Pre-race rest

I'm still a racing newbie and while I have competed a couple of times in the last two months I'm not convinced that I have figured out the best strategy for optimizing my readiness prior to race day. I'd decided to take two rest days before my 4 mile race in April. The idea was to aid my recovery from the harder than normal training program I had been following. I ran a good race that day and despite a few killer hills I kept my overall pace at 8:50 per mile. The second race, in May, was a 5K on a flatter course and I decided to push my training a little more and my rest a little less. I only took one rest day the day before and ended up averaging 8:33 which pleased me to no end.

This Sunday's race is my longest yet, 8K/5 miles on an unknown course. I have not had too many sub 9:00 runs at distances greater than 4 miles so I'm not really sure how I'll do. My goal for the 4 miler was to break 9:00 and I did. My goal for the 5K was to break 8:40 and I did. My goal for Sunday is to do better than 9:07 which seems to be the best pace I've attained for 5+ miles in the last couple of months. If I can beat 9:00 I'll be happier still.

I'm enjoying a rest today although I could easily have run a couple of miles. I woke up with little leg and knee soreness (icing and compression helped that) and thought one more day of rest can't hurt. Saturday will also be a rest day if you consider back to back appointments at the eye doctor and dentist restful. Then it's race day. I'm hoping for the best.

A penultimate pre race run

I took the day off today and sneaked in a longer than normal week day run. I'm in taper mode and wanted to get one more 3+ mile run under my belt before Sunday's 8K. Like other times when I've run during the work week morning I was cautious about sharing the road with cars and school buses and I stayed on the sidewalks more than I normally do. Sidewalk running has its own risks, especially when you encounter buckled or broken sections. But compared to a steady stream of cars making their way to the local school and landscaper's trucks maneuvering through the streets it's a better way to go.

I gave myself a quarter mile to work out the leg stiffness that remains on my right side and then focused on keeping my pace steady and brisk. I felt good and the weather was cooperative so I expected that I'd end up pacing below 9:00 minutes overall. I was a little time pressed and needed to return home within 35 minutes of departure so I knew I'd probably run less than 4 miles. I purposely kept the Garmin in time mode rather than pace or distance. I wanted to see how I would run if I concentrated on speed without knowing how much distance I'd covered or what speed I was running. As I came upon the last segment of my route I tried to run faster, lengthening my stride and quickening my cadence. I finished and saw that I'd covered 3.6 miles at 8:54/mile. I was happy that I broke 9:00 but I'm still wondering why I'm not in the 8:30 range at this point. Oh well, I plan one more run on Friday and perhaps I can again push the speed and get ready for a faster pace on Sunday.

I will soon announce a new section/site related to the Emerging Runner that focuses on running technology: Runner's Tech Review. The first review will cover the Moji knee icing wrap which I am wearing as I write this. AG field tested it with her team during her recent Patch Sprint mountain race. I am also starting to work with the QStarz GPS Sports Recorder and will report on that soon.

Stay tuned for lots of new stuff on emergingrunner.com including "Running Gone Wild" and, every week, "Sedentary Man."

BMW's look evil at 4:00 AM

Last week I borrowed a reflective vest, headlamp and tail light from Adventure Girl so I could try an early morning run outside. I'll admit that I was somewhat intimidated by the idea of running alone in what is the middle of the night to most people. I got up this morning and put on my running gear, taking some extra time as I figured out the right way to wear the vest and resizing the head lamp so that it fit around my big head. The last task was to attach the blinking red LED to the back making me visible from all directions. That done, I made my way out to the driveway for a few minutes of stretching before hitting the road.

As I turned off my street onto the road past the middle school I was surprised to see how well lit my neighborhood is at 4:05 AM. I felt really good as I ran, it was almost effortless and the temperature, dry, low 40's, was perfect. I also appreciated that there was no sun bearing down on me contributing to body heat.

As I exited the middle school grounds I was actually startled by the reflected light of a parked BMW whose Xenon headlights glowed malevolently in response to the blue LED from the head lamp. It looked like an eerie blue Jack-O-Lantern. I ended up seeing a number of other cars that reflected this way during the run. My goal was to duplicate the 2 mile circuit that I ran on Sunday and it went by quickly. Or so it seemed. As I ran the final leg up the service road that feeds into my neighborhood I upped my speed hoping to finish with an impressive overall pace. I finished the 2.04 mile run (the Garmin is spot on accurate now) averaging 9:20/mile. Clearly running in the dark alters your perception of speed because I would have sworn that I was tracking at a 9:00 or below pace.

