Goody (bag) to go for the Marcie Mazzola 5K

Today's workout: Rest day, again

Well I'm down to just hours before the Marcie Mazzola Foundation 5K race on Sunday and I'm ready to run. The idea of taking two rest days prior to a race is sound but I miss running, especially on a sunny spring day like today. This morning Team Emerging Runner headed to Northport, NY to pick up the race t-shirt and gift bag. Like last year, the Cow Harbor Running and Fitness store hands out the bags the day before. Although I could have just picked it up tomorrow when I get my race number we decided to go today, primarily because it was an excuse to visit this pretty town on the water. In addition, Cow Harbor Running is a very nice running store and I LIKE running stores!

When we arrived, Nancy Mazzola, who runs the Foundation and manages the race, was there chatting with Lauren, one of the store owners.  We talked with them about the race, the expected turnout, the big hill, and why the length of the race has changed. The new route avoids some traffic control difficulties and the 5K length may attract more runners than a 4 mile race. We stayed for a while looking at shoes and gear. The store sells Etonic, Pearl Izumi, Newton and Zoot shoes. They have a much broader line of the PI's than I've seen elsewhere and I've always been interested in trying their stability models but you don't see them much in stores. Perhaps I'll try them out the next time I need to replace my road shoes. Of course it would take a lot to move me away from Brooks!

I'm ready as I'm going to be for tomorrow. People can still sign up tomorrow at the race location. It's a great event for a good cause.  

16 hours and 50 minutes and counting...

Strategic thinking for Sunday's 5K

Today's workout: Resting for 4/11 race

My new PDO armband

What a difference a week makes in terms of running gear. I now have a fully functional running watch (Garmin FR60) that's a real improvement over the 50 that it replaced. I bought a new PDO iPhone armband that seems much more durable than the iLUV model that fell apart after only being used a few dozen times. Most importantly, our Sole treadmill belt slip issue has been fixed so I can now run at faster speeds without worrying about straying too far right on the belt tread. Ironically, I'll need to wait until after Sunday to try out the repaired machine because I'm not planning on doing any running until 8:30 AM on Sunday.

I've been thinking about my racing strategy and I looked to my post about last year's event to help prepare me for the conditions. The thing I worry about most is THE BIG HILL. It took me by surprise last year and I clearly had not done the right amount of training to prepare me for the length of this monster (1/2 mile). I've done a fair number of hill runs over the last month and I'm hoping this conditioning has prepared me for what's to come. In the six races I have have run since last year's Marcie Mazzola race I have learned to moderate my pace for the first mile and not get sucked into the stream of fast moving early starters. I expect to be fatigued somewhat from the hill so I'll conserve more energy than the last time I did this race. This year the race distance is 5K, not 4 miles, so I'm hoping to push the speed a little more near the end. I anticipate that temperatures will be in the high 40's to low 50's at start time so I'm planning to run in short sleeves and racing shorts. Heat is my (and most people's) kryptonite so I'll do everything I can to minimize that issue.

Am I over thinking my strategy? Should I just get out there and run and figure it out as I go? It's hard to say whether a defined strategy makes big difference. I know that in business, when I do a public presentation, the work I do to prepare always pays off and things sometimes go badly when I wing it. I've had more negative racing experiences when I failed to think through the the various elements: weather, course, pacing, etc. I prefer to error on the side of over-strategizing and I'll know soon enough whether it made a difference.

How many furlongs is a 5K?*

Today's workout (street run): 2.4 miles at 9:21/mile

Yesterday afternoon I got a call from my friend and financial advisor who was asking whether our run on Friday was still on. We had talked about running the West Side bike path on Friday but I told him I'd prefer to try for Thursday instead because I'm abstaining from running after today. I explained that I wanted to be well rested for Sunday's race. He laughed and said it sounds like I'm talking about a racehorse and I said that a bag of oats and a leg massage certainly wouldn't hurt my chances. We ended up rescheduling for a week from this Friday.

I know it seems unnecessary to rest two full days prior to a short race like Sunday's 5K. However, I'll argue that 5K's require more prior rest than longer races because the pace is faster and more anaerobic. In two of my 2009 races I ran with either one or no day's rest and my performance took a hit as a result. This morning I did my last training run and was once again pleased with the Garmin FR60. I had set the watch to signal when my pace slowed past a certain threshold (10 min per mile) and I made sure I moved along so I wouldn't be subjected to the scolding chirp from the Garmin. Happily I avoided that (except once, just as I'd started the run). I really liked the splits alert that told me when I'd passed another mile. It's very helpful to have this feature, especially for the fact that the run summary details each mile's individual pace. I'm aiming for negative splits on Sunday, especially with that big hill to face at the beginning.

