Sole F63 - A great first impression

Today's workout: 2.4 mile run at ??:??/mi.

The new treadmill arrived yesterday and the old treadmill is now sitting at the end of the driveway, awaiting Monday's trash pickup. My wife and kids were very excited to see my reaction  as I made my way upstairs to look at the new arrival. They had waited for me to get home so I'd be the first to use it, which was incredibly sweet of them. In truth, my wife should have had the privilege of doing the maiden run because she put far more mileage on the old unit. I expect this will also be the case with the new F63.

I ran a couple of minutes last night to get a feel for the treadmill. First impressions were that it was more elevated, sturdier, smoother and quieter than the ProForm it replaced. This morning I did a real workout, starting slow (just push one button to set a pace!) for a minute before locking in on 6.4 MPH. This translated to a 9:23 pace but it felt faster than that. My Garmin agreed with me, displaying 8:59/mi. The margin of error on the Garmin makes me believe my true pace was closer to 9:05. I'll recalibrate the Garmin tomorrow and compare that to the treadmill to get a better understanding of its accuracy. Aside from this discrepancy the running experience was very good. I appreciated the quiet ride, the fan, the metrics and the solid feel of the unit beneath my feet. After my shower I listened for the whine of the treadmill from my wife, who normally starts her run around 5:15 AM. Nothing. A walk down the hall confirmed she was running on it and I heard her steps louder than the treadmill's motor. My wife liked it as much as I did and she couldn't believe how quiet it was compared to the old treadmill. I think we made a great purchase and, with all the programs and elevations, there's still much more to experience. I really like the new treadmill but with the beautiful weather on the first day of spring, I'm still aiming to hit the roads or trails tomorrow.

The Sole of a new machine

Today's workout: 25 Minutes on elliptical

Two points to those who get my headline pun. The picture is a clue. This may be the only time I'll ever say this but I'm excited by the prospect of running on the treadmill tonight. If all goes according to plan we'll take delivery of our new Sole F63 some time this afternoon. This also means that we'll bid farewell to our present unit that has served us well since 1997. I'm not particularly sentimental about inanimate objects (is a treadmill inanimate?) but I'll certainly give some respect to our Pro Form L18 that has provided countless hours of service to me and my wife.

I debated whether I would work out today or save my energy for a rare evening run with the new unit. I decided that an elliptical session was a better option than doing a final run on old L18. Yesterday's run was great and that's the way I choose to remember my experience with that long-serving machine. It will be sad to see it out by the curb when I get home tonight. It will be even sadder still to see it in the guest room because that would mean the Sole delivery people couldn't be enticed to carry the old treadmill down to the end of the driveway. I'm always up for a workout but I wouldn't be thrilled with the prospect of moving a 250 lb. treadmill down the stairs this weekend.

Over the hill

I looked up the course map for the Marcie Mazzola Foundation race and saw that it's basically the same route as last year's run. It looks as though the start has been moved to a different location and the course wraps around Heckscher Park instead of heading west and north of it as it did last year. This translates to a shorter run for 2010, 5K vs. 4 miles. What doesn't change is the big hill that runners encounter about a quarter mile into the race. Last year I was astonished by the length of that incline. I believe the road gains elevation for almost a mile before the street levels off. Last year I did know about the hill prior to the race but I didn't realize what a punch it would deliver. This year I hope to be better prepared for it.

Speaking of hills, I was surprised by the tightness I had in my legs this morning. Yesterday's run was by no means difficult and, although we did scale one big hill, overall, it was a fairly flat run. I definitely need to work on my conditioning if I want to be ready for the 4/11 race. This morning I ran an easy 2.6 miles that felt good and satisfying and loosened up my quads quite nicely. Our new treadmill is due to arrive tomorrow and I'm eagerly anticipating that delivery. Our treadmill is ready to go although its high decibel howling has stopped for the most part. It's a simple machine and our new one is more modern and technical. I'll be pleased to have a dashboard that displays my speed and progress and I'm hoping the new unit is quieter and the motor less rough. Most importantly, the new treadmill is capable of inclines up to 15%. This will be a useful capability as I work to get ready for the big hill on race day.

