Back on the frozen roads

On December 16, 2010 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (street) 2.5 miles

I gave a lecture to some NYU students last night and I didn’t get home until late. I’d considered going into the office a little later this morning but decided to stay with my normal train schedule. When I got up to run today I was still tired and I had to talk myself into going outside. The conditions weren’t too inviting with temperatures around 20 degrees. Colder than that when the wind blew. I put on my winter gear and headed outside hoping to get my body temperature up before the deep freeze penetrated all my layers.

Considering my tired state and the cold conditions, my run went smoothly. I wasn’t looking to cover a lot of ground but this weekend’s activities will limit my options for longer runs. I needed to get some distance in as I hadn’t run on the road since Saturday. My only workouts since Saturday’s 10 mile run were a treadmill run and an elliptical session. I was happy that I wore my warmest hat but its bulk made the headlamp strap very tight on my head. I figured I could bear it for a couple of miles. My ASICS glove/mittens performed like champs and kept my hands warm the entire time I ran. I had hoped to maintain a brisker pace than 9:30 but that’s what I ended up running. The important thing is that it seemed faster. The weather will get a little warmer tomorrow so I’ll look forward to that run and forgo some layers in the process. It was nice to be out on the roads again after five days away.

23 degrees in the shade

On December 9, 2010 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Suddenly it’s freezing and at 4:00 AM it’s really really freezing. I anticipated those conditions last night and selected the following for this morning’s run:

– Wool running socks
– Compression sleeves (ankle to knee)
– Light weight compression shorts
– Mid-weight compression pants
– Long sleeve running shirt
– Short sleeve running shirt
– Winter weight half zip
– Heavy polypropylene running hat
– Running mittens

It may seem like overkill but when I switched on the local news they were reporting temperatures in the low 20’s, not counting wind chill. I briefly considered the treadmill but decided that I’d rather have a freezing run than a tedious workout. I set out at an easier pace than yesterday but my many layers allowed me to warm up relatively quickly. Like yesterday, I was pleased with my form and mechanics and I increased my pace as I moved through the run. Between a slower start and a faster finish I averaged 9:16. Much better than the 9:30-9:45 malaise I’d been experiencing over the last few weeks, but after yesterday’s 8:44 run I suffered for the difference. I’m still happy with the way I ran and my recent 10K’s have convinced me that I can run at slower paces on training runs and still perform well on race day. I have no races on the calendar for the remainder of the year so, for now, I’m going to focus on running for fun, regardless of performance..

Brisk weather, brisker run

On December 8, 2010 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (street) 2.7 miles

Earlier this week I traded Turkey Trot experiences with my friend CK. He runs the same Thanksgiving day five mile race every year and tries to beat the neighborhood “kids” who are now in their 20’s. CK ran that hilly course in 8:20 this year, slower than he’d hoped. I was happy to tell him that I PR’d on the 10K distance and paced under 9:00 per mile. CK said wanted to break eight minutes on his race and I started thinking about what it would have taken for me to do that at Long Beach. For a 10K race (6.2 miles), using my 55:10 time as a benchmark, I would have had to run every mile one minute faster than I did to hit 7:59. Given the difficulty in achieving 8:53 overall, that’s a significant challenge. Perhaps breaking 8:40 would be a better target.

This morning I went out with no plans to run fast but when I hit the street everything was working for me. Almost everything, actually, the winds were stiff coming from the north and though I’d dressed for cold the chill and force were a factor. Still, I felt strong and my energy level was greater than it had been in a while. I didn’t pay attention to my speed even as I passed the first mile. It wasn’t until I passed mile two so quickly that I realized I was pacing far better than usual. I continued to run hard until I reached home and checked the Garmin’s readout. Gmaps confirmed the pace: 8:44 per mile. This was the fastest run I’ve done in a long time. In fact I’ll need to look at Garmin Connect to see how long it’s been since I’ve averaged that pace. I don’t know how I’ll do tomorrow but today I feel good about my abilty to run in the 8:00 range.

Seven the hard way at Stillwell

On December 5, 2010 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (Stillwell Woods) 7.2 miles

Due to tight schedules around yesterday’s party I had to keep my run fairly short. Today I considered a trip to Bethpage to attempt a long run on the bike trail. The temperature was in the low 20’s with the wind chill so I decided instead to head to Stillwell Woods. I figured that the woods would cut the wind and provide better running conditions than Bethpage. Plus Stillwell is closer and I get in for free.