Today's morning run was good. My pace was non-competitive but okay for 4:00 AM. Sunday's race starts at 8:30 AM and that fits well into my 8:00 AM-10:00 AM window when I do my best running. Cool dry weather is predicted for Sunday morning. I hope that prediction holds.

*24.8

Liking the Garmin FR60 (so far)

Today's workout (treadmill): 2.2 miles with 2% to 5% incline

As planned, I used today's run to complete my hill training for Sunday's race. Until the new treadmill is repaired tomorrow (I'm really hoping a replacement motor will remedy the belt slips) I'm being careful not to run at faster speeds on the machine. I set a pace just below 6 MPH and pushed the incline steadily up to 5%, starting first with 2% and adding a percentage point every couple of minutes until I reached 5. Even at a slower pace, running a 5% grade was hard work. Near the end I brought the incline down to 0 and ran the last couple of minutes around 6.8 MPH. I received my Garmin FR60 yesterday and put it to work today. It was great to see it sync up with my FR 50's foot pod and while the interface on the FR60 is still fairly opaque it's an improvement over its predecessor. Once I understood the menus and navigation I realized that FR60 has some very nice features that the 50 lacked, such as automatic capture of split times. I'll need to calibrate the FR60 because its distance numbers weren't aligned with the treadmill's but I've also been suspicious of the treadmill's accuracy and that could be related to the motor problem.

The FR60 has something called "Race Mode" that sounds interesting. I plan to look online at the expanded manual to understand what that means and how it differs from normal training mode. Tomorrow I plan to go out for a regular run to finish my training for the race. I feel good and I did very well with the inclines. Although my pace was modest the effort was not. Based upon the summary metrics, adjusting for the incline (per my chart) I averaged an equivalent of 9:00 per mile on a flat course. I'm happy with that since I usually reduce my normal pace by 20-30 seconds per mile on race day.

My 500th post!

Today's workout: 2 mile tempo at 8:41 per mile

It's hard to believe but today's post is the 500th since I started The Emerging Runner in 2008. I like having a bit of history to look back upon. My original goal for this blog was for it to be a journal of my experience returning to running. I do use it for that and I find it helpful to occasionally look back on what I was doing a year ago to see if I've made any progress or if I'm looking at running differently. I'd say there's been progress and my view of running hasn't changed a bit. Both good things.

With all my hill work and trail running over the last week I felt that I needed to do a more speed-focused workout today. Last night I mapped a run that measured exactly 2 miles that I planned to cover at 5K race pace. One reason I kept the distance down to two miles was to motivate myself to run faster than I normally would at 4 AM. Another reason for the exact two mile route was to quickly compare the distance MotionX was mapping compared to my actual, known distance.

The run went well. I didn't expect to hit a record breaking pace because I generally run about 15 seconds per mile slower at this early hour. The run felt fast and I knew I'd do better than normal (and I did) but I was still disappointed with my 8:41 pace. MotionX, the GPS app I've been using on my iPhone, was again way off. It measured the run at 1.86 miles. It's easy to see why it does that. Looking at the map trace from the GPS signal shows a number of vectored corners and shortened paths that add up to less total distance. This confirmed that the GPS always under-counts distance and today's margin of inaccuracy told me that it was off by 7%. That's disappointing and it's the primary reason that I didn't buy a GPS watch to replace my Garmin 50. I've been told that the Garmin GPS watches are far more accurate than the iPhone but I'll stick to the foot pod for now.

Into the taper

Today's workout: rest day

Self destructing iLUV iPhone armband

My vacation is over but I'm still feeling the benefits of a good eight days of running. While I was off I ran 30 miles and much of that was done on challenging terrain. I'm six days away from my next race, the Marcy Mazzola Foundation 5K, and now in taper mode. After ten hard miles over the weekend and Friday I decided to take my usual rest day today and then use Tuesday through Thursday for my final training. I'll rest this coming Friday and Saturday and then race on Sunday. I'm planning to do an early street run tomorrow on a predetermined course and I'll set my target for a fairly aggressive pace. On Wednesday I'll do a treadmill run with inclines for my last hill training exercise and Thursday will be my last run of the week. I ended up buying the Garmin FR60 and I hope that it comes soon so I can familiarize myself with it before the race. Between the treadmill, my Garmin 50 and my iPhone armband it's been a bad month for running technologies.

$2.22 per mile and worth every penny

Today's run (Bethpage trails): 3.65 miles 

I was hoping that there would be no parking fee to Bethpage State park this morning because of the holiday but the guard was there to collect my $8. In truth, I'm happy to pay for access to this park, especially with all the talk about cutting back on funding to Long Island's State Parks because they don't make enough money. I can't believe the hypocrisy in that. Parks aren't supposed to make money, they are there to provide people with a higher quality of life. Using the same logic perhaps we should close the schools because they are really unprofitable.

