A Hard Ten

The Saturday run turned out harder than I thought. First, it was kind of warm -- around 75 degrees when I finally got out the door around 2:30 p.m. Where is that cold weather again? Just kidding! And it seemed that every kid in New York was riding their bike on my running path. And slowly, too. Plus, the dogs and mud...ugh. All of that made it hard to keep pace and zone out and run. Also, I took no water with me. That was a mistake, and I won't repeat that experiment again. When I got home I tried a Nuun tablet -- a zero calorie electrolyte tablet that you add to a bottle of water. It fizzes like an Alka Seltzer and dissolves. I thought it was terrible. Never again.

But I did end up with "the twitch." The twitch is what I get after a long run when my leg muscles twitch involuntarily. I'll shower and then relax and just watch the leg muscles contract and twitch involuntarily. That is when I know I have run hard and really worked out. This is my first time to see them since the marathon. In fact, this is thr furthest I have run since November 1 -- the NY marathon.

For dinner, we went to the Union Square Greenmarket and bought what looked good. Well, it is still too early here to get fresh produce, despite the glorious morning. We did buy greens from our favorite salad guy, and they were awesome. Incredibly expensive, too -- $24 per pound. A gallon sized Ziploc bag was $18. For that price, they better be good. They were! Fantastic. We had them with Teriyaki marinated grilled swordfish. Wonderful all the way around. Maybe in a month or so we'll get some fresh tomatoes and corn.

Hoping for another great Sunday! probably a recovery run for me, maybe an easy 4 miles.

Distance Split time Avg. HR Elev. chg. Pace vs avg. Time
1.00 7:46 146 (79%) -70 -00:18.82 0:07:46
2.00 7:59 159 (86%) +5 -00:05.16 0:15:46
3.00 7:56 160 (86%) +17 -00:08.33 0:23:42
4.00 8:05 162 (87%) +5 00:00.22 0:31:48
5.00 8:19 165 (89%) +25 00:14.37 0:40:07
6.00 8:01 159 (86%) -17 -00:03.90 0:48:08
7.00 8:03 165 (89%) -8 -00:01.11 0:56:12
8.00 7:58 166 (89%) -22 -00:06.74 1:04:11
9.00 7:55 165 (88%) -7 -00:09.34 1:12:08
10.00 8:21 171 (92%) +74 00:16.72 1:20:30

Sun and Ice

Finally! Last weekend was the breakthrough -- as of last Friday, all weekend was set to be sunny and relatively nice (high 40s). Thursday night was another late night treadmill session, which honestly went great; reading everyone's posts and comments made me reflect a little and lighten up. I was planning that great Saturday morning run, and I wanted to run a little longer than I had been. 8 to 9 miles was on tap. I live close to a pathway along a river (now a stream really), that is quite scenic, relatively flat and a good place to run and walk. (My older daughter learned to ride a bike there, actually.) I thought I would get up and gooooo!

Saturday morning came and I went outside to get the paper. Sun! But, uhhhh, it really wasn't that warm. I checked the weather: 30 degrees. Eh, whatever, I just dressed warmly and headed out.

I felt great. I have posted splits below, but I ended up going 8.1 in 1:04, for a 7:54 pace.The strange thing was the path was not completely thawed out. Various stretches still had ice and snow on them. And because we have been thawing and freezing, it was like this pockmarked, crunchy snow ice mixture with frozen footsteps. I wasn't worried I would slip so much as I would twist an ankle. But made for some slow going, so the pace was even better.

Of course, given the great run, I felt absolutely entitled to enjoy myself cooking for company Saturday night. At my wife's request, I made an old recipe I know for Potatoes Gruyère. Contents: potatoes, spice, 3 cups of heavy cream and 3/4 pounds of cheese, shredded. Every time I have made these potatoes I haven't even bothered to look at the calories involved; ignorance is bliss. Saturday, I peeked at the heavy cream. 3 cups equals 1.5 pints, by the way. One pint heavy cream: 60 calories per serving, with 32 serving per pint. So the cream accounted for over 2700 calories, before adding the cheese and potatoes. Definitely not low cal. They tasted divine though. So either that or the 16 bottles of wine that night really sunk the diet this weekend.

But it felt great to be back outside. This weekend: a race, the NYRR 8000 meters (about 4.95 miles). That race was the first race I ran last winter that kicked me back into gear. I'll post before and and after pictures to prove what a difference a year makes.

UPDATE:  the promised splits (more for posterity):

Distance    Split time    Pace vs avg.    Elev. chg.    Time

1.00    7:12    -00:48.60    -75    0:07:12
2.00    7:50    -00:09.96    +10    0:15:03
3.00    7:53    -00:07.61    +13    0:22:57
3.97    7:58    00:12.94    +0    0:30:53
4.97    8:47    00:46.43    -1    0:39:40
5.97    7:45    -00:14.64    -8    0:47:26
6.97    8:02    00:01.96    -15    0:55:29
7.97    8:24    00:24.04    +77    1:03:53
7.99    0:10    01:50.49    0    1:04:04
8.01    0:06    -03:25.79    -1    1:04:11

The Joy of Running?

For yours truly, the last couple of days here has seen bad weather and long hours in the office. Thus, my runs have been late at night (starting at 9:30 p.m.) on the treadmill in my basement. I run in the dark (except for the TV) because the treadmill uses so much power I am worried about blowing a circuit breaker. And my treadmill, even though it is a nice one that I bought second hand several years ago, has a significant incline to it even when level (according to my measurements and my high school geometry, about 1.5 to 2.0%). So, the runs on the home mill are hard and long, and quite honestly, really, really, boring.

