9/11

On September 11, 2010 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (street): 5.35 miles at 9:20

Yesterday morning I felt run down so I decided to forgo my run. I thought about a city run later in the day but since I planned to leave the office early I deferred that too. I thought about sneaking in a short run when I got home but ultimately decided that resting when I felt tired was the best thing to do. We had an early obligation this morning so I had to wait until 9:30 before I could go out for my run. I wasn’t there mentally and I was still feeling a little tired but I was determined to cover at least five miles.

Today is September 11 and as I ran through the streets of my neighborhood I thought about my experience nine years ago, sitting around a table in my office and seeing my workmates stream by the door on their way to the corner conference room to watch the events on TV. A colleague popped his head in and said “Do you know what’s going on right now?” Later I stood in an office on the 40th floor and looked downtown at the surreal clouds of smoke covering the southern end of the Manhattan skyline. I also remembered how sad we all felt a long time after that day. I didn’t think things would ever feel normal again.

I wish I was a runner back in 2001 because running would have been a perfect method of sublimating those emotions. I certainly appreciate running today, and no matter how well or difficult a run may be I almost always get something out of the experience. Today was tough from the start but I focused on my form, my stride (using Kenley’s can stomping concept to help maintain a mid foot landing) and my pace. I didn’t feel very strong so I conceded some speed in the middle of the run. I picked up the pace over the last half mile and was happy at the end with my result. Tomorrow I’m doing a practice run on the Great Cow Harbor 10K course with BJS and Dave, both of whom are veterans of this race. I hope I have my normal energy restored by that time because there’s a lot of challenging hills to face.

Distant thoughts

On September 7, 2010 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

I’m back to the office today after being away for almost four days. It felt like a mini vacation as we said goodbye to summer. We put away the pool furniture and the kids did their final preparations for returning to classes today. Over the Labor Day weekend I covered 19 miles, the longest distance I’ve run within 48 hours. When you begin to accumulate distance you start to notice the amount of time it requires. Covering 19 miles took me three hours, plus prep and recovery time. I now wonder how people who train for marathons manage to fit in all the long runs necessary for training. Despite the time it took cover my distance I was pleased by the way I recovered from each subsequent run. No next day aches and pain even though I was running two or three times the length of a normal morning workout.

Running five times a week, averaging 4 miles per run, has been a good formula for building an aerobic base and for keeping me in decent shape. I know now that these shorter runs have prevented me from suffering the injuries that often befall higher mileage runners. I may have stepped into dangerous territory yesterday when I went for almost an hour wearing my minimalist Kinvaras to cap off my weekend of running. A twinge of heel pain revealed how unready I was to cover so much ground, especially when wearing shoes that provided so little impact protection. It was in that moment that I fully appreciated the statistic that 66% of runners suffered a related injury in 2009. I had thought I was somehow immune to common injuries and that my running style or my shoes would prevent them. My heel pain is almost gone today but it’s not forgotten. I’m still going to focus on distance as I train for my next race but I’ll be far more respectful of the problems that can come from higher mileage running.

Okay soldier, give five happy baby poses!

On August 31, 2010 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Today’s run (street): 2.7 miles at 9:38

Most mornings I wake up before my alarm goes off and that makes it easier to get up. The vestiges of sleep are already gone by the time I make my way down to the kitchen for my coffee and I’m already thinking about the route I’ll run. Today I needed the alarm and as I poured my cup, my still-sleepy mind lobbied for just another rest day. The thought of returning to bed was tempting but I view ad hoc rest days warily. Too many of them could lead to a permanent change to my running schedule. It’s a slippery slope. I just called on my favorite motivator, guilt, and was quickly out the door.

When I stepped outside I saw that conditions were good, with cooler air and low humidity. I’m not focused on speed right now so I felt no pressure to push my pace (and I didn’t.) I did a variation to my normal route and that kept it interesting. At the two mile point I actually felt stronger than when I’d started and I took a slightly longer route to finish my run of 2.7 miles. The lengthy run on Saturday with 15 total miles over the weekend put me in a different state in terms getting through today’s run. I found it easy to go on auto pilot and think about other things as I went along and this made today’s run even more enjoyable. Tomorrow I am out of the office and I plan to run a little longer in the morning and build some more mileage.

