Ultimate booster may solve my gel problem

On April 29, 2012 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Today’s run (street): 3.9 miles

4 ounces of energy

My new Ultimate Direction water bottle has arrived, and it came with a small gel flask (with a bite valve) that might fit into the pocket of the carrier. If it does, I may fill this bottle with G2 01 Prime, which would be easier to manage than a gel during the half marathon. Both bottles are in the dishwasher right now. I’ll take the Fast Draw out on my next run to see how it feels in my hand.

I followed yesterday’s long run with an almost-four miler this morning. I tried to keep my pace easy because I was out there for recovery, but my natural competitiveness prompted me to push a little harder over the first two miles. I finally settled down and ran slower, but I’ll admit that it was more due to fatigue than anything else. I was definitely wiped out by the end.

Whenever I struggle on a run as short as this, I begin to question my stamina. Along the way, I realized that I was following a 12 mile workout with very little rest. It made perfect sense to feel tired. I’m officially on my taper and I hope to restore my energy level throughout the week. I’ll rest on Monday, run on Tuesday, and refrain from running again until Sunday’s race. I plan to do some strength training and core work between Wednesday and Saturday. One week to go. I hope I’m ready.

Rough time at Stillwell Woods

On February 21, 2012 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (Stillwell Woods): 3.1 miles

Some runs are easy and some are not. I can usually predict how I’ll perform based upon how I feel before I start. I’m at my best between 7:00-11:00 AM and any time before or after that will rarely yield an extraordinary performance. The worst time for me to run is mid-afternoon, especially after a big lunch.

Knowing this, it won’t be a surprise when I say that today’s run at Stillwell was:

Not Fun
Very difficult
Disappointing
De-motivating
50% short of my intended goal

I’m on vacation this week, which is great, but there are a lot of things to do while I’m off. I spent most of the morning with the electrician, resolving some long term problems with one of our circuits. This forced me to push my run later in the day. We had also planned a Mexican-themed lunch that may have been a contributing factor in today’s poor experience.

I headed to the trails at Stillwell Woods thinking that the rough terrain would provide a great excuse to run only for time, independent of pace. My goal was to go out for an hour and cover whatever distance I could.

I parked near the street, as far from the trail head as I could get. I set off along the paved drive that runs almost a kilometer before reaching the trail. I felt an energy deficit right away but hoped that, once I got going, things would improve.

When I reached the trail I became concerned whether I’d have enough energy to run my intended route. The paths were muddy in parts and I feared that I’d slip on the unstable surface. There was only one other person on the trail when I was running, a mountain biker, who passed me a couple of times in both directions.

I slogged on and did fairly well with the two steep sections that come along halfway through my usual loop. But by the time I reached two miles I felt like I’d done enough. I decided to head back to my car, which meant that I needed to cover just one more mile.

I usually love the experience of running at Stillwell, but today it was tough and uncomfortable. I’m going to blame the time of day and the fact that I had a big lunch prior to my workout. Tomorrow is another day. I’m hoping it will be a better day for running.

Pushing the pace without really trying

On December 24, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (street): 4.3 miles

Was today’s run hard because I was tired, or because my pace was 20 seconds per mile faster than than it felt? I’m not sure, but today’s run, that I planned do do s-l-o-w-l-y, didn’t end up that way.

The temperature was in the high 20’s when I went out at 7:30 AM. I’d had a decent night’s sleep and the chilly air felt good. Yesterday’s long elliptical session had me thinking about a recovery run today. I usually dislike the first couple of minutes of every run, until my aerobic breathing kicks in, but this morning I had no such issues.

Since I had no time constraints, I followed a different route than normal that had slightly more uphill roads than usual. My stride felt fluid though my legs felt a little heavy. I planned to cover about five miles but I began to feel a little fatigued after covering just a couple. I thought, perhaps, that the full week of workouts, plus last weekend’s race, were catching up to me.

I modified my course and headed back towards home after passing three miles. I picked up my pace as I got closer to the end and reached my driveway after covering 4.3 (Gmaps verified) miles. I must have run harder than I realized to attain a pace in the low 9:00 range, but it probably contributed to my lagging energy.

