Business travel provides a different running experience

Today's workout: Rest day

This will be a busy week. I'll be out of the office four out of the five days and traveling for the first three. Today will start with an hour and a half presentation that I have to give before I head to Penn Station to hop on the Acela to Boston. It's not a bad trip and I'm planning to see some great people and do some interesting things. I'm also hoping to get some city running in while I'm there. I've mentioned the Memorial Drive run that I love and I wish I had time to extend that run on the Boston side to include a loop around Boston Common. There's something great about running where the city meets nature. Running in Central Park is always interesting to me because there's so much to see with things changing all the time. Due to business conditions I haven't traveled as much in the last year as in the past but I have another trip coming up soon. My schedule will be tight so I don't know if I'll get to run there but I'm hopeful that I can. I don't enjoy business travel or being away from my family but running in new or different places makes for a far better experience.

Weekend ending run in the Brooks GTS 10's

Brooks GTS 10

Today's run (street): 5.44 miles at 9:11 per mile

It's been a good week for running and today was no different. After yesterday's trail run at Stillwell Woods I was ready to return to the street and spend some time in the neighborhood. I've felt tired over the past few days so I planned to take it easy today and do my distance at a reasonable pace. After running in the Saucony's on my the last few outings I returned to my Brooks GTS 10's that provide a more cushioned ride. That's no dig on the Grid Tangent 4's which are still extremely comfortable (and fast) or the Kinvaras that are minimally designed shoes that trade some cushioning for far less weight. Each pair of shoes I own has a specific purpose and I cycle through them all.

I set out for a quick loop around the northeast part of the neighborhood before heading south toward neighborhood #3 that's adjacent to the industrial park. Upon reaching the park I did the main loop to get in some hill work. It's not a steep incline but it goes on for a while before rewarding the runner with a nice downhill segment. Coming out of the park, I turned left into neighborhood #3 and ran through those streets before I headed back to my neighborhood to complete my 5.4 mile route. I didn't push hard throughout the run but I threw in a few speedy tempos that helped me maintain an overall pace that was closer to nine minutes than 9:30. The Brooks are great shoes because they are so comfortable and stable while still providing an energetic response. I've had some slight knee soreness and every time I run with the Brooks my knee feels a little better. I had the same experience with the GTS 9's. Brooks makes great shoes. I'm going to rest tomorrow since it's going to be a day of meetings and travel. I'll resume my running on Tuesday morning when I return to Cambridge for my Memorial Drive run.

Last NYC run with AG, at least until August

Yesterday's run (Central Park): 3.19 miles at 8:41

Today's run (Stillwell Woods): 4.1 miles at 10:03 

I didn't think I'd be able to do my weekly NYC run on Friday but by 5:00 PM I had finished everything I'd wanted to get done this week. Adventure Girl will only be in the office one more week before she heads for the west coast for the summer. Since I'm traveling much of next week we figured we'd get in one more run before she leaves. We headed up to the park as fast as we could because my window of running was limited. We decided to run about 3 miles by following the east side of the lower loop to the upper loop, across the Great Lawn to the north and then back down to where we'd start. We wore our Sauconys, Grid Tangent 4's for me and AG wore her new Kinvaras. Those light shoes helped us move along at the fastest pace we'd ever run together, despite the hills we encountered both up and down our route. We ended our run at 5:44 PM and I needed to get back to the office in time to change and leave with enough time to make my train. We arrived at our building at 5:58 PM and I knew I was in trouble, but AG suggested I just commute home in my running clothes. Despite my extremely sweaty condition I agreed and made my way to the train, making it just in time. It was a exciting way to end what will be our last run together for many months. I'll miss these runs but I'm excited that AG will be running some awesome trails in the northwestern states this summer.

Perhaps as a nod to that I headed over to Stillwell Woods this morning for trail run. It's been a while since I spent time in the interior of the preserve and I followed a route that is opposite of my usual approach. My plan was to move along but not push it too hard. The many inclines would provide plenty of challenge without worrying about speed. The mountain bikers were out in force. I encountered quite a few riders, all of whom were extremely polite and courteous about sharing the trails with a runner. Along the way I navigated through the Snake Pit, the curiously named but difficult Little Pink Bicycle Path, the Ewok Forest and the UH OH trail. I was plenty tired and 4 miles was tough going but I was distracted by the birds and other animals making such a racket that I actually laughed. So much for the serenity of nature. I'm probably going to run in my neighborhood tomorrow and focus more about miles than speed. So far, counting Friday, it's been a great weekend of running.

