A PDR for TER

I had read that performance is often tied to attitude and I wondered if there was any correlation between my mental state and some disappointing runs I've had over the past three days. Friday was a tough run, mostly due to my physical state. I'm not sure what was affecting me but I was tired and I struggled to cover the 3.9 miles I did in Central Park. The Central Park run should have been a great experience with my side trip through the Rambles but I didn't really enjoy it and it felt a lot like work. Saturday's neighborhood run was really just maintenance and I clocked 5K with little in reserve by the time I got back home. I tried to break the streak yesterday with a run at Stillwell Woods. Trail running has become a passion and I anticipated the experience but I lacked strength and feared the hills instead of embracing them. I ended up covering 3 miles but it felt unsatisfying. Later that day my daughter and I ran 1.25 miles and that felt great and I realized that much of the reason was that she was by my side. My head was in the right place for running for the first time all weekend.

This morning I woke up feeling great. Perhaps it was a good night's sleep or the cool temperature and low humidity but I set out on my run this morning with the right attitude. I didn't plan my route except for the beginning section that I call neighborhood #4, a departure from my usual course that would provide a good distraction. I'm a bit fed up with the GPS apps on my iPhone so instead I relied solely on my Garmin to track distance and used Pandora on the iPhone for music.

At about the 20 minute mark I realized that I still felt very strong with more energy than I had at the beginning of my last three runs. After covering that initial neighborhood I did a loop around my own, covering the south, west and northern roads until I passed the five mile mark. It was at that point that I realized I could probably do 6 miles for the first time since the Dirty Sock 10K. Once I reached that point I decided to go for a personal distance record which, for me, was 6.62 miles. I re-routed my direction to get another mile between me and home and ended up covering 7.4 miles @ 9:31 (by Garmin) or 7.58 miles @ 9:18 (by Gmaps). Either way it was a personal distance record for the Emerging Runner. Better still, it was validation that my training was going in the right direction and that my conditioning was where I wanted it to be. I guess all it took was a good attitude.

Brown bagging

I've been busy reading the Runner's World 2009 fall shoe guide on the Runner's World iPhone app (as well as on the site and in the August print issue). After wondering whether I have flat or normal arches and if I really should be in a neutral shoe versus a stability shoe I decided to try the "wet test."

My kids and I filled a pan of water, put out a paper shopping bag and tried the test. My impression showed my foot to be somewhere between a low arch and a normal arch so a stability shoe like the Brooks Adrenalin GTS 9 was an appropriate choice. I've come to like this shoe although I wish it felt a bit more responsive off the forefoot. Given this test, I can probably get away with less stability so I'll consider that when I'm ready to replace the Brooks that now serve as my primary road shoe. My daughter did the wet test and was horrified to see that she has flat feet but I explained that there's no right or wrong to it. She loves her Saucony's so they must be the right shoes for her. My son and my wife both had classic normal arch profiles and no one had a high arch.

Later in the day I headed to Stillwell to run some trails. I haven't done that in a couple of weeks and the last couple of days have been tough runs for me. I was hoping that change from pavement to trails would improve my performance but I am still suffering some residual fatigue from Friday. I didn't push too hard and avoided most of the tough hills (although I did run through a section dubbed the "Snake Pit") and I ended up covering a little over three miles. I have not been happy with my running for a couple of weeks as I feel like I'm making no progress on pace (despite the interval work I did last Sunday) and my endurance is off. I'll attribute this lack of strength to the fact that I'm still fending off a slight illness. At least I hope that's why. I'm wondering if missing a couple of weekly runs with AG has softened me a little. Without her benevolent push I may be getting lazy. I'll see how I do this week. Next Sunday morning I'm lining up for a 4-mile race.

For the love of Sudafed

Things were looking up for running over the long weekend. I anticipated a long city run on Friday to start things off followed by some trail runs on Saturday and Sunday. My plan was to get into the office yesterday and run 4-5 miles in the Park before the workday. The day before a holiday weekend is usually quiet and I thought it would be an easy morning and an early escape home to greet our weekend guests who would be arriving mid afternoon. I felt very tired on the commute into the city and by the time I got in my head was pounding and I feared the worst - Swine Flu or some other debilitating affliction. As I waited to feel better my window of opportunity slipped by and I needed to focus on what turned out to be an unusually busy morning. By noon I felt plain awful and figured that a run might be the only thing left that could help the way I felt. I changed into my running gear and headed up to Central Park to put in a few miles.

