Fun with friends, Dim Sum and outrunning a drone

Run dad run!

Today's run (street): 4.4 miles
Yesterday's run (street): 2.25 miles 
Friday's run (street): 3.2 miles

Vacations are great, especially at the beginning. I took Friday off and it has been a busy three days so far. I kicked off vacation with a run around my neighborhood and followed that with a swim. It doesn't get much better than that, running-wise. That night we went to local fair and watched some spectacular fireworks later in the evening. Not a bad way to start a summer holiday.

Saturday morning's schedule was very tight and I went out early with the intention of covering just a couple of miles. I picked a few random streets and kept going until I reached the two mile mark and then headed home. I needed to get to the car dealership, buy a car for my son, and be home by noon to greet our guests. Somehow I managed to do that, although the car negotiation got a little tense and my daughter had to watch me thrash things out with the entire management team for an hour.

I got back home a few minutes after our guests KWL and his sister H arrived with a sizable amount of Dim Sum from Lake Pavilion restaurant in Flushing. With little delay, we got settled in the dining room and had a fantastic meal followed by an incredibly good (and huge) peach tart. It was all so good, and worth every carb and calorie.

Before the feast

And after

After Dim Sum, we walked to the neighboring middle school where KWL put his new DJI Spark into action. This drone has a high definition video camera and the controller connects to a smartphone. so you can see everything the drone sees while it's flying. It was amazing to watch the Spark rise up (and up) and see our earthbound crew getting smaller and smaller. At one point KWL had the drone track me as I ran around the field.

Rise of the Spark

This morning I got out a little later than I'd hoped, but the clouds were low and thick so I didn't pay a sun penalty. The temperature was cooler than yesterday, but the humidity was unpleasant and I didn't even try for speed. I avoided my usual route which made the experience marginally more interesting. Since I'm on vacation next week I plan to break away from my neighborhood roads as much as possible. We had a great time with KWL and H and we look forward to seeing them again soon. Next time the Runsketeers get together I think we may be joined by a new member who can really fly.

A week of celebrations and bad running

Just a bunch of pomp and circumstances

Today's run (street): 3.3 miles
Yesterday's run (street): 3.2 miles
Last Sunday's run (track): 3.6 miles
Last Saturday's run (street): 4 miles

It's the end of the academic year and my kids have finished all their classes. My daughter just completed her freshman year at college and my son graduated high school Wednesday night. Last Saturday we hosted my son's graduation party and that was loud and fun. Mrs. ER and I had a table adjacent to the party space and the wait staff kept bringing us food. And then they brought cake.

Track be nimble, fog be thick

I definitely exceeded my calorie and sugar budget and hoped that I'd at least get some running benefits from all that carb loading. I didn't. I ran around my neighborhood on Friday and Saturday with mixed success and decided to run at the track on Sunday. Conditions were very foggy (according to Garmin humidity was 100%) so I knew what I was in for.

In celebration of my son's graduation and my daughter's birthday, I took a couple of vacation days this week. I've been fighting a sore throat since Tuesday and worked from home on Tuesday and Wednesday. That would normally prompt me to get a couple of extra runs in during the week, but I wasn't feeling up to it.

Even though Wednesday night went late due to graduation and post graduation festivities, I managed to get myself out the door for a run the next morning. I slept longer than on a work day, but was still tired when I got dressed for my run. Things didn't get any better once I hit the road despite another night of carb loading. Every time I have a run like this I start to worry that I've gone over the edge and will never run well again.

Thursday was more celebrating with food, this time for my daughter. I told myself that despite the gluttony, residual head cold symptoms and my less than impressive running, I would go out with a good attitude this morning. It was very humid when I stepped outside so I didn't overdo it. I ran far better than yesterday and felt encouraged that I've broken my streak of lethargic workouts.

Today was a vacation day from work but not from life and we all put attention to things that needed to get done. I spent a few hours replacing our home networking system which always brings joy and frustration in equal parts. But I got it done. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to post today.

I'm not sure what the weather will be this weekend but I hope things cool off. If I can follow through with it, I'll get out very early tomorrow to beat the hot morning sun. By 7:30 this morning things were barely bearable.

Dinner and a movie with the Runsketeers

Hey, that ain't Starbucks!

