Hybrid run through the Bethpage trails

On September 22, 2012 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Helpful and tasty

Today’s run (Bethpage State Park): 6.2 miles

I had been doing well earlier in the week, knocking off a couple of intense treadmill runs followed by a good effort on the road. By Thursday afternoon I had a sore throat and a lack of energy. I treated the symptoms using a couple of packets of Emergen-C (handed out at the Cow Harbor race festival) and that seemed to help. Still, I decided on Friday morning to forgo my workout.

After getting to bed early, and sleeping a rare eight hours, I was ready to go out for a longer run. I was still feeling a little tired and took an Accel Gel 2nd Surge to give me a boost. I’d taken 2nd Surge before the Cow Harbor race and liked that it provided good energy. Better still, it didn’t leave me feeling sluggish later in the run and the chocolate flavor is surprisingly good.

My plan was to run at Bethpage and do a “hybrid” run that would cover about 5 miles over both the wooded trails and the newly paved bike path extension. I ended up getting out late and didn’t start my run until 10:00 AM. I ran south on the old bike trail until I reached the cut-in to the woods and headed north along the path that changed between dirt, gravel, soil and sand.

I mostly got it right, but I over-thought my direction and took a trail that went west, forcing a turnaround at Plainview Rd. I corrected my mistake and guessed correctly from there. I followed the path out to the new paved trail that intersected just below South Park Drive. The transition to pavement was jarring and the sun and heat were suddenly factors.

The intersection with Haypath Road came quickly, and I continued north, first past Old Bethpage Road and then to Old Country Road where the paved trail ends (for now). I turned around after noting the location of the dirt trail that continued across the street. I’m hoping that they eventually put some stop signs at the locations where the bike path intersects with the road.

I was past the three mile point by the time I reached Old Country Road and I knew by then that my 5 mile run would be extended to six. I was feeling the effort, so I picked up my speed in an attempt to re-energize my stride. It helped a little, and I maintained a decent pace as I made my way south towards my finish point.

Before I could enjoy the relatively flat last mile of the run I needed to get past a couple of hills that rise 100 feet in 3/10ths of a mile. Once I cleared that point, I picked up the pace again and finished my run after covering 6.2 miles. After missing my run on Friday, I was happy with the additional unplanned mile.

I’m still not 100% but this run didn’t seem to do me any harm. I’m going to try for another longer run tomorrow, but I may stay local to do that. My next race is a 5K so I’m going to need to work on my speed at some point. That race starts with a long hill so I’ll need to start training for that as well.

Stillwell Woods fun: toughest trail run this year

On September 1, 2012 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Finally found my way across the full preserve

Today’s run (Stillwell Woods): 4.5 miles

Now that the Barclays is over and Bethpage is open once again, I considered heading over to run the bike trail. But I changed my mind on venue and opted for Stillwell Woods instead. A few miles on the wooded trails is a great way to free your mind, body and soul. That is, if they don’t beat you to a pulp.

I usually run the same route at Stillwell that starts on the main trail and follows north, and then east, before looping back around to the trail head. I usually run it twice, for a distance of about 4 miles. I like this course because it’s primarily hard packed single-track, with a few rocky and hilly sections thrown in. The challenge of getting through this loop is moderate at best, but it’s a great experience running among the trees, plants and animals.

This morning’s Stillwell run started like usual, and I followed my standard loop until I turned left instead of right, just before the one mile point. This little change quickly turned the dial from easy to difficult. Instead of my familiar paths, I soon encountered the first of many sharp inclines up rock, scree and sand, followed by numerous steep, carved out, drops.

Technical trail running can be fun provided you’re wearing the right shoes and have an understanding of your course. I had neither, but I did my best. Thinking I’d run my usual route, I wore a pair of road shoes that performed remarkably well in most circumstances, but barely had enough bite for some particularly steep inclines.

I’d brought a compass and that was very helpful for navigating across the entire preserve. Still, I didn’t know what to expect from minute to minute. The route I’d taken brought me up and down, with almost no level sections between the one and three mile points. I began to get frustrated by this pattern because I didn’t know what lay ahead. I only knew it would be tough running.

Just when I started to think about taking a break or even walking some of the difficult sections, I found myself on a familiar trail that’s part of my normal route. Knowing the worst was over, I happily followed my way around to the trail head and ran the paved drive almost to the street and back.

