A weekend of Yin and Yang

On December 29, 2013 By Emerging Runner4 Comments

Yesterday’s run (treadmill): 3.2 miles
Today’s workout (treadmill): 40 minutes

My workouts really varied over the last two days and were as different as Yin and Yang. Friday morning had us doing last minute preparations in anticipation of a house full of guests. That, plus calls related to a big business project, almost forced me to cancel yesterday’s run. By 9:30 I was able to break away and switch to workout mode. With little time to run, I opted for the treadmill.

For my Yang run, I decided to go full tilt from the start and set the speed at 6.6 MPH. On my treadmill, that speed feels much faster than a 9:05 pace. Though I feared it might be a hard rate to sustain, I quickly settled into the pace and was able to hang on for the duration of the run. I would have liked to have had a longer recovery period after I’d finished, but I was soon out of time.

Our guests started arriving around noon. My brother and his family were down from Vermont and my mother and her friend were in from Florida. The remainder of the day was spent on non-running activities and after a big dinner and desserts, me and my sister-in law took a walk around the neighborhood. We moved along at a brisk pace, but it was relaxing compared to my run that morning.

I wanted to spend as much time as I could with our guests this morning so I delayed my run until everyone had left. After a busy afternoon, I decided that I needed today’s workout to be more Yin than Yang. Running hard late in the afternoon would probably not have positioned me well for another run tomorrow morning. I’ll admit that I felt too lazy to put on cold weather gear and the thought of an easy workout on the treadmill seemed far more appealing.

I set the treadmill’s incline to 3% but gave myself a break on speed. I eventually brought down the incline when I felt some leg burn. The intention of this workout was not to push to the level of discomfort. Although it’s still only Saturday, it feels like it’s been a three day weekend. I mean that in the best way.

My brother brought me a Keurig brewer and sent some coffee to go with it. I’m looking forward to having a cup of Kenyan to fuel my morning run tomorrow. Good coffee and running, yet another perfect Yin and Yang.

Not all traditions are good

On December 20, 2013 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Wednesday and Friday’s runs (treadmill): 3.2 miles

Vitamins no, flu shot yes

I’ve been busy this week, with a few days where I worked straight through from 5:30 AM to 7:30 PM. Due to that, I didn’t run on Thursday. Worse, I barely moved at all yesterday. I did get in some treadmill runs on Tuesday and Wednesday and again this morning. The icy roads and a lack of time has kept me indoors. We have weekend guests staying with us, so I’m not sure how much mileage I’ll get over the next two days.

We’re coming up on the end of year holidays and that makes me happy because my kids get a long break from school. I’ve always taken the week between Christmas and New Year’s off. That’s because my company would fundamentally shut down during that time. It was nice to be away knowing I was missing nothing at the office. Ironically, I’ll be working on some project items next week that I need to complete before the year closes.

A less positive tradition that I seem to follow is getting a year end cold or flu (and four years ago, pneumonia). That’s always undercut my ability to enjoy my time off. I’ve managed to dodge that bullet the last couple of years and, interestingly, that coincides with when I started taking flu shots. I haven’t taken a vitamin since I read about their lack of effectiveness on Tuesday, so I’m probably playing with fire. I want to stay healthy for the LIRCC Hangover Run on January 1st morning. I’ll be running it for the third year in a row. That’s the kind of tradition I want to follow, especially now that my buddies will be joining me.

Sorry doctors, but I’m ignoring your advice

On December 17, 2013 By Emerging Runner4 Comments

Today’s run (treadmill): 3.4 miles

Back in the early ’90’s, when I first moved to NYC, it seemed like I was always battling a cold or virus. One weekend my sister confronted my constant state of illness and asked me whether I took a multi-vitamin. I said that I didn’t think they provided any real benefits. She guaranteed me that if I took a daily vitamin for a month, my constant sniffling and coughing would go away.

I figured it was worth trying, if only to prove her wrong. Thirty days later, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a symptom. Ever since then, I’ve taken a daily vitamin. Except for a very very bad week, I’ve been pretty good at fighting off illnesses. My wife and kids have also taken vitamins on a daily basis and they rarely get sick.

