Running off the grid

 

Today's run (Bethpage trail): 6.2 miles

My morning run didn't go quite as expected, but it all went fine. My plan was to park in the Bethpage lot and run south to Merrits Road, just past Hempstead Turnpike. That would give me about 10K overall. When I arrived at the park, I saw that they were collecting entrance fees despite a sign that said that no admission would be charged after November 3rd.

I probably would have been waved in by my friend who runs the booth, but that would have made me feel guilty. I decided to turn around and park further north off Haypath Road. Once I arrived, I tried to start the Garmin, only to discover that I wasn't wearing it. I remembered that I'd set it up to charge on the kitchen counter and forgot it was there. I was disappointed that I wouldn't be able to capture the metrics of my run, but I also liked the idea of a no tech experience.

It would have been good to check the time when I started, so I could back into my pace after mapping my distance. That didn't occur to me until my run was underway. I cold have dug my phone out of my SPIbelt but I couldn't be bothered. Not tracking my time or distance felt liberating.

Since I started north of Bethpage Park, I figured I'd run a northern route to get my planned distance. I can't comment on my performance since I had no way to record it, but I didn't get passed by a single runner today. When I reached Old Bethpage Road, I had to wait for a few cars go by. I automatically reached to pause the Garmin, but found only my wrist. The one thing I needed to worry about was staying on the path, so I could accurately Gmap my run later.

It was chilly out and I'd dressed for the high 30's weather. The wind was moderate and it came from the north. Since I was doing an out and back, with the second half going south, I knew I only had to deal with it temporarily. When I arrived at Washington Ave, I saw that I had to go to all the way to Sunnyside Boulevard if I wanted to meet my distance goal.

The section between Washington and Sunnyside is one of the hilliest parts of the Bethpage trail and I often avoid it by turning around at the LIE underpass. Today I decided to suck it up and go for it. The first hill is the toughest, as it starts fairly steeply and continues for close to half a mile. What goes up comes down so I was able to recover until the last rise that goes to Sunnyside.

The second half was psychologically easier. Although there were plenty of hills, the elevation and length were far less than what I had already covered. I followed the trail back to Haypath and turned around to run the short distance back where I started, across from where I parked. Without my Garmin to tell me my mileage, I still managed to reach my targeted distance.

Tomorrow morning I'll be at the Hope for the Warriors, but I won't be racing. I'll probably wait until we get home to do my own run. I'm still just fine with my decision, but I'm starting to think about my next race.

Runsketeer Sunday on the mountains of Westbury

The concrete roller coaster

Today's run (SUNY Old Westbury): 7 miles

What goes up must come down. That is an apt description of the loop I ran today at the campus of SUNY Old Westbury. SIOR, who discovered this beautifully torturous running venue, described the course as "hilly." She certainly wasn't kidding. With the exception of the short drive that connects the campus to Cedar Swamp Road, I don't think there was a level section on our route today.

SIOR was unable to join us this morning, so it was left to TPP and I to conquer this undulating beast. She wanted to run 11 miles today and I had had 7 scheduled. Our timing was almost perfect. I arrived a couple of minutes before our designated meet time and I could see TPP heading in my direction. She was probably half a mile away, but her neon yellow running jacket made her easy to spot. TPP had already run 30% of her planned distance and would cover the balance while I did my seven miles.

We headed west toward the loop running against traffic. There were a lot of cars on the route because the college was having an Open House. Fortunately there was plenty of room for the many other runners and cyclists we saw today. I followed TPP who is a very focused runner. I had to constantly occasionally remind her to get over to the left when cars were heading in our direction. Apparently her friends from the Selden Hills running club are frequently called on to do this for her during their group runs.

Elevation chart from today's run

We encountered the first of many hills soon after we'd started. We were running easy and took it on without much trouble. Every hill was followed by an equivalent drop, making it the least fun roller coaster ever. But the run was fun, because our pace allowed us to carry on a conversation most of the time. I've never been able to speak when running at my regular training pace, but I did okay today.

I had been concerned about being able to cover seven miles over what turned out to be 600 feet of elevation. We decided to walk parts of some hills, but I stopped my Garmin during those times because I wanted to make sure I recorded 7 full miles of running.

