A big change provides more time to run

If it's all the same, I'd prefer a Garmin 610

Yesterday's run (treadmill): 3.1 miles
Today's run (street): 3.4 miles

After 20 years with my company, I am about to take early retirement. While I'll miss all my office friends, I'm excited to be in a position to retire while I'm still in my prime. My big decision now is what to do next. I can do something completely different, or stay in familiar territory. I'm in no rush to decide. Besides having more time to spend with my wife and kids, I'll be able to run longer distances on weekday mornings. No more train schedules to meet.

Yesterday morning, the winds were still blowing at speeds over 25 MPH. I decided to stay indoors and did a progressive speed run on the treadmill. Today, despite the cold, I got outside and ran around the neighborhood. It may have been the lack of work stress that pushed me along today, or the fact that I had to be home in time for a business call, but I achieved my fastest overall pace in two months.

I've been overwhelmed with correspondence and calls related to this change, so it hasn't exactly been relaxing. But it has been energizing. Perhaps I'll restart my Runner's Tech Review blog now that I'll (possibly) have more time. I'm going to need a new pair of running shoes soon. Brooks, Saucony, New Balance, are you listening?

The elliptical is here, but the power is still to come

Today's run (treadmill): 25 minutes

Today has been an interesting day and I'll leave it at that for now. Over the next few days I'll have some extra time, and I'm planning to get in some long morning runs. I'm really looking forward to that. The treadmill has began to lose its appeal, so I've decided to get outside as much as I can over the next few weeks.

Our elliptical arrived yesterday. It bears an uncanny resemblance to the old X1 unit, but it's cheaper and not of the same quality. The console requires an AC adapter that we'll need to order separately. Otherwise we'll have to keep feeding it D batteries. I'll be glad to have the elliptical option on windy, cold or rainy mornings. In the meantime, I just want to get outside and run.

What's your running shoe's medical history?

 

Today's run (treadmill): 25 minutes

When you go to a medical office for the first time, they usually present you with a clipboard loaded with forms that you have to fill out before you can see the doctor. Among those forms is a checklist for your family medical history. It makes sense since the best way to predict future health problems is to know your areas of risk. I'm applying the same concept in assessing the useful life of my main pair of running shoes.

I've always been skeptical about the commonly-held view that trainers should be replaced between 300 and 500 miles. Just as people may carry greater risk for certain illnesses, some shoes and brands seem predisposed to wear out sooner than others. My first pair of running shoes were some Nike Foot Locker specials that only lasted about 400 miles. But I ran in a pair of Brooks Adrenalines for 700 miles before I retired them.

People tell me that they notice when their mid-soles have worn out after a few months. I think it's all in their head. Unless you are a large person, it's unlikely that you would significantly compress EVA enough to matter. I've come to believe that it's the out-sole that determines the life of a shoe. When I've needed to replace a pair, it's usually because the wear pattern on the bottom has caused a change in my foot strike.

Of all the running shoes I've owned, the pair I've liked the most were the original Saucony Kinvaras. Unfortunately I loved them past the point where their out-sole could provide me a stable platform and I ended up with a knee problem. After 466 miles, I took them out of the rotation. I'm currently running in the Kinvara 3's, a great shoe as well, but I've reached 436 miles with them. That's only 30 miles less than what I got out of the first Kinvaras.

Saucony's new Virrata looks interesting

So far, I've experienced no knee issues when running in the 3's, but the wear patterns are starting to show. Should I be proactive and replace the 3's in case they go from good to bad in the next 30 miles? Or should I put faith in the idea that Saucony may have engineered a more robust out-sole in the two generations since the first Kinvara? I'm on the fence about it, but it doesn't take much to get me back into shoe-buying mode.

10 degree running is still better than the treadmill

Today's run (street): 4.6 miles

It was important to me to get outside for my run this morning. The weather had kept me indoors since last Sunday, including yesterday's treadmill session. I always feel a little cheated when I miss the opportunity to run outdoors on a weekend day. I switched on News 12 while I got my running gear organized and the temperature at the bottom of the screen showed 10°. I grabbed a few extra layers and got ready to go outside.