There was an article in today’s NY Times about the Army’s new methods of training that involve less traditional exercise like sit ups and more yoga and Pilate’s. It’s not about the Army being more new age-y, it’s a necessary change to accommodate the more out of shape recruits that are coming on board. The article also had this quote: “We haven’t eliminated running,” General Hertling said. “But it’s trying to get away from that being the only thing we do.” I hope they don’t continue in that direction. Yoga and Pilate’s may be beneficial, but for a soldier, running is essential.

Training went well but the trains? Not so well

On August 24, 2010 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (street): 2.64 miles at 9:08

Yesterday morning a small fire at the Long Island Railroad’ Jamaica Station hub brought down the entire train system for five hours. I managed to get on one of the few early evening trains out of Penn Station and got home without too much of a problem. At 6:15 this morning the trains are still a mess and I thought about working from home when I got up. No commute would mean more time to run. Ultimately I decided to take my chances with the trains and I’m waiting with the other early birds in a cold drizzle at the train platform.

My decision to commute meant following my usual schedule and I hit the neighborhood roads by 4:00 AM. The news said it was 64 degrees but it felt cooler than that when I stepped outside. I felt moisture in the air and realized it was misting. That mist, combined with cool air, felt great as I took off on my run. I noticed that my feet, really my toes, were still sore from Sunday’s race. Although the Dirty Sock course is fairly flat and the trails are well groomed I always end up with sore and swollen feet whenever I run there. I had my Brooks today and that really made a difference in terms of protection and comfort. I pounded on, feeling good, happy for the break from hot and humid running.

I followed one of my standard routes and was glad to see that I’d recovered from Sunday’s race with no residual aches or pains. The experience this morning was so effortless that my thoughts drifted elsewhere and I had to keep reminding myself to maintain a brisk pace. I had a few extra minutes and considered extending my run but I chose to go straight home so I could check news reports about this morning’s train situation. I ended up covering 2.5+ miles at a decent pace. Near the end of the run I passed a house with a guy standing in front — unusual to see anyone outside at 4:25 AM. Maybe he was up early trying to grab an earlier train in anticipation of a delayed commute. Speaking of which, here comes my train now. Gotta go!

Lesson learned: start focusing on stamina and distance

On August 23, 2010 By Emerging Runner1 Comment

One thing that became clear to me during yesterday’s race was my need to put more focus on distance. The performance gains I had made in prior weeks were seductive and they caused me to think too much about only one dimension of my performance. Four miles run in the mid 8’s was a welcome improvement over the mid-9 minute paces I had been averaging over the summer. With everything I’d been reading about the importance of speed work and tempo runs it seemed logical to work on improving pace, especially when measurable gains appeared. As I faced the last couple of miles on the trail yesterday morning I began to regret the lack of longer training runs over the last month. Sure, I could run a decent pace for three or four miles but what happens to my mechanics when that distance is doubled?

After actively returning to running two years ago I’ve steadily increased my speed and distances to the point where I run mostly in the low 9’s and do weekend distances up to about 8 miles. Due to time constraints I’ve rarely been able to run more than 20 miles per week, with most of my longer runs happening on Saturdays and Sundays. Having a whole hour to run is a luxury and using yesterday’s performance as a yardstick that only gets me about six miles. So finding enough time for real distance running is its own challenge. I’ve really enjoyed the long slow distance (LSD) runs where length, not speed, were the goal. That may be one reason why I prefer trail running; the course and the terrain are so variable that pace becomes less relevant. This weekend I’m hoping to get in at least one long run to help prepare for the Cow Harbor 10K in late September. Distance should help my stamina and once that’s improved I can again start thinking about my pace.

Hamstrung performance

On August 18, 2010 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (street): 2.9 miles at 8:48

I thought my string of speedy runs had come to an end this morning when I took off and felt a painful twinge from my right hamstring. I’d been feeling some tenderness there over the last day but this felt worse. Instead of rushing to a full gallop I shortened my stride a little and tried to maintain a fast cadence. That helped take pressure off the problem and after a few minutes, probably because my leg muscles had warmed, the pain subsided. I maintained the upright form that I use when trying to land on my mid foot while wearing a conventional shoe like the Brooks GTS 10.