In the end it didn't matter. It was one of the best morning runs I've had and I felt completely safe. I only encountered a car delivering the NY Times to homes and one truck during my route. Otherwise it was quiet and peaceful, just me, some scary car faces and lots of lawn sprinkler activity. I'll definitely invest in my own night running gear. It's a great alternative to the treadmill and it can be a good way to beat the summer heat for my daily runs.

8K's a week

It's getting down to the final days leading up to my 8K race on June 7. It's hard to believe that it's already June 1st. You wouldn't know it this morning with temperatures in the 40's in the suburbs east of NYC. It's too early to count on the long range forcast for next Sunday but the race starts at 9:15 AM and I'm hoping the humidity will be relatively low at that point.

I've decided to taper my workouts this week, starting yesterday with a shorter (but faster) 2+ mile run. I covered the distance at an 8:50 pace which compares to the 9:07 average I ran in May. Knowing that it would be short I kept up my speed throughout the run and benchmarked distance from the Garmin against known waypoints on my route. I saw that the Garmin was undercounting my progress so I ignored the readout and just followed the route I'd Gmapped prior to the run. In all, the Garmin was off by 5% and I manually adjusted the watch so it should be accurate now. I followed my run with some time in the pool where I did kicking exercises that, combined with the cold water, helped my quad soreness.

This morning I did 22 minutes on the elliptical as a weekend recovery workout (totaled 12.5 miles between Friday and Sunday). Tomorrow I plan to do a weekday run outdoors using the vest and head lamp I borrowed from AG. I'm taking off Wednesday so I hope to do my last long run before the race and follow that with a rest day on Thursday. Friday morning I hope to do a relatively short city run with AG to finish the taper and rest on Saturday.

Out and back: 5 hard miles

Continuing my goal of getting close to 15 miles this weekend I set out to Bethpage State Park yesterday to run the bike trails. I originally thought I might continue to the wooded trails afterward but the effort to cover 5 miles on pavement was plenty. I got to the park at around 5:30 and was able to drive right in without paying a parking fee. It was in the low 70's and while there was plenty of sun it was not as intense as midday.

Starting on the bike trail is psychologically challenging because the first eighth of a mile seems to go straight up before leveling off. I thought about how nice it was last time I ran there since the last leg is eased by a this downhill segment. I mapped the route I followed (2.5 miles out and back) and also mapped the elevation. I was surprised that it showed the hills are not much greater than 2%. Near the end they feel like mountain ranges. There were plenty of bike riders along the way but I didn't encounter any other runners. As I become familiar with the paths I have context for distance covered (plus the fact that distance is marked periodically on the paths which I compare to what the Garmin tells me). Like last time, I turned around after 2.5 miles and headed back. The first half mile back was all uphill and my legs were tired but I kept telling myself that I had to keep going regardless of pace. When I encountered downhill segments I appreciated the respite and used them as mini recovery periods to prepare for the next hill. I kept thinking about the final hill that comes at about 4.5 miles and when I reached it I simply gritted my teeth and pushed, all the time searching for the crest and then the final run ending downhill.

By the end I was so spent that I couldn't consider a short run in the woods so I got in the car and headed home quickly so I'd still be hot by the time I hit the pool. I only went in for a couple of minutes but it was enough to cool me down. My right hamstring was really hurting and my knee was also a little sore so I put ice and compression on them. This morning there's still some residual pain around my hamstring but it's not intense. I'm going to try a short run and spend some time in the pool today. I'm sure I won't make 15 miles but I'll do my best.