Despite the cold, the skies were sunny and that made it extra frustrating when it took over five minutes for my Garmin to acquire a signal. The roads were much clearer than yesterday and, once on the street, I settled into a comfortable pace. The first half mile is a gentle uphill slope and I was dealing with headwinds for most of that section. The chilly wind made my eyes water and it was uncomfortable where my glasses touched my face.

Once I made a change in direction, the sun (minus wind) made it more tolerable. I didn't push too hard because my layers were keeping me comfortable. I targeted four miles for my run and set a route that would get me to that distance. Around the forty minute mark I saw that my performance was tracking below target, so I stepped it up a little. 

After yesterday's hard effort I didn't care all that much about running fast today, but I was still a little disappointed with my time. Despite the high treadmill frequency this week, I managed to cover my distance goals, including nine miles this weekend. The weather is supposed to get warmer next week so I'm hoping to get out at least once in the morning. The elliptical should be arriving soon, so I'll finally have a cross-training option for my morning workouts.

Glittery roads lead to an indoor challenge

From sparkly to sludgy

Today's workout (treadmill speed and elevation run): 50 minutes

The snow began falling last night when I left the office and it had coated the streets and lawns of my neighborhood by the time I got home. The reflections from the streetlamp revealed ice in the mix, prompting my daughter to compare it to glitter poured all over the road. By morning, that beautiful scene had changed to a dangerous combination of dirt and ice and my only choice would be an indoor workout.

The freezing cold has made outdoor running hard over the past week and I've grown tired of the treadmill. I wished we'd already received our new elliptical because it would have been the perfect workout for this cold morning. With no other options, I headed to the treadmill with some new ideas about the run.

Since it was the weekend, I had more time for my workout. I decided to focus the first half of my run on elevation and the second half on speed. I started with 1% elevation and increased that every few minutes until I hit 4%. I maintained the same speed throughout these elevation increases and watched my heart rate climb toward zone 4. At the 15 minute mark I began stepping down the elevation. At 25 minutes I was down to 1% and soon leveled off while blipping up my speed.

It was tough to get through the first 25 minutes with both the elevation and the indoor heat. I began to feel a second wave of energy around the 30 minute mark and wondered if it was induced by ketosis. I took full advantage and increased my speed periodically until my heart rate reached my target. I maintained that pace through the remainder of the run.

It was a really tough workout, far more challenging than my usual treadmill session. I was pleased with today's effort and glad that the speed and elevation workout had distracted me from the tedium  of the treadmill. Tomorrow I hope to be back on the road or trail. I'd like to cover enough miles to reach my weekly goal.

Even with this freezing weather, my friend KWL is planning to run his first half marathon tomorrow morning in Central Park. I'm wishing him the best, and I know that he'll do well. I'll be thinking of him and my friend FS (who will do this Half or a different run) while we all go out in the 18 degree temperatures. Why do we do it? That's probably a good subject for a future post.

The best $20 you'll spend on winter running gear

Train station salvation

Today's run (treadmill): 25 minutes

One of the greatest inventions of the 20th century happened in 1994: the creation of 180s™ ear warmers. Yes, I know some people would say that the Internet, the airplane and antibiotics have provided more social benefits, but I think those inventions have just had better marketing. The morning weather around New York has been hovering in the low teens most of this week. My 180s have helped me a heck of a lot more than anything coming out of Silicon Valley. These ear warmers make a huge difference when the chilling winds blow across the train platform.

With the temperature at 14° degrees this morning, I had no intention of running outdoors. Instead, I slogged my way through another treadmill run. Although I pushed a little less today, the workout seemed harder than yesterday's.  The guestroom, where we keep the treadmill, can get warm on days like this. Although it does a great job of cooling me off in summer, I haven't been running the big fan this winter. The air is very dry right now and having it forcefully blown into my face seems worse than dealing with sweat-producing heat.

