Snow in the City
I have not paid enough attention to know exactly how much snow fell overnight, but it was a lot. A buddy of mine from D.C. noted that they were hit with 20 inches. That’s a bunch of powder! So, of course, instead of celebrating the first snow of the season and that it will be a white Christmas, I immediately started wondering whether the city would have the common sense to plow the park sufficiently. Since it is the holiday season, NYC is flooded with tourists who enjoy a stroll thru Central Park. Therefore, I felt pretty good about the possibility of being able to run the day after NYC’s annual Blizzard of the Century. [insert eye roll over the blizzard stuff]
My wife served as the guinea pig as she runs first on the weekends, while I watch the kiddies and lounge around. If she came back within 30 minutes of leaving, I would have known it would be a rest day. I am happy to report she did not return for well over an hour. Clear sailing.
The sun was shining which made the 30* temp (20* w/ wind chill) feel down right balmy. After 2+ weeks of sub 30* weather, my body is finally adjusting. I had a notion to go for some speedwork today. With my new pre-dawn weekday running schedule, I don’t think I will have the time to do intervals during the week. Saturday is the long run. Therefore, Sunday needs to become speed day. Not an optimal scenario, but I don’t think I have many alternatives. Doing Yasso’s in the dark is probably not safe. Also, my body needs to be awake for more than 15 minutes before turning on the gas.
Anyway … once I saw what I was dealing with, the slippery conditions (despite good efforts to plow the snow away) made the thought of intervals a pipe dream. Next Sunday! Therefore, I settled on an easy recovery run. It took 2 miles to loosen up and shake out the junk. Then I picked up a second wind and picked it up a little to finish with 5.5 miles at 8:30 pace. I tend to like those shorter/recovery runs. If they are done properly, you leave energized and feeling really good physically and mentally. A great way to end the week.
I Nearly Beasted That Sh!t Again
Ok. Now I am getting concerned. Someone who views the world as half-full might say another stellar mid-distance run is cause for more celebration. I’m not that someone. I am a half-empty sort of guy … if you couldn’t tell by now. I’m always waiting for the sky to fall after the sun shines brightest. I blame most of it on my career choices … initially a lawyer and then Wall Street (please don’t hate me, I’m one of the good guys out here). I’m troubled, but that is the subject for separate, extensive psychological analysis. Here we only delve into my running neurosis.
I slept hard again, which is a great sign. I didn’t want to get out of bed. Cold weather tends to have that effect on me. I lounged around and eventually made it out by 11:30am. Nice and late. The forecast called for 5 inches of snow at some point, but when I left the apartment it was still clear (16* wind chill). Since today was a planned LRish run on the Outer Loop, I started off easy to make sure I had enough in reserve to finish relatively strong. I’m not sure why, but it took longer than usual to shake all the bleh out … probably 4-5 miles. These were not bad miles, but it just took awhile for everything to fall into place. Nonetheless, I felt pretty good about how I navigated the rolling hills … after I hit the peak I accelerated downhill rather than coast to catch my breath.
At mile 7, I GU’d and refueled my now not so new handheld water bottle (Amphoid). From there, it all absolutely clicked on the second loop … big time. I was flying. I wasn’t completely surprised because GU does have caffeine so you feel a “high” for a bit. However, this was different. By the time I hit mile 11, I had to consciously slow down. I was rolling at a 5K pace and getting faster. Since I didn’t want to (a) give another race effort 6 weeks before the actual HM and (b) bonk on this particular run, I turned the gas off. Still, I ended up with a strong result … 13.6 miles at 8:12 pace. That is just too fast for me right now for that training distance. I’m working too hard to hit it. When I get that beast feeling I just keep the pedal to the metal, which is not what LR’s are about. Next week, I want to push the distance further which by definition means I will need to slow it way down. I don’t look at my watch while in motion, so even leaving it at home wouldn’t necessarily cause me to slow down. I just need to go back to the penguin days of running.
After all that babbling, the bottom line is I am starting to become a pretty decent runner. I think my lung capacity is improving. My legs have always felt like they could do much, much more, but endurance held me back. Despite my whining, complaining and worrying, I am improving. Numbers don’t lie. I still have many, many mountains to climb, but I guess I am getting better. Thanks for bearing with me.
Better to Be Lucky
Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. I’m so happy that I ran yesterday and scheduled today as a rest day. This morning the temp was a ridiculous (for NYC) 6 degrees with the wind chill. I don’t own enough gloves (yet) to get me thru a morning run in that weather. Although, today is not a complete rest day as I will get some core work done a bit later.
I went to bed exhausted and slept like a rock. I was groggy getting up late at 7:15 am and could have slept another couple of hours. However, it did not take long for me to begin thinking about tomorrow’s LR. Last week I navigated the path loops and avoided asphalt. I’ll likely get back to the hard stuff / outer loop on Saturday. It will allow me to get some hill work in too.
I’m definitely looking forward to the weekend pace … I get to sleep in a bit (no alarm, no rushing). I get to sip my pre-run cappuccino. However, I can’t be too lackadaisical as NYC is bracing for it’s first snow storm of the season. Manhattan is notoriously unprepared for inclement weather. Therefore, this weekend could get spicy.