And that got me thinking. What about running do I really enjoy? If I enjoy just the actual running part, the body in motion, I would enjoy, even relish, the treadmill runs -- there is nothing but a run. Do I enjoy the sense of achievement at the end? Yes. Is it being outside, in touch with the area and surroundings? Yes, I like that also. Is it the social aspect? yes. The physical confidence that comes with being able to run? That also. I have been reading alot of blogs about people running in the snow, on ice, with spikes strapped to their shoes. Or, with headlamps on running in the dark. I can't imagine that either. Why do it?

But running on the treadmill late at night, in the dark is just no fun, for whatever reason. I can't imagine I can do many of these runs without finding something else to do. On a big picture level, I look at these sessions as base building. Blocks that go into a larger building, and that will pay off later this spring and summer when I enter a more active "training phase."

A journey of a thousand miles is actually many steps linked together, and these runs are just a couple of those steps.

What do you enjoy about running? What motivates you in the dark days?

Winter Blues

I haven't posted much about running lately because my runs have been indoors, on a treadmill. Nothing exciting, just trying to build a foundation for some training in the next couple of months. I figure about 6 weeks of steady base building -- running mid distances (5 miles or so) at a relatively easy pace, keeping heart rate below80% or so, will do wonders. The runs are tedious and kind of boring, but I always feel good when I am done.

One revelation though: I really don't like weight work. I understand why people don't run if they aren't good at it. That is the way I feel with weights. I can't lift that much. I tire quickly. It hurts and aches. I see no instant payoff. It feels awkward. And I just don't enjoy it. Always have felt this way.

But I also know weight training is one area in which I could stand to improve dramatically. Every time I start a training cycle, I resolve to lift more. And it never happens. But this time, I am not going to set any definitive weight goals, and just ease into it, and incorporate into my training. I have more time before NY 2010 (umm, about nine months), that I ought to be able to be at least OK with weights by then. But we'll see.

Thanksgiving Runs...

We are in Florida on the annual Thanksgiving migration.  Compared to New York, Florida is hot, flat and humid.  And a welcome change.  Unfortunately, one thing that did not change was the one constant in New York over the last several months: rain.  The day before Thanksgiving, we got almost an inch and a half of rain.  I managed to run in a light drizzle and ran a neat 5 miles.

Thanksgiving, though, I was determined to put in a good run before turkey, pie and mashed potatoes.  I actually made the mashed potatoes based on a recipe from Giada de Laurentiis (basics: potatoes, butter and cheese.  What could go wrong with that?).

So, anyway, got up and ran about 8.5 miles.  I had wanted to do a turkey trot, but the St. Pete trot was about an hour and a half away.  Eh, so I just ran around here.  8.5 sunny miles, with a distinct wind.  I went with a comfortable pace, with an eye on my heart rate.  First mile 7:28; second mile: 7:28; third mile: 7:28.  I have never, ever, run three miles in exact same pace as measured by Garmin.  I mean they were within 0.3 seconds of one another.  I couldn't do that again if I tried.  Next 5 were all within a band of 7:31 to 7:22 per mile.  That is a fantastic pace and still a little freaky in terms of consistency (I didn't realize that I had run 3 straight at 7:28 until I got home and looked at the data.)

That made my decision to eat well yesterday an easy one.  Sadly, the highlight of the meal was not my potatoes.  Rather, my sister in law made the pie on the cover of the November Southern Living:  a pumpkin pie with a ginger snap crumb crust and pecan strudel on top.  That was delicious.  And I am sure low fat.  Calorie wise, I bet it accounted for 7 of the 8 miles I ran in the morning.

That is what Thanksgiving in Florida is all about.  Today is Auburn/Alabama, and another day of gluttony (burgers, beer for lunch; stone crabs and wine for dinner.)  And today it is sunny and bright.  Ahhh, vacation.

Post Marathon Thoughts

1. A great experience. While I wish I did better, I am happy with my result. Really. I have pictures from my March race that motivated this fitness kick. Compare that to a picture from the marathon. Wow, what a difference seven months can make.

2. Injury report -- Four, count 'em, four dead toenails, and two nasty blood blisters under two of them. And a huge blister on the side of the big toe on my right foot. The second toe on my right foot is now only moderately disgusting; after the race it was unbelievably gross. Before the race, that toe already had toenail issues (it was purple and dead, with a new nail growing underneath). I trimmed the nail the night before, and thought this could turn out badly. Race day produced an enormous blister on the end of the toe, a blood blister under the new nail, and just all around grossness. But, remarkably, it didn't hurt too badly. And now it is just a black toe with a seriously messed up toenail that I suspect will fall off any day.

3. Mentally, it was a struggle. This last month was one of the longest work months for me in years. (Lawyers work in billable hours; I billed more hours last month than I have in almost ten years. And that is a lot.) In fact, I worked the the entire Saturday before the race on Sunday. I was supposed to fly out on Sunday night --marathon day -- for a trial that started Tuesday. I flew out at 6 a.m. on Monday (day after the race) instead. That is just hard to focus and be tough on race day. I also couldn't risk just crushing myself in the race -- I had a big work week in front of me. So, that inability to mentally focus on the race was a factor. As was...