When I saw on the news today that the Annals of Internal Medicine had published an article entitled, “Enough Is Enough: Stop Wasting Money on Vitamin and Mineral Supplements”, I had to disagree. After all, what makes these doctors, with their years of training and expertise, more qualified than me to decide if vitamins are good or bad? Not only are these doctors saying vitamins don’t help, they are saying that taking vitamins may pose certain risks. Does my sister know??!!!

Seriously, I’m conflicted by this news. I’ve taken a daily vitamin for over 20 years and have a healthy immune system. But I also run 20 miles a week and eat a diet high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains. So is it my diet or the daily supplement? It’s not quite as paradoxical as Schrödinger’s cat, but it’s pretty hard to prove one way or the other.

Another run on that thing

On December 12, 2013 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (treadmill): 40 minutes

Not long ago, I was having lunch with some business friends who also said they ran. I espoused trail running and another friend mentioned how much he loved running in Prospect Park. Our other colleague said that he did a five mile run every day on his treadmill. I asked him if he ever ran outdoors. He said that he lived adjacent to a wooded bike trail, but still preferred running on the treadmill. I couldn’t understand that at all.

To be fair, my wife does 45 minutes on the treadmill almost every day and it works for her. Time is important and the treadmill is very efficient. No ten minute process to put on layers and other gear when it’s cold outside. There’s even a timer to help her keep her schedule to the minute. Knowing this, I should have been more understanding of my friend. But he has a trail in his back yard.

Yesterday was devoted to meeting a tight deadline and that meant starting at 5:30 AM to ensure that I’d complete what was needed by 5:30 PM. There was no time for a run and I was okay with that. This morning I had more flexibility and planned to go out in the 24° cold, but my wife warned me that the roads were extremely icy. I have enough concerns about sanitation trucks, school buses and bad drivers in my neighborhood that I don’t like to increase my risk with slick roads. So it was back to the treadmill.

I think the treadmill seems harder because it forces a higher cadence relative to stride length. In other words, if I require 174 SPM to maintain a nine minute pace on the road, I may need to run 177 or more SPM to manage the same pace on the treadmill. It’s a lot of extra work to get to the same speed. Still, training at a higher cadence might yield a benefit that I can leverage outdoors. Until they put a bike path through my backyard, I guess I’ll be stuck on that thing from time to time.

A little snow can’t stop a run

On December 11, 2013 By Emerging Runner10 Comments

My view from the treadmill

Today’s run (treadmill): 3.3 miles

This is the season for snow, although we really haven’t seen too much this year. We knew we’d see some snow today and I planned to get outside before things got out of hand. My schedule was tight with some deadlines looming. By the time I was ready to run, there was a coating of snow on the road and I opted for the treadmill.

I hadn’t run since Sunday when I went out for an easy four miles to recover from Saturday’s race. The treadmill is my least favorite workout but I knew I had to step it up today. I decided to start fast and see how long I could sustain it. I was surprised how easy it felt and wondered if my legs were still tuned for racing speed.

Even with the TV to distract me, the run became increasingly tedious as time went on. My perception of easy running gave way to wishing I could get off the treadmill. I helped things along by increasing my speed for the last five minutes. It was a good run and a fairly hard effort. By the time I finished there were at least two inches of snow on the ground. With lots to do on Wednesday, I’m not sure if I’ll have time to run tomorrow. I’m glad I got in a decent run today, even if was on the dreaded treadmill.

The little workout that could

On December 4, 2013 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s workout (treadmill): 35 minutes

A little resistance

Work distractions prevented me from getting out this morning and the busyness continued throughout the day. By midday I’d resigned myself to missing any kind of workout. Around 5:30 I was fully caught up, so I decided to do something that resembled activity. The treadmill provided an easy, quick and low key alternative to a run on the street.

I didn’t feel like a run that late in the day, but 35 minutes walking on the treadmill didn’t seem like enough of a workout. I put on some ankle weights, grabbed some hand weights, and set the treadmill’s incline to a 2% grade. I picked an easy running pace and ended up with a far more beneficial workout than I’d originally planned. Judging from the level of sweating I’d done, this was the equivalent of a much faster run done with no incline or weights. I didn’t wear my HRM but I wish I had. I would have liked to see how hard I’d actually worked today.

