A run in the woods and a few days in Boston

Welcome to Marriott. How was your stay?

Today's run (Stillwell Woods): 3.4 miles
Yesterday's run (treadmill): 3.2 miles

The last three days have been really jammed packed. I took Thursday and Friday off and the Emerging Runner family headed to Boston for some college tours and interviews. Boston is my home city and I love being back among the Red Sox nation. While I was there, I snagged a very nice Bruins jersey and had fun visiting friends and some familiar places.

Friday morning I got up early and headed to the hotel fitness center for a treadmill run. I had the place to myself at 5:30 AM and set the speed to my normal pace. I was curious to see if my improved running experience would continue, and it certainly did. I felt strong and somewhat unchallenged so I stepped it up a few tenths and waited for higher effort to follow but it just seemed the same. I continued to increase my speed every fifth of a mile until I was running 1.5 minutes per mile faster than my starting pace.

After I finished, I felt like I'd worked hard, but I also felt energized rather than exhausted. I'm pretty convinced that my change in nutrition habits has yielded a new level of performance. Following that run was a long day walking around a college campus under the hot 90° sun. Despite that, I continued to feel great.

That evening, we got together with some friends that I've known since my primary school days. We all had a great time and I did my best to maintain my nutritional standards. I rarely eat red meat but the smell of barbecue was too tempting and I gave in and had a burger. I balanced that with a tofu dog that was pretty darn tasty.

We all went to bed exhausted from the long day, hoping for a good night's sleep so we could get an early start home this morning. Around 12:30 AM I was awoken by the sound of an extremely loud alarm and flashing yellow lights in the hotel room. I was confused and thought it was the room alarm clock, but it was actually the hotel's fire alarm. The family woozily made their way outside the building where we watched three huge fire trucks roll up and dispatch some serious looking firefighters.

The whole thing turned out to be a false alarm, so we were let back into the hotel to finish our night's sleep. I decided to forgo a morning run so I could grab another hour of bedtime. I hoped I'd have the energy to work out later, but when we arrived home it was too hot and steamy for a neighborhood run. I decided that the shade of Stillwell Woods was the only way to go.

Stillwell was quiet when I got there and I got under the canopy as quickly as I could to escape from the mid-afternoon sun. The trails felt cool, but I was accompanied by a cloud of bugs most of the time. It wasn't as bad as you'd think, but a few made their way into my mouth. Fine. Better protein than refined sugar.

Today's Stillwell route

Stillwell usually beats me up, even under much cooler conditions, but today was different. Like Friday's treadmill run, I was strong from start to finish and I only stopped because of the heat. I'm hoping that this is the new normal.

During the run, I noticed a lot of wildflowers that looked a lot like Giant Hogweed. According to the Department of Environmental Conservation, Giant Hogwood is a "Federally listed noxious weed. Its sap, in combination with moisture and sunlight, can cause severe skin and eye irritation, painful blistering, permanent scarring and blindness."

Please be Parsnip, Please be Parsnip...

There were a lot of these flowers, which raised concern because I am not a fan of irritation, blistering, scarring or blindness. Fortunately, the flowers were situated far enough from the trail that I didn't need to worry about making contact as I ran by them. I took this picture so I could look it up later. I was glad to see that the flowers at Stillwell are more likely Cow Parsnip.

So Stillwell Woods seems to be a safe place to escape from the sun on 85° days. I'm going to try to get out very early tomorrow and get in more miles. If conditions are better on Sunday, I may head to the track and test out my speed.

Boston fun and a scorching run

Field of dreams

Today's run (street): 4.2 miles

Although I've lived in New York for over two decades, I'll always consider myself a New Englander. My wife went to college in Boston and also loves the city, so whenever we visit Boston, it's like returning home. I've never warmed to NY sports teams, especially the Yankees, who I am genetically predisposed to despise. The Red Sox are a religion in Boston and it was gratifying to see almost

A Yankees Hater cap

everyone wearing some type clothing that had the Sox name or logo.

It was fun to stay in Kenmore Square, directly adjacent to Fenway Park. We could see the Green Monster from our room. Better still, I got to bring my kids to see their first Sox game and watch the Red Sox beat Chicago in extra innings. We had a great time, although I didn't get a chance to run while I was away. It was probably for the best, due to the sun and heat.

I considered doing a run in the Fitness Center this morning before heading back to Long Island, but there wasn't enough time. In our travels, we'd stopped into the Boston Marathon Experience store in Faneuil Hall where we were able to take pictures "finishing" the Boston Marathon. The next day we saw the actual Boston finish line on Boylston Street that's located next to Marathon Sports running store. I got a Boston Strong shirt for SIOR who actually ran (and finished) the marathon this year.

