The power of negative thinking

On December 12, 2010 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (treadmill): 3 miles

The rain was coming down hard while I debated whether to run or rest today. I put in a good workout on Saturday and could have legitimately skipped today’s workout, especially with the weather we were having. I figured the rain and strong winds would continue throughout the day and before lunch I’d made up my mind to run three miles on the treadmill. I figured it would be easy to cover a few slow miles, less than a third of the distance that I’d run the day before.

There’s something about the treadmill that brings out the worst in me as a runner. I had the TV on with an NFL pre-game show, figuring the action might provide some distraction from the tedious process of running about 30 minutes while going nowhere. Almost from the start, the activity felt difficult. I had a bad attitude about the process and as I grew warmer my mood grew worse. At the 20 minute mark I was self-negotiating a shorter span but once I was within the last mile of my distance goal I sped up the belt and got it done. I ended up running about 28 minutes and disliked every one.

Later in the afternoon I went out for an errand and the skies had cleared. The wind was gone and the temperature was a balmy 54 degrees. I would have loved to do my recovery run under those conditions but my running was done for the day. I was pleased that I got in a hard workout and could now relax for the rest of the day. My dislike of the treadmill drove me to run faster than I would have had I done my run outdoors. I guess thinking negatively can sometimes yield positive results.

Treadmill taper run

On November 17, 2010 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (treadmill): 2.4 miles

The twin furies of wind and rain forced me to stay inside this morning. I didn’t mind too much. It’s been months since I’ve run indoors and I was almost looking forward to a change of pace. One thing I did like was the reduction in time between waking and running. This is usually 10-15 minutes for outside runs because of all the extra safety gear and complexities of getting out the door. This morning it was simply shorts, shirt, socks, shoes, run.

Every time I use it, I say the same thing. I really dislike the treadmill. It scares me and it’s hard. I don’t like my running surface dictating my speed and if I stumble I know I’ll find myself unceremoniously swept off the tread. But we bought our treadmill for a reason and that reason includes always having the option to run, even on miserable days like today.

I started slowly because the treadmill felt fast, even at a moderate speed. Each quarter mile I increased my speed by .1 MPH so that by the time I’d finished my run I was pacing in the low 9:00 range. Although my overall pace averaged in the mid 9’s it felt like a hard workout. I only ran about 23 minutes in total and I enjoyed the extra time finishing my coffee while watching the local news. I wore my Brooks on today’s run and didn’t love them as much as I had prior to my using the Kinvara’s. I’m planning to run with the Saucony’s on Sunday for the 10K. After all, they’re my PR shoes at that distance. Tomorrow I’ll stay indoors again for a final intensity workout on the elliptical. I’ve never run two races on consecutive weekends before. I’m curious to see how that goes.

Inspiration from the Cross Country Kid

On October 5, 2010 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (treadmill): 2.3 miles at 9:15

I had every excuse not to run this morning but somehow I managed to get it done. I’d gone to bed late, didn’t sleep well and had trouble getting moving when I woke up. I really considered resting, knowing that taking two days off in a row would yield some benefits. I’d covered about 13 trail miles over the weekend and didn’t feel compelled to run just for the mileage. I then thought about my daughter who on Monday, despite the cold and rainy weather, ran in her first cross country meet. She did great and covered that 1.5 mile course faster than her usual pace. Her team has another meet on Thursday and on top of the rigorous schedule of classes, assignments and tests that make up a middle-schooler’s daily activities, I thought “If she can do that, I can do this.”

I quickly dressed and headed outside, only to see the rain coming down, lightly but steadily. I returned to the guest room and fired up the treadmill. It’s been months since I’ve used this machine (May 19, actually), though my wife runs on it daily. I had a problem with a slipping belt the last time I used the treadmill and I was a little gun-shy about getting on it today. The Sole technician has serviced the machine since then and after a few minutes running at speed I was happy to pronounce it stable. I’ve often complained about the tedium of treadmill running and nothing has changed to make me feel differently. I got started with a moderate pace and steadily increased my speed until I was running a little under 9 minutes per mile near the end. There’s something about the moving tread that semi-terrifies me and a 9 minute treadmill pace sometimes feels closer to an 8 minute street pace. I know people who say they can run faster on the treadmill. Not me, give me the road or the trail for that.

Tomorrow JQ and I will return to the park for our weekly lunchtime excursion. I’m looking forward to that and I hope that the weather will have cleared by then. I’m taking a stress test on Friday because it’s been a few years since I’d done that. Although part of the testing involves a treadmill, I’ll be pleased to do it this time. Things have changed a lot since the last time.

