Rain disrupts my plans, but not my running

On August 2, 2013 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Weather fit for neither beast nor trail runner

Today’s run (treadmill): 3.1 miles

I ended up skipping yesterday’s workout altogether, choosing to wait until this afternoon to run the trails with my friend. The early morning’s weather was perfect, but unfortunately, it was the only good weather we had today. I glanced outside throughout the day and watched the sky grow increasingly darker. It would either clear up, or I’d be looking at rainy and muddy conditions at 4:00 PM.

Around 3:00 PM, my friend Chris called to check in. He was on Long Island for business and preparing to finish a meeting, before heading to my house. The rain was coming down in buckets and any hopes that it would taper off were gone. We decided to postpone our trail run until next week.

With my afternoon freed up, I refocused on a business project. I knew I had the option of running on the treadmill so, by 4:15, I’d decided to do that. In keeping with my plan to train at faster paces, I started on the edge of comfort and increased my speed periodically throughout the run.

Some people find treadmill running easier than outdoor running, but I have the opposite experience. 6.6 MPH (9:00/mile) on my Sole F63 feels like 5K race pace. I was determined get through the run, despite increasing discomfort. I bumped up the pace with a quarter mile to go and held it until I’d “covered” my planned distance.

It was definitely one of the hardest runs I’ve done in the last four weeks and I was glad that I didn’t back off on my speed, even as the run got tougher. I need to maintain that mindset as I go through my Dirty Sock training. Even without Chris to push me or the challenges at Stillwell, I think made some good conditioning progress today.

Speed decline, is it nature or nurture?

On July 30, 2013 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

My story in two axis

Today’s run (street): 3.25 miles

Conditions were near perfect when I went out for my morning run. The 7:00 AM sun was low enough to cast great shade along my route and the air felt cool and dry. The neighborhood was quiet, with just a few cars and a couple of walkers. I moved along well and thought about the fact that my running performance has suffered greatly this year.

A few years ago, I would average around 27 minutes for a three mile training run. Over time, my normal training pace has edged up almost a minute per mile. Back in 2010, I went out on every run with a pace goal in mind, and I was racing far more frequently than I have this year. That may explain some of the loss of speed.

I’m not willing to concede any performance drops to age at this point. Although I really want to run for the sake of running, I do find myself thinking about turnover and stride length while on the road. If I look at my pace on the Garmin during a run, I’m often surprised by how much effort it takes to break 9:00 minutes.

Every time I find myself on a run, struggling to stay under 10:00/mile, I vow that I’ll go back to doing core exercises and speed work at the track. Somehow I forget that commitment once I get home. I think it’s time to get serious about speed. I’m due to run with a friend this week who tends to push me past my comfort zone. Maybe that’s exactly what I need right now.

Bethpage base run and a new pair of "minimal shoes"

On July 21, 2013 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Justifiable replacement

Today’s run (Bethpage State Park): 5.9 miles

I needed to do some base building as I prepare for my next race, so I headed over to Bethpage State Park to run on the northern bike path extension. The section between the trail head at Bethpage and Old Country Road is a personal favorite, due to its rolling terrain and handy distance markers. For longer runs, I cross Old Country Road and follow the trail as far as I wish. Running it to the end leaves me off near my neighborhood, allowing me to run all the way home.

I managed to stall a full hour between the time I dressed for the run and when I actually left for Bethpage. Despite a later start, weather conditions were still good, due to heavy cloud cover that prevented direct sunshine. Humidity was much lower than yesterday and I felt energized as I took my first steps from my car to the trail.

My goal today was to cover 5 to 6 miles at around a 9:30 pace. My ideal goal pace for the Dirty Sock 10K is 9:00/mile (or better), which will be hard for me to achieve. The best I’ve ever done on that race is 58:26, so I’d need improve on that by over two minutes. My 10K PR is around 54 minutes, but that race wasn’t a trail run held during the dog days of August.

I didn’t quite make today’s performance goal, but I came respectably close. The cyclists were out in force today and I was disappointed by their lack of trail etiquette. A number of bike riders zoomed by very closely without giving any “On your left” warnings. Are they aggressive because they resent all the runners and walkers on the path, or are they just selfish?

