13 hours to the start

As I edge closer to 9:15 AM on Sunday I'm thinking a lot about tomorrow's race. Although this is the 32nd running of the New Hyde Park 8K there is very little information about it online. I haven't found any course maps or even a course description. One source, an experienced LI runner with whom I interact on the Runner's World Loop, described the course as fairly flat. He's not able to do the run himself because he has an EMT service obligation. Based on what he's said I'm assuming that it will be a fast course.

Unlike the other two races I've recently run, there is no pre-race day check-in so I'll be heading over early for that. I'm hoping the event is well organized and they get everyone checked in efficiently. I'm planning to run this race without my wife and kids attending and I'll need to time my check-in so that I get my t-shirt and/or goody bag back to my car in time to line up for the start. I've selected my race gear and I'm feeling about as ready as I can be. I'm wearing my Brooks GTS 9's that I bought the day after my last race and they have felt great. I'm hoping that I have good energy tomorrow morning. Five miles may be a standard length for my weekend runs but I haven't yet competed at that distance.

My race strategy will be to go out fairly fast for the first mile but to conserve enough to get me through the next four. AG taught me that I should use downhills to push speed and I've done that on my last few runs with good success. I'm worried how I'll feel around mile 3 but that will depend mostly on the course and the heat. I'm concerned that I won't be able to maintain my targeted pace over 5 miles. I'll soon know if my training strategy has worked.

I'm hoping that I get good rest tonight. We spent today doing family things and the closest thing to athletics was helping my daughter learn to skateboard. I took a rest day on Thursday and felt very strong on my Friday morning run. I'm betting that today's rest will help but it's still the longest distance I've had to cover in a race.  I'll let you know how it went!

Emerging Runner named #3 all time Runners World Blog

I'm proud to report that Emerging Runner has been reported as the #3 blog in the 100 most popular bloggers of all time on RunnersWorld.com! You can see the full list here.

Turbulence about running shoes

I've been paying attention to running shoes lately because I know I need to replace my current pair. Despite my attempt to preserve my Nikes by substituting the insoles I've learned (thanks to some helpful advice via the Runner's World Loop) how to assess a shoe's true condition. I've moved past the denial stage and have gone back to my original insoles. Although the Turbulence 13's felt great with the replacement insoles (after I cut them to fit) the difference in heel height made me worry about the possible effect on my knees since I'm a mid/front foot striker. I'm hoping that I can get one more great run out of these shoes at Saturday's race.

With the original insoles intact I did what should be my last run before the 5K. I started at a moderate speed because I still have some upper leg tightness and wanted to warm up before stepping up my pace. I increased the treadmill speed every minute until I reached my target. Overall I covered 2 miles at 8:41, a pace I attained by running the last few minutes at about an 8:00/mile.

I've decided to go somewhat high end for my next pair of running shoes. Adventure Girl and others have advised me to look for shoes at running stores because those places carry better performing shoes than retailers like Foot Locker. My wife found some very good shoes at a Foot Locker as did I with my original Nike purchase. AG also told me that sometimes higher priced shoes cost more because of non-functional design elements. I don't care what my shoes look like but if I can get 5 seconds per mile faster on them I'm happy to pay.

A well balanced run

My usual routine involves two longer weekend runs and then either an easy run or light elliptical workout on Monday morning. Since Friday was the start of my running weekend I should have made today's exercise more like a rest day. I mentioned yesterday that I bought a pair of NB 460s and I wanted to see how they performed. I thought about heading over to Stillwell Woods Preserve to test them on the trails but I was constrained for time and I really wanted to get a feel for the shoes on the street.

I dressed light and it was cool but not too cold when I started out. I chose an uphill road as my first leg to help with my warm up and to take advantage of the energy that comes at the beginning of a run. I was very pleased with the feel of the 460s. They are roomier than the Kutus with a higher toe box and, with the exception of some slight slipping at the heel of my right foot, they felt great. I was moving very well as I crisscrossed through the neighborhood streets but then I came upon some stiff headwinds coming from the west. I remember thinking how nice those winds would feel later in the run after I'd heated up a bit. Although I'd planned a relatively short run I was feeling good and decided to run four miles since I'm just 13 days away from my 4 mile race.

I felt as though the Garmin was over-calculating a little and a mapping on Gmaps confirmed that. I ended up running about 4.2 miles with an overall pace of 9:07, which I thought was good considering that I was completing over 11 miles within three days. I learned on my Stillwell run and confirmed on Friday that softer surfaces and hills are still a challenge for me. This signals an opportunity to build up those muscles. I think next Sunday I will run some trails as a conditioning exercise one week before my race.

Emerging Runner News: I am happy to report that the Emerging Runner was the number one blog on the Runner's World Loop in March.

This week's Sedentary Man

In this week's column Sedentary Man explains the rules of HORSE and also recognizes Carl Yastremski's little known contribution to fitness in Major League Baseball. SM told me that as a Bosox fan he thought I would like that mention. His column is an encouraging message to those of us who plan to run past retirement age. Read it here...

In addition, I have been the featured blogger on the Runner's World loop community page. It's not much more than a goofy picture but you can check it out here before I'm replaced by another community member.