Photo courtesy of KWL

Today's run (street): 3.8 miles
Yesterday's run (street): 3.3 miles

The Runsketeers got together yesterday to see the new film, Patriot's Day. I was initially disappointed that the film wasn't about my birthday (April 19) but I soon forgot the injustice. I remember the Boston bombing very clearly, but I learned a lot of new stuff in this movie, including the fact that Marky Mark figured out almost everything about the perpetrators for the Boston and Watertown Police and the FBI special agent in charge, even though Markey was suspended or on probation for some unexplained reason.

I also learned that if I ever find myself in the middle of a street shootout between police and terrorists, I should take cover behind a Mercedes GLS and not a Ford Explorer. Besides these valuable insights, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and encourage all runners and non-runners to see it. It wasn't really about the Boston Marathon itself, but for those of us who grew up watching it live each year (me) or actually qualified and ran it (SIOR), it was personal. TPP and KWL also gave it two thumbs up.

It was fun to see my Runsketeer buddies wearing something other than compression gear. We settled into the theater's la-z-boy seats to watch the movie trailers that were basically a bunch of flashy cuts with lots of explosions and aliens, and a soundtrack loud enough to feel. I suppose that was the Dolby sound system turned up to 11. I don't get out much but I guess this is the new normal. The last time I'd gone to the movies I had to sit in a seat without a built-in foot rest or a cup holder capable of securing a gallon of soda.

It was a good thing those cup holders were as big as they were, because SIOR purchased a drink so big that Michael Bloomberg would have arrested her on the spot for possessing it. She needed it to wash down her one-two combination of Milk Duds and popcorn. We planned to have dinner afterward but I figured that all that junk food would ruin an appetite. Nope.

We ended up going to a Sushi place in Garden City. I couldn't stay for dinner, but I did have a beer and got to hang out with my buddies until my mommy wife picked me up an hour or so later. Along with TPP, KWL and SIOR, we were joined by Mr. SIOR and their four mini-SIORs. They were adorable and very well behaved and it was good to seem them all again.

I did get a couple of runs in since Friday, both around my neighborhood. Yesterday's route was a series of loops that never took me more than half a mile away from my house. I didn't match Friday's pace but I got it done. This morning I wanted to get out before the weather started to turn. We're supposed to get over 2 inches of rain and see 50-60 MPH winds by tonight. The skies were clear of precipitation but the moderate coolness and 93% humidity created a lot of fog which was fun to run through.

I wore my highest visibility shirt and took a circuitous route around my neighborhood that got me to almost four miles. My performance was better than Saturday's but slightly slower than Friday's. I'll admit that I've fallen back into the 3-4 mile distance rut and that probably won't change until get back to the Bethpage trail. Maybe next weekend.  In the meantime, I'm happy that I've been able to resume my weekend running routine. And very glad I got to see the mighty Runsketeers two weekends in a row.

A little tradition and a lot of food

All I want for Christmas is a towel

Today's run (street): 3.5 miles

'Tis the day before Christmas, one of my favorite days of the year. Office worries are set aside as people look forward to a few days of fun and family. Although the holiday falls on Friday, we celebrated today, with a special lunch and our annual viewing of the movie Elf. Christmas isn't a religious holiday for us, but we love it all the same. There's still more to come with dinner, however, I'm not sure I'll be ready for another meal until tomorrow's breakfast.

I'm not due to return to the office until January 4th. That seems like a long time from now, but I know it will go by quickly. It's only Thursday, but I've managed to get in three workouts already this week. I was on the fence about my run this morning, thinking I'd keep it to just a couple of miles. I know I'll have plenty of opportunities to run during my break. I ended up covering more distance than I planned because it felt easy. The weather (61° and cloudy) would have been perfect for running but the humidity bordered on oppressive. That's something I've rarely experienced on December 24th.

I'll get out for an early run tomorrow morning. It's a tradition I started in 2008 and I always look forward to it. My neighborhood is usually so quiet that I cover my entire route without seeing a car. My other Christmas day tradition is to remind people I encounter on my run to be careful if I see them walking with their back to traffic. That didn't turn out so well last year so I may give into the scrooges this year. In the meantime, I wish my friends, family and awesome Runsketeer buddies SIOR, TPP and KWL a wonderful holiday tomorrow. I hope Santa brings you great running in 2016.

