Forget running shoes, this is what I want

On February 15, 2014 By Emerging Runner4 Comments

On my wish list

Today’s run (treadmill): 4.5 miles

Hey guess what, it’s snowing again! I really don’t mind all the snow this season, since I no longer need to commute every day on the Long Island Railroad. What I don’t like are the limited options I have for running these days. The treadmill is a handy choice, but even with the TV or music on, I find running in place to be tough on the mind.

Last week I was in industry meetings and I had a chance to catch up with my friend (and occasional running partner) KWL. We were talking about how the weather has affected our training and we agreed that snowshoes would be a handy thing to have. I’ve considered buying them in previous years, but the cost seemed high for the use I’d get out of them.

Now that we’re into the last months of winter, I’ve noticed prices are dropping. But the lowest cost I’ve seen for adult snowshoes is still over $100 a pair. If I was confident that we’d see similar levels of snow in 2015 I’d certainly consider the investment. KWL, who is a master craftsman, suggested that we build our own. Easy for him to say.

This looks like a lot of trouble

Without snowshoes to get me outside, I wound up on the treadmill again today. It was a fine workout and I went as long I could with the time I had. The light snow coming down right now shouldn’t amount to much, compared to everything we’ve seen this week. My kids go out in the snow at every opportunity. Even without snowshoes, they always seem to have a great time. Maybe that’s a workout I should consider.

A Valentine’s running treat

On February 14, 2014 By Emerging Runner6 Comments

I heart insoles

Today’s run (treadmill): 3.5 miles

Happy Valentine’s Day. This is a nice holiday because it’s providing a nice diversion from all the cold, ice and snow we’re having. I got some shoveling in today so I can check the cross training box once again. I also ran on the treadmill this morning and can check the running while un-stimulated box. But I did give my feet a Valentine.

A few weeks ago I bought two pairs of gel insoles for my shoes, so my feet wouldn’t end up blistered and sore after a walking around NYC all day. They do a good job compared to regular insoles and I’ve felt much better after covering five or more miles on city streets. My Saucony Kinvaras have about 700 miles on them and they have served as my treadmill shoes for the last 200. The Kinvara 3’s have held up very well, but I think the mid-soles have lost a lot of their support. I decided to try the other pair of insoles for today’s run and was pleasantly surprised with the results.

I was concerned that the gels would be too mushy, but they turned out to be very supportive. My Kinvaras suddenly felt more like my old Adrenalins which provided a nice combination of cushioning and response. The biggest benefit came from lower fatigue in my calves and less strain underfoot. The tedium of the treadmill was somewhat mitigated by this additional comfort. Why hadn’t I tried this before?

Time for a snow bank withdrawal

Today’s weather took a turn for the better and the temperatures finally rose above 32°, allowing some snow to melt. There’s still plenty left and the snowbanks along my driveway remain about 4′ high. I had hoped this would be enough to clear the roads for weekend running, but today’s melt hardly made a dent. Temperatures have dropped again and we’re expecting about three more inches tomorrow. So more treadmilling this weekend. At least my feet will be happy.

Hey, remember me?

On February 13, 2014 By Emerging Runner4 Comments

Hence, the treadmill

Today’s run (treadmill): 3.25 miles

It’s been a few days since I last posted due to both a lack of time and subject matter. It’s Thursday and my grand total for the week is three and a quarter miles. Tuesday and Wednesday were spent in the city. Those days started early and went late and I didn’t have an opportunity to work out. I covered plenty on miles on foot, so that counts for something, right? Most of that walking was done at a brisk pace due to the face-freezing temperatures that were caused by head-on winds.

But I write about my running, and not my walking (generally), so I didn’t have much to post. I suppose I could have written about my meetings, but this blog isn’t The Emerging Business Guy. I’ve felt weirdly out of the running loop, especially since the Runsketeers were due to dominate on Saturday’s trail relay and there were probably things to discuss. We learned that the race was canceled due to the two feet of wet snow that’s being dumped on us right now.

I have to admit that I’m partially relieved that this race has been postponed until March. I have not trained well for the Bethpage relay that requires full tilt running for two miles. All the treadmill running that I’ve been doing has taken away whatever edge I had. My treadmill sessions haven’t been as performance oriented as an equivalent run on the road. My experience on Sunday, running on pavement for only the fourth time in 2014(!), revealed a conditioning gap caused by a lack of road time.

