Change of pace on an Xmas morning run

On December 25, 2012 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Shoe of the day

Today’s run (street): 4.7 miles

Today is Christmas day and the neighborhood was quiet in the morning. We had sleet and snow overnight and the streets were shiny from the rain. I’d originally planned to go to Stillwell Woods but I didn’t feel like dealing with wet rocks and muddy trails. I figured that most people would be hanging out at home and I’d have the streets mostly to myself.

It had been a couple of days since I last ran and I hoped that the break would be energizing. Just to mix it up, I selected my Spira Stinger XLT’s that I’ve neglected for months. I dressed for the 37° weather, stepped outside and observed that the clouds had given way to sun. While my Garmin searched for a signal, I saw a familiar runner passing on the street to my left. I wanted to follow him, but the GPS was being a little too poky. A minute later I was ready to go.

The Spiras were a nice change from the Kinvaras. I love the fit and comfort of the Sauconys, but the Spiras, almost as comfortable, return a little more energy. The one criticism I have of the Stingers is that the “Wavesprings” are noticeable underfoot. I recall feeling them during the half marathon training runs that I was doing earlier in the year. These shoes are great for shorter runs, but I wouldn’t want to cover more than ten miles in them.

Like last Saturday, I was able to sustain a good level of energy throughout today’s run. I only intended to run 4 miles but I got caught up in the experience and extended my route. I don’t know how much credit I should give to the Spiras, but I covered my distance a minute faster than I thought I would. As much as I downplay performance, it’s always fun to beat expectations.

I hope to get to Stillwell or another park at some point this week. Today the streets of my neighborhood were just what I needed to get back to into my running routine. Happy holidays to all.

Thinking about tomorrow’s run

On December 24, 2012 By Emerging Runner1 Comment

I’ve been tied up since Sunday morning and that has kept me from running since Saturday. Many people will be celebrating Christmas tomorrow, but I’m thinking about finally getting back to the road (or trails). Depending on how I feel in the morning, I’ll either run the neighborhood or head over to Stillwell Woods. The weather is supposed to be cold and sunny and I’m looking forward to a quiet and peaceful run.

Shopping-free Black Friday run

On November 23, 2012 By Emerging Runner3 Comments

Today’s run (street): 4.2 miles

I love weeks like this when I get an extra day to run without my usual time constraint. It’s the day after Thanksgiving and I would have expected to see other runners on the road, working off yesterday’s big dinners. But it was surprisingly quiet at 7:30 AM. Perhaps people were sleeping in, or already out at one of those ubiquitous Black Friday sales at the mall. Good luck to them. You won’t find me at a mall until after New Years.

Yesterday’s turkey trot was a fun event, but the way I ran it could hardly be considered a workout. Still, there were some big hills and forty minutes of moving faster than walking pace has to count for something. This morning my goal was to cover four miles and to work up a sweat while I did it.

It was 36° when I set out for my run. I’d dressed for slightly lower temperatures and was concerned about overheating. Despite that concern, I remained comfortable throughout the run. Besides a couple of cars and a sanitation truck, I had the roads pretty much to myself. My wife was in the process of making pancakes for the kids when I left. Although I could have easily gone for a couple of extra miles, thoughts of breakfast guided me back home.

My run wasn’t particularly fast, but it was in the range of acceptable. It was a pleasant enough experience, but I’d like to run in a place more interesting than my neighborhood this weekend. Bethpage State Park’s website is still saying that, besides the tennis facilities and golf courses, the park remains closed. Most alternatives involve a lot more driving and that’s about as appealing as a trip to the mall.

Family run at the Nissequogue River Turkey Trot

On November 23, 2012 By Emerging Runner4 Comments

Scene at the finish line

Today’s run (Nissequogue River 5K Turkey Trot): 3.1 miles

It’s Thanksgiving and, for the third year in a row, the Emerging Runner family ran in the Nissequogue River State Park Turkey Trot. It’s an event that draws a big crowd. With some races canceled due to hurricane Sandy, even more people gathered for the race. Me and my daughter ran the course and my wife and son walked it.

Clearing the path before the Fun Run

After the 1K Fun Run for kids that was led by a guy dressed head to toe in a turkey costume, we all made our way toward the starting line. The race is not very well organized and the start often runs late. Much of that is due to the high number of race day registrants who are still in line at gun time. Today the start was only six minutes late, which was a nice surprise.

