Running slow has made me faster

Today's run (treadmill): 25 minutes

It was still raining this morning so I opted for another morning's run on the treadmill. I'll admit that my view of treadmill running has changed a lot, for the better, in the last couple of years. I still find it boring, but it does provide a lot of flexibility in the way I choose to run.

I almost always start slowly on my indoor runs. It's a way of easing into the workout, and it allows me to deal with the residual energy debt coming from my recently interrupted sleep. By the end of my run I'm usually clocking about an 8:30 pace, but to get there, I have to increase my speed every five minutes from my starting point.

When I used to practice karate, I understood how good form was more important than how fast I could block or strike my opponent when sparring. My instructor used to say "If you can do it slow, you can do it fast." That's the technique I've followed for the last six months and it's yielded good results. Slow and steady in training -- PR on race day.

The week that won't end

Today's workout (elliptical): 25 minutes

I've always thought that busy weeks go by quicker than slow ones but that isn't true for this week. Yesterday's schedule was too tight to fit in a workout because I needed to be on a 5:50 AM train. I'm facing similar pressures today but on a normal schedule, so at least I had time for my weekly elliptical session this morning.

I'm on vacation next week and I couldn't be more ready. I'm planning to get some distance runs in during that time and also continue to work on overall speed. I'm hoping that the storm that's predicted on Sunday won't involve snow. I'd be disappointed to have to do vacation runs on the treadmill.

The challenge of fitting in my training miles

Today's run (treadmill): 25 minutes

This is going to be a busy week. In fact, yesterday I didn't even have enough free time to post. This morning I eased back into my running routine with a treadmill workout that seemed to go by very quickly. Perhaps it was the distraction of all the things that I need to to get done that offset the usual tedium of treadmill running.

I've been thinking a lot about my approach to training for the half marathon. Last year I made the mistake of under-training in March and early April and then over-training in the weeks leading up to my race in May. The result was a woeful performance caused both by a knee problem and insufficient conditioning. I'm looking to correct that this year.

Right now I'm aiming to cover at least 90 miles for both March and April. That plan will have me averaging just over 20 miles per week. The key to this will be my weekend runs where I'll have time to cover distances greater than six miles on a single run. I really need to figure out whether the bike trail at Bethpage is open because it provides me the most practical way to stretch out a run of ten or more miles.

This weekend will be the start to this training. Ready or not, here I come.

Reflections on the 2012 Long Beach Snowflake Run

Today's run (street): 3.3 miles

Ran the race, got the t-shirt

Yesterday's 4 mile PR was a nice surprise. I'm hoping it had more to do with my training than the fact that the race is run over a fairly flat course. As always, there are lessons learned after a race. Besides the obvious (don't wear threadbare Hattori's in freezing cold, wet weather) there may be deeper discoveries.

For one thing, I learned that my ideal pacing for a four mile race should be more similar to running a 5K than an 8K. Going all out on the first mile yesterday didn't hurt me and I was able to maintain a credible pace for the remaining three. On 8K's and 5 mile runs, a start like that would put me into bonk territory before the end (and it has).

Second, although I've run about 25 races since 2009, I had never taken advantage of following a "pacer." This is a fellow racer who runs a little faster than I would normally go. The pros use them and now I understand why. Locking in on a stronger runner, and blocking out everything else, helped me maintain a competitive pace through the last mile of the race.

On the same theme, I continue to exploit a lesson that Dave taught me a couple of years ago regarding start position. Even though I tend to finish in the 30-50% percentile, starting closer to the front (especially on races that don't provide a starting line sensor) is a great way to achieve a fast first mile. It's like the pacer concept, except everyone around you is helping. A high tide lifts all boats.

Despite everything I've read about essential rest after a race or a hard run, I continue to go out for easy recovery runs the next day. I did that today, in the 7 degree weather (with wind chill) because I was still a little wired from Saturday. I purposely maintained a pace that was minutes slower than yesterday's and it felt good for the first half hour. At that point the strain of the race (and poor rest overnight) caught up to me.

I toughed out the last half mile and was happy to have put in a couple of good efforts this weekend. Next weekend I will start my half marathon training where I'll need to complete at least one seven mile base run. The training never ends, and neither does the learning.

