Monday, July 6, 2009

An all encompassing problem


I like running trails because they provide a constant source of challenge and mystery. What's around the next bend of this twisty path? What exactly is the source of that rustling sound that follows me along the way? Once I get over this steep hill will the terrain get better? Exciting. The other part of the challenge is navigation. Where exactly am I? Am I heading toward or away from my intended destination? Why did I just come out onto the street? It's fun to be lost when you know the bounds of your trail area but there are times when I really wished I'd brought a compass.

Yesterday I made a trip to Dick's to try and find one that I could wear on my wrist or clip to my shorts. I didn't have too much luck, the ones that they did have were either too big or limited in other ways. I went online later to see if I could find something suitable. Nothing has jumped out at me. My requirements are simple. The unit must be small enough to be unnoticeable when not needed and large enough to be useful when it is needed. It needs to be easily accessed while running in clothes that have no accessible pockets. It can't dangle on a lanyard because that will be annoying. I don't want to spend a lot for a digital compass or a 5-in-1 device that has capabilities I don't need for recreational trail running.

All I really want is to be able to find my way back to my starting point when the midday sun is directly overhead and it can't help me navigate. Any suggestions?

Sunday, July 5, 2009

I guess horribly wonderful describes it



There's a great Adidas ad in the July issue of Runner's World: a background of pavement with two running shoes, the back of one and the top of the other. The image evokes two runners in line. The tag line is "Because I'm loving every wonderful horrible minute of this." So true. I'm probably the 50 millionth runner to conclude that running is fun because it's hard but it's also fun to see that sentiment recognized by others. Even if it's in an ad.

Last week I came across a book in the library by a British author named Russell Taylor. The title of the book is "The Looniness of the Long Distance Runner." This title is obviously homage to
"The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner" by Ian Sillitoe but the book is actually a diary of writer as he prepares to run the New York Marathon. The format of the book reminds me of my own blog with its daily (or, in his case, not daily) accounting of workouts and progress. He's a lot funnier than me and his one year plan to go from being an out of shape late 30's aged guy to a marathon runner is more ambitious than my modest goals. Reading the book does remind me of the obligation one takes to remain fit and to keep progressing. But we do it because - to borrow from the Adidas copywriter -
we love every wonderful horrible minute.

This morning I rounded out my holiday weekend running with a 4.7 mile run that (not counting when I take a car) took me farther outside my neighborhood than ever before. I intended to explore neighborhood #4 and then make my way over to neighborhood #2 but I reached a point where I could run along the sidewalk of a relatively busy road that would lead to a new series of neighborhoods in Woodbury. The sidewalk on this main road was covered with dead leaves that had a cushioning effect not unlike cinders. I enjoyed the respite from the pavement when I could. I turned into one neighborhood and realized that we had looked at houses on the street before we bought the one that we're in. I ran by the house and decided we'd made the right decision because the neighborhood we chose is much better for running.

Yesterday I took our bikes out of the shed for the first time this millennium and after pumping up the tires, fixing the chains and washing them off they were ride ready. I took my bike out a couple of times, the second time I followed one of my running routes. It was amazing to cover that distance in a fraction of the time with a fraction of the effort. Fun but not the horribly wonderful experience I get from running.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Hitting the trail - literally

