Xmas Stillwell run

On December 25, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (Stillwell Woods): 3.4 miles

Today is Christmas, and though there’s no snow outside, it’s plenty cold. I thought about doing a neighborhood run to take advantage of the quiet roads. My wife reminded me that snow would be here before I knew it, and suggested that I run at Stillwell while I still could. That made sense to me so I geared up and headed over to the park.

It was quiet when I got there, but soon a few runners appeared, all heading toward the woods. After some dynamic stretches, I followed the runners and chose a different route than usual. This path runs along the southern part of the woods and it connects to my normal route via a steep uphill section. I’d had about five minutes to get loose enough to attack this climb and I came over it without much trouble.

From there I locked into my familiar course and encountered a few people running their dogs. I also crossed paths with a couple of runners I’d seen at the trail head. Although it was just below 30°, I was beginning to get hot. I’d worn layers anticipating wind and chillier temps within the woods, but I began to sweat after I’d covered my first mile.

I ran along the eastern side of the big field and ducked back into the woods to start my main loop. A little further in I saw the same couple running from the other direction. The woman, who I initially viewed with sympathy because she was only wearing running shorts, seemed a lot more comfortable than her partner, who was dressed more like me.

I reached the point where I needed to decide whether to wind down or add a couple more miles to my run. Although I had no time constraint, I chose to cut it short and headed west along the northern path towards the main trail head. There will be lots of opportunities to run this week and I didn’t want to overdo it today.

It was a decent run and a nice break from the road. I’m not sure where I’ll run in the coming days but I would like to put in at least one hour-plus run in the next few days. Happy holidays!

Boo for Bethpage and yay for Stillwell!

On December 4, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

No sports for you!

Today’s run (Stillwell Woods): 4.6 miles

I had a plan today and I intended to stick with it — 5 miles on the Bethpage State Park bike path, first thing in the morning. I checked the weather and saw that the temperature was in the high 30’s, so I put on some long pants and a couple of top layers and headed to Bethpage. I wore my Brooks Adrenalins because I wanted more thermal protection than the Hattori’s provide and, frankly, I’m just not loving the Mirages on pavement right now.

When I arrived at the park I was confronted with a locked gate and a sign that said “Winter sports are prohibited at this point.” Harrumph!! That was disappointing and after snapping the above picture, I turned around and headed back toward home. I was all dressed up with nowhere to run, but I figured I’d think of something along the way.

When I reached my exit I decided to head over to Stillwell, which I knew would still be be open to those participating in “winter sports.” I parked close to Southwood’s Road that put me as far away as possible from the trail head. I thought it would be good to have some extra distance coming and going.

By the time I crossed over from pavement to trail, I’d already covered more than a quarter mile and I followed my usual route into the woods. Despite not being trail shoes, the Brooks do a credible job on dirt, sand and small rocks and that was all I was taking on this morning.

My run was pleasant but unremarkable and I didn’t encounter another person until I was on my last loop around the big field. It was there that I passed three runners coming from the other direction. I continued west and then south, until I reached the path that led to the trail head. As I came onto that path I saw the three runners from before, who had come to the same point from the opposite side.

Since I ended up slightly ahead of these runners, I felt pressured to maintain a lead. Fortunately, they weren’t running too fast, but they weren’t dogging it either. When we reached the paved drive I increased my speed to maintain my position. I liked having a reason to run fast and the Adrenalins felt as responsive as always. I averaged in the low 8:00 range for that last section and was more than happy when I reached my car.

I covered 10.5 miles this weekend, a little short of my goal, but still respectable. I feel like I’m running well right now. Not a lot of speed, but it’s there when I need it.

Exhausting run at Belmont Lake

On November 27, 2011 By Emerging Runner3 Comments

Today’s run (Belmont Lake State Park): 6 miles

I decided to finish my Thanksgiving break with a trail run at Belmont Lake, home of the Dirty Sock race course. I’d decided that a competitive run at Stillwell (the Rob’s Run 5K) would have been too much to do without the proper rest. I have in my mind that the Dirty Sock route is an easy run if you aren’t trying to beat other runners. That’s wasn’t quite the case today.