Sole F63 – a slippery situation, once again

On May 19, 2010 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Sole F63, equipped with special belt slipping feature

Today’s run (treadmill): 2.3 miles at 9:08

You’d think it would be easy to figure out whether it’s raining without actually stepping outside to check. At 4:00 AM it’s really too dark to see rain out of a window and the audial clues from the skylight were indeterminate this morning. I had already resigned myself to running on the treadmill so I started it up without further investigation of the weather. As much as I love running there are different levels of enjoyment. At the top would be a beautiful, scenic trail with groomed paths and cool weather. Below that, but still desirable, are many other scenarios involving running on trails or roads. After that is the track which has its positives but, for longer distance, can be mind numbingly boring. At the bottom (for me) is the treadmill. I can’t fully explain why, but I find treadmill running very tough. Perhaps it’s the tedium of an unchanging view but it’s also being locked into certain pace and having the road moving under you instead of the other way around.

An added dimension to my treadmill woes is a recurring problem with the belt slipping on on my Sole 63 unit. This is a new machine that we’ve already had serviced to fix this problem but I noticed it again today. Like last time, I could avoid slipping on the belt if I kept to the left side. However, the tread isn’t so wide that I don’t occasionally cross over to the “slip zone.” I did my 2+ miles just to get them done and really started wishing for drier days going forward. I’m hoping to avoid this experience until the machine is fixed…yet again.

Old Navy’s performance shirts don’t actually perform

On May 12, 2010 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Today’s workout (treadmill): 2.4 miles at 9:17/mile

This morning’s running experience had a few annoying moments but ultimately it turned out to be a decent workout. I woke up a few minutes early and quickly dressed for my run. I was hoping that the extra time would provide me an opportunity to cover some additional distance. Once I stepped into the garage I heard the rhythmic sound of rain and as the door began to rise I saw that it was pouring. I made my way upstairs, discarded my long sleeve shirt, headlamp and reflective vest and fired up the treadmill. Once I came up to speed I hit “Start” on the Garmin and hoped I could make up for the lost time. About 3 minutes into the run I looked at the Garmin to see what it was showing for pace so I could compare it to the treadmill’s display. I saw that the Garmin hadn’t actually started so I missed capturing the first third of a mile. So much for capturing my extra distance today.

Atayne Tech Shirts

Old Navy “Tech” Shirts

The run itself was fine but the jersey I wore did not do a good job of wicking sweat. It was one of the two “bargain” performance shirts that I’d bought on sale at Old Navy some months back. They were $5 each and I understand why. Although they are 100% polyester and look like technical shirts they don’t seem able to absorb and evaporate sweat any better than cotton. It’s tough to understand why one manufacturer charges $60 for a technical shirt while another charges $25 that looks and feels similar. In those cases both shirts do the job but perhaps the higher end shirt does it better. I will be posting a review of my Atayne technical shirt
(made from 100% recycled materials) on Runner’s Tech Review that I will compare to a few others to see if I can uncover the differences.

Pacing discovery on the treadmill

On April 27, 2010 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Today’s run (treadmill): 2.4 miles at 9:08/mile

Although I was fully prepared to run on the treadmill when I set up my gear last night I felt a little differently this morning. The alarm woke me up from a sound sleep and made me question whether a workout or thirty extra minutes of sleep would do me the most good. I would have liked the extra sleep but I knew if I didn’t run I’d feel guilty for the rest of the day. Despite its negative connotations, I truly believe that guilt has its good side. I had a little coffee and got on the machine, resigned to running a couple of miles.

As I started my run I compared the pace on the display to the pace on my Garmin that I knew was accurately calibrated. The two readings were closer than I’d expected them to be. I increased the tread speed and saw that the paces changed in sync with each other but once I got to target speed I found that I could achieve a faster pace on the Garmin, compared to the treadmill’s, just by quickening my cadence. When I resumed my default running rhythm the Garmin’s readout resumed duplicating the treadmill’s. It was an interesting discovery because now I know I can naturally speed up or slow down a little without needing to mess with the treadmill’s controls. That makes a big difference to me because much of my frustration with the treadmill is from the tedium that comes with being forced to maintain a hardwired pace.

Although I started off tired I did rebound and got through 2.4 miles at a decent pace. I don’t know why I find treadmill running so much harder than road or trail running but I do. Still, I rather it be that way than the other way around.

Pre-run dynamic stretching has its merits

On March 30, 2010 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s workout (treadmill): 2.5 miles at 9:05 (2% incline)

Ugh. That describes the wet weather outside and my experience on the treadmill this morning. Long Island is getting 4″-6″ of rain over the next 24 hours on top of all the rain we’ve seen since Friday night. Yesterday was a nice break from exercise and I really needed some rest. I had been experiencing some slight pain in my right knee and intermittent pain in my left abductor muscle that may have been related to extra mileage on hills over that last two weeks. With any thoughts of an outside run washed away with the steady rain, I turned to the treadmill for my run.

