Running in a freezing wonderland

On February 11, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

It looked a lot like this in Central Park on Thursday

Yesterday’s run (Central Park): 3.26 miles
Today’s run (treadmill): 2.3 miles

The temperature stayed in the low 20’s most of Thursday although I’d hoped it would warm up a little more by noon. JQ was not able to join me so I headed out alone to Central Park, ducking through buildings along the way to keep warm. The wind and cold were brutal but the sun was shining and I knew that I’d be fine once I got going on my run. I reached the Park, that was covered white with snow, and began to follow my usual course. I started with the lower loop and ran counter-clockwise, east then north. There were only a few others along the path: an occasional cyclist, a few other runners and a handful of freezing tourists.

I kept my pace brisk in an effort to heat up quickly and it worked. By the first mile I had become comfortable with the weather but I struggled a little with the hills. It’s been a while since I’ve run with any real course elevation because most of my running this year has either been on the treadmill or on the basically flat roads within my neighborhood. I ultimately did fine with the hills and managed to maintain my pace. Before long I had passed 3 miles and was nearing my end-point when a tall runner, wearing black compression gear from head to toe, passed me like I was standing still. I was actually moving fast (for me) at the time, maintaining about an 8:30 pace. Overall, I averaged 8:46 per mile, helped along by the freezing but energizing wind. I finished hot and sweating but by the time I returned to my office I was cold and dry again.

This morning I planned for an easy run on the treadmill. I had a late start and felt I’d gotten some good speed work in yesterday. My first mile was slow — just below 10 min per mile, and I didn’t even need to turn on the treadmill’s cooling fan until ten minutes into my run. I stepped up the speed from there and ran the second 1.3 miles closer to a 9:00 pace. My “easy” run turned out to be a little harder than planned but it felt good. I cannot maintain a slower than normal pace on the treadmill because the numbers on the display taunt me to run faster. That’s okay, at least the first mile was easy.

5 degree weather is cramping my style

On January 24, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

It’s extraordinarily cold today. The display in my car showed 27 degrees in my garage and by the time I reached the train station, seven minutes later, it said 5. I usually rest on Mondays so I didn’t have to suffer through a treadmill session this morning. My threshold for morning runs is about 14 degrees. After that it’s the treadmill or elliptical machine.

It’s been a tough winter for running. We’ve already had more snow in December and January than what we usually average for the entire season. I like snow but it reduces my choices for running venues. I won’t be running any wooded trails for a while and I’m sure that the Bethpage bike trail is snowy and icy right now. My choices are either indoor running or around my local neighborhood. Make that a subset of local streets because the snow and ice has limited access to some key cross points. More snow is coming this week which will exacerbate the problem but at least the temperatures should rise. It looks like I may be doing much of my race training indoors unless we see a big thaw soon.

A difficult run on a cold winter’s day

On January 23, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

H/H Trail Lizards — great on snow – not so much on the road

Today’s run (street): 3.8 miles

My streak of energizing, feel-good runs was broken today with a 3.8 mile run that felt much longer. I was surprised to hit the wall so hard on this relatively short run. Learning from yesterday’s experience, I wore my Helly Hansen Trail Lizards because there is still much snow and ice (and ice covered snow) on the roads. Things started out well, I moved right along, hardly slowing down for the snowy-icy patches. The Helly’s provided great grip and stability over these areas for the most part though there were some spots that I preferred to dodge rather than run straight though.

My first hint of trouble happened on my first turn into the westerly winds that made the 18 degree temperatures feel much colder. I really wished at that moment that I’d worn my balaclava. On top of the force of the wind, the touch of my glasses against my face grew increasingly uncomfortable. Once I turned another corner that problem fell away and I felt like the worst was over since my body was warmed up, making straight-on winds less of an issue from that point. That much was true and I progressed well but I started to get tired as I neared the 25 minute mark. It may have been the cold or the fact that the Helly’s don’t run very well on pavement but I began to experience signs of bonking.

My level of effort (using the Daily Mile 1-5 scale) moved quickly from two to three to almost four in a period of five minutes and I decided to re-point my route back towards my home. Despite this difficulty I forced myself to maintain a reasonably fast cadence and came in with a respectable mid-9 overall pace. The runs today and yesterday were not typical street runs as the snow, ice and slush made them more trail-like. Perhaps it was the harder work coming from running the Trail Lizards on the road instead of the trail where they shine. It doesn’t matter why, only that today’s run was tough and hopefully the next one will be better. Even as I slogged through the difficult last mile I thought to myself how much I loved this crazy sport.