Man Up, Woman Up
Pre-dawn. 27 degrees. 18 mph winds. 16 degrees with wind chill. Running in those conditions can be characterized as character building, insane, hardcore, etc. I viewed it as Manning Up or Womaning Up. Only the truly hardcore attempt to get it done in darkness until those conditions. Anyone out there gets my utmost respect. And I was certainly not alone this morning.
For once, I actually slept through the night. I woke up at 5am and just laid there for an hour. My day trip yesterday was only to Chicago, I was still a bit worn down. Nonetheless, I needed to get some decent mileage in this morning. Gotta hit the streets.
Warm up was uneventful. Not too fast, not too slow. I must have done something right as I felt stronger at the end. Since I hit the streets late at 6:22, I did spend a decent portion of the run under sunny skies. Again the sunrise was spectacular. Even the crazy weather did not negate the stunning daybreak.
Only my face was cold or wind burned during the run. By mile 4 I loosened up and was feeling good. I saw the same pack of elite runners who always provide added incentive. I decided to add a couple of loops to stretch it out a bit, eventhough my face was angry and frozen. Nonetheless, my spirits were good as knew I was putting in a solid effort. Focusing on my form is paying dividends. My cranky quad/groin no longer hurts. I also discovered the source of the pain – my lower abs. Between all the plank exercises and other core work, I pulled something. Poor form contributed to and reinforced the pain further down. Now that I’ve figured it out, I’m feeling better about the solution.
Totals for the morning – 8.8 miles at 8:41 pace. I’m pleased with the results given how I was feeling at the start. At the very end the tips of my fingers felt frozen (despite double gloves). May need to look into replacements.
A Quickie
It’s fitting that a short run is followed by a quick post. I had to catch a flight for work this morning (writing this at the gate). Therefore, today’s run would need to be short and sweet.
Despite working on borrowed time this morning, I still was slowly ambling out of the apartment. My days of leaping from the bed are over. It was too comfy. Once I made my way outside at 6:17am, I liked the cool temps (30*), but not the wind. I went with running pants and for once they didn’t annoy me. Progress.
The run was short, sweet and required a bit of effort to combat the wind. Total of 5.1 miles at 8:30 pace. I would have loved to throw a couple more loops on, but I had to get back home and motivate to the airport for a 10:05 flight.
I’ll make up for the low mileage over the next few days. But considering the option of not running, low miles are better than no miles.
Back At It
Running is kind of like the stock market. Despite momentum, trends or reviewing pages of historical data, past performance is not necessarily an indicator of future performance. I thought about that concept as I was fumbling around my apartment this morning at 5:45 am. “Thought” may be a bit aggressive in terms of what my mind was doing. But you get the idea. After an epic weekend, odds were in favor of either a dramatic pull back or a return to normalcy. Today was the latter.
Despite the darkness, the weather was great. 47* with slight wind. I probably started out too quickly, but that didn’t have any overall effect on the run. I did a couple of loops around the Reservoir Path until the sun finally broke and headed down to the Bridle Path. I did’t notice a change in my pace while running, although I felt like I was working harder than recent outing. That’s fine. Putting in some extra effort keeps you honest.
Maybe above everything else, I really concentrated on form. In particular my right leg (the cranky one). With each revolution, if I keep my knee pointing straight ahead, I have no pain … even when climbing hills. In the quest for speed sometimes the alignment gets thrown off. There were plenty of elite runners out this morning, so I do try to watch their form.
The totals for this morning were very good considering the “first run of the week” syndrome. 7.9 miles (thought I had a solid 
at 8:40 pace.
Weekly Running Review (12/7/09 — 12/13/09)
| Days Run: | Tuesday (Easy)
Wednesday (Easy) Thursday (Easy) Saturday (LR) Sunday (Tempo) |
| Total Mileage: | 43.7 |
| Total Running Time: | 6:05:47 |
| Pace: | 8:23 |
| Core Exercises | 3x |
Observations: By far the highest quality week of running I’ve had to date. I’m very encouraged by the pace. Last week was lower at 8:18 but skewed by only 4 running days with one of them being intervals. This week was certainly more meaningful (5 days, no intervals). A few lessons learned. After 3 heavy weeks of running (40+ miles), my body demands a lower mileage week to recover. It’s happened in consecutive months. Therefore, I take that to mean I need to listen to my body. Also, I need to put the ego aside on number of days run per week as well as the “magical” 50+ mpw. While I am sure there is benefit to both, I am responding better to 5 run days and mileage in the mid 40’s. The end of my most recent 50-mile week felt junky. I don’t like that feeling. It kind of defeats the purpose of running … miles for the sake of miles is silly. By comparison, this week each run was solid from the first mile to the last. When I am in full on marathon training (12-16 weeks out), I can work towards ratcheting up the weekly miles age. Otherwise, if I average 45 mpw, I’m still ahead on pace for an 1,800 mile year. This calendar year I’m on pace for ~1,420. However, considering that I didn’t turn it on until August, that is still decent mileage for a beginner. Good bounce back week, except I need to get core exercises back up.
