Sharing Stillwell with a friend

Tough trails on the northern route

Thursday's run (Stillwell Woods): 3.4 miles

Yesterday brought good news on a few fronts. First, my headache finally went away. Second, I made some good business progress during the day (although it interfered with my ability to generate a Thursday post). And third, I had a great run with my friend Chris at Stillwell Woods.

I'm definitely a morning runner, so the idea of going for a high energy run at 4 PM concerned me. The weather had looked threatening all day and thunderstorms were predicted for later. When Chris arrived, we decided to head to Stillwell rather than Bethpage, because Stillwell is closer and has excellent tree cover. I was glad to be going to Stillwell and happy to show off the trail running paradise that's located five minutes from my house.

Before we headed over to Stillwell, Chris gave me another good piece of news. He's going to be running Cow Harbor this year for the first time. Chris lives in Westchester and does races up there, but he's never raced on LI. I filled him in on the Cow Harbor experience and he's excited. He's not intimidated by the James Street hill either. But I won't be running alongside him that day. Chris runs the NY Marathon faster than 3:30 and will probably finish Cow Harbor ten minutes before I do.

But on the trails I can can keep up with him, at least for a while. We followed my usual route until peeling off onto the "Most Difficult" trail. Chris was amazed to see such tough terrain and said that if he lived here, he'd run Stillwell every day. We stayed on this steeply climbing and dropping trail until I redirected us back to my usual, but less challenging loop.

With Chris pacing, I was able to run faster than I probably would have gone if I was running alone. We did an extended loop and then another smaller loop before we reached the main trail. Just as I was feeling relived to be close to the end, Chris innocently asked, "Do you want to go around again?" I answered, "I'm done, race you to the car!"

Although yesterday was mostly good news, I was disappointed to hear that my friend Mike won't be able to run the Dirty Sock course with me on Saturday because he's been delayed traveling back to LI. I'm debating whether to run it alone, or go over to Bethpage and run the wooded trails there. It's always helpful to practice on the course that you are racing, but I might get some extra hill work done if I go to Bethpage.

A good run to start but then came the pressure

Cold-triggered annoyance

Today's run (street): 3.4 miles

This day started great, with a nice early run in conditions that were close to yesterday's. I've been running hard lately, so I backed off in terms of intensity. I had a deadline to meet, so I knew I couldn't go out too slowly. Just before I hit mile three, I saw that my time was out of acceptable range. I decided to turn up the jets and ran the last half mile like I was finishing a race.

Things got a little tough after that. We did a family activity at the Cradle of Aviation museum and the building temperature must have been set to the mid-50's. This triggered one of my pressure headaches and, in the course of about 90 minutes, I went from feeling great to needing to lie down. I got home and took a decongestant before settling into a recovery nap.

Sleep minimized my headache but it was still there in the background. That made for a very long afternoon of work. Spending so much time in front of my laptop didn't help the situation and my headache, though better, is still there. I hope a good night's sleep will help knock it out completely. I have a tough trail run planned for tomorrow afternoon and I want to be at my best for it.

When pacing average is better than average

Today's run (street): 3.5 miles

I spent most of the day in the city, but I managed to get out for a run around 6:30 AM. I always walk down the driveway to get the paper while my Garmin acquires its signal. This morning I was struck by the pleasant coolness in the air and the soft light from the sun that would feel much hotter in an hour. The difference between running at 6:30, versus 7:30 AM, when I usually go out on weekdays, is measurable.

It was probably due to the speed work I did on Sunday that I took off with an energy that I haven't felt in many weeks. My stride was smooth and I felt the sensation of moving. That might sound funny, but my runs can sometimes feel static and plodding. I guess that happens when you run faster. I should probably do it more often.

My overall performance was right around my average training pace. My 2012 average, that is. This year I've been averaging 15 seconds slower than that. But that's about to change. I don't know why my focus on speed tends to drift over time, because I generally enjoy running fast tempos and intervals. I guess I should try to remember that more often.