Head tubes, trail running and pigs feet

Post-run at Stillwell

Today's run (Stillwell Woods): 3 miles
Thursday's workout (elliptical): 30 minutes

Another busy work week is over. I needed to go into the office for some important meetings on Friday and didn't get my usual run in that morning. I did fit in an elliptical session on Thursday. This morning our friend KWL came by to run and have lunch with us at Beijing House, a new and very authentic Chinese restaurant in our town. By authentic, I mean that many dishes featured tongue, tripe, intestines and pigs feet. We stuck mostly to vegetarian options.

In the buff

KWL generously brought gifts for us and the kids, including "head tubes" made by his sister Hetty. These cylinder-shaped items are similar to buffs that I've seen sold on running sites. You can use it as a hat or a thin balaclava, something I plan to do when I run in 20 degree temperatures. The material is soft and stretchy and I can tell it won't obstruct my breathing when I wear it across my face.

When KWL arrived, he was wearing running tights and a half zip, That prompted me to change out of my running shorts in favor of my Opedix. I later regretted that, because it got pretty hot by the time we were done. We ended up going over to Stillwell Woods to run among the throngs of mountain bikers who were there when we pulled in.

I had my Cascadias but KWL had his Hokas, so we kept to the hard packed single track. I led the way, pointing out roots along the path. Fortunately, many of these hazards were painted red from the recent Rob's Run 5K. I was running well -- KWL actually suggested that I slow down a little -- and I realized that I'm doing better on trails than roads these days.

We followed my usual loop that has a couple of modest climbs, and took a different path back to the trail head. We encountered some bikers, including one that almost ran us down when our paths crossed. The temperature seemed to rise by the minute and we kept it relatively short. It still felt like a good workout.

It was great seeing KWL today and the ER family appreciated having him with us to identify western-friendly choices at lunch. Although it's mid-December, it felt like early fall today. I'm going for more than three tomorrow. I don't know where but I do plan to wear shorts.

Turkey day run before the turkey

Time to ring the dinner bell

Today's run (street): 3.5 miles
Yesterday's workout (elliptical): 30 minutes

My Thanksgiving day run is done, but there's no turkey trotting for me this year. Hooray for Runsketeer buddy TPP who had a 5K PR this morning in Oyster Bay. Had she finished ten seconds earlier, she would have averaged sub-8:00. TPP just keeps getting faster and I'm at the point where I'm happy that I'm not getting any slower.

I have day confusion due to the mid-week holiday and keep thinking it's Saturday. I worked from home yesterday and kept confusing it with Friday. But it isn't and it wasn't and I'm happy to have a nice string of days off where I'll get some workouts done. Yesterday was a busy morning at the office and that required me to participate in a few Google Hangout meetings. I sneaked in an early elliptical session to kick off my week's activity.

Despite the fact that today will be a major meal, we went out for a get-together dinner last night. It was really great, but social rules forced us to all order dessert. I felt like a stuffed turkey by the end and decided that I'd skip dessert today. Ya, right. There's homemade bread pudding, pecan pie and turkey cupcakes (happily not made out of turkey) in the refrigerator. Those are just the treats I know about.

In the spirit of burning calories, I went out this morning in fairly chilly (39°) weather. I'm not the biggest fan of running in my neighborhood, but it's a very civilized experience on holidays. No aggressive drivers dropping off their kids, road-hogging school buses, landscaper rigs or sanitation trucks forcing me onto the sidewalk. Just the quiet of a late fall day.

According to my Garmin data, my first mile and last half mile were my fastest this morning, even though I'm still plodding along for the most part. Despite that, my run seemed shorter than the distance I'd covered and I was thankful for the hot shower that followed.

Dinner will be served soon and I was excited to see what my wife and daughter cooked up for today's feast. I would have helped them, but there's a perception that I tend to get in the way. Besides that, I have to entertain. A lot of people are out of town this year, so our guest list is fairly moderate and I'm glad for that. You could even say thankful.

Tomorrow is Black Friday but I will avoid the stores and take advantage of another (hopefully) quiet morning. I keep thinking about the trails and may go out early to Stillwell or Bethpage. Happy Thanksgiving to all and good luck to all you turkey trotters and streakers (I mean you SIOR). I'd write more, but dinner awaits.