My plan was to follow the lower loop and stay straight to the upper loop, cut across the Great Lawn and head back south. Soon after I crossed over I found myself following some of the inside paths and eventually found myself in the "Ramble", a 36 acre section of the park that consists of paths and trails with stone bridges and great views of lakes and streams. I was working hard to get through my route and although the scenery was magnificent I was growing exhausted. I found my way back to the main route and continued back to my starting point after covering 3.9 miles. By this point I was feeling weak and my headache, while duller than at the start, remained. By the time I got home I was ready to crawl into bed for the evening but I needed to be present for our guests. I did lie down for 30 minutes and that helped quite a bit.

After a difficult night's sleep I awoke with a splitting headache that I attacked with Ibuprophin and strong coffee to no avail. I had decided that the trail run I'd planned to do before everyone got up for the day was going to have to be postponed. I then took a Sudafed decongestant and 30 minutes later I began to feel like my old self, good enough to try a neighborhood run. The air was relatively cool at 9:30 in the morning when I went out and although I still felt a little weak I decided that I'd do at least three miles. I followed the roads that bordered my neighborhood to the north and west and cut into the internal streets to complete my route. I launched MotionX GPS on my iPhone at the start to track the run but it wouldn't acquire a signal. I switched to AllSport that also had trouble finding a signal but I hit the 'go' button knowing it would eventually begin recording. I also used the Garmin which gave me my accurate distance: 3.14 miles.

So although I'm not feeling my best and didn't get to the trails I'm glad that I've covered 7+ miles since yesterday. If I still feel better tomorrow I'll head over to Stillwell and get in some hill work. Next time I'll take that Sudafed a lot sooner.

Close encounters at 4 AM

I was not surprised but still delighted by the cool temperature as I stepped outside this morning for my run. I skipped both running and posting yesterday due to my feeling a bit run down and also due to having an incredibly busy work schedule that cut into my morning commute. That's when I write most of my posts. As I took off for my run I noticed that I was still feeling a bit sluggish and was glad I'd skipped yesterday's workout. I struggled a bit for the first half mile but then seemed to regulate to normal. As I covered the neighborhood, quiet but for the spitting of sprinkler systems and free of other people, I actually felt like I owned the neighborhood as I ran through it. My personal playground at 4:15 AM.

I had two surprises this morning during my run. The first was an unexpected encounter with a sprinkler that came on suddenly as I rounded a corner. It hit me full on between my neck and legs. A few weeks ago, aside from the disruptive surprise, I would have welcomed being dowsed by cold water during a sweltering run. This morning it was not too fun because the air was cold and the water was colder. All the same I carried on and headed for home. As I made my way towards the middle school I thought I heard something and I came around the corner to see another runner heading in my direction. Unlike me, this runner was without a headlamp or any reflective gear. He (I think it was a he) had on a big gray hooded sweatshirt and his running motion was odd, sort of between running and run-walking. We passed within a few feet of each other and I gave a wave but he (it) didn't return it. Maybe I scared him with my bright LED headlamp.

I ended up once again with a mid 9:00 pace after covering 2.3 miles. Considering the way I felt at the start and the fact that I built strength through the run I was fine with that performance. I was very surprised to see another runner on the road, a first. I guess it's nice to have company but I'd prefer the notion that I own the streets between 4:00 and 4:30.

Well I can't blame the weather

Suddenly we're a week away from the kid's return to school. They're the lucky ones as many children are already going back this week. It's tough going back to class when it still feels like summer. This morning at 4:10 AM it sure felt a lot like fall. I didn't realize how cool it was before I stepped outside for my run and was excited to feel the crisp air instead of the wall of humidity I've come to expect.. I dressed in my usual summer gear that, as minimal as it is, usually has me sweating by the five-minute mark. I welcomed the chill and remembered back to the late winter when the cool air, energized by the wind, would keep me sweat-free for at least a mile. I woke up a bit tired and groggy and after half a cup of coffee I still felt sleepy. Despite the cool air that I'd hoped would fuel me as I began to run, my pace was lagging. I did feel better with every step and did not suffer from my "Have I only been running that long?" reaction I've experienced of late after checking the Garmin. Around halfway through my run I began to think about my running form and I consciously picked up my pace hoping to post a decent overall run time.