Speed work, if you can call it that

Running in circles makes me lose my tempo

Today's run (track): 3.1 mile tempo, plus 5 x 100m - total: 3.4 miles

This morning I headed to the local track to run intervals. I was not looking forward to the workout, but if I wanted to improve my speed, I needed to do my homework. Conditions were good, 66° with indirect sun, so I had little excuse to take it easy. I decided to start with a few warm up laps before taking on intervals. I ended up doing a three mile tempo run, followed by 5 x 100 meter strides, run two minutes/mile faster than 10K race pace.

I was concerned that I'd be dealing with some leg fatigue after yesterday's run. Once I got going, I became confident that I'd be okay, although I was frustrated with my limited ability to hit my targeted pace. By the second mile, I was running faster. There were others on the track during the time I was there, but it never got crowded. I appreciated having the first lane to myself, with no need to shift around any walkers or slower runners.

Observations: 

1. I'm still running pretty slow these days. My goal was to break 27 minutes, but I didn't succeed. However, I did run negative splits, with a 9% improvement between miles 1 and 3.

2. I was able to meet my speed target on the intervals. While these runs felt faster than the 6:54 average I recorded, the last time that I did speed work, I averaged under 6:30. Like I said, I'm still slow.

Overall, I'm pleased with this weekend's training. With a couple of tough workouts coming up this week, I feel like I'm setting up well for the competition on the 18th.

Perpetual motion running at Bethpage

Perpetual force plus PureDrift

Today's run (Bethpage State Park): 6.1 miles

Not that running six miles is particularly challenging, but when you add Bethpage's rolling bike path, the going can get tough. With a 10K race looming, I felt that I needed to break out of my 3 to 4 mile run habit and push my base closer to race distance. I expected today's run on the Bethpage trail to be difficult, but it wasn't. In fact, I could have easily added a couple of more miles when I got to the end.

Things didn't start out well this morning. I dressed for my run before noticing a steady rain outside. The weather reports indicated that things would clear up in an hour so I waited. It was drizzling when I left my house and the intensity of the rain increased along the way. When I arrived at the park, it was back to a drizzle and I was fine with that. I decided to follow the older path south - three miles out and three back.

I had trouble generating speed as I took on the first hill after the trail head. Even during the long downhill section that followed, I felt constrained. But shortly before the one mile point, I literally "hit my stride", taking on the rolling hills with little trouble. I wasn't moving that fast, but the activity felt friction-less. I remembered that Adventure Girl called this "perpetual motion running."

I kept waiting for my energy to drain as I burned off glycogen, anticipating the struggles that would come when my system turned to alternative sources of fuel. It began to rain at the same time that I started to tire. Perhaps it was the practical need to get out of the rain that changed my energy, but I stepped it up and returned to the perpetual motion stride.

The last mile of this route has a few short steep hills and one long one. I focused on shortening my stride length and maintaining my cadence. I wouldn't say it was easy, but after 5.5 miles I still felt strong getting through the last section. Once I crested the dreaded last hill, I realized that I was feeling strong enough to keep going.

I ended up turning left to return to my starting point. I'd cover my planned distance and confirmed that my conditioning was on track. My trail run with Chris will happen on Thursday and Mike and I are doing a Dirty Sock course practice on Saturday. Those workouts will help fine-tune my race readiness. I hope that perpetual motion stride will return when I need it.

DNA extraction and the dog that didn't bite

My morning encounter

Today's run (street): 3.4 miles

For some reason I had it in my head that yesterday was Friday. When I got up this morning I started thinking about where I'd go for my first weekend run. The rain had moved out, and it looked like nice weather to be outside. I started going through my options for running venues when I realized that it wasn't Saturday and I had to get some work done.

My business schedule is less structured than when I worked in an office in NYC. I can now start my day with a run after the sun has come up, or work for a while and run later in the morning. My schedule also gives me the flexibility to do things I used to miss because I'd be in the city. Today I was able to attend my son's presentation on gene extraction methodologies at the Cold Spring Harbor DNA Learning Center. The most impressive thing I ever did at summer camp was make a lanyard.

Saying goodbye to his Beijing camp mates

Before all of that, I went for a run. Since I didn't have the time to cover much distance, I stuck to the neighborhood and followed one of my usual routes. A few minutes into the run I was accosted by an unleashed dog whose owner called to me, "He's only going to follow you to the end of the street." This annoyed me. Recently, I read a quote by Peter Magill, a Running Times columnist, who said, "Every dog that has bitten me was a dog that didn't bite."

