Test at Bethpage: Gatorade G Series FIT Perform 02

On March 10, 2012 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (Bethpage State Park): 7.35 miles

Nice bottle, but no thanks

I had a mid morning appointment today and that forced me to get out for my run before 7:00 AM. My plan was to get to Bethpage and run the bike trail, covering at least seven miles. I’d rested on Friday because I wasn’t feeling great, and I hoped that would give me a performance boost today.

I brought along a bottle of sport drink with a very long name: Gatorade G Series FIT Perform 02. It’s an electrolyte mix that’s meant to be consumed during a workout. I was testing this mix to see if it’s something I should carry during my half marathon. I’ve learned that satisfaction with performance supplements, like gels and drinks, varies greatly from person to person.

Almost from the start, I could tell that I wouldn’t be burning up the trail today. I had none of the energy I usually expect for these long, early morning runs. I thought it would be a good test of the G Series mix, and a good gauge of my ability to cover 7+ miles when starting with an energy deficit. As I started my Garmin, it chirped and showed “Low Battery.” Like my watch, I hoped I had enough power to get through today’s run.

Considering my low energy, the first couple of miles went by fairly quickly. The temperature was hovering around 30 degrees, but the winds were strong, especially on the way back. I reached the point where I expected to hear a chirp signaling three miles and when I looked at the Garmin the screen was blank. Later, when I recharged the watch, I saw that the battery had given out after 2.61 miles.

Along the way I sipped from the G2 mix, hoping that it would restore my depleted energy levels. The “melon-pear” flavor tasted neither like melon nor pear. In fact it didn’t taste like much of anything. Since I didn’t have an easy way of knowing how far I’d run or how much time I’d been running, I decided to turn back at a place I could locate on Gmaps so I could measure total distance later.

There were many runners on the trail this morning, mostly running in pairs or in groups. I would have felt lonely except that they were all running faster than me. I wouldn’t have been able to keep up with any of them today. I suspect it was the early hour, when competitive club runners go out for long distances before they start their day.

I wasn’t hurting, exactly, but I never felt strong as ran along. I started taking sips of the G2 more frequently as I got closer to the end. The last 1.5 miles of the Bethpage bike trail has the most pronounced hills and I needed a boost, even if it turned out to be more psychological than real. As I approached the final long hill, I decided I’d just pace it fast enough so that I could call it running. At that moment, a group of sleek, fit, compression-clad men and women ran by on my left, chatting away as if this hill was a bump. How humiliating.

After I finished my run, I saw that the G2 mix contained nothing to help my energy stores. The whole 16 oz. bottle contained only 5g of carbs and 4g of sugar. I’d consumed about half the bottle, so all I got was 110mg of sodium and 30mg of potassium. And it also made me a little queasy. So this mix will not be accompanying me on my half marathon in May.

I accomplished a good part of my weekend distance goal this morning. I need to cover almost 6 miles tomorrow to make my “weekend 13”. It’s not an unreasonable target, but I hope to feel more energized on Sunday.

When a run goes according to plan

On March 4, 2012 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

How I spent my morning

Today’s run (street): 6.2 miles

My morning running plan was happily free of debate. No decisions to make about my route, gear or distance. I’d prepared to run 6 miles on the roads around my neighborhood and the cloudy and dry weather looked perfect.

I started by running the loop I use every morning to benchmark my first mile. After that I diverted my course by running towards the middle school. Once I got there, I ran across the field to a path that took me to the nearby business park. I continued in that direction and ran the hilly loop before exiting into neighborhood #3 at the three mile point.

I felt good as I moved along these neighborhood streets that led me out to Woodbury Road, a heavily trafficked street. Running along Woodbury Road’s sidewalk is always interesting. In the fall there’s often a thick covering of leaves that cushion each step. Today the sidewalk was bare and covered with packed dirt. Except for the cars whizzing by on the street, I felt like I was doing a mini trail run.

I reached the easternmost point of my run and then switched directions back toward my house. I was on track to cover my intended six miles and ended up making it with a little distance to spare. I didn’t run this route particularly fast but I was satisfied with the effort and pleased to have run a dozen miles over this weekend.

The best part of finishing a couple of good weekend runs is knowing that Monday is my rest day. Another 20+ mile week is in the books. So far, so good for my half marathon training plan.

