Predictions variable, but not the humidity

On June 28, 2015 By Emerging Runner16 Comments

Foggy as humidly possible

Today’s run (street): 3.9 miles

Once again, Saturday night predictions of Sunday morning thunderstorms have turned out to be wrong. I was thrilled because I REALLY didn’t want to spend any more time on the treadmill this weekend. It looked pretty iffy outside when I was getting ready for my run. I opted to stay local just in case it started pouring and I had to dash home.

I did a quick check out the door before choosing my gear and noticed it felt cool and a little breezy. The local station was showing 63° and I picked a long sleeve hi-visibility shirt to go with running shorts. The low clouds had darkened the sky and I wanted to make sure I was easily seen by drivers.

While I stood waiting for my Garmin to acquire its GPS signal, I caught a flash of yellow in the corner of my eye. I saw that my next door neighbor had started his own run and was bolting down the street. I didn’t even know he’d taken up running. He headed south, then west through the middle school, while I went northeast. Even though our neighborhood has dozens of streets and side roads, I predicted I’d see him at some point on my run.

My prediction came true after I’d completed the northern loop of my route and was on my way to the southern end. I saw my yellow-garbed neighbor in the distance coming back towards the school. I don’t think he noticed me and I was too far away to catch up to him. I put my focus on catching up and passing a number of walkers who were making their way along the road.

Today’s run conditions per my Garmin

What promised to be a cool and energizing run turned out to be a very humid one. My long sleeved shirt ended up being a bad choice. Even at 94%, the humidity wasn’t completely oppressive. This was probably due to the clouds blocking the hot sun. But the humidity fogged my glasses throughout much of the run. Not enough to impair my vision, but enough to be annoying.

I was fortunate to have clear conditions to run outside this morning and, even with my busy work schedule, I managed to get in over 2 hours of running this week. I really do need to figure out how to consistently get in an additional workout during the week. When I complain about my declining performance, I have to remember that I used to run six days a week without fail and that I’d typically cover over 20 miles in a week.

What I’ve learned about running from non-runners

On June 27, 2015 By Emerging Runner4 Comments

Credit: http://www.runnersworld.com

Today’s run (street): 4.5 miles
Yesterday’s run (treadmill): 3 miles

Have you ever started a conversation about running with a non-runner and ended up regretting it? Like politics, religion and parenting, running is a subject that generates strong opinions. Generally speaking, most runners — even those at different ends of the performance scale — will agree on running related topics. Whether we run seven or eleven minute miles, we all sweat, have to deal with weather and wish we were faster. But discussions with non-runners can sometimes go like this.

Non-Runner: What did you do this weekend”
Runner: I did a couple of long runs on Saturday and Sunday.
NR: Wow. I’ll bet your knees are hurting today.
R: Running doesn’t hurt your knees. In fact it’s been proven that running is good for your knees.
NR: Tell that to my my friend [sibling, spouse, friend of a friend, guy I work with…] who used to run until it ruined their knees.
R: Do you run?
NR: No! I don’t want to hurt my knees and besides running is so boring!
R: Nice talking to you.

If you think I’m exaggerating, I had this conversation with someone at work this week. Others have warned me of other potential maladies, including heart attacks. I will say that the majority of conversations I’ve had with non-runners are positive. I’ve heard just as many people tell me they admire runners and wished they had the patience or discipline to run themselves.

I haven’t been much of a runner this week myself, as my increasingly busy work week has cut into my workout time. I took a vacation day yesterday so I could go out east to the Atlantis Aquarium in Riverhead. We needed to get on the road early and I opted for a treadmill session to save time. Conditions were humid, so I did what I could to move air around the treadmill room. I used the big floor fan and set the built-in fans on the treadmill console to full power.

That helped, but only so much. Although I only covered three miles, it felt like six and I was wishing for a nap on the way to the Aquarium. We had a great time in Riverhead, and Atlantis is always a good experience. After a tough week, it was nice to do our first family activity since the kids began their summer break.