Getting up to speed (literally)

I was thinking about my upcoming race on June 7, 8K (5 miles) in New Hyde Park, NY. This will be my longest race to date and it will certainly push me to the limit in terms of effort and conditioning. After dedicated focus on running for the past nine months I have reached the point where I can handle the distance but not necessarily at the pace that I'd like to run. I am satisfied with my performance on the 4 miler and the 5K but while I was consistently running below 9 minutes per mile a month or two ago my speed seems to have regressed to the point that I'm still in the 9:00 to 9:10 range on most of my better runs. It's possible that I'm doing better than I think. Since I changed the battery in my Garmin 50 foot pod its distance accuracy has been questionable. The other variable is my shoes. I switched from My Nike Turbulence 13's to the Brooks GTS 9's after the 5K. The Brooks feel great and my hip and leg problems have gone away for the most part. Could it be that I just don't run as fast in them?

I am excited about the race but I'll admit my anticipation is different now that I know more what to expect for the most part. I'm trying to pick up as many miles earlier in the week and taper near the end of the week possibly running a slightly shorter but faster course next Friday.

Yesterday AG and I did our weekly city run down the bike trails along the West Side Highway. We did this run as an end of the week recreational run rather than a business update. We started close to our building and went west about a mile before heading south along the path to the park behind Stuyvesant High School on Chambers Street. In total we covered close to 5 miles and after we returned to the office we Gmapped the route to calculate our pace. It was hard to determine the true pace because I only timed the longer southern route but it appeared as though we ran around 9:30 or so per mile. I kept the pace relatively slow because I wasn't feeling strong enough to work on speed. At one point she turned around to look at something we had just past and ran backward for short time at the same pace I was running forward! I'll blame some of my slowness on the fact that I just run better in the morning. I'm also not feeling all that great this morning and I'm wondering if I was fighting a slight fever. But it's easy to make excuses.

My plan today is to run about 5 miles and I think I may do that later in the day. I also want to work in some speed drills. I'm sure doing that helped me achieve a decent pace in the 5K. Eight days and counting to the 8K. It's coming fast.

Giving in to low tech

During the check-in for my 5K race there was a man handing out flyers for the New Hyde Park 8K race that's scheduled to be held on Sunday, June 7. The race is only a few towns away from where I live and my wife encouraged me to sign up. Although the application says you can register online at http://www.nhprunners.com/ the site is still set up for 2008. I tried to find more information online but everything kept pointing back to the New Hyde Park Runner's Club website. I started wondering if the event was even going to happen and I was concerned that with no online registration there would be few people participating. The race is nine days away and although I have been training for it I started thinking that it might be a good idea to start looking around for another race.

As it happened, I tried one more time to find information and saw a link to the Runner's World Racefinder. The listing had contact information, including a phone number, so I called and spoke to Harold Axelrod who told me the race is very much on but their website is having problems. I asked him how many runners he expected for the race and he said 350 to 400. That sounded good to me. Harold offered to send me an application but I already had one in paper form. I told him I'd send it in and he wished me well in the race.

I'm excited that I'm back on track for this 5 mile race. I've been running about 20 miles per week over the last month and have been focusing on both pace and hills. The race starts at 9:15 on the 7th and I'm hoping that the sun won't be too intense at that time. Tomorrow AG and I are planning a long run along the Hudson (weather permitting) with a goal pace of under 9:00/mile. She's just had two consecutive weekends of highly intense competition and this will be her first run since the Patch Sprint. I'm looking to cover 12-15 miles between tomorrow and Sunday, perhaps starting with 5 or 6 on Friday.

Downsizing

This past weekend was a busy combination of activities. Some I enjoyed (long runs, buying running clothes, swimming) and others I didn't enjoy at all (an all day reception on Saturday). In between that I spent a few hours organizing my workout storage area consolidating everything into a wooden wardrobe in the guest room. I placed my running sweats, compression tights, thermal wicking jerseys, winter head gear and gloves into their own section and created new spaces for summer jerseys, running shorts, socks, etc. Now I no longer have to bounce back and forth between the bedroom, cabinets and baskets to collect my gear for a morning workout. I'm hoping this better organized setup will shave off a couple of minutes of prep time for me in the morning. Every minute counts.

As I was doing this task it occurred to me that I still have drawers filled with clothes that no longer fit me. Over the past few weeks I'd transferred some suits into the donation bin but I still had dozens of tee shirts, polo shirts and dress shirts that now look huge on me. I've recently bought some new casual clothes so it was easy to let go of most of the tees. I drew the line at my MIT shirts since they are special and many still fit. There were some items that had me on the fence like long sleeve comfortable jerseys. I had to fight the urge to retain them but out they went. The purge continued with pants and shorts and by the end I must have had 50 lbs. of clothing ready for donation.

