Hesitation forces a Plan B run

The soggy price of procrastination

Today's run (treadmill): 3.2 miles

All of today's business related activities could be managed by emails, calls or virtual meeting rooms, so I didn't need to go into the city. Knowing that, I took my time getting ready for my planned outside run. The weather was cold and the skies were overcast, but the local news channel was saying we'd see no rain until noon. I waited until both kids had gone off to school and headed upstairs to change.

The reported temperature was 43 degrees, but it felt colder than that. I put on two long sleeved shirts and a pair of medium weight running pants. I took my time getting dressed, including HRM strap, GPS watch, RoadID and SPIbelt. I was just about to head outdoors when I heard my wife call from upstairs, "Do you know it's raining!?" I looked outside and saw the water coating the back deck. Ugh. I headed back upstairs to implement Plan B.

Some people don't mind running in the rain, but I really dislike it. Besides the visibility issues that come from wearing glasses, the experience is worsened by soaking wet pants, jerseys and socks. Plan B is usually the treadmill, unless I feel like a change and use the elliptical. Today I wanted to run, so after a quick change into running shorts, I was on the treadmill once again.

There's never much to say about a treadmill workout unless something unusual happens, and today nothing did. If I had spent less time on my laptop this morning, and instead, headed out by 7:00, I would have enjoyed a refreshing outdoor experience in dry conditions. And if that was the case, I'd probably have something more interesting to write about today.

Transcendental treadmillism

Be the treadmill

Today's run (treadmill): 3.2 miles

Rainy weather put me on the treadmill this morning, but I was fine with that. I'm way behind in my magazine reading (I blame the lack of a daily commute) and have been catching up on recent Runner's World issues. I came across an article about meditation and running, and was curious to learn how the two might be linked. Were they suggesting that runners should meditate during a run? If that's the same as zoning out, I guess it could make sense.

Much of the article covered mental preparation for a run, but the writer also suggested some specific meditative running techniques. One example was taking a breath every three steps and exhaling for two. I tried that on the treadmill this morning with mixed results. Just like when I tried to calculate cadence by tracking my steps per minute during a run, I found it extremely hard to keep my counts. The challenge was maintaining synchronization between my steps and my breathing. I gave up fairly quickly. 

The one idea in the article that proved viable was simply acknowledging the tedium of the run and the pain and fatigue that may come with it. Instead of relying on TV or music, the meditative approach is to understand the discomfort and appreciate what's good about the experience. As I ran today, I thought about how I felt (strong, mentally energized), how the floor fan was keeping me cool, and how nice it was to have a schedule that didn't involve 4:00 AM workouts. I may not have reached the highest mode of consciousness today, but meditation did do a fine job of distracting me from the damn treadmill.

An eight mile workout on top of another

Supremely lucky

Today's workout (elliptical): 30 minutes + 8 mile walk

It's another beautiful day in NYC, but I ended up doing my workout indoors this morning. No matter what, time always seems to influence action. I needed to make a mid-morning train and I'd squandered the early morning hours putting the final touches on my new business website. The elliptical made the most sense in terms of time efficiency, so I picked that over the road and the treadmill. If I'd known how much walking I would do today, I may have skipped my workout altogether.

My travels took me all around NYC today. With exception of a subway ride from Penn Station to Chamber Street, I walked up, down and all around. When I got back to Penn at the end of the day, my Fitbit showed 18K steps and 8 miles walked. My feet were fairly sore, but that's what recovery shoes are for. I put on a pair the second I got home.

The purpose of my trip downtown was to visit the Manhattan County Clerk's office at 60 Centre Street. I needed to do some legal work related to my new business. The Clerk's office is located in the basement of the Supreme Court building, and it looks like it hasn't been renovated since the 19th century. Seriously, go there and see for yourself.

It turned out that the filing (and its sizable fee) was unnecessary. Except for the cost of a subway ride, I came out well ahead. I walked from Centre Street to midtown, and eventually, back to Penn Station. Today showed that not every workout needs to involve aerobic intensity to make an impact. Sometimes it's a matter of taking some steps - maybe eighteen thousand or so.

Spring running is great, so the laptop can wait

Such that it is

Today's run (street): 3.4 miles

Yesterday was my scheduled rest day and I spent a good part of it in front of my laptop. Consequently, I  "achieved" a pathetically low step and distance count. If my Fitbit could talk to me right now, it would probably wouldn't. I'm under the gun with business related tasks, but I have been making great progress. After all that intense work, I needed to run today. The beautiful weather certainly helped get me out the door.