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It's a beautiful 4th of July Saturday and I'm doing today's post from the back yard. Before our big cookout, my wife and kids have set up a tarp on the lawn and are doing an art project with pasta. Something to do with creating stamps that look like fireworks. It looks like fun.
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I've been busy over the last two days. Yesterday afternoon I did a short run through the neighborhood, covering 3.18 miles at a moderate pace (9:18). I did about half this run along the outside roads that frame my neighborhood. One road (the sidewalk really) has so many patches of dirt that it's almost a trail. The other outside road cuts east along the north side and has a hill that looks difficult to the eye but is fairly modest when you run it. I wanted to keep this run short because the previous day's OCA trail was a fairly hard effort. I came home from my Saturday run and immediately changed into swim shorts and jumped in the pool. I was so hot that it took about a minute in the cold water before I actually felt cooled off.
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I wanted to run Stillwell this weekend. The Bethpage trail run last weekend and Thursday's OCA run have really got me excited about that aspect of the sport. I cannot wait until I get my Helly Hansen Trail Lizards to test. Until then my New Balance 460's continue to impress, a great value for the money.
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I headed over to Stillwell Woods Preserve this morning and set off on the trails with the intention of expanding beyond the primary loop that I had previously run. I had looked at the area on Google Earth to try to understand the trail layout and I traveled south off the main trail until I started encountering some large muddy patches that were somewhere between the size of a puddle and a pool. I edged along the side of those until I reached a fork where, in one direction, the trail seemed to drop off the face of the earth. I suspected that trail was favored by extreme mountain bikers so I chose the other way and traveled along a series of narrow but interesting paths until I found myself facing a hill that made the ones in Brooklyn and Washington Heights look modest. No matter, I attacked it and did fairly well but with the tree cover I was somewhat disoriented in terms of direction. I picked another trail and ran for about 10 minutes in perfect conditions where I saw and heard a number of animals.
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At one point I began encountering bikers which made me nervous due to the width of the trails. I was hoping that I was going in the right direction, based upon the sun I knew I was traveling west. I crossed paths with another runner and immediately came upon some mountain bikers who yelled a cheerful hello. I was feeling good about this run, taking in the cool air, the sun and the interesting sites when I suddenly found myself face down in the dirt. I had tripped on a root that ran across the path and I landed on my forearms which took most of the impact. I stood up and established that I was bleeding and scraped up but nothing seemed broken. I continued for another mile and left the trail, making a loop around the soccer fields before returning to my car. I ended up running 3.61 miles at a mid 9:00 pace. Surprisingly good considering the hills and the falling incident.
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When I got home my kid's faces said it all. My daughter immediately grabbed the first aid spray and my wife took a picture of my damaged body. After a shower I saw that it was all superficial cuts and scrapes so I started thinking about a Bethpage run tomorrow. Stillwell is an interesting and different experience from Bethpage but both are awesome. This trail running is great fun and it seems to be a good way to run without generating leg pain.

Friday, July 3, 2009

Awesome day on the OCA


From a running perspective, NYC provides many resources either within the city or close by. Between the subways and the commuter train lines a number of great running paths, parks and bridges are just minutes away. While Central Park is a fantastic place to run it's sometimes a great change to explore other places. Through the spring AG and I have run in some interesting places in and around NYC. We were combining our weekly business updates with our runs but once summer Fridays started we've ended that shortened day with more recreational runs. I mentioned in a previous post that AG will be heading to grad school at Yale in August (but happily remaining an integral part of my team in a part time capacity) so we will soon have fewer opportunities to run together.

We decided to have at least one more running adventure before her new schedule takes over and we jumped on the Metro North commuter train to Irvington, NY with a plan to run 5 miles along the Old Croton Aqueduct. The trip from Grand Central Station was quick and we got off the train and walked a few blocks to the entry point of this trail that runs 26.2 miles (interesting that it's the same length as a marathon) from Van Cortlandt Park at the Bronx County/City of Yonkers border to the Croton Dam in Cortlandt. The trail is mostly hard packed dirt and fortunately the hard rain held off and that kept it from becoming too muddy. We both brought our trail shoes and they came in handy through some wet patches that we did encounter. In less than 5 minutes we had our first wildlife sighting, deer that were scattered on both sides as we ran by.

We saw many birds and at least one rabbit. The trail is basically flat which makes sense because the original use of this trail was to convey water to NYC. There were some uphill stretches and we wondered how they transported the water along those areas. Our plan was to run the trail south from our starting point to the Greystone train station and hop on the train back to NYC. We thought we'd built enough time into our run but near the end we found ourselves racing the clock and we covered the last segment at a faster pace before heading off to the street to run to the station. We made it with less than 5 minutes to spare and it was a bit of a shock to go from our hot, soggy, humid state to the refrigerated train car. Felt pretty good though.

I had forgotten to transfer the Garmin foot pod to my trail shoes so I had no way of judging distance or pace except to estimate that 50 minutes would approximate to five miles. AG wore the QStarz device and hopefully that will provide more data for us. It was a great start to the long weekend, a tough but exhilarating run that was exactly what we'd hoped for. I'm not ready to hit the street yet this morning but hopefully I'll be up for nice recovery run this afternoon. I might hit the trails at Stillwell or Bethpage some time this weekend. I definitely have less leg pain after running trails compared to running on pavement. Maybe it is the shoes.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

DIY fun run


In years past my company has funded some extravagant summer outings that included cruises, expensive restaurants and visits to NYC landmarks. In recent years the budget for this type of celebration has been significantly reduced and our events have become a lot simpler.

