Rainy day running gets you nowhere

Get it?

Today's run (treadmill): 4.1 miles

Rain is a funny thing for me. I generally don't mind when I'm caught in a storm, as long as I have a decent umbrella. I like the experience of reading a good book indoors when it's pouring outside. But when it comes to running in the rain, I would rather endure freezing temperatures, high humidity and scorching heat than be subjected to pluvial conditions. Some of this is due to my difficulty seeing in the rain with glasses, but the whole soaking shoes, socks, shirt and shorts thing really undercuts my enjoyment of a run.

This morning I prepared to run outside under a dark gray sky. As much as I abhor running in rain, my favorite conditions are cool and overcast weather. I was dressed and ready to head out when my daughter looked up from her homework and said, "Dad, do you know that it's raining outside?" I didn't know, but I decided to walk down the driveway to see if it was rain or just light drizzle. It was rain.

I came back inside and headed upstairs to wait for my wife to finish her treadmill run. I changed into a lighter running shirt and removed my RoadID but kept on the other gear. As soon as my wife finished her workout, I fired up the floor fan, put on the news and set a brisk pace on the treadmill. The rainy conditions outside created humid conditions indoors. I prepared for 16 tedious "laps", the most I thought I could endure this morning.

It was disappointing to be stuck on the treadmill after expecting to run outside. Yesterday I experienced some fatigue after negotiating the long uphill section along Sunnyside Boulevard. Today I felt like I had more energy, but the lack of perceived progress I get during treadmill running was mentally wearing. I focused on .25 mile increments and eventually got to my targeted "distance."

I was glad that I didn't let the weather prevent me from putting in the miles today. However, after four miles of humid treadmill running I'm reconsidering the merits of running in the rain.

Running from home to the Greenbelt Trail

 

Section of the new bike trail I covered today

Today's run (Street + Greenbelt Bike Trail): 5.25

There's nothing like the promise of a Saturday morning training run. It's the start of the weekend and a break from business obligations. On those rare Saturdays where my schedule is open-ended, I usually go to a local park or Preserve. It's a treat to run among interesting scenery, rather than gazing at my neighborhood's expanse of manicured lawns and avoiding careless drivers. 

The drawback to park and Preserve running is the need to travel to those locations. It bothers me that I have to drive my car to get to my running destination. Stillwell Woods and Trailview are only five minutes from my home (and Bethpage is ten), but getting to them still involves logistics. If I could only get to the Greenbelt trail without needing a car...

Well it looks like my wish has been granted. This morning I decided to explore the area near my house where the town has paved some bike trails. These trails run along the busier roads that I'd always dismissed as too dangerous to run. I started from my front door and did a loop around some local roads before cutting through the middle school into neighborhood #3. This neighborhood has an exit out to Woodbury Road, exactly where the new path starts.

The trail along Sunnyside, heading north

Suddenly, I was on a protected multi-use trail that would theoretically connect me all the way to the Massepequa Preserve trail head, 13 miles to the south. I ran along the path and saw evidence of progress, with construction signs and a few short gaps in the paved surface. Sunnyside Boulevard, the road that parallels the path, has a long hill that goes for 3/4 miles. It's steeper than Waterside Ave. on the Cow Harbor course and will be a good local training spot to prep for that challenge.

Once I made my way past the Northern State Parkway just north of the LIE, I stopped to figure out where the path continued south. There were a number of "No Trespassing" signs around this area that I took more as a suggestion than a warning, since I was seeing lots of cyclists zooming by. I tried to understand the safest way to get across to the paved path that continued on the other side. At that moment, two riders came across, and I asked them how far the bike trail went. They spoke the magic words, "All the way to Massepequa Preserve." Awesome.

Truth be told, I wasn't feeling my best on the run, and the long uphill section on Sunnyside had worn me out. I'd considered reversing direction and heading home at that point, but now I had to continue long enough to see where the path would lead. I crossed the street and followed the trail south until I reached the point where the service road diverged from the LIE. I then doubled back and crossed back over to where the path continued north.

The run back was easier, even though there were some short hills to address. Most of the next mile was downhill and that helped restore my energy level as I went along. Shortly before I reached Woodbury Road, I took a tangential path to see where it led (it terminated a block west) and ran to the the crosswalk that led me back into neighborhood #3.

It was exciting to know that I could actually run to Bethpage from my house if I really wanted to. It would be about 6.5 miles - doable - but then I'd have to run home. I've run 13+ miles a few times, so it's in the realm of the possible. However, I think I'll need to do a lot more base training before I take that on.

Running happy as a performance enhancement

Today's run (street): 3.7 miles

Runners tend to focus on physical methods to improve performance. If you want to run faster, do speed work. If you want to take on steep technical trails, do hill training. There's no doubt that performance training will yield results. However, there's an aspect to running performance that has nothing to do with hard physical work. I'm talking about your state of mind on a run.

Many runners talk about how running clears their mind and provides relief from stress. I agree with that, but I also feel that "running while anxious" can compromise performance. This week I've dealt with a business issue that has been weighing heavily on my mind. I did feel more energized and optimistic after my anxiety-plagued runs, but the runs themselves were not my best efforts.

This morning my situation resolved itself and the run that followed felt buoyant. I beat this week's average pace by 15 seconds a mile. I fully believe that my better performance related directly to my mood. As good an experience as that, I felt even better after the run. So I guess the lesson here is to run when you're happy. If it were only that easy. Maybe Brooks has a point.

Under the weather, due to the weather

Today's run (treadmill): 3.1 miles

This has been a strange week for me. Lots of business frenzy and an underlying feeling that I'm about to be hit with a cold. I've been getting migraine-like headaches about once a month, that seem to correlate to changes in the weather. They could also be triggered by pollen, although I've never suffered allergies in the past. Over the last few days I haven't felt 100% and I ended up skipping my run on Wednesday.

This morning I had a return of that headache and I treated it with pseudoephedrine that usually does the trick. It helped greatly, but residual tiredness and a full morning schedule delayed my workout. I had a window of opportunity at noon so I jumped on the treadmill for a leisurely run at an easy pace. I knew I'd get the most benefit out of a workout that taxed me, but didn't push me to the point of feeling run down.

I could have run outdoors but I decided to use the treadmill because I could set the speed and just zone out. It was a decent workout and helped clear my head. I'm still feeling tired, but at least I got a few miles in. The weather is supposed to get cooler from now, through the weekend. That will make for better running conditions outside. I hope that by Saturday, my health will be as good as the predicted weather.

No run, one hit, no errors

It's official

Last night we went to an LI Ducks game using tickets that my wife won last Saturday at the Walk-a-thon. My daughter managed to snag a foul ball, much to our delight. I've attended hundreds of games and have never done that. Free tickets and an authentic game ball. What could be more fun on a Tuesday night?

It wasn't a particularly late night, but I woke up this morning feeling run down. I knew I'd be facing a busy day in the city, so I made the decision to take an unscheduled rest day. I've made the mistake of trying to power through a workout when I wasn't at my best. No upside to that. Tomorrow I'll get back into the rhythm of my run schedule. The three plus miles I covered on the streets of NYC today will need to be enough.