My treadmill workout on Sunday was short but extremely difficult. I thought this morning about the fact that the Marcie Mazzola 5K was scheduled for next Sunday. Sadly that race has been postponed due to the death of a Mazzola family member. The way I've been running lately, I don't think I would have been very competitive. I prepared to struggle as I took my first steps on today's run, and was surprised to find that I felt great.

It was a beautiful early spring morning and I'd taken the chance of wearing running shorts and a short sleeved jersey. Sunny skies and low humidity powered me through one of my fastest runs in weeks. I wasn't sure at the time how I was pacing, but I took advantage of my energy level and threw in some "speed play" a few times every mile. I covered the last mile at 10K race pace and finished feeling refreshed and energized. That was a good thing, because before long, it was back to the laptop for the rest of the day.

Business exhaustion + run exhaustion = redemption

Wheel of redemption

Today's run (treadmill): 3.1 miles

I thought that leaving my job might profoundly change my life. Actually, it has, but not exactly in the way that I expected. I'd imagined myself taking leisurely runs on the trail each morning, followed by a variety of activities that I've put off for years. Despite those expectations, my running schedule hasn't really changed. Highly anticipated activities, like returning to playing my classical guitar, have been put on hold. I may not be getting up at 3:30 AM anymore, but I'm working harder than ever.

Much of my attention has been diverted to a consulting practice that I recently started. Creating a business requires many steps, ranging from setting up legal and business resources, to selling services to clients. So far it's been energizing, but all the meetings, calls and proposals can wear you out. That became evident this morning when some work I was doing distracted me past my scheduled run time. After forcing myself to stop, I realized staring at web code for hours had given me a pounding headache. Instead of a run I felt like I needed a nap.

We were up late last night, but I'd found it impossible to sleep past 6:00 AM. I'd planned to go to Stillwell for a trail run. Soon enough, I started self-negotiating to shorter distances on local roads. The wind was blowing hard outside, further eroding my motivation to do my run. I started thinking about forgoing my workout altogether.

In the meantime, my wife who was similarly tired from our late night, had completed her workout and taken a shower. She said it made her feel better, although she felt her run was harder than usual. Inspired by her, I made my way to the guestroom to face the treadmill. I made no pretense that I'd make it a speedy run. This workout was far more about maintaining commitment than improving fitness and conditioning.

I started by running a pace that was 15% slower than usual, and stuck with it until the display showed one mile. From there, I began to increase the treadmill speed every couple of minutes. By the time I'd reached two miles, it was feeling like five. The experience of watching the readout slowly tick toward three miles was torturous, especially since I'd increased my speed to a relatively brisk pace by then.

Considering the short duration, I haven't had many runs that felt as hard. I was thrilled to kick down the speed after 3.1 miles for cool-down. Although I was wiped out, I was also energized, and my headache was gone. This workout felt like redemption and I was very pleased that I didn't skip my workout. On the downside, I realized that I'd failed to transfer my Fitbit to my running shorts so I didn't capture all those steps and distance. I may have lost all that data but I gained back some self esteem. 

SNAP'd out of the gully

Surprisingly good energy snack

Today's run (street): 5.2 miles

Unlike blogger friends A.S.E., Petite Pacer and A Running Chick, who regularly do long distance training runs, I've seemed to settle into the 3 to 4 mile gully. This time last year I was gearing up for the LI Half Marathon and regularly running 8 to 12 mile weekend runs. With no half to prepare for in May, and a recent bout of pain around my hip, I've lost some critical base conditioning. I went out today determined to cover at least five miles and I managed to do that.

Non-runners think that a long distance run would be hard, because they perceive the challenge as not "having enough wind." Runners know that the toughest part of a long run is battling both tedium and muscle fatigue. Let's face it, much of running is voluntarily suffering and while we've all found "the zone" at one point, most runs are teeth gritting experiences. Nature's way of getting us to keep doing it involves the release of endorphins at the end. This make us forget how much we hate running.

I headed over to the local business park by way of a loop through the neighborhood. I'd forgotten to turn left into the middle school that has a passage to my planned destination. I ended up doubling back a bit, and taking the penalty of running up an unplanned span of inclined road. In the scheme of things, that mistake probably made it easier to achieve today's distance goal.