The cold will continue this weekend and I'm going to have to deal with morning temperatures in the teens. I hope that I can choose the right amount of layers to keep me comfortable without making me sweat too much. I have some decent over-the-ears running hats, but on cold mornings (like today) I'll be adding my 180s to my gear list.

With running, there is no free will

Repeat forever

Today's run (treadmill): 26 minutes

Despite the concept of free will, most people find themselves following a daily routine. You might think it's just you, but it's not. Back in the days when I lived in the city, I was always amused to see the same people, on the same streets, around the same time, every day. Whether or not you take comfort in maintaining habitual routines, or bristle at the thought that you are a pre-programmed genetic robot, there can be an upside to all these patterns.

A good example is a daily workout. I am constantly amazed to find myself dressed and running before 4:00 AM most weekdays. The routine takes precedence over most other forces. If I wake up feeling ill or fatigued, I'll switch to rest mode. But that doesn't happen very often.

I've been running on the treadmill most weekday mornings. Every time I do, I find it hard to believe that I can make it through my allotted run time. Time seems to go by very slowly and, when I'm only five minutes in, my targeted finish seems awfully far away. The thing that saves me is the routine of these workouts and knowing that eventually I'll come to the end. That was the case this morning. Just like yesterday, the day before, and hundreds of time before that, I completed my time. Hitting the stop button is a habit I'll never want to quit.

Running clothes can have other lives

Today's run (treadmill): 25 minutes

Once upon a time, I would run outdoors in the coldest of weather, every day of the week. If the temperature was below 20 degrees, I'd add extra layers and (perhaps) a balaclava to protect my face. These days, I'm more apt to choose the treadmill for weekday runs. Weekends are a different story. I can go out a little later and spend more time preparing for the cold. I'll still run outdoors even with temperature reaches the low 20's, but I'm not sure about anything colder than that.

The thermometer on my car's display showed 10 degrees as I made my way to the train station this morning. New York City is barely warmer than that. Knowing that I'd need to endure the near-zero temperatures as I stood on the platform, (wind-chills were in the single digits) I turned to my running clothes for help.

A nice thing about running gear is that can be both lightweight and warm (or cold) depending on circumstance. This morning I substituted my usual cotton tee shirt for a long sleeve compression jersey to use as a base layer. I wore a pair of Wrightsock Coolmesh socks that are snug fitting under regular dress socks. I also wore my ASICs Serpent running windbreaker, that is surprisingly warm, between my shirt and suit jacket.

I was perfectly comfortable as I waited the eight minutes for the train to arrive, helped along by my heavy wool coat, scarf and earmuffs. The socks, base layer and jacket really did make a difference and I appreciated the fact that they added no bulk whatsoever. As I ran on the treadmill this morning in shorts and a light shirt, I dreaded the cold I'd soon be facing. Thanks to my running clothes, it all worked out just fine.

Going cheap on an elliptical (here's why)

ProForm CE 6.0. User not included

Most people will agree with the expression, "You get what you pay for", based on their own personal experience. Most of the time, I'd agree. Expensive items tend to last longer than cheaply made versions. This is theoretically due to their higher level of quality. Our experience purchasing and using a higher end elliptical machine made us rethink the direct correlation between cost and satisfaction.

Four years ago, we purchased a BH Fitness X1 elliptical machine at Fitness Showrooms in Huntington, NY. The machine was compact, had heart rate sensors on the arm poles and seemed to built to last. I've written plenty about our troubles with both the machine and the company that sold it to us, so I won't repeat them here. After three years of moderate use and almost a year of non-use due to broken parts, we trashed the expensive "quality" unit and bought a cheaper replacement.

Sunday afternoon we went to Sports Authority and bought a ProForm CE 6.0 elliptical for about one third the price we paid for the X1 in 2009. The unit was on sale and we had a $50 coupon. Pro-Form is not a premium brand, but but we managed to get over ten years of daily use out of our LT treadmill. The elliptical unit we bought was the 2012 6.0. Even though the newer 7.0 unit was priced the same, we thought the older model seemed sturdier and more stable.