Today’s run was on the treadmill, due to the foot-plus of snow already we’ve received. I’d shoveled in the morning and I suspect that explains the lack of focus I had on my run. I ran at my normal speed but I felt detached and unconnected the whole time. On the plus side, I got in my first run after three days off, but I’m definitely not in the zone. I’ll blame it on the weather and look forward to the clear roads and warmer temperatures that will eventually come. Unless we’ve just begun a new Ice Age…

Graupel and snow, the track and the treadmill

On January 18, 2014 By Emerging Runner3 Comments

Waiting for the skies to clear

Today’s run (track & treadmill): 1.5 miles – track, 2.5 miles progressive speed run

My goal was clear this morning. Go out before the rain and do speed work at the high school track. Before I did that, I decided to finish up a small business project so I wouldn’t have to think about it over the weekend. While I was pleased with the progress I’d made, the time had slipped and I was scrambling to get out of the house.

I noticed a few scattered drops on my windshield during my short drive to the track. I’d left under sunny skies, but five minutes later conditions had changed to cloudy and gray. Even so, I felt that the slight drizzle would pass and I set out on my first warm-up lap. There were a few walkers on the track and a guy I recognized running in the opposite direction. He seemed to recognize me as well and we exchanged hellos the first time he came around. I felt really good and ready for the intervals I had planned for later in the workout.

During the New Year’s Hangover run, Runsketeer teammate TPP had showed me a technique for lengthening my stride while keeping a proper center. She demonstrated that form with an impressive burst of speed and I’ve tried to duplicate it for short periods during every outdoor run since then. I used the technique today and marveled at the effect. It is a far more potent method for rapid acceleration than what I’ve previously relied upon. I looked forward to using that on my repeats.

I’d planned to run six laps at around a 9:00 pace and then run a series of 100’s and 200’s followed by some cool down laps. Once I was into my fifth lap, I started hearing what sounded like BB’s hitting the ground. Later I heard on News 12 that this is called graupel, or small hail. I figured that if this was happening, I didn’t need to worry much about rain. Wrong.

By my sixth lap the graupel had given way to wetter stuff and, when I ended the lap, I headed to my car to wait out the rain. My late start had put some time pressure on me and I knew I couldn’t wait too long. Once I could see that this rain was not letting up, I decided to cut my losses and head home.

I changed out of my wet shoes and put on short sleeves to continue my workout on the treadmill. My new speed plan was to start fast and go faster. Since the treadmill’s idea of speed is different than mine, I focused on perceived effort (PE). I’d just run my track warm up at a low 9:00 pace, so I was familiar with how that felt. The initial setting of 6.5 MPH felt much more challenging than the 6.6 MPH that I’d just run at the track.

I incremented my speed every quarter mile until I was running an 8:20 pace that felt like sub-8:00. I really should calibrate my foot pod and measure my true speed on the treadmill. Once my heart rate went over 90% Max, I held that speed for a quarter mile. I then began incrementally backing down my speed until I completed my run.

Second workout: view from the treadmill

The second workout of the day was pretty intense and I was pleased that I could maintain a high PE over a couple of miles. That was my goal today, as I prepare for February’s trail relay. My wife had walked into the room during my treadmill run and opened up the shade to reveal heavy snowfall. I guess I made the right decision to come home. Tomorrow might be a good day to try some speed on the trails, though with this rain and snow it could get muddy. It was nice to be outside today but, surprisingly, my best running happened indoors.

Foggy sidewalk running

On January 15, 2014 By Emerging Runner6 Comments

View at the end of my run

Today’s run (street): 4 miles

Procrastination might have been a better strategy today than getting out early. I’ve been busy since the holiday break, but this morning was relatively open. I thought I’d take advantage of that and go out for a run before the streets became clogged with school buses.

The news stations were reporting 32° temperatures, but there was lots of moisture in the air, causing foggy conditions. I’d prepared for the cold, but I had no idea that when they said fog, they were talking about the pea-soup variety. Visibility was limited to the distance between houses. I decided that in the interest of safety, I’d do most of this run on the sidewalk.

I started out on a long road that borders the eastern edge of my neighborhood. This street only has houses on one side and it is often used as a service road by buses, town trucks and commercial vehicles. Running north on this road, I noticed that even without wind, the cold air felt freezing on my face. Not only that, the fog was so thick that cars, trucks and buses were nearly invisible, unless they were using their headlights. Even so, it was nearly impossible to see anything more than 20 feet ahead.