I have been reunited with my iPhone but since its sudden failure last week I'm far less focused on it as a fitness tool. Fool me once, etc. I did use the AllSport GPS app to track my run and it was off by almost 7% for distance. About 2% of that variance was due to the application not tracking distance until I had run a few hundred yards. This was disturbing because it was indicating a strong GPS signal as I started the run. My Garmin 50, like a champ, was less than 1% off on distance. Score that: RFID 1, GPS 0. I ended up covering about 2.3 miles in 51 degree weather and despite my hope that I broke 9:00 per mile I came in at an anemic 9:20 overall. This morning I had the weather in my favor but it didn't do me much good. Perhaps with a better night's sleep tonight I will put it all together tomorrow. Maybe I should have more coffee before I run.

Technical recovery

I have been operating without any personal information management device since Wednesday when my iPhone shut down and refused to come back up. I had been trying to get a satellite fix so I could track a family hike using one of half a dozen GPS apps that I'd downloaded to the phone. The iPhone flat-lined in the middle of that attempt and despite my IT support team's best efforts it would not come back to life. I still have a Verizon feature phone that I've been using when the iPhone can't get a signal (which is much of the time) so at least I am connected. However, without the iPhone I can't reach my business email any time that I wish and, most importantly, I'm unable to use GPS apps to track my runs.

After almost five days without an iPhone or Blackberry I feel pretty good. Funny that when these devices aren't available you can really focus on other things. My wife surely appreciated that I wasn't constantly staring at a 3" screen all week while on vacation. Now that I'm back in my office I have a legitimate need for mobile connectivity and I just found out that IT has resurrected my iPhone. I'm rather shocked since I tried for hours to get it to restart. They still don't know why it failed and they suggested that wiping it clean and starting over might be the best course of action. I'm unwilling to reload all the apps and content I'd put on it so I'm getting it back as is. I hope it doesn't fail again.

I'll use it tomorrow to track my morning run. Yesterday afternoon my daughter and I covered a couple of neighborhood miles which I tracked using my Garmin 50 that I'd calibrated at the track earlier in the day. I had some frustrations over the weekend when the Garmin Connect website coughed and sputtered and refused to upload one of my runs. The run appeared to upload but then disappeared from the site. I was thrilled when I went onto Connect yesterday and saw that the 'technical difficulties' notification had been removed and I was further amazed to see my 5.25 mile Saturday run magically appear in my log. So despite the clumsy way it happened two running technology issues are resolved. Well at least for now.

It's not the shoes, it's the runner

A conversation I had this morning at Super Runner's Shop in Huntington, NY and an article in today's New York Times were not connected but similar in subject. My conversation centered around a question I'd asked regarding the performance properties of shoes. I mentioned that I bought a pair of Brooks GTS 9's in April but never felt that they matched the Nike Turbulence 13's they replaced in terms of responsiveness. The person at the store said it was unlikely that a pair of running shoes would make much of a difference unless I'd switched to very lightweight trainers that lack cushioning and are made for competitive runners. The Times article "Wiggling Their Toes at the Shoe Giants" made that point a different way citing the emerging popularity of minimalist shoes that mimic the effect of running barefoot. The article mentions companies like Vibram, Feelmax and Terra Plana who have "barefoot running" style products along with Nike, who have found a growing demand for its trainer, the "Free." The article posits a view that modern running shoes do not prevent injuries or promote performance any better than when modern running shoes were introduced 40 years ago.  Later in the article is a counter argument that only biomechanically efficient runners benefit from minimal or barefoot running.

It's probably true that my Brooks have neither helped nor hindered my performance and a quick review of my pace history has confirmed that fact. Before the Brooks I averaged, overall, about a 9:10 pace and that's not far off from where I am today.  All the same I am intrigued when I read running shoe reviews that mention certain brands and models, like the Mizuno Wave series, that are supposed to be highly responsive and provide a competitive advantage. This morning I decided to attack the real problem - the runner - and headed to the track for some speed work. I started out with a brisk warm-up at 6:46/mile for a quarter mile and then did 8x200's at a little less than 6:00/mile. I finished up with an easy run at 8:54 for 1.25 miles, the pace seemed easy after all that high energy sprinting. I was happy that pushing that hard did not lead to any muscle pulls.

Would I do any better were I running with a pair of Brooks T-6's or Vibram FiveFingers Sprints? Maybe, but I have to guess that they would cause as many problems for me as they would solve.  In the meantime I'll appreciate the comfort of my Brooks  GTS 9's and Asics 1130's, the versatility of my NB 460's, the rugged capability of my Helly Hansen Trail Lizards and the energetic feel of my Adidas Trail Response 15's.