Ups and downs through the first three miles

What started as a routine Stillwell run turned out to be an exhausting hill workout with lots of technical terrain and obstacles. I needed to duck under or leap over a lot of stuff and all that sand was irritating. I was proud of myself for meeting every hill challenge head on. But I did need a mid-day recovery nap to get my energy back, so I could play soccer with my daughter.

Tomorrow I’ll go back on the road again. Perhaps I’ll head to Bethpage for six miles or so on the bike trail. After today’s run, that might feel easier than usual.

Twisting and turning on the Bethpage trails

On August 12, 2012 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

So that’s where I ran – thanks Garmin!

Today’s run (Bethpage trails): 3.25 miles

I’d hoped to cover more than three miles on the wooded trails at Bethpage this morning, but that distance turned out to be more than enough. I really like Bethpage’s trails because they are well groomed and diverse. The terrain varies between mulch, dirt, loose rocks and sand. I don’t care much for the sandy parts, but they are just part of the challenge.

In terms of technical terrain, Stillwell has it beat, but Bethpage provides some fun twisty trails that seem to go in circles but really just wind around (see top of picture). I usually get disoriented when running in the woods and today was no exception. I’m always surprised where I come out. Today it was at the top of the big hill along the paved bike trail.

The humidity was high and I felt like the week’s activities were catching up to me as I neared the finish of my run. I circled the parking lot before calling it a workout and headed back home to start our day, which is also my last day of vacation. It’s been a great week and it’s always disappointing when a vacation ends. Even though this turned out to be a low mileage week for running, it was a high mileage week for everything else.

Trail running at Hook Mountain State Park

On July 28, 2012 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Hook Mt. trail head. Humidity fogged the lens!

Today’s run (Hook Mountain State Park trail): 6.1 miles

The weather report called for thunderstorms today, but we kept our plans to meet friends for activities around Hook Mountain State Park. Happily, the storms didn’t materialize, but the humidity certainly did.

We arrived at our friends home in Nyack around 9:00 AM and then headed over to the park. My wife and kids charted a hike on the blue-green trail while me and my friend Chris drove over to the trail at Nyack Beach. This trail runs along the Hudson River and provides a rolling route. According to my Garmin, we experienced 509 feet of elevation gain (and the equivalent loss since we ran it out and back).

The highs and lows of the Hook Mountain trail

We started our run at a brisk pace. The breezes off the water prevented us from feeling the humidity and it wasn’t until the path moved inland that I noticed how muggy it was. We moved well considering the heat and moisture, but the constantly changing elevation sapped some of my energy. After a couple of hills that rivaled James Street in Northport, my sweat level moved to “extreme.”

Despite all that, I didn’t want the run to end. The scenery was beautiful and the conversation was great. I didn’t dread the frequent hills as much as I do at Bethpage. In fact, I had more problem on the steep downhills than on all but the toughest climbs. We made the turnaround after reaching the three mile point, despite Chris’s suggestion that we go another half mile.

The second half of the run went by quickly. Before long, we were back to where we’d started. I had the same light-headed reaction to the heat and dehydration that I usually have after the Dirty Sock 10K. That meant I needed lots of hydration and electrolytes and Chris gave me a banana and a water bottle. That helped, as did the cooling breezes coming off the river.

After a quick shower, back at the house, we went into town to meet our wives and the kids for lunch. Pizza, followed by home made ice cream, was the perfect restorative. After 6 tough miles on the trail, I had no guilt whatsoever!

Central Park, eight months later

On June 16, 2012 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Friday’s run (Central Park): 3.3 miles
Today’s run (Stillwell Woods): 3.3 miles

I thought it had been a while since I’d run in Central Park, but I was shocked to see on Garmin Connect that the last time I’d run there was last October! I had assumed I’d been there more recently but after checking the blog history I confirmed that was accurate. Knowing that, I am especially happy to have returned to Central Park.

The weather was almost perfect when I got to the park. The sun was shining and the temperature was in the 60’s. It took a surprisingly long time to acquire a signal on my Garmin. As soon as it locked in, I was on my way.