This morning conditions felt more like spring than summer. It was 65° when I went out and the humidity was far lower than on Friday. I’ve felt ambivalent about my workouts lately, but today everything worked. The air felt cool throughout my entire run and I was pleased with my stride. I’ve been reading an article excerpted from Meb Keflezighi’s new book and tried to do some of the things he recommended to improve to my form. I felt that today’s run was one of the best I’ve done this year.

Scattered thunderstorms are expected to start tonight and continue through most of Sunday. That’s disappointing. But you know, weather conditions are just one of the many problems we runners face. I know a few non-runners who would tell you that.

Triple celebration after a sweltering start

On June 21, 2015 By Emerging Runner6 Comments

Today’s run (street): 5.4 miles

Today was a triple celebration day: Father’s Day, my daughter’s birthday and the first day of summer. Since we celebrated Father’s Day yesterday, there wasn’t much going on related to that. Celebrating summer is a passive thing unless you are a Druid, so today was really about my daughter. Except for the kids spending time in the pool midday, most of our celebrating happened indoors or out at places. A good idea considering the August-like humidity.

Loopy

The day did not start in a promising way. The torrential rains and heavy thunderstorms predicted by the weather services turned out to be less intense than expected. However, it was enough to discourage the Runsketeers from going out early as we’d planned. My friends switched the run to later in the afternoon, but I couldn’t join them due to birthday stuff. I’m truly sorry to miss that, but the 90° heat and 90% humidity would not have been too enjoyable. I’m curious to hear how that went.

I thought I’d be doing today’s workout on the treadmill and had considered doing a faux brick (30 min treadmill, 30 minute elliptical) to minimize my treadmill time. By 8:30 AM, the rain stopped and I went outside to run. My plan was to run loops around the neighborhood that would keep me close to home in case the skies opened up again.

Although it was overcast when I started my run, I thought to wear my sunglasses and that turned out to be a good decision. Over the course of my 50+ minute workout, the sun broke through the clouds and made for a sweltering experience. I kept my effort below anaerobic threshold to keep things tolerable. After three 1.2 mile loops, I expanded my route to ensure that I would cover at least five miles. That course turned out more circuitous than expected and I ended up adding another .4 mile to that total.

It was definitely 5 miles the hard way, and though I felt depleted and dehydrated, I was happy that I got out this morning. My motivation before my last three runs was very low, but each time I rebounded during the run. I’m almost as proud of myself for getting myself out there as I am for getting my runs done.

So happy summer, happy birthday and happy Father’s Day. With the 13 miles I’ve covered over the past three days, I think I worked hard enough to justify the birthday cake we’ll be having tonight.

Hot and soggy but not too sloggy

On June 13, 2015 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Mush!

Today’s run (street): 4.7 miles

The needle on my motivation meter was firmly in the off position this morning. I watched the temperature rise as the minutes ticked by. I couldn’t decide where to run and no option was particularly appealing. I went upstairs to change into running clothes, hoping I’d find some inspiration through that experience. I didn’t want to spend a lot of time on local roads so I headed over to neighborhood #2 for a slight change of scenery.

I’d watched the local weather report before my run and they made a big deal out of the low humidity. LIARS! The temperature was in the low 80’s making the soggy atmosphere feel like hot soup. There were many people packing up their SUVs with beachy gear as I ran by. They had the right idea. I compromised on my pace and floated my way south to the other neighborhood.

I followed an extended loop and stayed on the shady side of the street when possible. My easy pace kept it from being a slog but I regretted waiting so long to go out today. I ended up covering more distance than I’d originally planned and it turned out to be a decent workout.

When I looked at the map of my run, I thought (after rotating the map 90°) that it looked like a person driving a dog sled. I may have created a new category of artwork – design by GPS.