A run most perfect

.
My plans to run in Stillwell Woods this morning were changed in deference to weather. I had hoped to run the trails with my nephew, a member of the local high school track team who trains there regularly. It had rained a lot overnight and we were concerned about the muddy conditions, especially at Stillwell, where the going is tough even when it's dry. Instead we headed out for a road run where we ducked into neighborhood #2 for a few miles before exiting back into the main roads nearer to home to complete our circuit.
.

We started off in light drizzle and maintained a steady (if modest) pace of 9:30 per mile over 4.3 miles. With the humidity as high as it was that was a smart decision. My nephew was a good sport about keeping my pace although, like AG, his natural pace is faster than mine. What was nice about this morning was that we were both comfortable running and talking throughout the course and that's what made it such a great experience. He shared a lot of information about the way the track team trains and we talked a lot about my favorite related subjects: running shoes, gear and nutrition. About ten minutes into the run I noticed that my foot pod had not paired with my Garmin so it wasn't capturing pace or distance but at least it was capturing timing and that's how we were able to calculate pace, after mapping our route on Google Earth.
.

We returned just as my wife and kids were coming back from the local bagel store with plenty of recovery carbs and protein in tow. It was a very satisfying and relaxing run and I'm looking forward to many more runs with my nephew. I think I've convinced him to participate with me in the Bridie Goldstein Run for Children 5K that takes place in November. In the meantime we'll attack the hills at Stillwell and the trails at Bethpage State Park. As much as I enjoy the escape and peace that comes with solo running it's really nice to run with others. The conversation and the sense of mutual purpose is gratifying. While I'm still not convinced that I want to join a running club I certainly look forward to my next runs with AG, DaveADK, my nephew, my kids and a few select others. One of these days I'll get to those intervals to work on my speed. In the meantime I'll enjoy the experience of recreational running.

Speed or comfort - choose one

Due to weather and a fairly tight schedule I skipped my workout today. So far this vacation week (since Saturday) I've logged 22.5 miles with 6.2 coming from last week's Dirty Sock 10K race. I'm supposed to run the trails tomorrow with my nephew who is on the local track track team but they're calling for rain so we'll likely need to postpone that. If that's the case I might work in a run a little later or get on the elliptical for the first time in a couple of weeks.

I was hoping to run some intervals today because my speed has been suffering and I've recently read in Runner's World that speed work can be helpful for building endurance. While I have no problem getting out and running, even during hours that people consider more as night than morning, I have been less than stellar in terms of rigorous conditioning. I suspect that's the reason why I have hit the wall in terms of progress on improving my pace. I know that being a committed runner involves different runs for different reasons. Sometimes it's about speed, sometimes it's about hills and sometimes it's about endurance over long distances. I've defaulted to running at a natural gait which appears to be around 9:30 per mile although I know I am capable of sustaining a sub-9:00 pace over four or five miles.

Some of the reason for this default is likely due to a change from running with AG on a weekly basis to primarily running alone. AG is a stronger and faster runner and though she's never chastised me for my pace I was more inclined to push myself when we ran together than I do when running alone. Another factor is the temperature and humidity. Heat has always affected my performance and, combined with the glaring sun, it can be debilitating. As the summer wanes and the cooler temperatures return I suspect my pace will return closer to 9:00 and below. In the meantime I am committed to working harder to push my pace regardless if I'm running alone or not.

Post 302

I let an important milestone slip past me on Tuesday by not acknowledging it as the 300th post on emergingrunner.com. since I started the blog on November 18, 2008. At the point I began to write about my running experiences I was about three months into a return to daily activity and about a month into my transition from primarily walking to primarily running. In my first post I said "Actually I'm not much of a runner at this point but I want to be much better." I'm not really sure what that meant but at that time I was running 11 minute paces and covering distances between one and three miles. I have definitely improved on both pace and distance but over the months my progress has become asymptotic with little difference in average pace from month to month. Distance has continued to grow largely due to a greater focus on outdoor runs including a switch from early morning treadmill workouts to headlamp lit 4:00 AM neighborhood excursions.Also contributing to this has been more frequent trips to the local trails. I've found that trail running enables longer distances for me, probably because the landscape is ever changing and keeps me from benchmarking distance as easily as on the street.