I paid my fee and parked in the nearly empty lot. There were a few people out running on the bike paths but I headed straight for the trails. What I remembered about Bethpage was how well they kept the trails and as I entered the main trail head I appreciated the expansive, flat and groomed path in front of me. I initially followed a marked trail that took me in a circle back to the start. I knew that would likely happen but I held hope that this trail would bring me east and north but instead it did the opposite. After entering the woods for a second time I locked onto a trail with blue markings that I followed for close to a mile. This trail was narrow but flat and it twisted and turned a number of times. Along the way the arm band that I've used to carry my iPhone finally gave way and I needed to stop for a moment and fish the device out of clump or sprouting plants. The only other interruption was when a mountain biker came up from behind and I paused to let him by. He was polite and apologetic about it and he should have been since bikes are not allowed on those trails.

I eventually locked onto a trail that I followed along the western perimeter all the way south to the bike path. AG and I had followed part of this trail last summer and exited at the same point, right before a steep hill that goes on for about a quarter mile. I was both annoyed and happy about this. Annoyed because I wasn't pleased to do the work but happy because the rest of my run had taken place on flat terrain and this gave me another chance to practice hill running for next Sunday's race. Once I'd crested the hill I jumped back on the dirt trail and finished my run through the woods. It was a great experience, perfect weather over really fun trails. It's back to business tomorrow but it's been a great week for running. Our treadmill is scheduled to be repaired on the 8th and I'm expecting a new running toy as early as tomorrow. Can you guess what it is?

Running and hiking make a great combination

Caleb Smith State Park has 543 acres of trails and wetlands

Today's run (street): 4.6 miles at 9:07/mile

I'm nearing the end of my vacation so we jammed a lot of activities into the day. My kids are happier because they don't return to school until next Wednesday. It's been a great week and there's still another day left before I have to head back to the office. After yesterday's moderate workout at the park I decided to only do a 4 mile run this morning because we planned to go for a hike a little later. I headed over to neighborhood #2 where I covered about three miles and finished up back in my own neighborhood after completing a total of 4.6. Conditions were near perfect, 44 degrees and dry, and I dressed correctly. I pushed my pace a little more than I have been doing and was not disappointed to average 9:07 per mile.

A few hours later we headed to Caleb Smith State Park in Smithtown, a 543 acre preserve with groomed, well marked trails. The park is beautiful, featuring ponds and streams, with lots of small side paths that take you over wooden bridges. We saw lots of interesting trees and plants and we even saw a snake. The biggest surprise for me wasn't seeing the snake in the woods, it was the fact that my kids wanted to pose next to it for a picture. There are a number of trails to follow. A circuit that includes the yellow and blue trails is 2.25 miles. I'd like to do a couple of laps around that course sometime.

I'm not sure how I'll finish my vacation in terms of running but I think a trail run would be the best choice tomorrow with temperatures in the low 70's expected. I'm not sure if I should head to Stillwell, Muttontown or Bethpage but either way I'd be making a great choice.

Resisting temptation at DSW

Friday's workout: 2.25 miles (XC/road run) plus hill workout

NB MT100

NB MR800

Yesterday was a very busy day so I didn't get a chance to post. We had an early start and I didn't get a chance to run until later in the day. While out, we stopped by DSW, one of my favorite shoe stores. I've been encouraging my wife to get a new pair of running shoes to replace her Nike Vomeros that have served her well over the last year. I was looking for a pair of casual loafers but I couldn't find any that felt right. I guess I'm spoiled by the fit of running shoes that feel so much better on my feet. Since I was there I tried a pair of New Balance MT100's that looked like a low heeled trail shoe. I'm still very curious about a shoe design that promotes front and mid-foot striking and I thought this shoe felt really good. I could tell by the way my legs felt when I tested them that the initial running experience with 100's would result in some calf soreness. I also tried a pair of the New Balance 800's. This is the "ChiRunning" shoe that promotes mid-foot running and competes against shoes like the Nike Free. I ultimately decided that I didn't need any more shoes, especially since the prices of these shoes weren't significantly lower than anywhere else.

Saucony Grid Fusion 2

My wife tried on a few pairs of Saucony's and found that the Grid Fusion 2 had the best fit and feel. I encouraged her to try some of the more high end models and she ultimately preferred the Fusion. Later in the day we all headed to the park. My daughter tried out her new Razor scooter and I did some hill runs and then did laps around one of the ball fields and also ran some other areas of the park with my wife. She liked her new running shoes and I was glad to get some running in after such a busy day. By evening we were all pretty exhausted. I plan to get out today for a longer run. I'm not sure whether I'll stay in the neighborhood or take advantage of the beautiful weather and hit the trails again.

