Stepping it up for race day

Getting there

Flower power

If you use a Fitbit, then you know that the currency is steps. It also measures distance traveled, staircases climbed, calories burned and "energy" (expressed in the form of a flower). But between me and my wife, steps are a shorthand for daily activity. My daily goal is 10M steps, with typical variance of 2,500 steps. On days when I do a long run, that number can go in the 20M range.

Without a run on the schedule, I was facing a big challenge towards reaching my daily goal. By noon, my total was still under 2,000 and I wasn't happy with that. I decided to pick up some steps by walking around the pool area and the yard. It took little time to reach the 5M mark. At that point, I decided to do a series of short strides. Although I ran these briskly, they were not intervals. But it was enough to work up a sweat, so my next stop was to join my kids in the pool.

Through all that, I passed 7,000 steps and I'm almost to eight by now. I think I achieved a good balance between motion and rest today. It's about twelve hours to the start of the Dirty Sock. I hope today's activities will help, and not hurt, my performance tomorrow.

Father, son and the Bethpage trails

Take a hike!

Today's workout (Bethpage State Park): Hike - 60 minutes

Without a daily run to start my morning, I had little excuse but to get directly to work. I can't say that I used my time very productively, but I appreciated having a guilt-free break. The weather has been decent, so my son and I decided to go for an early afternoon hike.

We typically go to Trailview State Park or Stillwell Woods for our hikes, because these parks are located very close to our home. Just for a change, we headed over Bethpage to hike the dirt trails. It was fun seeing my friend who mans the entrance booth at Bethpage. We usually have a brief, but highly spirited conversation when I show up early on weekend mornings. He was surprised to see me there on a weekday.

Our hike went by surprisingly fast and, before we knew it, an hour had passed. I thought we'd stay on the main paths and circumnavigate the woods, but my son was having none of that. At each trail intersection he insisted that we follow the more challenging route. That was fine with me, and though we took a number of different paths, we somehow avoided the sand trap.

I had some business calls scheduled for the afternoon, so we steadily worked our way back to the trail head. Overall, today was more play than work. That's okay. There's only so many Fridays left before summer ends.

Redemption run gives hope for Dirty Sock

The Garmin doesn't lie

Today's run (street): 3.25 miles

With the Dirty Sock trail race happening on Sunday, I had one more run to go before I finished my taper. Yesterday's run was disappointing and Tuesday's was similarly mediocre. I've recently committed to pushing harder on training runs and that paid off last week with a few decent runs. When I say decent, I mean closer to last year's average pace. Certainly not as fast as the paces I used to hit while training for a race.

The Dirty Sock is a tough course. The terrain isn't especially bad for trails, but the steamy weather conditions and muddy paths make the last miles difficult. My time expectation for this race is about 59 minutes, which is five minutes slower than my 10K PR. I'm usually happy to run it in under an hour. Actually, the way I've been running, I'm concerned about breaking 62 minutes.

Hope came this morning with a run that redeemed my spirit. The difference today was that I kept a steady focus on speed. It wasn't an impressive pace for many readers of this blog, but it was almost a minute per mile faster than what I "achieved" yesterday. I'm not going into Sunday's race with a string of fast runs under my belt, but at least I ended training on a good note.

My Garmin speaks the ugly truth

It's a match

Today's run (street): 3.25 miles

I'm incredibly annoyed with my Garmin today. I did this morning's run and, as always, recorded my distance using GPS. I always assume the watch will under-count my distance, so I wasn't upset to see the indicated time and pace. Usually, after Gmapping my route, I'll need to add about 3% more mileage to the calculation. That often makes the difference between a good and mediocre pace. Today, both the Garmin and Gmaps said exactly the same thing, and what they said wasn't good. I missed my targeted pace by 23 seconds per mile.

There's no reason why I ran this slowly today. I'd tried to focus on form and turnover. The weather was perfect, so heat and humidity were not a factor. Perceived effort was on par with my better runs and I even ran the last quarter in a semi-sprint. But in the end, my performance did not match up to expectations. Tomorrow is my last run before Sunday's race, so I need to make it count.