4. Lack of Training -- I didn't train enough in September and October. Hey, that's life, work, etc. Hard to be too mad about that.

5. FIRST. The FIRST training program did not get a clear shot with me. As my life got busy in September and October, my workouts became fewer and fewer. In reality, I hardly ran 3 times a week, much less run 3 times a week and do the 2 cross training workouts FIRST called for. So, in reality, I kind of ended up doing the Runners World "busy man" workout. That schedule was three hard workouts a week, and other runs or workouts were gravy. That was the best I could do, so that became my plan by default.

6. Garmin Running with my Garmin was both a blessing and a curse. Watching the data, I knew my heart rate was too high early in the race and thus probably unsustainable over 26.2. And, as it turned out, I couldn't sustain it. But was that because mentally I knew my Garmy had me running too fast and hitting a wall? Or, did I simply hit that physical limitation as reflected by my Garmin? In other words, did I go out too fast? Or did the Garmin create a self-fulfilling prophecy? I am undecided. And the virtual race partner went crazy on mile 24 and really threw me out of sorts. Initially, it tracks your projected finish time versus a "virtual steady state training partner", and shows how far ahead or behind you are of that racer. Late in the race, the ahead/behind had huge swings. I had it set on 8:00 miles. Thus, if I ran an 8:30 mile, I thought I would be 30 seconds behind. But my pace guy was going crazy. On a walk break, it would show me like 20 minutes behind. I would say to myself "holy sh-t, I better get going!" And then when I was running I would be only 8 minutes behind. It should just track the gap, as I didn't have the distance programmed in. I am guessing that the algorithm goes a little crazy after 20ish miles. All in all, would I run with Garmy again? Yes. But with a huge grain of salt.

I haven't decided on a future running goal yet. My A-1 goal is not to lose fitness and gain a bunch of weight this holiday season. Maybe a late March or early April marathon. For now I have to work the NYRR 60K (that's right -- 36.6 miles) on Nov. 21, and run a 4 miler on Nov. 22. And then I am in NY marathon in 2010. And I will be there, faster, stronger, fitter.

Long Time Gone

Well, it has been a while since I posted. And also awhile since I have run. Work has simply consumed me since my last bad 20 miler. In fact, I didn't run for 10 days. I started a trial on October 12 and essentially worked around the clock for the week. And I didn't eat. A lack of sleep and food are not conducive to running, and coupled with the stress of a trial, forget it. Then, Friday night, after the trial was done..baby got sick again. So, I was up all night Friday night also. I think I slept a total of about 20 hours from Saturday to Saturday. On the plus side, the scale had me down to 176. Yikes...that is a loss of about 5 or 6 pounds in two weeks. Mostly water I know, but I also know it was lack of food too. (During trial, I get very tight and have no appetite.)

With the marathon coming up in two weeks I know I have to carbo load, not carbo deplete. So over the last several days, I have been eating like crazy. I am back on the road traveling this week, and finally ran in my hotel yesterday and today. My heart rate, though, was pretty high. Maybe it was the remnant of alcohol in me. Maybe my lack of training for last month or so. Maybe some of both. But not exactly a sign of strength heading into the big day. Oh well, I may have to adjust my time goal, and not push it for sure. After all, I have been working at this for 6 months. I am not injured (knock on wood) and should be tapering anyway. but the ten day holiday really made me lose my edge, that tightness in my legs, my body. I ran a fast 8 miles yesterday, just to do it. To prove to myself I could still push and do it. And my heart rate was high. Today I was sore, but ran a recovery run too (with another too high heart rate for the pace).

I know I am in taper mode. But I want to feel that "coiled spring" feeling inside me and be ready to go. I didn't feel it all all until today really. When I went for my run, I wanted to just jump on the treadmill and gooooooo. Before, rather than restless from the taper, I felt soft.

I still have 10 days to get in right mental mode. I am tough (I think) and will force myself there. But its not how I had it drawn up.

Note: I post these notes late at night, and can never get logger to spellcheck. Any secret tricks?

Not the way I had it planned. Or, how not to run 20 miler

Well, that's not the way I had it planned. Saturday morning I was set up to run 20 miles at 8:00 mile pace. That's my marathon pace and the last truly hard long run on the schedule before the taper.

Looking back, the problems began during the week. This was a long week of work for me - 60+ hours. Historically that meant a terrible diet, in that hard work meant eating junk around the office. Also, sometimes when I get engulfed in work, I lose my appetite. That happened this week. I noticed on Friday that my weight was 179 - the first time I have been in the 170's in probably 15 years.

And I haven't been sleeping much. Combination of work stress and a sick baby. Thursday we were up a good chunk of night with her, but still got some sleep. Friday night - the night before big run, she was sick most of night. I was up from about midnight until 4 am. I remember looking at the clock and thinking I can't believe I am going to go run 20 miles in like 3 hours on no sleep.

And again I left all of my Garmin gear in my office charging the battery. And my brand new iPod nano was dead too - it wouldn't take the charge, so I have to return it. I ended running with my wife's iPod but we have different taste in music. (I thought I was in a 1970s disco circa 1984. Patti LaBelle "New Attitude"? Please - that's not running music for me.)

And then Saturday I woke up and it was 65 degrees and 100 humidity, again. What gives with this NY fall? Where are crisp mornings and smell of leaves, etc. Nada. Humidity meant slick roads, rain and just a tougher run.

