The good and bad of late summer running

On August 16, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (street): 2.5 miles

I had mixed emotions when I began this morning’s run. The air was cool, almost cold, and so different from the humid conditions over the past weekend. I appreciated the energizing weather as I made my way along the route but felt a little sad that the cool conditions and low humidity were signaling the close of summer.

After Sunday’s treadmill intervals I found it easier to run with some speed. I knew that I was pacing better than I had in a while. I followed my usual route and moved along at faster than conversational pace. I was trying to imagine if I could sustain that rate over the length of Sunday’s race. I pushed hard over the half mile and finished close to 9:00/mile.

One year ago I was averaging about an 8:45 pace on my morning runs but my speed has slipped over the last six months. I’m happy with today’s run because (at least) it’s an improvement from what is now the status quo.

30 more minutes of sleep yields a better run

On July 29, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (street): 3 miles

I’m going in a little later this morning and bringing my son with me. Both he and my daughter have been doing this since they were about two years old. They get their own workstations and they even get work assignments. It’s fun for them and they get an understanding of business life. We have some interesting things planned for the day, both in the office and at the local museums.

Since we took a later train I gave myself an extra 30 minutes of sleep and was still able to cover three miles on this morning’s run. I was determined to beat Wednesday’s pace by a minute per mile and I managed to accomplish that. It was humid at the start and lightly raining at the finish and I tried to maintain a decent speed by thinking about my cadence and stride. It felt faster than what the Garmin showed to be a mid-9:00 pace.
I’m hoping to take the new Invisible Shoes huaraches out for a run tomorrow and I’m meeting my running buddy Dave on Sunday morning, for what should be my longest run in many weeks.

A good experience saves an unexceptional performance

On July 7, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

That seductive smell of salt and rotting fish

Today’s run (street) 2.5 miles

This morning I had my first street run since Saturday. Sunday’s workout was done on the track and Monday’s on the trail. Yesterday I stayed in and used the elliptical machine. My performance on Saturday was sub-par (actually, in golf terms that would have been a good thing) while Sunday’s speed work happily went the other way. I kept things easy on Monday’s run at Stillwell and anticipated some decent performance today. I figured that the speed work would have primed me for that.

When I stepped outside I could feel the humidity but what really struck me was the sharp scent of the ocean that comes with living close to Long Island Sound. I moved along well with none of that leg weightiness that plagued me most of last week. I thought I had a chance of recording a decent overall pace. Early on in the run I landed on a sharp piece of road gravel that confirmed my mid-foot strike, but no damage done.

Despite what I thought was a brisk workout, I only ended up averaging a mid-9:00 pace. I guess I could have worked harder but I really did feel like I was pushing my pace. I don’t really care that my performance wasn’t the best; the run felt good and the air smelled like summer on Cape Cod.

Fast and furious today – could it have been my diet?

On July 3, 2011 By Emerging Runner3 Comments

The Garmin missed it big on first lap

Today’s run (track): 4.25 miles (3 mile tempos plus 8 x 200)

My running experience on Saturday was disheartening and my poor performance caused an alarm after I started reading the July issue of Runner’s World. This issue’s theme focused on people who use running to raise money for cancer research and on those runners who are coping with the disease. One story quoted a runner whose running performance was unaccountably slipping and a checkup revealed some horrible affliction that is (happily) now under control.

I’m not really a hypochondriac so I didn’t take any of that to heart, but I was still puzzled by my bad run. Paul, a local runner who I met at the NHP 8K, suggested that my diet may have left me depleted of needed carbs as an explanation for my failure to generate speed during yesterday’s run. He knows his stuff and suggested trying more complex carbs the night before a long run. He competes a lot and tunes his pre-race meals according to distance and time of the day.

I took Paul’s advice and (for dinner) had a modest portion of Garden Delight Penne Rigate with roasted chicken, broccoli, carrots and cauliflower mixed in. Earlier that day, I had a recurrence of the sinus headache that plagued me a couple of weeks ago. Around 4:00 AM this morning I got up and took two Pseudoephedrine and went back to bed. I woke up at 5:30 feeling great. After a couple of cups of coffee, I headed for the track.

My plan for today was to generate some speed after yesterday’s tough run. It was humid, but not too hot, and the cloud cover was thick. I started with a mile warm-up at a brisk pace (7:50 min/mile) and then ran 8 x 200’s averaging 6:50/mile overall. For me these were blistering paces. The Hattori’s performed well on the track, my landings were much more front than mid-foot and neither my feet, ankles nor calves balked at the strain.