I began my run by going counter-clockwise along the Center Drive loop. I was surprised to see lots of runners coming from the other direction because that’s opposite of the direction arrows on the bike path. I was running strongly and staying just below a nine minute pace through the first mile. By the time I reached the top of Cat Hill I had slowed a bit, but I still felt strong.

The humidity was higher than I’d first thought and I decided to limit my run to the loop below the reservoir. I gritted my teeth through the hilly sections just below the Great Lawn and Terrace Drive and enjoyed the downhill sections that followed. I continued on some the paths off Center Drive and finished on Central Park South at 7th Ave. It was a great run and my overall pace was actually faster than what I achieved on the NHP 8K.

This morning I headed to Stillwell to run the trails. I downloaded the latest 3 Non-Joggers podcast to listen to while I ran. That helped me get through some very technical and steep terrain. I ended up covering almost exactly the same mileage as I ran on Friday, but the required effort was much greater.

On my way off the trail I encountered three women who were asking people to sign a petition that would limit mowing the big field. This would help protect the wildlife and aid conservation efforts to eliminate invasive species. I was happy to sign.

I’ve been on vacation since yesterday afternoon. Since then, I’ve had two really interesting runs. I’m hoping to do a distance run in the next few days. Tomorrow is Father’s Day so maybe I’ll give myself the gift of running the hills on the Bethpage bike trail.

D’oh, a deer!

On May 27, 2012 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Rainy conditions on Stillwell’s trails

Today’s run (Stillwell Woods): 4 miles

Yesterday’s workout was focused on speed and intensity so I thought I’d go for an easier run today. It’s been a while since I’ve visited Stillwell Woods and a trail run sounded like a good idea. Just for fun, I downloaded a podcast from 3nonjoggers.com. This is a trio of trail runners who record a weekly hour-long running-related program. I read about them in the April issue of TrailRunner magazine.

I have not run with a music player in years, but, with my new pocket-rich running shorts, I thought I might today. I’m glad I did, as the podcast was funny and interesting and I certainly recommend it. While I feel that listening to music or podcasts is dangerous on the road, at least I won’t see any cars on the trail. Mountain bikes, yes. Deer, yes. But no cars.

I mention deer because I had a close encounter with one this morning. I was moving along nicely on a twisty section of singletrack, when my eyes caught a flash of beige about five yards ahead. Apparently I had surprised a large deer grazing in the woods. The deer jumped onto the path in front of me and took off very quickly. I literally said “What the @#$%!” when I saw it. Although I’d seen deer on my runs in the past, I’d never seen one at Stillwell.

Besides the deer sighting, there wasn’t much happening on the trails this morning. It was raining lightly when I started and the rain intensified for a while during my run. The canopy overhead protected me, but I still got fairly wet. My only company besides the deer were three bikers who passed me on my way up a steep rise. The tables got turned when they sputtered out before reaching the top and I just kept going. To their credit they cheered me when I went by.

Ready for future recovery

Later in the day I returned some Adidas recovery slides that my wife bought to surprise me. It turned out that she ordered the wrong size, simply because she listened to what I told her. They are Adidas Superstars with a very comfortable foot bed. I look forward to wearing them after my next run.

Tomorrow morning we’ll be at the Memorial Day parade to watch my son march with the school band. That will preclude a long morning run, but I’ll probably do a treadmill workout as I begin my taper week. I’ve had some interesting experiences on the road, track and trail this weekend. Might as well add the treadmill to the mix.

Back to Bethpage and into the woods

On May 12, 2012 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Up and down and all around

Today’s run (Bethpage State Park trails): 4.3 miles

My reward for all my half marathon training the past eight weeks was a trail run at Bethpage this morning. As I pulled into the parking lot, I noticed that a lot of landscaping work that’s being done at the park. I was curious to head towards the bike trail to see what was going on, but I was anxious to begin my run. I’ll check that out next time.

For the first time in months, I headed to the trails on the northern side of Bethpage State park. As usual, the surface of the trail was well groomed, with a layer of wood chips across a very wide path. I followed the main route for a third of a mile before ducking into a side trail. I had little sense of direction as the trail wound through a series of twists and turns. The path went on and on and it made me wonder if I was just traveling in a big circle. I was really enjoying this section but hoping for some sign of a larger trail so I could get my bearings.