Nice try ER

The real finish line

After we arrived home, I started to feel guilty that I had not run since Monday. Although I don't like running in the afternoon (especially on such a scorching-hot day), I put on my running shoes and made my way around the neighborhood.

Mid July is not the best time to go out in the afternoon without cover from the sun. The humidity was ridiculous, but I figured I could get through a few miles. I was fine for a while, but the conditions started to wear me out and I could hardly see from the sweat pouring into my eyes. I targeted 4-5 miles but decided to stay at the lower end as the sun, heat and humidity became practically intolerable.

When I got home I saw that my kids were in the pool. After setting aside my phone, Garmin, HRM and Road ID, I jumped in with my running clothes. The instant cooling felt fantastic. Better still, the pool water rinsed me clean of my sunscreen that had become very greasy under the hot sun.

It's been a great "mini" vacation since Wednesday, and I'll try to get out early tomorrow to prevent another high humidity run. I would have loved to do a run in Boston while I was away, but I'll admit that Long Island is also pretty great when it comes to running experiences.

Bethpage run: Making friends along the trail

I really want that chocolate bunny

Today's run (Bethpage trail): 9.5 miles

Today is Easter and I hope it's a good one for those of you who celebrate this holiday. I don't, but I'm certainly celebrating the great weather we're having this weekend. Sunday is when I do my longest run and the distance gets extended each week as I build up to half marathon distance. Last Sunday I ran eight miles and today's plan was for 9. Depending on the training schedule, today could have been a ten miler, but I was reluctant to jump 20% from week to week. Though it was an accident, I ended up with a good compromise distance.

My Runsketeer friends are both in Boston for the marathon that's being held tomorrow. SIOR will be running it and we are really excited for her. She trains really hard while taking great care of her family (4 kids!) and she has the athleticism to make it a memorable performance on Monday. No pressure, just qualifying for Boston is a victory. TPP is there to support her sister T, who is also running tomorrow. T is another high performer. That, of course, is a prerequisite for getting entry into Boston.

As a native Bostonian, I would have loved to be there to watch them run through my old home town of Natick, but I'll be here on Long Island tracking their progress through the baa.org site. In the meantime, I have my own race training to do with the Brooklyn Half coming up mid-May and the Marcie Mazzola 5K next weekend. I'm very curious to see how I do in terms of speed in the 5K and whether all these hills I've been running will provide a performance payoff.

Today's run was split into two experiences, one being a pleasant but uneventful solo effort for about five miles and the other a highly enjoyable almost-five with an other runner on the path. I parked near Haypath Rd. again and got right on the bike trail going north. I followed the trail up to Washington Ave and turned around once I reached the underpass of the LIE.

I maintained the easy pace that I need to cover long mileage while I rebuild my endurance. I got to the five mile point and had stopped at Haypath to watch for cars when I saw another runner to my left. We exchanged hellos and crossed the road. I suspected that he was faster than me and was surprised that he hadn't taken off and passed me at that point. Instead, he (I'll call him J) pulled alongside me and asked how many miles I was doing. He was planning to do about the same, we're both training for different long races and his will be in Vermont.

Today's elevation profile

J turned out to be a very good and interesting guy who also works in the media technology space, but not in publishing like me. He set a slightly faster pace than I was running and I was very surprised that I was able to hold up my end of the conversation. J is a tall athletic guy and I'm somewhat older than him. He could have easily run two or three minutes a mile faster than the pace we held and I was grateful that he didn't. He really pulled me along, especially on the hills.

The time spent with J went by much faster than the previous five miles. Just like when I have group runs with SIOR and TPP. Good company is a runner's gift. I left J to finish on his own once we returned to Haypath and I felt remarkably good after covering almost ten miles today. All this focused training is making a difference and it demonstrates that there is no substitute for putting in the work. When the work is made easier with friends, it's simple to understand why we do this.

Patriot's Day, birthday & manhunt

Focal point

Today's run (treadmill): 3.1 miles

The story of the Boston Marathon bombing continues to play out with the suspect still on the loose. Today is my birthday, a date that used to coincide each year with Patriot's Day in Massachusetts. Sadly, that date has been usurped in recent years by bad elements. Timothy McVeigh blew up the Alfred P. Murrah building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. Now the Boston Marathon will always be associated with terrorism.

I cannot imagine what it might be like for the people who live close to last night's shooting in Watertown and are now locked down in their homes. The idea that a desperate, remorseless, murderer could be hiding in their backyard is horrible to consider. My brother and his family recently moved to Vermont from Watertown and I'm glad they are now a state away from that town.