Involuntary Garmin-slaughter

Today's workouts: Stillwell field trail loop - 3.55 miles plus speed and hill drills

My Garmin 50 display was showing "LoBattery" so I decided to change it myself. Big mistake. I had the right battery (CR2032) on hand so I thought "How hard could this be?" Replacing the battery in the heart rate monitor and the foot pod was simple but when I opened the 50 I knew it was going to be a lot more complicated. I should have stopped there and taken it to a jeweler but I was too impatient and it cost me the watch. I first had to separate the housing from the main board that held the display in order to get to the battery and when I did some tiny brackets and and a tiny spring went flying. Before I knew it the whole thing became a cruel puzzle. When I put it together in the most logical way that I could, the display failed to work. I looked up how to change the battery on this watch online but there is little documentation. In fairness to Gamin they do recommend professional battery installation.

I went through all the stages of grief: Denial (it worked before, it will work again!), Anger (stupid Garmin engineering!), Bargaining (what are Forerunner 50's going for on Amazon these days?), Depression (I have nothing to capture tomorrow's run so it will be meaningless!), Acceptance (this sucks but maybe it's a good excuse to buy a 405). Then I went online and priced out the 405, the new F60 and even saw that Garmin has a new "entry level" GPS watch called the 110. Since the 110 doesn't also work with a foot pod I'm down to deciding between the 405 and the F60.

This morning I pulled out my iPhone arm band and did my run at Stillwell using MotionX which has been improved since the last time I used it. The day was sunny and I acquired a signal quickly. I set off to run the field loop trail making four circuits with a total distance of 3.55 miles. As usual the GPS accuracy was a little off so I used Google Earth to verify the true length. It was a better experience with the iPhone than I had on previous runs. I uploaded the GPX file from MotionX to Garmin Connect and it worked great.  My online running history didn't skip a beat despite last night's Garmin problem. I may take the broken watch over to a local jeweler to see if they can make it work. If not I'll probably get the new F60 that should work with the 50's HRM and foot pod.  I did see a 405 online for $299 with a $50 rebate so maybe...

Later in the day the Emerging Runner family headed to a local park to enjoy the beautiful weather. After playing some hoops we made our way to the ball fields and had a running competition. First we ran from home plate straight out to center field (which rises to a 60+% incline over the last 30 or 40 feet) and back again. All four of us did that run, my son did it several times, and we recorded our times using my iPhone's stopwatch app. After that we all took turns on a circuit that required the runner to touch the six light poles that ringed the diamond and outfield. The total length of that circuit is .15 miles. Based on that, I calculated our paces. I ran it at 5:33, my wife at 7:40 and my son and daughter (10 & 11) at 8:20. We weren't dressed at all for running (although I did have my NB trail shoes) so this was a good benchmark for the next time we come, better prepared. It was a very active day for the family. How could we stay inside with this weather?

Out and about time

Granger's "safer" waterproofing spray

Today's workout (street run): 5.6 miles at 9:29 pace

The rain finally stopped this morning and I didn't waste any time getting out for a neighborhood run. For me, the experience of running on the treadmill versus running outdoors is very different. In that running outdoors actually provides enjoyment. There was still a fine mist in the air when I set out around 7:00 AM. I headed directly to neighborhood #3 because I haven't run there in a long time and I needed a change of scenery. My original plan was to run neighborhoods 2 and 3 and then cover a couple of miles in my own neighborhood. There was a lot of traffic on the service road that needed to be crossed to get to the other areas. Crossing over to #3 is safe because there's only one direction for traffic and it's easy to see cars long before they reach the crossing point.  The light rain was burning off by the time I hit the first mile but, despite 40 degree temperatures, there was some humidity fogging my sunglasses. With a slight breeze it was still pleasant and once the mist stopped it felt drier and cooler.

Once through neighborhood #3, I headed back to my main neighborhood, skipping 2, because the traffic I'd need to cross on the service road was too heavy for comfort. On weekend mornings it's much different to run along that section. I dressed exactly right and felt increasingly stronger throughout the run. This didn't translate into a fast pace but it felt great and I got some good mileage in on a weekday, always a bonus. It looks like the sun may actually make an appearance this afternoon and if it does I'm planning to experiment with Granger's G-Max Universal waterproofing spray on my Helly Hansen Trail Lizards. I bought this spray because it appears to be safer and more environmentally responsible (according to the label) than the solvent-based sprays that come with warnings that take up an entire side of the can. It will be great if the spray provides a moisture barrier on these shoes because I often have to step around large puddles on the trails at Stillwell. I know the shoes aren't engineered to be waterproof so they will likely let in some water. However, the spray may help keep things a little drier.

With all the rain we've had since Saturday, the trails will surely be soaked for the next few days. It would be great to have a little extra protection should I head to Stillwell or Muttontown this week. It's great to finally run outside.