Running the Charles from Cambridge and back

Longfellow Bridge (bottom), Harvard Bridge (top)

Today's run: Central Park (tentative)

I'm planning to be up in Cambridge next week for some MIT Media Lab activities. It's always interesting to visit the Media Lab and the ideas and future technologies are both exciting and inspiring. Many of those technologies have found their way into athletic gear. The science behind the Garmin and Polar foot pods, as well as the Nike+ system, came by way of the Media Lab's Responsive Environments group. As stimulating as I find MIT, my favorite part about visiting is when I'm able to run the loop over the Harvard Bridge into Boston and then return to Cambridge over the Longfellow Bridge. The entire four mile run takes place around the Charles River with views of both city skylines looming. I often see runners wearing Red Sox hats and that always makes me feel like I'm home again.

I'm so hoping for decent weather for the early part of the week. Nothing will be as disappointing as a thunderstorm that forces me to stay inside and use the hotel treadmill. I'm not going to worry about that though. I'll get to see some great people, including family and friends. Running along Memorial Drive always brings back great memories. I'd just better not forget to pack my Red Sox cap.

Consistently inconsistent

Today's run (street): 2.45 miles at 9:07

I don't think I'll ever fully understand why some runs are faster than others. I know a person who has run the same 4 mile loop for years and can usually predict his finish time within 15 seconds. I may have opened a can of worms by suggesting that he throw in some tempos to bring down his overall pace. He did that and now he's got a different perspective. Up until that point, the run itself was the accomplishment. Now, after all this time, he's concerned about pace and performance. Did I do him a favor in helping him get more out of his runs? Or did I contribute to a mindset that replaces the joy of running with the obsession of metrics? I also told him he should think about getting lighter weight shoes for a performance bump. What have I done!?

Of course it's not the shoes that make you faster. Or is it? Since switching over to the Saucony shoes last week I've had noticeable improvement in my pace, often beating my usual times by 20-30 seconds per mile. With nothing else to explain it I had to guess it was the shoes. After three runs in the 8:40-8:50 range I assumed I had moved to another stage in my running. I'd no longer be a 9-something pacer. The new normal is 8:45 and further improvement starts there. This morning I went out feeling good, equipped with the fast Kinvaras on a clear cool morning's run. My pace felt steady and strong. At the point where I thought I'd covered a mile my Garmin said .78 miles. I felt like I was running well but I wasn't covering the ground at the rate I'd assumed. I questioned whether the Garmin was properly calibrated because I had switched it from my Brooks this morning. Ultimately, I finished with an overall pace of 9:07 that is typical of runs at that time. I continue to wonder why the range of performance is as wide as it is. I don't have any problems with today's performance. It's just that with all my tracking and even with the new lighter shoes, inconsistency is the only constant.

Sole F63 - a slippery situation, once again

Sole F63, equipped with special belt slipping feature

Today's run (treadmill): 2.3 miles at 9:08

You'd think it would be easy to figure out whether it's raining without actually stepping outside to check. At 4:00 AM it's really too dark to see rain out of a window and the audial clues from the skylight were indeterminate this morning. I had already resigned myself to running on the treadmill so I started it up without further investigation of the weather. As much as I love running there are different levels of enjoyment. At the top would be a beautiful, scenic trail with groomed paths and cool weather. Below that, but still desirable, are many other scenarios involving running on trails or roads. After that is the track which has its positives but, for longer distance, can be mind numbingly boring. At the bottom (for me) is the treadmill. I can't fully explain why, but I find treadmill running very tough. Perhaps it's the tedium of an unchanging view but it's also being locked into certain pace and having the road moving under you instead of the other way around.

An added dimension to my treadmill woes is a recurring problem with the belt slipping on on my Sole 63 unit. This is a new machine that we've already had serviced to fix this problem but I noticed it again today. Like last time, I could avoid slipping on the belt if I kept to the left side. However, the tread isn't so wide that I don't occasionally cross over to the "slip zone." I did my 2+ miles just to get them done and really started wishing for drier days going forward. I'm hoping to avoid this experience until the machine is fixed...yet again.