Last year, instead of a big catered event, my division gathered in Central Park for a simple picnic. Activities were centered around throwing Frisbees and kicking around soccer balls. It was a lot of fun and we're doing that again this year. Since then I've returned to running so I thought I'd introduce another aspect to the day: a Fun Run. It will actually be a 1.5 mile (2.4K) Run/Walk. I'm hoping the relatively short distance will be bearable in the mid-July, mid-day heat. So far the response has been good. I'm expecting a fair number to participate and though it's structured to be non-competitive there will be a few race awards. Plus I'm expecting that some people will still strive for first finisher bragging rights.

AG is helping with the planning and others have volunteered to hand out water, direct runners and keep the time. I'm even thinking of printing out race numbers. It's been fun getting this event together. If this goes well I could expand to more public racing. Perhaps, someday, I'll be hosting the 1st Annual Emerging Runner Race Series.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

In the dark about pace


I went back to my 4:00 AM run routine this morning. It was the first time in almost two weeks that I did this early morning outdoor workout. The stage was set for a good run as I was coming off a non-running day. The air was relatively cool and I'd had a good night's sleep although I did feel a bit tired as I made my way outside. I knew once I hit the street I'd be fine.

When I started my run I felt some initial leg tightness but not too much pain. I was conscious of my speed and I tried to maintain a brisk pace. I was slightly more alert than I'd been in previous runs in the dark and I hoped that this, plus top-of-mind awareness of my speed and form, would land me below 9:00/mile. I was at the 20 minute mark when I turned onto the road that would lead me home and I decided to put even more energy into my pace. Based upon how I'd run I expected to finish with about an 8:50 overall pace. When I arrived home I checked my Garmin: 2.44 miles in 22:55. 9:24 per mile. Huh?

I don't get it. I did everything I could to maintain a good pace. I lifted my knees, kept my head up and concentrated on staying upright and practically sprinted the last half mile. I'll Gmap my run later today as a check against the accuracy of the Garmin but I know that it will match closely. There's either something about the dark or a flawed expectation that I can run efficiently at such an early hour. No matter, it was still a good run and a good workout and I enjoyed being back on the street at 4:00 AM.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

All exercise but running is boring


A big reason I like to run is the feeling of travel and progress. You start here, go there and if you're fortunate you'll see interesting things along the way. Eventually you'll come back feeling like something good has just happened. This travel and visual stimulation are lacking on the treadmill although some may argue that an HDTV can be a good substitute for the great outdoors. To me it's still work and I always have this nagging sense that I'm cheating with the treadmill because the tread helps move you along in a way that roads or trails do not.

The elliptical is a nice alternative and I am a fan but I also view it as a form of work. While the idea of it is great, it's just a machine built for repetition. Nothing stimulating about that. The end justifies the means but the means are a bit boring, HDTV or not. Some of my running friends are taking to their bikes for the summer and I'm starting to think about doing that as well but my bike needs a serious tune up or replacement. In the meantime my non-running choices are limited.

This morning I decided to give my legs a rest and instead did some work on my much neglected upper body. This, like the treadmill and the elliptical, is a tedious process. I worked with two 10 lb. free weights and did lots of repetitions, isolating different muscles each time. I spent about 25 minutes on this activity and built a good sweat (though nothing like what a get from a run). I have no idea if it did any good but I was happy that I gave my legs a break and still did a workout. All the same I'd rather be running.

Monday, June 29, 2009

Trail running as painkiller

As I prepared for this morning's elliptical workout I thought about all the mileage I'd put in over my vacation. I also thought about how it may have contributed to my nagging leg pain that started earlier this year. I'm still unsure of the cause of this pain, it may be a hamstring pull or something else entirely. I've thought numerous times about making an appointment with an orthopedist to figure it out. In the mean time it's probably a good idea to do more cross training to rest whatever gets aggravated when I run.

I checked my workout list before I stepped up on the elliptical machine and saw that I hadn't logged a session on it since June 11. I've taken every opportunity to run outdoors over the last few weeks and my early morning headlamp runs have contributed to that. I thought that an elliptical session this morning would be a nice way to use different muscles that could help strengthen my leg and lessen the pain. I then realized, for the first time in memory, that I had no pain. I was understandably happy but that made no sense to me. I ran a tough 4+ miles yesterday on the trails to top off a record mileage week. I should be hurting more, not less.