Pre-run dynamic stretching has its merits

Today's workout (treadmill): 2.5 miles at 9:05 (2% incline)

Ugh. That describes the wet weather outside and my experience on the treadmill this morning. Long Island is getting 4"-6" of rain over the next 24 hours on top of all the rain we've seen since Friday night. Yesterday was a nice break from exercise and I really needed some rest. I had been experiencing some slight pain in my right knee and intermittent pain in my left abductor muscle that may have been related to extra mileage on hills over that last two weeks. With any thoughts of an outside run washed away with the steady rain, I turned to the treadmill for my run.

I had just read in Running Times about dynamic stretching. This method differs from static stretching in that it activates muscles rather than relaxing them. As it happens, my pre-run stretching is already dynamic. Using a couple of of exercises that AG taught me I usually do a few leg swings and knee cradles before I start. I decided to add a few more to the mix today and I did feel very loose before I started my run. The treadmill belt is still unstable and we're waiting for a new motor that will theoretically resolve the slipping and jerking issue. I am able to avoid that for the most part by keeping to the left but the possibility of a slip is definitely an unwanted distraction during my run. I spent a couple of minutes warming up at a slower pace and then hit the start button on the Garmin after pushing the speed to 6.6 MPH. I'd also set the incline to 2% and the combination of a relatively brisk pace (9:05 on the treadmill feels like 8:40 on the street to me) and the slight elevation made my first mile difficult.

I settled into the run and managed to tough it out long enough to cover 2.5 miles at speed before I switched off the Garmin and cooled down for another ten minutes at a slower pace with no incline. It wasn't an enjoyable experience but it was a good workout. Additionally, I finished the run with no knee or muscle pain. The air was especially dry and I really appreciated the coconut water that I used for re-hydration. I'm really hoping that by tomorrow morning conditions will be favorable for an outdoor run. Much as I like the new treadmill, it doesn't provide the satisfaction of running outside.

Rain, rain (don't) go away

Today's workout: Rest day

We changed our plans for a short vacation in western Massachusetts when we saw that the current torrential rainstorm's duration would coincide exactly with our scheduled time away. Instead we stayed local and amused ourselves with distractions that included a Wii tournament. I was soundly whipped at tennis by my daughter and out boxed by my son. Well at least I got a little exercise. Very little.

Tomorrow's weather looks to be equally stormy but I'm hoping that there will be a window of time when the rain stops long enough for me to get in a neighborhood run. Barring that, I'll return to the new treadmill and work around the slipping belt by staying farther to the left side. I got a notification that the new parts have been shipped so it shouldn't be long before the treadmill becomes more of an asset than a liability.  Thursday, Friday and the weekend days look to be much more running-friendly than today, tomorrow and Wednesday so I'm sure I'll still get plenty of miles in on this vacation.

Once around the neighborhood

Today's run (street): 3.6 miles at 9:15/mile

Today's weather has turned dark and gloomy and I'm expecting to see the predicted cascades of rain starting at any time. The morning's skies were brighter but the temperatures were colder and I made the mistake of putting on too many layers for my run. I have been pushing myself more than usual over the last couple of weeks but I haven't focused as much on my speed as I have on hill training. I'm racing the Marcie Mazzola 5K in two weeks and I want to tune my conditioning for the killer hill at the start of the race. At least the race organizers were kind enough to design the course so that the hill is at the beginning rather than making it a dreaded obstacle near the finish.

Last night we got together with friends for dinner. Our hosts are fantastic cooks and this led to some untypical overindulgence at mealtime. Adding to that, I had my monthly beer (a Budweiser of all things!) and more calories came later when we all celebrated my wife's birthday with homemade desserts. Due somewhat to that, I wasn't exactly raring to get out and run this morning. We're traveling tomorrow and I probably won't have a chance to do a workout before we leave so I needed to get in a run today. I decided to start by running the three mile perimeter of our neighborhood. Along the northern road (Jericho Turnpike) there is a hill that goes on for a third of a mile. I thought that would provide a good challenge within a fairly low key run and I was pleased by how easily it went compared to the last time I tried. After reaching the apex of the hill I turned into the neighborhood proper and finished with a total distance of 3.6 miles. I was sweating quite a bit by the time I got home, having broken the cardinal rule about dressing for the second mile rather than the first.

9:15 isn't exactly burning up the road, but given that I completely ignored any thought of pace I was happy with where I ended up. It was a successful weekend of running and I'm glad to have done a good series of hill workouts over the last nine days. I look forward to my rest day tomorrow and I hope to get in at least one trail run as we visit the Berkshires for a few days next week.

If I'm on vacation why am I working so hard?

