Hamstrung performance

Today's run (street): 2.9 miles at 8:48

I thought my string of speedy runs had come to an end this morning when I took off and felt a painful twinge from my right hamstring. I'd been feeling some tenderness there over the last day but this felt worse. Instead of rushing to a full gallop I shortened my stride a little and tried to maintain a fast cadence. That helped take pressure off the problem and after a few minutes, probably because my leg muscles had warmed, the pain subsided. I maintained the upright form that I use when trying to land on my mid foot while wearing a conventional shoe like the Brooks GTS 10.

The route I'd chosen covered more distance than I usually run before work, almost 3 miles today. I thought my overall time would be markedly off compared to recent days when I knew I was meeting an aggressive pace. When I checked the Garmin at the end I was surprised to see (and later confirm on Gmaps) that I'd again beaten 9:00 by a tidy margin. That pleased me to no end because it proved that even under suboptimal conditions I can still run in the eight minute range.

I'm out of the office on Thursday and Friday and I'm planning to do a long run tomorrow. I'll probably rest on Friday and Saturday to be primed for this Sunday's race. We're planning on going hiking this week so I'll need to ice my hamstring after that. The weather report for the weekend has changed from intermittent storms to clear and sunny. It will be great if that holds. Last year it rained on Saturday which caused some puddles on the trail, but overall the paths were dry. The less mud the better on Sunday, especially if I run in the Brooks.

Dirty shoes planned for the Dirty Sock 10K

My GTS 9's in pre-muddy form

Today's run (street) 2.5 miles at 8:44

I own three pairs of trail shoes but I'm thinking of running the Dirty Sock race in regular shoes this Sunday. The trail at Belmont Lake is mostly flat and well tended and there isn't a lot of surface that requires the extra traction of more purpose-built shoes. The reason I'm thinking this way is that I'm concerned that my feet may take a beating after six miles. Last year I ran this event in my New Balance 460's that are great but are a half size too small. I can get away with 3 or 4 miles on the 460's but I ended up with a black toenail after last year's race.

My Adidas Response 15's have been my MVP running shoes, serving well on both streets and trails and filling in as casual shoes when I travel. However, they also lose appeal after five miles of hard running. My feet took a beating the last time I used them for a long trail run. I have a pair of Helly Hansen Trail Lizards that impressively tear up the rough terrain at Stillwell Woods but they may be overkill for Sunday's race. I'm inclined to pull my old Brooks GTS 9's back into service instead. These shoes do very well over long distances and, even after 600 miles, they look and feel almost like new. My only concern relates to vanity as I'm reluctant to get them muddy. I suppose I can always hose them off after I run.

This morning I continued to run with a focus on speed and cadence and achieved 8:44 per mile overall, despite very high humidity. It's still a little challenging to maintain enough concentration at 4:00 AM to keep with a consistently brisk pace. I have been running in my Saucony Grid Tangent 4's over the last week but I've switched to my Kinvaras for this week's taper. I'll probably do my last training runs in my Brooks GTS 10's to get used to a little heavier shoe. My biggest concern at the moment is how the rain predicted for Saturday might affect conditions on Sunday morning. If it's muddy course on race day I may need to run in trail shoes after all.

Tubes, zig-zags, bounces, shocks and resistors

K-Swiss goes tubular

A couple of weeks ago my daughter and I were on the train heading back from the city when we stopped at a station. Directly outside our window was a billboard ad for the K-Swiss Tubes running shoe. Knowing nothing of this shoe, I judged it on design alone. Built within the outsole were a series of open "tubes" that run perpendicular to the length of the shoe. The tubes were clearly designed to disperse shock and (I'm guessing) return some energy from the impact. I just remember thinking that I would never wear that shoe in public.

Adidas Mega Bouncer

Nike's Shox absorber

Reebok gets Ziggy

The Reebok ZigTech shoe provides a similar visual reaction. In the case of this shoe it's a rippled outsole (e.g., "zig-zag") that supposedly provides a flexible high energy experience. I've been amused by the marketing of the shoes and the fact that not one athlete who endorses them is known for their running. I don't know if the technology works but they sure look funny.

