A run apart

 

Today's run (street): 4.8 miles

I didn't run the Dirty Sock this year and  was fine with that. After hearing about the great experiences (and great times) achieved by my running buddies this morning and watching all the Cow Harbor race coverage on News 12, I feel like I missed out. But after a pleasant, but non-competitively paced run this morning, I know I was right to sit it out.

My initial plan was to go to Bethpage and run there. I thought it might be quiet (in terms of runners) because a good percentage of the Long Island running world would be in Northport. Our morning plans required me to get my run done early so I stayed local to save time. I did most of my miles in the neighborhood directly south of mine just for a change of pace. Unfortunately, it didn't change my pace.

I've continued to work standing up since getting my new desk two weeks ago. I use it during the weekend, at night and when I work from home. I haven't seen any tangible performance benefits from doing this, but I have to believe it's strengthening something. With so much written about sitting being the new smoking, it's a good thing to do. I do believe that my running form has improved and my stride has felt more fluid in the past couple of weeks.

 I had the same great weather that my Cow Harbor friends enjoyed and that kept my run enjoyable. I forgot to wear my HRM so I don't know if I exceeded 80% max range but I suspect I did near the end. Interestingly, I kept most of my splits within 10 seconds of each other, with slight negatives each time. My last mile was 30 seconds better than the first four.

I may do a track workout tomorrow to force myself to deal with speed and the harder work that comes with it. I was on the right path back in March and April when I was following the Hal Higdon Half plan that included weekly speed and tempo runs. A little success may go a long way towards breaking out of my current routine of easy runs.

Cow Harbor regrets and race day tips

Today's run (street): 3.8 miles

I expected to feel ambivalent about skipping Cow Harbor this year but I don't. Racing used to be a big part of my running experience and I typically ran a race every month. This year I've only competed three times - a trail relay, a 5K and a half marathon. The excitement of looking at the race schedule and deciding which race to run has ended, at least for now.

Tomorrow is the Cow Harbor 10K and I know a lot of people that are running it this year. I regret not seeing them and having that shared experience, but I'm happy not to have to drive to Northport HS in the dark, take the shuttle to Laurel Ave and spend an hour trying to keep from freezing before the start. As I write this, I'm remembering the fantastic energy and excitement that pervades that event and that is prompting a little more regret.

For those I know who are running tomorrow, I wish you the best. I won't be joining you, but I'll share my tips from the times that I have run the race:

1. Find a spot inside the school to stay warm until 20 minutes before the start.

2. Resist temptation to fly down Scudder Ave's steep hill for the first mile. Save your energy for what lies directly ahead.

3. Don't underestimate Bayview Ave. It's a steady uphill section with rough and broken pavement leading to...

4. James Street which surprises first time runners who stop in the middle of the road and start walking. If you aren't careful you'll run into someone. Running around these people is like playing Frogger and expends extra energy.

5. Once you get to the top of James St. you still have an incline so you'll need to wait until you get to Ocean Ave before you can really recover.

6. Mile 4 is mostly flat and downhill. You can recover and still maintain target pace.

7. Waterside Ave seems like an endless upward slope, but it does have a couple of spots where it's nearly flat. Take advantage of water stops because if the sun is out, this is where you'll feel it the most.

8. Pumpernickel Hill is a lot shorter than James Street but it's not a trivial challenge at that late point in the race.

9. After the hill it's pretty much downhill until Main Street. This is where you can capitalize on an energy reserve (see point #2).

10. Don't be disheartened when you are on Main Street, see the finish chute, but don't seem to get any closer as you run. I think it's the longest quarter mile I've ever run.

I'm rooting for you all and a special shout out goes to buddies Aimée and Celia. Can't wait to read about your Cow Harbor experiences.

Running after a big green dot

Heads up

Today's run (street): 3.5 miles

Glasses are annoying, especially when running in the rain. I've worn glasses most of my life, although I switched to contact lenses between the 1980's and early '90's. Sometimes I wish I still wore contacts. Besides the rain thing, it's a lot easier to find sunglasses. Best of all, contacts don't fall apart in the middle of a meeting like my glasses did last week.

Being 40 miles and six highways away from home when your glasses disintegrate can be a problem. I always keep an old pair in my bag but I've discovered that the prescription is different enough to provoke a headache. At least I could see well enough to drive home.

My schedule has been so tight that I haven't been able to get a replacement pair. I worked from home today so I could get out and see my optometrist. I went through the exercise of choosing new frames today, but for the time being, I'm stuck with my old pair.

I took advantage of my non-commuting day by going for an early run. I needed to get out before the rain started and I timed it perfectly. The cold air felt great and I had no trouble getting to a brisk pace. The sky was full of threatening clouds, but there was still an opening for the sun that acted like a laser beam at certain angles. When that happened, my clip-on sunglasses reflected off my glasses' lenses and created the illusion of a big green dot hovering at eye level, just out of reach.