The weather was in the high 30’s when I started my run and I’d overdressed with two upper layers, running pants and a wicking cap. By my first mile I felt very warm and by the two mile mark I was feeling overheated. Unlike previous times running these trails, I sensed more inclined sections. Halfway through the run I was feeling fatigued, possibly due to over training.

Once at the lake, I knew there was nothing I could do to reduce the amount of required effort since the route was out-and-back and I was already halfway through it. The course seemed extra long and the trail seemed extra steep as I slogged my way past mile four. I was tired and my pace was slow, but I was determined not to stop or walk.

I saw a few other runners on the trail who had made better decisions about their gear. They were moving along nicely in contrast to my slow motion stride. After I cleared the passage under the Montauk Highway at mile 5, I decided to return on the same trail where I’d started, rather than adding the extra distance passing by Southards Pond.

I was very ready to finish my run by then and caught a glimpse of the trail opening as I ran by a couple of equestrians out with their horses for a Sunday morning ride. I was glad to have finished the week with a decent length run and especially glad that I didn’t race today. I need a break from running and I’m glad that tomorrow is my regular rest day. It was a good couple of weeks of intense running, but enough is enough.

Two runs: One muddy and one with my buddy

On October 2, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s runs (Stillwell Woods: 3.75 miles, 1 mile: street)

I headed over to Stillwell Woods this morning for a change of pace from pavement. I wasn’t thinking about trail conditions, but recent rains had soaked the trees and the paths below. I wore my Mirages that do a credible job on dirt trails, but they have no waterproofing capabilities.

After seeing some large pooling along the main trail, I cut into a side path that would lead me toward my usual loop. The mud was slippery and the Mirages, intended primarily for roads, proved unstable at times. I switched to a different route that I thought might be drier and continued along until I crossed back over to my normal route.

I worried about catching a root or a rock that would send me flying into a puddle of muddy water. There were a few close calls but I managed to stay upright throughout the run. As a result of the mud, the trails were almost empty. I only encountered a single mountain biker and a woman who was running her dogs around the big field.

I circled the field thinking that the sun exposure would have dried out that trail, but I found many slippery spots. I finished my run with hard sprint past the trail head to the Stillwell entrance and then back to my car. I felt so good that I didn’t want my run to end.

Another minimalist runner in the family

When I got home, my daughter was up for a quick run around the neighborhood. We recently bought her a pair of Saucony Kinvaras and she felt like taking them out for a spin. We took off at a moderate pace with my daughter pulling ahead with a little more speed. We completed our distance quickly and I was pleased to have had a nice cool down run to complete today’s workout.

It’s been a really nice weekend for running. I’m aiming to run the Oyster Bay Supervisor’s 5K on October 15, so next weekend I’ll do some speed work and hill practice. For now I’ll just enjoy the fact that I had a great trail run this morning. Better still, I was back to running with my buddy — the Emerging Runner, Jr.

And the power is back!

On September 1, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Monday’s run (street): 3.6 miles
Tuesday run (street): 3.5 miles
Wednesday’s run (Stillwell Woods): 4 miles

Hey, nice to see ya!

Well the power is finally back after 106 hours. Was it awful? Not at all. A dark house provided great impetus for getting out and doing things and we made the best of it. The only downsides were really cold showers and the need to drive to the local shop at 6:00 AM for morning coffee. But cold showers are invigorating and going out only for coffee when I usually have to go to work was rather nice.

