Star Treks – biking and running at Stillwell Woods

On May 14, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Twin Treks – two times the fun

Today’s workout (Stillwell Woods): 6.5 miles (bike), 3.15 miles (run)

I’m no longer plagued with noticeable knee pain but the problem hasn’t fully disappeared. I’m looking at lower impact workouts to help facilitate recovery. One way to do this is to incorporate more elliptical workouts and to do some biking. This morning KWL came by at 7:00 AM and put on a bike repair clinic, making me and my wife’s (15 year old) Trek hybrids trail-worthy in less than 30 minutes. KWL rode one of the Treks instead of his high end Scott mountain bike to keep things even.

Once we made the 5 minute drive to Stillwell we unloaded the bikes and it was strange being one of the “bike guys” rather than solely a trail runner. After a couple of last minute adjustments we headed into the woods with my Garmin 210 and KWL’s Garmin 800 recording our progress via GPS. It’s been years since I’ve done more than a cursory bike ride around the neighborhood so after finding myself on hilly and rooty single-track I was a little bit nervous. I was surprised how well I was able to move along and quickly gained the confidence to pick up my speed. The trails at Stillwell were whizzing by, much different from the way it looks when I run them.

KWL demonstrated techniques for navigating rough sections and he taught me optimal body position and when it was best to rise from my seat. This helped a lot when we were going over roots, rocks and other obstructions. KWL also guided me on what gears I should use when going up a rise or negotiating a steep descent. We followed my standard running route that is mostly packed dirt but there is one section that’s a mix of sand and gravel and two consecutive gravel and sand covered hills that required a lot of speed on run-up, lest you fall back or stop.

We rode for about 50 minutes and then quickly changed to running gear and headed back into the woods for a 5K trail run. It seemed much different running those trails after flying along them minutes before. I felt as though I was running in slow motion but we actually covered the first mile in under 10 minutes. By mile two the hard work of the ride was catching up with me and I looked forward to finishing. We came around for our last loop and my right quad was complaining loudly. I told KWL that I felt the same as I did at the end of the half marathon. He completed a 120 mile ride last Sunday with 102 miles done during the GrandFondo challenge and had no problems with our ride but he also felt the run.

I’m finally able to upload my activities on the Garmin to both Connect and Training Center and I’ve enjoyed the mountain of data that you can analyze. One feature that I like about Training Center is the capability to overlay two runs and directly compare progress via two small circles that move along the path relative to their speed on the course. It’s me vs. me. I like those odds.

I loved this morning’s bike-and-run combo and I know I made progress on my fitness. Mountain biking is a blast, even when you’re riding on a bike that weighs twice as much as its modern day equivalent.

Morning at Stillwell and Caleb Smith at noon

On May 8, 2011 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Today’s run (Stillwell Woods): 4.25 miles

Today is Mother’s Day and it’s been busy. I wanted to get going early but due to some ad hoc celebrating, I didn’t get out the door at 7:00 as I’d planned. By 8:15 I was at the trail head at Stillwell Woods with temperatures in the low 50’s and bright sun. The holiday had kept most people at home. While I love company on the trails, I was glad to have the place more or less to myself. I saw some bikers staging in the lot but didn’t encounter anyone but hikers during my run.

The woods were alive with birds, rabbits and other creatures and the humidity was so low I didn’t even break a sweat until I’d completed my second mile. I wasn’t paying attention to my pace but knew I was moving well and I managed get through the hills without much trouble. Due to our tight schedule I kept the run to around 40 minutes but that was sufficient for my needs. My knee is much better at this point but I still feel some soreness when I go from sitting to walking. Happily this disappears with activity and I don’t experience any pain when I’m running. Keeping my distances under five miles this weekend was a good move. I’ll look to add more distance next weekend.

Things were ducky on the lake at Caleb Smith

One of our Mother’s Day activities today involved a return to Caleb Smith Park Preserve in Smithtown, NY. We like this park a lot. It has well groomed and well marked trails, good access to its lake and a small but interesting nature museum. Four miles of trail running and then some hiking at Caleb Smith made for an active day. Later we spent some time setting up umbrellas and furniture in the pool area, providing an unexpected but welcomed upper-body workout.