I'm looking at today's run from a couple of different perspectives. On the positive side, I had a great time running with a friend, made my targeted distance and ran a lot of hills. On the not so positive side, I probably fell short on effort, as evidenced by my heart rate that averaged only 75% of max. I think this is a signal for me to start pushing my speed a little more on my long runs. SIOR suggested running a couple of miles at targeted half marathon pace on training runs and I plan to do that during next Wednesday's run.

Raising HR should raise performance

I want to get my heart rate up to at least least 80% of max on long runs and average at least 85% on more speed-focused runs. This is a tough change for me because the harder I push, the less I enjoy the run. But I always feel great afterward.

At Stillwell, tie goes to the runner

Lots of time spent in the zone today

Today's run (Stillwell Woods): 4 miles

Back in the days when running Stillwell Woods meant seeking out the most technical and challenging trails, I would measure my performance in terms of who got the best of whom (me versus Stillwell). Prior to my bout of pneumonia in early 2010, I was dedicated to hard running on trails and I looked for the most difficult terrain wherever I ran. Two months after being hospitalized for pneumonia, I ran the Xterra race at Stillwell as a way to prove that I still had it.

While my performance in the Xterra race was very good, I found myself less inclined to take on Stillwell's steeper inclines and treacherous drops. I still ran there frequently, but I'd usually follow a loop that presented far fewer obstacles. Sort of a bunny trail, compared to sections of the black, yellow and white trails that have signs saying, "Most Difficult." I told myself that my loop was better, because I never lost my way on it. Deep down I knew I was avoiding the unrelenting challenge of Stillwell's inner paths, which I had nicknamed the "The Zone of Intensity."

Trail conditions were rough at first, due to the deep grooves left by mountain bikers that had frozen as hard as stone. This always makes for tricky footing and the lack of a rock plate in my Helly Hansen Trail Lizards made for some uncomfortable landings. As I moved deeper into the woods, the trail conditions improved greatly. This is probably because the trails I was taking on would have been too hard for bikers to manage during yesterday's rain, hail and snow.

Instead of my standard loop, I made a point of turning onto paths marked as more or most difficult. Yesterday's hard running and today's frigid cold had an energizing effect on me and I wanted to take advantage of that as long as I could.

On the tougher trails, very little time is spent on level terrain. You are either facing a series of climbing switchbacks or you're looking down at them. Some descents are scary and slowing down or stopping could cause you to tumble down backward. It was just like old times! I was glad to maintain so much energy throughout these sections. By two miles I felt like I'd run more than double that distance.

The only way out is up

Perspective showing steepness

At one point I found myself at the bottom of a section where all trails out looked like 20% grades or more. I took a few seconds to assess which hill to climb. I didn't want to pick the wrong one and find myself on the wrong side where I'd need to go through that exercise again. It turned out I chose wisely (I used the direction of the sun as a guide) and soon was on my way. A few minutes later I found myself in familiar territory outside the "Zone of Intensity."

The rest of the run was far easier and I encountered many more people hiking and running on the flatter trails. Looking at my data on Garmin Connect, I can see that my pace outside the the "zone" was two minutes faster than when I was running through the tough sections. It was hard to believe that whole run took me less than 50 minutes.

Today and yesterday were great workouts that tested me in very different ways. I'm happy with my conditioning, but I'm not quite at target in terms of speed. I'll continue to focus on that in the coming weeks and will continue to get trail runs in when practical. In the old days, I would usually report that Stillwell got the best of me on runs like this. Today, I'd call it a tie. And a tie at Stillwell is basically a win.

All trails lead to Mount Olympus

Back to the woods

Last night, sometime between the start and finish of dinner, my headache disappeared. My daylong discomfort and exhaustion were suddenly lifted. I don't know if it was the Ibuprofen, or the nasal decongestant that did the trick. I'm guessing it was neither. My theory is that my fresh New York bagel, full of carbs and covered with real butter, cut through the migraine. Forget Imitrex, this is the cure.

Relief from that headache completely changed my level of engagement and I felt like a human being again. The rest of our night was great and I was able to give full attention to our guests. This morning I woke up headache-free, but I delayed my workout until after our guests had left. At that point, I thought about the benefit of resting versus getting in a run. I decided on rest, but not completely.