Zeotrope concept (left), example (right)

I took most of the day to be with the family and we spent it at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens. The experience was great, and I even got to play with a nineteenth century zeotrope of a man running. But instead of marveling at this 100 year old wonder of technology, I was watching his form and thinking how he should shorten his stride.

Memories of a rainy run

Soggy and humid morning, or so I remember

Today's run (street): 3.1 miles

This morning's run seems so long ago that I'm thinking about it like it was yesterday. I wanted to go out very early to beat the rain, but my stalling worked against me. I walked outside and felt a few light drops. The sky was uniformly gray and I didn't see any dark clouds that might drench me. Despite my aversion to running in rain because it distorts my vision,  I couldn't face a treadmill workout today.

My weekend of hard running has taken its toll. Even with a rest day on Monday, my leg muscles felt tight. Although I had no issues with either anaerobic or aerobic energy levels, I couldn't generate the speed I was hoping to maintain. Exactly one mile into the run, I felt a pebble that had landed in my shoe. I tried to ignore the problem, but I finally gave in and stopped to clear it. By then, the light rain had become steadier and I wondered how bad conditions would get.

I had the opportunity to head directly to my house at that point, the loop I was on took me within a block. Instead, I decided to run my route regardless. I hoped that the rain would lessen, or at the very least, that it wouldn't turn into a thunderstorm. Lightning is scary when you're out running on the street, miles away from shelter.

The rain did get worse, but the thunder held off until I got home. The rest of the day was spent either on the phone or staring at my laptop. I'm glad I got out today, but I didn't get through the conditioning run I'd originally planned. On the bright side, the humidity was extreme and that provided some good preparation for next Sunday's race.

The night of shooting stars (so I'm told)

My rendition of last night's sky

In terms of hours, yesterday was the longest day I've had this year. I was up at 5:30 AM on Sunday and I didn't get to bed until 1:30 AM this morning. I did get 6 1/2 hours sleep last night, so my internal clock is now reset.

Our late night was due to the Perseid meteor shower that peaks between Saturday and 1:00 AM tomorrow. We headed out to Sunken Meadow State Park last night, so we could watch this celestial display play out adjacent to the Long Island Sound - ostensibly without the distractions of civilization.

We arrived at Sunken Meadow around 11:00 PM and parked among groups of people who'd set up stadium chairs in the lot. There was no public lighting and as we looked for a spot, our headlights would suddenly reflect on people sitting in the pathway of our car. Just like the geniuses who put themselves in harm's way when they walk or run in the street, these people were oblivious to the danger.

We found a spot on the grass and set up a tarp with a couple of smaller camp mats. Unfortunately, by this time, the sky was almost completely covered by clouds. We all thought we saw flashes of shooting stars in the small openings of sky, but it was hard to be certain. After about an hour, it became clear that things were not going to clear up. By then I'd become fed up with deep bass rumblings emanating from a nearby car, on top of the smell of cigarettes and the constant beams coming from car headlights moving around the lot. We decided to take our leave and see if there were less clouds near where we live.

So much for escaping from civilization. Although I described the experience critically, we actually had a lot of fun. We may go out again tonight, but only as far as the local middle school. That is, if the current low ceiling gives way to clearer skies. I'm hoping the weather cooperates tomorrow morning as I go out for a short taper run. Whether we get some meteor viewing isn't known at this point. What I do know is that I won't be staying up past 1:00 AM again.

A taper run in multiple parts

Finding hills all over

Today's run (street): 6.3 miles

Taper time has begun, and I kicked it off with my last mid-length training run, before focusing the next week on core, speed and rest. Although the Dirty Sock course isn't especially hilly, it can feel that way over the last few miles. I wanted to cover at least six miles today, along with some hill practice. The temperature was a cool 66 degrees, so conditions couldn't have been much better.

The route I'd planned took me first through the local business park where I did one clockwise loop so I could take on all the elevation at once. I heard a couple of runners behind me as I made my way up the steepest part of the hill, and I was determined to hold them off. I was successful, but concerned that I'd expended too much energy that early. I was soon headed downhill, so I figured I could reset and recover from that.

