromised on intensity and focused on maintaining a pace that was roughly between my daily run pace and my targeted pace for the 10K.

I had no mechanical problems with my stride and felt no fatigue, but I wasn't at the level I want to be on race day. I followed an extended version of my usual course and thought about form and cadence. The run began to feel harder at the two mile mark and this concerned me because that is only a third of a 10K. I decided to ignore the difficulty and worked to maintain speed by using arm swing to increase leg turnover.

In the end I achieved my pace goal but I still have some concerns about the fragility of my six mile base. A longer run tomorrow should give me a better sense of my readiness. I'm looking forward to watching the NYC marathon tomorrow and that will help motivate me to cover some distance. I have a few friends who are running the marathon for the first time tomorrow and I'm hoping that they have great experiences. Knowing how hard a half marathon can be, I admire them very much.