The size of the crowd prevents any fast running at the start, but it worked fine for me and my daughter. We fell into an easy pace as we made our way along the first, mostly uphill, mile. It’s a different experience running easy during a race instead of pushing for a PR. I enjoyed having my daughter by my side and we were happy to reach the turnaround at the halfway point of the race. We saw my wife and son, who were moving along briskly, on the other side.

The last mile is mostly downhill and we cruised along until we reached the finish line. My wife and son came in about six minutes later and we quickly headed to our car. The exit line from the race gets backed up fast and we needed to get home in time to shower, change and head to our Thanksgiving dinner.

The rest of the day was spent with family and we’re all a little beat, but it was great to participate in a race as family. Tomorrow I’ll go out for a nice long run and burn off some calories from today’s feast.

A chilly run today and a Turkey Trot tomorrow

On November 21, 2012 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (street): 2.5 miles

Most big holidays start earlier than their date on the calendar because people often day before off to travel. That’s certainly the case with Thanksgiving. The LIRR continues to be plagued by ongoing signal problems in the East River tunnels (due to Sandy) so there are less trains, more stops and big crowds. It was a pleasant surprise to board the train this morning and have my choice of seats. And for that I am thankful.

My office will be very quiet today because many of my colleagues are doing this day-before travel. I really do like my co-workers but, without any meetings, I’ll be able to make good progress on some projects. We’ll close the office early so I’ll get a little extra free time as well.

Nissequogue course map

Tomorrow morning Team Emerging Runner will become Race Team Emerging Runner, as we run the Nissequogue 5K Turkey Trot for the third year in a row. We won’t really be racing, but it’s a race. Last year my daughter and I ran it while my wife and son did it as a run/walk. That’s the plan for tomorrow as well. After that will be Thanksgiving with family and then more family arriving over the weekend.

I really didn’t want to go out into the cold this morning, but I knew it was the right thing to do. I dressed warmly because I was concerned that the wind might make conditions even more uncomfortable. There was only a mild breeze but the warm layers were still necessary. I started out easy but picked up speed in response to the cold air. Once I get to a certain pace, between steady and brisk, I tend to hold it. I completed my route slightly faster than I normally run it.

The weather for the rest of the week is looking promising and I’m optimistic that I’ll exceed my 20 mile average with some longer runs on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It’s been a long time since I’ve raced, so I’m really running out of habit and not training for anything in particular. I do have a 5K coming up in December but that seems a long way away. For now, it’s about running for fun. Tomorrow’s event should be just that.

Labor Day morning run

On September 3, 2012 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (street): 4.2 miles

Today is a Monday that feels like a Sunday because it’s Labor Day. Normally my kids would be celebrating having an extra day added to their weekend, but today represents their last day of summer vacation. We have plenty to do today, so I got out early to get my run in, before our day got started.

Although the hot days of August are behind us and the skies were mostly cloudy, the combination of heat and humidity made for uncomfortable conditions. I adopted a moderate pace and followed a different than normal route. I covered a little more than four miles, providing a nice start to this week’s mileage total.

I’ve exceeded 20 miles in each of the last two weeks and hopefully I’ll do that again this week. Tomorrow is a vacation day for me, but with some scheduled work calls, a doctor’s appointment and the process of getting my son and daughter ready for their first day of school, it doesn’t feel much like a day off. I plan to take Tuesday as my rest day and I think I’ll need it. I haven’t taken a day off from running since last Monday.

The holiday is over but the humidity remains

On July 5, 2012 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (street): 2.5 miles

The city is so quiet today it’s almost like working on Saturday. Yesterday’s holiday was short, but sweet. We had a nice 4th of July lunch and spent an active day outside, including a lot of pool time. I think all that fun, plus my surprisingly difficult treadmill run in the morning, has made me tired today. I’m not sure how I did it, but managed to get out for my run this morning.

The humidity at 4:00 AM was already insufferable and the breezes that pushed air from the south were not cooling. My legs felt heavy and I suspect that was due to lactic acid buildup from yesterday. I was able to maintain a steady stride but I knew I wasn’t moving very quickly. I remember reading that high humidity will erode your pace measurably. I took comfort in that when I saw that my elapsed time was a full minute longer than usual.