Perhaps it was the trails that made a difference. The softer surface absorbs the impact differently than running on pavement. If that's the case I wonder if I should be considering an even more cushioned shoe than the Brooks. The Asics are comfortable and it's my understanding that they represent the high end of the cushioning scale. Hard to know if it's a coincidence but I will plan more weekend runs at Bethpage and Stillwell if that's the case. Reminder to self: buy a compass.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

A trail adventure with AG


My excellent vacation was topped off today with a Bethpage trail run with Adventure Girl. We decided to run the trails instead of the bike path and set off without a map relying solely on our sense of direction. We started the run by discussing the Garmin 50 and the QStarz Sports Recorder and how annoying it is when you do a run and forget to turn the thing on or off. After we ran a little more than half a mile (at one point through a barely-there trail with snakes!) we saw that our trail ended at the edge of the woods. I looked at the Garmin to see how long we had run only to discover that I failed to turn it on. That was indeed annoying but we turned back in the direction we'd come, a little more knowledgeable about the layout of the terrain.

We ran a number of trails, staying primarily with the wider cinder covered paths, until we reached a clearing and took what I believed to be a northern route. That trail eventually ended along a road and we soon figured out that we'd been traveling west. Instead of heading back on the same trail we hit the road (actually the sidewalk) and ran north to where we could get back onto the trails from a neighborhood entry point. We followed that trail and switched over to others that looked interesting as we went. It was a great experience, our pace was moderate and the tree cover was good. The path began to get sandy which was tough for running (for me, AG never ever complains) and we reached a point where we weren't sure where to go. The goal was to head south but AG thought it was one way and I thought the other. The sun was directly overhead so that gave us no help. I decided to go AG's way because she's more experienced and, well, she ended up being right.

We followed the trail south until it intersected with the bike trail allowing AG to experience my hated run-ending hill with me. We flew down the final hill and headed to my car for water and then to the shaded benches for shelter from the sun. We were very hot and sweat-soaked and splattered a little with mud but we agreed it was an excellent run. We headed back to my house and AG enjoyed some swimming races with my son in the pool before we shared a high carb lunch with my wife and kids.

We downloaded the QStarz GPS data, which was wacky because it not only recorded our run but everything afterward including the drive home. That certainly helped our overall pace! The QStarz again failed to export the real time recorded data and even after a reset and re-test it still fell short. Too bad - so much potential but so many problems.

It's been a great vacation and today's 4.x mile run puts me very close to 30 miles since I've been off. Tomorrow and next week I go back to the normal routine but I look forward to my early morning runs in the dark. Today was a blast and I couldn't imagine it any better.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

3.5 under 9:00 = :)

After yesterday's long but unsatisfying run I decided to cut the distance and go for some speed. A person commented on emergingrunner.com that I should be doing tempos and intervals to get my speed up. I agreed with that and made it a point to actively think about my pace as I ran this morning. I went out around 7:00 AM before the sun got too hot and I tried to head off the initial leg pain with some dynamic stretching. I hit the road and felt a little better than I did on Friday but I also felt like I was expending a lot of effort and needed to throttle my speed if I was to complete even a short distance run.

My goal was to run about 30 minutes at a pace similar to my 5K run in May. I didn't feel the fluidity that I get at times but it was okay and I really liked the feel of the Asics 1130's I picked for today's run. I ran in the Brooks yesterday and while I have no complaints about them I think I like the feel of the Asics a little more. Hard to say, both are good. I took some less traveled streets, making up my route as I went along while staying conscious of my 30 minute timing. I wanted today's run to be low impact so I'd have something left for tomorrow.

As I hit the 26 minute mark I turned east to begin making my way home and stepped up the pace a little. It was beginning to get hot and I picked roads that had a lot of tree cover which really helped the way I felt. I was about a half a mile from home when I noticed an SUV pulling up along side me and saw a woman who had her window down to ask me the location of a street. I actually asked her to speed up because she was throwing off my pace and I carefully recited the series of lefts and rights she would need to follow to get where she wanted to go. It wasn't until afterward that I realized I was talking fairly well while pushing my speed.