Even with all of this, I knew I had to tough it out. I had been looking forward to this run and getting through it all week. And thought it would set me up well mentally for the coming race. And I've run in humidity, rain, etc all summer and fall. And I'm tough and what doesn't kill me makes me stronger, right?

I took off, having studied my mile marks from a previous run on this route, so I would know almost exactly where the miles were so I could judge pace. Through 5 I was doing OK: too fast at 7:30 or so, and I had no idea how I was going to keep up the pace for 13 more.

I felt terrible. I've never thrown up during a run, but had to stop twice due to vomit attacks. And my gut was killing me. And I wasn't in groove at all. I decided to cut it to a 14 miler (two loops)at about mile 5. And then I had another vomit attack. And it started to rain. Nauseous, stomach in a knot with pain, and wet from the rain.

So, I said to myself: screw it. Packed it in at the end of that loop, at 7 miles. Ran 7 miles in 54 minutes and change. My stomach felt terrible - like a knot. After showering, etc., I was wiped out. And my teeth were chattering and all afternoon I fell asleep every time I sat down or laid down, even when I wasn't trying or letting myself fall asleep. Periodically, I'd be watching a football game and doze off.

Looking back, the seeds of my downfall were laid Thursday and Friday. I in essence didn't eat a meal until Friday dinner (I think Thursday I had 4 energy bars all day). And two nights of basically no sleep led to a terrible body condition. Instead or carbo loading, I did the opposite. And running on no sleep just doesn't work well for a 41 year old. Still not sure why I was throwing up during the run, but maybe
because I had taken my vitamins before I headed out and they upset my stomach. I really wish I had my heart rate monitor so I could see if the pace was too hard and pushed me physically too hard. Maybe my lack of running caught up with me. I don't know.

At any right, I figured I would live to fight another day. I've done all my long runs, and ought to be in good shape. If not doing this one costs me, c'est la vie. My time will be what it is going to be and I didn't want to push myself in the rain throwing up for 20 miles.

Today is Sunday -and its beautiful day to run. All the people running today in Staten Island half marathon or in Chicago, I hope you are having a great day!

Getting Closer All the Time

I received my NYRR bib number today -- in the 19000's in wave 1 start. That puts me in the Green corral (the slowest) about 2/3 of the way back. That is kind of bad. Good news is that I am in wave 1, which starts first, so there won't be a plethora of slower runners from the previous waves with which to contend as I go. That is bad because I start 2/3 of the way back in a wave of say 12,000 runners. That is still an awful lot of people to deal with.

I will probably run a PR, assuming my training holds up. So, I can't really complain with my starting position. It is what it is, and you cannot change it. I will register with a pace group and hopefully that will put me in the right starting position and can run with them. They should have that all planned out, but I really don't remember how the pace groups assemble or how they start given the corrals and waves.

Beginning to game plan as to what shoes, shorts, socks and shirt I will wear on the big day. Particularly shoes. For me, I try to find the "goldilocks" shoes, shoes that are not too old or too new, but just right. For me, the sweet spot on shoes are ones that have approximately 100 miles on them. Still new, but I feel comfortable in them. Unfortunately, in my rotation, it hasn't fallen in line to have the right shoes in the right place. Right now, my favorites are a pair of Asics Gel Kayanos, but they have about 200 miles on them, a little past their prime. I have been running less in them because...The pair I thought I was going to use was a pair of Brooks Trance 9's that I bought about three weeks ago. Unfortunately those haven't fit exactly right. They now have about 60 miles on them, but just aren't there yet. And my impression is not a rave one. I also have a pair of Gel Nimbus 11 that I love the way they feel and which I use on the treadmill. I am going to run long in them this weekend to see if they work for road work and long distances. Maybe, the Gel Nimbus will be the winner. If not, they can save miles on my Gel Kayanos.

In workout news, I ran for first time since my long run over the weekend, and went 8.5 miles at 7:30 pace. The FIRST program had this as one of the long runs for the week, but I missed the weekly speedworkout. This weekend (Saturday) is 20 miles at marathon pace + 15 seconds. I am going to try to run my 7 mile loop 3 times at an under 8:000 pace. That will be a push, but a good, last, hard long run.

Weekend Update

A short race report from Grete's Great Gallop Half Marathon:  I didn't run it.  As Mrs Wolve pointed out to me on Friday, we had a "brunch" for our 19 month old daughter at her pre-nursery school at 9 a.m. on Saturday -- the same time as the half marathon.  I miss enough things because of work, so I skipped the race.  I made a deal with my wife that I could run after it, so I went back to the FIRST workout -- 15 miles at marathon pace plus 10 seconds.

One big, big, problem:  I had left all of my Garmin gear at the office.  That meant no watch for pacing, no heart rate, no data of any kind.  I almost didn't want to run.  I have grown so dependent on it, that running without it seemed like running half naked. 

Thankfully, though, I run the same loop fairly regularly, and I basically know where the various mile marks are.  The problem is that the difference between a 7:45 mile and 8:15 mile is really only about 50 yards, so even though I knew...I really didn't know the pace.  I would know if my pacing was way off, but not exactly, and not with degree of exactness like Marathon Pace plus 10 seconds.  I knew my route was almost exactly 7.5 miles, so I could also know how I was doing at the end of the loop.  And then part of my loop was blocked off and I had to  improvise.  So I kind of had to guess on that too. First loop was 1:00:41, or about 8 minute miles.  Second loop was 1:00:07, which was pretty phenomenal for me.  And when I came home and worked on Gmap pedometer, I realized that my make around on that part of my loop that was closed was actually about 0.3 miles longer than my normal route.  So I ended up going 15.6 miles in 2:01 -- that made me smile.  Nearly 7:52 pace.  Of course I have no idea what my heart rate was because of no Garmin, so I don't know how hard or easy it was.  But I wasn't completely wiped out later that day, and felt OK.  Today, I am stiff and a little sore, but nothing out of the ordinary after a long run.   I certainly had some fuel left in the tank at the end of 15 miles.  Next week is 20 miles at Marathon Pace, so we'll see how that goes.  So, I am optimistic...