The next part of my run took me around neighborhood #3, where the roads are fairly flat. That helped me get back to a steady stride before reaching Woodbury Road and the start of the bike path. This paved trail is still under construction, so I needed to navigate around some temporary barricades and cross over three short, unpaved and rocky sections. From that point, the path begins to rise at about a 3% grade that becomes more challenging and steeper near the top. I focused attention on maintaining my cadence and shortening my stride.

Once I reached my turnaround point, it was downhill for about a kilometer before I leveled out. I followed the bike path back to its starting point and crossed Woodbury Road into the neighborhood. It was less than a mile to my house and I ran the last quarter mile at 10K race pace. I don't know if it was an ideal conditioning workout, but I felt strong throughout the run and far more ready than I did the weekend before my last race.

The day got busy after that, with an afternoon get-together and other activities. We're now preparing for a late night, where we plan to watch the Perseid meteor shower on the beach. With so much happening today, I hope I'll be able to stay awake to enjoy it.

Bethpage rudely corrects an assumption

Scenes from today's Bethpage run

Yesterday's run (treadmill): 3.1 miles
Today's run (Bethpage State Park trails): 3.4 miles

At the exact moment that I was thinking how Bethpage's wooded trails are less tricky and technical than Stillwell's, my foot caught a root and I came very close to tumbling down a very steep hill. That moment captured the dichotomous nature of Bethpage's dirt trails. The main paths through these woods are beautifully groomed, but watch out for the network of challenging side-trails that connect throughout the preserve. Along a given mile, you can find cushioned (almost too cushioned) loam, followed by sand, gravel, packed dirt, rocky ledges, knotty roots, sharp rises and deep drops.

Thankfully, I didn't hit the ground after connecting with that root. It was a good reminder that complacency during a trail run can easily lead to injury. I continued with caution and made my way up a twisty rise that led to what I call the "sand trap." I don't care to run on sand, and when you reach this section you really have no choice - unless you turn around and head back the other way. My ego wouldn't let me do that, so I toughed it out for the next quarter mile, when I was able to switch to another path.

I had lots of company on the trails today. There were numerous groups of cross country teams doing summer conditioning. I saw a group of boys practicing drills across the field adjacent to the trail head and groups of high school age girls at various times running on the paths. I was very glad that I didn't have to keep up with anyone today, because I was still recovering from a late workout on Friday.

Yesterday's schedule made a morning run impossible, so I aimed for a mid-afternoon neighborhood run. Things got unexpectedly busy and I ended up pushing my run to 5:00 PM. By that time, the humidity was unbearable, so I opted for an indoor treadmill session with the AC on and the fan set to high. It was still hot and humid, but far better than outdoors. I set a fast pace and got through the run, although I'll admit I watched the clock like I was in high school math class.

Tomorrow I plan to go out for a base run that will kick off my taper for the Dirty Sock. I expect to go for 6 to 7 miles and hope to get an early start to minimize the heat and sun. I had originally planned to run the Dirty Sock course today, but I'll need to wait another week to see that course again on race day. And when I do, I'll be sure to scan the path for roots.

Sharing Stillwell with a friend

Tough trails on the northern route

Thursday's run (Stillwell Woods): 3.4 miles

Yesterday brought good news on a few fronts. First, my headache finally went away. Second, I made some good business progress during the day (although it interfered with my ability to generate a Thursday post). And third, I had a great run with my friend Chris at Stillwell Woods.

I'm definitely a morning runner, so the idea of going for a high energy run at 4 PM concerned me. The weather had looked threatening all day and thunderstorms were predicted for later. When Chris arrived, we decided to head to Stillwell rather than Bethpage, because Stillwell is closer and has excellent tree cover. I was glad to be going to Stillwell and happy to show off the trail running paradise that's located five minutes from my house.

Before we headed over to Stillwell, Chris gave me another good piece of news. He's going to be running Cow Harbor this year for the first time. Chris lives in Westchester and does races up there, but he's never raced on LI. I filled him in on the Cow Harbor experience and he's excited. He's not intimidated by the James Street hill either. But I won't be running alongside him that day. Chris runs the NY Marathon faster than 3:30 and will probably finish Cow Harbor ten minutes before I do.