Hurricane Irene seemed to be more hype than horror as we waited out the storm on Sunday. We lost our power at 4:00 AM Sunday morning but suffered nothing more than a coating of leaves and branches in our yard. There were plenty of downed trees in the neighborhood but it still felt more like a bad storm than a hurricane. Except that the power never came back on. I went for an early neighborhood run on Monday morning to survey the damage and saw nothing too disturbing. Apparently the real damage happened out of sight. We didn’t see a LIPA truck for days and LIPA’s communication was simply poor. That’s all I’ll say about it but I expect that LIPA officials will have a lot to answer for.

My run went well and though I felt I was running slower than normal, I was actually ahead of my usual pace. It probably had something to do with running after I’d had time to wake up. Tuesday was basically a copy of Monday’s run although I followed different roads in hopes of seeing a LIPA crew at work. No luck there.

Yesterday I decided to head to Stillwell for communing with nature and, when I arrived, the entire high school boys cross country and track teams were trotting towards the trail head. I followed them in a few minutes later.

The trails were surprisingly clear. I’d expected to see lots of downed trees across my path but Stilwell looked the same as always. About a mile into the run I encountered the high school team coming from the other direction. The fastest boys had broken away and were swiftly turning toward a hilly section. The second wave greeted me cheerily and I returned the hellos. The last wave were not so happy and some of them had stopped to catch their breath or tie their shoes. It was not going to be a good morning for them.

I followed my normal loop a couple of times and finished up with my longest run since Saturday’s 7.1 miles. I do need to push my base training up to six miles and, now that we have a heated shower, I’m considering an evening run tonight. In truth, we’ve been running around so much this week that I’ll probably consider this an ad hoc rest day and go out tomorrow morning instead.

I’m pleased that we’re back to “normal” and that I still have a few days left of vacation to enjoy modern conveniences. Well almost. We still need to refill the refrigerator and have the automatic garage door reset. Being without power didn’t stop me from my running. But, everything being equal, I’d have loved coffee on demand and a warm shower after my runs.

Emerging Runner’s Weekend Video Report

On July 23, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (Stillwell Woods): 3.1 miles

The heat continues into the weekend and although I don’t always enjoy the pool as much as my family does, I’m loving it right now. My plans for getting out early for a run got derailed and I didn’t arrive at Stillwell until after 10:00 AM. It was hot, but not as bad as yesterday, when the temperature display in the car read 113°. I hoped that the tree cover would make the trails a cooler place to run than the road.

Later, the display showed 114°

There was plenty of activity in the woods as I followed the trails. I had chipmunks and rabbits cross my path multiple times and, at one point, a bird flew in front of me along twisty trail, tracing the ground like a cruise missile. Less engaging were a few mountain bikers who didn’t seem to care about others on the trail, flying by without giving any ground to runners.

Even with the coolness of the canopy’s shade, the heat and humidity started to get to me and I diverted to a different path on my second loop that brought me back to the trail head after 3 hard miles. I’ve been thinking about adding the occasional video to this blog and, perhaps, adding video to my reviews on Runner’s Tech Review. My first “Weekend Report” is above. We’ll see how it goes.

4th of July on Stillwell’s Black Trail

On July 4, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Fun times await you on the Black Trail

Today’s run (Stillwell Woods): 3.8 miles

Happy 4th of July! It’s been a great long weekend and today’s weather is holiday perfect. We have a busy day planned, including a cookout and some time by the pool. I headed out to Stillwell first thing this morning to get in my last run of the weekend. It was already hot at 7:00 AM when I arrived to see mountain bikers staging their gear. I was surprised to see so many people out at that hour, especially on a holiday.

After yesterday’s hard training I had no intention of pushing my pace today. I watched the shaded paths unfolding in front of me and took a left onto a trail marked “More Difficult.” I’ve gotten into the habit of running my safe, standard loop at Stillwell that isn’t that hilly. More importantly, I know that trail well enough by now that I don’t get lost.