Before I left on my run, I tried a half portion of SNAP infusion "super candy" that was given to me by my friend KWL. I went out later than I expected and was feeling pangs of hunger as I prepared. This was due to only having a small breakfast hours earlier. SNAP contains a combination of antioxidants, electrolytes and carbs and the whole package (I had just half) is only 110 calories. I expected it to taste good, but this was legitimately great. Good enough to compete with real candy.

It didn't occur to me until I'd reached the first half mile that my effortless running may have been enabled by the supplement. Despite forceful winds chilling the already cold air, I felt great, engaged and ready to cover more miles. I didn't work out yesterday (though I covered a lot of ground on foot) so perhaps that break from running helped me today. But the positive experience I had with SNAP made me want to try it again.

I covered the business park and an adjacent neighborhood before turning back towards home. I enjoyed the run, but maybe I'm just brainwashed by the endorphin effect. I'll blame my middling performance on the combination of head-on winds and the hilly route around he park. No matter, I finally broke 5 miles for the first time since early March. Compared to the others, it's still not impressive distance, but it did push me out of my gully.

No race next week : (

I had no opportunity to run today, but I did cover enough territory on foot to reach my daily distance goals. I know this because my Fitbit has a full charge and it dutifully recorded my every move. I'm planning to go for a few extra miles tomorrow instead of doing speed work. Here's why:

This would have been my fifth straight year running it

I'm sad that this race (that my family enjoys so much) is being postponed. I hope it's due to something bureaucratic and not a personal issue affecting the race organizer's family. So no race to train for at the moment. Maybe it's a good opportunity to return to the Bethpage trail this weekend.

Battery failure, goodbye data

Today's workout (elliptical): 26 minutes

I was able to sneak in an elliptical workout this morning. I didn't do a full 30 minutes because of my schedule. I figured that all the city walking I'd planned to do would constitute a full workout. I just checked my Fitbit to see how much ground I'd covered, but it had shut down due to having a low charge. I wouldn't mind, except the device doesn't warn you when the battery is low. Neither does it provide you any way of checking the level while in use. I'd write more today, except the battery on my phone has dropped below 10%, so I need to conserve. Technology tools can provide great data, but this dependency on batteries can be annoying.

Spring run in winter weather

This morning it felt like this

Today's run (street): 3.4 miles

I'm pressed for time this week and I'm concerned that I won't even have time to do my scheduled workouts tomorrow and on Friday. Today had its scheduling challenges, so I made sure that I got outside for a run before being consumed with the business of the day.

Yesterday felt a lot like spring, but this morning felt just like winter. I didn't want to deal with the cold, so I added enough layers to be comfortable from the start. The sun was bright, and the air was dry and crisp. I couldn't bring myself to follow my usual neighborhood loop that, after hundreds of runs, has become extremely tedious. Instead, I charted a new route that was different enough to distract me a little.

Pounding the pavement didn't provoke any soreness or pain from my hip and I was grateful for that. Although I had dressed to battle the cold, the extra layers I'd worn were making me sweat. I found myself appreciating the freezing winds that hit from certain directions - nature's air conditioning.

I wish I could say that the cold helped me to run faster today, but that wasn't the case. I knew I wasn't making my targeted pace and all I could think about was how woefully unprepared I am for my upcoming 5K. The possibility of missing my next two workouts can't help that situation. Then again, two day's rest might be the perfect setup for some good speed work this weekend.

Fast week, faster run

Green light, please proceed with speed

Today's run (treadmill): 3.2 miles

This week is going by fast. I cannot believe tomorrow is Wednesday. Yesterday was a blur, involving much work that would contradict the notion that I have retired. The good news is that I'm liking the situation, especially since it only involves dealing with the Long Island Railroad a few times a week. Monday is my usual rest day, and I greatly disappointed my Fitbit by falling short of my daily goals by a substantial margin. I made up for that a little today.

The problem of not having a day that starts at 3:30 AM is that I end up having less day to work with. Even though I'm getting up at 5:30 AM now, my workouts and runs are colliding with morning commitments. Much of that is my own fault. Instead of rolling out of bed and then right out the door for a run, I'm taking time to have coffee, watch the news and see the kids off to school. At that point, it's a competition to see if I can fit in a run before my first call, meeting, or appointment of the day.

This morning I had an early call, but I had the flexibility to push it forward enough to allow a treadmill run. It was sunny outside and the temperature was in the 40's when I was ready to start. Even so, I stayed indoors to save the precious fifteen minutes I'd need to stay on schedule. Today's run was a bridge workout, where I would introduce speed in a way that would protect my recovering hip.