Teaching your body to go fast

On March 2, 2012 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Today’s run (street): 2.5 miles

“The idea is to teach your body to go faster than it wants to.” That was a comment from Emerging Runner friend Paul regarding interval training. I reread that sentence three times because I thought it was a perfect way to describe the concept of speed work. It sounds simple, but it’s not. Making your body go faster than it wants to go is hard. But when you do, it (almost) always pays off.

I thought about Paul’s comment during my run this morning. Usually at 4:00 AM I feel heroic, simply because I’ve dragged myself out of bed and hit the road in the darkness and the cold. Performance is secondary and my expectations are low, because I’m usually half asleep through the first mile. Today I played a little with my speed once I felt fully alert. I’d pick a spot a few hundred feet ahead and increase my pace until I reached my target. I was curious to see if these fartleks would translate into a performance improvement.

It turned out they did. Today’s run finished 1: 10 sooner than Tuesday’s although I followed the same route at the exact same time in the morning. It was a difference of 26 seconds per mile. I’ll take half minute per mile improvements any day, but my overall pace was still in the low 9:00’s. That sleepy first mile always throws me off. I guess that’s as fast as my body was willing to go this morning.

Upping my game to reach an elusive PR

On March 1, 2012 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Today’s workout (elliptical): 25 minutes

Tabata training and intervals have got me thinking about my current racing performance. The good news is that, since last June, I’ve been on a streak where I’ve set new PR’s for 4 miles, 8K and 10K. In addition, I’ve achieved best ever times on five races that I do every year. The bad news is that I’m about to come around again to those races and the challenge of meeting or beating my best times will be much harder.

I believe that my improved performance is attributable to three things: more racing experience, smarter preparation methods and better weather conditions. I can’t count on the weather and there’s not much more I can do in terms of race day prep. The key for continued achievement in 2012 will be better training. I have a few ideas about that.

My next race is six weeks away. It’s a 5K and I generally run those races as a controlled sprint. 5K is the only distance where I didn’t PR in 2011, even though I ran three of them. My 5K PR is 25:50 (8:19 pace) from a race I ran in 2009. I came within 16 seconds of that time last December, but almost doesn’t count.

The key to my training for the Marcie Mazzola 5K will be a much greater focus on intensity. This, coupled with increased core and strength workouts, may help me move the time needle from 25:50 towards 24:52 (8:00 pace). I have no expectation that I’ll get there in April, but I may yet beat my 8:19 PR.

Running slow has made me faster

On February 17, 2012 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Today’s run (treadmill): 25 minutes

It was still raining this morning so I opted for another morning’s run on the treadmill. I’ll admit that my view of treadmill running has changed a lot, for the better, in the last couple of years. I still find it boring, but it does provide a lot of flexibility in the way I choose to run.

I almost always start slowly on my indoor runs. It’s a way of easing into the workout, and it allows me to deal with the residual energy debt coming from my recently interrupted sleep. By the end of my run I’m usually clocking about an 8:30 pace, but to get there, I have to increase my speed every five minutes from my starting point.

When I used to practice karate, I understood how good form was more important than how fast I could block or strike my opponent when sparring. My instructor used to say “If you can do it slow, you can do it fast.” That’s the technique I’ve followed for the last six months and it’s yielded good results. Slow and steady in training — PR on race day.

For now, it’s all about my need for speed

On January 31, 2012 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Today’s run (street): 2.5 miles

This coming weekend I’ll take a break from distance training in order to focus on speed. The City of Long Beach Snowflake Race takes place on the 11th and I’m hoping to do some interval training this weekend to prepare. Long Beach is always a great venue for a race because it’s primarily flat. If the weather cooperates this year, a good portion of the run will be on the boardwalk.

This morning I managed to get myself outside despite the cold and had a decent run. My dawdling put me a few minutes behind, but fortunately my Garmin acquired its signal in record time. This gave me back a minute or so in terms of my morning schedule. I probably benefited from a tailwind over my first half mile but I didn’t appreciate it until I turned and hit the headwinds. Fortunately, I had worn enough layers to stay comfortable despite the wind chill.

I was happy with my running performance through January and I’m hoping to turn in a credible time in Long Beach 4 miler. Still, I need to put in the work to activate those fast twitch fibers. So it’s back to the track on Saturday for some fun 400’s.