I was humbled early on by a woman who came off a wooded trail that intersected with the paved path. She appeared to be running at an easy pace as she came up beside me, but left me in the dust before ducking back into the woods. It’s really hard to gauge a runner’s speed just by looking at them. There was a group of high school aged boys doing a training run and a family of five (including three pre-teens) who were all running together.

Most of the run felt good. It was only near the end, when I faced the biggest hills, that I began to feel some fatigue. Despite that, I pushed hard during the last half mile and I was surprised to have the energy to do that.

After I got home, my daughter and I went to Modell’s in Plainview to buy ourselves new pairs of pool shoes. My old pair (top), which served me well for at least five years (including time on the road as “poor man’s” minimalist running shoes), are starting to disintegrate. I’m not sure I’ll use my new pair for running, but they worked great in the pool today!

Considering a new concept: running fast

On July 2, 2013 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Comfort or competitive?

Today’s run (treadmill): 3.1 miles

It was nice to put some speed into my running yesterday, after so many weeks of moderate workouts. It’s easy to fall into the trap of running an equilibrium pace, something that I define as the speed I run when I’m not thinking about running. Enabling this behavior are all the articles I’m reading that challenge the long term health benefit of high intensity workouts. But if you want to be a competitive runner, you need to train fast every once in a while.

I envy people who have trouble running slowly. In the early ’90’s, I went out fast on every run and I think that led to my eventual disenchantment with running. When I returned to running in 2008, my strategy was to ease into my training, building my fitness over time. My enjoyment of running was tied to the experience of being outside and active, without suffering every time I did a run. That’s possibly why I am perfectly comfortable running easy.

Every time I race, I want to race again soon. I’m debating whether to subject myself to a July race, or wait until the Dirty Sock in August that has always been the kickoff race to my busier fall and winter race schedule.

This morning I broke from tradition and did a run the day after a race. I usually take Monday as a rest day, but an early day tomorrow prompted me to do the day trade. In deference to recovery, I ran easy, but the humidity made it feel hard. The wet weather kept me inside on the treadmill so at least I had the floor fan to mitigate the heat. I was happy when I finished.

Weather permitting, I’ll be back on the road on Wednesday. My plan is to add some speed to my run, at least during some segments. Who knows, some day I could be one of those people who have trouble running slowly.

2013 Marcie Mazzola Race Report

On June 30, 2013 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Last turn before the finish

Today’s run (Marcie Mazzola 5K): 3.1 miles

This morning I ran the Marcie Mazzola Foundation race for the fifth year in a row. This race was originally scheduled for last April, but the date was moved to the end of June because of a Mazzola family issue. I was concerned about running this race in the summer heat, but the ample shade made it bearable. This year I was joined by a couple of industry colleagues who were running this race for the first time.

As I’d expected, my performance did not match prior races I’ve done at this distance, but I was not disappointed. In previous years, I was racing every month and that helped me maintain my competitive focus. It’s halfway through the year and I’ve only participated in two races so far. I ran about 15 minutes on the treadmill yesterday to “activate” my leg muscles, with a combination of elevation (training for the hill on Woodhull) and speed. It’s hard to know if that helped, but I don’t think it did any harm.

Team Emerging Runner arrived at 7:45 AM for the 8:30 start. Unlike the spring race, when the morning temperature requires extra layers prior to the start, it was nice to be comfortable in just my race gear. Registration went fine, and we watched the kid’s fun run that happens 30 minutes before the 5K start. Soon after that I saw my friend Bill, an experienced racer, who had never run the Marcie Mazzola race.

Bill and I made our way down to the starting line on Park Ave and I noticed that the crowd was smaller than last year. No doubt this was due to the race date change, because the organizers announced that there were over 500 registrants. The race results showed 15 DNS’s, most likely runners that signed up for April but had scheduling conflicts today. There were 103 less finishers this year than in 2012.

Once Bill and I established our position behind the line, we were joined by another friend, Mike, who had walked to the race from his house. Mike runs triathlons, but had not run Marcie before today. As we waited for the countdown, I described the course and tried to prepare them for the hill on Woodhull Rd. Neither seemed intimidated by it.