I followed the speed work with two miles of “easy” running, maintaining an 8:20 pace through that distance. I haven’t managed that pace over two miles in a long time, clearly the speed work had activated those fast twitch muscles. What a difference a day makes. I’m no longer feeling that I’m on an unstoppable performance decline and I’m thinking that I need to do speed work more often than once every three weeks. Perhaps a trail run tomorrow will be a great coda for this 4th of July long weekend. Speed’s not an issue on Monday — I have nothing left to prove.

Race report: 2011 New Hyde Park 8K

On June 5, 2011 By Emerging Runner6 Comments

An 8K PR for the ER

Today’s run (New Hyde Park 8K): 5 miles at 8:40/mile

As they say, the third time’s the charm and that was the case for me after today’s race. I had hopes of beating my prior finish time of 44:42 that I ran in both 2009 and 2010 and I certainly did that. Last year I went out much slower than the prior year and picked up my pace later in the race. That resulted in a better experience than 2009 (when I went into energy debt by mile 4) but my time ended up exactly the same. But that’s ancient history — the better story is today’s race.

TEAM EMERGING RUNNER

Form doesn’t always follow fashion

Although my wife and kids try to join me at every race, for some reason they could not attend prior to this year. It was a great psychological bonus to have them with me today. We arrived early and were able to park at the school, unlike last year when I needed to park some blocks away. I saw many familiar faces, this is very much a running club race, and I knew that it would be a fast field. The scene was familiar and, per tradition, the race tee was, umm, aesthetically interesting. But it is 100% polyester so I can run in it.

Registration was well organized, as usual

PRE-RACE PREP
We watched the mini run for kids and then made our way towards the starting line. I was feeling good and my Hattori’s felt light on my feet and ready to race. What had started out as a cool and cloudy morning had turned sunny. Thankfully, it still wasn’t all that hot. I took a GU Roctane gel 30 minutes before the start. I also carried a small bottle of water in case I needed to refuel near the end of the race and wanted some hydration along with the gel.

Off and running

START
We started on time with a field of almost 300 runners. I hit start on the Garmin 210 and took off quickly, happy to see my family on the sidelines. I felt good knowing that I’d see them again in about 45 minutes. I had prepared well for this race — two day’s prior rest, a reasonable taper, core exercises the day before, my favorite gel in my system and adequate hydration before the start. Plus my excellent Craft running shirt and those Hattori’s.

THE RACE
When my Garmin chirped at mile one it took me by surprise. Interestingly, the FR 210 indicated that mile a few 100ths sooner than the official mile station. I’ve been a little suspicious of the measurement of this course because my Garmin FR 50 and 60 always over counted and my prior mapping of the course on Google Earth put it a tick longer than 5 miles. Since the GPS never over counts it makes me wonder a bit.

More importantly, I felt great after mile one and that continued as we headed north on New Hyde Park Road. Mile two comes along the service road on the LIE and I found myself passing people instead of being passed (as was my experience last year). I was still feeling strong at the third mile and decided that I didn’t need an additional gel to get me through the duration. By mile four I knew I was on track to beat my prior time but knew I still had another mile to cover. I went against instinct and surged on the uphills, surprised to find I still had energy when I got to the top.

When we turned into the neighborhood that backs the school I knew I just needed to maintain a decent pace to finish under nine minutes a mile. I was feeling good until a race volunteer yelled “Just over half a mile to the finish!” For some reason that made it seem like I had more distance to run than was in my head but I knew that soon it would be less than a half a mile.

THE FINISH
I finally saw the yellow street sign and green lawn of the school a few hundred feet ahead. At that point a young woman pulled beside me and said “This is it” before dropping into gear and leaving me in the dust. I kept up my charge and when I hit the lawn I sprinted toward the finish line. I noticed my son and daughter running on the sidelines in my direction and I looked for my wife who was getting ready to photograph me crossing the line. It was the first time I ever got a picture of me finishing that race (top photo).

My Garmin recorded the race as 5.05 miles and I’ll take a look at the route it captured when I upload it on Garmin Connect. I knew I beat my prior time and was really happy to see that I achieved a pace that I’d even consider good for a 5K. After grabbing some water and walking off some post race energy I checked the posted times and verified that I had a new PR.

EMERGING RUNNER COMMUNITY
I was very happy to meet another runner, Paul (below right), who told me that he’s an Emerging Runner reader. Paul was running in Saucony Mirages and they worked for him, helping him to a sub 7:00/mile finish. Amazingly, Paul had raced the previous day and he told me that he races about once a week. No wonder he’s so fast! I was really glad he stopped to talk and I’ll look for him at other races, but I know I won’t be able to keep up with him once the gun goes off.