Everyone out there running Chicago... Good Luck and get ready for it!  I am jealous... Be safe, smart and fast!!!

Wile E. Coyote or the Road Runner

Some days when you get up and run, it feels like the legs just GO. They are a machine; they turn over effortlessly, and you want to run forever. And when I look at my Garmin, my pace is always too quick and I have to remind myself to slow down. Pace yourself. It is a marathon, not a sprint (that is the cliche anyway, even if it is only a 6 mile run.) I picture like the the Road runner cartoons, where his legs move in wheel-like circles, like a locomotive, with puffs of dust coming up:

But sometimes, not so good. Feel like legs are made of lead, and how on earth am I going to make it through this? And, the heart rate is always too high, the pace too slow, and I just hope I don't feel like this on marathon day. Feeling like this:

That was this morning. I actually got up and ran before work, with the idea I would run a relatively fast tempo run. I know that I ran 15 miles on Monday at 8:06 average pace; I figured I could run 7 miles at 7:30 pace, no problem. I signed up for a half marathon this weekend, and NYRR proudly displayed my best per mile time in a long race 7:06 per mile. This morning I felt "How on earth did I ever do that?"  And, the outside of my right shin and knee has been stiff (not sore like joint pain, just weirdly stiff), and it hurt too.

One mile into the run, I never hit the rhythm. It never felt right, and I never hit the groove. This run was a constant push for me. My normal running route has a bunch of hills, with a 250 foot hill at mile 5.5. Today, cruising up that hill, my heart rate hit 174 (at least that is what I saw when I was running -- I haven't reviewed all the Garmy data yet). That is high -- nearly 95% of max. I know the point of a tempo run is to push yourself, but when I made it to the top of that hill, I was done. Not sure how I made it all the way home, because I had no energy at all.

I ended up running 7.2 miles at 7:31 pace, with a 6:59 mile thrown in there for mile 4-5, running down a gentle slope.  I hope this makes me stronger come race day.  And I have to admit I feel pretty great right now at work, having my workout out of the way.

Last Summer run...

Labor Day has come and gone, and just like the seasons, a new school year, a new fall, a new season have come.

We were in Florida over the long weekend, and let me tell ya, it is hot down there. Nothing like what it has been in summers past, but still, 92 and humidity still feels awfully hot after the mild summer we have had here. In fact, it was very strange getting off the plane back in New York and feeling ... fall. The temperature in NY is now in the low 70s. So much cooler than Florida. And, if you watch the US Open night matches, the people in the stands are freezing. I ran once in Florida. That was the product of running on both the day I left to go to Florida and the day I got back (Labor Day), but neither day in Florida.

So Saturday, I ran 18 miles in Florida Saturday. I started at 7 a.m and finished about 9:45. Ended up finishing 18.24 in 2:32 for 8:14 average pace. Splits are below, and I ended up running the second half faster than the first. But heart rate was higher too. The sun was really bright and it was getting hot (83?) by the time I finished. I wouldn't want to start any later in the day. As I was coming home, feeling pretty good, this guy in triathlon gear was jogging the other way. He was serious, hard core, and absolutely flying. Waved and smiled at him, and he did the same. One thing about running near the beach in Florida -- people with boat trailers! I hope they realize that the boats are wider than the cars. Can get kindof scary seeing these boats come whizzing by...

One thing I did to prepare was to hide water along my route the night before my run. I had an out and back route, so I hid water at 5 different places along my route, and ended up with 10 water stops along the way. That helped tremendously, not only because of the hydration, but also because it broke my run up into small segments. I was constantly focusing on the next water stop ... where did I hide it again? Did someone see the water and, thinking it was trash, throw it away? (That happened to one of them.) It was a really positive run though, and glad I pushed through the heat to make it.

I formed a couple of conclusions, too. The Nike LunarTrainer experiment is over. They are kinda cool shoes, but for me, just not practical for long training. I have now run about 100 miles in them, and have decided they are nice for short distances, but not long ones. I wore them on this Florida long run, and finished with a massive blister on the side of my big toe, and a blister on the end of my second toe also. Today, when I ran at home in New York, I ran in my Gel Kayanos, and it felt so much better. Like meeting up with an old friend for lunch.

Second, I like using Gatorade Endurance for long runs. I have a bunch of Accelerade thanks to a sale at GNC, but I really like the Gatorade Endurance better. It is smoother, doesn't have any aftertaste or funky smell (I find Accelerade has this bad smell), and just goes down easily.

And anyone who hates Tim Tebow should read the profile of him in this month's GQ. If you don't like him after that, then I don't know who you would like. An admirable young man for sure.