A last long run before the half

On April 22, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Trail head to Southards Pond

Today’s run (Belmont Lake State Park): 8.35 miles

After yesterday’s tough hike (on top of a truncated morning speed session) I really wanted to give myself a day to recover. The weather for Saturday is not promising. It’s supposed to rain the first half of the day and I wanted to get in one more long run before I tapered for my upcoming race. I decided to run the trails along Southards Pond and Belmont Lake in Babylon. These trails make up the Dirty Sock 10K course, one of my favorite places to run and a perfect spot for a training run.

I started at the trail head that serves as the exit to the Dirty Sock finish line and as I ran I thought about how two of my four hardest races were run on this course. Part of that related to the late August dates of the Dirty Sock race and the heat and humidity that comes with that. Today it was cool (42° F) and dry, so I had little concern that the weather would affect my performance.

I reached Southards Pond quickly and soon connected to the main trail that took me under the RT 27 trestle where a flutist was playing the Hollies’ song “Bus Stop” (Bus stop, wet day, she’s there, I say / Please share my umbrella). It’s not the first time I’ve run through there accompanied by flute music but it was still an unexpected pleasure.

The path winds quite a bit from there and eventually goes under the Southern State Parkway that sits just south of Belmont Lake. I ran around the lake taking in the water view, trees, ducks, swans and geese. I was feeling good so I ran a second time around the lake before heading south on the trail. When I reached 4 miles I took my first sip of Gatorade G2 and continued to do that every half mile from then on. I’ve discovered that this technique works well for me and I plan to do this during the half marathon.

My run back to the trail head was unremarkable and I felt that my conditioning was adequate for 13 miles. The only concern I had today was with my feet — my small toes got mashed in my Kinvaras and I worried about how they’d do if I had to run another 5 miles. I plan to run in the Mirages during the race which will help in terms of support and structure but I need to figure out a way of protecting my toes.

Now it’s time to step down the rigor and prepare for the 13.1 miles that lay ahead on May 1st.

Bethpage trails on a sunny day — but I didn’t love the run

On April 17, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (Bethpage State Park trails) 3.5 miles

By now I have a sense of how a run will go long before I take my first step. When I prepare my gear the night before my 4:00 AM runs I usually know how I’ll feel when my alarm goes off in the morning. On weekends, when I run longer and later in the morning, I’ve come to expect a tougher time once 10:00 AM comes and goes.

That was the case today. I was up early but I didn’t get out until almost noon. I wasn’t feeling the drive to run and I even considered talking the day to rest. As the weather grew sunnier through the morning I decided to go for it. I knew that we’d see rainy weather for the next couple of days and I didn’t want to waste a good day. I didn’t feel it today but I knew I had to get out there.

I went to Bethpage to run the trails and started at the beginning of the bike path. I followed that for about half a mile before reaching an opening to the dirt trail that runs north. That trail eventually wrapped east and opened to numerous other paths. I followed the wider, better groomed, trail before deciding to switch to a single-track that first took me north but then bent right and eventually reversed direction. I continued through these trails, switching paths every so often and gauging my position by the direction of the sun.

I wasn’t fatigued but my running lacked an energetic punch. In truth, it wasn’t a very good run. I never got that free-wheeling feeling of roller coaster running that I often experience on the trails. After three miles I decided to pay attention to what my body was telling me and I wrapped it up after covering 3.5 miles overall. I still have a cold that I’m hoping will be over soon. A rest day tomorrow will be nice and long distance run is the plan for Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on weather.

Stillwell Woods roller coaster torture ride

On April 3, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Red Cross registration frenzy in the tent

Today’s run (Stillwell Woods): 4.5 miles

Saturday was a day of volunteering for the Emerging Runner family. It was the Long Island Red Cross’s annual fund-raising walk that took place on the grounds of Nassau Coliseum. My wife volunteers at the local chapter and the whole family gets involved for this event. The kids worked hard to hand out T-shirts to pre-registered participants while my wife attended to other functions. After that we did the 2 mile walk that went a few times around the Coliseum followed by a nice BBQ courtesy of local restaurants. After that we attended the NY Islanders game with tickets that were donated to everyone who participated in the Red Cross event. We had a great time for a great cause.