Two runners: one fast, one emerging

I’m very pleased with today’s race for so many reasons. It was my best race performance this year and it reinforced to me that my training and preparation are on track. I loved the Hattori’s and I don’t want to run in anything else now. I don’t have any more races on the calendar until the Dirty Sock in August but I’m tempted to find a 5K to run in July.

First run with the Garmin 210

On May 11, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Now it’s just me, the road and 10 satellites

Today’s run (street): 2.5 miles

Last night UPS delivered my new Garmin 210 and I was excited by the prospect of doing my morning run free of the foot pod and calibration concerns. The foot pod wasn’t necessary but after the watches’ first use I do question the overall accuracy. I bought the watch online this weekend — the basic 210 without the foot pod/HRM bundle. I got a great price and free delivery two days later. I un-boxed the watch and plugged it in to charge the lithium battery. Setup took seconds and the watch automatically acquired the date and time via satellite signal.

This morning I was excited to try the watch. My only experiences with GPS tracking were with various GPS apps on my iPhone (bad) the QStarz Sports Recorder (worse). I stepped outside and activated the satellite receiver and the 210 grabbed its connection in seconds. My iPhone usually takes minutes to get a GPS signal. I hit the start button and off I went. My knee is still bothering me but after getting the “okay” to run from the doctor yesterday I accepted the mild pain. Three minutes into the run the pain disappeared and I was able to focus on my form. I think my stride was a little unbalanced at first but I managed to pick up my pace without a problem.

I passed mile one a short distance after my known benchmark but it was close enough to think the GPS’s accuracy was in the ballpark. I covered the first mile in 9:27, mile 2 at 9:01 and the last half mile at an 8:50 pace. Those were my calculations based on careful retracing of my route on Gmaps. The 210 recorded my distance .07 miles (2.8%) less than that. I’ll be curious to see if the accuracy varies consistently. I’m hoping that an examination of the GPX file overlay on Google Earth will show where the 210’s GPS cut corners to end up short. Unless of course, it’s actually Gmaps that’s off…

Race report: 2011 Marcie Mazzola 5k

On April 10, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Rounding the corner — finish line ahead

Today’s run (Marcie Mazzola 5K): 27:33 (8:52 pace)

This morning I ran the Marcie Mazzola Foundation race for the third time. My family and I have a sentimental attachment to this event because the 2009 race was my very first competition. I ran well today though I didn’t come close to a PR nor did I match last year’s time. The important thing is that I did fine and had a great time running this race.

It was cold this morning and I was glad to have worn insulated sweat pants and two jacket layers to keep me warm prior to the start. Having my family at the race helps tremendously because I can wear the warmer layers and then hand them off to my wife before the start. This race is always well organized and today was no different. However, the usual on-time start was delayed 11 minutes to accommodate last minute adjustments related to routing car traffic around the race. I was chilly in my short sleeves and running shorts but not uncomfortable. I looked forward to the start so I could generate a little body heat.

Off to a good start – the big hill was still to come

The congestion at the beginning prevented a fast start but that didn’t bother me because I’ve learned to take the first mile of this race slow and steady. While it isn’t as steep or onerous as Cow Harbor’s Widow Hill, there is a steep incline that runners reach about a quarter mile in that goes on for a while. I took it a little faster than planned but still came though mile 1 with a split time of 9:36. I was alarmed at that but I figured I could make up some time on the flat and downhill portions of the race. It’s been a while since I’ve run at a sub-9:00 pace but I was ready to do that today.

I wore my new Saucony Mirages and liked them a lot. They gave me no trouble on their maiden flight and moved me along well. I wondered briefly at one point whether I should have run with the Kinvaras because they are a little more flexible but in the end I don’t think that mattered. I suspect the Mirages will loosen up a little after I put on more mileage.

I came through the second mile at 17:58 so I’d already made up 37 seconds by then. That put my overall pace under 9 minutes. I was running well but wished I had drank a little more water prior to the start. I thought only of preserving the pace I was running and concentrated on holding off other runners that tried to pass me. I was only partially successful there. Before long we were crossing Main Street on our way to circling Heckscher Park. I knew we were near the end but the last half mile is always tough on a 5K. I took a half cup of water which I sorely needed and it helped.