Time Distance Split time Elev. chg.
0:08:03 1.00 8:03 -6
0:16:30 2.00 8:26 -2
0:24:48 3.00 8:18 +29
0:33:02 4.00 8:14 -14
0:41:16 5.00 8:12 +23
0:49:38 6.00 8:22 -1
0:58:02 7.00 8:23 -7
1:06:25 8.00 8:22 +17
1:14:44 9.00 8:18 -21
1:22:45 10.00 8:00 -10
1:30:49 11.00 8:03 -21
1:38:52 12.00 8:00 -5
1:46:59 13.00 8:07 -8
1:55:05 14.00 8:04 +28
2:03:12 15.00 8:06 +3
2:11:21 16.00 8:08 +11
2:19:29 17.00 8:08 -23
2:27:42 18.00 8:11 -5
2:30:58 18.41 3:16 +13
2:30:59 18.41 0:01 +0

Labor Day preview and August lookback

Tonight was a speed workout, and time to reflect on the last month of training. Looking at my training log tonight I realized that over the last month I have slipped into the pattern of run, take day off, run, day off, etc. I suppose that is because the FIRST runs are really hard and I just don't feel like running on a day after a really hard day. My knees are stiff, my toes hurt, my quads are tight, something; all I know is that rest seems good. And I have been much busier with work and traveling, so it is really hard to sneak in workouts. To my great surprise, though, I found out that I actually ran more miles in August than July, and set a mileage record for me (130). I know for the high milers out there, 130 miles may be two average weeks, but for me that is a pretty solid month. And I actually did not run a single race. In fact I haven't run a race since the half marathon at the end of June. I'll probably schedule a half marathon one weekend in September just to get the racing mode back in mind. And I am curious to see if all this FIRST training has produced faster running times -- or is it just establishes muscular endurance to run 26.2 at the pace I have already established at shorter distances. I sure hope it is the former -- that FIRST has made me faster.

All of which leads me to conclude I am going to have to switch to morning runs. As I get busy this fall, and I know my schedule is going to really heat up (I often work 60+ hours per week, and commute on top of that), it is going to be increasingly hard to work out at the end of the day, much less if I ever want to see my family. So I guess, I am going to have to start getting up and doing it earlier. I am somewhat fortunate in that the New York legal world operates on a late schedule -- people are rarely in before 9 a.m. So, I can run at 7 or so and still be in office on time. But I have NEVER in my life been able to maintain a morning exercise regimen. On one level though I feel like I really have no choice, though, if I am going to make it to the starting line in November. At some point I ramble on about the glory that is college football and post my picks for the weekend.

I can't wait though, to feel the chill in the air. College football starts in earnest this weekend. Cooking out, leaves turning, crispness in the morning...my favorite time to be in New York.

Until then, Go Blue and have a great Labor Day. I am on tap for 18 miles in the Florida heat...

Everbody Loves Raymond times 4

This week was a pretty average training week. A speedworkout, tempo run and even a long run at the gym, on the treadmill. Not very exciting or blogworthy, really. I did run 14 miles (at 8:10 pace) at the gym on a treadmill Friday afternoon before going out with friends that night. That set a treadmill record for me -- nearly 2 hours on the mill. It was amazing to observe the difference in heart rate between running indoors and out. Last week I ran 14 miles outside in 70 degrees and 100% humidity, and the result was heart rate average in 160's. This week in the gym, at a faster pace, average in the 140's.

I made 14 miles on the mill even though I had left my iPod in its charger at my the office. But I did have my headphones, so I could watch the TV's at the gym. It was Friday afternoon, and there really wasn't much on. Except Everybody Loves Raymond on TBS. I really don't watch much TV (other than sports and news), so it was all new to me. And, it was even kind of funny. Four episodes later, 14 miles were in the can. Phew.

My Garmin, though, froze in the middle of the workout after about an hour. I have no idea what happened -- I wasn't even wearing it,it was sitting on the treadmill. I just looked down and it was stuck. No matter what button I pushed, nothing. The battery on it eventually died, and when I recharged it, it came back to life. It had no record of the workout though. Argh. Just when Garmy was getting to forget its foibles and eccentricities.

No great blog thoughts, but Iate dinner last night at Blue Hill in the city. Wonderful, fresh and delicious. Two big thumbs up.

14 Miles In the Soup

There are some days when I never want the run to end and wish it was marathon day. There are other days when I think I don't think I could run a 5K and wish I had stayed in bed. Saturday was the latter for me.

Saturday morning came early for me, 6:20 a.m. to be exact. It had rained the night before, and puddles remained everywhere. I glanced at my blackberry for the weather: 74 degrees, 100 percent humidity, showers. Great. I had decided on my route. A few hills, and totaling around 14.5 miles, and goal pace was 8:30. And it was going to be a rainy, humid slog. I had nearly a half gallon of water ready, and off I went.

Wikipedia says this about humidity:

"The human body sheds heat by a combination of evaporation of perspiration, heat convection in the surrounding air, and thermal radiation. Under conditions of high humidity, the evaporation of sweat from the skin is decreased and the body's efforts to maintain an acceptable body temperature may be significantly impaired. Also, if the atmosphere is as warm as or warmer than the skin during times of high humidity, blood brought to the body surface cannot shed heat by conduction to the air, and a condition called hyperpyrexia results. With so much blood going to the external surface of the body, relatively less goes to the active muscles, the brain, and other internal organs. Physical strength declines and fatigue occurs sooner than it would otherwise. Alertness and mental capacity also may be affected. This resulting condition is called heat stroke or hyperthermia."

