Weekend running: Bethpage, NY Marathon and time travel

On November 5, 2010 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

I decided to skip yesterday and today’s workouts to give myself a chance to further recover from my cold. I learned from my bout with pneumonia that running, instead of resting, can be a bad trade off. I originally planned a run with JQ for lunchtime but he needs to attend a meeting. I could run alone but it’s probably better for me to rest. I’ve suffered a painful sinus condition over the last couple of days and thankfully I’m feeling much better this morning.

I’m planning to meet Dave tomorrow at Bethpage for a long run, probably seven or eight miles. I haven’t done a run over six miles since Brian and I reran the Cow Harbor course a couple of weeks ago so it will be good to catch up on my miles. After this weekend I’m racing the next two (11/14 & 11/21 — both 10K) and I’m running a 5K on Thanksgiving with my wife and kids. Another good reason to take today to rest.

If the timing works I’ll head downtown around noon to the Jacob Javitts Center to visit the NY Marathon expo. My friend FS is running it for (I think) the third time and I’m excited for her. She and her husband are great competitors and they do many NYRR races. They also run marathons and half’s in different parts of the country along with the occasional 100 mile bike run. I’ll be cheering for her on Sunday. Also notable this weekend is a special run that Adventure Girl is leading at Yale. She’s taking her Harriers running group out at 1:45 AM on a long run with the goal of returning to their starting point before they even left! Note that daylight savings time starts at 2:00 AM : )

Resting easy

On October 30, 2010 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

I chose not to run yesterday to help my recovery from this cold. There are few things I dislike more than a hacking cough but that’s been my experience since Thursday. Yesterday my wife and I went on a brisk hour walk in the neighborhood and I wore the SRRs which seem to contribute well to the workout. I’m becoming less skeptical as I use them. I think less is more when it comes to running shoes but as a training tool they seem to be helping me strengthen my upper hamstrings and glutes.

My mother and her friend are our weekend guests and we’re planning to head out for a hike after lunch. If I can’t run then at least I can get some activity in. Tomorrow, if it’s clear that I’ve begun to recover well, I plan to go out for a 5 or 6 mile run. If not I’ll continue my rest. It’s the longest I’ve gone between runs while not tapering for a race. Another day of rest will probably benefit me more than running right now.

Why race if you’re not gonna win?

On September 20, 2010 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Well this is it — race week. Five days to the start of the Great Cow Harbor 10K. I don’t know what it is about this race that fascinates me but I’ve thought a lot about it since I signed up in August. Racing is a curious thing. Unless you are very fast, the chances of placing overall, or even in your age group, is statistically very low. So if it’s not about winning, why do we race? The easy answer is because it’s inexpensive fun. You register for a event and you have weeks to enjoy the anticipation. It’s all upside until you reach that inevitable part of a race where you are pushing to your limits and questioning your decision to enter in the first place. No matter what, once you cross the finish line everything is fine and the pain is forgotten. Bananas and bagels never tasted so good, water was never so refreshing. Even Gatorade is palatable. I’m sure there are aspects of racing that tie into our natural instinct to compete, although most recreational runners are really competing with themselves. I honestly hope BJS and Dave do great even if that means beating my own time. I’m not just saying that because it’s likely that they will.

I was going to do a hard run with a friend at lunchtime but my schedule won’t allow it. I’ll need to defer that to October. It’s just as well on this taper week that I don’t push as hard as I normally might. Saturday and Sunday were both great and different workouts. I guess I’ll take a page from the quote of the week and savor the rest. My friend FS ran the 18 mile pre-marathon tuneup yesterday in Central Park. She was remarkably unfazed when I saw her this morning. Three times around the park means three times over the Harlem Hills. No matter what I’ve put myself through of late it won’t touch that effort. I’m looking forward to my run tomorrow with JQ. The weather should be cooler than today with less wind. I think we’ll keep the pace moderate but the hills on the lower and upper loops will keep it interesting. Today I’ll just enjoy my rest.

Crossing off cross training

On August 26, 2010 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

I went to bed last night expecting to do a morning elliptical session but I’ve decided to forgo my workout today. I’m still feeling some residual soreness from Sunday’s race and I’ve been feeling tired — more due to work intensity than running. I’m glad I rested and I have no regrets that I didn’t do my cross training this morning. The weather looks promising tomorrow and I’m thinking about doing a city run around midday. I’ve planned a long training run on Saturday with DaveADK and another run on Saturday morning with KWL. With all that upcoming running the benefits of rest seems to outweigh the benefit of one more workout. At least that’s how I’m viewing it today.

Foregoing my run today

On May 6, 2010 By Emerging Runner1 Comment

No workout today

I decided to forgo my usual Thursday workout this morning and take an additional day of rest this week. I’m looking to add more distance to my weekend runs and I’ve recently added a longer run on Fridays in the city. It’s taken a while but I’m beginning to understand the value of rest as an enhancement to my training. On a recent run with my friend and running advisor, CK, we talked about the frequency of my runs. CK suggested that more rest would be beneficial for recovering from longer runs and the additional rest would probably help me improve my performance. I’ll see if that’s true tomorrow where I plan to run the big loop around Central Park (6 miles). My goal is to average around 20 miles a week and I should be able to do that even if I take two days of rest on some weeks.

