Spending my (City Sports) dollars wisely

A combination of residual soreness from Sunday's run and a rare post-work celebration last night prevented me from running this morning. I hardly ever drink and almost never go out after work but last night was our sendoff for Adventure Girl who is leaving the company to finish of her Master's studies at Yale. By May she'll be graduated and off to the west coast to do research in her field. There was a great turnout at the place with people we hadn't seen in some time. We are sad to see AG leave but we know the friendship will continue.

Craft-y bargain at City Sports

I'm slightly regretting not running this morning because tomorrow morning's weather will be rainy and I'll be forced to workout indoors. I just got a great bargain at City Sports using my CS dollars earned by being a City Sports "Insider." It's a $45 Craft running shirt that cost me $7 after discounts and applied credits -- I'm picking it up at the store today. A new running shirt will be good consolation tomorrow morning when I'm forced to get back on the treadmill.

A Marathon? Half is plenty for me

Spring has sprung though you wouldn't know it from today's temperatures in the high 30's. I don't want to rush the seasons -- I still prefer cold weather over hot -- but after a winter of frequent snowstorms I look forward to more days out on the road. After yesterday's long training run I'm taking my weekly rest day today. Rest and recovery.

Although I finished yesterday's run feeling relatively strong (enough to believe that I could have gone the entire half marathon distance) it became very clear to me that a full marathon would be out of the question. The steady pounding my feet experienced for 1.75 hours told me that a 4 hour race would do me no good. Then again, before I'd started running, the idea of me participating in a half marathon was about as likely my crewing on the space shuttle. I'm not saying I'll never run a full marathon but it's not an important goal for me. I know for many runners that 26.2 miles is the ultimate running experience but I really run for my health and the enjoyment of the activity. Racing is a great source of happiness too, but a marathon may just be too much of a good thing.

Personal distance record on today's base run

A Personal Distance Record on the Bethpage trail

Today's run (Bethpage State Park): 11.2 miles

For the second weekend in a row I've followed a dissatisfying trail run on Saturday with a great distance run on Sunday. Rather than over-analyze this, I'll just assume it had more to do with the time of day that I did these four runs (good runs: early, bad runs: afternoon). With a half marathon coming up in six weeks I'd been working on building up my base with 8.25 mile runs over the past couple of weekends and a personal distance record of 11.2 miles this morning.

I began today's run at Bethpage State Park at 8:00 AM and I ran well, feeling much better than I did yesterday. The winds were coming from the north and the first half of my out-and-back run was in a southern direction, so I had a little extra help at times. Unfortunately much of the second half included chilly head-on winds that made the tough hills even tougher.  But with all runs you take the good with the bad. I just wish I could take the bad first and experience only the good at the end.

There were many people on the trail today; walkers, cyclists and runners in about even numbers. Lots of friendly hellos too. Of all my running venues, Bethpage definitely has the happiest people. I was only passed by a couple of people along my route. One was a boy no older than 18 who ran past me at a pace that I can only sustain for about 200 meters on a track. After my turnaround in Masspequa Preserve he passed me the other way, his speed undiminished even though he had run at least seven miles by then.  Unbelievably, this young man passed me in the other direction when I was about three miles to my finish, meaning that he was still charging hard after 11 miles. For the record, I also passed some runners today!

I was glad that I brought along my Amphipod hand bottle, that I filled with Gatorade G2. After mile four I began taking sips every half mile. I believe that was the key to getting past some tough periods, especially at mile 10 when the risk of a bonk was very real. But there was no stopping and no slowing down and I finished my distance in 1:46:34, or 9:31 per mile. That's a realistic target for race day, which means I'll need to finish the LI Half under 2:05. I think I'll fold speed work into next week's runs and while I'll target at least one long run, I'm not sure I'll need to run 11 miles again. But I just might.

An unsatisfying dessert

Today's run (Stillwell Woods): 3.3 miles

Have you ever been served your favorite dessert only to be disappointed after eating it? What should have been an enjoyably indulgent experience ends up lacking and all you're left with is the calories. I thought about that analogy during my run at Stillwell Woods this afternoon as I pushed myself along the trail. After being snowed out of Stillwell since November I was hoping that today's run would be a welcome dessert after the gruel of a tough winter.