OK, I didn't get heat stroke, nor was I very close to it. But it started raining, drizzling really, almost as soon as I started. My glasses instantly fogged up, and I was drenched. My shoes and socks were squishing with each step. My hat was dripping water and sweat. And after it stopped raining (after mile 3 or so), it was just wet and humid. And it was tough. The first 5 miles went pretty easily, and I felt OK. But after that, it just turned into a gritty run, even though that was the flat part of my course. I drank all of my water and then some. I carried a small bottle with me at all times and had to carry another for part of the way. Carrying a water bottle in my hand is not ideal because it kind of throws me off balance, but I had to do it.

I ended up going 14.25 miles at average 8:18 pace. That was faster than my goal and it was too fast. My heart rate was way, way, too high towards the end (spiked to 90%). But I just couldn't get it down to lower levels. I had decided, though, that if my heart rate remained over 170 consistently and if I couldn't work it down by slowing the pace, I was going to stop and walk. But, every time I saw it spike to 170 (roughly 90%), I slowed and it came down. I stopped frequently to drink my water and Gatorade. I had to stop several times to avoid downed trees and cross several partly flooded roads. I stepped in too many puddles to count. When I hit mile 14 (my kind of internal goal), I almost just stopped in my tracks, even though I was a couple hundred yards from home.

When I made it home, I was wet and tired. Thirsty, too. My shoes still aren't dry 36 hours later. I was wiped out all day. I didn't get a nap in, and I was just beat. I hope it pays off later. I don't know how all you coastal runners do it, and my hat is off to you.

Time Distance Split time Elev. chg. Avg. HR
0:08:15 1.00 8:15 +70 144 (78%)
0:16:16 2.00 8:01 +75 153 (83%)
0:24:19 3.00 8:03 -59 158 (85%)
0:32:26 4.00 8:06 -64 159 (86%)
0:41:00 5.00 8:33 +85 159 (86%)
0:49:21 6.00 8:20 +44 163 (88%)
0:57:37 7.00 8:16 -43 165 (89%)
1:06:01 8.00 8:24 +38 164 (89%)
1:14:23 9.00 8:21 +109 166 (90%)
1:22:40 10.00 8:17 -151 164 (89%)
1:30:49 11.00 8:09 -24 166 (90%)
1:39:10 12.00 8:20 -65 166 (90%)
1:47:23 13.00 8:13 +23 169 (91%)
1:56:13 14.00 8:50 +38 170 (92%)
1:56:23 14.01 0:09 +2 168 (91%)

Back in the Saddle

I had a good run last night at the gym. 6.5 miles, with 5.5 at Mid-tempo pace as defined by FIRST. For me that meant 7:27 miles. Because I perceive the treadmill to be easier than real life (and heart rate confirms that) I usually set treadmill a bit faster. For me that meant setting it at a 7:18 pace or 8.2 mph. My foot pod had me going even faster, with a sub 7:00 pace, but I take that with a grain of salt.

It felt good to exercise again. I am a little stiff this morning, but a good kind of stiff. Tonight I will try to put in another easy workout and then run 14 or 15 miles tomorrow. FIRST has me for another 20 miler, but I am just not sure I want to do that or am in shape for that given my lack of training in August and also the lack of cross training. For FIRST, not only do you run 3 days a week (which I basically have -- I have missed 1 workout despite my relative sloth this week), but also supposed to row, bike or swim 2 days a week. I haven't. So not sure I want to push the second 20 miler in 3 weeks given relative lack of running and training.

And I got a really, really nice surprise this morning. Last night at the gym I stepped on the scale for the first time in 3 weeks. I fully expected to have added about 3 pounds or so. I have eaten poorly and not worried about carbs; indeed, I have had a 100% carb dinner for the last several nights. (Carbs encourage water retention, so eating them means more water, thus more weight; the converse is also true.) Anyway, my surprise: the lowest weight in nearly ten years. rather than add several pounds, I was lighter. I know water weight, etc., but still very nice surprise.

Its like that Seinfeld episode: some things go up, some go down.

Look Homeward, Angel

Asheville, North Carolina is a beautiful place. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains, it has an eclectic, eccentric, artsy vibe. That, and it has a beautiful natural woody, mountainous setting. Hometown son Thomas Wolfe was captivated by a statue in a cemetery in nearby Hendersonville, NC, and wrote "Look Homeward Angel," an American epic about life and family. This is the angel that captivated Wolfe:

I stopped and saw the angel last year when we were down this way, and honestly, it didn't do much for me. Yes, it is pretty, but there are many, many statues that have grabbed me much more. In fact if it wasn't "Wolfe's angel," I am not sure I would have given it a second look. But it did enrapture Wolfe and inspire him to write an epic.

My Asheville epic was an 18 mile run. In addition to being the home of Thomas Wolfe, Asheville is also where Biltmore is located. Biltmore was built by George Washington Vanderbilt II in the 1880s as a grandiose American palace, and it is beautiful. In 1916, after a ruinous flood, to reduce maintenance and taxes, a large hilly plot of land next to Biltmore was sold to developers and became the town of Biltmore Forest. Biltmore Forest is beautiful, and located in rolling, wooded hills. Grand mansions and estates line Biltmore Forest's winding, hilly streets tucked around a Donald Ross golf course.