One model of a weird shoe that I have tried is the Adidas Mega Bounce. I like Adidas as a brand so I put on a pair out of curiosity. I expected springiness but all I felt was awkwardness. So much for that. I'd put the Mega Bounce into the same category as the Nike Shox. This shoe is built with shock absorbers in the back that remind me of the air shocks I installed on my Mustang when I was in high school. This shoe seem to be popular and they are fairly pricey but I rarely see them on the feet of real runners.

Skechers resists running

This weekend I saw an ad for Skechers SRR (Skechers Resistance Runners) that looks like a cross between those ubiquitous "Shape Ups" and a running shoe. Their website claims that dramatic gains in postural, gluteus medius and calf muscle activation (???) will come with the use of these shoes. Okay, good to know. I realize that all of the serious running shoe companies have their own unique science. Brooks has DNA and BiOMoGo, ASICS has their GEL and Trussic technologies, Saucony has "Pro Grid" and Mizuno has the Wave. At least these features are integrated into the shoe in such a way that they look like serious footwear. I could say I'm not one to judge but clearly I am. The question is, if K-Swiss or Skecher were to send me a pair of their latest models, would I give them a fair shake on Runner's Tech Review? The answer is yes. However, I guarantee most of my testing would be done in the early morning, in the dark, so I'd have the lowest chance of being seen with them in public.

Running and sailing -- how's that for a duathlon?

Setting sail on the Eisenhower Park pond

Today's run (Eisenhower Park): 4 miles at 8:32

This morning me and my friend KWL headed early to Eisenhower Park for a training run. We're both competing next weekend -- me in the Dirty Sock 10K and he will be running a 10K on Saturday and participating in a 100 mile cycling event on Sunday. Our plan for today was to cover about four miles around the park and then meet up with my wife and kids for a little remote control sailing. More on that below.

KWL has only been running for about a year. In fact it was just a year ago that he participated in a Fun Run that I'd organized in Central Park and, without any prior training, he beat a handful of experienced runners. He's an avid cyclist and that athleticism carries over to other activities. Our run together was well timed (for me) because KWL set a quick pace and we ran the 4 miles with split times of 8:28, 8:18, 8:31 and 8:48. We started with a couple of laps around the southern paved trails and finished with a lap and a half around the big pond. At least that was my 4 miles. KWL continued to run another mile while I waited for my family to arrive. I was very happy with my pace but less happy with my stamina. I could have run another mile when I stopped because I began to tire. I didn't want to overdo things since I'd run hard the preceding week and I'm planning to keep up the pace in my final runs prior to race day.

Tall Ships ready to set sail

After the running was completed we met up with my family. KWL opened the back of his car and showed the kids the two remote control sailboats that he and a friend had made. The kids were surprised to see that the boats stood higher than their own height. These sailboats were impressive and as I watched them glide over the water I was amazed by their speed and maneuverability. The fact that the boats had no motor for propulsion (only a small servo for turning the sails and the rudder) made it both a serene and exciting activity. Near the end my son handed over the controls of his boat and I got to do a little sailing myself. We ended our Eisenhower Park activities by 10:00 AM and still had plenty of day left. It was a great way to spend our Sunday morning with a good friend and I had yet another great training run.

Training is paying off with two speedy runs despite the hills

Friday's run (Central Park): 3.25 miles at 8:39
Today's run (street): 4.5 miles at 8:36

We have guests coming over today so I set out early to get in my run. My focus, both today and yesterday, was on maintaining a brisk pace over routes that presented some hill challenges. Yesterday I headed to Central Park around noon and followed a route that started by following the lower and upper loop on the east side. I crossed to the west north of the Great Lawn and finished my run down the loops along the west side. The temperature was around 75 degrees and that helped at the start. I ran the first mile, that has a couple of noticeable elevations, at around 8:05 per mile, which is fast for me. My split speed decreased for miles 2 and 3 but I did keep my pace well under nine minutes the whole way through. A focus on speed has definitely improved my performance and I'm happy with the numbers but I do wish I could just go out there and run for fun. But running for fun does not contribute enough to conditioning and I only have one week before the Dirty Sock 10K.