The dog kept its distance and it stopped as the owner had predicted. I was soon past my first mile, enjoying cooler conditions than I'd expected. I tried to carry over the intensity of yesterday afternoon's treadmill workout into today and was only partially successful. I ended up pacing in the acceptable range. If the weather holds tomorrow I'll probably return to Bethpage and do a hybrid run on both the dirt and the bike trails. I need to build my base in preparation for the upcoming 10K that happens in just two weeks.

Rain disrupts my plans, but not my running

Weather fit for neither beast nor trail runner

Today's run (treadmill): 3.1 miles

I ended up skipping yesterday's workout altogether, choosing to wait until this afternoon to run the trails with my friend. The early morning's weather was perfect, but unfortunately, it was the only good weather we had today. I glanced outside throughout the day and watched the sky grow increasingly darker. It would either clear up, or I'd be looking at rainy and muddy conditions at 4:00 PM.

Around 3:00 PM, my friend Chris called to check in. He was on Long Island for business and preparing to finish a meeting, before heading to my house. The rain was coming down in buckets and any hopes that it would taper off were gone. We decided to postpone our trail run until next week.

With my afternoon freed up, I refocused on a business project. I knew I had the option of running on the treadmill so, by 4:15, I'd decided to do that. In keeping with my plan to train at faster paces, I started on the edge of comfort and increased my speed periodically throughout the run.

Some people find treadmill running easier than outdoor running, but I have the opposite experience. 6.6 MPH (9:00/mile) on my Sole F63 feels like 5K race pace. I was determined get through the run, despite increasing discomfort. I bumped up the pace with a quarter mile to go and held it until I'd "covered" my planned distance.

It was definitely one of the hardest runs I've done in the last four weeks and I was glad that I didn't back off on my speed, even as the run got tougher. I need to maintain that mindset as I go through my Dirty Sock training. Even without Chris to push me or the challenges at Stillwell, I think made some good conditioning progress today.

Workout pending...

Today started early and was spent in the city. Last night I'd considered pulling out my headlamp and reflective vest and doing a 4:00 AM run, just like old times. But reality prevailed when I got up and I decided to forgo my workout. While nostalgia has its place, so does sleep.

By the time I got home, it was a sunny 86 degrees (according to my car's display). That discouraged me from going outside for an afternoon run. I'm still considering a climate controlled workout on the treadmill later, but then again, it may be better to wait and resume tomorrow. With my friend Chris coming by for a Stillwell run tomorrow, I'm going to need to conserve some energy. His idea of an easy run differs greatly from mine.

Speed decline, is it nature or nurture?

My story in two axis

Today's run (street): 3.25 miles

Conditions were near perfect when I went out for my morning run. The 7:00 AM sun was low enough to cast great shade along my route and the air felt cool and dry. The neighborhood was quiet, with just a few cars and a couple of walkers. I moved along well and thought about the fact that my running performance has suffered greatly this year.

A few years ago, I would average around 27 minutes for a three mile training run. Over time, my normal training pace has edged up almost a minute per mile. Back in 2010, I went out on every run with a pace goal in mind, and I was racing far more frequently than I have this year. That may explain some of the loss of speed.

I'm not willing to concede any performance drops to age at this point. Although I really want to run for the sake of running, I do find myself thinking about turnover and stride length while on the road. If I look at my pace on the Garmin during a run, I'm often surprised by how much effort it takes to break 9:00 minutes.

Every time I find myself on a run, struggling to stay under 10:00/mile, I vow that I'll go back to doing core exercises and speed work at the track. Somehow I forget that commitment once I get home. I think it's time to get serious about speed. I'm due to run with a friend this week who tends to push me past my comfort zone. Maybe that's exactly what I need right now.

Two part post on this Stillwell Sunday

No actual pandas sighted today 

Today's run (street): 3.8 miles
Today's hike (Stillwell Woods): 3.7 miles

Part I - Running
Yesterday's run at Stillwell Woods was a nice change from the road and it presented a nice level of challenge. Although I started out feeling strong and energized, after 20 minutes I reached a point where I needed to take a short break. It wasn't the first time I had to take a minute to reset myself while running at Stillwell. What surprised me was how quickly I went from feeling fit to feeling fatigued.