Four mile marathon

On June 7, 2015 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Good airflow doesn’t help boredom

Today’s run (treadmill): 4 miles

What’s the difference between running a marathon and running four miles on a treadmill? Today there was no difference. Despite stacking the deck in my favor as much as I could, I struggled to get through the workout. I knew it would be humid, so I opened up windows at both ends of the room and positioned the big fan to maximize air flow. Despite that preparation, it was a slog from start to finish.

I wish I could turn off the mental tedium when I’m on the treadmill, but I can’t. The TV doesn’t help. Music doesn’t help. Only stopping helps. I tried to focus on something else besides the mileage display. Hundredths of a mile ticked by slowly and I self-bargained my original target of five miles down to four to retain my sanity. I always tell myself in these circumstances, “Every run ends, and this one will too.” And not a moment too soon.

Hoop dreams

My project for the afternoon was to assemble a new basketball set to replace the one we have that has a smashed backboard. My son is getting taller and stronger and sometimes doesn’t know his own strength. The new system has a shatterproof backboard and shock absorbing springs to guard against aggressively energetic teens. It’s great that we have these features, but it made it a greater challenge to put together than the old set.

My son and I plowed through the numerous stages of assembly. It got a bit complex at times. We were into our third hour when we needed to enlist my wife and daughter to help lift and position the unit while I connected the height adjustment assembly. In all, it took over four hours to complete, but my daughter (who’s the primary user of the basketball hoop) really appreciated it. That made it all worth it.

As hard as my treadmill run felt, I think putting together the basketball pole and backboard was harder. I was glad to add what amounted to an upper body workout to my day, although I’m concerned that I may have put too much pressure on my lower back. I’m not experiencing any sciatica, but I’m concerned about how I’ll feel in the morning. Unless I’m really hurting, I’ll be out tomorrow morning for a run. I’ve had enough of treadmill running for now.

Dog day run

On May 31, 2015 By Emerging Runner4 Comments

When I Googled Dog Days, all I got was pages of this anime

Today’s run 4.2 miles

Well, it looks like a dog to me

This morning’s run looked more like a dog than a cheek-shooting bi-athlete. I think that’s appropriate because today was definitely a dog day. Predictions of rain got me out the door earlier than yesterday. Overall, I had a slightly better experience than Saturday, because the humidity and pollen levels were a touch lower. Still, the difference in comfort between shaded and unshaded sections of the road was huge.

I first thought about running at Bethpage and taking a route that toggled between the paved trail and the dirt side paths that cut through the woods. It came down to convenience and timing and I decided to stay local to get out faster. I’d put on my aging Virratas that would be a good shoe on both pavement and dirt. After I made the decision to stay in the neighborhood I forgot to switch to either the Kayanos or Triumphs – my current trainers.

I mentally mapped a new route and took off, keeping an eye peeled for my teenage daughter who was out practicing her driving. I immediately noticed how much I preferred the Virratas over the newer pairs of running shoes. Although some people I know love their super-cush sneakers, I’m still a fan of minimal models.

Probably due to pre-hyperthermia delusions, I took a wrong turn around the 2.5 mile point and made an ad hoc change that took me outside the neighborhood. It was fine but it forced me to negotiate some really broken sections of concrete. I watched my steps carefully to avoid a face plant. I cut back into the neighborhood at my first opportunity and completed the run by focusing on the tall glass of water that I would drink the moment I got home.

I ended up running close to 13 miles this week. Low by historical standards, but I only ran three times. I have moved out out of my 3 mile rut and next weekend I want to cover at least 5.5 miles on at least one of my runs. How I do in terms of workout over the next four days will depend on my schedule. I’m determined to get at least one workout in before Friday, even if it’s on the elliptical.

Running route or Rorschach test?

On May 30, 2015 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Today’s run (street): 4.75 miles

My grand plan for returning to my old weekday running routine went off the rails this week because of changes at work that took up a lot of my time. Bottom line, we had a big re-org that unfortunately affected a lot of people. As a result, I will take on additional responsibilities within the organization. Great, I guess. But I’ve liked the fact that (up to now) my role has been primarily consultative. That has allowed me to have a very flexible schedule and I’m hoping that can continue.