I was amused and distracted by this optical curiosity that looked like a heads up display or some application you'd run on Google Glass. As the clouds grew and spread, my dot eventually disappeared and the sky grew darker. I spent 3/4 of the run on the sidewalk because the early middle school drop-off cars were aggressively making their way through the neighborhood.

When I reached home, I noticed the first drops of rain. That quickly increased to a downpour, but not before I was safely inside my house. I was glad to get a weekday run in today, especially when the weather was cooperating so nicely. I've adjusted to my old prescription at this point so I'm going to need to go through another transition in a week. Until then, I'll focus on catching the dot.

Underdressed and overburdened

Warmer gear was out of reach

Today's run (street): 3.4 miles

I could tell before I went out this morning that I'd have a difficult time, but that didn't actually happen until I was on my last mile. It's been a busy weekend and I (once again) got outside before our guests awoke. The temperature was 54° around 7:00 AM and I wanted to wear a long sleeved running shirt. Unfortunately, all my running gear was in a cabinet behind the guest room door.

Prior to the arrival of our visitors, I'd taken two sets of running clothes from the cabinet. With the relatively warm weather, I didn't anticipate the need for warmer choices. I have many long sleeve race event shirts in my bedroom, but even with a temperature in the 50's and 72% humidity, I didn't want to wear cotton. I decided to tough it out and go with short sleeves and shorts.

Stepping outside, I was reminded of the feeling I get the morning of a fall race. The temperature felt chilly, the way it often does when we line up for the start, under-layered to help manage the increasing heat later in the race. I was tempted to push hard to build some heat, but I wasn't feeling energetic enough to do that. Last night's high carb dinner failed to translate into a hoped-for glycogen payoff.

It didn't take long to get used to the cool air and I ran comfortably through the neighborhood until about the 2.5 mile mark. At that point I encountered a woman who was running north slightly ahead of my direction and I tried to stay on pace with her. After a few minutes I realized that she had an eight cylinder engine working at max capacity and I was a steam engine that was almost out of steam.

I managed to recover enough to resume my pace, but I was ready to return home short of my originally targeted distance. In a way, I lucked out by running with lighter clothing than I thought I'd need. The persistent chill likely energized me through this run.

I'm getting a little tired of under performing on my runs. I realize that I have to put some hard work into my training to get to prior performance levels. I can't face intervals, fartleks and hard tempos these days. I'm hoping that the increasingly cooler weather will motivate me to do those things.

Lots of company on a neighborhood run

The neighborhood gang

Today's run (street): 5.3 miles

My schedule this week threw off my options for weekday morning runs. I've committed to running at least once during the week, plus on Friday mornings when I generally work from home. Yesterday required a trip into the office, so I missed that running opportunity. The only workout I've done since last Sunday was Thursday's 20 minute treadmill run that I did at a 4% grade.

I got home early on Friday and considered doing a run. We were expecting guests later in the afternoon so I decided not to do that. I didn't want to get sweaty and have to shower so close to when people were arriving. We had a nice evening that included my wife's college friend who she hadn't seen for almost 20 years.

This morning I got out early, happy to see that the rain would hold off until the afternoon. The temperature was in the low 60's and the heavy cloud cover blocked direct sun. These conditions brought out a lot of people, including dog walkers, run-walkers, walker walkers and runners. I saw the same woman in pink four different times along my route. It seemed as if she was running my exact route from the opposite direction.

I was pleased with the feel of my run. As usual, I started easy and picked up speed after a couple of miles. I'd planned to run between 3-4 miles so I'd be back before our weekend guests got up, but I felt so good I decided to run five-plus.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a better day weather-wise, and I'm looking forward to another early run. We have a big family event happening tonight so I'll have plenty of carbs to fuel my morning workout.

Do you have running amnesia?

Today's run (street): 4.3 miles

I think about many things when I run, but I rarely remember the details once I've finished. I've heard the same from others, that thoughts while running evaporate soon after a run is completed. It may be due to the fact that we aren't paying attention to our thoughts when we run. It's similar to dreaming. When we dream we're actually experiencing a situation, not creating a memory.

Today was no different and the only things I remember clearly were those situations where my attention was disrupted. I was really looking forward to getting out today after seeing the weather report that said the temperature was in the sixties and humidity was way down. I started my run a little after 7:00 AM when the sun was still low in the sky. That created a blinding glare when facing east and I was careful to pay attention to the possibility of cars whenever I turned in that direction.