The official Marcie 5K Pace car

The race started on time and soon after seeing my wife and kids on the sideline, we took the right and climbed the big hill that goes on for half a mile. I felt like I was moving at a decent clip and I passed a number of runners along the way. I’m still experiencing upper respiratory issues and as I made my way up Woodhull, I started to wheeze and cough. I think I’m getting closer to recovery (it’s been three weeks now!) but I was concerned about pushing too hard. I backed off the throttle slightly, until my breathing regulated. With all that, I was a little disappointed to see that I ran the first mile in 9:30.

Seconds after the start

In past years, I’ve run that first mile even slower and still finished in the 26:00 range. I ran as fast as I could today, but missed my average 5K finish time by almost two minutes. I was hoping to break 27:50, but I ended up finishing in just over 28 minutes. If this race had a timing mat at the starting line, I may have have hit my targeted time. Considering the lack of race training I did to prepare, I’m fine with today’s number.

Post-finish hydration and electrolytes

I ran miles two and three in the high 8:00 range, bringing my overall pace close to 9:00. I never felt concern about sustaining my pace, although the last segment going east of Heckscher Park, followed by a brief but noticeable hill, always makes it challenging at the end. I always want to break nine minutes, but that didn’t happen today. Still, even with a small field of runners, I ended up in the top 40% of finishers.

Racing buddies, Bill (left) and Mike (right)

Bill came in half a minute before me and Mike came in shortly after I’d finished. The path to the finish line is on an incline that has a dogleg that points runners to the chute. I thought the timer said 27:58 when I went through, but the official results have me 10 seconds after that. Either way, I was happy at the end, with my family cheering me on as I crossed the line.

After taking almost three months off from racing, it was great to be back in competition. I didn’t have any expectation that I would perform well today, but I didn’t want to embarrass myself either. Another Marcie Mazzola race is in the books, and I’m looking forward to my next race, that is likely to be the Dirty Sock 10K. That’s a race that demands some real training so I’d better get started. But today, I’m going to focus on a little post-race relaxation.

The hard running continues, although that wasn’t the plan

On June 12, 2013 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (treadmill): 3 miles

Yesterday’s run was fun, but it was also tough. I felt worn out afterwards and wondered how I’d feel this morning. There was no question that I’d do a workout but I didn’t think two tough runs in a row would be a good idea. I needed to get into the city, so time was short. Although the weather was spring-perfect, I opted to run on the treadmill to save time.

I ran fairly slow yesterday, so I set the pace a little faster today. I had little trouble maintaining my speed, but I felt like this might end up being a tedious run. I was surprised when I saw that I’d passed the ten minute mark and, before I knew it, I had done ten more. I was in danger of missing my targeted my finish time, so I increased my speed by 2/10ths of a mile every minute until I finished.

That ended up being a very hard run and I was concerned that I’d pushed myself too much. I needed to be alert for the business conversations that lay ahead. I ended up rebounding well and had a great lunch with some industry friends, one of whom will be running the Marcie Mazzola 5K with me, along with the Dirty Sock and Cow Harbor 10K’s. After ten challenging miles over two days, I think I may go for an easier workout on Thursday.

A good run today – but why?

On June 6, 2013 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Today’s run (street): 3.6 miles

I thought about yesterday’s NY Times article when I went out for my morning run. As I took off, I realized how much I’ve focused on mid-foot landing at the start of every run. Today would be different. Let my foot fall where it may!

It was another perfect running day. I appreciated the experience, and was pleasantly surprised to see few cars and buses on the road. I went out earlier than normal because I had business in the city and needed to catch a morning train. My stride felt completely fluid and I wondered whether I was running more efficiently by not attempting to land on my mid-foot. It could also have been the cool, dry weather that was making the run feel easier.

Moving along this way, I’d hoped to see at the end that I’d compiled an amazing time. No luck there, it was just slightly better than my normal moderate pace (faster than easy, slower than brisk). Still, it was an improvement of 15-20 seconds (per mile) over what I’d averaged this past week. Was it the decision to run without thinking about where my foot landed? Or was it that I had some additional energy today? Perhaps it was the fact that I pushed just a little harder this morning.

Running happy as a performance enhancement

On May 17, 2013 By Emerging Runner3 Comments

Today’s run (street): 3.7 miles

Runners tend to focus on physical methods to improve performance. If you want to run faster, do speed work. If you want to take on steep technical trails, do hill training. There’s no doubt that performance training will yield results. However, there’s an aspect to running performance that has nothing to do with hard physical work. I’m talking about your state of mind on a run.