I don’t love running on the sidewalks in my area, but it I was glad to have them. Not only is the concrete surface hard on my legs, but careful attention must be paid to avoid the many uneven or broken sections. Catching a toe is easy to do. There was no question that if I was going to run outside today I’d need to stay off the road. Even crossing the street gave me pause. I was disappointed to see half the cars driving without lights. I was even more disappointed to see a man walking in the road with his dog with traffic at his back.

I had hoped to work on speed today, but the sidewalks slowed me down. Also, even after a week, the bottom of my left foot is still a little sore. So this run will go down as another maintenance workout. No matter, it was fun running through the fog and the necessarily slower pace kept things comfortable.

It’s official!

My GLIRC welcome packet came in the mail today and it included my membership card, along with four pages of information about volunteering at club events. That’s a dimension I haven’t experienced but I plan to participate in at least one race as a non-runner this year. It might be interesting to be the person on the other side of the table sometime.

Angels, devils and blogger buddies

On January 11, 2014 By Emerging Runner5 Comments

Today’s run (treadmill): 5.25 miles

I looked outside this morning and saw that the wind was blowing hard and puddles were forming on the roads. The rain was moderate, but I was concerned that if I went outside to run, I could get caught in a downpour. I weighed the pros and cons of that situation and decided to take the drier path. A few minutes later, the rain intensified and I felt a little better about my choice.

Wet, wind and fog this morning

Even though I knew it was going to be a soggy day, I wanted to keep an open mind about getting outside. The reason for this came from two blogger buddies whose opinions I greatly value. In yesterday’s post, I mentioned that the rain would probably put me back on the treadmill today. TPP commented that I should face up to it and do at least four miles on the machine. SIOR suggested that the three of us do our runs in the rain. I’m not sure if she meant that as an esprit de corps-type exercise or because misery loves company.

I thought about the image of an angel and devil on my shoulder, with TPP saying, “it doesn’t matter if you use the treadmill, just get in the extra miles” while SIOR counters, “don’t be a wimp, run outside in the rain.” I’m not naming the angel and devil in this scenario.

I ended up on the treadmill and covered 5.25 miles, according to the machine’s display. As much as I disparage the treadmill (I think treadmill bashing annoys my wife, who has no issues running daily on the machine) I’ll admit that it wasn’t too bad today. It may have had to do with my mindset, knowing I’d be covering at least five miles. Unlike my usual treadmill experience where I’m ready to explode from boredom by the three mile mark, I passed through that point feeling good that 2/3 of the workout had been completed.

I’m pleased to have completed my longest run of 2014 and I don’t feel too guilty about avoiding the wet and windy conditions. Tomorrow promises to be a better day, with a high of 43° and sunny skies. That will be perfect weather for my first outside run since New Year’s Day. If the ground is dry, I might even consider a run on the trails.

Happy Blue Monday

On January 6, 2014 By Emerging Runner4 Comments

I heard on the news that today is “Blue Monday”, supposedly the most depressing day of the year. A combination of post-holiday reality (back to work and school, less daylight, gray skies, cold weather) all contribute to feelings of sadness.

Despite all that, I tend to look at the new year hopefully. Bad weather will pass, the days start getting longer after December 22nd and just because the holidays are over, it doesn’t mean that you can’t spend time with people who make you happy.

A good friend called me today and mentioned that he was feeling especially low. I told him about Blue Monday and he felt better. The fact that Blue Monday is a real thing may help depersonalize the sadness. Either way, I was glad that he felt more optimistic after we’d spoken. I told him that whenever I feel low, a good run all but guarantees a change of mindset. I’ll bet if more people ran, Blue Monday would be far less blue.

Boredom is punishment for the medium-core runner

On January 4, 2014 By Emerging Runner6 Comments

Don’t let the smile fool you

Today’s run (treadmill): 3.25 miles

Whenever I have to run on the treadmill, I feel like I’m agreeing to a compromise. Were I truly hardcore, I would be out in every kind of weather. I used to be much more willing to run outside under bad conditions. In fact, in 2011, I did every run between April 13 to August 7 outdoors, despite rain, snow, ice or darkness. I’ve been less inclined to run in ice and snow over the past couple of years, mostly due to safety issues. Have I mentioned that the drivers in my neighborhood are careless maniacs?