Take a break, it’s good for you

On April 29, 2010 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Today’s workout: Rest day

For the third time this week my day started with the loud bleat of my my alarm clock. Yesterday’s run, though short, was tough and I decided that if I woke up on my own, minutes before the alarm as I usually do, I would do my planned workout. If not I’d take a rare mid week rest day because I obviously need it this week. Even so, I struggled with the decision but, ultimately, I’m glad that I rested.

When I ran in Central Park with my friend CK last week I’d mentioned that I run or work out every day except Mondays. He was incredulous (he obviously doesn’t read my blog!) and said I shouldn’t run so often. I told him the distances I am covering during week days and he agreed that my schedule is probably fine. However, he did say that resting a day or two, or even for a week occasionally, can be beneficial. I guess that helped me feel better about skipping today’s planned elliptical session. I’m planning to run in the city tomorrow and I’m sure this week’s extra day of rest will help reset my energy level and prepare me for longer runs over the weekend.

Rain, rain (don’t) go away

On March 29, 2010 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s workout: Rest day

We changed our plans for a short vacation in western Massachusetts when we saw that the current torrential rainstorm’s duration would coincide exactly with our scheduled time away. Instead we stayed local and amused ourselves with distractions that included a Wii tournament. I was soundly whipped at tennis by my daughter and out boxed by my son. Well at least I got a little exercise. Very little.

Tomorrow’s weather looks to be equally stormy but I’m hoping that there will be a window of time when the rain stops long enough for me to get in a neighborhood run. Barring that, I’ll return to the new treadmill and work around the slipping belt by staying farther to the left side. I got a notification that the new parts have been shipped so it shouldn’t be long before the treadmill becomes more of an asset than a liability. Thursday, Friday and the weekend days look to be much more running-friendly than today, tomorrow and Wednesday so I’m sure I’ll still get plenty of miles in on this vacation.

I’ve learned to listen to my body

On January 26, 2010 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

One positive thing about my recent illness is that it taught me that I have limits and that I need to respect those limits. Otherwise I might end up back in the hospital. I had a couple of good runs over the weekend and rested yesterday. I figured that this week would be the right time to slide back into my daily running routine. The only modification I’m making this week is that I’m running indoors on the treadmill rather than the road at 4:00 AM. Last night, after an energizing day at work, I started to feel ill on the train. I was suddenly fatigued and had quickly developed a headache. That carried through the rest of the night and when I woke up this morning I debated whether to push through it and do my run or get back in bed and rest more.

Prior to my pneumonia I would have definitely pushed through and run. I’ve had success in defeating colds by overwhelming them with activity. This morning that felt risky and while I felt a bit guilty about it I knew I needed to listen to my body and rest. I ended up sleeping another hour and then slept the 40 minutes on the train into the city. Three cups of strong coffee and two ibuprofen have brought me back for the most part. Now that I’m feeling better I’m wishing I still had running clothes in my office so I could do a few miles in Central Park at lunch. In the end I know rest is the better cure so I’ll live with not running today. I’m planning to run the treadmill tomorrow morning if my body tells me I can.

Many thought running caused my pneumonia

On January 20, 2010 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Rest days are the theme of the week for me. I had planned to do an elliptical session this morning but I figuratively hit the wall on Tuesday afternoon and dragged myself home. My wife said it’s crazy to work out when I still haven’t adjusted back to the work-week schedule. I took that as sound advice and skipped today’s workout. Perhaps tomorrow I’ll try again or I may just wait for Friday for a moderate run.

It’s hard to write a blog about running when you’re not actually running. People have been very gracious and encouraging in their comments and I guess some of the reason is that we’ve all been forced into recovery for one reason or another. According to what I’ve read more than 65 percent of runners suffer running related injuries each year. Many ~~haters~~ people probably find that to be solid evidence that running does you more harm than good. My wife said she was asked numerous times whether my running caused my pneumonia. She simply responded by saying that my conditioning probably helped keep the illness from being as debilitating as it might have been. My brother had great response when someone suggested that my pneumonia was triggered by working out too much and keeping my weight too low: “So would he have been better off packing on the pounds and sitting around on the couch than exercising and running?”

With everything that’s transpired over that last three weeks my weight has actually dropped lower than I want it to be. That’s what happens when you go two full weeks without an appetite. Well my appetite has fully returned and I’m tempted to regain about five pounds via junk and comfort food. I’m happy to say that I’ve been good about not doing that so far. My weight will come back to the proper level on its own – that’s one thing I thing I know I can count on.

Day off from running

On December 2, 2009 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

I don’t often catch colds although I do occasionally get symptoms that I fight with a combination of rest and exercise. This week I’ve suffered a sore throat that quickly gave way to a sinus headache and fatigue. I’m pleased that it hasn’t gone further than that but I wish it would just go away. I laid out my running gear last night but when I got up this morning. I questioned whether exercise would do more harm than good and briefly considered an elliptical session but I ended up getting back in bed until 5:00.

I have a very busy schedule today with a presentation mid-morning so I decided to go the resting route instead. It was a morning made for running so I had slight pangs of regret as I headed out for the train today. All the same, I have learned that while sometimes the best response to an impending illness is to fight back with a rigorous workout, some days the best exercise is rest.