Slowing down time the hard way

On December 22, 2009 By Emerging Runner3 Comments

Time is elastic, at least when it comes to human perception. When engaged in an absorbing task, time seems to pass at an astonishingly fast rate. When we are anticipating something good, time seems to slow. A perfect example of this was this morning’s workout on the treadmill. In this case anticipating something good was defined as doing anything but running on the treadmill.

I decided to be positive and look at the treadmill as a solution rather than a problem. The real problem was the icy streets with no sidewalks for escaping cars. I knew that if I wanted to run this morning I would have to do it indoors. Knowing it would be hot, I dressed in shorts with my new ATAYNE short sleeve running shirt. I began to nudge the slide control on the treadmill towards what I remembered to be a fairly fast pace. The control panel display no longer works (hey, the machine is older than my 6th grader) so I need to rely on perceived effort to gauge my speed. The first five minutes seemed to go fine and the second five were less fine. As I stared at the numbers on the digital clock I was amazed by the time it took for a single minute to pass. At the 15 minute mark I just told myself that I can endure anything for 5 minutes and I finally finished up after 20 minutes covering about 2.4 miles.

I’m at a point where I can probably run ten miles under ideal conditions. I would not be doing that at 8:39 per mile as I ran today but I’d enjoy it a lot more. Whether I love or hate the treadmill, it looks as though it will be my primary work week running option. You never know, some day those passing minutes could feel like actual minutes rather than hours.

Planning for some indoor running

On December 21, 2009 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

I supplemented my shoveling workout with 33 minutes on the elliptical yesterday. I like having the option of using that machine but, despite the resistance, I never feel like I work as hard as I do when I run. I had the television on and that did a nice job of distracting me for a period and the very dry air kept my level of sweating to a minimum. I tuned out the TV after a while and just zoned out as I worked. I recently finished Dean Karnezes’ book Ultramarathon Man where he talked about how he fell asleep while running the Badwater Ultramarathon. I understood that a little better as I fell into the rhythm of the elliptical, although I suspect that if had I fallen asleep I would have quickly come to a stop.

Since it is Monday I took a scheduled rest day. As I drove to the train this morning I observed the plowed roads with their patina of ice and realized that tomorrow morning’s workout will need to happen indoors. No escaping that unless the temperature rises by 20 degrees and stays that way. I’m okay with the notion of returning once again to the treadmill although I’ll admit my reluctance to do it. If I felt that the elliptical provided the same benefit my decision would be simple. I may try my new Nike+ sensor that was a gift from my friend and colleague KWL while I run on the treadmill and compare my readings on the iPhone to the read readings on my Garmin 50. Almost any distraction is a good distraction. Better to be looking at running metrics than falling asleep on the treadmill. I don’t think that I would have the same positive outcome as Dean.

Give us this day her daily tread

On December 8, 2009 By Emerging Runner3 Comments

Every weekday morning, as I step out of the shower, I hear the modulated whine of the treadmill from the guest room. As long as we’ve had our treadmill my wife has used it daily for her workouts. While I dutifully cover my miles each morning, my time-span pales in comparison to hers. She typically endures 45 minutes daily, walking at a rapid pace about half the time and running the balance. My wife isn’t planning to switch to road running but I’ll bet, with her excellent form, that she’d do very well as a runner. Her approach to fitness is simple and practical: get up and get it done before the kids wake up and start their day.

My day starts earlier than my wife’s but not by much. I got out this morning at around 4:10 AM which is a few minutes later than I usually start. Putting on all those layers in defense of the 34 degree temperatures (plus wind) adds to my prep time. I ended up covering 2.3 miles in around 21 minutes. I had no problem with fatigue since I rested yesterday but I did not feel as though I was running efficiently. No matter though, I managed to warm up and was fairly comfortable by the second half of the run. While it was cold (the head on-wind caused my eyes to tear) we still haven’t reached those days that require full face coverage. When the temperatures hit the teens I’ll need to decide how much I really dislike the treadmill.

Taking path B (make that tread B)

On December 3, 2009 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

I awoke from a pleasant night’s sleep to the percussive sound of rain on the bathroom skylight. I needed to make a decision whether to brave the rain or to stay indoors and use the elliptical or (shudder) the treadmill. I didn’t run yesterday and I skipped Monday because it’s my rest day. Sunday’s run was a slow, short run with my daughter so I’d really only had two cardio workouts since Saturday. I knew I needed a workout and I surprised myself by choosing the treadmill. My decision to run on the treadmill was related to a logic process that I use often during my weekend runs: if path A is similar but easier than path B, take path B. For example, If one road leading home extends the run an extra half mile or has a challenging hill while the other is shorter, flatter, etc., why not accept the tougher option? That’s why I chose the treadmill.
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It was the first time that I stepped on our treadmill since June. I’ve been running outdoors at 4:00 AM since then and using the elliptical when conditions forced me to stay inside. I ran on a treadmill while up in Boston a few weeks ago which helped prepare me psychologically for today’s experience. The display on our decade-old treadmill is flaky so I set the pace according to my readiness to run. I wore my Garmin 50 to track my distance and pace but I didn’t refer to it during my run except to check on time elapsed. Treadmill time is brutally slow. With no distractions the minutes can pass like hours. It really wasn’t as bad as I’d remembered it but I missed the experience of changing scenery.