I finally broke away from that path and found my way toward the northernmost part of the woods. I turned south and headed along the western side of the woods for a while, before following a loop that (eventually) brought me close to where I’d started. I was close to my car by then, but I decided to run a loop around the parking lot before ending my run. After so many weeks of 10+ mile runs, 4 miles seemed very short.

Being back on the trail was a great experience. No thoughts of pace or mileage. I often lose my bearings when I run trails and that makes me feel both anxious and adventurous. I know I can’t get too lost, but I often wish I had a better sense of where I am when I’m in the woods. I suppose I could carry a compass or my smart phone with GPS, that shows positioning in real time. But what fun would that be?

Night or day, inside or out?

On March 6, 2012 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Worth a read

Today’s run (treadmill): 25 minutes

In her new book, “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?”, Mindy Kaling writes, “There is no sunrise so beautiful that it is worth waking me up to see it.” I thought that was a very funny line (it’s a great book) but I have to disagree a little. As I stood at the train this morning I saw the sun coming up and the first thought I had was, “Finally, I can now go out on my long weekend runs before 6:30 AM without needing a headlamp.”

There’s a big difference, psychologically, when I run in the dark versus running in daylight. My 4:00 AM runs serve a purpose, but that purpose is primarily fitness maintenance. My weekend runs provide a far wider benefit to both mind and body. A run on the trails is visually fascinating, the terrain is challenging and the lack of concern for traffic (except for mountain bikers) allows for deep thinking.

This morning I was at the complete other end of the spectrum, running my 25 tedious minutes on the treadmill. A friend of mine just bought a True treadmill that is very feature-rich. One capability is heart rate cruise control — the machine will automatically speed up, slow down or change elevation to keep the runner at a specific heart rate. It also has a 14″ LCD screen that takes input from a smartphone, PC, iPad, etc. That would be amazing compared to my humble Sole. But in the end, I’d far prefer to be running outside, just after sunrise.

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.

Trailview to Stillwell had its ups and downs

On January 29, 2012 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

What goes up must come down (and then up, then down, etc.)

Today’s run (Trailview State Park): 3.5 miles

After sixteen years living within minutes of Trailview State Park, I finally made it over for a visit this morning. Trailview is actually a series of connected trails that run along a strip that starts just above Bethpage State Park and goes north almost 8 miles to Cold Spring Harbor. The trail is interrupted at points where roads (some major) intersect the route.

The section of Trailview that I ran started adjacent to Jericho Turnpike in Woodbury and it connects to Stillwell Woods at the separation of Syosset-Woodbury road. The section I ran wasn’t very long but it provided quite a workout. I wanted more of a challenge than I get from my usual Stillwell loop and I sure found it on the Trailview path.

After parking in the lot next to the trail head, I chose one of two paths that run north. The trails are only wide enough for a single runner or mountain biker, but two people could walk side by side in a pinch. In fact I encountered a few walkers on my way back and we all managed to make room as we crossed paths.

The trails quickly transitioned from flat to rolling, to the point where it seemed like I was either running up or bombing down a steep hill. I did fairly well on the rises and was surprised that I didn’t experience major lactic acid burn as I ascended the hills. It was the sharp drops that bothered me most, because the terrain was uneven and full of baseball-sized rocks. I was concerned about taking a tumble a few times.

The trail ended at Syosset-Woodbury Road after dropping about 40 feet to street level. I continued across the road and encountered two runners coming out of the woods. I asked them if that was the access point for Stillwell and they said yes. Almost immediately after that, I encountered two mountain bikers. The first one said, “One more behind!” and the other politely thanked me for giving way for him to pass.

I only ran about a quarter mile towards Stillwell before turning back. I’d encountered a split in the path and I didn’t want to get lost in Stillwell while my car was parked over a mile away at the Trailview lot. I knew that all the downhills I ran on the way over would come back to me as challenging uphills, but I looked forward to the challenge.

It seemed as though I covered the return in half the time it took to get to Stilwell. I’m guessing it was because I knew by then what lay in front of me. I wasn’t quite at my targeted distance when I reached my starting point so I ran a little longer down the other trail. It was only 3.5 miles but it was a lot of work, not unlike last weekend when I ran through thick snow.

It was a good weekend of running and I was pleased to get back on the trail after being away for a few weeks. It’s less than two weeks before my next race. I guess I’ll need to focus on speed this week and next weekend.