More Beasting
There are some things in life you gladly accept without question or further analysis. Found money, gifts and my running this week fall into that category. After yesterday’s epic mid-distance run, I was prepared to accept whatever the running gods delivered this morning.
Weather-wise it was a bit warmer than most of this past week … 40* and overcast, with rain expected later. Therefore, I had a window in which to bang out a recovery run. Shorts and light jacket were definitely in order. I took a risk with only one layer of gloves, but for the most part it worked out in the end.
My left thigh, leg is still bothering me. I actually felt it during most of yesterday’s run. Therefore, I went to the flat Reservoir Path for a series of loops. The strain was evident thru the first part of the run. However, on the back half, I felt no soreness. I concentrated more on form/alignment and that seemed to help. I’m thinking that in the injury is a result of aggressive hill work, speedwork and core exercises. I’m over doing it on a few of those areas and my form has likely suffered. Rest will help. I’m rethinking my weekly program a bit (more on that tomorrow).
Back to the run. I went with headphones again and am finding I run better with music. My mental state is just more relaxed. I felt strong again this morning. No ill effects from the 13.2. Today’s result: 7.8 miles @ 8:06 pace. I ran easy for the first 3.5 miles, but turned it up on the back half … the threat of cold rain concentrates the mind and gets the legs churning faster. As the drizzle started, I really wanted to get home.
This easily wraps up the single best running weekend I’ve had. More beasting!
I Beasted That Sh*t
Apologizes for the colorful language in the title, but it is a phrase I’ve heard used by an elite running buddy of mine (2:40 marathoner) and have been dying to use it for 3 years. He said “you will know it, when you do it”. Today, I did it. I’ll explain in a bit.
Despite the overwhelming guilt of taking a rest day yesterday, See Jess Run made me feel better about it. She is as wise as she is fast! Also, I slept in today. None of that hitting the streets at 6 am business. I had time to make a cappuccino and scarf down a couple mini bagels. Even though I knew last night that I planned a longish run today, I forgot to eat enough. I fueled and dressed properly. It was sunny, 25* with the wind chill which is huge improvement over yesterday’s gusts in the 30-40 mph range. To avoid overheating, I went with shorts and my heavier jacket … and of course, cap and double gloves.
Feeling pretty good despite the chilly temps, I ran on the Bridle Path. It felt like getting reacquainted with an old friend as each of this week’s daily runs have been on the asphalt (due to the rain). I am starting to believe I am a cold weather runner. So far the temp when I was running never hit 30* and I have had a stellar week thus far. Also, the mini taper (low mileage) from last week is likely paying some dividends. I got out of the blocks fast and really never looked back. However, I made one MAJOR change to my routine today. I went with headphones for the first time since August. When I run, I think too much and my mind rarely wanders. I get stuck thinking about running, which is somewhat counterproductive … or at least makes the run feel like it is taking longer. I’d been considering listening to music for the last few long runs … I carry my iPhone anyway and thought it might be a nice distraction from myself. I’ve been torn as I really appreciate purist running … hearing everything around you, being open to conversations with fellow runners, etc.
Well, how did it work out?
I repeat: I BEASTED THAT SH*T! 13.16 miles at an 8:02 pace … essentially a 1:45 half marathon pace compared to 2:13 that I ran in August. Now, before I start patting myself on the back too much. That pace is not entirely accurate, nor a likely predictor of my HM race in late January. I stopped for the restroom/refuel with GU and had to briefly stop towards the end to keep stretching my leg (groin started to act up again). Nonetheless, for me, that is a blistering, marathon goal pace … and my marathon isn’t until November 2010. I don’t really have goals for HM or shorter distances yet. Anyway, I caught myself smiling as I was running … in 25* weather … smiling … that’s how good of a run this was. Also, you know when you are blazing away when most everyone gives you that “look” like “hey that’s a real runner.” It’s the look I give almost everyday, so to actually receive it was amazing.
Of course, being the skeptic I am, I had to recalculate the route mileage a few times. It was accurate. What I found most gratifying is that until the Last Mile Party, I didn’t push it. The run was natural. Maybe a return music during daylight/long runs is the way to go. What do you think?
I BEASTED THAT SH*T!
Uprooting of Trees? What?
With three stellar runs in the books for the week, I planned on making it a fourth this morning. Despite a slightly frightening forecast, I steeled my nerves and was determined to make a go of it. It all sounded promising until I checked Weather Channel before I got out of bed: 24* with wind gusts up to 50 mph / current wind chill of 8*. While the actual temps didn’t close the door on a run, but the wind gusts + many acres of trees in Central Park effectively slammed the door shut. When the forecast includes alerts for “uprooting of trees”, it may not be wise to tempt Mother Nature. As you’ve heard me say, I am not sane. But, I am not stupid either. It was a no go this morning.
Aside from the weather, after three days in a row on asphalt, this morning I planned on only running along the tree covered trails anyway. I can feel a little stress in my left knee. Taking this morning off when I am flowing this well is annoying, but possibly life saving. Hopefully, the rest does me well for the long run on Saturday.
A Marathoner
New York, New York
Contact: elgin@amarathoner.com