I started at a pace close to where I finished on Sunday's run, and started increasing my speed once I'd been running for 15 minutes. I've had no issues with my hip since last Friday and, after two pain-free runs, canceled my orthopedist appointment that was scheduled for this morning. Today felt like just another treadmill run and I think I can go a little more aggressively tomorrow. I hope I'm not fooling myself into thinking I'm healed when I'm not. Listening to my body helped me recover fairly quickly. Now it's saying, "Go for it."

Holiday stalking run

I do celebrate these

Today's run (street): 3.75 miles


Today is Easter Sunday, a religious holiday observed by a majority of the population. Happy Easter, if you celebrate. I don't, so I tend to look at the day a little differently. I had considered a morning run at Bethpage State Park, but I was concerned that the main gates might be locked due to the holiday. It occurred to me that the neighborhood might be quieter than usual this morning so I opted to stay local.
Though sunny, it was a chilly 32°, so I added an extra layer and hoped I wouldn't regret it later. I was doing some pre-run stretching when I noticed a runner going by my house. A moment later, the GPS signaled "ready", so I set out behind the runner. I'd planned to run slightly faster than yesterday and thought this fit-looking guy could pace me. After a few minutes, I realized that I was gaining on him. When he looked back, I think I spooked him. I should mention that I was dressed in bright yellow and black, and he may have thought I was a really large bee.

I ran straight when the other runner turned right, and noticed a couple of runners coming from the other direction. As I made my way further through my neighborhood streets, I saw four more runners. Lots of runners and very few cars. I liked that ratio. I did have one car related incident, though incident is probably too strong a word. There was a Lexus RX 350 driving along the route I was following at approximately the same speed that I was going. It may have been a mother teaching her daughter to drive, but I couldn't be sure. I felt like I was being stalked. Perhaps they were curious beekeepers.

I accomplished my goal of a faster run and I'm feeling ready to start introducing more speed to my training. With all this stalking, I had completely forgotten about my sore hip. That's because it was no longer sore. It was an Easter day miracle! Okay, maybe not, but I celebrated just the same.

Running within a palooza

Lacrosse day on fields 1-5

Today's run (track): 4 miles

Today my goal was to increase outdoor running mileage without hurting my recovery from the sore tendons around my hip. That meant another moderately paced workout on a softer surface than pavement. My choices were either to run the trails, or to go to the local high school and run on the track. I chose the track option because I wanted a surface that was harder than dirt, but softer than the road.

When I arrived at the high school, I saw hundreds of parked cars and many more drivers looking to do the same. I almost turned around and drove home, but decided to try a remote lot near the track in case there were any spots. Luckily, I found a space and walked over to the track where I saw hundreds of lacrosse players and their coaches on the field. Adjacent to the main field, baseball games were being held, and lacrosse players from various towns were warming up everywhere.

I saw a single runner and a couple of walkers on the track. I figured that if they were there, it would be okay for me to join them. I set off at a high nine-minute pace, hoping to avoid collisions with parents standing in the track lanes. A few players and lacrosse balls whizzed across the lanes as I went by, but there were no close calls.

As I made my way around, I observed hundreds of players in the surrounding fields and noticed some concession stands that were branded with the NY Lizards logo. That explained the crowds. Apparently today was a Lacrosse-a-palooza, with games and (possibly) a clinic. Later, when I was leaving, I saw many cars parked across the road at Stillwell. After seeing that mess, I was glad I didn't opt for a trail run today.

I think the players would've noticed if I ran across the field

I ran well today. I split my direction halfway, first running counter-clockwise and then reversing after two miles. I suffered no hip pain, although I did begin to sense some tightness by the first mile. I kept my speed moderate except near the end, when I picked it up a step. I couldn't determine my true pace because the Garmin's tracking was way off. I knew this because the watch chirped for its first quarter mile a good thirty meters before I'd lapped it. After looking at the run map (above), I could see that it had also recorded me in places I didn't travel.

I finished my four miles feeling like I could easily go another few. I decided to stop at that point, because I'd achieved my goal of progressive distance. I saw no reason to risk further aggravating my injury. Another run like this will work for me tomorrow, perhaps at Bethpage where I would encounter some hills. I'll give it a few more runs before I restart speed-oriented training. Right now, it feels great to run, both physically and psychologically.