I recovered quickly and had no issues for the rest of the run, but I was frustrated that I needed to take a break. I take it as a point of pride that I never stop during road or bike trail runs. While the shaded woods helped keep me cool, the inclines and careful footing on more technical trail sections took a toll. I've had weekends where I ran with difficulty on Saturday, only to rebound with a great run on Sunday. I was curious if that would be the case today.

I got out early this morning, before the sun became a factor. We had hosted friends yesterday afternoon and evening and I'd done a lot of unintentional glycogen loading. I figured the upside was the possibility of having more energy for the run today, but I was a little tired at the start. I tried to get my speed up during the first mile but my legs weren't cooperating. I eventually loosened up and, by the last mile, I was running at a decent pace.

I would have liked to perform better overall, but achieving negative splits was good consolation. More importantly, I experienced no fatigue during the run. This confirmed my theory that yesterday's tough times had mostly to do with the challenging terrain. While that's good, it also confirms the fact that my conditioning isn't where it needs to be.

Part II - Hiking
I downloaded my Garmin after today's run and looked at Saturday's Stillwell route map. I saw that Trailview intersected with my standard loop and decided I'd follow it south the next time I ran there. My son has been asking me to go on a hike so, I figured this was good opportunity. After preparing for the bugs with an application of OFF, we headed over to Stillwell. A light rain that had started to fall, but we figured that once we had tree cover, we'd be fine.

Once we cleared the big field, we moved south and then east, until we reached the Trailview path. At that point, the trail is rugged, with lots of steep rises, drops and gnarly roots that could easily trip someone up. We made our way carefully down the path until we reached the point where the trail paralleled the LIRR tracks. I knew that there was a trestle located east of our position and we navigated to it. We ended up in a mini bamboo forest that felt like an enclosure. My son asked, "Where are all the pandas?"

Adjacent to this section was a small road leading to a private neighborhood on the left and the trestle on the right. We passed underneath the tracks and into the northern part of Trailview Park. The sign said "Trail Closed" but we concluded that was just for one path. The trail rose from there and made our way up without much trouble. We decided to turn back after exploring Trailview for about ten minutes.

Our hike back went by quickly and we soon encountered a group of mountain bikers looking to take on the difficult terrain of that area. None were wearing helmets, a bad move generally and an especially bad idea on these treacherous sections. They didn't appear to be experienced riders either. I hope no one got hurt.

Next time we may start at Stillwell and follow the trail all the way to the trail head on Jericho Turnpike. Eventually, I'd like to hike it north all the way to Cold Spring Harbor. Today's hike was just the right distance and a nice adventure for me and my son. I was thinking recently that I haven't spent enough time at Stillwell. I certainly don't feel that way after this weekend.

Choosing the difficult path

The trail rarely taken

Today's run (Stillwell Woods): 3.5 miles

I went to Stillwell Woods this morning for a change of pace and the opportunity to run in shade. The clouds have moved out and the humidity (and dew point!) is higher than yesterday. Even though Stillwell offers a nice break from my neighborhood streets, I don't feel like I've taken full advantage of its breadth of choices. Nowadays, I tend to follow the same few trails, but I decided to change that today.

When I arrived at Stillwell Park, I saw an open tent with mountain bikes set up by Santa Cruz, a bike manufacturer. A few months ago Scott bikes did the same thing, offering people the opportunity to test their bikes on Stillwell's trails. Due to that, I was a little concerned that I'd get over-run by mountain bikers on the trails. It turned out that I only encountered a few groups of riders who shared the path nicely.

Unlike the route I normally follow, I turned left on a path marked "most difficult." In the past, I would take on Stillwell's hardest technical trails. Over time, I've found myself running the same, less challenging loop. The trees were doing a nice job of blocking the sun as I made my way through the ups, downs and root covered paths. After a couple of miles, I started to feel fatigued and I needed to take a minute to rest before continuing.

It turned out to be a more difficult run than I'd intended. The upside was getting through a good workout with scenery far more interesting than my neighborhood streets.