New posting on Runner's Tech Review - ATAYNE

Today's workout: Rest day

Runner's Tech Review is back with a new posting about ATAYNE's technical shirts. We've been testing these high quality shirts made out of 100% recycled materials since December. With their great feel and cool looks they've certainly found a place within our running clothes collections.

I wasn't feeling great this morning when I got up and quickly decided to rest instead of run. The weather may have contributed to a headache and although it wasn't yet raining, I knew it would start soon. I needed rest and figured not running may be more beneficial than an actual workout today. Tomorrow I plan to be back to the street. I'm going to run in my Brooks GTS 10's to see if it's the lightweight Sauconys that have been helping my performance or if I'm just getting faster. I'm betting it's the shoes.

Saucony Tangent 4: Fast and comfortable

Saucony Grid Tangent 4

Today's run (street): 2.45 miles at 8:40 per mile

After two runs in the Saucony Kinvaras I'm starting to believe that a shoe can really make a difference in performance. The Kinvaras are extremely light and have very little drop-off between the heel and forefoot. This makes mid foot striking easier than when running in a shoe with a higher heel. I closely track my performance and although I'm a 9 minute miler in spirit I'm more of a 9:10-9:20 miler in practice. So what am I supposed to think when I put together two consecutive runs under 8:50 per mile? Could I have improved that quickly -- or is it the shoes?

That's the question I asked myself this morning when I set out for a morning run wearing my new Saucony Grid Tangent 4's. These are lightweight stability shoes that feel very good on the foot. Despite the light weight there was decent cushioning through both the heel and front foot. I took off and immediately noticed how quick they felt, my pace was more like a tempo run although I didn't feel as though I was working that hard. But at 4:00 AM things can be deceiving. I've done runs at that time that felt fast but weren't. I expected the same today but finished with an average pace of 8:40. That's 5K race pace for me and almost unheard of at that early hour.

It may be too early to say for sure but these lightweight shoes from Saucony really deliver speed. I like the Kinvaras for the mid foot landing and the Grid Tangents seem sturdy enough to be a regular trainer for people like me who have a lighter build. So what's to become of my beloved Brooks GTS 10's? No worries, there will always be room for them in the rotation. They just may need to wait a little longer for their turn.

New rule: double check the race date

Today's run (Park): 5.15 miles at 8:45 per mile

I was excited about racing today and curious to see how competitive I would be with my new Saucony Kinvara running shoes. Team Emerging Runner arrived at the race location about an hour before the scheduled start. My wife took a look around and said, "We must be at the wrong place, there's no one here." It turned out that were at the right place but at the wrong time because the Brooke Jackman 5K had already taken place on Saturday. I was mad at myself for failing to check the date and assuming the race would happen on a Sunday. Most of my races have been held on Sunday mornings but that's a poor excuse. Seeing that I was upset, my wife quickly suggested that we stay and explore the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park that was just north of the race location. Or more correctly, yesterday's race location. I agreed that a run on a cool spring day overlooking Oyster Bay was a great alternative to a race.

Never having run in this location, I didn't know where the trail would lead. I started by following a paved path that ran parallel to the water. This path eventually looped around to numerous small walking paths that fed back to the main trail. I completed one loop and decided to head west to see if there were any interesting routes in that direction. I eventually ran out of pavement and cut across a sandy section before reaching the road again. Once I saw how far I'd need to go to reach a decent place to run I decided to circle back to the park to find my family. At the 2 mile mark I caught up with my wife and kids, passing them in the other direction as I made my way east. I ended up looping the park a number of times and occasionally passing by my family who were playing at the water side. After 45 minutes we decided to wrap it up and I noticed that I'd covered 5.15 miles at an average of 8:45 per mile. Running conditions were near perfect and there were no hills. The only things that slowed me down were the run through the sand and a couple of sharp turnarounds that reduced my pace. The new Kinvaras are definitely helping and I'm running 20-30 seconds per mile faster than I normally run. A calibration test of my Garmin confirmed the accuracy of these numbers. So how about that!

I really enjoyed today's run, especially because my family was there to cheer me on each time I passed them along my route. It would have been fun to race today but I still had a great morning with the family and a great run by the water.