Objects on ice were closer than they appear

This morning I headed to Stillwell instead of taking on an extended run at Bethpage that may not have gone well since I’m apparently still rebuilding my red blood cell count after last week’s donation. I figured that the trails might be a kinder surface than pavement for my legs that have felt unresponsive since last week.

I started by following the Black trail and after chickening out at the first “Most Difficult/Easier” trail split I tucked into a “More Difficult” path I came upon a few minutes later. I wasn’t moving very quickly but I don’t care about pace when I run trails. After navigating some narrow channels that were cut to facilitate mountain bikers (of which the woods were filled today) I came upon the tough stuff — scree, sand and rocky hills that required both steep ascents and sharp descents. When I’m at full strength these obstacles seem fun, like riding a roller coaster, but today they wore me out for a time. I decided to make my way back to the flatter sections before I grew too fatigued and was able to find my way using the sun and the MotionX compass on my iPhone.

I finished my run with a westbound tack along the southern path of the open field. The wind from the west was stiff and freezing and I almost laughed at the difficulty I had making my way to the trail head. After being voluntarily tortured for almost 50 minutes I was glad to bring the run to an end. Very soon after I’d finished I felt the legendary “runner’s high” that confirmed a good job well done. Well, a hard job anyway.

A sweet run with a sweeter ending

On March 13, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (mixed surfaces): 8.2 miles

Although trails are my favorite venue for running I didn’t love yesterday’s experience at Muttontown Preserve. I understand that trails provide freedom and adventure but Muttontown’s trails seemed to have more than its share of obstructions. This undercuts my ability to cut loose and just run while still feeling confident that I’ll eventually end up at the same place where I began. A more adventurous runner (and one with a better sense of direction) may look at the challenge as part of the fun. Perhaps if I ran those trails more often I would feel better about it. I still get lost in Stillwell but at least I have a general sense of where I am most of the time.

I took no chances today and mapped out a route around my neighborhood. I followed this course for the most part but made some spontaneous changes to keep it interesting. My first destination was the business park that is located about a mile east of my neighborhood. A loop around the main drive has a modest but steady incline when run counter-clockwise. That loosened me up for the miles that would follow.

By the second mile I felt like I was growing stronger, evidence that my base training was yielding some benefit. I crossed into neighborhood #3 from the business park and ran until I reached a main road that took me into the next town. All along that main road the sidewalks were covered thickly by decomposing leaves and there were numerous fallen branches that required some careful stepping. I returned to my own neighborhood and covered about three more miles before returning home.

Demonstration of tapping a walnut tree

This was probably the best long run I’ve done this year. Not the longest or the fastest, but this was definitely the most satisfying. If I feel this way on May 1st I’ll have no problems doing the LI half marathon. We spent this afternoon at Hoyt Farm in Smithtown where they held an event showing the origins and the process of making maple (and walnut tree) syrup. We all had fun, especially at the end when we got to sample it! I suspect freshly made maple syrup can be an effective recovery food.

Return to the Muttontown trails

On March 12, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Circuitous run on the Mystery Trail

Today’s run (Muttontown Preserve): 3 miles

I took advantage of the weather today and headed over to Muttontown Preserve at noon for a run. Our morning was very busy so I didn’t get out as early as I would have liked. Even with that late start the parking lot was less than a quarter full and I was glad to know that the trails probably wouldn’t be crowded. The snow is all gone but some of the effects of all that water remain. The dirt roads around the entrance were rutted and the trails have a lot of muddy sections. With the noon day sun, I started my run wondering if I should have picked shorts instead of running pants. As it turned out I made the right choice.

Rough road leading to some rough trails

I followed the same path I originally tracked on my previous run and held my breath as I passed by the place where I fell head first into frozen mud. No such issue today but the condition of the trails was marginal and several times I encountered fallen trees along my path. Some places were completely blocked and that forced me to bushwhack through thorny brush to reconnect with trail on the other side. It was then that I really appreciated having long pants and long sleeves. I’d hoped to make my way south, then west and come back north to the trail-head but my poor navigation kept me contained in the northwest part of the preserve. I actually ended up running part of one loop three times. By the third time, I finally recognized the terrain!