My dilemma, besides feeling that I’ve slipped from hard to medium-core, is how to write an interesting post about a treadmill run. Here is a description of every treadmill run I’ve ever done:

“I turned on the treadmill and hit start. I set the speed to x. I set the incline to x (optional). I ran for a long time and looked at the the treadmill’s display and saw that only a minute had actually passed. I ran for five more minutes and wondered if I could ever be more bored. I ran more and realized that, yes, I could be more bored. I continued until I had a quarter mile to go and increased my speed to race pace. I finished the run and immediately forgot how much I hated the whole experience.”

There really is something to the “runner’s high” concept, when your system releases endorphins after the workout is done. It’s a good thing that happens. Can you imagine if you felt worse after a run? This morning I did my 3+ miles (I could only stand it for 30 minutes today) and felt great once I was able to step off, relax and shower.

I loved that I had the option of running indoors today when the roads were icy. Treadmills are boring and can be hard to write about. But unless I’m willing to harden my core, I’ll be forced to use this machine. And you’ll be forced to read about it.

Nature’s gym: early morning workout

On January 3, 2014 By Emerging Runner5 Comments

4:30 AM workout (Mrs. Emerging Runner)

The ten or so inches of snow that were dropped on Long Island today provided an excuse to skip my run and forced the need for some upper body exercise. I’m not a big snow-blower fan and hiring people to plow the driveway is a hit-or-miss thing (Are they coming? What if they don’t?). Over the years my wife and I have followed a strategy where we shovel the drive throughout a snowstorm so we never have to deal with big accumulations.

In the past we’ve gone out in the middle of the night to shovel, went back to sleep for a few hours and went out again early in the morning. Those were the days when I needed to get to the LIRR by 6:15 AM to catch the train into the city. I’m happy to say those days are gone. So instead of getting up at 1:00 AM, we went out this morning at 4:30 and dealt with about six inches of snow, freezing temperatures and blowing winds. My glasses alternated between fogging up due to trapping breath in my balaclava and going opaque from the snow freezing on the lenses. It was not as much fun as I’m describing it.

That was the worst of of it and we all went out again later to clean up the residual inches and dig our way past the wall left by the town plows. Through all of that, I got to use many neglected muscles above the waist, but I pushed far more than I lifted. I could have done a treadmill run today but I thought the shoveling workout would suffice as my workout of the day.

I don’t think the roads will be in shape for outdoor running tomorrow so I’ll definitely be on the treadmill on Saturday. Sunday’s temperatures are supposed to reach 41° and that might be an opportunity to get back outside. My 2014 running streak has come to an end all too soon, but 33% of my workouts this year have been upper body! If I could continue that ratio throughout 2014, I’d be in great shape.

Head for the treadmills, here comes the snow!

On January 2, 2014 By Emerging Runner9 Comments

Today’s run (treadmill): 3.2 miles

Today has been highly productive yet I feel like something is missing. Perhaps that something is the storm that is making its way toward western Long Island. The town just sent an email saying that schools are closed on Friday, probably because the Governor is shutting down the LIE at midnight. I’m less worried about the snow than the 45 MPH winds that could cause a power outage or knock down trees.

Earlier today, I pulled the generator out of the garage and ran a test to make sure it will be ready if we need it. That went fine, but if I have a choice, I’d prefer not to be running 30 amp lines into the house to power hot plates and heaters. Predictions are for 5-8″ of snow but I’m betting it will be closer to a foot. Either way, I won’t be running on the road tomorrow.

It was snowing this morning when I got up and I knew I’d be better off with an indoor workout. I love running in the snow, but not running in snow with cars. I’m working on a big project, so I focused on that while I waited for my wife to finish her treadmill run. Once she was done, I headed upstairs for my second run of the year.

Yesterday’s Hangover run was lots of fun. Being with friends and among a crowd of other runners helped distract me from the fact that we were running the same one mile loop over and over. Despite having the TV news for company, I found today’s treadmill session extremely tedious. I set the speed a little higher than normal, hoping that would get me through the workout faster.

I tried to imagine being out running the trails, rather than suffering through the unchanging view of my snowy backyard. When you run outdoors you can tune your mental state to the task ahead. A third of the way through my daily training run, I can visualize the roads that I’ll need to cover to complete my distance. On the treadmill, the first third is no different than the second. The only excitement comes at the end, when I usually increase my speed to the highest setting I can sustain over the last quarter mile.

The rest of the day was dedicated to my business project. I’m hoping to complete that by next Wednesday. Looking back on the day I’m realizing that a lot got done overall. But what’s still to do can’t be done until there’s enough snow on the driveway to shovel. I guess that’s what’s missing. But an upper body workout at 10 PM tonight might make this an even more productive day.