The return of Adventure Girl

I worked from home today instead of commuting into the city but rather than doing my usual 4:00 AM run on the treadmill, I went out to Stillwell Woods accompanied by Adventure Girl. AG came out our way to deliver a guest lecture at my son's school and we took advantage of that circumstance to cover 2.5 miles on the trails. It was the first time that I'd run at Stillwell since the XTERRA race on the 7th and the trail conditions were very different this morning. Unlike on race day, Stillwell's trails were clear of ice and snow and the temperature was heading toward 40. AG and I had not run together since last August so it was great that we had the opportunity to do this run. After a brief warm up we headed into the Preserve with the intention of following the "Black" trail that represented last week's race course. It was difficult to remember the paths I had traveled during the race and as we came upon the many forks we began making guesses as to which direction to follow.

We ended crossing over to the main open trail where the Black trail terminates and followed that back into the woods for a while. Neither AG nor I were looking for this to be a fast run and it was great to look around and talk as we ran. We didn't encounter the rolling inclines that I'd experience during the race but near the end of our run we came upon a steep, carved passage that really woke up my quads. We weren't on that for long but I was grateful for the level ground when we reached the top. I realized later that this hill is one of the 'features' of Stillwell that I've always avoided (though I went down it during the race) on recreational runs. We soon came out to the open field and did a circle along that flat dirt path before we headed back to the parking lot. In all, we covered 2.5 miles and still had plenty of energy to get us through the day. My family reported that AG's lecture went great and we put her on a train back to the city this afternoon. It was a great day for everyone and a wonderful reminder of the great running adventures I had with Adventure Girl last summer.

Head starts for the youth-challenged

It never occurred to me before I started running that a person's age, height and weight were key factors in determining pace. I'd always assumed that fitness was the sole determinant and it didn't matter much if you were 19 or 62, tall or not. I regret that I didn't track my running metrics back in the early 90's when I was two decades younger. I know I ran relatively fast and a lot of that was due to my misunderstanding of the need to develop a good aerobic running method. I would literally run a mile or more at speed while dodging pedestrians and cars through the streets of NYC. With no baseline to use for monitoring progress and with less than ideal running conditions, it's no wonder that I became discouraged and finally stopped. I did participate in a Corporate Challenge race in 1992 but I can't recall my time or distance. I wish I could remember more about that because I likely have a PR that I'll never know about.

In the current issue of Runner's World there's a piece about a race in Colorado Springs called "The Tortoise and the Hare 5K" where runners are weighed and measured prior to the start and are given head starts based upon factors like gender, age, height and weight. The writer is 37, female and 6' 4" tall (not a typo) and she described, due to her head start, how she was almost leading the race for a good period of time before the faster, lower handicapped runners caught up an began to pass her. It made me laugh to read that because in every race I've run I have encountered people who'll jet past me in the middle or near the end of a race. I can hear always hear them coming but there isn't much that I can do to hold them off. In the end it's really about maintaining a pace that works me hard enough to build fitness but not so fast that I lose the joy of the experience. I may have been a miserable 7:00-something runner 20 years ago but I'm a happy as a 9:00-something runner today.

A gloomy day makes for great running

Gloomy but rain-free morning

Despite losing an hour due to daylight savings time this morning I was happy to wake up to an overcast but rain-free sky. Even though I maintained a better than average pace during yesterday's run on the treadmill I was largely unsatisfied with the distance. I felt like I'd worked too hard to cover 2.8 miles even considering that I'd done another 1.2 miles on the elliptical prior to my run. As I ran yesterday I thought about Dean Karnazes who supposedly ran 211 miles on a treadmill within 48 hours. Acknowledging that Karnazes' fitness is at a level that allows this, I still cannot imagine how he handled the tedium of running for two full days without going anywhere. Karnazes claims that he sleeps while he runs during ultramarathons but running on a trail or on straight empty roads is different than running on a treadmill where any stumble can result in hitting the ground (or the tread belt) at speeds of over 6 MPH. I've said it before, treadmills scare me.

The conditions at 7:30 AM this morning were near perfect for a run. The temperature was just shy of 40 degrees and the strong winds from last night had calmed to a steady breeze. The air was humid which caused an odd combination of chill and warmth when I ran directly into the wind. Many times during my run my glasses fogged but it was never so bad that I needed to clean them off to see. I did not give a thought to my pace though I knew I was running slow. When I reached the 34 minute mark I thought about the way I felt on Sunday when I reached the same point during the race. It was a very different feeling running on level and stable ground with no pressure to reach the finish line. By then I knew I could maintain my easy pace for a long time so I decided go for 50 minutes and ended up covering 5.3 miles at around 9:35 per mile. At that pace I felt I could have run another five miles without a problem but I had told my wife I was going out for 45-50 minutes and I didn't want her to worry.