I had MotionX running on my iPhone and even with the real-time mapping and compass I managed to get lost. I could see where I went wrong but I couldn’t find an alternative path to correct my vector. Instead of mountain bikers, like I often see at Stillwell, I encountered people riding horses on the trail. Between the mud and horses I needed to do a lot of careful stepping. My Garmin, with its auto-pause set too low, kept stopping and restarting and occasionally not restarting. Of my approximately 35 minutes running, the Garmin recorded only about 25 minutes. MotionX did a better job although I’m not confident in the iPhone’s GPS accuracy. At least, by the map, I have a good idea where I ran.

Altogether it wasn’t a very far run but the elevation changes were frequent with a total gain of 220 feet. I came away from the Muttontown Preserve feeling a little ambivalent about the place. I know that MP provides potential for a good fulfilling run but I’m zero for 2 so far. I really wish the trails were better marked so I could spend more time appreciating the experience and less time worrying about direction. Still, it was great to be back on dirt and though my distance was only about three miles they were three hard miles. I’m hoping to cover more distance on the road tomorrow and I’m glad to know that I probably won’t get lost when I do it.

Icy trails at Stillwell and a talking robot at my side

On February 20, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Treacherous going on the trails

Today’s run (Stillwell Woods): 3.2 miles

I had high hopes that the recent warm temperatures had melted the snow on the trails at Stillwell Woods. After days of 40, 50 (and briefly, 60) degree temps I thought that was a reasonable expectation. I was very surprised to see that the local temperature was 19 degrees this morning and when I arrived at Stillwell I saw that the melted snow had refrozen into ice and hard icy snow. I wore my Helly Hansen Trail Lizards in anticipation of rough terrain and set off over the packed but rutted ice and snow. I was still hoping that the interior trails would be bare and more runnable, perhaps protected from the canopy above.

I wore my Garmin and also brought along my iPhone to capture my route using MotionX. It had been a long time since I carried the iPhone on a run and used that app. The app has been updated numerous times since then and after the first minute a robotic female voice said “You have run for one minute and have traveled zero-point-one-0 miles. Your pace is ten minutes per mile.” That spooked me but then I realized that my robot friend would be “updating”me on progress every minute going forward. I considered switching off the MotionX app but decided that I’d just let it go as I didn’t want to play with my iPhone while I ran on these tricky trails.

The trails were covered by hard snow rutted with impressions from hikers, runners, animals and mountain bikers. I didn’t sink into the snow but the ruts that were formed when the temperatures were higher were a few inches deep and a misstep would easily result in a sprain or fall. There were small exposed dirt channels at the edge here and there and I ran on those when I could. The progress reports from MotionX kept coming and I couldn’t believe each time that another minute had passed. I enjoy a hard challenge, especially on the trails, but I was growing concerned that I’d trip on a rut and get hurt. I followed the path back to the open field and finished my run with two laps around the perimeter. The field was mostly devoid of snow because the sun had gotten to it so my last mile was on muddy dirt and grass.

I was happy to be back to the woods for the first time in 2011 and it was a different kind of workout than I’d expected to get. I was so happy to have chosen the Helly’s for the job today. I’m going to head to Bethpage State Park this week and get an Empire Passport so I can get free access into the NY State Parks where I normally have to pay admission. It will be nice if Bethpage’s bike trail is clear when I go there. The 14 mile out-and-back route (or 10 or so miles of it) would be a good kick start to my half marathon training.

Stillwell run with BJS and Bailey

On October 17, 2010 By Emerging Runner2 Comments


BJS and Bailey. No pets allowed, good thing dogs can’t read

Today’s run (Stillwell Woods): 5.1 miles

This hasn’t been a long mileage weekend but I’ve had a couple of really nice runs. This morning I met BJS at Stillwell Woods for some trail running and he brought along his usual running partner, Bailey, a black Lab. Technically, you aren’t allowed to bring dogs into Stillwell but many people do. To their credit, most people who run their dogs there have trained them well. Over the last couple of years I have had only one problem with an untethered dog at Stillwell. My daughter was walking with me and a few others when a big dog jumped up on her and almost knocked her down. The dog was running with a mountain biker who had not trained this dog well. Besides that, I’ve run by dozens of untethered dogs that kept close to their owner’s side and didn’t act threatening in the least.