I had a few surprises. The first was when I reached the top of a street and saw an unleashed dog coming out of the bushes and heading directly at me. People in my neighborhood are generally good about keeping their dogs leashed, so I was a little alarmed when this happened. The dog was not dangerous - just curious - and its owner soon appeared, saying something like, "He's friendly." I just looked at her and moved on.

Soon after that, I turned left onto a road where my vision was suddenly obscured by the brightly shining sun. It was like a thousand lumin spotlight and I couldn't see a thing. Due to that, I missed a large sprinkler run-off puddle that was directly in front of me and my left shoe got completely immersed. That meant I'd have to do the rest of my run with a soaked foot.

Besides those two experiences, I don't remember much more about the workout and that's fine. If I ever think of something important on a run, I'm sure it will be memorable. I ended up covering just short of 20 miles this week - something I haven't done since April. I seems that my running/working balance is improving.

Bethpage running, followed by an assembly

Avoided the hills on the north service road.

Today's run (Bethpage bike trail): 5.15 miles

I went out to Bethpage this morning for a change of scenery and a little elevation. Except for a few streets with noticeable inclines, my neighborhood roads are mostly flat. I don't like running up hills and - despite what some friends have told me - I will never learn to like them. But I recognize that hills exist, so with regular training my hill-bilities may improve.

I don't actually go to Bethpage State Park anymore to start my bike trail runs. I didn't purchase an Empire Passport this year and that means I'm subject to the $8 entrance fee every time I go there. I know the money helps pay for the upkeep of the park, but I give back in other ways. Besides, If I park along the trail further north, I'll avoid the need to run up a big hill.

I knew it would be humid today, but I was not prepared for what I encountered on the trail. My Garmin data said humidity was 94% at the time that I ran. I had my wife's car today, and did my best to protect the interior from my saturated clothes (I have sweat-proof liners that fit over the seat). However, I forgot about the seat belt. My wife went out for an errand after I'd returned home and was horrified when she put on the still-soaked belt. No one should have to experience that.

My run was pleasant and straightforward. Although the humidity was high, the clouds shielded me from direct sunlight and the temperature remained a reasonable 75°. I dealt with the hills and did better on them than I'd expected. Did my five hours standing as I worked yesterday help there? I doubt that's the reason, but it didn't seem to hurt my performance.

Owing to the humid conditions, I limited today's distance to 5 miles. When I got home I took on the task of assembling my stand up desk and I'm using it now to write this post. With all the standing I did yesterday, the humid and hilly run this morning, and the hour or so of aggravation that comes from assembling an item of furniture from Target, my legs feel remarkably good.

I'm excited about the possibility that standing while working on my laptop could yield some running benefits. It's too soon to tell, but I think it might.

Trying to be a stand-up guy

I'll soon be making a stand

Today's run (street): 4.1 miles
Tuesday's run (treadmill): 2.3 miles

My neighborhood is a great place to run most of the time, but at 7:30 AM on a weekday, it should be avoided at all costs. I sort of knew that, but I didn't really have a choice. I work from home on Fridays and that gives me time to fit in a run before I start my day. If I'd tried a little harder, I could have got out at 6:00 and avoided the chaos. I'll have to remember that next week.

7:30 AM is the witching hour for my neighborhood, when school buses are rolling, recycling trucks weave from side to side across the road, landscaping trucks create narrow passageways and sprinkler systems soak runners who take to the sidewalk to avoid all these hazards. I ran cautiously and got sprayed a couple of times.

It was very humid this morning which set the tone for my run. I thought I'd only go out for three miles today, but I started feeling more comfortable as I ran. I added another mile by taking a few more roads and would have done more if I hadn't run out of time.

I spent the day standing at the kitchen island while working on my laptop. There's been a lot of articles written about the hazards of sitting and I tend to do that when I work from home. My office is located in a big wide building with weird architectural features (it used to be a copier factory). There's a long ramp that is used as the main route between floors and steep staircases with 18 steps. I go from one end of the building to the other, multiple times a day. That minimizes sitting time during the week.

Today I received the stand up desk that I ordered for my home office. I'll put it together over the weekend and use it when I work from home on Fridays. After about five hours on my feet today, I felt fatigued. I guess that means it's doing some good. I'll be curious to see if this helps build up my glutes. If so, it could improve my running performance. I can only hope.

Laboring through another humid run

Today's run (street): 3.6 miles

It's been years since Labor Day weekend signaled a return to classes for me, but ever since my kids reached school age the holiday invokes some anxiousness. My kids have had a great summer and they're prepared for tomorrow. They're excited to see their friends, but not for the sudden return to early mornings, long school days and evenings full of homework. This is the last weekend before we close the pool and that always makes me a little sad. But the kids have enjoyed every minute of the day.