Despite gray skies, there was no rain this morning and I could have run outside. However, I opted to stay inside so I could watch the minute by minute coverage on TV as I ran on the treadmill. The media was setting the expectation that action was imminent, but hours later, the situation remains the same. I only hope that things are resolved soon, and that no more innocent people are hurt.

The marathon story is no longer about the race

Correlation or coincidence?

Today's run (treadmill): 3.1 miles

I've been catching up on my Runner's World and Running Times issues going back to January and I'm saddened to see so many items and stories that reference the Boston Marathon. Who could have anticipated what happened at 4:09:43 in the race? I've wondered about the time the cowards picked to set off the bombs. Was it a coincidence that the highest number of people typically cross the line around the 4 hour point? My anger continues.

Today's schedule has me on the phone much of the day, and my window to run this morning coincided with some rainy weather outside. I ended up doing a typical treadmill run while I watched the news on TV. It was mostly a repeat of the Boston story. How many ways can you talk about something like that when there's no new information to share? Apparently, there are many.

The London Marathon happens this Sunday and, of course, there's a heightened concern for safety after Monday's bombings. The good news is that the London Olympics went off without any terror attacks last summer and they will probably use those same tactics to keep the crowds safe this weekend. The bad news is that the safety concerns for the race are now a bigger story than the race itself.

Heroes at the finish line, cowards on the run

Anger and sadness

Today's run (street): 3.6 miles

Yesterday afternoon I had just stepped out of a meeting in midtown and looked at my phone. My wife had sent me a text about the bombs that went off at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. I was stunned by the news and had difficulty with the idea that it happened. I hoped it was a prank, perhaps something innocuous like a smoke grenade, but I had the feeling it was much more than that. I had a little time before my next meeting, so I stopped into a nearby hotel to watch the coverage on CNN. As the story unfolded, it felt eerily similar to that day in September back in 2001 (my look back on that day).

I'm not going to talk about the horrible events themselves, or why some people decided that their twisted view of life was worth the life of a child, along with the deaths and carnage of others. The story that the world is hearing is about how the workers, spectators, police, EMTs, firefighters and residents responded immediately to those who needed help. If there is any justice, the malevolent animals who picked easy targets will be quickly captured and shown to the world as the cowards that they are. I suggest they be forced to run the Boston course indefinitely until they expire.

I had a weird run this morning. Besides having a lot on my mind, I'd gone to an industry event last night that put me well past my bedtime. If you looked at the metrics of the run, it would appear that I under-performed compared to my usual level. The entire time that I ran I couldn't shake the post 9/11-like feelings that resulted from yesterday's news. I think I ended up pushing harder than I normally would have on a weekday training run and, by the end, I was pretty tired.

It wasn't a particularly notable run for me, but I think I processed a lot of thoughts and have come out better for it. I'll bet being a runner would have come in handy on September 12, 2001. I can't go back in time, but I'm happy that I was a runner today.

The price of self esteem is apparently $7.99

Divide it by two and we'll talk

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the 1,500th Emerging Runner post. It all started here.

Happy Boston Marathon Day. I grew up in the greater Boston area and have always felt tied to this event. The Boston Marathon used to be held on April 19th (Patriot's Day), which happens to be my birthday. That was, until Massachusetts began observing the holiday and running the race on Mondays. It was great that the Boston Marathon route went right though my hometown, and we could watch the runners go by from a hill behind our house.

I never thought about actually running the Boston Marathon (or any marathon for that matter) because it seemed like an impossible thing to do. Even now, the thought of running a full marathon seems abstract and unlikely. Having crossed the line on a couple of half marathons, I cannot conceive of running that distance twice, all at once. It's no longer impossible for me to imagine it, but I'm not willing to commit the time and effort that would be required. I fully admire those who do run marathons, but I'm sticking with halfs.

The Jan/Feb issue of Running Times featured a product that runners can use to brag about their marathon accomplishments. I'm not talking about the ubiquitous 26.2 decal. Apparently anyone can buy one of those, no questions asked. ProvenSport (I'm not including a link because I think this is a stupid idea) will only sell their $7.99 decals to people after they, "...validate every achievement and certify [your] legitimate bragging rights." This, for only $5 more than that unverified 26.2 decal!

I'm also offended by the poorly designed product

I know that every runner's motivation is personal and racing supports our self esteem. Those oval race decals are fun, and they don't bother me when I see them on cars. I never question the veracity of the statement, and have never thought once about the owner's possible finish times. Those who need to push the point of broadcasting to the world that they ran a marathon really, really fast probably need more than a decal to address their own self esteem issues.

Running once again along the mighty Charles

Long live Red Sox Nation!