The route I’d chosen covered more distance than I usually run before work, almost 3 miles today. I thought my overall time would be markedly off compared to recent days when I knew I was meeting an aggressive pace. When I checked the Garmin at the end I was surprised to see (and later confirm on Gmaps) that I’d again beaten 9:00 by a tidy margin. That pleased me to no end because it proved that even under suboptimal conditions I can still run in the eight minute range.

I’m out of the office on Thursday and Friday and I’m planning to do a long run tomorrow. I’ll probably rest on Friday and Saturday to be primed for this Sunday’s race. We’re planning on going hiking this week so I’ll need to ice my hamstring after that. The weather report for the weekend has changed from intermittent storms to clear and sunny. It will be great if that holds. Last year it rained on Saturday which caused some puddles on the trail, but overall the paths were dry. The less mud the better on Sunday, especially if I run in the Brooks.

Training is paying off with two speedy runs despite the hills

On August 14, 2010 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Friday’s run (Central Park): 3.25 miles at 8:39
Today’s run (street): 4.5 miles at 8:36

We have guests coming over today so I set out early to get in my run. My focus, both today and yesterday, was on maintaining a brisk pace over routes that presented some hill challenges. Yesterday I headed to Central Park around noon and followed a route that started by following the lower and upper loop on the east side. I crossed to the west north of the Great Lawn and finished my run down the loops along the west side. The temperature was around 75 degrees and that helped at the start. I ran the first mile, that has a couple of noticeable elevations, at around 8:05 per mile, which is fast for me. My split speed decreased for miles 2 and 3 but I did keep my pace well under nine minutes the whole way through. A focus on speed has definitely improved my performance and I’m happy with the numbers but I do wish I could just go out there and run for fun. But running for fun does not contribute enough to conditioning and I only have one week before the Dirty Sock 10K.

My run this morning mostly took place in a business park located near my house. it’s not the most visually interesting place to run but the wide open streets and a loop that is 2/3 uphill and 1/3 downhill makes for a great training ground. I ran the loop two times and tried to maintain a rapid cadence. I averaged 88 SPM for the first mile and gradually fell to 83 SPM by the last half mile. Even so, I bettered the 80 SPM that I have averaged most of this summer. I finished my training cycle by ducking into neighborhood #3 which is mostly flat and provided a welcome relief from uphill running. From there I headed home, tired but still remaining under the 9:00 threshold.

Last night my wife told me about a 5K race that was being held at Sand’s Point this morning. She suggested I run it because it’s a beautiful place right on the water. I decided that I needed to do the hill training instead, to prepare for next week’s race. It would have been fun to spontaneously run a 5K but part of my enjoyment of racing is the anticipation of the event and the strategy and training that precedes it. I’m really curious about how I’ll do next Sunday. Will my performance training pay off or will I end up close to my time from last year? I thought I’d trained better and incorporated better strategy before the New Hyde Park 8K in June but I ended up no faster (or slower) than my 2009 run. I’m planning to run with my friend KWL tomorrow and then run on Monday through Wednesday during the week. I’ll finish my taper with an elliptical session and rest for Sunday. At least that’s the plan for now.

Doing what it takes to stay under 9:00 per mile

On August 10, 2010 By Emerging Runner4 Comments

Today’s run (street) 2.5 miles at 8:59

I’ll admit that I like my current focus on speed and pace and I’ve been looking forward to my early morning runs even more than usual. I’m not running fast at 4:00 AM but compared to the paces I maintained throughout most of July, I am running much faster. My definition of a decent pace begins at around 9:05 per mile. I’m generally pleased when I meet or exceed that time. My psychological threshold is 9:00 minutes and that’s when I feel like I’ve accomplished more than merely covering my distance. Right now, in the midst of summer, 9:00 per mile is much harder for me to break than when I’m running in 20-30 degree temperatures. I want to do better on the Dirty Sock run this year and I believe that consistently training at paces around 9:00 per mile will get me there. However, trails can become more difficult based on their condition. If it rains close to start time all bets are off.