Walking the walk because of the work

On November 22, 2013 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Love the concept

I’m wondering if my intense focus on work this week is what’s causing my leg heaviness when I run. Last week, all my runs had good energy leading me to believe I was heading in the right direction in terms of race readiness. Both Tuesday’s and Thursday’s runs were disappointing and uncomfortable. I blame this week’s work process because, in terms of activity, the past two weeks have been very different.

Last week I spent every day moving, with a couple of high mileage days walking in the city on top of my running. This week it’s been mostly conference calls and working on my laptop in my home office. It’s important that I do it, but it’s terrible in terms of movement. After a few days of tense muscles and not enough exercise, it’s no wonder that my legs feel this way.

This morning I took a mid morning break and used the treadmill (it was cold and rainy outside). Instead of running, I set the speed to 4 MPH and walked about 40 minutes. No stress and no sweat, but it was a good way to shake out my leg muscles without straining them. The day grew intense after that, so I’m glad I took the opportunity when I had it. I’m thinking of doing another 30 minutes as I wind down the work week. There’s a fine line between conditioning for fitness and honing the fitness that you have. I’m hoping that this taper strategy works for me on Sunday.

Headlamp failure saved by the treadmill

On November 13, 2013 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Light’s out

Today’s run (treadmill): 4 miles

I spent the day in the city, so I’d planned an early morning run. It’s been nine months since the last time I ran in the pre-dawn darkness and, not unexpectedly, my Black Diamond headlamp wasn’t working. I put in new batteries but the lamp kept going off, just like my old Petzl unit. I don’t understand why it’s so hard to make a headlamp with a stable battery housing.

While I wasted time trying to get the lamp to stay on, my daughter told me it was raining outside. Running in the dark, in a mix of rain and snow, was not going to happen. Instead, I got on the treadmill and hammered out 4 miles at a fairly good pace. I worried that I’d pushed too hard, considering all the NYC foot travel I was facing later in the day. I ended up doing fine.

I ended up walking pretty far today and the result was a substantial blister on the bottom of my left foot. I’m hoping it will miraculously heal overnight so I can get out on the road tomorrow (weather permitting).

Running happiness in a squeeze bottle

On November 1, 2013 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Doping the right way

Today’s run (treadmill): 3.2 miles

Oxymetazoline HCl is my new favorite drug. I’ve recently found that a minimal dose of this OTC nasal spray provides a lot of relief to my pressure headaches. Using it seems to negate the need to take ibuprofen or pseudoephedrine. I don’t like to take either of those, especially when I’m planning to run. I get these headaches during certain weather conditions and they are tough to treat, but a couple of sprays have put me back on the mend.

This morning’s weather was windy and rainy. Fallen leaves on the roads made for slippery conditions and I resigned myself to another treadmill workout. I’d used the nasal spray as soon as I got up and felt instantly better. I was ready to push hard today and I set the speed a full MPH faster than yesterday. Today was warmer and more humid than Thursday, yet I felt much stronger throughout the run.

The good thing about running faster on the treadmill is that you get through your planned distance sooner. I had plenty to do today so that was a bonus. The nasal spray, unlike decongestant tablets, doesn’t make me dizzy or tired. Treadmill running is scary enough without having to deal with those concerns.

Managing through the pressure

On October 31, 2013 By Emerging Runner3 Comments

Still plenty of choice at Chez Emerging Runner

Today’s run (treadmill): 3.2 miles

Happy Halloween! So far I’ve successfully avoided the candy we bought for Trick or Treaters. Among the mix are Mounds and Almond Joy bars so you should be very impressed by my willpower.

I’ve had a couple of days of sinus pressure and the headaches that come with that. I decided to do my workout on the treadmill today to keep things simple. I also had early morning calls and needed to save some time. My goal was to move but not push enough to exacerbate my sinus issues. It was a decent session and I learned that the average commercial break on CNN is .36 miles.

I’m hoping that sleep and a change in the weather will bring me back to feeling strong enough to run hard this weekend. It’s my last chance to train for the Hope for Warriors 10K on the 10th. My base is definitely below 6.2 miles right now, but I’ll give it my best shot.