September 1st is still summer and the humidity is abundant (94% today). I got out this morning and did a short, flat run around the neighborhood. After yesterday's similar weather, I had no performance expectations on the run. I kept to shadier roads and appreciated the slight breeze that came from the north. Though still slow, I ended up running half a minute per mile faster than yesterday.

I've run every day since Friday, totaling almost 18 miles. No special venues or social running this weekend -- I stayed local but mixed up my regular routes to keep it interesting. I'll likely rest tomorrow and do a treadmill run on Wednesday. Tomorrow is just another work day, but I'm feeling the back to school vibe. I'm hoping everyone has a great day tomorrow.

Cool, energizing, hot and humid

Saturday's run - negative splits

Today's run (street): 3.9 miles
Yesterday's run (street): 5.5 miles

This weekend has turned out to be busier than I expected and all my hopes for running with friends has gone by the wayside. I did manage to eke out ten miles between yesterday and today, but only by wedging those runs between other activities.

Yesterday's run was great. It was a little warmer than Friday, but still cool, dry and energizing. I did a tempo run, keeping my pace moderate for the first 20 minutes before increasing my speed throughout the rest of the run. I ended up running negative splits, with the last mile equaling my 2012 training pace.

This morning was so humid that I almost skipped my run in favor of an indoor elliptical workout. At least I could do that with my big fan cranked up to hurricane setting. TPP, SIOR and I tried to coordinate a run the day before, but I couldn't allocate the time to do anything but a short local run. As it turned out, that was probably for the best, since weather conditions were draining.

I knew from the start that I'd be in for a tough time this morning. All the moisture in the air inhibited oxygen flow and I adjusted my speed to maintain a good aerobic balance. I had no breathing issues but the sodden air did not help my energy level. I'm sure I'll cringe when I see the Garmin data from today's workout. My cadence was probably 5 SPM slower than on Saturday.

Tomorrow is the last day of summer vacation for the kids and we have a lot planned. I may squeak in a few miles or do a short elliptical session in the morning. Depending on the weather later in the day, I may end up doing my workout in the pool.

Good with my running right now

Give me a Boost?

Tuesday's run (treadmill): 2.3 miles
Today's run (street): 4.3 miles

Happy Labor Day weekend. It's been a busy week, but I was able to get in a treadmill run on Tuesday. But after a long day at the office on Wednesday, I was in no shape for a Thursday run. That leads me to this morning, when I went out for a pleasant neighborhood run before starting a busy (though holiday-truncated) day working from home.

Conditions were superb at 7:00 AM - 60° and not very humid. With the sun still low in the sky, it felt a lot like fall. Friday morning I'd driven through Bayville and Seacliff and counted at least a dozen runners along the way. I envied their freedom as I made my way towards the Cross Island Parkway on the way to work. I appreciated that today I got to be one of the people running.

I covered no new ground on today's route, but still enjoyed the experience. I thought about my current state of running, definitely slower than it was a year ago. I usually beat myself up at the beginning of each run, thinking about this difference. Am I not trying as hard as I used to? The effort feels the same, even if the speed has dropped. After going through both a stress test and physical that revealed no underlying issues, I don't have much to blame it on besides age.

I decided today not to care. I'm not interested in competing right now, so speed isn't that important. I'd like to get back to my previous level of performance and I think I can if I focus seriously on speed. Right now, I like my running for what it is -- a way to maintain mental and physical fitness. I ended up running a little faster today than I have in recent weeks. I attribute that to the cool weather and a good night's sleep.

I cut my day short since the office closed early for the holiday. The Emerging Runner family went out to finish our back to school shopping. We stopped into Dick's and I tried on a pair of adidas Boost Response trainers. I've been curious about these shoes because they have adidas' Boost foam that supposedly returns 30% more energy than EVA.

The fit was great and the shoe had a nice rocking effect that facilitated a rolling gait. I'm not quite ready to replace my Virattas at this point, so I put the shoes back on the shelf. In a few months I'll be looking more seriously and will give them another go.

Morning run and Trailview hike

            Today's route on an old school map

Today's run (street): 6 miles

I came into the weekend with two expectations for running - one that I'd do a speed oriented run and the other that I'd run someplace more interesting than my neighborhood. Neither happened, but I did manage to cover almost 12 miles.

This morning I waited too long to get out and started my run at 8:30 when the temperature was already 68°. I started out easy and figured I'd pick up the pace once I'd loosened up. Afterward, I was surprised to see that the Garmin showed my first mile to be the second fastest of the run. At around the 30 minute mark, I checked my heart rate and saw that it was at 75% of max - too low for what I'd hoped to get out of the workout. I pushed further until I reached 80% and tried to hold it there.

