Stillwell Woods fun: toughest trail run this year

Finally found my way across the full preserve

Today's run (Stillwell Woods): 4.5 miles

Now that the Barclays is over and Bethpage is open once again, I considered heading over to run the bike trail. But I changed my mind on venue and opted for Stillwell Woods instead. A few miles on the wooded trails is a great way to free your mind, body and soul. That is, if they don't beat you to a pulp.

I usually run the same route at Stillwell that starts on the main trail and follows north, and then east, before looping back around to the trail head. I usually run it twice, for a distance of about 4 miles. I like this course because it's primarily hard packed single-track, with a few rocky and hilly sections thrown in. The challenge of getting through this loop is moderate at best, but it's a great experience running among the trees, plants and animals.

This morning's Stillwell run started like usual, and I followed my standard loop until I turned left instead of right, just before the one mile point. This little change quickly turned the dial from easy to difficult. Instead of my familiar paths, I soon encountered the first of many sharp inclines up rock, scree and sand, followed by numerous steep, carved out, drops.

Technical trail running can be fun provided you're wearing the right shoes and have an understanding of your course. I had neither, but I did my best. Thinking I'd run my usual route, I wore a pair of road shoes that performed remarkably well in most circumstances, but barely had enough bite for some particularly steep inclines.

I'd brought a compass and that was very helpful for navigating across the entire preserve. Still, I didn't know what to expect from minute to minute. The route I'd taken brought me up and down, with almost no level sections between the one and three mile points. I began to get frustrated by this pattern because I didn't know what lay ahead. I only knew it would be tough running.

Just when I started to think about taking a break or even walking some of the difficult sections, I found myself on a familiar trail that's part of my normal route. Knowing the worst was over, I happily followed my way around to the trail head and ran the paved drive almost to the street and back. 

Ups and downs through the first three miles

What started as a routine Stillwell run turned out to be an exhausting hill workout with lots of technical terrain and obstacles. I needed to duck under or leap over a lot of stuff and all that sand was irritating. I was proud of myself for meeting every hill challenge head on. But I did need a mid-day recovery nap to get my energy back, so I could play soccer with my daughter.

Tomorrow I'll go back on the road again. Perhaps I'll head to Bethpage for six miles or so on the bike trail. After today's run, that might feel easier than usual.

A surprisingly decent time for a low PE run

Today's run (street): 3.6 miles

My Labor Day weekend started this morning, so I had an opportunity do a weekday run longer than my usual, time-constrained 2.5 miles. It's actually 2.53 miles, but who's counting? Well, I am. An extra three hundredths of a mile drops my average pace by six seconds per mile at that distance.

I targeted about 3.5 miles for today because it's a nice bump up from the 2.53 on a weekday, but short enough to get it done quickly. Although I didn't need to rush out the door when I returned home, the rest of the day was booked and I wanted a chance to relax before I headed to my first appointment.

My run was interesting. It was hot by the time I got outside and I wasn't really in the mood to push hard. I used only my heart rate as a way to gauge my performance and adjusted my speed to get into my targeted zone. Even while my pulse increased, I didn't feel like I was working as hard as I did last week, when I broke 9:00 four mornings in a row.

I ended up completing this run in the mid-9:00 range. Going only by perceived effort (PE), I expected that number to be 20 secs/mile slower. I was pleased with that performance on a hot day when I wasn't really working that hard. My average HR for the run was at the lower end of the anaerobic range. That tells me I have more on tap than I've been using on most runs.

Like the DJIA, running performance has its gains and losses

Today's run (street): 2.5 miles

My performance gains of last week have given way to more moderate results this week. It's almost like a market correction where I've found myself dropping speed, but still holding some gains. I wonder if my ups and downs of running ever synchronize with the Dow. That would be an interesting investment strategy.

Tuesday's performance was hard to measure because I don't fully believe the numbers that I see on the treadmill. If I were to go by heart rate, I'd say that it was a credible run. Yesterday I did a street run and used my heart  rate monitor to guide my level of exertion. It became clearer to me how my perceived effort affects my speed. I didn't break 9:00 on Wednesday, but I came close.

This morning was a different story altogether. Running felt harder than the day before, and my stride did not feel fluid. I just wanted to get through the run so I could relax for 15 minutes before starting the rest of my day. Although it didn't feel like I was slacking off too much on my pace, my overall time was almost two minutes longer than yesterday, along the same route.

I expect to get out a little later and go a little longer tomorrow because it's a day off. I'm looking to experiment further with the relationship between heart rate and speed. I also need to get some hill training in so that I can be somewhat ready for big hill at the Cow Harbor 10K in a couple of weeks.

My most important decision in the last four years

Four years and many miles

Today's run (street): 2.5 miles

This past weekend I realized that it's been four years since I took the results from my annual physical as a call to action. At that time, I weighed thirty pounds more than I do today. My cholesterol was very high, as were most other indicators. These results were no surprise to me at the time. I had become sedentary and, while I maintained a decent diet, I did not do a good job of regulating portion sizes or sugar intake.

With a wife and two young kids who depended on me, I could no longer ignore the truth. I got off the phone after speaking to my doctor's assistant and told my wife that I was going to change. I don't know if she fully believed me, but she supported my intention. My wife has always been active and she suggested that I use the treadmill in the morning before work and to really watch how much snacking I did after dinner.

In August of 2009 I began to walk, first on the treadmill and, on weekends, around my neighborhood. I pushed my walking pace and, within weeks, I was throwing in some short running segments. It took a while before I could comfortably run a mile but by the end of September I was doing that. By October, I had given over from being a walker to a full time runner.

Along the way, I lost those 30 extra pounds and by year's end, even more. Running is easier the less you weigh. It becomes more interesting when you can track your progress with devices that capture your speed and distance. I made a lot of progress in the first six months after I returned to an active life. Four years later, I'm doing even more.

This is the 1,300th post I've done on the Emerging Runner. I started the blog as a personal journal to help me record my experiences and share them with others. I wondered how long I would be able to maintain the discipline of running every morning and whether I would tire of the routine and the work that comes with it. But four years later, I feel exactly the same as I did the day that I completed my first continuous mile.

Finally using my HRM (with good results)

Today's run (treadmill): 25 minutes

I knew it would be rainy this morning so I planned to do a treadmill run. I finally got around to setting up my heart rate monitor on Sunday and linked it to the Garmin, so I had that to play with. With the rain outside, it was very humid in my guest room. I put the fan in a fixed position and aimed it directly at the front of the treadmill. This reduces the heat, but the forced air causes dryness in my sinuses and throat.

It's been a long time since I've used an HRM. The treadmill has grips that allow you to capture your current heart rate, but read time takes a while and it's awkward to run that way at speed. The Garmin is much more convenient and it monitors in real time, providing important information as you run.

One important thing I learned was that my usual routine on the treadmill did not tax my heart as much as I'd thought. Since I despise this method of running it always feels hard, at any speed. What I thought was a good workout pace turned out to be on the threshold between the recovery and aerobic zones. To really get benefit I needed to push myself into the anaerobic zone (between 80-90% max HR).

I watched my heart rate as I increased the treadmill's speed and was surprised how hard it was to bump my HR higher on the aerobic zone. It may have been psychological, but I found it easier to sustain paces below 9:00 after seeing that my heart rate was still below 80% of max. I ended up running faster than I usually do on the treadmill without feeling much fatigue during or afterward. I'll be curious to see what kind of numbers I see when I take it to the streets tomorrow.