I had just read in Running Times about dynamic stretching. This method differs from static stretching in that it activates muscles rather than relaxing them. As it happens, my pre-run stretching is already dynamic. Using a couple of of exercises that AG taught me I usually do a few leg swings and knee cradles before I start. I decided to add a few more to the mix today and I did feel very loose before I started my run. The treadmill belt is still unstable and we’re waiting for a new motor that will theoretically resolve the slipping and jerking issue. I am able to avoid that for the most part by keeping to the left but the possibility of a slip is definitely an unwanted distraction during my run. I spent a couple of minutes warming up at a slower pace and then hit the start button on the Garmin after pushing the speed to 6.6 MPH. I’d also set the incline to 2% and the combination of a relatively brisk pace (9:05 on the treadmill feels like 8:40 on the street to me) and the slight elevation made my first mile difficult.

I settled into the run and managed to tough it out long enough to cover 2.5 miles at speed before I switched off the Garmin and cooled down for another ten minutes at a slower pace with no incline. It wasn’t an enjoyable experience but it was a good workout. Additionally, I finished the run with no knee or muscle pain. The air was especially dry and I really appreciated the coconut water that I used for re-hydration. I’m really hoping that by tomorrow morning conditions will be favorable for an outdoor run. Much as I like the new treadmill, it doesn’t provide the satisfaction of running outside.

Rain, rain (don’t) go away

On March 29, 2010 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s workout: Rest day

We changed our plans for a short vacation in western Massachusetts when we saw that the current torrential rainstorm’s duration would coincide exactly with our scheduled time away. Instead we stayed local and amused ourselves with distractions that included a Wii tournament. I was soundly whipped at tennis by my daughter and out boxed by my son. Well at least I got a little exercise. Very little.

Tomorrow’s weather looks to be equally stormy but I’m hoping that there will be a window of time when the rain stops long enough for me to get in a neighborhood run. Barring that, I’ll return to the new treadmill and work around the slipping belt by staying farther to the left side. I got a notification that the new parts have been shipped so it shouldn’t be long before the treadmill becomes more of an asset than a liability. Thursday, Friday and the weekend days look to be much more running-friendly than today, tomorrow and Wednesday so I’m sure I’ll still get plenty of miles in on this vacation.

It’s all uphill from here

On March 26, 2010 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (treadmill): 2.4 miles, 4-6% incline

The rain kept me inside this morning but I had anticipated bad weather and planned to run on the treadmill. I recently looked at a chart that compared equivalent paces based upon running speed and inclines. It gave me the idea that I could run at a slower pace (for safety given the treadmill’s belt slips) and still get the benefits of a faster pace by increasing the elevation. My run started roughly when my Garmin refused to set correctly. I nearly lost balance when the belt slipped while I was messing with the controls on the watch. Once I got that settled I pushed both my pace and the incline to a point where I was working fairly hard. About six minutes into the run I noticed that the belt would slip most often when I ran closer to the right edge of the tread belt. Moving closer to the left, the belt becomes more stable. Given that the tread belt is barely two feet wide, the range of positions is limited. However, an inch or two makes a big difference in terms of stability.

Running uphill at speed becomes difficult after a while so I decreased the incline for a few minutes to recover and then moved through some different combinations of slower paces and higher inclines (and vice versa). I ended up covering about 2.3 miles at an average pace of 9:50. Considering the amount of effort I’d needed to get through this workout I was surprised to see that my pace was still in the nine minute range. I’m hearing about more rain this weekend but I’m hoping to get out both days to run on real hills that don’t slip unexpectedly under your feet. In a way the new treadmill simulates running on technical trails – but not in a good way.

Sole F63 – A great first impression

On March 19, 2010 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Today’s workout: 2.4 mile run at ??:??/mi.

The new treadmill arrived yesterday and the old treadmill is now sitting at the end of the driveway, awaiting Monday’s trash pickup. My wife and kids were very excited to see my reaction as I made my way upstairs to look at the new arrival. They had waited for me to get home so I’d be the first to use it, which was incredibly sweet of them. In truth, my wife should have had the privilege of doing the maiden run because she put far more mileage on the old unit. I expect this will also be the case with the new F63.

I ran a couple of minutes last night to get a feel for the treadmill. First impressions were that it was more elevated, sturdier, smoother and quieter than the ProForm it replaced. This morning I did a real workout, starting slow (just push one button to set a pace!) for a minute before locking in on 6.4 MPH. This translated to a 9:23 pace but it felt faster than that. My Garmin agreed with me, displaying 8:59/mi. The margin of error on the Garmin makes me believe my true pace was closer to 9:05. I’ll recalibrate the Garmin tomorrow and compare that to the treadmill to get a better understanding of its accuracy. Aside from this discrepancy the running experience was very good. I appreciated the quiet ride, the fan, the metrics and the solid feel of the unit beneath my feet. After my shower I listened for the whine of the treadmill from my wife, who normally starts her run around 5:15 AM. Nothing. A walk down the hall confirmed she was running on it and I heard her steps louder than the treadmill’s motor. My wife liked it as much as I did and she couldn’t believe how quiet it was compared to the old treadmill. I think we made a great purchase and, with all the programs and elevations, there’s still much more to experience. I really like the new treadmill but with the beautiful weather on the first day of spring, I’m still aiming to hit the roads or trails tomorrow.