There was a time when I'd comfortably average 85% max on a training run, but holding it above 80% today was hard to sustain. Despite the higher effort, I did enjoy the run. I wanted to cover six miles and did exactly that, with my last mile clearly my fastest. Overall, I beat yesterday's run by 30 seconds a mile.

The Emerging Hiker, Jr.

It turned out to be a beautiful day, so my son and I went over to Trailview in the early afternoon for a hike. That section of the Greenbelt trail has some steep inclines and descents and we took them on without a problem. He and I have been hiking that trail for years and he always wants to follow the toughest routes. He's almost my height now and when we run the trails, I can't keep up with him. But I can still outlast him.

I'm satisfied with the weekend's running even if I didn't end up following my plan. The unplanned hike was a fun addition and helped make up for all the hills I missed by staying in my neighborhood.

Memories of an Autumn run

Top of the office park hill

Today's run (street): 5.6 miles

The gremlins that were messing with my mind and body on Friday seem to have moved on. I was prepared to cover more distance today and looked forward to running some roads I haven't traveled (on foot) in a while. After starting with a short loop in the neighborhood, I decided to run over to the local business park and follow that loop with a tour of an adjacent neighborhood along a stretch of Woodbury Road.

I wasn't feeling energetic enough to push pace today, but at least my gait felt smoother than it did yesterday. I got the uphill part of the business park loop out of the way first by running clockwise where most of the elevation happens over a half mile stretch. The park is a pleasant place to run on a Saturday morning if you like industrial landscaping and brick office buildings. To me it's a perfect place to zone out and run without having to think about my route.

I wasn't alone during that part of my run. There were a couple of other runners going in the opposite direction and I stopped briefly to help someone who needed directions. I considered doing two loops, but chose to head south instead, and ran through the neighborhood known as "The Knolls" until I reached Woodbury Road.

The section of Woodbury Road between Sunnyside Boulevard and Piquets Lane always reminds me of the fall. A few years ago I had a spectacular autumn run that included that stretch of road. The smell of maple trees, the cushion and crackle of their fallen leaves and the crisp morning air made for a memorable experience. There were no leaves on the sidewalk today, but the spirit was there.

I enjoyed today's run much more than yesterday's, and though I could have focused more on performance, I was fine with how I did today. I keep promising myself that I'll do an anaerobic workout soon, but I tend to default to my comfort zone. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but if I decide to compete in September, I'm definitely not in racing shape.

Attitude problem

 

Today's run (street): 3.5 miles

I took a step backward this week by skipping my Tuesday morning treadmill run. I'd set up my gear the night before, and fully intended to do the workout. When I woke up, I felt exhausted and decided to skip my run. My schedule didn't allow for any running on Wednesday and Thursday, so I was excited to get back to it today. I shouldn't have got so excited.

Although my legs felt heavy and sore before I went out today, I expected to snap out of that once I got going. I headed out through the neighborhood, but couldn't generate much speed for the first few minutes. My stride was constricted and I felt a little queasy. I was uninspired and it didn't take long to realize that I was in for a tedious run. So much of running comes down to attitude, and this morning I had a bad one.

The thing that got me through today's run was knowing that I only needed to cover a few miles. I tried to think positively about the circumstances; the weather was good and I appreciated being back on the road. Yet, when my Garmin chirped at mile one, I didn't feel like I'd made much progress and I knew I had a lot more ground to cover.

Eventually my form improved and I began to feel better physically. I haven't checked the data, but I think I ran faster as the run went on. Even so, I was disinterested in the workout and only looked forward to getting back home. There are days when the experience of running turns around a bad mood and provides a great feeling of accomplishment. Today was not one of those days.

Great weekend runs despite the hills and rain

Today's run (street): 5.2 miles
Yesterday's run (Bethpage trail): 6.25 miles

It's been a good weekend for running, starting with Friday's morning's fall-like conditions. Yesterday I decided to break out of my neighborhood's boundaries and headed to Bethpage to run the bike trail. It was a little warmer than on Friday, but very comfortable in the shade. I got a late start and didn't arrive until 9:00 AM, and the trail was packed with happy looking cyclists, runners and walkers. I picked the northern direction, running towards Sunnyside Boulevard.

It's been some weeks since I've run the undulating hills at Bethpage and I felt every one. The stretch between Washington Ave and Sunnyside was the toughest section of my route and I felt some relief once I reached the top of the last hill. The rest of the run was easy and I was almost sorry to stop when I reached my endpoint.

Later in the day we hosted a dinner for friends and, by the end of the evening, I was ready to sleep where I stood. I worried that I overdid it on my run and that I wouldn't be able to go long today. I ended up getting an earlier start this morning and took off under dark cloudy skies. Around the two mile point it started to rain, and I thought about turning back home. I decided to keep going in the hope that it would soon clear up.