My run this morning mostly took place in a business park located near my house. it's not the most visually interesting place to run but the wide open streets and a loop that is 2/3 uphill and 1/3 downhill makes for a great training ground. I ran the loop two times and tried to maintain a rapid cadence. I averaged 88 SPM for the first mile and gradually fell to 83 SPM by the last half mile. Even so, I bettered the 80 SPM that I have averaged most of this summer. I finished my training cycle by ducking into neighborhood #3 which is mostly flat and provided a welcome relief from uphill running. From there I headed home, tired but still remaining under the 9:00 threshold.

Last night my wife told me about a 5K race that was being held at Sand's Point this morning. She suggested I run it because it's a beautiful place right on the water. I decided that I needed to do the hill training instead, to prepare for next week's race. It would have been fun to spontaneously run a 5K but part of my enjoyment of racing is the anticipation of the event and the strategy and training that precedes it. I'm really curious about how I'll do next Sunday. Will my performance training pay off or will I end up close to my time from last year? I thought I'd trained better and incorporated better strategy before the New Hyde Park 8K in June but I ended up no faster (or slower) than my 2009 run. I'm planning to run with my friend KWL tomorrow and then run on Monday through Wednesday during the week. I'll finish my taper with an elliptical session and rest for Sunday. At least that's the plan for now.

NYC running - many choices, but there's only one Central Park

Today's run: Central Park (planned)

It's looking fairly gloomy on this Friday the 13th morning. The local news station predicts that the low cloud cover will burn off by noon and that nice weather will follow. I'd be happy to keep the overcast skies and just eliminate the threat of rain. It's been a few weeks since I've done a Central Park run and I miss the experience. I'm planning to return to the park today and I have high hopes for relatively cooler temperatures and low humidity.

Last summer I covered a lot of the city during these summer Friday excursions. AG, who knew most of the running routes in the NYC and surrounding areas, introduced me to the west side bike paths, the Old Croton Aqueduct trail and the experience of running over the Brooklyn and GW bridges. I ran north on the bike paths earlier in the summer with my friend Steve but other than that I haven't migrated far from Central Park.

Bike paths at Chambers Street

It might be fun to run south on the bike path to Chambers Street as we did often last year. It was a one way trip that ended downtown near Whole Foods. After the run we could walk a block to Whole Foods and get some recovery drinks (I liked the bottled water with added electrolytes) and we'd hop on the subway back to the office. I suppose I could do that today for a change of scenery. Still, Central Park is seductive and it has the hills I really need for my training. I'll wait until noon to see how I feel and whether the weather will cooperate.

A kind surprise from the Emerging Runner, Jr.

Today's workout (elliptical): 25 minutes

This morning I walked into the guest room to see my running clothes and gear laid out for my morning run. I had gone to bed early and neglected my usual setup process so I was confused to see everything neatly in its place. Then I saw a note from my daughter explaining that she was concerned that I'd forgotten to do this the night before. It was very thoughtful of her and I felt a little bad about not using some of the carefully selected items (like my headlamp) but I wanted to do some cross training this morning on the elliptical. Having all my towels and workout clothes ready certainly saved me time.

My focus on speed in preparation for the upcoming Dirty Sock and Great Cow Harbor runs has extended to my elliptical workouts. I found that I could maintain a rate that's 9% faster than I had been achieving a month ago (at the same level of resistance). It would seem as though the the extra effort I'm putting into running has improved my speed all around. I plan to test that tomorrow with a run in Central Park if the weather holds up. I've been running faster but I haven't really faced any challenging hills. Central Park provides plenty of those and I'm curious to see how I do on them.