On days like this I sometimes think about my readiness to run a half marathon and I'm sure I could complete one with some more focused training. In the meantime I'm considering running the 10K in this year's Long Island Festival of Races and doing the full 5 mile Stillwell XTERRA in June. All in good time, today I was happy the rain held off long enough for me to finish five+ miles feeling strong and fit.

The rain won't stop falling so the elliptical and treadmill are calling

The rain was coming down hard this morning, as expected, so any hopes for an outside run today were dashed. My wife was already on the treadmill so I hopped on the elliptical and joined her for the last 15 minutes of her run. It was a good warm-up for my 25 minute run that followed hers. Between the elliptical session and the start of my run I re-hydrated with a mixture of Zico coconut water and ground chia seed. Between the 15 minute warm-up, the five minute break and the energy mix I was able to start fast on the treadmill instead of working up to cruising speed like I usually do after starting cold. My goal was to run 30 minutes but after less than a mile I decided that was too ambitious. There's something about treadmill running that causes me to silently plead for it to end as soon as possible. As I've mentioned before, the lack of stimuli makes the minutes crawl by like hours.

I bargained with myself to reduce the intended length of the run as I reached the 15 minute mark. I'd already covered more than a mile on the elliptical and I was running at a good clip so I reduced my time goal by 5 minutes. I ended up covering 2.8 miles in about 25 minutes at 8:51/mile and finished feeling like a wet noodle. I've spoken to other runners who tell me treadmill running is far easier for them than street running but for me it's just the opposite. I can run 5 or more miles on the road or trail and come back feeling relatively fresh, but, perhaps due to the static air and the heat in the room, the treadmill is tougher going. With our new treadmill due for delivery next Thursday I'll see if it's the treadmill or just my treadmill that's so exhausting. The rain is predicted to continue through Sunday but perhaps it will be polite enough to stop for an hour so I can take my workout outside.

Pace perception, pace reality

I think I may have a distorted idea about what constitutes my "normal" running pace. In my mind I consider myself a 9:00 miler but in truth I'm not. Garmin Connect provides reporting tools that allow you to analyze your history and this helps me compare where I am today against previous periods. Sifting through the data and applying the appropriate filters allows me to see what paces I was doing last year on the treadmill, the road, the track and the trails. My overall pace, current or historical, means very little because it's a blend of those running types. Comparing or just reviewing anecdotal data, I see that my normal road pace is about 9:15. There is a margin of error because this data comes from my Garmin which has an over/under tolerance of about 3%, depending on its state of calibration. I often move the footpod from pair to pair depending on the type of running that I'm doing. When calibrate accuracy to .01 mile on my Adrenalines and then move the footpod to my New Balance trail shoes I'll get a different result. It's an inexact method but it's good for measuring trends over time.

Prior to last Sunday's race I had focused primarily on building up my running legs with less concern about pace. In the first two post-race runs this week I kept the speed dialed down in consideration of recovery. Today I decided to start faster and maintain a pace that was on the edge of discomfort. About halfway through I increased the speed a bit more and at the end I expected to see that I'd run the type of pace I do for road races (8:19-8:40). I was surprised to see the Garmin readout say I'd covered my distance at 9:00 per mile. It sure seemed faster than that. It's possible that the Garmin under-counted because of calibration variance and I was on the treadmill and not on the road. Next week we'll have our new treadmill that will provide a readout that I can compare to the Garmin's. It was nice to run my "normal" pace today, despite my delusions of grandeur.

Happily banished by my pulmonologist

Last night I saw my pulmonologist for my four week post recovery check in. The last time I saw him my testing had shown that my lung capacity was at 82 (normal range is 80-100) while my pressure score was just shy of normal. I had returned to running a couple of weeks prior to that test and I'd been disappointed that my progress wasn't complete. Last night's test confirmed my recovery, I scored 99% for capacity and high normal on the force/pressure scale. My doctor said I am completely free of pneumonia and joked that he didn't want to see me again except as a co-competitor at a road race. I was fairly certain that I was back to form after performing well at last Sunday's XTERRA trail run but, like running, the numbers tell the story best.

This morning I decided to forgo the elliptical in favor of core exercise and weights. I liked that I felt these workouts last week and I added more to the routine to make it more challenging. I'm still using light hand weights for my arm exercises and that seems the right amount of weight for the results I'm pursuing. The weekend's weather is predicted to be rainy, especially on Saturday. Running in light rain can be fun but running in a downpour can be difficult for those of us who wear glasses. I'll watch the skies and hope for a break in the weather. Otherwise it will likely be lots of treadmill and elliptical time for me this weekend.