In the end I ran 3.51 miles in 31 minutes for an 8:50 overall pace. I was happy to have broken 9:00 and I was very satisfied with my run. It's the weekend and back to work on Monday. I've put in a lot of miles this vacation week and I'm thinking that it's time to return my focus on speed.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Running faster than the rain


After Wednesday's ordeal I took a rest day with a plan to do another long run this morning. I decided not to go for a personal distance record because the weather wasn't ideal and I didn't want to be disappointed twice in one week. The skies were darkening and the humidity was 96% so I decided to run for about 45 minutes or until the torrential rains started, whichever came first. After a brief warm-up I set off along the service road heading north so I could follow the turnpike road that borders the neighborhood. My leg was quite stiff and sore, as usual, but I knew that the pain would lessen after a few minutes. I still don't know why that condition persists or why it goes away after warming up. The pain doesn't come back after running, at least not until much later.

One reason I chose the beginning part of the route was to use the mostly flat, downhill first mile to loosen up without sacrificing too much time in terms of overall pace. I maintained that route and made my way south entering a part of the neighborhood with multiple, parallel connected roads. I had planned to come in at the point to allow me to build mileage without duplicating my route. The whole time I ran I felt stuck in gear, maybe not second, but closer to third. It was good that I hadn't planned to run seven miles because I doubt I could have done it at a pace that I would call acceptable. If I'm going for a distance PR I want to be proud of both time and distance. The rain held off for the most part although it did start to sprinkle when I was fairly far away from my house. Rather than flashing back to Wednesday's difficult experience I almost welcomed a downpour that would cut the humidity. Besides, in my own neighborhood I could find my way home without glasses.

I ended up covering 5 miles exactly in 47:30. It annoys me that I'm consistently running paces in the 9:10 to 9:40 range after having a couple of months earlier in the year when I was coming in consistently under 9:00 for my distance runs. One thing that's different is that both my distances and frequency of longer runs have increased. After all, there is a difference between most people's 5K and 10K paces. I'm planning to do a shorter (and hopefully faster) run tomorrow and Sunday AG is coming out to run the trails with me.

We've been field testing lots of technologies and gear. Look for some reviews soon on Runner's Tech Review for the QStarz GPS Sports Recorder, Moji-To-Go portable icing unit, Helly Hansen Trail Lizard running shoes and more!

Thursday, June 25, 2009

The industrial park odyssey


Everything is gray and wet and it all looks the same to me. The buildings and the roads through the industrial park wind around in a pattern that probably makes sense when viewed from above but on the street it's hard to determine which way leads north or south. The rain, which began as a welcome sprinkle through the late afternoon haze has increased in force and the sun is gone. I pick a direction that I think will lead me out and back to my neighborhood only to discover that I'm 180 degrees off and dead ending at a point where cars are whizzing off the expressway onto a busy four lane road. As the skies open up and the rain gets harder I turn and run toward an office building to take cover under the overhang from a bank. Two bank employees step outside, look at me and giggle for good reason. In my bright yellow jersey, running shorts and lime green accented running shoes I'm the last thing they expected to see on this dark rainy day.

I see that the rain has slowed down and I head off in the other direction, the parking lot has filled with puddles and I step in one so my running shoes and socks are soaked to match the rest of me. I reach a crossroads and realize that choosing the wrong direction will put me even farther away from where I need to go. It's cold and getting darker and the rain starts again, harder. I decide to go right and quickly encounter dozens of cars rushing to get out of the park, leaving me little room to run, save the slick, downward sloping, landscaped grass that runs beside the road. I ask a young woman leaving work if she knows how to get to the service road. She points me in the direction I just left so I ignore her and soldier on hoping to recognize something familiar from the path I took to get where I ended up.

It's getting late and I'm expected home but I have no phone and no money for a payphone (if they still existed) to call and say that I'm stranded. My glasses are foggy and my vision is distorted by the rain. I'm amazed to have found myself in this situation. I feel like I'm headed in the wrong direction until I see two people at a bus stop and I ask them if they know how to get to the service road. They do! They turn me around and point out a road that bears right in the distance and they tell me to follow that. I take off at what I'll guess was an 8:00 pace and as I round the corner I see the familiar entrance to the service road that will lead me to the Middle School and then home.

I run with everything I have and make my way home in less than ten minutes. My wife opens the door and as I brace for the "Where have you been!? We've been so worried about you!!" all she says is "Hi! How was your run? Your shoes are all muddy!" It was a disorienting experience and a frustrating one too. I knew the whole time that I was half a mile from my front door yet I couldn't figure out a way to get there safely. I think I should start running with a compass.

So much for my attempt to break my distance record. I started well by picking up some miles in a previously unexplored neighborhood but the industrial park and the rain did me in. I'm taking today as a rest day and I'll go out again tomorrow morning. I never thought being 1,500 yards away could feel so far from home.
 

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