7:04 pace for 2.8 miles? All it takes is a little math

Today's run (street): 2.8 miles at 8:59

Once again I managed to squeak under the 9:00 per mile threshold for my early morning run. While I haven't been all out sprinting during my runs I have been putting a lot more effort into the process. It makes me wonder how far I could really push it without my heart rate moving into dangerous territory. 8:59 makes me happier than 9:00 but, regardless, that pace range was characterized as "pedestrian" in an article I recently read in a running magazine. How insulting! I may run at a pedestrian pace but  according to other articles I'm really much faster than that. Based on what I've also recently read, here is the Emerging Runner Guide to rationalizing your pace:

1. Every 5 degrees above 60 adds 20-30 seconds per mile to pace
@ 75 degrees (3 x -15 seconds) =  8:59 - 45 seconds = 8:14

2. Every 10 degree difference above 60 at the same relative humidity = 35 seconds per mile
@ 75 degrees (1.5 x 30) = 8:14 - 45 seconds = 7:29

3. Age compensation (compared to fit 20-something runners) and 4:00 AM start time
Lets just subtract another 25 seconds...

Using the above guide I see that I'd actually achieved an average pace at 7:04 per mile this morning. How about that?! I guess I'll need to work a little harder or find more formulas to get me into the 6:00 range.

Doing what it takes to stay under 9:00 per mile

Today's run (street) 2.5 miles at 8:59

I'll admit that I like my current focus on speed and pace and I've been looking forward to my early morning runs even more than usual. I'm not running fast at 4:00 AM but compared to the paces I maintained throughout most of July, I am running much faster. My definition of a decent pace begins at around 9:05 per mile. I'm generally pleased when I meet or exceed that time. My psychological threshold is 9:00 minutes and that's when I feel like I've accomplished more than merely covering my distance. Right now, in the midst of summer, 9:00 per mile is much harder for me to break than when I'm running in 20-30 degree temperatures. I want to do better on the Dirty Sock run this year and I believe that consistently training at paces around 9:00 per mile will get me there. However, trails can become more difficult based on their condition. If it rains close to start time all bets are off.

I managed to break my psychological threshold this morning, clocking an 8:59 pace for two and a half miles. It was already close to 80 degrees when I left but without the sun I felt like I could push without straining. I'm focusing primarily on form (vertical alignment, arm positioning) and cadence. On my slow days in July, I hovered around 80 SPM and on longer runs would fall as low as 78. These days, as I run, I think about how quickly I'm turning over my stride, how high my trailing leg is going and how much time I can spend off the ground. Higher cadence does influence stride length but I think that's okay. In Born to Run, Christopher McDougal writes about the advantages of a shorter stride for mid-foot running and I agree that it does provide a feeling of moving along well.

My friend BJS sent me some notes that he made from his Cow Harbor 10K training last year. They are extremely helpful in understanding the course and setting expectations. He mentions a couple of big hills that must be respected. I think that will be the theme for one of my upcoming weekend training runs. The Dirty Sock course has no measurable elevations but, even so, I'm expecting that hill training will help me.

MOO(ve) over! I'm running the Cow Harbor 10K!

I missed the Great Cow Harbor 10K race last year because it conflicted with a family trip. I was eager to sign up for the 2010 version but discovered that we have a family event on the same day. Those things happen and though I was disappointed I understood the reasons. On Saturday we got the official invitation in the mail and my wife brought it over to me and said "We don't need to be there until 4:00 PM. You can run Cow Harbor." I wasted no time getting signed up and registered.

I've run nine races since returning to running in 2008. Most of these races have been of modest size, typically 200-600 participants. I did run with a relay team at last October's Cape Cod marathon which numbered almost two thousand runners but it still didn't seem all that big. Cow Harbor is big and it's also a RRCA Championship race so it attracts elite runners from all over the world. The field is big, over 5,000 participants, that I'm certain will feel like a huge crowd while I run through the quaint harbor side town of Northport in September.