In running, this point is most important

With all dew respect

Today's run (street): 3.5 miles

People always say "It's not the heat, it's the humidity." In fact, it's really the dew point that determines the level of comfort (or discomfort) in hot weather. Before I went out for my run this morning, I checked weather.com which reported a temperature of 66° and humidity at 91%. "Ugh", I thought. "It's going to be just like Tuesday, when you could literally feel the moisture in the air." But then I checked the dew point and saw it was 61. That meant 66° would feel like 64°.

That changed my attitude and I got out the door in record time. It felt pleasant and slightly cool, with a mild breeze coming from the north. I took off feeling fortunate to have dodged what I expected to be sticky, hot weather. I guessed that the 91% humidity related to the cloudy skies that looked mildly threatening. I ran with a little rain yesterday and I was willing to risk it today.

As it turned out, the rain held off, but I could smell its aroma mixed with the scent of sugar maple. That combination followed me throughout the entire route. I threw in a little speed in the second half and ended up having a very satisfying run. A low dew point was all it took.

Adidas and Reebok jump the shark

I find the look of this shoe disturbing

Today's run (street): 3.75 miles

Earlier this week, I was walking up 7th Avenue when I noticed a guy wearing a strange looking pair of Reeboks. They looked like a chromosome-damaged version of Nike's Shox, a shoe I'd disparaged in what has become my all-time most popular post. Amazingly, these shoes looked even weirder than the Nikes. It turns out the guy was wearing Reebok ATV19's, ATV standing (I guess) for "All Terrain Vehicle.

It's no secret that I despise Reebok's line of running shoes because they significantly miss the mark in terms of both quality and style. I'm sure there are plenty of middle school-aged boys who would disagree with me on this. That's my point. I've wondered how a respected company like Adidas, that makes some very good running shoes, would also have a brand (Reebok) that produces such gimmicky footwear. And then I got a PR mailing from Adidas that's helping me understand that better.

A picture's worth a thousand words

When I first saw the press release for the Adidas Springblade, I thought it was a parody. While the Springblade isn't the first running shoe to use cantilevers to promote energy return, the design they came up with looks completely ridiculous. Or, in the words of those middle schoolers: Awesome! I'm curious to see if anyone ever shows up for a race wearing these monstrosities. The only thing worse would be if the wearer won the race.

Ten hours late for my run

I would have preferred AM to PM

Today's run (street): 3.3 miles

As I made my way up the road to start today's workout, I thought about how much I prefer to run in the morning. Too bad it was 5:00 PM and the sun was high in the sky. I had a lot going on today and missed my morning window for running. I had a schedule change right after lunch that opened up some time. I thought about going out for a few miles, but I was concerned about being back home in time for a meeting. I was almost at the point when I'd write off today as a rest day and resume my schedule tomorrow.

Once I finished up at 4:30, I needed to decide whether to run or start work on a new project. I stepped out to the deck and saw that the humidity had dropped since morning. I figured that I could pound out three miles fairly quickly and still make the rest of the afternoon productive. It took a long time to acquire a signal on the Garmin, surprising on such a clear day.

It may have been due to running later in the day, but I was experiencing some soreness in my right quad. I was concerned that if I pushed too hard I could pull a muscle, so I didn't. Not that I have that much horsepower late in the day. Holding back a little helped get me through the route and the time went by quickly. Tomorrow's schedule is more manageable than today's, but I plan to get on the road as early as possible.

A return to my happy place (City Sports)

It looks better in the picture

Today's run (treadmill): 3.1 miles

Much of today was spent in the city and I began the day with a high energy treadmill run. I'd considered running outdoors, but outside conditions looked a little soggy. I'm trying to focus on performance running as I prepare for my next race, and set the speed faster than normal. Soon after that, I was wishing the workout would end. I figured that the faster the pace, the faster the run would get done, so I steadily increased my speed.

I was pleased with my workout performance, although I regretted pushing so hard. With a full day's work ahead of me, I should have thought through the amount of effort I'd expend. I ended up doing fine and didn't fall asleep once in my meetings.

I was on my way to see friends for lunch in midtown, so I stopped into nearby City Sport to see if they had anything new. The store is only a couple of blocks from my old office and I'd go there often at lunchtime for stress relief. I'm in the market for a lightweight running raincoat and found a Brooks LSD jacket on clearance for $59. It seemed like a good deal, but unfortunately they didn't have it in my size. I consoled myself with the thought that the black and red color scheme was fairly unattractive.