.
This morning's run was a perfect vacation workout, about 5.25 miles under overcast skies with relatively low humidity around the neighborhoods. I'm stuck in rut in terms of pace - mid 9:00 today - and I'm thinking of going over to the track tomorrow to do some speed work. I had thought about going for a personal distance record, my next goal is 7+ miles, and I could probably have reached that today had I felt like running another 15 minutes. I was conscious of being back home in time for our morning vacation schedule but I was pleased that I felt more energized today compared with yesterday's sluggish trail experience. I plan to look back at some early posts to see what my challenges were back then and whether any of them still remain. I've pretty much figured out through conversations with long time runners, and now through my own experiences, that emerging as a runner is a lifelong aspiration.

Sluggish Barracuda

The first thing I'll say about my tough time on today's run at Stillwell is that it's not the fault of my shoes. Yesterday I bought a pair of Adidas Response 15's at the Adidas outlet store for a mere $33, thanks both to a discounted price and an additional 20% discount coupon we had. I tried some other Adidas shoes while I was there and was very impressed with the AdiStar Ride which I would have scooped up for $71 with discounts were I looking to replace my Brooks at this time. I was very unimpressed with the Mega Bounce which may have been the worst feeling high end shoe I've tried in a long time. The Response 15's fit me very well. I love my NB 460 trail shoes but they are 1/2 size too small which only becomes a problem on runs longer than 5 miles (Like Sunday's 10K) when they encroached too far onto the tops of my toes. I was excited to try the Response's today and they felt good the entire run.

I began my run with an experiment - my goody bag from Sunday's race contained a sample of Max Muscle Barracuda energy drink whose website describes it as a "uniquely formulated energy supplement designed for an extreme energy rush."

I'm not sure if that's true, I guess I felt some heightened energy at the beginning of my run but I'll attribute that as much to having new trail shoes as anything else. I made my way into the woods and followed the trails northeast, cutting over to a very narrow path with plant growth that barely provided room for a single runner. It was here, about eight minutes into the run, that I noticed that I was already feeling tired and I hadn't even taken on the toughest parts of the trail. When I did reach the first abrupt incline I looked for an alternate path that was less steep because I didn't feel I had the energy to take on a 10% grade. Left with no choice I made my way up and determined that the Adidas's were no match for the Helly Hansen Trail Lizards that would have (and in fact had) dispatched this hill without a problem. The Response 15's did fine but I could sense a lack of support on the tougher climbs.
Overall I thought the Response 15's felt great and very comfortable. I think they would have been perfect for the Dirty Sock race course that was primarily flat.

I headed back after completing 3.4 miles at a 9:51 pace. It wasn't the best run I've done at Stillwell but it was a workout. I'll continue to run with the new Adidas shoes on trails but I'll probably switch off with the Helly's at Stillwell from time to time. I'm thinking of keeping the NB's in my office for occasional runs on the bridle trail in Central Park. I guess I've already assembled a fairly large collection of running shoes but for $33 how could I resist buying something that Runner's World called a "best buy"?

The Cow Harbor 10K - great event, bad timing

I did my first run since Sunday's trail race this morning covering 3.7 miles at about a 9:20 pace. I'm not surprised that my pace was as slow as it was since I covered the first two miles at a moderate pace and sped up as I went. According to my Garmin I was tracking below 9:00/mile for the last mile or so. I was more tired than I'd expected to be after a day off from running but I did do a hike yesterday that involved some steep hills. Today was definitely a maintenance run, nothing remarkable to report.

I'll admit that I do miss my iPhone and although I still haven't had more than a couple experiences with the GPS tracking apps that reported within the range of acceptable accuracy. I did like the maps they create and the built in compass and iPod functionality on one of them. My desktop support person from work promised me that I'd see a replacement for my failed iPod from FEDEX either today or tomorrow so I'll live with limited tools until then.

I've identified my next race: a 4 mile run that's part of the Long Island Road Runner's Club (LIRRC) that will take place in Eisenhower Park on September 13. The LIRRC holds these informal races often and registration is day of race only. The cost is less than $10 and it seems like a good basic event. A 9:00 AM start makes it easier in terms of travel but it could be hot. I'll need to miss the Great Cow Harbor 10K because of a schedule conflict. I've heard more from Brian, who reads this blog, about the Cow Harbor 10K. He told me that The Northport Running Club holds a number of practice runs every Wed. night at 6:00 PM and those who are interested should check the website for information. Brian also sent the Training Assistance Program Weekly Progression Table (above). Clicking on the picture will produce a larger view. 

I'm glad to have a new upcoming run to help me focus my training. More to come in October and November.