Today's run (Stillwell Woods): 4.75 miles

Winter showed up again on Long Island this morning - 28 degrees with a steady breeze from the east. This is my first day of vacation and I decided to start things off with a trail run at Stillwell Woods Preserve. I have no issues running in weather like this because my body temperature usually regulates after a few minutes and that was the case today. After a week of workouts that focused on inclines, (both on the treadmill and elliptical) I thought that Stillwell would be a nice change of scenery.

The morning sun was very bright at 8:00 AM when I set out for my run and as I made my was past the trail head I noticed a number of frozen puddles on the main path. I maintained a moderate pace to conserve energy that I knew I would need once I encountered the many steep inclines along the trails. I took a different route than I normally take to get into the interior of the Preserve and was rewarded by about eight minutes running on relatively flat, narrow singletrack. Shortly after that I hit a cross point and I needed to decide which way to go next. Using the position of the sun to help navigate east worked well until the trail switched back and forth a few times. I ended up on a path that terminated south at a fence. I had a pretty good idea from previous runs that this path was going to end but I wanted to attack the steep hill that led up to the end of the trail. Once I got to the top I saw a path that led east. The trail was steeply banked and it twisted around a ledge. I imagined that only a serious mountain biker would dare take on that narrow ledge, one false move would result in a quick drop about 20 feet below. Once I made it down I immediately encountered another steep rise that went on for a while. I gave up any pretence that I could run the whole thing and hiked the last hundred feet until it leveled before rising again.

Once I got past this and a few other challenging hills I returned to the mostly flat trails and headed west, guided by the shadow from the sun. I was pleased that I was able to navigate today without really getting lost and I confidently found my way out to the open field. I did one lap around on that path and then headed out to the athletic fields and finished by running around three of the baseball fields before returning to my car. As usual, Stillwell provided a tough challenge and it forced me to consider my true level of fitness. Don't tell anyone, but I think I did more work today than I did all week in the office!

It's all uphill from here

Today's run (treadmill): 2.4 miles, 4-6% incline

The rain kept me inside this morning but I had anticipated bad weather and planned to run on the treadmill. I recently looked at a chart that compared equivalent paces based upon running speed and inclines. It gave me the idea that I could run at a slower pace (for safety given the treadmill's belt slips) and still get the benefits of a faster pace by increasing the elevation. My run started roughly when my Garmin refused to set correctly. I nearly lost balance when the belt slipped while I was messing with the controls on the watch. Once I got that settled I pushed both my pace and the incline to a point where I was working fairly hard. About six minutes into the run I noticed that the belt would slip most often when I ran closer to the right edge of the tread belt. Moving closer to the left, the belt becomes more stable. Given that the tread belt is barely two feet wide, the range of positions is limited. However, an inch or two makes a big difference in terms of stability.

Running uphill at speed becomes difficult after a while so I decreased the incline for a few minutes to recover and then moved through some different combinations of slower paces and higher inclines (and vice versa). I ended up covering about 2.3 miles at an average pace of 9:50. Considering the amount of effort I'd needed to get through this workout I was surprised to see that my pace was still in the nine minute range. I'm hearing about more rain this weekend but I'm hoping to get out both days to run on real hills that don't slip unexpectedly under your feet. In a way the new treadmill simulates running on technical trails - but not in a good way.

Back to 4:00 AM street runs

Today's run (street): 2.35 miles at 9:18/mile

After about three months of weekday morning runs on the treadmill I returned to the outdoors for my 4:00 AM workout. I'll admit I was a little nervous about going back to the dark streets as I laid out my gear last night. Before, when I was doing these runs daily, it became a familiar routine. This morning it was almost like doing it for the first time. I much prefer to run on ground that isn't moving and our new treadmill is exhibiting some erratic behavior (more on that below) so my best choice right now seems to be running outdoors.

My run went well. I recently read in an article in Running Times magazine that early morning runs like this will yield slower paces. I ran in the lower 9:00 range but, as I've said in the past about these runs, it felt faster than that. I tried to run on streets that have higher inclines because my upcoming race is all about a big hill and I want to be ready. Along the way I encountered a person walking their dog, a surprise to see at 4:15 AM. It really was nice to be back outside and, unless we get rain, I plan to do it again tomorrow.

After a disappointing conversation with a cranky customer service person at Sole yesterday I was concerned about how the company would handle our issue with the slipplng belt tread. After submitting an online form my wife was contacted by the Sole support person who told her that our machine was part of a group that had bad motors (lucky us) and it will be replaced. I can't wait for that to happen! My wife continues to use the machine without much problem and until the motor is replaced I will too. But only if it rains.

Polly Pocket, your running shoes are here!