Today's run (Charles River, Cambridge & Boston): 4 miles

After all the rain on Wednesday I was wondering what conditions we would see this morning. Despite the weather it's been a good trip. I was able to meet my brother for dinner last night near his Cambridge office after a useful and interesting day at the Media Lab. My hope this morning was to run my favorite Cambridge to Boston loop before heading over to MIT for today's activities. I got up early and saw that the skies had cleared but I waited for sunrise before I headed out.

It was 43 degrees and breezy outside when I started. I wore my lightweight half zip shirt with shorts and felt comfortable, especially after leaving shady Kendall Square for the sunny path along Memorial Drive. Like last time I ran this route, I noticed that many runners followed a clockwise direction, opposite to the way I go. It occurred to me today that  those runners probably started their run from the Boston side and came north across the Harvard Bridge.

There were quite a few fast runners this morning. I suspect that some of them were training for Monday's Boston Marathon. In any case I got passed so many times that I stopped counting. I've been feeling slow lately and this didn't help. I maintained a steady stride and crossed the Harvard Bridge toward Boston, chuckling at the measurements in "smoots" as I observed the scull teams practicing on the water. I ran along the southern edge of the river and regretted not having sunglasses for this eastern stretch. I saw a steady stream of runners, one of whom lapped me twice (from the opposite direction) since I'd come over to the Boston side. That meant he was probably running in the 5 minute per mile range.

I crossed the Longfellow Bridge back into Cambridge and followed Main Street back to Kendall Square to complete my run. In all it was only four miles but the city views and the river made it feel like a trip. Two runs while travling ths week and over seven miles covered. I always miss Boston when I visit - it's so great seeing family and it's fun seeing Red Sox merchandise everywhere instead of the ubiquitous Yankee logo.

Feeling low but anticipating Cambridge running

Perhaps due to my hard running during Sunday's race I'm suffering some fatigue as well as a bad sore throat. I get annoyed when I come down with a cold because I do so much to stay healthy. The timing for being sick is never good and today it's especially bad. I co-led an all day industry working group and am now heading up to the MIT Media Lab for a couple of days. I'll rely on ibuprofen and caffeine to get me through the rest of this week.

Despite the way I feel, I've optimistically packed two sets of running clothes along with my Kinvaras. As I've mentioned in prior posts, the loop along the Charles from Cambridge to Boston and back is one of my favorite running experiences. With a late night tonight and an early start tomorrow it may too much to take on, especially if my cold gets worse. I'll just have to see how it goes. Next week we're on vacation so I'll get to put in some sorely needed training for my half marathon.

Surprising trail run along the Charles

View along the Charles in Auburndale Park, Newton, MA

Friday's run (street): 4 miles at 9:49
Sunday's run #1 (trail): 3.25 miles at 9:34
Sunday's run #2 (street): .75 miles at 10:43

I mentioned in a prior post that my my mother had recently broken both arms and wrists when she fell while setting up for a moving sale. I haven't seen her since that accident but my brother and sister-in-law have been taking great care of her through her recovery. We traveled to Boston this weekend to see her and had a great time thanks to my family's hospitality. My kids had a great time with their three year old twin cousins and seeing my mother, who was impressively mobile and in great spirits despite her circumstance, made us all feel much better. We had great dinners,  great conversation and I had an unexpectedly great trail run this morning.

My weekend of running started on Friday afternoon. I had my son in the office for the day so I didn't do my usual Central Park run at lunchtime. We got home by late afternoon and I went out for a run at 5:00 PM. It was nice to be out without the midday sun bearing down on me but it was plenty hot and humid all the same. I did the first mile at about 9:30 but the next three were closer to 9:54. Again, I felt I was running a little faster than that, but I wasn't that surprised with my overall pace.

Saturday was consumed with travel and activities so I didn't run at all. This morning I went out to Auburndale Park in Newton MA for a 3+ mile trail run. It was cool and dry at 6:00 AM as I set out in search of trails in this park. I came in through the baseball field and ran around the perimeter until I found a trail head that lead me through the woods over pristine paths of hard packed dirt with views of the Charles River to my left. I felt like I could have run for miles but I didn't have the time to do that today. Even at that early hour on a Sunday I saw a few other runners and also encountered a number of people out walking with their dogs. I ended up doing an out-and-back route that totaled 3.25 miles. I had hoped for some decent paths but I ended up with much more than that.

When we arrived home in the late afternoon my daughter and I decided to do a loop around the immediate neighborhood to loosen up after a long car ride. We took it easy and covered .75 miles before heading in for dinner. It was a great weekend for family and a great weekend of running. I liked how cool it was when I went out this morning and I'm hoping that my morning runs this week feel the same.