My flexible schedule allows me to work from home on Fridays and that allowed me to fit in my annual checkup with my doctor. One year ago, I’d told my doctor about ending up in the medical tent after the Brooklyn Half. He proceeded to put me through a long tedious day of tests and never gave me results. He only acknowledged I was fine by having his assistant send me a signed release form that allowed me to use my company’s fitness center.

I decided to switch doctors and I was happy with the change. Everything was fine but that caused me to miss one of my key running days. I considered running later in the day, but I was concerned about being depleted by the blood work. I think that was a good call because I felt lethargic on today’s run and I’m wondering if a slightly lower plasma level had something to do with that.

This morning I knew I needed to get out for more than a 3 mile easy run. We had some things going on in the morning that prevented me from getting out as early as I planned. I didn’t think that mattered but, looking back, I would have liked a little more time of the street before the humidity went off the charts. I sometimes experience a minute or two of discomfort at the beginning of a run that dissipates once I fully transition to aerobic breathing. Due to the humidity and pollen level, I never really got past that today.

My route started as a two mile loop through my neighborhood before I cut over to neighborhood #2. I’d targeted four miles but hoped to exceed that. The lower neighborhood is set up with multiple roads that provide different route options. I ended up doing an out-and-back along a road I like due to its length and shade. The humidity continued to build as the sun grew higher in the sky. I reached a point around 4 miles in when I considered a cool down stop. I decided to keep going, knowing I was less than a mile from home.

I was glad to get enough distance to support my goal of increasing my base closer to 6 miles. It wasn’t particularly enjoyable today, but it was necessary. After mapping my run in Gmaps, I saw that turning the route map 90° made it look a little like a tractor as well as roughly describing the shape of my home state of Massachusetts. I enhanced the image further to make the point (see above). Mrs. ER thinks the original route map looks like a person snowboarding. What do you see?

Tomorrow may be a good day for a trail run. I’ll need to watch my time because thunderstorms are supposed to come through at some point on Sunday. I’m hoping to get out earlier when it’s cooler and less humid. I don’t know how flexible my schedule will be next week, so I want to make the most of my weekend runs.

Runsketeers at Bethpage, the long and the short of it

On May 18, 2015 By Emerging Runner5 Comments

Humid and happy

Today’s run (Bethpage trail): 4 miles

In keeping with our plan to do at least one group run every month, the Runsketeers got together this morning on the Bethpage trail. SIOR and TPP were aiming for about eight miles and I wanted to do four. I met up with the speed twins halfway through their route which worked out perfectly.

The weather was very humid this morning, but not too hot at 8:00 AM. TPP and SIOR came through the Haypath Road trail head and we began running together at that point. Our plan was to go two miles north before our turnaround, which would get us to our targeted distance. We immediately found ourselves yelling to a runner that SIOR thought she knew.

Who she’d never met in person.
Who actually lives in Atlanta.
It wasn’t her.

Once the woman disappeared from our sight (I’m guessing she went in search of a restraining order) we settled into our run. I’m still at the slow end of the spectrum, but my buddies stuck with me for a while before opening up the throttle. They stopped and waited a few times for me along the way, and we were all running together when a guy passed on the opposite side and yelled, “Hey, Emerging Runner group!” It was Jonathan and his wife, who I’d met along the same trail about a year ago. We saw them later after our turnarounds.

I’m still recovering from my disc rupture, so I’ve been keeping my speed moderate to prevent re-aggravating my injury. Today’s 4 miler was an improvement over Friday’s experience. My stride is getting back to normal and my foot is no longer being mashed to the front each time I run. It feels like progress.

As tradition dictates, we headed over to Starbucks for our post-run café. I was the last to arrive and I walked in regretting that I didn’t bring a change of clothing. The humidity had soaked me like a sponge.