My gamble paid off, and the rain stopped about ten minutes later. I ran another 20 minutes before completing 5.25 miles. Running only four times a week (these days) requires that I cover at least ten miles on weekends. Less days mean longer distances per run, and his has helped me establish a pretty good base. My speed is still well below target and I think that's due to an utter lack of anaerobic training on my part. I plan for a speed workout some time next week and try to get  that back on track.

To Cow or not to Cow

 

Today's run (street): 3.4 miles

Running conditions this morning could not have been better, and I am not exaggerating when I say that it felt like autumn. When I stepped out a few minutes before 8:00 AM, it was 60° with very low humidity. I was so comfortable that I didn't break a sweat until after my first mile. With only 25 minutes on the treadmill since last Sunday's six miler, I had been looking forward to getting out and running today.

The route I followed intersected three times with a middle aged man, his college age daughter (I'm guessing), and a dog (definitely a dog). They walked along the right side of the street when they weren't walking right in the middle. I saw a FedEx truck nearly drive over the left curb to avoid hitting them from behind, although they appeared oblivious to the whole thing. I probably should have said something, but I've learned by now that people don't want my safety advice.

Despite my continued frustration with those risk-taking fools, I really enjoyed the run. I thought about performance training, versus plain old running. These days, I'm far more interested in the health aspect of running compared to the idea of competition. I'm sure my decline in speed over the last couple of years is a factor. If I don't focus on pace and just run hard enough to feel like I'm making a good effort, I enjoy the experience a lot more.

Which brings me to Cow Harbor. One one hand, I consider the Great Cow Harbor 10K Long Island's premiere race. Plus, I've never run it with my blogging buddies and I know they're in. On the other hand, I can't commit to that race without also committing to doing some serious training between now and September 20. SIOR said that the entry fee rises to $40 on September 9, so no matter what I decide, I'd better do it before then.

Treadmilling before the crack of dawn

Today's run (treadmill): 25 minutes

I think this early treadmill workout thing is beginning to stick. This morning, for the third week in a row, I got in a few running miles before starting my work day. I went to bed intending to do this run, but I'd forgotten to prepare for it. When I got up, I saw that I hadn't laid out my running gear or put towels down for my brief post-workout recovery period. It doesn't take that long to do those things, but in the morning every minute counts.

Time was my friend today. I got up before my alarm went off. Even with those extra preparation steps, I was on the treadmill before 4:00 AM. The bargain I make with myself is to cap these early runs at 25 minutes. That's a short enough time to seem manageable before the crack of dawn, but long enough to provide some benefit.

The run went well from beginning to end. I guess I could have pushed harder, but I knew I had an hour-plus drive and a full day's work ahead of me. I finished feeling like I'd worked reasonably hard, but I still had plenty of energy. I probably won't have a chance to run again until Friday so it was nice to have a couple of miles in the weekly bank. I've felt really good on my last few runs. I hope that continues.

Persaid at Stillwell and six miles on the road

 

Today's run (street): 6.1 miles

Last night we went out late to Stillwell Woods to watch the Persaid meteor shower. Unlike last year, when it was too cloudy to see much of anything at Sunken Meadow, the skies were clear on Saturday. Stillwell is a lot closer to our house, and its relatively light-free location would normally provide an optimal viewing experience. As luck would have it, the "super moon" lit up the southern sky last night, making it difficult to see any stars. However, facing north, we were able to view some exciting celestial fireworks.

My wife and son saw one that looked like this

SOURCE: NASA

Staying up late to watch shooting stars is fun, but getting up early the next morning to run is far less enjoyable. I downed my coffee, ingested a small amount of carbs, and took off before I could fully realize what I was doing. I didn't suffer from heavy legs or feel particularly tired as I ran, but a short night's sleep undercut my interest in pushing my pace.

Along the way, I thought about next weekend's Dirty Sock run and my decision not to participate this year. My interest in competing is still low and I was glad not to be preparing for that race. I know I could run it for fun and not worry about my time, but that doesn't work for me. If I'm going to take it easy, I'll do an easy run on my own. Besides that, my narcissistic side doesn't want a slow time added to my Athlinks racing stats.

I'd considered driving over to Bethpage this morning, but instead chose to stay local. My route wound all around the neighborhood and I kept my speed moderate. About four miles in, the run began to feel easier and I stepped it up to take advantage of my increased energy. The last two miles were easier than the prior miles and I was happy to get through my sixth feeling energized.

It's not the first time that I've ended up having a good run (or a good race) after less than a full night's sleep. I read recently that you don't really pay for sleep debt the next day, it's more often the day after. That's good because I'm resting tomorrow. If I can get a good night's sleep tonight, I should rebound well. There's supposed to be more of the Persaid shower this evening, but I don't think I'll be staying up for it. If you are able to do it, I recommend the experience.