Around mid afternoon, my son and I decided to go for a hike at Trailview, a park that connects the Greenbelt Trail north of Jericho Turnpike. The skies looked dark and there was a little rain coming down. We put on hooded jackets and headed into the woods.

A stop along the way

Trailview, unlike Stillwell, is a simple layout with two paths. The segment between Jericho Turnpike and Syosset-Woodbury Road is closely contained so it's virtually impossible to get lost there. Still, Trailview's paths are interesting, with twists and turns and some steep inclines and descents.

The view from Mt. Olympus

We saw a few other hikers braving the light rain, as well as a couple of trail runners. We ended up at the overlook where Woodbury Rd and Syosset-Woodbury Road meet. Crossing that intersection brings you into the south side of Stillwell Woods. For some reason, we've dubbed that "the view from Mount Olympus." At that point we headed back, talking the whole time about the history of PC's, handheld calculators and gaming systems, along with discussions about sentient computers and our common fascination with the movie, "2001: A Space Odyssey."

A hike in the woods with my son beat a run on the streets by a mile. The trails posed a few challenges, but nothing we couldn't handle. I got my workout without pushing so hard as to invite a relapse of yesterday's headache. All in all, a pretty good day. I'll have to decide whether to take tomorrow as my usual rest day or go for my first Christmas week run.

Hill grinding on the Bethpage trail

Not much happening at Bethpage this morning

Today's run (Bethpage trail): 6.4 miles

I've been keeping busy on a big project that's required long days on the laptop and phone. A combination of meetings and deadlines on Wednesday related to the project stole my scheduled window to run. I'd planned to go out for six miles as a final base workout prior to Sunday's race. The idea was to end my taper with this run and spend today focusing on core or upper body. Losing my run window yesterday meant moving my last taper run to today. It was probably for the best, as I probably wouldn't have done that core work anyway.

Running a six mile route around my neighborhood was not appealing, so I headed off to Bethpage to hit the trail. The weather was really cold when I arrived (29° degrees per my car's display). I'd definitely dressed for freezing conditions, so I was comfortable at the start. As expected on a cold Thursday morning, the park was mostly empty. I took off south to start and noted that I felt good, but my leg muscles were a little tight. I hoped that would work out along the run but unfortunately it just got worse.

Despite yesterday's break from running, my legs began to feel like lactic acid containers. I ran a mile south and then turned back the other way, reaching the big hill at around the 1.5 mile point. I'm sure it was due to my uncooperative legs, but climbing that hill seemed especially tough today. Once I passed the point where I started, I continued north to the newer extension.

I often complain about hills, so much so that a friend once told me to do more hill training and less whining. It was a little mean, but good advice. I like to think when I run at Bethpage I am training on the hills. On good days it feels rolling. But on other days (like today) it grinds me down. I went as far north as Old Bethpage Rd. before turning back toward my start and covered 6.5 miles in the process.

I don't know why my legs were so unresponsive today. I was glad that this was practice and not a race. If I can I bounce back by the weekend, I may be able to improve on my performance at the Hope for Warriors 10K two weekends ago. Tomorrow I'll try to do some walking to shake out the built up lactic acid that made today's run so tough. I'm glad I put in some real mileage today. Hopefully it helped reinforce my 10K base for this Sunday.

An object of neglect provides the perfect workout

Today's perfect choice

Today's workout (elliptical): 30 minutes

Yesterday's run affected me more than I realized, and I found myself exhausted by the end of the day. This morning I woke with a pressure headache that was quickly dispatched by my standard cure of aspirin and Sudafed. Unfortunately, pseudoephedrine and running don't mix well, so I decided to put off my workout until later.

Once the day got going, I started to doubt whether I could fit in a workout. I generally dislike afternoon running, especially when I plan to run again the next morning. I remembered that tomorrow is my weekly rest day, so even with a late day run, I'd have plenty of recovery time. All I needed to do was figure out a workout. Given yesterday's tough going, I didn't think a speed run was advisable. I also didn't want to do a recovery run outside, in conditions that matched Saturday's oppressive humidity.

Then it hit me - the elliptical, that I've neglected for months, would be a perfect workout. I decided that a hill simulation, done at  moderate speed, would provide a good a balance. I set up the floor fan, put the speed on high, and set the machine's resistance to 80%.  Once I got past the first few minutes, it was smooth sailing and the time went quickly from there.