I parked close to Southwoods Road, purposely locating my car as far from the trail head as I could. I figured I’d add some extra distance by running the quarter mile road along the way to the woods. I felt strong winds at my back and looked forward to warming up further as I ran. I followed my usual loops through Stillwell. After two years I know some trails well enough to run with confidence. That’s what I thought anyway. I was moving along, feeling good, and after four miles I varied my route and cut through the southern part of the woods that led me back to the main trail. At that point I was feeling like I’d mastered the geography of Stillwell and despite choosing paths that had many gradual inclines I felt strong. I decided to run for a couple more miles and restarted my usual loop, but at the six mile point I found my way into unfamiliar territory. With only the sun to guide me I followed trails that I thought would bring me back to my starting point.

It may have been the slight anxiety that comes from being lost or the fact that I encountered some steeper rises but I began to feel tired and frustrated by the lack of directional context. Maintaining my sun-based navigation method I eventually came to a path that I recognized and I followed it west until I reached the playing fields at Stillwell. From there I ran straight across in a beeline to my car. The freezing winds hitting me head-on were brutal and that last quarter mile seemed to take a very long time. I quickly got into my car and downed an electrolyte drink, sweating and freezing at the same time. I was happy to have covered over 7 miles today, bringing my weekend total to almost 12. I guess I’ll have to wait another day to run 10. Seven in the woods was plenty hard today.

Finally, a cold morning run. Wish I dressed for it…

On October 10, 2010 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

The ducks were out at Caleb Smith this morning

Yesterday’s run (street): 4 miles at 9:08
Today’s run (street): 7.4 miles at 9:28

I waited until about noon on Saturday to run, mostly due to my reluctance to work up a sweat in the morning without the option of showering afterward. I spent the last 36 minutes strapped to my doctor’s HRM in order to capture Saturday’s workout. It was a pleasure to finish the run and end my 24 hours with this unit that was attached to me by four electrodes. I was still a little tired from Friday’s stress test when I hit the road and though I managed a decent pace I felt like I was running in low gear the whole time. It felt as though I had a tether attached to me that prevented me to maintaining my desired cadence. My goal was to go out for a quick three miles but I ended up covering four. Upon returning home, I happily detached the electrodes and packed the HRM for return to the lab.

This morning I left early for my week’s long run. My neighborhood boundaries limit my options for running real distances, after that I need to cross some traffic to prevent repeating the same roads. It was a chilly 38 degrees at 7:00 AM, far colder than I’d planned for the way I’d dressed. I did wear my best long compression pants but I didn’t bring gloves nor a long sleeved shirt. I regretted my lapse when, after two miles, my hands were still semi-numb. Besides all that my run was pleasant, starting with a loop through my main neighborhood before heading into neighborhood #2 for a few miles. I stayed conscious of my pacing and tried to keep in the low 9:00 range. Despite the cooler temps my overall pace shows that I lost about ten seconds on each split. Although the numbers don’t show it, I still felt like I ran better today than yesterday.

After a greatly appreciated (post run) hot shower we headed over to Caleb Smith State Park for a late morning hike. It’s a really nice preserve with well marked trails. Every time I go there it reminds me of how much I’d like to actually run there. My wife, daughter and son did do some running while we were there but I chose to hike. I don’t like running in jeans and my legs were fairly shot from the morning’s seven miles. Despite missing my usual Friday run I still managed to get some good miles this weekend. The cold weather is definitely to my liking. I just need to be smarter about how I dress for it.

Indoor running occasionally makes sense

On January 29, 2010 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

So far, the toughest part of my morning was not from running on the treadmill but from standing on the platform at the train station. The super-chilled wind buffeted me and made me seriously consider going back to using contact lenses in the winter. The winds were hitting me straight on so the contact between my glasses and my face became pure torture. I was wishing I had my balaclava that I occasionally wear on the coldest and windiest running days. With this weather there’s a big difference in tolerance depending on if you are stationary or in motion where your body can become a mini-furnace. I was looking at my posts from a year ago where I mentioned more than once about going out freezing and coming back hot, even when temperatures and wind-chills were in the low teens.

Running indoors is much warmer and I’m glad I followed through with another treadmill run this morning. In keeping with my recovery plan I took it fairly easy and covered about 2.25 miles at a moderate pace. So much of what I’m reading in ChiRunning and in online articles debate the “No pain, no gain” point of view. I far prefer the view that you can build endurance and improve performance by pushing to, and not past, your limits. My return to the treadmill has been fairly positive because I’ve taken the approach that time spent running (and not increasing my speed) is my primary goal. The trick is getting to the point where an 8:30 pace feels as easy as a 10:30 pace. I think it can be done but I have a ways to go in my recovery.

I’m hoping to hit the trails and report on that experience over the weekend. As long as I’m only dealing with cold and not snow I should be good to go.