We have a family get-together later today, and I plan to go out for an early run tomorrow. Christmas morning is a great time to be out, since most people stay around home and the streets are clear. I don’t celebrate the holiday, but I do love the peaceful time.

Exhausting run at Belmont Lake

On November 27, 2011 By Emerging Runner3 Comments

Today’s run (Belmont Lake State Park): 6 miles

I decided to finish my Thanksgiving break with a trail run at Belmont Lake, home of the Dirty Sock race course. I’d decided that a competitive run at Stillwell (the Rob’s Run 5K) would have been too much to do without the proper rest. I have in my mind that the Dirty Sock route is an easy run if you aren’t trying to beat other runners. That’s wasn’t quite the case today.

The weather was in the high 30’s when I started my run and I’d overdressed with two upper layers, running pants and a wicking cap. By my first mile I felt very warm and by the two mile mark I was feeling overheated. Unlike previous times running these trails, I sensed more inclined sections. Halfway through the run I was feeling fatigued, possibly due to over training.

Once at the lake, I knew there was nothing I could do to reduce the amount of required effort since the route was out-and-back and I was already halfway through it. The course seemed extra long and the trail seemed extra steep as I slogged my way past mile four. I was tired and my pace was slow, but I was determined not to stop or walk.

I saw a few other runners on the trail who had made better decisions about their gear. They were moving along nicely in contrast to my slow motion stride. After I cleared the passage under the Montauk Highway at mile 5, I decided to return on the same trail where I’d started, rather than adding the extra distance passing by Southards Pond.

I was very ready to finish my run by then and caught a glimpse of the trail opening as I ran by a couple of equestrians out with their horses for a Sunday morning ride. I was glad to have finished the week with a decent length run and especially glad that I didn’t race today. I need a break from running and I’m glad that tomorrow is my regular rest day. It was a good couple of weeks of intense running, but enough is enough.

The agony and the not so bad

On October 29, 2011 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Yesterday’s run (Central Park): 3 miles
Today’s run (treadmill): 3 miles

I’m in a slump and I don’t exactly understand why. I suspect that it’s a combination of things. Since I suffered a bad fall on my driveway a week ago, I’ve been feeling slightly sub-par. My crash at the end of my run was probably more traumatic than I’d initially thought and, seven days later, I still have plenty of evidence of that.

I had been feeling run down by mid-week and though I did a couple of runs plus an elliptical session since the accident, I felt the need to skip my workout on Thursday. Yesterday I had plans to meet my friend CK for a run in Central Park and I thought the day and a half rest I’d have since Wednesday would deliver some needed energy. I was almost completely wrong but there were other factors at play.

First, I had gone to the company medical center in the morning to get a flu shot. I didn’t think it would have any effect on my running, but perhaps it did. Second, I was rushed for time at lunch and grabbed some spicy vegetarian soup and vegetarian dumplings that didn’t help my glycogen level. And third, I generally don’t run well in the afternoon. So some combination of the above, plus being generally run down, made for a tough run in the park.

CK and I started our run on the lower loop near the 6th Avenue entrance to the park and we headed counter clockwise up the hill. We were moving at a good clip with CK letting me set the pace. I felt okay but was concerned about maintaining that rate over our planned 4+ mile route. Shortly after we reached our first mile, CK asked to stop so he could remove his long pants that were making him warm.

What should have been an opportunity to rest turned into a significant energy drop and as we made our way up the hill I admitted that I wouldn’t be able to run the reservoir route. We modified our course by cutting across the Great Lawn and I was truly struggling to keep the pace under 10 minutes a mile. Still it was fun to run the west side of the loop towards Columbus Circle because they had put up the stands for the NY Marathon and were in the process of constructing the finish line area.

We ended up covering our three miles in about 28 minutes but it was the toughest 5K I’ve run in a while.

This morning, due to the inclement weather, I ran about three miles on the treadmill, starting with a 5 minute walking warm up. I did the running part at around 9:50/min, a comfortable pace, but I really felt it by the end. I’m obviously not at my best but this morning’s workout felt far better than yesterday’s run.

I’m not sure how far I’ll run tomorrow. More than one person has suggested that I take a few days off and get back to strength. It’s good advice, the kind that I’d give to others. I’m not sure I’ll take my own advice though. Who can resist going out for a run on a cold October morning?