Stillwell Woods and wildlife, but not together

Long view of Stillwell, the woods lie beyond

Today's run (Stillwell Woods): 4.4 miles

This morning I went for an invigorating trail run at Stillwell Woods. It was cool and comfortable at 7:15 AM and the trails were empty. I'm always concerned about getting mowed down by a maniac mountain biker, so it was nice to have the woods to myself. While I was happy for the lack of humans on the trail, I had hoped to see some of the local fauna.

Rocky raccoon just passing by

Fired up

In the past, I've run into deer, foxes, snakes, rabbits, possums, chipmunks and birds of all types. With the exception of a little gray bunny that hopped across my path, there wasn't much wildlife today. That wasn't the case last night when we made s'mores by the fire pit. Once it got dark, the whole backyard filled with fireflies and we were visited by a raccoon that lazily passed by atop our back fence. We were sitting by the pool and a bird kept swooping down to the water. When I saw it in contrast to the twilight sky, I could see it was a bat.

I followed my usual route at Stillwell, but took a few side paths along the way. The cool, relatively dry air prevented the gnat cloud that I usually endure on hot and humid summer days. My Cascadias easily handled the challenge of steep, scree covered hills, and I'm always grateful for the protection they give from sharp rocks and high roots.

Near the end of my run, the bikers began to show up. I couldn't see them through the trees, but I could hear them. I knew that we would be contending for the same trails in a matter of minutes, so I increased my speed to put additional distance between us. As I approached the trail head, a group of high school-aged boys were coming in. I was glad to be exiting at that point.

I ran by time, not distance this morning, and had hoped to cover five miles in the woods. I didn't quite get there, but I got a great workout. I'd like to cover six miles tomorrow - at least that's the plan.

Doing the wave on a friendly Friday

Howdy neighbor!

Today's run (street): 4 miles
Tuesday's run (treadmill): 2.3 miles

In the scheme of things, adding a couple of miles to your weekly volume doesn't make a lot of difference. However, when you are only able to run three days a week, adding another workout day provides some psychological benefit. Or perhaps it lessens guilt. Same thing. So for the past two weeks, I've dutifully risen at 4:00 AM to up my weekly run count to four and get my mileage a little closer to where it used to be.

The rest of my week's running happens between Friday and Sunday and I kicked that off today with a 4 miler around the neighborhood. I work from home on Fridays and that saves time from my long commute. I try to get outside early so I can finish my run and start my business day at my usual time. Since I prefer early running, this works out fine. Today it worked out great.

I've written dozens of posts complaining about running the same streets of my neighborhood, day after day. I thought about that this morning as I covered a section that I've probably run more than 800 times over the past six years. But every one of those runs has differed in some aspect. There's always a story.

Getting out early provided great weather conditions with temperatures in the mid 60's and humidity at its lowest point in the day. As I ran, I noticed some people in business clothes walking out to their cars, ready to start their commute. Perhaps it was a TGIF mindset, but almost everyone waved or said good morning as I ran by. I crossed paths with a couple of runners and they gave friendly waves as well. Even people in cars waved as they passed. Lots of waving today.

That pleasantness carried over to my run. I felt good enough to push my pace and ended up averaging about 20 seconds per mile better than my current training pace. I had hopes that it would be even faster than that, but I'll take what I can get. As much as I enjoyed my friendly neighbors today, I'm looking to get away from my local roads over the weekend. The Bethpage trail would be an obvious choice but since I'm not planning to run Dirty Sock this year, I may go to Belmont Lake and run the course.

Running never gets easy

 

Today's run (street): 5.4

It was just about six years ago when I decided to get serious about my diet and fitness. I wasn't planning to start running. That happened after a few weeks of morning treadmill walks leading to longer walks around the neighborhood. At one point during a walk, I decided to run to the end of the street. I remember how difficult it was to just do that. I figured that running would get easier, and then finally become easy.

Six years later, despite building fitness and developing an aerobic base, I still think that running is hard. Unless I'm doing long slow distance, I usually experience some level of discomfort during a run. Over time, I've learned to manage - even embrace - a certain degree of suffering. If I had known that this would be the case six years ago, would I have continued to try?

With yesterday's hot, hard and humid five miles on the treadmill, I was prepared to struggle today. The first mile reinforced that. As I ran, I felt frustrated with the level of effort that I was expending so early in the run. It was humid and cloudy, but fortunately not that hot. I headed to "neighborhood #2" for a change of scenery and to eat up some distance along one of my favorite straightaways.