Good run on some roads less traveled

On January 16, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (street): 4.2 miles

After getting out for my run somewhat later than planned on Saturday, I focused on an early start this morning. The local and NYC news stations finally agreed on the temperature — about 30 degrees — and I went out expecting conditions to be noticeably warmer than yesterday. I dressed a little lighter but today actually felt a little colder. No matter, except for my hands that took 20 minutes to feel warm, (I wore running gloves instead of my ASICS glove/mittens) I was comfortable for the duration of my run.

I ran 25 seconds per mile faster than yesterday and this was because I focused on speed in certain segments. I’ve read that running a little faster than your normal, comfortable pace sometimes yields a more energetic response and actually enhances stamina overall. I think there’s truth to that and I’ve noticed that running briskly on the treadmill and then dropping speed by 15-20% does not make my running any easier and it sometimes makes it seem harder.

I mixed up my route today, running streets that I normally avoid because they don’t easily integrate into one of my standard loops. It was a nice change and the flow of the run was excellent. I ran the last mile faster than the first three and finished strong, averaging close to 9:10/mile overall. Two good runs in the chilly air have made this a great running weekend.

Finally, I heard from my running buddy Brian who told me about a friend (and Emerging Runner fan) who ran Cow Harbor while she was pregnant! That was the toughest race I’ve ever run and I can’t imagine running it under those conditions. I’m sure that baby will be running Cow Harbor some day.

Running cold and hot

On January 15, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (street): 5.2 miles

How cold is cold? 30 degrees? 20? How about 13? That was the temperature that News 12 Long Island had at the bottom of the screen while I dressed for my run this morning. A switch over to channel 4 in NYC showed a significant difference: 28 degrees. I wasn’t sure what to believe. I geared up for sub-20 degree weather wearing half compression shorts under compression pants, calf sleeves and four top layers. I wore my warmest fleece hat and my ASICS glove/mittens and thick acrylic socks with my Kinvaras. It felt cold when I stepped outside but not really too uncomfortable. Cold minus wind is usually tenable until you get to the single digits.

I started the run by focusing on a shorter stride that allowed me to maintain a cadence in the high 80’s. This did not translate into any great speed but it got me warmed up quickly. About 30 minutes prior to my run I had a Cliff Gel that contained 25mg of caffeine. I have found that consuming a gel 30-45 minutes before a run makes the first mile a little easier. Once I hit my stride (pun intended) I decided to extend my planned route because I was really enjoying the run. I criss-crossed the neighborhood and as I got nearer to the end I was fairly warm. I wished at that point that I’d only worn three top layers. By my last mile I was pleased to note that I had enough energy to maintain a brisk pace. I still feel that my base is not as solid as it was in November when I could manage over 8 miles without a thought. I can do the mileage but my performance tends to degrade around the 6 mile mark.

I have a race coming up in three weeks and though it’s only 4 miles I want it to be four fast miles. I have tomorrow and the Monday holiday to get in some distance runs and it would be great to run some trails. This week’s snow will prevent that but I’m hoping to get to that soon. It was a good running start for the long weekend. I’m not really sure how cold it was on today’s run but I wouldn’t mind duplicate conditions tomorrow.

A compelling reason to run on the treadmill

On January 14, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Frigid temperatures on Long Island this morning

Today’s run (treadmill): 2.5 miles

The news stations were reporting 18 degrees in NYC with colder temperatures in the suburbs this morning. The widget on my iPhone shows 14 degrees where I live. If not for the still icy roads, I would have liked to run outside today because I find really cold temperatures energizing. But 14 degrees is not my idea of a good running experience.

Instead of the street, I ran on the treadmill this morning. I wore my Kinvaras that were a nice change from the Brooks GTS 10s that I’ve been using outdoors because they do a better job of keeping my feet warm. At this point I’m really convinced that a minimal running shoe is the key to better form. Of course with the chilly winter weather more substantial shoes have a certain appeal. I didn’t run too intensely this morning but I brought up my speed after my first mile and bumped up the pace every few minutes from there.