Today's workout (elliptical/high resistance): 25 minutes

This past weekend I stopped into our local bike store, Bicycle Planet, which was displaying big signs in their windows that said "Clearance Sale." But I wasn't looking for bike gear. This store carries performance apparel from makers like Sugoui, Pearl Izumi and Craft along with other quality brands that specialize in cycling. I was hoping to find a bargain on long sleeved tech shirts that I could use on cold morning runs but even with the sale the clothes were pricey. There were some heavier jerseys with zip fronts that were well priced. Since cyclists ride 3-4X faster than I run they clearly need the wind protection. These jerseys were nice but they didn't meet any current needs so I ended up leaving empty handed. I'll be back soon with my Trek bike which needs a serious tuneup.

The next day we paid a visit to the outlet stores and I did my usual rounds at Adidas (poor selection of running clothes, no bargains on running shoes) and Nike. Nike had little running apparel on display and, for what they had, the prices weren't compelling. I don't care for Nike shoes but I was curious to try a pair of Zoom Equalon 3's that were on special for $80.00. I didn't like the fit and I guess I'm a little biased since my last experience running with Nike shoes was fairly negative. I stopped in at Reebok because it was there (did you know Adidas owns Reebok?) and, again out of curiosity, tried on a pair of their top of the line stability shoes.

Every time I try on Reeboks I understand why no one I know runs in them. The shoes I tried on Sunday felt clumsy, with an awkward transition from heel to toe. As I was leaving I noticed a display for the new ZigTech shoes. They only had smaller sizes to try but I looked at the display models and wondered what the fuss was about. The shoe is bizarre to begin with - a weirdly shaped boot with a strange wavey-springy out sole that doesn't seem fully attached to the shoe. In pictures the shoe looks interesting. In real life it looks like something you'd find on a Polly Pocket doll. I left the outlet stores without a single purchase but with a renewed respect for the gear and for shoes from the real players like Brooks, ASICS and Mizuno.

Jerked around by my treadmill

Today's run (treadmill): 2.3 miles at 9:12/mile

The hill work I did over the weekend caused great tightness in my leg muscles on Monday. This morning that tightness was even more pronounced so I decided that the "hair of the dog" approach with more hill climbs would be the best way to deal with it. I had played briefly with the inclines on the new treadmill on Saturday and thought about running one of the built-in programs that included variable elevations. I had not read the treadmill's instructions to learn how to start a speed or elevation program so after a few tries I gave up and used the manual method to set my inclines. A few minutes into my run I began noticing that the tread belt slipped every twenty seconds or so. These slips felt as though the belt was jerking and suddenly pulling forward for a second. It wasn't so pronounced that it threw me off balance but it was concerning. The worst part was waiting for the next slip - nothing like feeling stress while running!

I decided to finish my run despite this annoying problem. I found the incline feature useful and varied the incline between 2% and 4% but backed off on that when the belt slippage became pronounced. The slipping and jerking may be related to inclines because it had not happened before I had used that feature. Unfortunately the slipping happens without an incline so there's no safe condition although it seems to stabilize when the speed is lessened. I sent a note to Sole and I'll report on what happens. It's really too bad, prior to this problem I thought the F63 exceeded expectations.

Your mileage may vary

Today's workout: Rest day

Despite my meticulous efforts to capture my running metrics, I'm realizing that my perception of my overall performance differs from the hard facts. When people ask me about it I usually say I run 9:00 miles. I can run faster than that, but I don't. In truth, I only hit 8:00-something paces a few times a month and most of the time I average between 9:10-9:30/mile. Yesterday, after uploading my latest run into Garmin Connect, I noticed that my average monthly distance is 65 miles. This confused me because, when asked, I usually say I run 20 miles a week. I think part of that delusion comes from when I used MapMyRun to record my metrics and included the distance measurement from my elliptical sessions. In fact, I ran less monthly distance a year ago than today because I was limiting my morning weekday runs to no more than 20 minutes.

In order to really reach the 20 mile per week level I will need to average closer to 3 miles per day during the week (less one rest day and one cross training day) and 10 miles over the weekend. The gating factor is time, not conditioning. However, if I really could average 9:00 per mile I would definitely compile more distance in the same amount of time.

A day in the park (industrial version)

Today's run: 5.5 miles (road) at 9:19

After yesterday's tough trail run I decided to give myself a break and run on the road instead. I didn't let myself off easy though, my first destination was the industrial park that is located a half mile from my neighborhood. I'd been thinking about the Marcie Mazzolla race course knowing that I'll again encounter that hill that stretches for almost a mile. I clearly need to do more hill work and while yesterday was good start in that direction it was useful to duplicate the conditions of a road race. The streets in the industrial park form a 1.2 mile loop with a steady incline when running in the counterclockwise direction. I felt strong as I set out to run from my house to the industrial park. I'd dressed in a short-sleeved wicking shirt and compression shorts that turned out to be the perfect combination, but the first ten minutes of the run were a little chilly with the wind.