With no information about my pace I moved along fairly well. I ended up covering 2.5 miles at an 8:34 pace – much better than I usually do on the streets at that time. I have every hope that tomorrow morning’s weather will be more hospitable. While the treadmill may be a tougher path than the outdoor option that is one case where I’ll always choose path A.

The Treadmill: once every five months sounds about right

On November 16, 2009 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

It’s been over five months since I last stepped on a treadmill. That date was May 27, 2009 and up until then I was doing all my weekday runs indoors. I grew increasingly weary of the treadmill process. The tedium of running without going anywhere with only the clock s-l-o-w-l-y ticking off the minutes to distract me just got to be too much. After complaining about it on a daily basis AG suggested that I try running outdoors instead and she lent me her headlamp to try it out. I did my first 4:00 AM run on June 2, 2009 and I’ve never looked back. That is until this morning when I ran 3. 31 miles on a Precor treadmill at our hotel in Boston.

My wife is a dedicated treadmiller and she manages to get through a rigorous workout just about every day. I admire her dedication and effort and I’m amazed that she’s able to reach a zen-like state that requires no distractions to get through her daily efforts. I need my view to change, and change often, which is one reason why I never do the same route twice and why I love the trails. This morning, as I ramped up the speed on the Precor, it all came back to me like a bad dream. The heat and humidity of the fitness center. The lack of visual stimulation. The fear of a misstep on the tread. The #$%^& safety button that I hit three times during my run by accident that caused the motor to abruptly slow until I frantically restored my speed. On the positive side I had some fun playing with the excellent incline features and by toggling between the pace, speed and distance displays that distracted me to some degree. I pushed my speed pretty well, maintaining a pace between 8:15 to 8:45 per mile.

Our trip was really great and we saw some good friends as well as my brother, sister-in-law and their two great kids. The weekend went by fast but that’s because it was one great moment after another. In all I only covered 6.75 miles over the two days but the runs were great in their own ways. I’ll be so happy to be back on the road for my next run. High-end treadmills notwithstanding, there’s nothing like seeing the world go by while you’re running.

Pre-travel run

On November 14, 2009 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

I’m excited to be traveling to Boston this weekend to see friends and family. My kids are especially excited to see their two year old cousins (one of whom is a dedicated Emerging Runner reader). We were in Massachusetts just a few weeks ago for the Cape Cod Marathon relay event and it always feels like going home.

Since the day will be taken up with travel and social activities I decided to get out early for a run. Although the temperature said 53 degrees on the news this morning I’ve learned by now that the level of cold can be deceiving, especially with the strong winds we’ve been experiencing this week. It was dark when I went out so I wore my headlamp and took along my ASICS lightweight windbreaker/raincoat in anticipation of the cold and light rain. It stayed dry but the chill was there in force. It was an interesting experience in terms of wind, direction and effort. I had the strong wind at my back when going uphill on some long roads and the reverse on others. I was wondering if the two balanced out or if one condition was more of a factor than the other. All told I covered 3.5 miles in about 32 minutes at 9:20. I thought I was pacing a bit better than that so maybe the wind was more of a factor than I realized. The good news is that I felt great throughout the run. I may find myself on a hotel treadmill tomorrow morning. This would be the first time I’d run on a treadmill in memory. Seriously, I’d have to go back to my records to see the last workout marked “treadmill” because its been that long. Well, if I must go that way at least it will be on a high-end unit. A little change might be fun. That’s what I’ll keep telling myself.

Rainy anniversary day run

On October 28, 2009 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

It was raining pretty hard when I got up this morning and I decided to wait to see if the skies would clear up within my window of running opportunity or if I needed to do an indoor workout. I haven’t been on the treadmill in months or on the elliptical in weeks and there’s a reason for that. As I’ve mentioned before, I find time spent on the treadmill to be extremely tedious. I’d prefer to run in driving rain than to run indoors on a noisy machine that will dump you off the back should you take one false step. The elliptical is also tedious but at least I can watch TV while I’m on it and I don’t need to stay hyper aware of my safety.

At around 7:45 AM the rain had slowed enough for me to venture out. It was only about 50 degrees outside so I wore compression shorts under long basketball shorts, a long sleeve tech shirt and my ASICS light raincoat. Despite all those clothes I was still cold throughout much of my run. The rain picked up after about ten minutes but I was determined to get in at least 30 minutes of running time before starting my day. I ended up covering 3.28 at 9:17 per mile. I ran with my Adidas Response 15 trail shoes that are very comfortable and perform as well on pavement as they do on the trails.