After a while, my effort started to feel easier. I took the opportunity to increase my pace and ended up running negative splits. I thought it was interesting that, during the run, I'd reconciled myself to a laborious effort only to experience a rare easy training run. I'm also happy to report that I nudged closer to my targeted 18 miles week. That 4:00 AM run on Wednesday did the trick.

Hot August treadmill

Rain, rain go away

Today's run (treadmill): 5.3 miles
Yesterday's run (street): 3.4 miles

I'm an early riser and my hope was to get out for a long(ish) run before 7:00 AM. The morning sky was dark gray and I tried to look outside to see if it was raining. It was too dark to see outside, but the steady thrum on the skylight confirmed a downpour. I considered putting on my running windbreaker and going out anyway, but the jacket isn't vented well for humid conditions. Besides that, I really don't like running with soaking shoes.

I considered my options: the elliptical, core and strength training, or the treadmill. I opted for the treadmill but I needed to wait for my wife to finish her run. While that happened, I had another cup of coffee and a small snack to top off my glycogen level. That turned out to be a good strategy and, though the humidity level this morning was off the charts, I experienced no energy drop throughout the run.

I worked from home yesterday, and it turned out to be an extremely busy day. I had to get out early to keep my schedule and I hoped that meant the humidity would be at a minimum. I was fooled by a breeze that, combined with the 73° temperature, made it feel relatively cool. But by the time I reached the half mile point, I could tell that it would be rough going.

I needed to get home in time to shower and prepare for an early call, so I capped my run at 3.3. miles. August humidity has always seemed the worst to me and that was certainly the case on Friday. Considering the oppressive weather, I ended up pacing a little better than expected. If the rain doesn't return in the morning, I'll aim for either a trail run or return to the Bethpage path.

It's good to be putting in more mileage as my weekly volume has dropped 15% since May (when I resumed a commuting job). I don't feel like that's resulted in a loss of fitness, but I need to up my game if I'm going to be ready for fall racing.

Back to the 4:00 AM run

Today's run (treadmill): 25 minutes

The alarm woke me up just before 4:00 AM and that gave me enough time to roll out of bed, change into running clothes and hop on the treadmill at 4:05. It's been well over a year since I did a run at that early hour and I wasn't sure what to expect. I wasn't quite ready to go back to running with a headlamp on the the dark streets of my neighborhood, so the treadmill had to do.

Even though I planned to run just 25 minutes this morning, the time passed so slowly that it felt like I'd been on the treadmill for an hour. It wasn't a particularly hard workout or the fact that I went from sleeping to running in a matter of minutes. Some runs are like that. And those runs happen most often when you're on the treadmill at 4:00 AM.

Berkshires, Vermont, treadmills and loops

Seemed like a good idea at the time

Today's run (street): 6.4 miles

Our treadmill is in tough shape but it still does the job. Our technician recently told us that it could go at any time. My wife depends on the treadmill for her daily workout and I'm a lot rougher on the machine than she is. I only use it as a last resort because I don't want to contribute to its demise. I did use it on Tuesday, because we were leaving on a trip that morning. Time was tight and I wasn't sure how (or if) I'd have an opportunity to run while we were away.

My second run of the week happened at our hotel in the Berkshires. I did a little more than three miles on their Precor treadmill and really appreciated the experience. There's a big difference between running on a mid-range consumer treadmill like our Sole F63 and a fitness center grade treadmill like a Precor. The Precor felt more solid and stable and I seemed to be able to run faster on it than on our home unit.

When the time comes to replace the Sole, I'll consider investing in a brand like Precor. They actually have a few models under $2,000, which is still pricey, but could prove to be a better value when amortized over a longer period. Our Sole F63 was recommended by the leading consumer product rating company, but after four years steady use, it's totally worn out. The Sole can be folded and put away to save space, a feature we've never used. I think we'll go with non-folding unit next time, because those units are probably more durable.

I didn't get a chance to run the rest of the week, but we covered a lot of ground in western Massachusetts. We also spent time in northern Vermont with my brother and his family who took us to (among many places) the Ben & Jerry's factory. It was great seeing them, along with my mom who was also up visiting. Due to all that, I haven't posted since last Sunday.

Loop-de-loop

This morning I got out early in hopes of beating the humidity. I ran six one-mile loops around some adjacent roads because I wanted to be close to home if it started to rain hard. Despite the repetition, this route was perfect for the workout I had in mind. The miles seemed to go by faster than they do on a more spontaneous route. I was better able to focus on my thoughts while I ran on auto-pilot.

In terms of performance, I did much better than expected. The humidity that I'd hoped to avoid was high from the start, but the low clouds protected me from any direct sun. My running volume for the week is even lower than normal, but I will begin to pick up mileage by re-introducing 4:00 AM workouts next week. I'm glad I got out early today. The rain never came, but the humidity has continued to rise.