All the while I was throwing clothes into the donation basket I wondered if this was a fool's errand. What made me think I would continue to remain the size I am now? What if I gained 5 or 10 lbs? I decided that I had to press on as I fully intend to remain focused on fitness and running. I lost my weight quickly but I did that through a sustainable program of portion, sugar and (bad) fat reduction. I don't starve and running keeps my weight in balance. I could always buy bigger clothes if that became necessary but my dislike for shopping for (non-exercise related) clothing is so intense that it may be enough to keep my diet in check.

After all my dreading of the treadmill I did get on it this morning for a quick couple of miles. I started off at a comfortable pace and increased it periodically until finishing the last two minutes under an 8:00 pace. I ended up running 8:32/mi overall. It was fine but I miss the street. AG lent me a head lamp and reflector vest from her relay team supplies so I'm planning to try that as an occasional alternative to the weekday treadmill events.

This week's Sedentary Man

This week SM talks about healthcare and its 19th century roots. His definition of trepanning reminds me of how I felt negotiating grade 5 hills this past weekend. Here's this week's column.

After a long weekend of challenging distance runs I decided to do a recovery workout on the elliptical this morning. All my aches have gone away and I'm debating whether I'll get back on the treadmill tomorrow. I'm seriously considering the headlamp and reflector vest option rather than running indoors again. Since I have neither of those items I guess I'm stuck with three options: treadmill, elliptical (again) or a rest day. I'm planning to do a city run on Friday and I want to get at least one run in before that. Oh how I wish the sun would rise at 4:00!

Trailing off

It's been an activity-filled long weekend and we've taken great advantage of the sunny weather. The pool has been well used and the new Aquabot has shown to have a great work ethic. There was too much to do this morning for me to work in a run so I decided to wait until late afternoon to head over to Stillwell Woods for a run on the dirt trails.

At 4:00 PM it was still very hot and sunny so I wore my new "Boston Marathon" AdiStar tee that is supposed to have superior cooling and wicking properties. I've learned that not all technical shirts are alike and that you do tend to get what you pay for. My Nike Sphere Dri-Fit shirt keeps me much drier than the Champion jerseys I use for everyday workouts. The Adidas performed very well and I was glad to have worn it.

I purposely parked at the street end of the lot to give myself a quarter mile of paved road to run before hitting the entrance to the trails. I wore my NB trail shoes that work very well on dirt and pavement and I was glad to have them once I started on the first path. Like last time I ran Stillwell there were a number of people staging for riding but I didn't encounter any hardcore bikers throughout my run. I did face a handful of casual bikers and had some tight spots where we practically brushed arms as we passed. Stillwell's main trails are wide enough to ride (or run) two across but the feeder trails are barely wide enough for one. It was almost claustrophobic in parts but I appreciated the respite from the sun and I was amused by the number of rabbits and other small creatures I saw scampering across the path. My plan was to run no more than 25 minutes and I ended up running 2 1/4 miles in a little less than 21. I came home, quickly changed and dove right in the pool. While in the pool I tried "running in place" holding on to the side in the deep end. It felt like I'd had a good post run stretch by the time I came out.

Overall, it was a great long weekend with lots of different activities and some really good runs. I think I'm in good shape for my June 7 race. Still waiting for them to put up the online registration!

Bikes, at least, have gears

This morning I drove over to Bethpage State Park to check out their trails. I had read a lot about the bike trails that begin in Bethpage and reach as far south as Sunrise Highway allowing a person to ride (or run) 13 miles. You could conduct your own personal marathon by turning around at the end and running back! The cost to park was $6 and I hesitated for a moment thinking that there are plenty of places to run for free. My curiosity got the best of me and I drove on and parked in the main lot which is situated north of the paved trails and golf courses (including the famous Black Course which will host the US Open this year).