The trail I picked today did not seem too challenging as it wound around trees and large rocks. I soon recognized that I was running the Black Trail, that served as the primary course for the 2010 XTERRA 6K trail run. As soon as I made that connection I knew what I was in for and 50 yards ahead the path dropped sharply into tight switchbacks that came back up as fast as they’d dropped. I remember, during the race, seeing runners going down, then up, as the path weaved across the woods like nature’s bank teller line. I knew today that my reward for reaching the top was 100 feet of flat trail before I’d encounter another climb.

I wasn’t running all that fast so the extra work didn’t bother me much. After 20 minutes of hard running I peeled off to a path marked “Less Difficult” that eventually intersected with my normal route. I decided to take the easier choice and finished the run after covering 3.8 miles.

Going off the beaten path (pun intended) put me in the cross-hairs of the mountain bikers who seek out the most difficult parts of Stillwell Woods. I had expected the park to be deserted but I encountered almost a dozen bikers along the way. At one point I was coming through a tight, winding section of singletrack when three mountain bikers suddenly appeared in front of me. The lead biker yelled “Runner!” and we yielded to opposite sides. I liked that — I am a runner!

I was a wet noodle by the time I left the trail head and reached my car. I headed right home, forgoing the car’s AC, and changed immediately into my swim trunks when I got home. A quick jump in the pool cooled me off better than any shower could. We’ll be out later for more swimming but that was about as good as it gets. Enjoy your holiday, I’ve had a great start to mine.

Initiating my friend to trail running

On June 25, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run – notice GPS drift between loops

Today’s run (Stillwell Woods): 3.75 miles

I’m back to the routine of frequent runs at shorter distances these days. I had been doing a lot of 6+ mile base-building runs up until my half marathon but then I switched to a more middle distance focus as I prepared for the NHP 8K. I’ve been on vacation this past week, but the time has been dedicated to preparing for a big upcoming event and some necessary house projects. That has prevented me from indulging in too many 90 minute runs.

Still, every run, at any distance, has value if you are running quality miles. That’s been the case for me over the last eight days. This morning my friend Steve came by and we headed over to Stillwell to run the trails. Steve and I both work in midtown and we often run together in Central Park. He’s never run trails so I initiated him at Stillwell Woods, the place where I first ran off-road.

Stillwell can be a rough place for runners, with steep inclines, sharp drops and unstable terrain. I didn’t think it would be fair to drag Steve through the rocky, twisting, hilly Black Trail his first time out. Instead, I took him along a loop with flat, packed dirt pathways that works well for running. This loop does have a couple of loose rock and sand-covered climbs so it still presents a challenge.

Steve did well the first time around but at the two mile mark I could tell that the extra work was beginning to take its toll. We circled the trail a second time and, to Steve’s credit, continued to maintain close to the same pace, averaging 9:40 overall.

We’d started with a little fog and cloudy skies but by the time we came back through the trail-head it was sunny and hot. That’s another reason why I like Stillwell in summer – the canopy shields the trail and keeps the temperatures ten degrees cooler. It was another quality run and my third trail run this week. Soon enough, I’ll return to my neighborhood roads for my daily runs. It sure was nice to spend a little more time in the woods today.

Running the great trails at Bethpage

On June 22, 2011 By Emerging Runner1 Comment

All around the woods at Bethpage this morning

Today’s run (Bethpage State Park trails): 4.6 miles

Today is both the last day of middle school for my kids and my daughter’s 13th birthday. Yes, I’m the father of a teenager. The kids were released by 10:30 AM so I needed to get out fairly early to prepare for the morning’s birthday activities.

I couldn’t face another neighborhood run and I really wasn’t in the mood for another run along the Bethpage bike trail. It then occurred to me that Bethpage also has some very nice wooded trails. I arrived a little after 8:00 AM and headed in through the main trail head. I often lose my way when I run the paths at Bethpage because there are so many trails to choose from.

I followed a path that runs northeast and appreciated how nicely the trails in this park are maintained. I decided to continue until I ran out of trail so I stayed on the same path until that happened. At one point I crossed another wide trail that was groomed so well that the fresh loam felt like a carpet. I was determined to return to that and run it to the western end.

