Hard work and quick shoes yield a fast 4 AM run

On March 22, 2012 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (street): 2.5 miles

I’m in off-site meetings all day today and tomorrow. It’s been a long day that will continue through the evening. It starts again early on Friday, and I’m trying to figure out whether I’ll have the energy to work out tomorrow morning after getting (at best) four hour’s sleep. In my college days I’d attend classes all day, stay out past 1:00 AM and be fully alert for class at 8:00 AM the next morning. I sure don’t bounce back the same anymore.

I was glad that I went for my run this morning. I followed my plan to run hard and it yielded very good results. In fact, it was my first 4:00 AM run this year where I averaged under 9:00 a mile. Conditions were ideal, cool but not cold. I wore running shorts and a long sleeved top and that worked really well. I had good energy from my first steps off my driveway until I returned, less than 23 minutes later.

If not for yesterday’s mid-9:00 pace, I would have given full credit to the Spira XLT’s. I pushed a lot harder than I did on Wednesday, and that probably explained my much improved performance. But getting under 9:00 was a big improvement so I’ll say it was the combination of hard work and fast shoes. I’m pretty sure I’ll be running in the Spira’s for April’s Marcie Mazzola 5k.

First outdoor run in the XLT’s: interesting results

On March 14, 2012 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run: 2.5 miles

I’m not quite sure what to make of this morning’s run. My expectations were set to high for a performance boost that I hoped to get from the new Spira XLT’s. I hoped the claim of a 15 sec/mile improvement was more than marketing hype. I’ve learned over the years that it’s really not the shoe, but the person in the shoe, that determines outcome. Still, I was hopeful.

I was excited to try the new shoes on the road and I took off on a somewhat faster pace than normal, once my Garmin was ready. The XLT’s felt good, not super-cushioned, but comfortable. I noticed the ride was high, compared to my Hattori’s and Mirages, but I still felt like I was landing mid-foot. The slight uphill of the first road on my route was a good basis for judging the benefit of the Wavespring technology. I moved along well, but it wasn’t a transforming experience.

Once I leveled out, I let the shoes do their thing. I probably pushed a little harder than usual, perhaps because I anticipated a dramatic improvement of my pace. I had no issues with the feel of the shoes but I wouldn’t say they provided noticeable energy return. I knew I could have run faster, but I didn’t want to add too many variables to the mix. My goal was to see if, during a normal run, I’d really see measurable improvement.

Regardless of the shoes, I felt good on this run. Like Sunday and Tuesday’s workouts, my stamina has improved since I began my weekend base training. I crossed the threshold of my driveway, hit “Stop” on the Garmin and saw that I finished my run 43 seconds faster than the last run along that route. But that day it was windy and I may not have pushed as hard as I did today. Then again, it could have been the shoes. A few more runs will show whether I’m gaining speed, or if today was simply a fluke.

What’s in the box will make me 15 seconds faster

On March 12, 2012 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Mysteries a-foot

There’s a box waiting for me at home that contains a pair of running shoes. These shoes are different from any others that I own. The manufacturer claims that I’ll see a 15 second per mile improvement over my regular trainers. Unless it’s raining, I will be testing that theory tomorrow morning. I plan to do a full writeup on Runner’s Tech Review once I’ve had a chance to evaluate them fully.

I’m also waiting for a pair of mystery running shoes that have not yet arrived. I don’t know when to expect them. All I know is that one of my favorite shoe companies (Saucony) recently sent me a note saying they had “top secret” news and asked for my size. What could be better than having some brand new performance tech-y shoes waiting at home? How about knowing that a secret pair of running shoes are also coming? Stay tuned, all will be revealed…

Upping my game to reach an elusive PR

On March 1, 2012 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Today’s workout (elliptical): 25 minutes

Tabata training and intervals have got me thinking about my current racing performance. The good news is that, since last June, I’ve been on a streak where I’ve set new PR’s for 4 miles, 8K and 10K. In addition, I’ve achieved best ever times on five races that I do every year. The bad news is that I’m about to come around again to those races and the challenge of meeting or beating my best times will be much harder.

I believe that my improved performance is attributable to three things: more racing experience, smarter preparation methods and better weather conditions. I can’t count on the weather and there’s not much more I can do in terms of race day prep. The key for continued achievement in 2012 will be better training. I have a few ideas about that.

My next race is six weeks away. It’s a 5K and I generally run those races as a controlled sprint. 5K is the only distance where I didn’t PR in 2011, even though I ran three of them. My 5K PR is 25:50 (8:19 pace) from a race I ran in 2009. I came within 16 seconds of that time last December, but almost doesn’t count.

The key to my training for the Marcie Mazzola 5K will be a much greater focus on intensity. This, coupled with increased core and strength workouts, may help me move the time needle from 25:50 towards 24:52 (8:00 pace). I have no expectation that I’ll get there in April, but I may yet beat my 8:19 PR.