I started my run at the beginning of the paved bike trail that starts immediately with a sizable hill. There were a number of bikers and walkers out at that time but it wasn't so crowded that I had to avoid people or slow down at any time. Once I crested that hill I ran on a mostly downward slope. The whole time I was on that part I was thinking how hard it would be tailing in with that long incline. There were other hills and descents over the first mile and a half and I mentally banked the work I'd be doing upon my return. My plan was to run about 20 minutes and then turn back. The paths ran parallel to both highways and streets but the trees blocked most evidence of civilization. I started seeing runners from the other direction and figured most people start from the southern part of the trail and then run north. Everyone was courteous and despite all the bikers I never felt that I was in danger of being run over. I reached a point where the trail was marked "4.0" and turned around to come back.

I felt good throughout the run. The trees provided good cover from the sun and I moved along pretty well. Having just run the trail from the north direction I had a sense of progress coming back. I did start to tire at mile 3 and winced at the thought that I'd be hitting the biggest hills near the end. I passed a number of walkers along the way and waved to a couple of bikers and other runners that I saw earlier from the other direction. I encountered a few up and down spots and tried to conserve energy on the declines, taking shorter strides on the hills. The last hill was as long going up as I'd remembered it coming down. I wasn't going to stop and I didn't. Once I realized I'd crested I knew that the only thing ahead was running down the big hill to the end. In all I covered 5 miles and probably would have gone a little further had the trail extended another mile.

Later that day we took a quick trip to the outlet stores so I could get a couple of needed items. While there I went into the Adidas store to look at running shorts. I have about a dozen pairs of shorts but, besides my Pearl Izumi's, most aren't made for running. I ended up getting a great deal on an expensive jersey that reminded me a little of a Zoot shirt that I covet every time I visit City Sports in NYC. After that we hit the pool and then headed back to Bethpage to walk the cinder trails. Those trails are really well maintained with lots of different routes to choose. I wore my NB trail runners for that walk and my daughter and I did a little running together so I could get a feel for the trail. I'll be back soon, dressed fully for running.

I loved my experience at Bethpage but didn't love the parking fee. The guy at the gate said I could buy an Empire Passport for $65 that allows access into any NY state park. Seven visits to Bethpage alone would pay for it so I think that will be a good family investment

Memorable Memorial Day

We had an event that took up most of our day today so I got an early start to my run. I took off around 6:30 AM with no planned route or distance. I figured that I'd do at least 30 minutes and let my location relative to home determine my full distance. I got off to a good start navigating through my neighborhood for a couple of miles before crossing over to neighborhood #2. The weather was cool and I wasn't having any issues with my leg so I figured it would be a fairly smooth run. I did a loop through neighborhood #2 and by the time I exited into the far end of my neighborhood I was starting to feel some fatigue. Throughout the run I was thinking about pace and I was a little frustrated that I wasn't getting an accurate read from the Garmin foot pod. The pace it was showing was about 9:47 yet I knew I was running close to race pace at that point. I really have to do a focused calibration on the Garmin this weekend.

While I wasn't really all that tired or in any way winded as I approached 30 minutes I recall feeling like I was working harder to run 3 miles than I had in recent days. It was hot this morning but not oppressive. As I ran I kept thinking about how it would feel to jump into the pool when I got home. So much of running is accepting some pain and tedium and while last weekend's runs seemed a lot like floating today's felt less buoyant. Despite the way I felt I decided to run another 10+ minutes towards home. It was getting hotter as the sun rose higher and I decided to push the pace a few times to test my conditioning. As I reached the last couple of streets I began to feel some slight discomfort coming from my right inside leg. I held back a little concerned that it could be a groin related issue but I did push the last quarter mile. Knowing the Garmin is currently inaccurate for distance I Gmapped the run and calculated that my pace was 9:07 for 4.82 miles.

I gave myself a few minutes to get my heart rate down, quickly changed into swim trunks and jumped in the pool for the first time this season. I entered the pool hot and sweating and emerged freezing (which was a much better feeling). The rest of the day was spent at an event where the music was too loud and the high calorie food was too available. I certainly exceeded my calorie and fat quota today and didn't much enjoy it. I know I'll run it all off but I'm feeling a little guilty, especially about the sugar.

I saw AG's tweet reports from the Patch Sprint 12 mile mountain race. Her team all finished the event and one teammate finished 2nd. Great going to all. I'm hoping the rain hold off tomorrow so I can try the Bethpage trails. I did 20.6 miles this past week and I hope to total at least 13 over the long weekend. 8 miles to go!