Altra Instinct

Topo RR

I checked out City Sports' running shoes and saw that they'd added some interesting brands, including Altra (a zero drop brand with a wide toe bed) and Topo (a low shoe with a split toe design) that reminded me of my Brooks Pure Drifts. I decided I'd come back when I had more time to try them on.

Between all the walking in NYC and my treadmill run this morning, I'm up to 16K steps for the day. After the heavy downpours this afternoon I became concerned that I could be be rained out again tomorrow. The skies have since cleared and I'm hoping that lasts through morning.

Membership has its privileges (and issues)

Last week I received a mailing from my old company, inviting me to join their alumni association. This offer was packaged like a wedding invitation, with a tasteful note along with the requisite response card. The value proposition was tempting, but I chose to decline, just as I have each time I've received solicitations from my high school and college alumni groups.

I mention this because I've recently thought about joining GLIRC, the local running club in Long Island that boasts a membership in the thousands. I usually enjoy running with other people, but I also find solo runs very fulfilling. But just like alumni groups, I can never bring myself to sign up.

I first wrote about joining a running club four years ago. At that time (and ever since) I've dismissed the idea. I wrote that, while I liked to run with others, it was, "mostly because [they've been] discreet events: assemble, run, depart. No barbecues, fund raisers, meetings, bylaws or committees. I'm not saying these things aren't great, they're just not for me."

It may be worth re-thinking running clubs now that I have a little more discretionary time. Perhaps there's an option to just do meetup runs, with no further obligation to participate in club activities. In that case, I might be tempted. Especially if they send me a nicely worded invitation in the mail.

Bethpage base run and a new pair of "minimal shoes"

Justifiable replacement

Today's run (Bethpage State Park): 5.9 miles

I needed to do some base building as I prepare for my next race, so I headed over to Bethpage State Park to run on the northern bike path extension. The section between the trail head at Bethpage and Old Country Road is a personal favorite, due to its rolling terrain and handy distance markers. For longer runs, I cross Old Country Road and follow the trail as far as I wish. Running it to the end leaves me off near my neighborhood, allowing me to run all the way home.

I managed to stall a full hour between the time I dressed for the run and when I actually left for Bethpage. Despite a later start, weather conditions were still good, due to heavy cloud cover that prevented direct sunshine. Humidity was much lower than yesterday and I felt energized as I took my first steps from my car to the trail.

My goal today was to cover 5 to 6 miles at around a 9:30 pace. My ideal goal pace for the Dirty Sock 10K is 9:00/mile (or better), which will be hard for me to achieve. The best I've ever done on that race is 58:26, so I'd need improve on that by over two minutes. My 10K PR is around 54 minutes, but that race wasn't a trail run held during the dog days of August.

I didn't quite make today's performance goal, but I came respectably close. The cyclists were out in force today and I was disappointed by their lack of trail etiquette. A number of bike riders zoomed by very closely without giving any "On your left" warnings. Are they aggressive because they resent all the runners and walkers on the path, or are they just selfish?

I was humbled early on by a woman who came off a wooded trail that intersected with the paved path. She appeared to be running at an easy pace as she came up beside me, but left me in the dust before ducking back into the woods. It's really hard to gauge a runner's speed just by looking at them. There was a group of high school aged boys doing a training run and a family of five (including three pre-teens) who were all running together.

Most of the run felt good. It was only near the end, when I faced the biggest hills, that I began to feel some fatigue.  Despite that, I pushed hard during the last half mile and I was surprised to have the energy to do that.

After I got home, my daughter and I went to Modell's in Plainview to buy ourselves new pairs of pool shoes. My old pair (top), which served me well for at least five years (including time on the road as "poor man's" minimalist running shoes), are starting to disintegrate. I'm not sure I'll use my new pair for running, but they worked great in the pool today!