I'm a morning runner and generally perform with less energy as the day goes on. A busy morning prevented me from doing an early run so I decided to try a trail run after lunch. Despite today's struggles, there was nothing I could blame on fatigue or hunger. I'd gotten a full eight hours sleep, had a light, nutritious lunch and waited an hour before I headed out. I felt relatively energetic at the start but soon after I'd reached the interior trails at Stillwell I started feeling lethargic and had trouble getting comfortable with my stride. My plan to take on some of the more difficult trails gave way to an easier, flatter route. After a while my aerobic breathing came in balance and the running got easier but my legs still felt heavy.

About halfway through my run I forced myself to stop thinking negatively about my running and, instead, paid attention to the beautiful sights along the trail. That helped me get through the remainder of my route and despite feeling overworked I finished with an overall pace in the high-nine range. Studies have shown that people perform better in the afternoon than in the morning, regardless of what time they usually train. Perhaps that's why my performance was decent despite my difficulties.

A final note: This morning my wife attended the Gabriel Gifford Honorary Save-a-Life training session that was put on by our local Red Cross. She found this hands-on program extremely useful. Later in the day she reviewed what she'd learned with the kids, using a training kit she purchased while she was there. On top of that she was interviewed by WCBS radio and she talked about the fact that many people fear CPR because they think it requires mouth-to-mouth contact when in truth this process can be effectively administered using only your hands.

Negative splits on a chilly morning

Today's run (street): 2.65 miles

All week we've been hearing forecasts calling for warm weather with predictions that temperatures would reach 70º by Friday. I must be missing something because it has been chilly most days this week and this morning was no different. I listened to the weather report and dressed in single layers for today's run. Fortunately I thought to wear running gloves and I was happy to have them. The winds brought the temperature down into the mid 30's and I found myself wishing for an extra shirt.

Saucony Grid Tangent 4

 I wore my Saucony Grid Tangents this morning for a change of pace but my pace didn't change much. My stride felt encumbered for the first mile but I loosened up soon after that. The second half of my run was 6% faster than my first and though my recent paces have not been extraordinary I've been achieving negative splits on almost every run. I'm hoping to get out for 10 miles on one of the days this weekend. Speed will not be my goal but that doesn't mean it won't be on my mind.

If I designed elliptical machines

Today's workout (elliptical): 25 minutes

The latest issue of Running Times came yesterday and my wife told me I'd be excited to see it. One of the main articles was a review of minimalist running shoes that (curiously) included the Karhu Fast 2's. I'm behind on reading my running magazines but I think this issue may jump to the front of the line. If nothing else, I'm interested in how Running Times views this Karhu model whose high ride seems anything but minimal to me.

The rain from yesterday has headed east but I decided to stay indoors today and cross train on the elliptical. As I went through my workout I thought about a better way to design the machine so that resistance from the upper body poles could be set independently of the lower body setting. The only way to get a decent upper body workout on my machine is to set resistance over 100 watts which means the entire workout feels like you are going uphill while wearing ankle weights. Of course, many would say that a high level of effort is exactly the point of the machine. This may be true but at 4:00 AM all I want is a reasonable cardio workout with some whole body benefit. Listen up elliptical machine manufacturers!

I miss the morning drought of 2010

No running in the rain this morning* 

Today's run (treadmill): 2.4 miles

Last year I had a five month span between spring and fall when I avoided running on the treadmill. We had no rain at 4:00 AM between the period of May and October , at least on the days when I'd planned to run. This winter has not been a runner's paradise and I've found myself on the treadmill more often than not during my weekday morning runs. I expected rain this morning and headed directly to the treadmill without checking outside. I'm not sure it was raining when I started but it was pouring by the time I'd finished.

Familiarity can breed contempt but it can also be comforting. Since I had nothing but contempt for the treadmill historically, there was no place to go but up. I followed my usual routine today, progressively increasing my speed and finishing at around an 8:50 pace. Knowing that I don't need to get up to speed right away makes it easier to motivate myself to start. By blipping the FAST button every few minutes I can manage my level of effort. My only rule is that I can only go faster, that is, until I've reached my planned end time when I stop recording my run on the Garmin and finish with a few minutes of cool-down running.

I may go for a Central Park run on Friday with my friend CK. It's supposed to get up to 70 degrees which is nice, but also sweat inducing. I've got a big meeting Friday afternoon and it wouldn't be right to sit there looking like a wet dog. I'll figure it out whether to run at noon once I get an updated weather report.