But on the trails I can can keep up with him, at least for a while. We followed my usual route until peeling off onto the "Most Difficult" trail. Chris was amazed to see such tough terrain and said that if he lived here, he'd run Stillwell every day. We stayed on this steeply climbing and dropping trail until I redirected us back to my usual, but less challenging loop.

With Chris pacing, I was able to run faster than I probably would have gone if I was running alone. We did an extended loop and then another smaller loop before we reached the main trail. Just as I was feeling relived to be close to the end, Chris innocently asked, "Do you want to go around again?" I answered, "I'm done, race you to the car!"

Although yesterday was mostly good news, I was disappointed to hear that my friend Mike won't be able to run the Dirty Sock course with me on Saturday because he's been delayed traveling back to LI. I'm debating whether to run it alone, or go over to Bethpage and run the wooded trails there. It's always helpful to practice on the course that you are racing, but I might get some extra hill work done if I go to Bethpage.

A good run to start but then came the pressure

Cold-triggered annoyance

Today's run (street): 3.4 miles

This day started great, with a nice early run in conditions that were close to yesterday's. I've been running hard lately, so I backed off in terms of intensity. I had a deadline to meet, so I knew I couldn't go out too slowly. Just before I hit mile three, I saw that my time was out of acceptable range. I decided to turn up the jets and ran the last half mile like I was finishing a race.

Things got a little tough after that. We did a family activity at the Cradle of Aviation museum and the building temperature must have been set to the mid-50's. This triggered one of my pressure headaches and, in the course of about 90 minutes, I went from feeling great to needing to lie down. I got home and took a decongestant before settling into a recovery nap.

Sleep minimized my headache but it was still there in the background. That made for a very long afternoon of work. Spending so much time in front of my laptop didn't help the situation and my headache, though better, is still there. I hope a good night's sleep will help knock it out completely. I have a tough trail run planned for tomorrow afternoon and I want to be at my best for it.

When pacing average is better than average

Today's run (street): 3.5 miles

I spent most of the day in the city, but I managed to get out for a run around 6:30 AM. I always walk down the driveway to get the paper while my Garmin acquires its signal. This morning I was struck by the pleasant coolness in the air and the soft light from the sun that would feel much hotter in an hour. The difference between running at 6:30, versus 7:30 AM, when I usually go out on weekdays, is measurable.

It was probably due to the speed work I did on Sunday that I took off with an energy that I haven't felt in many weeks. My stride was smooth and I felt the sensation of moving. That might sound funny, but my runs can sometimes feel static and plodding. I guess that happens when you run faster. I should probably do it more often.

My overall performance was right around my average training pace. My 2012 average, that is. This year I've been averaging 15 seconds slower than that. But that's about to change. I don't know why my focus on speed tends to drift over time, because I generally enjoy running fast tempos and intervals. I guess I should try to remember that more often.

Speed work, if you can call it that

Running in circles makes me lose my tempo

Today's run (track): 3.1 mile tempo, plus 5 x 100m - total: 3.4 miles

This morning I headed to the local track to run intervals. I was not looking forward to the workout, but if I wanted to improve my speed, I needed to do my homework. Conditions were good, 66° with indirect sun, so I had little excuse to take it easy. I decided to start with a few warm up laps before taking on intervals. I ended up doing a three mile tempo run, followed by 5 x 100 meter strides, run two minutes/mile faster than 10K race pace.

I was concerned that I'd be dealing with some leg fatigue after yesterday's run. Once I got going, I became confident that I'd be okay, although I was frustrated with my limited ability to hit my targeted pace. By the second mile, I was running faster. There were others on the track during the time I was there, but it never got crowded. I appreciated having the first lane to myself, with no need to shift around any walkers or slower runners.

Observations: 

1. I'm still running pretty slow these days. My goal was to break 27 minutes, but I didn't succeed. However, I did run negative splits, with a 9% improvement between miles 1 and 3.

2. I was able to meet my speed target on the intervals. While these runs felt faster than the 6:54 average I recorded, the last time that I did speed work, I averaged under 6:30. Like I said, I'm still slow.

Overall, I'm pleased with this weekend's training. With a couple of tough workouts coming up this week, I feel like I'm setting up well for the competition on the 18th.