Conditions are ideal for Dirty Sock race prep

 

Today's run (street): 4.3 miles

I've been thinking a lot about the upcoming Dirty Sock 10K that happens on August 18th. I ran this race in 2009, 2010 and 2011, but I skipped it last year. It's a hard race, especially at the end. Conditions are often brutal, with temperatures near 90° and humidity approaching 100%. The website describes the course as "USATF Certified and Sanctioned, fast, mostly flat, picturesque, wooded trails, only 2/10 mile paved. Splits, water stops, road apples, uneven terrain." The last mile of this race always feels as long as the previous five.

The best way to train for this race is to run the course, something I'm planning to do with my friend Mike in early August. In the meantime, I'm planning to push my speed more often in the training runs I do each day. This might be a challenge if the weather remains hot and humid, as it was today.

This morning I got out reasonably early. After a quick loop around the northern section of my neighborhood, I headed to the middle school where I could access the foot path that leads to a service road and local business park. I ran the park loop clockwise so I could take on all the elevation at once, rather than endure the long, but less steep elevation I'd encounter going the other way.

During yesterday's run I'd moderated my pace in response to the sweltering heat. Today was slightly cooler and the sun was less intense at the start. I focused on my turnover, in hopes of achieving a faster pace than Friday's. I ended up with a respectable time, although I'd like to improve that by 20 seconds per mile by race day. I'm thinking of visiting Bethpage tomorrow and hoping that this evening's rainstorm will chase away the heat and make running conditions more pleasant on the running trail.

Turn down the heat and turn up the speed

 

Today's run (street): 3.25 miles

My joyful reunion with my neighborhood streets was mitigated by temperatures approaching 90° this morning. And that was at 7:00 AM. Still, it was good to be back on the road. It wasn't too bad at the start, but that didn't last. I had a modest distance goal, so I figured I could get through the increasingly hot and humid conditions. I looked for the shadiest roads and followed them whenever possible.

Despite my recent race, I haven't been achieving very impressive training paces. Some of that is surely due to this heat wave, but I haven't been running fast for a long time. As I ran today, I thought about people who are now training for the NY marathon. It's one thing to get through a hot weather run on your own terms, but it's a lot harder when you are following a prescribed schedule of tempo runs and intervals.

The heat should finally break over the next two days and I'm looking forward to that. Although I won't be racing again until mid-August, I really have to up my game. Perhaps I can do some real training starting this weekend. I'm pretty much past my respiratory issues and ready to push the pace.

No runs or posts, but plenty of excuses

Reston runners Tom (left) and Ryan (right)

Last run (Sunday 7/14): 5 miles

Hey, remember me? It's been a long time since I've posted and this is due to two things. The first is the distraction of being on the road for nine days, as we traveled to various places between Long Island and Florida. The second thing is my failure to notice that I'd left my laptop in the hotel in Virginia Beach. Despite the fact that my laptop bag is bright red and I'd actually gone back to the room to look around "one more time", I still managed to miss it. Thanks to UPS, we were reunited today.

I didn't do too much running while on vacation, so my guilt meter is at an all time high. I did get a couple of great runs in while I was in Sarasota. However, with a different destination almost every day and a full schedule of daily activities, I couldn't coordinate around hotel treadmill availability. That said, I did manage to rack up 18K steps the day we visited Universal Studios, so at least I got some exercise.

We returned home this afternoon, and our last stop was Reston, VA where we visited some friends. While in Reston, I stopped into Potomac River Running, a really nice store that's located in Reston Town Center. I chatted with Tom, and told him about the Dirty Sock and Great Cow Harbor races that are held on Long Island. So even if I didn't run, at least I paid homage to the sport.

Tomorrow will be a busy day, as I catch up on business. But before I do any of that, I plan to revisit the streets of my neighborhood for the first time in ten days.

Remotely running

Today's run (Sarasota FL): 3.5 miles

We've been off on vacation since Wednesday and I haven't had a chance to run until this morning.  We've had a great experience traveling the eastern part of the country and I had a scenic run today where I saw flamingos, cranes and many signs warning me not to feed the alligators. I had no problem complying with that.

There's a 40 mile rails to trails path close by, but I think I'll stick to the adjacent river path tomorrow.  The palm trees and local color are more than enough to inspire me this weekend.

Running efficiently is naturally wrong

Does form follow function?