My perception was better than my reality

On February 28, 2012 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (street): 2.5 miles

Getting up and out the door before 4:00 AM this morning wasn’t as hard as I expected it would be. I even got up before my alarm and made it outside five minutes earlier than normal. That’s always a bonus because it means that I get an extra five minutes to relax and recover before moving on with my morning routine.

My unexpected energy carried through to the road and I felt as though everything was working great. With the exception of some strong breezes that hit sporadically, conditions were pleasant. My stride felt balanced and my cadence felt quick. I didn’t look at my Garmin because I wanted to be surprised by my pace when I completed the run.

I was surprised at the end to see how I performed, but not in the way I hoped. This run felt fast, but it took me almost 90 seconds more to complete than normal. I didn’t get it and I still don’t really understand how a run that felt so good resulted in such a mediocre time. I can usually predict my pace fairly accurately but I was far off today. No matter though. I enjoyed the run and I’ll take experience over speed any day (except race day!).

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.

Embrace the hobgoblin

On February 1, 2012 By Emerging Runner1 Comment

Today’s run (street): 2.5 miles

Last Sunday I took a look at my running history on Garmin Connect. This dataset goes back to February ’09, when I got my first Forerunner watch, the FR50. Although my modern running history starts a few months before that, the 750 recorded runs represent a statistically significant performance database. I ran a report of all my street runs and discovered that the pace and distances I ran in January 2012 are almost exactly the same as my all-time average.

I was happy to know this because it shows that my pace hasn’t degraded in the three-plus years since I returned to running. A deeper look at the numbers confirmed that my paces in early 2009 were similar to today’s, so this average isn’t merely 1.5 early years of fast running, followed by 1.5 years of slowness.

This morning I had a slow start to my run, owing to my chronic pain above my right heel that may or may not be my Achilles tendon. The burning I feel when I start off tends to go away once I’ve warmed up a bit. The pain isn’t bad. It’s just that it’s always there at the start. Due to this, my first mile was slow — over 10 minutes — but I picked up the pace and finished with a time only 40 seconds longer than yesterday’s.

Today’s run and Sunday’s performance review both reinforced the fact that, most of the time, I run about the same, regardless of what I think at the time. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “…consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” That may be true, but I think consistency, when it comes to running, is a great way to validate your efforts.

Despite how it sounds, brown fat is a runner’s friend

On January 26, 2012 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Yesterday’s workout (treadmill): 25 minutes
Today’s workout (elliptical): 26 minutes

I’ve never understood why it’s so hard to use fat as an energy source. Everyone knows that people burn calories at a specific rate and that most of what isn’t used gets stored as fat. Unfortunately, this fat isn’t (metaphorically) shelved and ready for use as soon as our bodies need a boost. It requires a lot of physical change to access these stores. An article in the Tuesday NY Times talks about brown fat, which our bodies can efficiently access and burn.

The article makes a number of points, including the interesting fact that when a person is cold, their body will convert our excess white fat to brown fat. The more brown fat we have, the more fuel we have to burn at the ready. It’s funny, but I’ve bundled up less on my commute since I read that article. Just think, next time you are standing in the miserable cold, you can take solace in the fact that you are converting your unhealthy fat into a performance enhancing form.

My wife’s anti-wimp technique

On January 24, 2012 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (street): 2.5 miles

The rain and warm temperatures have washed away most of this weekend’s snow, so I headed out for a neighborhood run this morning. The treadmill, which I have long demonized, has recently become my lazy choice for a morning workout. And why not? It’s ready to go when you are. A quick change into running shoes, shorts and shirt (shirt optional), and I can go from sleeping to running in a third of the time it takes me to go outdoors.

Why did I run outside today? Because my wife made me. Last night I told her that I was planning an indoor run and she said “The rain is gone and it’s going to be almost 50 degrees tomorrow morning. You really like to run outside, so why aren’t you?” I couldn’t tell her that I’ve become a wimp who prefers the easy, controlled experience of treadmill running. Or that I’ve been seduced by the extra time afforded by not putting on outside gear and messing with satellite acquisition.

Out I went this morning, and I had a great run. I appreciated my ability to vary speed, cadence and stride on a whim and the ever changing scenes of my neighborhood. The winds were strong and they seemed to come from multiple directions. I ran very well, but only beat my usual pace by 20 seconds per mile. It was probably due to so many headwinds. The important thing was that, due to my wife’s prompting, I had a much better experience than I would have on the treadmill. Maybe I should listen to her more often.

The more you think the worse you’ll perform

On January 19, 2012 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s workout (elliptical): 25 minutes

Perhaps there is something to the idea of “clear mind, sound body.” I followed a link put up by blogger/podcaster cyktrussel who publishes http://www.runrunlive.com/ that states “intense thinking could [also] affect a competitive athlete’s performance.” The term used in the article is “ego depletion” and the article further states that “the harder you think, work or stress right before a practice or race, the worse you will perform.”

Perhaps the next time I have a bad run or workout, I’ll blame it on my tendency to think too deeply.