Bailey is an energetic, gentle dog but BJS decided to keep her on a leash when we ran because he didn’t know how she’d do with the other dogs. We made our way into the woods and followed my usual route. About a mile in I decided to lead us east through more challenging trails. BJS and Bailey had no trouble with the conditions that varied between packed dirt, loose rocks and sand. We ended up at the far east end where the trail terminates at a public road. The trails that took us there were a little rough and we needed to retrace them west. One path we followed was as steep as Widow Hill in Northport, but thankfully not as long. I didn’t get lost, or I should say, as lost as I usually do. I managed to get us over to the southern trails that eventually lead back to the main path near the trail head. We finished our run with one circuit around the big field and headed to the athletic fields after covering 5.1 miles in about 50 minutes.

I wore my ASICS 1130’s instead of trail shoes and they did well on the multiple surfaces at Stillwell. Unfortunately, either my insole or sock was bunching in a way that dug into the bottom of my right foot. It wasn’t too painful but it did make me concerned that I was putting too much sharp pressure on my plantar tendon. BJS would have been happy running longer than the five miles we covered but I started to feel concerned that I could be enabling a problem if I continued. I think that was a good decision because my foot feels fine now. It was an enjoyable run that went by quickly, so often the case when you are running with good company. I think BJS and Bailey both liked the Stillwell experience and I’m sure we’ll run there again. We talked about running in Sunken Meadow State Park where many high school XC teams train. I’ve heard that’s a challenging course. Sounds good to me provided that I wear the right shoes.

Kinvaras perform on the trail

On October 3, 2010 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (Belmont Lake): 6.7 miles at 9:46

Belmont Lake out n’ back

It has been an all-trail running weekend. Yesterday I ran at Stillwell Woods in the morning and returned with the family in the afternoon for a little kite flying and some low key trail runs. This morning I went to Belmont Lake, home of the Dirty Sock 10K race, for the pleasure of running its well groomed trails in the cool high 50’s weather.

I wanted to cover some distance today but I just couldn’t face another run through the surrounding neighborhoods. I decided to return to Babylon to run the out and back course that includes a trip around Belmont Lake and also follows the south end of a large pond. My intention was to run the Dirty Sock course but to start at the trail head instead of going 100 yards further into the woods where the race begins. I’ve run this course half a dozen times and I’m now familiar with many of its features. I still get a little disoriented when the trail splits but I managed to stay on course for most of my run. I wore my Kinvaras because I was curious to see how they performed on a non-paved surface. Adventure Girl ran a tough 13.1 mile trail race in her Kinvaras and spoke highly of their performance so I thought, “What the heck.” Today’s course is mostly dirt with gravel, sand and a small amount of paved road. I knew by the time I crossed under the Rt. 27 overpass that the Kinvaras would provide enough support for this course and I reached the lake with no issues of traction or stability.

There were a lot of dog walkers, a few runners and some cyclists along my path. When I reached the lake I heard music and saw tents and booths being erected for a fair that was associated with walk-a-thon that was also going on. As I circled the lake I was tortured by the extremely loud music coming from the fair. What made it worse was that the song they were playing. “Uptown Girl” by Billy Joel, is one of my top five most hated songs, ever. I actually felt relieved when I heard the next song starting. Soon enough I was on my way south, past the lake, and back onto the path I’d followed earlier. I felt great although did I begin to tire a little around mile 4. I soon perked up and made sure I stayed on the Dirty Sock return route, especially when my path would split. Along the way I cut farther east to make sure I didn’t miss the perpendicular left that takes runners along the southern end of the pond. It was here where I thought I’d gone off course because I didn’t recognize the right that takes Dirty Sock racers on the path to the finish line. I ended up retracing my route along the pond and rejoining the original trail, finishing where I started, after covering 6.7 miles of trails.

I’ve always enjoyed running this course although the two times that I ran the Dirty Sock race I was overwhelmed by the heat, humidity and a dearth of electrolytes. When not bombing down the path at speed for almost an hour it’s a really relaxing experience. It’s also a great place to run with a buddy. I’m pleased with my distance running this weekend and thrilled to have had two days of great local trail running. Now I won’t feel so bad about returning to the neighborhood next week.