Today is my anniversary so I took a mini vacation this week, starting with our trip to Cape Cod this past weekend. Despite the rain my wife and I got out for a nice lunch along with some other planned activities. I’ll be back to the office tomorrow but the weekend is just a couple of days away. I really hope to get some trail time in at least one of those days.

Trading pace for pleasure

On July 8, 2009 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

I was woken up around 1:30 this morning and noticed that the rain was coming down hard. I went back to sleep hoping that whatever storm was passing through would be long gone by 4:00 AM. When my alarm clock went off my first thought was a concern that the rain was still there. If so, I’d have little choice but to remain indoors and run on the treadmill. Happily things were clear and I made way outside to run in the cool misty air.

It’s been a long time since I’ve done an indoor run. Between my early outdoor runs in the dark, weekly rest days and elliptical workouts I’ve managed to avoid the dreaded tread. The last time I ran on it I had a fairly pleasant experience but most of the other times it was near torture. Now that I’m doing all my runs on trails and pavement I’ve noticed my average pace has suffered compared with where it was months before. I’ll blame that on the treadmill too. Even though I disliked the experience the actual performance metrics were more impressive with most of my indoor runs clocking well below a 9:00 pace.

Still, I’ll take the tradeoff of loving the run versus loving the pace. I’ve always felt that treadmill paces were artificially low because the motion of the tread does some of the work for you. This morning I hit the streets at 4:09 and ran a little over 22 minutes covering 2.43 miles. Although I tried to push it and really felt that I did I only averaged 9:12/mile for the run. When I compare this focused effort on a relatively flat route to yesterday’s 8:49/mi Central Park run with lots of hills I’m a bit puzzled. No matter, 9:12 at is the fastest time I’ve done for a very early morning outdoor run. I’ll call that progress.

All exercise but running is boring

On June 30, 2009 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

A big reason I like to run is the feeling of travel and progress. You start here, go there and if you’re fortunate you’ll see interesting things along the way. Eventually you’ll come back feeling like something good has just happened. This travel and visual stimulation are lacking on the treadmill although some may argue that an HDTV can be a good substitute for the great outdoors. To me it’s still work and I always have this nagging sense that I’m cheating with the treadmill because the tread helps move you along in a way that roads or trails do not.

The elliptical is a nice alternative and I am a fan but I also view it as a form of work. While the idea of it is great, it’s just a machine built for repetition. Nothing stimulating about that. The end justifies the means but the means are a bit boring, HDTV or not. Some of my running friends are taking to their bikes for the summer and I’m starting to think about doing that as well but my bike needs a serious tune up or replacement. In the meantime my non-running choices are limited.

This morning I decided to give my legs a rest and instead did some work on my much neglected upper body. This, like the treadmill and the elliptical, is a tedious process. I worked with two 10 lb. free weights and did lots of repetitions, isolating different muscles each time. I spent about 25 minutes on this activity and built a good sweat (though nothing like what a get from a run). I have no idea if it did any good but I was happy that I gave my legs a break and still did a workout. All the same I’d rather be running.

Going negative – let’s start with my elliptical

On May 19, 2009 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

I’m feeling a little grouchy this morning and I’m not sure why. It could be due to my workout this morning. The workout itself was fine, about 23 minutes on the elliptical. What wasn’t fine was the noise that my BH Fitness X1 unit often makes during operation. I’ve written before about my dislike for (among other things) the noise that my treadmill motor produces and lauded the elliptical for its quiet, human-powered operation. Unfortunately my X1 still manages to create a racket often producing a loud clicking/banging noise that’s hard to tolerate. We’ve had people service the unit four times. They have no remedy for the noise and each time the unit has been serviced it has operated a little worse than before. Hard to know if my unit is a lemon or if BH Fitness just makes problematic equipment. Either way, I suggest that anyone who’s considering buying a “gym quality” elliptical to avoid BH Fitness units.

While I’m complaining I’ll turn attention back to the treadmill. I read an interesting column in Running Times yesterday called “Step Off the Treadmill” written by Tamara Rice Lave, a former US IAAF marathoner. Her complaints about the treadmill were consistent with the mine (and those who have commented on the subject). Lave did present a balanced view and admitted that it works well for many. I spent a few minutes looking at the sunrise calendar yesterday desperately hoping to see that daylight and 4:00 AM would coincide some time this summer. Unfortunately not, the earliest sunrise is 5:23 so I’m going to have to keep running indoors in the morning.

I’ve been adding one long run into my routine every week and it’s helped get my weekly distance up closer to 20 miles. I want to be in good shape to run my 8K and I really want to run the Great Cow Harbor 10K in the fall. AG is running the Patch Sprint this weekend which is a grueling 12 mile course over the four Pok-O-Patch mountains. The note that accompanies the waiver indicates “IT IS VERY POSSIBLE THAT YOU WILL DIE BECAUSE MEDICAL PERSONNEL CANNOT PHYSICALLY GET TO YOU IN TIME.” Sounds like fun!