As I made my way around the park it occurred to me how similar this course felt to the lower loop at Central Park. Certainly not in terms of visual stimulation (although the density of Canada geese in the industrial park was far higher than in CP) but similar in the location of the elevations and downhills. I didn't know how I was tracking for pace and I didn't really care. It was about the hills and I felt I was holding my own. By the time I was on the third loop I noticed that I felt stronger than I did at the start. When I reached the flat part of the loop that leads to a downhill section I felt like I had done really well. Not only that, I felt like I could do more running, so I took a detour back to my neighborhood and stretched my distance to a total of 5.5 miles.

Next week I will use some of the treadmill's hill climbing programs in my weekday morning runs to help maintain the progress I made this weekend. My overall pace of 9:19 is acceptable to me considering that a good part of today's workout was done uphill. I'm very glad I'm resting tomorrow!

Stillwell printemps

Today's run (Stillwell Woods): 3.75 miles at 9:53/mile

Given the way I felt during most of today's run, I was pleased with the outcome. I had a rare eight hour's sleep the night before and I went out to run at 9:00 AM when I'm usually at my best. Despite having pre-hydrated with coconut water I started out feeling a bit sluggish. I didn't feel weak but I lacked my usual morning energy as I made my way toward the Black trail at Stillwell. My hope was to accurately follow this trail so that I would not get lost. That hope wasn't fully met. I did better than normal in terms of navigation and I even recognized some trails well enough to understand where I was from time to time.

The one time I got lost was when I ran out of trail at the north of the Preserve where it terminates at Stillwell Lane. Soon after heading in the other direction I encountered steep hills and fast drops that tested my conditioning. I felt stronger as I went on but by the 30 minute mark I was fairly exhausted. I reached a crossroad and recognized the direction that would lead me back to the main open trail. I followed that path and did a final lap around the big open section before returning to the trail head. I then ran a lap around the athletic field to finish my run.

It was beautiful weather for outdoor activities and, along the way, I encountered hikers, people running their dogs, mountain bikers and a couple of other runners. Everyone I passed seemed to be in a happy state of mind and politely waved or said hello. Spring is in the air and it felt great today on the trails.

Sole F63 - A great first impression

Today's workout: 2.4 mile run at ??:??/mi.

The new treadmill arrived yesterday and the old treadmill is now sitting at the end of the driveway, awaiting Monday's trash pickup. My wife and kids were very excited to see my reaction  as I made my way upstairs to look at the new arrival. They had waited for me to get home so I'd be the first to use it, which was incredibly sweet of them. In truth, my wife should have had the privilege of doing the maiden run because she put far more mileage on the old unit. I expect this will also be the case with the new F63.

I ran a couple of minutes last night to get a feel for the treadmill. First impressions were that it was more elevated, sturdier, smoother and quieter than the ProForm it replaced. This morning I did a real workout, starting slow (just push one button to set a pace!) for a minute before locking in on 6.4 MPH. This translated to a 9:23 pace but it felt faster than that. My Garmin agreed with me, displaying 8:59/mi. The margin of error on the Garmin makes me believe my true pace was closer to 9:05. I'll recalibrate the Garmin tomorrow and compare that to the treadmill to get a better understanding of its accuracy. Aside from this discrepancy the running experience was very good. I appreciated the quiet ride, the fan, the metrics and the solid feel of the unit beneath my feet. After my shower I listened for the whine of the treadmill from my wife, who normally starts her run around 5:15 AM. Nothing. A walk down the hall confirmed she was running on it and I heard her steps louder than the treadmill's motor. My wife liked it as much as I did and she couldn't believe how quiet it was compared to the old treadmill. I think we made a great purchase and, with all the programs and elevations, there's still much more to experience. I really like the new treadmill but with the beautiful weather on the first day of spring, I'm still aiming to hit the roads or trails tomorrow.

The Sole of a new machine

Today's workout: 25 Minutes on elliptical

Two points to those who get my headline pun. The picture is a clue. This may be the only time I'll ever say this but I'm excited by the prospect of running on the treadmill tonight. If all goes according to plan we'll take delivery of our new Sole F63 some time this afternoon. This also means that we'll bid farewell to our present unit that has served us well since 1997. I'm not particularly sentimental about inanimate objects (is a treadmill inanimate?) but I'll certainly give some respect to our Pro Form L18 that has provided countless hours of service to me and my wife.

I debated whether I would work out today or save my energy for a rare evening run with the new unit. I decided that an elliptical session was a better option than doing a final run on old L18. Yesterday's run was great and that's the way I choose to remember my experience with that long-serving machine. It will be sad to see it out by the curb when I get home tonight. It will be even sadder still to see it in the guest room because that would mean the Sole delivery people couldn't be enticed to carry the old treadmill down to the end of the driveway. I'm always up for a workout but I wouldn't be thrilled with the prospect of moving a 250 lb. treadmill down the stairs this weekend.