Race report: Long Beach Snowflake Run

Pouring it on for the finish (center, in black)

Today's race (Long Beach Snowflake 4 Mile Run): 33:50 (8:28 pace)

For the second year in row, the snow has forced Snowflake Run participants off of the boardwalk. Last year it was an issue of volume, there was so much snow and ice on the boardwalk that it became both dangerous and impassible. This year it was a steady but light snowfall that would have been too slippery for fast running. So, once again, we found ourselves lining up on Broadway for this four mile race.

Last weekend I ran intervals on the treadmill in the hope of being ready to go out hard this weekend. That must have helped because I achieved a new 4 mile PR this morning and beat my prior PR by over a minute. Team Emerging Runner accompanied me this year and, aside from some difficulties finding a parking spot, the event went very well.

We arrived about 30 minutes from start time and when I walked into the gym to pick up my race number, I was surprised to see so many people milling around. The room smelled strongly of perspiration and adrenaline and against one wall was a slide show accompanied by blaring music. I headed to the rest room after visiting registration and saw a long line of of women waiting patiently. The men's room line went quickly and soon I was back to my family in the gym.

My fuel of choice for the race was GU Roctane and as it got closer to race time, I had some Ghiradelli 72% cocoa dark chocolate to top me off. I'd just run into my friend Steve who was running with me and I gave him some chocolate for a pre-race boost. Steve had his wife and their two little ones at the race and everyone was in good spirits despite the cold, wet weather.

We lined up fairly close to the start line to get a good take-off position. Steve and I learned a lesson last year when we were forced into a narrow path between the snow and parked cars. That situation produced so much crowding that we could barely exceed a trot for the first couple of minutes.

A fast start as the snow came down

Before too long, we were off and running. My Garmin had gone into energy saver mode so I wasn't able to start my timing until I'd run a few hundred feet. Once that was resolved, I focused on staying with a fast crowd of front runners who I'd hoped would sweep me up and carry me along.

My friend Steve disappeared into the crowd almost immediately and I figured I'd see him at the turnaround or at the finish line. The group surrounding me was running at a faster pace than I could sustain, but I did my best and hoped to pass the first mile one under 8:20. When I saw the timing clock I was amazed to see that I'd actually clocked 7:54 for mile one.

I must have passed Steve just before that point because he told me later that he came through around 8:05. My goal was to preserve as much of that first mile pace as I could, and I settled into a rhythm that I thought I could maintain throughout the race. My splits were 7:54, 8:43, 8:34 and 8:39. I bounced around a little, but I didn't suffer from progressively positive splits as I've done in the past.

It's a nice crowd of runners who participate in these Long Beach races. None of that obnoxious posturing I've seen other places. That isn't to say this crowd is any less competitive. If anything, I think this race fields a deeper pool of speedy runners than I've seen elsewhere.

Having run this course last year, I knew what to expect in terms of progress and effort. I ran hard but I probably could have pushed more into the middle miles. I wanted to make sure I had enough energy to finish strongly and I'm pleased with the way things turned out.

Once I passed two miles, I reminded myself that I had less than half the distance to go. The rate of people who passed me had slowed down to the point where I was running mostly with those who ran about my pace. I used the guy in front of me as a pacer through most of the last mile. Once I saw the finish chute, about three blocks in the distance, I dropped a gear and gave it my best of the day.

As I approached the finish line I could see my wife and kids cheering me on, but the clock atop the chute was reading 16:00, so I feared that the timing system wasn't working. My Garmin showed that I'd come in under 34 minutes, so I knew I'd done well. It turned out that the actual race clock was positioned low and to the left, so I'd missed it.

I assumed Steve had already finished, but discovered that he hadn't yet come through. He came crossed the line about a minute later - an impressive effort for someone who hadn't really run much over the prior few months. We went back to the gym to see our results posted and I saw that I'd crossed the line in 33:50, for a pace of 8:28 and a new PR.

Steve and I went back out and watched the runners streaming across the line while the snow continued to fall. I had been concerned that the wet surface would be too slippery for my Hattori's, but that wasn't an issue. However, the shoe's lack of insulation was a big issue and I couldn't feel my toes for most of the race. I'll have to remember that the next time I wear them in cold, wet conditions.

So, my first race of 2012 went very well and I'm enjoying the great feeling that comes from a sustained effort like a race. I'll probably go out for a very easy run tomorrow and start thinking about my strategy for my next two races, one short (5K) and the other long (13.1 miles). In the meantime, I'll enjoy all the moments from today's events.