It's often hard for me to focus on cross-training, because I always prefer to run. But after today, I won't be so quick to dismiss the elliptical, especially on the day after a really difficult run.

If you like hills, you'll love this run

Did I mention there were hills?

Yesterday's workout (elliptical): 30 minutes
Today's run (Greenbelt trail): 5.9 miles

Yesterday's weather gave me no expectations for an outdoor run on Friday. Much of Long Island received 5+ inches of rain, with measurable flooding in low lying areas. The area where we live sits 200 feet above sea level, so we rarely have floods. However, we do get our share of weather related power outages. I had a busy schedule (surprising for a Friday) so to save some time, I did an elliptical workout while my wife ran on the treadmill.

Today was a different story. Yesterday's gray skies transitioned to clear and sunny. Humidity and heat were expected later in the day, but it was comfortably cool at 8:00 AM. I'm planning to run the Greenbelt trail from Bethpage State Park to my house on Tuesday morning. My friend is coming by, and we'll park my car in the lot and then run north. When we get home, he'll drive me back to the Park to get my car. I'm excited by the idea of running that route which will measure close to seven miles.

My route today mimicked part of that run. I cut through the middle school and then through neighborhood #3, before reaching the start of the newly paved bike trail. Unlike the previous time I ran this way, I had some expectations about the hills I'd encounter. I learned later that I should have expected more.

The part of the bike trail that goes along Sunnyside Boulevard starts flat, so the going was fairly easy at first. There are still orange webbed "fences" set up on the path where they continue to do construction, but it's simple to step around them. More difficult are the three unpaved sections that are either 10'x20' rectangular mud patches, water filled puddles or beds of sharp rock. Getting around them was slightly difficult, but it wasn't the biggest challenge of the morning.

Do you like hills? I don't! About halfway through Sunnyside, the elevation begins to increase at a 5% grade for the next half mile and then down again. The next three miles followed a similar pattern. It was a little like running the big hill at Bethpage over and over again. Along the way I saw a number of cyclists who were struggling as much as me (or more) to get up these hills. And they had gears!

Per plan, I went as far as Washington Ave. before turning around for the second half of my run. At this point, I've run most of next Tuesday's route. There is still a .7 mile section in between today's turnaround point and the farthest I've gone north from Bethpage. I look forward to experiencing that new ground next week. I hope it's all downhill.

Trail fun (times two) at Stillwell Woods

Mountain biking is Scott to be fun

Today's run (Stillwell Woods): 4.4 mile + 4.5 mile hike

I returned to the trails in a big way today. This morning I went over to Stillwell for a run, and saw that Scott Sports was there, hosting an event. Scott, who also has a line of running shoes, was providing people with the opportunity to test their mountain bikes on Stillwell's trails. The Scott folks offered me the chance to try a bike, but I really wanted to get my run in.

I was concerned that the trails would be packed with novice riders, but that wasn't the case. I saw more bikers than usual, but most were skilled and courteous. Last night I noticed that the Fitbit had recorded over 10,000 steps, but only three staircase equivalents. My son and I decided to knock out a bunch of stair climbs, so we did another 26.

Despite some concern that I'd pushed too hard last night, I had no trouble taking on Stillwell's steep sections today. I ended up covering 4.4 miles and appreciated the change of surface after so many recent runs either on the treadmill or on pavement.

Choosing the difficult path

Later, my son and I returned to Stillwell for another hike. Our goal was to take on Stillwell's toughest trails and to find the elusive Ewok Forest. At every fork, we took the "more difficult" option. We found ourselves so far east that we intersected with the Trailview path toward Cold Spring Harbor. We doubled back from there, taking a circuitous route that involved a few side paths. We finally decided that we'd covered enough ground and headed back to the trail head.

One of Stillwell's sharp drops

When we returned to the car, I checked the Fitbit and saw that we'd covered 4.5 miles, which worked out to 10,200 steps and 23 staircase equivalents. We saw new trails and I introduced my son to the junked car that I always pass as part of my regular running route. We didn't end up taking advantage of the Scott event, but we certainly had a Stillwell workout. Today, that went double for me.