I knew the last hill was coming and when I saw it my heart sank because I felt my tank emptying and dreaded a bonk just an eighth of a mile from the finish. I decided to take the hill fast, passing a few runners in the process, and suddenly I was on the last patch of road before entering the grounds near the finish. The final leg was routed up an incline with a dogleg turn to the finish line. I saw my family cheering me at that turn and my wife snapped the picture at the top of this post. I came over the line in a sprint and noted my end time. Not my greatest effort on a 5K but comfortably under 9:00/mi which was my goal today.

Post race awards and Mr. Softy near the back

During the cool down we enjoyed the generous variety of recovery foods — fruit, energy bars, bagels, cookies and chips, administered by the always helpful and cheery volunteers. It’s a really nice race with a nice small town feel. This year the race organizers had three Mr. Softy trucks parked at the race grounds who were handing out free cones to anyone with a race bib. Our big surprise was when we ran into one of my daughter’s favorite teachers who had left her school last year. Ms. M had run the race with her mother and another friend. Their reunion was sweet and it characterized the feeling we always get from this event.

I’m now setting my sights on the LI Half Marathon that’s less than a month away. I’m going back to my long base runs and thinking about strategy for the longest race I’ll run to date. But today it’s about enjoying the feeling that comes from a good run on a good day. Another Marcie Mazzola race has been run. Can’t wait for next year.

Effort gap between perception and reality

On April 6, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (street): 2.5 miles

Yesterday’s treadmill run was a welcomed improvement over my prior three runs. This morning I got outside and ran in weather that seemed far colder than the 39 degrees that had been reported on the news. I didn’t look once at my Garmin during my run as I worked to maintain a brisk pace. With the paces I’ve been running lately I wanted to avoid further demotivation by seeing my actual speed. I hoped that my perceived effort matched my performance and in the end I guess that was true.

At first I was disappointed that I’d averaged only 9:13/mi though I felt like I was running at 10K race pace. The important thing I realized was that late last week I was running a minute-plus slower per mile, due to the effects of giving blood. With one more run followed by two days of rest, I’m hoping that I will be close to race day potential by Sunday.

Maintaining the right tempo

On March 30, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Thanks for making my point Newsday!

Today’s run (street): 2.5 miles

My wife handed me the paper when I got home last night and told me to check out the second section. Newsday had run an article about minimalist running and she mischievously annotated the story showing the points I’d made in my “How to” post on Monday. I thought that was pretty funny.

I followed yesterday’s good run with one that felt as good, but for some reason I ran the route 40 seconds slower than I did on Tuesday. It was puzzling to me, especially since my intention was to tempo at around 20 seconds above 5K race pace. After looking at my splits I saw that I simply went out too slow for the first 15 minutes but made up some time in the last third of my run. At that point I’d dropped into performance gear and run at about 8:20/mile.

I’m sure the additional rest I’d had prior to yesterday’s run had something to do with my better performance. That seems to reinforce the idea that rest + training is the right combination for optimal performance.

LSD at Bethpage, the legal kind

On March 5, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (Bethpage State Park): 8.25 miles

I wanted to go for an LSD run this morning so I headed over to Bethpage State Park. I’d assumed with the warmer temperatures that the park had finally opened its bike trail. As soon as I reached the golf course saw a runner on the path beyond the (formally) gated entrance. I knew then that I’d be able to get in and run. No one was manning the toll house when I drove up, usually a good thing because it means no park fee, but I’d planned to buy an Empire Passport today. Oh well, free admission at least.

I’d worn shorts for the first time since October, along with a half zip and my lightweight running rain jacket as a top layer. It was 47 degrees with threatening skies so I decided to wear the jacket even though it can get hot. I figured that my plan to run long, but slowly, would prevent me from becoming overheated. I started up the steep hill where the bike trail begins and looked at the Garmin to make sure that I was running no faster than my planned pace. I’ve only averaged 3.75 miles per run since December, primarily due to all the snow we’ve had. I need to build back my base in preparation for my half marathon in May.

Runners outnumbered cyclists on the path although I saw plenty of both as I made my way along the trail. Running slowly was a treat, the hills didn’t matter much and I was able to think about many things instead of focusing on my turnover and speed. I was passed by a few runners and I wanted to shout to them “I’m not really this slow, I’m doing LSD!” Actually that would not be a good thing to yell. Still, I began to feel the workout at around mile 5 of my planned eight.

I gave in to my natural pace and ran the last two miles under 10:00 per mile and completed 8.3 miles averaging 10:10. It was great to run a longer distance after being constrained to the streets of my neighborhood for months. I’m not sure if I’ll do a run of 13 or more miles before the RXR Half Marathon but today’s 8 was a good start.