I’d taken a Hammer gel that I’d bought for $0.75 at REI a few weeks ago (it was a featured sale item) and it seemed to provide the necessary energy for a fairly vigorous run. I wore the Mirages that I’m now considering my defacto trail shoes for non-technical trail running and I moved along well. Once I reached the western end I encountered the twisty, windy, sandy, hilly sections and I did remarkably well through that terrain.

Trail head on the southern edge

One of these trails ended at the southwest side of the parking lot so I ran along the bottom before ducking into another trail head on the opposite corner. From there I reconnected with that wide groomed trail and followed it until I intersected with the path that would take me back to the main trail head. I exited the woods from there and ran through the field all the way back to my car.

I ended up covering more distance than I’d planned and I quickly moved on because I wanted to be showered and ready for the kids when they arrived back home. The timing worked fine and soon we were off to lunch and other activities. Soaking rains moved in soon after that but the sun came out again and the kids are now swimming in the pool, the first of many summer vacation afternoons.

I had a great run today and I’m very glad I remembered these beautiful trails. Any trail runners on Long Island who live in eastern Nassau or western Suffolk counties should take the time to run Bethpage. It’s a great way to spend a morning.

Dirty fun on Father’s Day

On June 19, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Mirages on the trail: great performance from a road shoe

Today’s run (Stillwell Woods): 4.15 miles

Happy Father’s Day! It’s great to be able to celebrate the day with my family and not face an early morning commute tomorrow. Vacation week awaits. The only downside is that I’ve been suffering with a sinus headache since yesterday morning. It’s the the kind of pain that doesn’t really respond to analgesics like ibuprofen and the only relief I’ve had since it started has been a clear head for an hour or so after my runs. I made a trip to the drug store and picked up some decongestant with pseudoephedrine — the good stuff you get from behind the counter. Even with that, plus a short nap and some headache medicine, I’m still feeling some pain and pressure.

It’s been over a month since I’ve hit the trails so I headed to Stillwell Woods this morning for a change of scenery and surface. It was still below 70° when I started out among a large contingent of mountain bikers who were readying their equipment while I ran by. The shade of the woods kept the air fairly cool and I ran well. Not especially fast, but with good form. I wore my Mirages because the course I chose was not especially technical and I wanted a shoe that was low to the ground to help me maintain my forward foot stride.

The Mirages did really well with that and they even handled the sandy, scree laden hills that I ascended a couple of times. The sections I ran without tree cover revealed that the heat was rising but it still felt less humid than yesterday. Through the run, I was passed a couple of times by bikers. They gave fair warning and politely thanked me for moving to the side.

The recent wet weather has produced an abundance of grass and plant growth. This was most apparent on the dirt path that rings the open field, connecting my route back to its starting point. In winter and fall this trail is clear and open but this morning I literally had to run it by feel because of the high grass on each side overgrew it. It wasn’t a problem but I checked for ticks afterward.

After two loops around my route I headed back to the trail head and noticed the parking area was thick with cars. Today was the end of the kiddie soccer season and people were aggressively swooping in to park wherever they could find room. A woman in an SUV saw me and clearly understood that I needed a few minutes to recover from my heated run. She politely said, “If it’s okay I’ll take your spot when you’re ready to leave. Take you time.” I quickly gave her the spot and then spent 20 minutes working my way to the exit. It was quite a circus, complete with tents and a bounce castle.

My run at Stillwell was great for a couple of reasons. First, I felt really good on my run and enjoyed the feel of the trail underfoot. Second, my more upright, mid-foot stride felt easier and I was better able to appreciate the beauty of the woods as I ran through them. I even got a respite from my headache while the endorphins rushed in, affirming the reason why we runners love to run. Hours later, I’m happy to have this pseudoephedrine to get me through the rest of this sinus pain!