Cow Harbor 2012: rain or shine (but please shine!)

Not what I'm hoping to see tomorrow

Today is rest day number two, prior to the Cow Harbor 10K. The weather report for tomorrow is slightly discouraging due to some bad timing. They are saying that both Friday and the weekend will be beautiful, except for some rain that will sweep through between 7:00 and 9:00 AM. If that's accurate, we could be in for a soggy start.

I won't worry about the weather because there's nothing I can do about it. I don't enjoy running in the rain because it can cause some annoying visibility problems for me (glasses). Worse, I really dislike the feel of moisture permeating my socks and sloshing around my running shoes. On the bright side, if it's raining we won't have to deal with the hot baking sun. I hope it doesn't rain, but if it does I'll deal with it.

In terms of my readiness for tomorrow, I don't think I'm at the same level of conditioning as I was a year ago. I looked at Daily Mile and saw that I've only done four runs longer than 6 miles since the beginning of August. Half of those happened in the last two weeks, so it isn't like I've ignored distances altogether. But even with those workouts, my base isn't really optimal for a hard 6.2 mile run.

I'm still debating whether to do numbers pickup later today, or get them tomorrow before the race. I haven't chosen my race day gear but I have my nutrition figured out. I'm excited to be running Cow Harbor once again and I hope conditions are good. I'm also hoping my colleague FS also has a great race this weekend when she runs the Dutchess County Half Marathon.

Red Bull's Cow Harbor sample

One way to moo-ve faster on race day

As a blogger who reviews running related products, I occasionally receive interesting items in the mail. When I came home on Tuesday night, my wife handed me a small cylindrical package and asked if I was expecting something. I looked at the return address and saw it was  from Red Bull North America. I wondered what they sent me and why they sent it.

The package contained a can of Red Bull, accompanied by a printed note that thanked me for being part of the Great Cow Harbor 10K. I thought that was a great marketing idea. It probably cost a lot more to mail these cans than simply include them in race goody bags. However, this certainly got my full attention and it tied the product directly to the race.

Will I use this can of Red Bull on Saturday morning to kick-start my run? Not a chance. I still have trust issues with energy drinks and I would never use a supplement for the first time on race day. Still, I give Red Bull credit for their smart approach to demographic targeting and I appreciate their support and sponsorship of Cow Harbor and other races on Long Island.

Cow Harbor training dissonance

After Bayview, the nightmare begins

Today's run (street): 2.5 miles

This morning's run was my last before Saturday's Cow Harbor 10K. As I worked my way through my daily route, I thought about the luxury of waking up tomorrow without the obligation of a run. I pushed myself to a reasonable level, mostly after the first mile, and completed the run close to my normal time. I was happy with the workout but, almost immediately afterward, I started to question whether I've properly trained for the race.

James Street in Northport, otherwise known as "Widow Hill", is Cow Harbor's vindicetis maximus. It's a half mile of steep road that starts close to the two-mile point in the race. In the past two years I've trained on the Cow Harbor course to ready myself for that hill. It's helpful to know at the start of the race that I've run that monster in recent weeks. This year, my training has been less focused. Though I did run some hills over the past few weekends, they pale in comparison to what I'll face on Saturday.

I'm also thinking about my taper. Some might think it's overkill to rest two full days before a 10K. But I like  knowing (even if it's just psychological) that my body is using that downtime to repair and strengthen my leg muscles. I'm debating whether to run through core exercises on Thursday and Friday to give my glutes, quads and hamstrings some extra conditioning. That's an impact free workout that just might make me feel better about my training so far.

Techno-vandalism brings down Emerging Runner

Today's run (street): 2.5 miles

Today is the 11th anniversary of 9/11 and it's hard to believe that so much time has passed since that Tuesday in 2001. Last year I posted an essay about my experience and I thought this morning about how my children, so young at the time, are now in middle and high school. They'll never remember a time when 9/11 was just another day in September. I hardly do now.

Yesterday afternoon hackers brought down GoDaddy, the web hosting company that provides DNS services for the Emerging Runner. Consequently, my site was unreachable for a few hours. It's troubling when people selfishly disrupt technologies that provide services to so many who rely on their websites for income. Emerging Runner isn't a commercial site so, for me, it was just annoyance. But for those with the "Occupy Wall Street" mentality, I'll point out that this type of techno-vandalism mostly hurts the people they claim to represent.

I'm glad to have my site back and very happy to experience chilly, fall-like temperatures on my 4:00 AM run this morning. I ran my usual route and finished about 30 seconds faster than I normally do. It's hard to know how I'll feel on Saturday (race day) but my last two runs have gone well. One more run before I rest.

Finally, as I feared, BH Fitness sent us the wrong parts for our elliptical machine, so after waiting 6+ months, we still don't have a working unit. Here's some advice: If you are considering buying a piece of BH Fitness equipment, I recommend that you consider something else.

For Cow Harbor, it may all come down to this

My running experience this weekend varied greatly, with Saturday's humidity restricting my progress and Sunday's cool, dry conditions providing an energizing atmosphere. I don't have much to say about Saturday except that I knew from the start that it would be a tough run. I covered more distance than the three miles I'd originally targeted, so I was pleased with that small victory. Sometimes you need to give due respect to the heat and try your best, even if you don't run very long.

Yesterday's experience was much different and I knew from the start that I would have a better time on the Bethpage trail. I'm not sure how much credit I should give to the Accel Gel, but both times I've used it I've liked the results. The big hill at Bethpage is no James Street monster, but it's the best I could do as a training resource. It was nice to come up and over the top without feeling like I had nothing left, as I often do when finishing long runs there.

More than once I've had terrible runs on Saturday, followed by a really good run on Sunday. This coming weekend I'm hoping I peak early and feel race ready on the 15th. The two days that I'll rest prior to Saturday may improve my chances, but it doesn't guarantee I'll be at my best. I really hope we have great weather like last year on race day rather than the stifling heat and humidity of the year before. Above all else, weather can make the difference between a good or difficult race experience.