*Picture courtesy of  brokenheartedrunner.wordpress.com

Putting the Karhu Fast 2 Rides to the speed test

I do love them for the elliptical machine

Today's run (street) 2.5 miles

After writing about my running shoes yesterday, I decided to try another run in the Karhu Fast 2's. I'm planning a full review of these shoes for Runner's Tech Review and didn't feel that I'd spent enough time running in the Karhu's to form a complete opinion. The Fast 2's have served me well as a stable shoe on the elliptical, but that's certainly not what they were designed to do. The name Fast 2 implies that they are, well, fast. I'd never tested them at speed so I had that in mind when I went out early this morning.

Although the shoes, at around 10 ounces, are lightweight, they seem bulky compared with the Kinvaras. It feels like a lot of shoe. When I took off on today's run I was conscious of the thick out-sole and the "fulcrum" technology that supposedly drives the runner forward. I decided to try some quick acceleration to see if the shoe transformed to a quasi-racer when run at higher cadences. That's a trait of the Brooks GTS-10s that run like a luxury sedan until you pour it on and they become more like a sports car. The Fast 2's didn't give me the feeling of speed. In fact, during "speed play", they felt less stable than when I ran at my normal pace.

I maintained a decent pace for 4:00 AM (9:12) and felt the Karhu's didn't hold me back from doing that. I don't know the exact height of the heel and mid-sole but I felt like I was riding a little too high. Since the Kinvaras are my standard platform that's no surprise, but most of my conventional shoes feel more stable than the Karhu's. I'll put a lot more into the review and will also include Adventure Girl's comments as she's  testing a pair as well. It will be interesting to hear her opinion and whether it's the same - or different - than mine.

What's next after my Kivaras?

Merrell's new Trail Glove

I'm pleased with the way I feel this morning after yesterday's long run. Sunday was a busy day and I spent a lot of  time on my feet. I thought I might experience some second day aches and pains but after a sound sleep I woke up feeling fine. With almost 400 running miles on my Kinvaras I'm fully convinced that a lower, more minimal running shoe works well for me and the very small differential (drop) between forefoot and heel has strengthened my calves and ankles. Despite being a video-documented pronator I've had few troubles running in this neutral shoe. My dilemma these days is choosing a different shoe than the Kinvara when running on hard surfaces.

I love the Brooks GTS-10's that were my go-to show prior to acquiring the Kinvaras. Ironically, although I have seven pairs of running shoes I really don't feel like I have that many choices. My Helly Hansens are great for tough trails but not a shoe that I like to wear on the road. My Adidas Responses work well on vacation, doing double duty as a trail or street running shoe and also for walking. But as a daily trainer they are just built too high. That leaves me with the Skecher's Resistance Runners (at best an occasional training tool), the Karhu Fast 2 Ride (a good shoe but not for me) and the Saucony Grid Tangent (a light stability shoe whose only negative is its conventional build). Finally, the higher platform of the Brooks has discouraged me from pulling them out of the cabinet as often as did in the past.

Last week I stopped by City Sports and tried on the Merrell Trail Glove, a zero-drop minimal trail shoe. I loved its wide toe box and light weight but my foot felt off balance toward the front. I want to try the NB Minimus next, as well as the Brooks Green Silence and the new Saucony Mirage. I'm concerned that I'll soon wear out the Kinvaras and I'm definitely going to replace them with something as minimal. I love to try out new running shoes but I've really learned to love the Kinvaras. I look forward to struggling with that decision.

A sweet run with a sweeter ending

Today's run (mixed surfaces): 8.2 miles

Although trails are my favorite venue for running I didn't love yesterday's experience at Muttontown Preserve. I understand that trails provide freedom and adventure but Muttontown's trails seemed to have more than its share of obstructions. This undercuts my ability to cut loose and just run while still feeling confident that I'll eventually end up at the same place where I began. A more adventurous runner (and one with a better sense of direction) may look at the challenge as part of the fun. Perhaps if I ran those trails more often I would feel better about it. I still get lost in Stillwell but at least I have a general sense of where I am most of the time.

I took no chances today and mapped out a route around my neighborhood. I followed this course for the most part but made some spontaneous changes to keep it interesting. My first destination was the business park that is located about a mile east of my neighborhood. A loop around the main drive has a modest but steady incline when run counter-clockwise. That loosened me up for the miles that would follow.