I managed to break my psychological threshold this morning, clocking an 8:59 pace for two and a half miles. It was already close to 80 degrees when I left but without the sun I felt like I could push without straining. I’m focusing primarily on form (vertical alignment, arm positioning) and cadence. On my slow days in July, I hovered around 80 SPM and on longer runs would fall as low as 78. These days, as I run, I think about how quickly I’m turning over my stride, how high my trailing leg is going and how much time I can spend off the ground. Higher cadence does influence stride length but I think that’s okay. In Born to Run, Christopher McDougal writes about the advantages of a shorter stride for mid-foot running and I agree that it does provide a feeling of moving along well.

My friend BJS sent me some notes that he made from his Cow Harbor 10K training last year. They are extremely helpful in understanding the course and setting expectations. He mentions a couple of big hills that must be respected. I think that will be the theme for one of my upcoming weekend training runs. The Dirty Sock course has no measurable elevations but, even so, I’m expecting that hill training will help me.

Race training has begun

On August 3, 2010 By Emerging Runner1 Comment

Today’s run (street): 2.5 miles at 8:49

I’ve come to realize that I’ll never improve my performance by running the same comfortable miles over and over again. I can use many excuses to explain why my performance has slipped but, in truth, I’ve done little to help my cause. I was reading an old post where I’d written about having done speed drills at the local track. That was a long time ago. I did train on hills to prepare for the Cape Cod marathon relay and more recently to prepare for the Marcie Mazzola 5K but that was months ago. Besides throwing in a few tempos on some longer runs I haven’t helped really pushed myself. I’ve come to realize that the only way to improve is to focus on running more “quality miles” that benefit my conditioning and performance.

This morning I headed out to moderately cool temperatures. It felt nothing like Sunday’s chilly air but it was certainly better than it had been a week ago. I had just read an article in Runner’s World about training for a half marathon PR and realized that the type of running I’m doing isn’t really contributing to my running progress. That isn’t to say that the running I’m doing doesn’t have benefits. It’s maintaining my current level of fitness and provides a great outlet for stress. However, now’s the time to step up.

I hit the street at a faster pace than I’ve run in a while. I thought about doing a tempo run but then figured that the distance I’d cover is short enough to push the whole way through. I didn’t duplicate the effort I’d make running a 5K (going from waking up to running in 10 mins is hard enough) but I did handily beat 9:00 per mile. The run felt really good and I was left wondering whether it’s more work to run easy than hard in some circumstances. I won’t declare that I’ve moved into a new phase of performance running but conditioning will be top of mind as I prepare for the Dirty Sock run later in the month.

How far can you run in 80 minutes?

On July 1, 2010 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Today’s workout (elliptical): 24 minutes

Back in the early ’90’s I was running three or four days a week on average. My runs took place primarily on the streets of NYC and, with no technologies to track my distance, I never really knew how much ground I covered. After tracing my typical route in Gmaps I now know that it wasn’t much. My average run was probably two miles (if that) and progress was frequently interrupted by stops at crosswalks.

I remember once having dinner with my running partner and another couple who were also runners. The guy told me that he ran about 25 miles a week and that amazed me. I’d responded by saying that was practically like running a marathon every week. I recall wondering how he found routes that were long enough to compile that distance. Today I typically run 20 miles per week but my average distance per run is only about 3.75 miles. I do more distance on weekends with my longest run (to date) being 8.15 miles. I ran that in 74 minutes.

I’d like to push my distance further and have decided to see how far I can run in 80 minutes. I just need to find some place where I can do that without traveling the same ground over and over. I can get about seven miles out of running within my neighborhood and the two others that border it but breaking out further requires crossing some major roads which I’m loathe to do. It would be fun to run with some destination in mind but that will take some planning and coordination. With the three day weekend coming up I’m hoping to find an hour and a half to try the 80 minute plan. Even after almost two years I haven’t run nine miles straight. My run-against-time plan could help me reach that goal.