Short and steep running at Trailview

Trailview welcomes you

Today's run (Trailview State Park): 2 miles

Today is my birthday and it's been a good one so far. I'm not much for big celebrations and my family and friends respect that. I did enjoy a nice lunch at the Lemonleaf Grill (spicy Panang curry), the great cards, thoughtful and fun gifts, calls and emails. And there's still more to come!

I had looked forward to today's run which I planned to do at Stillwell Woods this morning. I haven't been on a wooded trail since March's relay race in Bethpage and I thought a change would be nice. When I arrived at Stillwell, I saw that the enormous set of athletic fields were packed with tents and people who were there for some lacrosse-related event. I drove into the lot despite the hundreds of cars, many double parked along the drive. In the past I've been able to find spots way down near the trail entrance, but today there wasn't a space to be found.

If I wasn't wearing my H/H Trail Lizards, I would have driven to the nearby high school and run on the track. Instead, I decided to head home and take a birthday rest day. When I reached Jericho Turnpike, it occurred to me that I could run the trails south of Stillwell (i.e., Trailview) that probably had plenty of parking. I was there in two minutes and, while the lot was crowded, there were still plenty of spaces.

I wasn't looking to run long today, so Trailview was a good choice. The loop is an out and back measuring about two miles, but with its steep, gnarly, rocky climbs and precipitous drops, you can get quite a workout. As soon as my Garmin captured a signal, I was (literally) off and running, mostly because I wanted to get to the starting point ahead of a large group of hikers.

The short run seemed to go by quickly and I was very happy with my response to the hills. I actually liked going up more than going down, because I feared catching a root and tumbling down 20 feet of rocky trail. I maintained a fairly high heart rate which has been my goal for my current training. I always forget how challenging Trailview can be.

Later in the day, the family headed over to Syosset-Woodbury Park for some other activities. There are some great hills and I took on the biggest a couple of times. I got outside a couple of times today but didn't overdo it either time. I'm planning to cover 9 or 10 miles tomorrow and need to reserve a little energy for that.

Running and thinking at Stillwell

Stillwell: Mind and Body

Today's run (Stillwell Woods): 4.25 miles

It occurred to me that I haven't run the trails in a while, so I looked it up on Garmin Connect and saw that my last Stillwell run was eight weeks ago. After thirty runs on pavement and treadmill, I thought it was time to head back to the woods. Trail running is far different than street running, both in terms of experience and expectation. On trails, the terrain underfoot can change by the second and the hills and drops are frequent and occasionally treacherous. Not all trails are as technical as Stillwell and that's probably a good thing.

A trail run was the ideal way to burn some extra calories after last night's Thanksgiving dinner. We had fun and were given the choice of both normal people food and vegan offerings. Another guest cooked most of the vegan dishes and I give credit to my sister-in-law (who hosted) for preparing excellent vegan acorn squash stuffed with toasted quinoa and cranberries. I had tofurky for the first time and thought it was really good, like well marinated seitan.

Stillwell Woods Park was fairly empty when I arrived. A group of men were assembling to play touch football and a few others were busy preparing mountain bikes in the lot. There were light winds that made it feel like 26° but I had prepared for that. The trails were clear and the ground was frozen for the most part. I enjoyed being back on Stillwell's paths and its ever changing surroundings.

I'd recently read an article that said, "If I am thinking at all when I run, this is a sign of a run gone wrong." I think the writer's point was that if you can think, you haven't given yourself fully to the effort. I strongly disagree with this and suggest the opposite. I feel that when you reach a state where you are thinking about anything except for the run, you have succeeded. When I'm running in the woods I am able to detach from the physical world in a way that's nearly impossible to do while running on the street.

I enjoyed every foot of the 4+ miles I covered today and thought about many things, all of which I've since forgotten. I know I need to work on my speed this weekend and should probably have gone to the track today, instead of the woods. After all, there's always tomorrow and Sunday to do that. Today was about the mind, and tomorrow I'll worry about the body.

Variability, structure, running and Thai food

Post run reward

Yesterday's run (treadmill): 3.2 miles
Today's run (street): 3.2 miles

My definition of work is much different than it used to be. When I was going into the office every day, I'd follow the same routine. My morning regimen would usually include a workout and shower, followed by a train ride into the city. Now that the world is my office, the flow of my day can be very different. The consequence of having a less structured schedule is that my posting frequency has (slightly) suffered.