Running: hubris and humility

Almost every morning I see one or two runners on the road as I make my way to the train. There is one person I often see running with traffic, all dressed in black. This man seems to shuffle along more than run but that's what works for him. I always wonder when I pass him by whether he thinks "Look at me, I'm out here doing my daily workout, I am better than you." Why wouldn't he think that? If he could read my mind he may have been surprised to know that I'd done my running two hours prior (2.5 miles today) and that I think he's a fool for wearing dark colors and running with his back to oncoming cars. I can't speak for long time experienced runners like my friends CK and CMc who are all zen-like in their running attitude, but for a second year serious runner I am first to admit to succumbing to the hubris of running.

Runners can be competitive and judgemental. We may be good sports but we are quick to compare ourselves to others.

"You walk? Well I run."

"You run? "How far, how often?"

I'll admit to thinking this way more than once. Of course, as in physics, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Not long ago I met with someone in my office who noticed the race numbers plastered on my wall and asked if I ran. When I told him I did he said he ran too, mostly for fun. I asked him if he raced and he said he did an occasional Corporate Challenge. I later looked him up and saw that he'd recently ran a 3.5 mile Challenge at 6:56/mile. Consider me humbled.

I've already forgotten this morning's treadmill experience

I had a decent run on the treadmill this morning, 2.6 miles at a moderate pace. After the hard trail run on Sunday I planned to take it easy today. I did the first half of my run at around 9:50 and the second half at 9:10. There was nothing particularly interesting about this workout and I realized when I finished that, besides checking my Garmin a couple of times for pace info, I had almost zero recollection of the experience. I came off the machine hot, sweaty and energized but I couldn't think of anything notable about the run.

Although it's an important aspect of my workout routine, the treadmill only provides me with a one dimensional experience. Compared to road running or trail running (that are multidimensional in terms of visual and sensory experience) the treadmill provides little in the way of intellectual stimulation. True, you can make up for that gap by putting a television in front of the machine or by listening to music, podcasts or audio books, but those things aren't really about the running experience. I'm not against treadmills by any means. I just got the good news that our new unit is in transit to the delivery company and I'm eagerly anticipating its arrival. Our new treadmill has built in programs and lots of metrics to help distract from the tedium of running in place.

While looking at speed, incline, time, distance traveled, calories, pulse and pace falls way short of looking at trees, birds and other interesting things along the trail, at least these displayed metrics have something to do with running. No matter what (like anything new and technical) the new treadmill will provide me a new dimension, at least for a while.

The path of enlightenment is cold, wet and muddy

I learned a few things on Sunday about my level of conditioning. They weren't happy lessons but they put my fitness into perspective. The XTERRA crowd was different than the typical mix I've observed at other races. This was a purpose-driven bunch, young, lean and intense. I would have been very intimidated had I participated in this event a year ago. After six races last year I understood what to expect and that my best strategy was to start at a moderate pace and just run my race. Yesterday was both an affirmation that I can run with this crowd (I really was worried about finishing far at the back of the pack) and a reality check that, perhaps, I'm not completely recovered from my pneumonia.

I was prepared to go out for 4.75 miles of tough trails and when they said they'd cut the length to 3.7 I said "easy." I would not have allowed myself a DNF but I also wouldn't have maintained 9:20 on those trails if I'd needed to cover another mile during the race. I truly understood the sensation of lactic acid buildup in my legs as we went from hill scrambles to abrupt descents to rising switchbacks. There were times when I told myself I just couldn't make another hill but I managed to talk my way into pressing on. Sometimes I used the crowd of runners behind me as motivation and other times I told myself  "One way or another you're getting out of the woods so you might as well do it running."

I did make good decisions prior and during the race. I wore warm outer clothes as close to the race start as possible and handed them off to my wife when we assembled for the start. I wore running gloves and noticed many didn't. The gloves helped regulate my body temperature and gave me security that I had protection in the event of a fall. I refused to let the other runners intimidate me as they drafted closely behind on narrow trails and I left room on the left for those who wished to pass. I took the time to enjoy what was happening around me and took note of the course for future training. Next time I run at Stillwell I'll take on the black trail and not shy away from the tough stuff. There will be another Stillwell race in June, this one full length, so I'll need to be better prepared if I choose to participate.