By the second mile I felt like I was growing stronger, evidence that my base training was yielding some benefit. I crossed into neighborhood #3 from the business park and ran until I reached  a main road that took me into the next town. All along that main road the sidewalks were covered thickly by decomposing leaves and there were numerous fallen branches that required some careful stepping. I returned to my own neighborhood and covered about three more miles before returning home.

Demonstration of tapping a walnut tree

This was probably the best long run I've done this year. Not the longest or the fastest, but this was definitely the most satisfying. If I feel this way on May 1st I'll have no problems doing the  LI half marathon. We spent this afternoon at Hoyt Farm in Smithtown where they held an event showing the origins and the process of making maple (and walnut tree) syrup. We all had fun, especially at the end when we got to sample it! I suspect freshly made maple syrup can be an effective recovery food.

Return to the Muttontown trails

Circuitous run on the Mystery Trail

Today's run (Muttontown Preserve): 3 miles

I took advantage of the weather today and headed over to Muttontown Preserve at noon for a run. Our morning was very busy so I didn't get out as early as I would have liked. Even with that late start the parking lot was less than a quarter full and I was glad to know that the trails probably wouldn't be crowded. The snow is all gone but some of the effects of all that water remain. The dirt roads around the entrance were rutted and the trails have a lot of muddy sections. With the noon day sun, I started my run wondering if I should have picked shorts instead of running pants. As it turned out I made the right choice.

Rough road leading to some rough trails

I followed the same path I originally tracked on my previous run and held my breath as I passed by the place where I fell head first into frozen mud. No such issue today but the condition of the trails was marginal and several times I encountered fallen trees along my path. Some places were completely blocked and that forced me to bushwhack through thorny brush to reconnect with trail on the other side. It was then that I really appreciated having long pants and long sleeves. I'd hoped to make my way south, then west and come back north to the trail-head but my poor navigation kept me contained in the northwest part of the preserve. I actually ended up running part of one loop three times. By the third time, I finally recognized the terrain!

I had MotionX running on my iPhone and even with the real-time mapping and compass I managed to get lost. I could see where I went wrong but I couldn't find an alternative path to correct my vector. Instead of mountain bikers, like I often see at Stillwell, I encountered people riding horses on the trail. Between the mud and horses I needed to do a lot of careful stepping. My Garmin, with its auto-pause set too low, kept stopping and restarting and occasionally not restarting. Of my approximately 35 minutes running, the Garmin recorded only about 25 minutes. MotionX did a better job although I'm not confident in the iPhone's GPS accuracy. At least, by the map,  I have a good idea where I ran.

Altogether it wasn't a very far run but the elevation changes were frequent with a total gain of 220 feet. I came away from the Muttontown Preserve feeling a little ambivalent about the place. I know that MP provides potential for a good fulfilling run but I'm zero for 2 so far. I really wish the trails were better marked so I could spend more time appreciating the experience and less time worrying about direction. Still, it was great to be back on dirt and though my distance was only about three miles they were three hard miles. I'm hoping to cover more distance on the road tomorrow and I'm glad to know that I probably won't get lost when I do it.

The treadmill is part of the plan

Rain has recently replaced snow as a persistent inhibitor to my outdoor running. I wear glasses and they don't mix well with rainy weather as both fog and rain impair my vision when I run. The effect can be disorienting and sometimes downright scary. So with last night's storm extending into the morning, I knew that the treadmill would be my only choice.

Every run I do these days connects to my need to be ready for my half marathon. In between now and then I'll run a 5K but my raison de courir, as my aunt would put it, is to do well at the RXR LI Half. My biggest issue with the treadmill experience is that it's the opposite of peaceful. When I'm on the road or the trail I tune into my surroundings and my favorite runs are those where the sound of my footsteps is the loudest thing I hear. I further appreciate that I own the run and choose where and how I'll run. Our treadmill is quieter than its predecessor but it's still an aggressive machine that forces me to conform to its limitations.

My current approach to treadmill running is to begin more slowly than when I run on the street. Rather than begin with a frenzied pace, I work my way up by starting at around a 9:50 pace and finishing closer to 8:50. That seems to work and I am getting to fold in some speed into the run. I think the two keys to a successful race on May 1st are: 1) Continuing to build my base closer to 9 or 10 miles, and 2) Working on strengthening my core, especially the glutes and hamstrings that will help me maintain my speed. Hard work to be sure, but at least I have a plan.