I'm looking forward to (once again) having a cross-training option for my daily workouts. If we only get three years out of the CE 6.0 I'll be less annoyed than I was with the expensive BH Fitness X1. Ironically, the best reason for buying at Sports Authority over a specialty store like Fitness Showrooms is that I have more confidence that SA will stand behind what they've sold.

Machine made speed run

 

Today's run (treadmill speed run): 3.2 miles

The weather report this morning confirmed my decision to keep my workout indoors. The wind chill would bring temperatures down to the low 20's and the local track has plenty of wind. While I got ready to run I debated the level of intensity that I'd put to the task. I had looked up treadmill intervals online and considered doing that, but I settled on a more moderate speed session.

The online workout specified a brief warmup followed by five minutes at 7.1 MPH, the next five at 7.3 and then a .2 MPH step up every three minutes until you reached the 20 minute mark. Though short in duration, it was a bit more than I was willing to take on today. I decided to start at 6.1 and blip up my speed every few minutes until I was running in the low 7's. If the treadmill's display was accurate, I ended up averaging under a nine minute pace, despite starting out at 9:50.

I find treadmill running harder than street running, yet I tend to push myself harder on the treadmill. I suspect it has to do with the shorter stride that probably increases my cadence. A treadmill speed workout is a good start towards re-honing my performance edge, but I really do need to get back to the track. Still, with temperatures heading toward zero, you won't see me there this week.

Ready to fight the slowdown

Command performance tomorrow?

Today's run (street). 5.3 miles

Today's workout was typical for a Sunday run, although I did follow an untypical route. In an effort to break out of the neighborhood, I crossed Rt. 25 and did my run along Jericho Turnpike. I turned north up Jackson Ave. and then headed east, past the train station. Once I reached a natural endpoint, I retraced my route with an additional segment going west on Jericho. This allowed me to reach my targeted distance.

It was a perfectly pleasant run and the weather seemed milder than yesterday. The route provided some hill challenges but the wind was less intense. Despite the nice weather and what felt like an efficient stride, I was shocked to see that I'd clocked a pace over ten minutes a mile. Usually I can blame the terrain, the weather, or simply fatigue for a slow run. Yes, there were some hills, but my net elevation gain was only 250 feet over five miles.

Sometimes I worry that I'm slowing down. Four years ago, I could count on at least a couple of runs in the 8:00 range every week. Nowadays, except for races, I rarely break 9:20. I know that some of this is due to a lapse in competition since October. I can't remember the last time I did speed work, although I often run the last five minutes of my treadmill runs in the eight-minute range.

I'm thinking about returning to the track to run some intervals. It will be a nice change from the local roads. While I don't love the work, I usually feel great after a hard workout. It's supposed to be extremely cold on Monday so I may rethink this decision in the morning. Our treadmill can go 12 MPH so I could always do my intervals in the comfort of my own home.

Late start, stiff winds and some different roads to run

Today's run (street): 5.25

It took a while, but I finally got myself out the door for a run this morning. All week long I'd looked forward to getting a couple of extra hours sleep. I slept well last night and still got up up relatively early. Somehow the time slipped by and I found myself standing outside at 9:30 AM, waiting for my Garmin to acquire its signal.

I wasn't thrilled to do another weekend run in the neighborhood, but my procrastination had limited my options. My plan was to run a nearby loop and then head over to neighborhood #2. I set off running north and quickly encountered stiff winds coming from that direction. The weather report said that these winds would make it feel like 27 degrees and they were right. A slight change in direction made a huge difference. Without the wind, the warming sun made it quite pleasant.

Before long, I was running through the southern neighborhood, battling headwinds in one direction and appreciating the tailwinds when going the other way. Halfway through, I checked my distance and saw that I hadn't made as much progress as I'd liked for the time I'd been running. I picked up my speed from there and finished within acceptable range for my overall pace.

It's supposed to be even colder tomorrow so I'll need to give some thought as to where I might run. It was nice to get out of the neighborhood today for a slight change of scenery. Perhaps I'll find a more interesting route tomorrow.