Monday R&R

On January 23, 2012 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

I always appreciate my rest days, but I especially enjoyed it this morning. After a few tough workouts this weekend, I was ready for a break. I’ve resumed my focus on distance and performance after dropping both mileage and intensity in my running in December. My half marathon doesn’t happen for three more months, but I’m determined to be better trained for 13 miles than I was at last year’s race.

An important part of training is proper rest and recovery. After this weekend’s challenging run on snow, followed the next day by an hour of treadmill and elliptical, a day of rest feels just right. The temperatures are rising, so by tomorrow I’m hoping that the ice on the roads will be gone. Otherwise, it’s back on the treadmill, once again.

This brick did the trick

On January 22, 2012 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Good training method and effective against big bad wolves

Today’s workouts:
Treadmill – 30 minutes
Elliptical – 30 minutes

I may be using the term incorrectly, but the word “brick” is often used to denote a type of triathlon training. The idea is to perform two different workouts, back to back. This helps a triathlete acclimate from intense running to intense biking. This is also known as transitioning. I’m not sure if running to elliptical meets that definition, but it doesn’t really matter since I’m not looking to train for a triathlon.

The roads were clearer this morning, but the remnants of yesterday’s dry fluffy snow have turned to ice. I decided that indoors would be a better bet, especially with 18 degree temperatures outside. Last Sunday I did an hour on the treadmill using elevation to make it even more challenging. I traded elevation for speed today and did my run around 30 sec. per mile slower than 5K pace.

Thirty minutes on the treadmill went by faster than I’d expected. Before I started my run, I hooked up my Android smartphone to the treadmill so I could play music through the built in speakers. I was dissatisfied with the selections coming out of Slacker so I switched to YouTube and started a video of NYC Marathon participants in their final stretch through Central Park.

I’d hoped that watching other runners would motivate me, but the fixed camera and low resting position of my phone’s screen made for a boring distraction. When I tried to select a different video I received sizable shocks from my phone (I have a terrible static issue with the treadmill) so I yanked my phone out of the machine and ran with no visual stimulation besides my snowy backyard scenery.

As usual, I progressed my speed in regular intervals so that, in my last five minutes, I was running my targeted pace for a 4 mile race. I was more than ready to stop when I passed the 30 minute mark. Three minutes later, I was set up on the elliptical and starting the second half hour of my “brick.”

Starting a workout with an elevated heart rate and full coat of sweat is an interesting experience. I was used to those conditions when finishing a session on the elliptical, but never before I started. The first couple of minutes were tough but I soon realized that my fitness was there. By the time I reached 20 minutes the only things that bothered me were my feet because I was wearing my Hattori’s. Those thin soles are not a good choice for an elliptical machine.

I was pretty tired near the end and I kept telling myself that all workouts eventually finish and this one would too. I stepped off the machine feeling like I’d put in a good morning’s effort and I felt that the “brick” idea was sound. Workouts on the treadmill and the elliptical can grow tedious, but 30 minutes of each was a good plan for an hour of training.

Reality check: back to work and 13.1 training

On January 3, 2012 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (treadmill): 25 minutes

As I walked through mid-town this morning, I detected the acrid odor of a cigarette. It reminded me that being on vacation had shielded me from that toxic smell for almost two weeks. Well it’s back to work for me today. I’ll miss being on vacation but at least I like work.

The alarm jolted me awake at 3:45 and I debated whether to ease back into work mode by skipping today’s run. With temperatures in the 20’s, it was easy to justify staying indoors. But when you have a treadmill and an elliptical machine, there’s really no excuse not to exercise. I did an easy indoor run for 25 minutes which actually helped both mind and body.

I’m trying to decide an approach to training for the half-marathon in May. Last year I think I misunderstood the amount of base training I would need to meet my expectations for a 13.1 mile race. It was the most difficult run I’ve ever done, but I still felt I that could have done better in terms of finish time. I’m hoping that with a reasonable plan, I can realistically target 2:10. To do that, I’m going to need to do a lot of 10 to 13 mile training runs between now and May.

Skip to my rue?

On November 28, 2011 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

I’m considering taking both today and tomorrow as rest days. I feel like I’ve been pushing myself a little too hard over the last two weeks and I think I’ll benefit from some recovery time. Since 11/13, I’ve run two 10K’s plus a low-key 5K and my overall level of training has been relatively intense. It’s very hard to skip workouts when you run almost every day. Disrupting routine is not a trivial thing. I know I won’t lose fitness if I miss a run, but I’ll still feel guilty if I take an unscheduled rest day.