I’m hoping this weekend’s weather will be more conducive to running. The heat is fine but this humidity has got to stop. Of course it’s great training weather for the Dirty Sock 10K that always seems to happen on a weekend when the dew point approaches 80. But it’s a long time until that race. If conditions are hot and sunny on Saturday, I may head to the trails where the tree canopy provides some relief from the sun and the heat.

Sole treadmill slippage, once again

On July 4, 2012 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (treadmill): 40 minutes

Happy 4th of July. I keep forgetting that today is Wednesday because it feels so much like a Saturday. I’ll feel differently tomorrow when I’m standing on the the train platform at 6:15 AM. But this morning I had the pleasure of sleeping in until that time.

The weather is alternating between sun and rain this morning. I’d hoped the skies would clear long enough for me to get outside for a run, but the rain was coming down too hard. Instead, I positioned the stand up fan that’s in front of the treadmill and started my indoor run. I forgot to bring my iPad home from the office last night, so I didn’t have the Virtually Active app to distract me. I had to make due with the scene out the window.

Our Sole F63 treadmill has been a disappointment in the two years since we bought it. We’ve replaced a lot of the components under warranty, but the labor costs have made this unit far less than a bargain. We are, once again, experiencing tread belt slippage and this is both disconcerting and borderline dangerous. Our low end Pro-Form treadmill gave us over a decade of trouble-free service. It’s too bad that this highly rated Sole continues to experience chronic problems.

The slipping belt seemed to settle down after a few minutes of running, but it returned for short periods when I upped my speed. I ran about 40 minutes and was happy to come to the end. The AC and fan both helped against the high humidity, but it was still a soaking run. I’m glad to have completed a decent workout early enough to enjoy the rest of the holiday. The sun has returned, so today’s outdoor activities will probably include a little time in the pool.

Malaise or maturity?

On July 3, 2012 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (street): 2.5 miles

I am definitely in a malaise when it comes to running, but that’s okay. Since I started running on a regular basis, almost four years ago, I’ve worried about losing my core motivation. Every year I check in with myself in terms of interest and, so far, I’ve had no issues. My biggest concern has been that I’d tire of the activity and, ultimately, stop.

Lately I’ve become less energized by news of groundbreaking shoe technologies and I’m not scanning the web in search of interesting races that I could run this year. My gear site, Runner’s Tech Review, has lain fallow, even though I’ve tested product in the last few months.

All this is true but, like I said, it’s okay. That’s because I still want to run. I expect to run and plan to run. I woke up this morning knowing I’d have a light schedule and an early departure that invited me to put off my workout. Despite that, I dragged myself outside at 3:55 AM to run my daily route. I paid attention to my stride, cadence and level of effort. I speculated on my overall pace and was slightly disappointed when I saw how long it took me to finish the run. But I was also pleased that I cared.

Tomorrow is the 4th of July and I get to spend the day with my family and enjoy a rare day off in the middle of the week. It’s hot out, so I plan to get out early for my run. I won’t think about it much until I’m out there but, once on the road, I’ll be committed.

A friend of mine, who has run for decades, once told me, “Some day, you’ll care much less about the gear and much more about the run.” Runner’s maturity? Maybe. However, that same friend recently got a Garmin 610 and won’t stop talking about it.

Father’s Day on the run

On June 17, 2012 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Nothing like a good run to start things off

Today’s run (street): 4.3 miles

It’s Father’s Day and I am happy for a number of reasons. First, I’m getting to spend the day with my family doing the things we like to do together. That started yesterday when my son and I went to see the movie Prometheus. We’d waited a long time to for this movie to come out and although it didn’t live up to expectations, we had fun dissecting the plot and debating the meaning of the film.

Today’s activities revolve around the whole family. Before we got the day started, I went for a run around the neighborhood. The temperature and humidity are expected to rise as the week goes on, but this morning was cool and partly cloudy. I wore the Spiras for a change of pace and they felt good as I started up the road. The cool air was energizing, and there were a lot of neighbors outside who greeted me as I ran by.

I’d originally planned to cover about three miles easy, because I knew I had a big day ahead and I’ll have plenty of time for longer runs this week. The run felt so good that I added some extra streets to my route that increased my total to 4.3 miles. As far as it being an easy run, I hit the accelerator at the two mile mark and that put my pace into normal training range.

I was pleased that this “easy” run turned out to be a better workout than expected. One of many reasons why this is a happy Father’s Day weekend.