Tomorrow is race day in Oyster Bay, NY

Today's workout: Rest/taper

I've decided to run the Brooke Jackson Race for Literacy 5K tomorrow morning in Oyster Bay. Unlike every other race I've done to date, I'll be a walk-on participant, who registers on race day. There are two reasons why I'm racing instead of using both weekend days for extended runs. First, I haven't raced this month and this may be my best opportunity to do it. Second, I've had some slight soreness in my right knee and I thought I'd give that leg a break from running. Resting today will prepare me for tomorrow's race and three miles shouldn't have much on affect the injury. I do have slight concern that running in the neutral Kinvaras yesterday may have contributed to the soreness but it may just be a case of adjusting to a shoe with almost no drop from heel to forefoot, causing me to land more on my mid-foot than I usually would. I considered running in the Tangent 4's but I'm not sure I'd want to race in shoes that I'm using for the first time. I have three miles on the Kinvara odometer so I know how they feel at that distance.

My strategy for tomorrow is to start at a moderate pace and adjust speed as I go. The Kinvaras seemed to have helped yesterday so hopefully I can draw on that advantage in the race. I have no knowledge of the course and whether it has pronounced hills or other features that may affect my performance. Perhaps it's best not to know because I won't be thinking about upcoming negatives as I run. My goals are simply to run a good race, have fun and be competitive in my category. Although I haven't anticipated this race for weeks I am excited that I'll be participating tomorrow.

Finally, I'd like to mention my friends KWL and FS who are participating in a 100 mile bike event tomorrow on Long Island. They are certainly in shape for it. I wish them great weather and safe travels.

The Saucony Kinvaras make a great first impression

Saucony Kinvaras ready for their first run

Today's run (Central Park): 3.2 miles at 8:47/mile

My shipment from Saucony arrived yesterday and I'm very excited to put these two pairs of lightweight trainers to the test. Lightweight is the word, the Kinvaras practically floated out of the box when I opened it. The pictures promised a different looking shoe and the Saucony Kinvara is certainly different. The outer layer on the upper is translucent and it looks like it was air brushed. My kids thought they looked amazing and my daughter asked me if they came in kid sizes. But looks are one thing, fit and feel are another and I put them to the test today at noon in Central Park.

The Kinvara is a minimalist shoe that can be used for racing. It's more flexible on the forefoot than the other running shoes that I own with an extremely small drop off from heel to toe that encourages mid foot landing. When I put them on I had the same reaction that I had when I tried on a pair of Nike Frees - it felt more like a slipper than a running shoe. Once I began to walk in them and got a sense of how they worked with the foot I realized they were nicely responsive. I started my run at the bottom of the lower loop and was happy to note that the ride was no harder than the Brooks Adrenalin's although the feel was different. I moved along well and passed some runners, even on the hills. The sun was out and it was very humid so the run was already feeling like hard work by mile 2. However, I maintained a decent pace throughout the entire distance and was pleased to average 8:47 per mile. I have to give credit to the shoes for helping me attain that pace since I can't think of another factor that would explain it.

Over this weekend I hope to test the other pair of shoes I got from Saucony, the ProGrid Tangent 4's. Like the Kinvaras, these shoes are extremely light and have some stability control for those, like me, who pronate. The fit, like every Saucony I've ever put on my foot, feels natural and correct. As much as I'm excited about the Kinvaras I'm thinking that the Tangents may be competition for the Brooks as a daily trainer. I'll be testing both pairs in the coming weeks. I'm still not sure whether I'll race on Sunday but if I do I plan to wear the Kinvaras. Since it's just a 5K on Sunday I'm not too concerned about racing with new shoes. Today's running experience seems to validate that decision.

The better of two goods

Today's workout (elliptical): 27 minutes

I'm considering an upcoming 5K race this weekend that is taking place in an adjacent town. This event, the Brooke Jackman Race for Literacy, seems interesting and like most charity runs it benefits people in need. I chose not to run the RXR 10K earlier this month but I have no regrets that I didn't race. I ran my personal best for distance on that Sunday and felt that it was time better spent. This Sunday's race will be my only practical opportunity to compete in May. I'm already scratching on the June 6th XTERRA race because I have so little time that weekend and I'm heading out later that day on a business trip. I will definitely be running in the New Hyde Park 8K in mid-May so June is covered. My quandary for this weekend is whether I'm willing to give up a run on Saturday, when it's supposed to be beautiful, to rest enough to be competitive on Sunday. If I don't race on Sunday I would try to do a trail run at Stillwell or Muttontown on one day and explore the running experience at Eisenhower Park on the other day. Both of those runs are appealing but so is the thought of lining up for another race. I guess I'll have until early Sunday morning to decide. Either way I can't really lose.