My judgement of treadmill runs follows a different scale than outdoor runs. My starting point when running outside is generally positive and if the run is good things are even more positive. My starting point on the treadmill is the opposite and the best thing I can say about a treadmill workout is that it didn’t suck. Today’s run didn’t suck, so yay! I’m really hoping to get some outdoor running in this weekend. Next week is supposed to be warmer but with rain and even some snow. I’m traveling to a warmer climate mid week so I may get to run outdoors in shorts. That would be a welcome change.

The right decision was to run

On January 5, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (street): 2.5 miles

The great debate raged on this morning as I poured my coffee before heading back upstairs to change for my run. I’ve had trouble with my sleeping patterns this week and woke up feeling too tired to run today. But feeling tired is only one factor in my decision to take an ad hoc rest day. At 3:50 I was undecided and at 3:55 I was sure that the benefits of resting another 45 minutes were greater than the benefits of a marginal run. By 3:58 I’d decided that a run was the better choice and quickly dressed before the devil on my other shoulder talked me out of it.

As a compromise to the way I felt I began at a deliberate pace and picked it up after about a mile. It was cold this morning and even though I wore two substantial layers I still felt a chill in my upper body. My faster second half of the run helped to warm me and by the end I was sweating. My splits were almost a minute apart with my second 1.25 mile paced around 9:10. I was glad that reason (and guilt) drove me outside for today’s run. I am definitely in need of better sleep but I’m feeling fine two hours later so no harm done this morning.

Winterized for outdoor running

On December 29, 2010 By Emerging Runner3 Comments

Today’s run (treadmill): 3 miles

We needed to be out early this morning so I hopped on the treadmill after my wife finished her workout and ran for about 28 minutes. It was a nice run, a little longer than my usual weekday morning workout. Most importantly, it was a good recovery effort after yesterday’s double session. The most remarkable thing about today’s workout was the relative ease I had getting through the run. I always say that treadmill minutes seem far longer than street or trail minutes. Today I felt great throughout the entire run, starting at a moderate pace and slowing building speed as I went along.

The combination of sun and warming temperatures have cleared a lot of snow from the local roads and I’m hoping that I’ll be able to run outside by this weekend. Earlier this week I picked up some acrylic fleece, over-the-ear running hats at a great discount. They will be essential gear on those freezing runs at 4:00 AM between now and March. After inventorying my running stuff yesterday I concluded that I am now fully equipped for the winter. Too bad because I love to buy running gear. On the other hand it’s good to know that I’ll be well prepared to run this winter, no matter what the conditions bring.

Gearing up for a mid-day run

On December 22, 2010 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

It’s another cold day with strong winds that are making it feel even colder outside. This is the last full workday before most people leave for the long Christmas weekend. I wish things felt more holiday festive but at the moment it’s not much different than normal. Actually that’s not entirely true. I left my suit and tie at home today and brought in my running clothes. I have noontime city runs planned for both today and tomorrow.

Today’s run is with my friend Steve, who is also my financial advisor. He’s currently into Crossfit, an exercise method that involves short but intense full body workouts. Steve and I have not run together for a few weeks and he is curious to see how, or if, Crossfit will help his speed and endurance. We’re targeting around 5 miles in the park and I’m undecided how I’ll dress for this cold. Normally I’d error on the warmer side in this type of weather but overheating could work against me today.

With no post-run shower option and meetings with colleagues in the afternoon I’m not going to want to sweat as much as I normally would. I’ve brought enough gear to allow me to decide what to include – or not – based on current conditions. My biggest concern right now is my level of energy. I’m not sure I’m fully through the effects of last week’s flu shot.

Carbon copy run

On December 17, 2010 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (street): 2.6 miles

I thought we’d get a break from the freezing weather by now but this morning the temperature was 19 degrees, even colder than yesterday. My gear has done an impressive job keeping me comfortable through these morning workouts and that was the case today. Despite forgetting my Garmin and having to go back up to retrieve it, I managed to get out the door on schedule. Today’s run was very similar to yesterday’s, a little longer and a little faster, but my form and mechanics were no different.

I’m not sure how long or even if I’ll have time to run on Saturday because I’ve got appointments in the morning and we’re hosting a party in the afternoon. Sunday may bring snow so that could undercut my distance running this weekend. I have some city runs with friends lined up next week so I’ll look forward to those. By Friday I’ll be on vacation and that will give me more flexibility for longer runs. I got a flu shot yesterday courtesy of my company’s in-house medical department. I got a pneumonia shot from my pulmonologist earlier in the year. At least I won’t be facing those risks while I’m away over the holiday break.