Speaking of big races, I got a report from Adventure Girl that the Haulin' Aspen half marathon trail race in Bend, OR was a fantastic event. Her descriptions sounded grueling but she called it fun. Look for a full recounting in an upcoming Running Gone Wild post. Although I am excited about Cow Harbor, my sights are set on my next race: the Dirty Sock 10K that is scheduled for Sunday, August 22nd. I plan to stay with my focus on speed during this week's training runs and to begin introducing more hill training on weekends. The Dirty Sock course is relatively hill free but the Cow Harbor course will clearly present some elevation challenges.

Run, hike, run, rest!

Today's run (street): 4.56 miles at 9:10

It's been a great weekend for getting outdoors. Yesterday I did a 6+ mile run at Belmont Lake and later that afternoon my wife, son and I went on a long hike in Stillwell Woods. Considering that it's early August the weather was very comfortable, especially with the tree cover keeping the interior temperatures relatively cool. I considered returning to Stillwell this morning for a run but decided to stay closer to home. I wish I could run to Stillwell from my home rather than drive the five minutes to get there. If not for the major roads I'd need to cross I'd do that. After yesterday's run and hike my feet were still a little swollen so I chose my Kinvaras today. The Kinvaras are light and the toe box is flexible so I thought they would be a good alternative to my conventional shoes.

I set out to run a moderate distance and picked a route that took me west along Jericho Turnpike for about a mile until I turned into neighborhood #4. It was a nice change of scenery as I haven't run in this neighborhood in almost a year. There were some good hills to follow both up and down and I traveled the perimeter road until I reached an outlet that allowed me to cross over to my main neighborhood. Considering all the running and hiking I'd done the day before I did fairly well on today's run. I definitely slowed down in the last couple of miles but did maintain a credible pace overall. When I reached home I realized how humid it was. While running it wasn't that noticeable because there was little sun due to low cloud cover. When I finally stopped I was amazed by how much I had sweat. The sprinkler system was on in front of my house and I stood in the path of one sprinkler head to cool off a little. It took a cool shower and then some to fully restore my comfort level.

I'm glad to have got my workout completed early today so I can focus on the activities of the day. I feel great and I'm happy with my performances over the last week. A special shout out to Adventure Girl today. She's running the Haulin' Aspen half marathon in Bend, Oregon this morning. Lots of high altitude running and a start with 8 miles of steady elevation (!).  Once again, to quote Murakami, "Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional."

Practice makes perfect on the Dirty Sock trail

BJS gives a thumb's up to today's run

Today's run (Belmont Lake Park trails): 6.36 miles at 9:25

It's been almost a year since I've run the trail at Belmont Lake, home of the Babylon Village Classic Dirty Sock 10K Run. With the exception of the last 1.2 miles of last year's 10K race I've enjoyed running this course more than most. It's an out-and-back run that totals 6.2 miles when you begin at the starting line along the main trail. We started our run while still outside the trail head so our distance was longer. Accompanying me this morning was BJS, an Emerging Runner friend who had also run the Dirty Sock race last year. BJS often runs with his dog but we were on our own today. We hit the trail with temperatures in the low 70's and (thankfully) low humidity. The favorable temperature and the canopy of the woods combined to make the running conditions near perfect.

BJS and I ran at a companionable pace that allowed us to converse easily. Along the way we encountered numerous others walking with dogs, biking and running.  I was surprised when my Garmin chirped to announce that our first mile had passed. It seemed like we'd only just started. I felt good and the company was great and I looked forward to the next 5. We were both amused when two strapping young runners overtook us and politely alerted us they were passing on the left. We joked for them to slow down. I'm sure they thought we were slowpokes but I stand behind our performance today. My barometer for gauging my stamina on this course is how fatigued I feel when I'm circling the northern lake. I was happy that I felt almost as fresh at that point as I did when we started. On the way back the trail is slightly more uphill, not that you would notice except on one or two stretches. We both started strong and finished strong, ending our run 59 minutes and 52 seconds after we'd begun.

We headed for shade and cooled down for a few minutes before we headed out to start our respective Saturday activities. BJS is thinking about running the trail again with his dog before the race on the 22nd. I don't know if I can get back out there before the race but it would be fun to join them. It was a great way to start the weekend and running with a person as interesting as BJS made a long run go very quickly this morning.