Due to this, I couldn't find the time to write about a treadmill run that was almost exactly the same as the one I ran the day before. So here's a recap: I turned on the treadmill, ran about 30 minutes, then stopped. For details, see my prior post.

Today was different. I had a mid morning appointment, so I did an early run outside. It was my first outdoor run since Tuesday, and I appreciated the sunny and warm conditions. I spent most of my time on the road, rather than the sidewalk, and I'll admit that I preferred it that way. It wasn't an easy run and I'm not really sure why. I can't blame it on hard work, as my pace was exactly average.

Since I now follow a variable schedule of my own design, my wife and I took a time-out for lunch and headed to the Lemonleaf Grill (my favorite Thai restaurant in the area). Soon after that, it was back to business, but only through mid-afternoon. It was a beautiful day so I decided to start my weekend early. After all, a variable work schedule also means variable leisure time.

Overdone for my run

Today's run (street): 3.3 miles

It's been quite a weekend and we bade farewell to our last guests around midday. I'd had no opportunity to run since Friday morning, so my calorie intake had far exceeded my burn rate. I was determined to get in a few miles today and finally made it out the door around 2:00 PM. With the high heat and humidity, I thought it might be tough to get moving. I had no idea how difficult it would be.

It's so easy to slip back into bad food habits during celebrations and I plead guilty to that. Prior to my run, I'd eaten a big lunch and two hours was clearly not enough time for proper digestion. I struggled as I made my way up the street. I felt like I was carrying ten pounds of extra weight.

I almost cut my run short after the first mile but decided to tough it out. I hoped I'd gain some strength as the run went on and to a degree, that happened. By the time I reached the second mile I knew I'd be able to complete my targeted 3 miles. But I still felt like I was carrying a lead-filled backpack. By the time I finished, I was fairly exhausted. I jumped into the pool after first checking my pockets.

It's now back to my healthy diet and proper portion control. I'm not sure it was a good idea to run on a day when the weather was so hot and my readiness was so low. I need to get back on track with my training, stating tomorrow. I'm out of the office Monday and I'm hoping to get in an out of cycle run. I just hope today's performance won't carry over to tomorrow.

Biting the hand that wants to feed you

Okay, one would be nice, for old times sake

Today's run (treadmill): 25 minutes

Not too many years ago, the end of the business year meant lavish holiday parties and lots of gourmet treats provided by our suppliers. Times have changed and so has our business. The still-recovering economy did away with most of these parties. The gifts that are sent are typically modest, though no less thoughtful. Do I miss the days when walking from one end of the floor to the other meant passing dozens of trays of holiday food for the taking? I'll admit I do, a little. Harry and David, Wolfermans and Dean and Deluca gift baskets come but once a year.

The upside to this is that less holiday food means less holiday calories. I do appreciate that. The one remaining food-related thing is the holiday lunch. Not the industry parties like before, but smaller get-togethers with supplier partners at nice midtown restaurants. I'm in that phase right now, desperately trying to maintain a proper diet as I get through this week and next.

Last night I met some industry friends for drinks and that was fun. I had one beer which is 100% more alcohol than I've consumed over the last two months. I got home around the time I usually go to bed but I laid out my running clothes before retiring. This morning I did my 25 minute treadmill workout and it felt surprisingly good. If I moderate my lunch choices and maintain my workout discipline I may have a chance of getting through the holiday lunch period in as good a shape as when I started.

Running daily beats fried clams

Some people think this stuff makes you gain weight

I'm back on the work week schedule and, after two weeks, I'm taking my usual Monday rest day. It was great to be on vacation in New Hampshire and Maine. Although being away from home often presents situations where the availability of healthy food choices is low, I managed pretty well. I believe that is due (at least in part) to running every day while on vacation.

Although I've seen articles that claim that running isn't an effective method for losing weight, I strongly disagree. I lost almost 20% of my body weight in the three months after I returned to running in 2008. Aside from suddenly being very active, that change was also due to focusing on portion sizes and better food choices. Today, as a 20 mile per week runner, I eat smart but I don't diet. No matter what, my weight generally stays within a pound or two of my targeted range.

As long as my clothes fit I never really think about my weight. But after a week of fried clams, chowder, pizza and other "vacation" foods, it's nice to finish in the same shape that I started.