DST run with KWL at BSP*

*Bethpage State Park

Today's run (Bethpage State Park): 6.25 miles

Daylight Savings Time (DST) starts today and (for this one) we "Spring" forward. I wasn't thinking about that yesterday when I committed to a 7:00 AM run with a friend. In DST world, 7:00 AM is really 6:00 AM. By the time I got to bed, it was almost DST midnight. I somehow miscalculated all that and got up at 4:50 DST. So I ended up getting less than five hours of sleep.

My friend KWL arrived a little before 7:00. It was still dark when we headed over to Bethpage but it had lightened up in the ten minutes it took to get there. As I feared, the gates were up at the park so we quickly headed to Haypath Road. We were able to park the car in a spot that was adjacent to the Greenbelt trail head. This southern entrance put us on the newly paved section of the Bethpage bike path.

KWL and I started our run in 30° temperatures. We'd both dressed for the cold so we were comfortable as we made our way through the first mile. Our plan was to cover 10K easy, but easy is a relative term. KWL is a triathlete, accomplished cyclist and 1:40 half marathoner, so his "easy" pace is somewhat challenging to me. We happily compromised and settled into pace that worked for both of us.

The new section has some hills which I tackled easily, using my early run freshness to power through.  KWL loves inclines and I don't. On the other hand, he dislikes running downhill and I can do that all day. So in the rare times when I held the forward position, it was usually on a downward slope.

Along way we encountered a group running in brightly colored outfits. Both times we saw them they were about to run up a hill as we were running down. They were a cheerful, talkative bunch, undaunted by the challenge. KWL and I reached the 3.1 mile mark and immediately turned around to complete the out and back route. I was feeling a little tired at that point and wasn't looking forward to scaling the upcoming hills.

A few minutes after we'd met that challenge, I began to feel stronger. We picked up the pace with about 2K left to go. I'd thought that the trail extension would be easy, since (this time) we'd be on the better side of the hills. I'd forgotten that there were still some inclines going north. Before long, my Garmin chirped for 6 miles and we picked up the pace as we completed final quarter mile.

KWL and I both found the run exhilarating. Despite the DST change, we still had plenty of morning left. Today's experience reminded me how enjoyable it can be to run with company. I really should do that more often. Perhaps it's time to do something about joining a running club.

Cow Harbor training dissonance

After Bayview, the nightmare begins

Today's run (street): 2.5 miles

This morning's run was my last before Saturday's Cow Harbor 10K. As I worked my way through my daily route, I thought about the luxury of waking up tomorrow without the obligation of a run. I pushed myself to a reasonable level, mostly after the first mile, and completed the run close to my normal time. I was happy with the workout but, almost immediately afterward, I started to question whether I've properly trained for the race.

James Street in Northport, otherwise known as "Widow Hill", is Cow Harbor's vindicetis maximus. It's a half mile of steep road that starts close to the two-mile point in the race. In the past two years I've trained on the Cow Harbor course to ready myself for that hill. It's helpful to know at the start of the race that I've run that monster in recent weeks. This year, my training has been less focused. Though I did run some hills over the past few weekends, they pale in comparison to what I'll face on Saturday.

I'm also thinking about my taper. Some might think it's overkill to rest two full days before a 10K. But I like  knowing (even if it's just psychological) that my body is using that downtime to repair and strengthen my leg muscles. I'm debating whether to run through core exercises on Thursday and Friday to give my glutes, quads and hamstrings some extra conditioning. That's an impact free workout that just might make me feel better about my training so far.

Seven hard miles at Bethpage

Today's run (Bethpage State Park): 7.25 miles

It wasn't exactly night and day, but today's run went far better than yesterday's struggle on the trails. I really wanted to stay in and skip my run, but my wife pushed me out the door saying that I'd complain all day if I didn't get my run in.

I decided that a long run was in order, so I went out to Bethpage around 9:00 AM.Yesterday I'd confirmed that the park would be open this week. The last time I visited (admittedly many weeks ago), the gates were closed and locked with a sign saying "Park closed to winter sports."

There were only a few cars parked in the big lot so I found a spot near the entrance to the bike trail. I was a little nervous when I started off, concerned that I'd be once again plagued with low energy and sore legs. By the time I reached the top of the first hill, I knew I had enough fuel to get me halfway through my intended seven miles. The question was whether I'd have enough to get me back.