Time for some needed rest

On August 18, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (street): 2.5 miles

This morning I went out for my last run prior to Sunday’s race. I wore my Mirages to acclimate to their feel, although the trail surface at the race will be different than pavement. I’ll admit that I liked the luxury of this minimal, yet well cushioned, shoe. It’s a nice change from the harder ride of the Hattori’s.

It’s often recommended that runners leave their watches at home and run by feel. I bring my Garmin because I have an irrational need to capture the metrics of every run but I rarely look at the display for anything except elapsed time. I purposely ignored my watch this morning and only checked it at the end when I pulled up by my house and hit the stop button. I saw that I’d averaged 9:14 per mile, which made sense based upon the effort I had made.

I’m still battling the feeling of tiredness and, although I was happy to have run 15 seconds per mile better than my July average, the fatigue was noticeable. Along the way I encountered both a car and a walker at the same intersection — unusual because I rarely see either at 4:00 AM. That woke me up a bit. I’m done with running until the race, although I may do some less strenuous activities between now and then. Rest, I believe, will be the best thing to do before I line up for the Dirty Sock 10K on Sunday morning.

Running beats resting (at least it did today)

On June 14, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Making the better choice

Today’s run (street): 2.5 miles

I’ve felt tired this week. It’s as if I haven’t adapted yet to my weekday sleep schedule. I was glad to have an excuse to rest on Monday and I slept for most of the train ride into the city yesterday. I was still feeling fatigued last night as I readied my morning running gear and I hoped that a good night’s sleep would produce some energy when I awoke. That wasn’t the case and when my alarm went off I had one of those “Are you serious?” moments as I considered my options.

By the time I collected my coffee and changed into my running clothes I felt a little more alert. As I turned to leave the guestroom, I looked enviously at the bed and wished I could take an hour’s nap rather than head out for a run. It had rained a little overnight and the temperature was a cool 61 degrees. The Garmin locked in quickly and off I went.

Once I hit the street all signs of fatigue had left me and I focused on my stride and how my feet were landing. I followed my usual route and the run felt effortless. This was probably an opportunity to throw in some speed play but I decided to maintain this moderate-but-steady pace. As tempting as it seemed, there was little chance that I would have chosen the guestroom bed over my run today. That’s good, because I would have missed a really nice run this morning.

Getting it done

On February 16, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (treadmill): 2.5 miles

I didn’t have time to run and barely had time to post yesterday so I made sure I got in a run this morning. I was tempted to rest when I got up this morning because I was feeling fatigued and had a sinus headache. Yesterday was a big day at work, as is today, and additional rest would not have been a bad choice. All the same, a dedicated runner runs through minor illness and doesn’t let it get the best of them. That’s what I told myself as I stepped on the treadmill and hit the start button.

It must have been extraordinarily dry today because once I got up to speed I hit the fan button and received a shock that shut down the treadmill. I managed to bring it back within 30 seconds but it was disconcerting to stop suddenly and the shock I received was no picnic. Once I was into my run I settled in for the duration. It was a very average run from there. Not overly taxing or particularly fast. I ended up taking a couple of aspirin post-run and wished for more time to rest before my shower. The workout did bring back my energy level and I was glad to have done the run. It will be a long day but at least I accomplished something even before the sun came up.

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.

Good timing for my weekly rest day

On October 25, 2010 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

As energetic as I was on Sunday morning, today I am very much the opposite. Last night I began experiencing slight cold symptoms and a decided lack of energy. I’m hoping it’s a quick cold and not the flu. After my bout with pneumonia in January I don’t dismiss concern that easily. I didn’t bank any sleep over the weekend so it could be weakness due to lack of rest. I put in some decent mileage over the last few days but I doubt that would wear me out to this degree. As expected, my calves are aching after finally getting over the shock of running up the James Street hill on Saturday. My office schedule is tight today so I need to get through that. Tomorrow morning I have to give a talk to an industry group and I’m concerned about losing my voice before then. I’ll rely on lots of coffee, my time-proven miracle drug, to get me through the workday. I’m hoping to be back to the road tomorrow,