Apparently, the guy sitting next to TPP had been giving her a hard time before I got there. SIOR was explaining the situation to me as she helped me clean up coffee I’d spilled all over the counter because I still can’t open a Starbucks milk container correctly. I wasn’t sure what the full situation was, so I positioned myself between the guy and the Runsketeers when I sat down. Nothing happened, but I’m still curious to know the details.

We had our usual conversation that veered from subject to subject like a pool ball. All too soon, we needed to head out to meet our day’s obligations. I really had a great run today and also loved our part two. I can’t wait for our June outing!

Oppression of the humid kind

On October 4, 2014 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Maybe I need a bigger fan

Today’s run (treadmill): 5.25 miles

Any thoughts of braving the rain to do today’s workout outside were dashed when the skies grew dark and a light drizzle turned into a downpour. With no good alternative, I tried to make the best of doing a treadmill run. I set the floor fan to high and found a decent movie to distract me from the tedium of going nowhere for 50+ minutes.

Running 5-6 miles is a fairly easy challenge for me, especially in the fall when the humidity is low and the temperature is moderate. I never think about time when I’m running outdoors, except when I’m being held to a tight schedule. In fact, outside running minutes almost seem to go by too fast. On the other hand, minutes spent on a treadmill can seem excessively long. I often look at the treadmill’s display multiple times only to find that I’m still in the same minute.

I didn’t count on the day’s oppressive humidity. Had I thought about it, I would have kept a bottle of water nearby and positioned the fan to blast me in the face from 2 feet away. I set the TV to show closed captions since the excessively noisy treadmill overwhelmed the capabilities of the speakers. For the first few minutes, it all came together. Once the humidity rose in the room, things started to get ugly.

Unless you’re having a spectacular run, or your distance is predetermined by route or plan, there’s often some amount self-bargaining that goes on. Today I was promising myself that I’d take down the pace once I reached a certain time or distance milestone. It’s a mind game, but so much of running is mental. I never actually slowed down throughout today’s workout. In fact I ended up increasing my speed over the final ten minutes.

The fan ended up helping, but not as much as I’d hoped. The movie went from being a nice distraction to a major annoyance. Reading captions on a TV is not compatible with the treadmill experience. That’s why I usually just put on the news. The weather tomorrow is supposed to be much improved, so I plan to get out somewhere. Another indoor run like today’s would be hard to take.

Running on a "Beach Day"

On September 21, 2014 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

The world through my glasses at the end of my run

Today’s run (street): 4.5 miles

If yesterday’s weather was perfect for running, today’s was perfectly-awful. My Garmin, which somehow seems to know these things, reported 97% humidity during this morning’s run. Today’s planned speed workout had to be deferred in favor of a “git it done” neighborhood grind.

When I stepped outside at 8:00 AM, I detected some slight rainfall – drizzle really – that I expected to stop. I expected this because my favorite News 12 weather woman said it would clear up and become a final day of summer beach day. I tend to believe her because she’s a runner and therefore wouldn’t mislead other runners. Well, it rained.

I dealt with the ever steadier rain for the first mile that looped close enough to my house that I could have just gone home and finished my run on the treadmill. By then, the rain’s intensity had dissipated and the sun was poking through. Soon there was no rain, but the enveloping humidity continued the unpleasantness.

One the reasons I don’t like running in rain is that it collects on my lenses and obscures my vision. Humidity has its own way of doing that by fogging the lenses from the inside, rendering the world like a Gerhard Richter painting. When I tried to clear my lenses with the bottom of my sweat drenched running shirt, it just made it worse.

As I ran, I thought about stopping and resuming later when the “beach day” weather arrived. I decided to tough it out, which was a good idea because the skies never cleared and the humidity never dropped. I had hoped that today would be the kickoff to a more focused approach to performance running.

I really want to run – and race – with my buddies (see SIOR’s Cow Harbor recap and the Petite Pacer’s latest post). Before I can join them at the starting line, I’ll need to find another minute per mile in my race pace.