The weather was very nice -- mid 40's, clear and sunny. Being that it was the middle of the week, there weren't too many runners and cyclists, although there were some. I bounded down the big hill knowing that, when I returned later, it would not be so much fun. I always dread that last challenge, especially after many miles of hard running.

Bethpage's bike trail is rolling, with very few flat sections. There are a couple of steep hills to deal with between miles one and two. At least on the way back you get nice downhills when you need them. It's much easier for me to run long distances at Bethpage than almost anywhere else, because it's a linear course and therefore easier to gauge progress.

I felt fine through the first three and a half miles so, after the turnaround, I picked up the pace to get past a group of walkers who had suddenly appeared ahead of me. Taking on seven miles today was a calculated risk because I have not run that distance in months. My current base is closer to four miles and by mile five I was starting to feel fatigued.

There's a point about 1.5 miles from the trail head where the path rises steeply over a short distance. On the way out it's not a problem on fresh legs, but on the way back it can be a struggle. I used my usual technique of pretending I was running downhill which works okay on 2% grades, but not so good on this monster.

I did manage to get over that hill and enjoy a mostly downhill run over the next quarter mile. Still, that final long hill loomed large and I just kept thinking about how good I'd feel once I finished. The hill was as hard as I thought it would be, and only the view of the top and the level road that followed, kept me going.

I finished my run and semi-collapsed in my car's seat, guzzled 20 oz. of water and headed home. Tomorrow I'll take it down a notch and do an elliptical session at an easy pace. Today's run was my longest in months, and it felt very hard. Hopefully it will push my base a little further. The half marathon is in May and I have a long way to go before I'm ready.

Good runs, bad runs, isn't all just timing?

At some point on this hill I will question why I did this race

Today's run (street): 2.4 miles

I looked at a course map for the Oyster Bay 5K that I plan to run on Saturday, October 15. The first 1.3 miles are all uphill and, according to Gmaps and MapMyTri, the overall elevation gain is greater than James Street, the bane of Cow Harbor racers. The saving grace, if there is one, is that this hill stretches a lot farther than James Street, and that may mean that the grade is lower. I'm hoping that's true.

My run today was a little disappointing. After good experiences on Wednesday and Thursday, where I had great energy and form, I had hoped for another good run. I can't explain it exactly, but I felt unbalanced and under-powered this morning. I even modified my route, shortening its length to save time after a late start. As I was running, I thought about whether I'd be the "Thursday me" or the "Friday me" when I go out on the hilly course a week from now.

So, what does it mean when you run well for days and then you don't? In this case, I don't think it means that much. I probably needed more rest and it wouldn't hurt for me to stretch a little. Sometimes it's timing of your performance curve, good days and bad. Right now I'm hoping this 5K coincides with a good running day. With that hill, I'm going to need all the advantage I can get.

Weekend video report: The Emerging Runner Hill Challenge

Today's workout (treadmill): 24 minutes

Saturday has been a busy day and an early morning appointment prevented me from getting out for my run. That was too bad as conditions were perfect at 8:00 AM when I would have run. By the time I got free, it was already well after lunch. I had just read about TrailRunner Magazine's Hill Challenge that is going on at the Outdoor Retailer show right now in Salt Lake City. I thought that might be the perfect workout for me, given my limited time.

The TrailRunner hill challenge pits two people against each other on treadmills where they compete to see who can cover the most distance in 15 minutes while running at a 10% incline. 15 minutes seems like a short enough time to endure almost anything but I'm not a 20-something super athlete and I know my limits. Instead I did the Emerging Runner Hill Challenge which involved running 24 minutes with increasing speeds and inclines in the first half, followed by decreasing speeds and elevation during the second.

I began the run at 4 MPH with a zero incline and at 00:59 bumped to 1% and 4.1 MPH respectively. I continued this way until I reached 10% and 5.1 MPH which I held for a couple of minutes. After that I decreased by .1 MPH and 1% incline until I finished. I kept my Amphipod hand bottle filled with icy water at the ready and drank liberally throughout my workout. I was sweating profusely by the 10 minute mark and, despite the increasingly easier conditions the run still felt like hard work. 

It was great to complete a hard workout in less than 30 minutes -- perfect for the time I had. Thanks to my daughter (and camera person) I was able to file this weekend's video update. I hope to get out for a long run on Sunday. Let's see if the rain will hold off, at least throughout the morning.