Many runners talk about how running clears their mind and provides relief from stress. I agree with that, but I also feel that “running while anxious” can compromise performance. This week I’ve dealt with a business issue that has been weighing heavily on my mind. I did feel more energized and optimistic after my anxiety-plagued runs, but the runs themselves were not my best efforts.

This morning my situation resolved itself and the run that followed felt buoyant. I beat this week’s average pace by 15 seconds a mile. I fully believe that my better performance related directly to my mood. As good an experience as that, I felt even better after the run. So I guess the lesson here is to run when you’re happy. If it were only that easy. Maybe Brooks has a point.

Spring running is great, so the laptop can wait

On April 10, 2013 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Such that it is

Today’s run (street): 3.4 miles

Yesterday was my scheduled rest day and I spent a good part of it in front of my laptop. Consequently, I “achieved” a pathetically low step and distance count. If my Fitbit could talk to me right now, it would probably wouldn’t. I’m under the gun with business related tasks, but I have been making great progress. After all that intense work, I needed to run today. The beautiful weather certainly helped get me out the door.

My treadmill workout on Sunday was short but extremely difficult. I thought this morning about the fact that the Marcie Mazzola 5K was scheduled for next Sunday. Sadly that race has been postponed due to the death of a Mazzola family member. The way I’ve been running lately, I don’t think I would have been very competitive. I prepared to struggle as I took my first steps on today’s run, and was surprised to find that I felt great.

It was a beautiful early spring morning and I’d taken the chance of wearing running shorts and a short sleeved jersey. Sunny skies and low humidity powered me through one of my fastest runs in weeks. I wasn’t sure at the time how I was pacing, but I took advantage of my energy level and threw in some “speed play” a few times every mile. I covered the last mile at 10K race pace and finished feeling refreshed and energized. That was a good thing, because before long, it was back to the laptop for the rest of the day.

Correlating my sleep time and run fatigue

On March 2, 2013 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Frozen Fitbit

Today’s run (street): 4.8 miles

Yesterday afternoon I checked my activity progress on the Fitbit only to discover that the readings hadn’t changed since morning. The numbers displayed at 5:00 PM were almost the same as they were at 9:30 AM. I took some steps to see if they would record but the numbers didn’t change. I connected the Fitbit to my laptop using the USB charging cable and that seemed to jolt it back to life.

I was happy that the device was working again, but disappointed that I wouldn’t get “credit” for the steps, miles and flights of stairs that didn’t get captured yesterday. I’ll watch the display a little more closely, now that I’ve had that experience. It was working fine this morning and I took it along during my run.

I again recorded my sleep pattern overnight and saw that I’d slept a total of six hours. The good news was that I “only” woke up six times instead of twelve. The Fitbit site assigned me a sleep efficiency rating of 96%, far better than the first time I tracked my sleep cycle.

Perhaps it was a lack of sleep time that factored into the fatigue I felt during today’s run. I’d averaged 40 more minutes of actual sleeping time prior to last night. After yesterday’s rest day, I expected to feel slightly more energized than normal, but a few minutes into the run I knew something was missing. I set the best pace that I could, determined to cover my distance target of 4 miles.

When I run, I often think about racing and how I’d feel if I was in a race in that moment. I’ll often tell myself that I could manage more speed, if needed. Depending on the distance, I can usually muster enough energy to pick up my speed and sustain a better pace. Today I hoped I had enough in the tank to get me through the route I’d planned.

I was determined to get in a full workout and, after making a few loops through my immediate neighborhood, I crossed into neighborhood #2. I had this dual sensation of feeling tired yet ready to cover my distance. There were a few points where I could have cut the run short, but I didn’t. In fact I ended up running almost a mile longer than I expected. I was plenty tired by the time I got home and a little puzzled that my heart rate didn’t reflect the perceived effort I was experiencing.

Tomorrow I may keep it short, as I’m close to reaching my weekly mileage goal. If my energy returns I may even do some speed work. I’ll try to extend my sleep time 40 more minutes and get back to average. I think that contributed greatly to my tiring experience this morning.