Today's run (street): 3.25 miles

Remember when you were young and your parents taught you how to run? Of course not. Kids learn to run naturally through a combination of confidence, impatience and excitement. I was thinking about this on my run this morning, as I put attention to where my feet were falling and the length of my stride. It occurred to me that all the books, magazines and web articles I've read about improving running technique are only corrupting what we comfortably do by nature.

I realize that this is a provocative statement. Landing on your fore foot and shortening your stride will make you a faster and more efficient runner, right? I'm not sure. I've observed enough runners to confidently say that the way you look while running is not a true indicator of how well you can actually run. I remember running on the Bethpage trail and seeing a woman ahead of me who was pronating so badly that it was making me dizzy. I increased my pace to pass her, until I realized I'd never catch her. Inefficient as she looked, she totally outclassed me in terms of speed.

I haven't given up on improving the way I run, but I'm no longer willing to fight nature to do it. I've been running in minimal shoes for three years to promote mid-foot landing, but all my running shoes still show wear on the lateral heel, along with the mid-foot. I'm okay with that because (knock wood) I've had very few running injuries during the same time period. I'll still think about the position of my arms and height of my knees when it crosses my mind during a run. The fact is, whether I do everything "right" or go with what feels natural, I tend to run just about the same.

Cool run on a very hot day

Seconds off the line

Today's run (treadmill): 3.1 miles

I'm not sure how high the temperature got today, but the weather report predicted that we would reach 103° by afternoon. I had trouble getting outside early this morning, which was my plan to beat the heat. Not that 80° at 6:30 AM was that much better. By the time I was ready to go outside, the idea of a neighborhood or Bethpage run had lost all appeal.

I decided to go the weather-controlled route by doing a treadmill run. Between the air conditioning, floor fan and shelter from the sun, I knew I'd be more comfortable inside. In fact, it was a pretty good experience and I got to watch Meet the Press while I ran. I only did about three miles today, but that got me to my weekly target of 20. Later in the day we kept ourselves cool in the pool. It was the only thing that would get me outside today.

It's been a week since I ran the Marcie Mazzola 5K. A fellow runner/blogger, The Petite Pacer, has been battling some calf issues that are interfering with her usually active race schedule. On Sunday, she attended the race, not as a participant, but as a photographer. She took some great shots of the start and the end, capturing virtually every runner who finished under 60 minutes. Check out her post with the link to her pictures. The one at the top shows me and the pack about to take the right onto Woodhull Rd. With a half mile of hill to climb, I'm glad it wasn't 103 degrees that day!

Stillwell Woods running, made in the shade

Out of the woods and into the sun

Today's run (Stillwell Woods): 3.4 miles

With temperatures reaching the 90's by midday today, I decided that a sheltered run at Stillwell Woods would be a good bet. Even with heavy tree cover, I knew it would be hot at 8:30 AM, so I did what I could to stay comfortable. I wore my white, terrycloth Jackrabbit running hat, a white technical jersey and a cooling bandanna that I'd prepared by soaking in water and placing in the refrigerator. Due to the high tick population this season, I traded coolness (both in look and comfort) for safety, with a pair of mid-calf wool trail socks.

The beginning of my run was great. I had none of yesterday's fatigue and, this being a trail run, I moderated my pace and prevented any anaerobically-induced coughing. The shaded woods kept conditions bearable and the short segments of unprotected sky reinforced my decision not to do a street run today. It wasn't very crowded and I only saw a few mountain bikers on the paths. At one point, I was overtaken by three high school-aged girls who were running along the trail. They seemed to have little trouble speeding along in the hot and humid weather.

About halfway through my run, I began to think about the Dirty Sock 10K in August, when conditions will likely be similar. On that day, I'll need to cover almost double the distance I was running today. I have some hot weather training to do. I think the bandanna helped at first, but after a while the heat rendered it ineffective. By the time I reached the trail head, I was soaked with sweat and ready to stop.

In the end, I felt great. A change of scenery was needed, and I enjoyed the experience far more than my recent runs on local roads. Stillwell is only 5 minutes from my house, so it's an easy choice to make whenever I'm feeling bored of my running routine. A harder choice will be taking on some of Stillwell's tougher trails that I've come to avoid, in favor of more familiar (and easier) routes. I'm going to take on that challenge, but not with 90° temps and 90% humidity.