Give us this day her daily tread

On December 8, 2009 By Emerging Runner3 Comments

Every weekday morning, as I step out of the shower, I hear the modulated whine of the treadmill from the guest room. As long as we’ve had our treadmill my wife has used it daily for her workouts. While I dutifully cover my miles each morning, my time-span pales in comparison to hers. She typically endures 45 minutes daily, walking at a rapid pace about half the time and running the balance. My wife isn’t planning to switch to road running but I’ll bet, with her excellent form, that she’d do very well as a runner. Her approach to fitness is simple and practical: get up and get it done before the kids wake up and start their day.

My day starts earlier than my wife’s but not by much. I got out this morning at around 4:10 AM which is a few minutes later than I usually start. Putting on all those layers in defense of the 34 degree temperatures (plus wind) adds to my prep time. I ended up covering 2.3 miles in around 21 minutes. I had no problem with fatigue since I rested yesterday but I did not feel as though I was running efficiently. No matter though, I managed to warm up and was fairly comfortable by the second half of the run. While it was cold (the head on-wind caused my eyes to tear) we still haven’t reached those days that require full face coverage. When the temperatures hit the teens I’ll need to decide how much I really dislike the treadmill.

A good impression of compression

On December 1, 2009 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

A few years ago I was walking with a colleague from work on a very cold winter’s day. She was wearing a skirt and tights and seemed comfortable with the below ten degree temperatures while was freezing in my suit and long wool coat. I asked her how she seemed so comfortable and she told me that her tights kept her legs very warm. She said the tight fit seemed to insulate better than pants. I was skeptical at the time but after some experience with compression running pants I have to admit there’s a big difference in the amount of heat you retain. I also feel much more energized when running in these pants (I have three pairs now) and I believe my 8:19 pace during Saturday’s race was helped out, somewhat, by the compression technology and warmth.

This morning it was 34 degrees outside so I dressed in layers, a long sleeved compression top, long sleeved tech top and short sleeved tech top plus reflective vest and my Brooks hat. Below I wore my new Nike compression pants and a pair of crew length Timberland athletic socks and it was perfect for the morning conditions. I headed north from my house up a slightly inclined road and was hit head-on by what I’m guessing was a 5-10 MPH wind. I was happy with my choice of clothes and I stepped it up a bit to try to warm up faster. Overall I covered 2.5 miles at around 9:10 per mile. Not exactly PR numbers but at 4:00 AM on a chilly morning I’ll call it a great run.

The short and the long of it

On October 17, 2009 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

I learned a valuable lesson Friday morning about checking the temperature before heading out for my run. As I prepared to go out it felt warm, even humid, although the heat didn’t seem to be on. I skipped the compression shorts I’ve been wearing under my running shorts on cold mornings and when I stepped outside and got hit with the 20-something degree wind chill I knew I was in for a frosty run. As I set off I realized how cold my hands were and I questioned whether I’d manage to break a sweat in the 22 odd minutes I allocate for this workout. I didn’t want to push speed because I hadn’t had a chance to stretch prior to the start. I was tempted to throw in some sprints to get my heart rate up and try to get a little warmer but I was concerned that could lead to a muscle pull. Along with the cold, there was some light precipitation and I soon realized that it was, in fact, snow. The outside temperature, with the wind, was in the high 30’s so there was no accumulation although the streets were wet. Given the distractions of cold and wind, the run went by very quickly and I completed 2.4 miles at about 9:13 per mile. By the time I reached home my hands were really hurting from the cold and from the sting of the wind and the rain. I won’t forget my gloves again.

This morning I got out by 7:00 AM and the weather was mild compared with yesterday but it was still pretty cool. I bought some tight running sweats at Target last weekend and I wore them with a double layer of tech jerseys. I also wore gloves and it was a perfect set of gear for my run. I wanted to cover more than five miles to reinforce distance as I move closer to the race on the 25th but I had no specific plan. After running north to Jericho Turnpike I headed west and ran about a mile in that direction before ducking into the western edge of neighborhood #3. This is a big neighborhood and I have no familiarity with the layout of the roads so I headed south and guessed where I was in relation to my own neighborhood that’s separated by a busy road. I ended up guessing well and crossed the road, heading south along the main road to the highway service road. I was little past the three mile mark and I felt some fatigue along with some pain in my right quadricep. After some time I cut over to neighborhood #2 and I realized that I often hit a wall at that point and today I decided to ignore it and wait for a second wind. I did a loop through neighborhood #2, passing a number of people who were out walking their dogs. I headed back to my neighborhood and reached home feeling strong after covering 6.53 miles at 9:11 per mile.

After my post-run shower I iced my right leg quad and calf with the Active Wraps. The unit fit well and my leg felt pretty good. I’m planning to try it with heat later today. Tomorrow I may head to Stillwell for some trail time although I’m wondering it it would be better to practice for memorable hills in the industrial park. I’ll decide tomorrow. Tonight I’ll just enjoy the fact that I had a very good run.