It was also where I ran my 18 miles yesterday afternoon. It was a difficult, hard run. In addition to its beauty, Asheville is at 2500 feet above sea level. Not Colorado, but still nearly half a mile higher than Central Park. It was not terribly hot (maybe 70 degrees?), but it was really humid. And, have I mentioned hills yet? Mountains? My Garmin had my run with a total an elevation climb of 6,500 feet. That is probablly way too much, but even if it was half that, wow. Wow. It was always up, down, up, down. So much so that there was basically no flat land. None. And I couldn't enjoy a downhill, because I knew I'd be going right back up shortly. But it was a gorgeous run in a gorgeous place.

And, in contrast to my last post, even the golfers on the course waved at me as I went by.

Ended up going 18.42 at average pace of 8:28. If last week's 20 miler was "easy", this was a hard 18. Super hard. As hard as a run I've had in years.Ii had to stop and walk a couple times, and really, really watch my fluids. The little town has a town hall, and I stopped to use their water fountain when I ran out of water, and I had brought nearly 40 ounces with me. (The town hall people were also super nice to me (even the police) and must have thought I was certifiably insane. I was dripping with sweat when I would stop and pop in their little town hall to use the water fountain, and they saw me running for hours up and down the hills on this bright sunny day.) It was just a difficult run, period. But 5 weeks of training are down, 11 to go until New York. Splits below, with a couple of distortions from water breaks and the like, and the elevation gain and loss really doesn't tell the story because of all the up and down (the gain in the chart is net over the split, so if you climb 100 feet then descend 100 feet in the split, your gain is zero in this chart.).

If you are ever in Asheville, my advice: skip the angel, and get ready to run.

Time Distance Split time Elev. chg. Split pace
0:04:12 0.50 4:12 +128 8:25
0:08:11 1.00 3:59 +33 7:58
0:12:13 1.50 4:02 +81 8:04
0:16:33 2.00 4:19 +4 8:39
0:20:27 2.50 3:54 -78 7:50
0:24:32 3.00 4:04 +34 8:09
0:28:40 3.50 4:08 +64 8:17
0:32:55 4.00 4:14 -33 8:30
0:37:13 4.50 4:17 -32 8:36
0:41:36 5.00 4:23 -30 8:46
0:46:08 5.50 4:32 -50 9:05
0:50:24 6.00 4:15 +126 8:31
0:54:37 6.50 4:13 -48 8:27
0:58:38 7.00 4:01 -157 8:02
1:02:52 7.50 4:14 +73 8:28
1:07:12 8.00 4:19 +63 8:40
1:11:27 8.50 4:14 +58 8:29
1:15:33 9.00 4:06 -63 8:12
1:19:27 9.50 3:54 +21 7:49
1:24:05 10.00 4:37 +12 9:15
1:28:32 10.50 4:26 +54 8:54
1:32:38 11.00 4:05 -56 8:12
1:36:47 11.50 4:08 -76 8:18
1:41:07 12.00 4:20 +123 8:40
1:45:09 12.50 4:02 -58 8:05
1:49:29 13.00 4:20 +75 8:40
1:53:21 13.50 3:51 -78 7:44
1:58:36 14.00 5:14 -54 10:29
2:02:52 14.50 4:16 -34 8:33
2:06:41 15.00 3:48 -47 7:36
2:11:08 15.50 4:27 +92 8:54
2:15:32 16.00 4:24 +89 8:49
2:20:29 16.50 4:56 -47 9:53
2:24:39 17.00 4:10 -17 8:22
2:28:54 17.50 4:14 +16 8:29
2:32:48 18.00 3:54 -119 7:49
2:35:56 18.41 3:07 -93 7:39

In Look Homeward Angel, this is how Wolfe described the angel that stood for years on the porch of his father's tombstone shop.

"No one knew how fond he was of the angel. Publicly he called it his White Elephant. He cursed it and said he had been a fool to order it. For six years it had stood on the porch, weathering, in all the wind and the rain. It was now brown and fly-specked. But it came from Carrara in Italy, and it held a stone lily delicately in one hand. The other hand was lifted in benediction, it was poised clumsily upon the ball of one phthisic foot, and its stupid white face wore the look of some soft stone idiocy." -- Look Homeward, Angel (1929)

Lighten Up, Francis

After doing two road runs this week, one thing I have noticed lately are the "serious runners" out on the road. The ones with a very serious scowl and game face on. The ones I want to say "Lighten up, Francis." I am not going to win the New York marathon, and I doubt I will place in top 5000. And I am kinda fast. And I know that most of the people I see out running are slower than me. So why the serious runner face? Why not the smile and wave when you go by? We're all out there for fun, to improve and release stress. Even on a bad day, how can you be grumpy out there running? I don't understand it. My typical greeting to a fellow runner is a smile and a "Good Morning." I don't want to stop and chat but some return acknowledgment is nice, courteous even. Now if I see a real serious runner out there training, I don't expect that, nor do I from a bicyclist (we are kind of like cats and dogs in our sharing of the road), but your average Joe (or Jane) out there on the track? Please, smile, it makes me feel better. Ok on to my weekend....

After my long run Friday morning, I took Saturday off. Apparently, it was a gorgeous running day (cool, not humid) and many PRs were set in the race in Central Park. I wouldn't know, I was sleeping. Friday night, Mrs. Wolve and I went to a dinner party (sans kids) at a friend's place at the beach, and well, I fell asleep at the table. (They are good friends, and we were staying with them, so it was not offensive.) I suppose getting up at 6 a.m., running 20 miles, working all day, then having a boozy dinner into the night exhausted me. So Saturday I slept until 10 a.m. -- about 11 hours of blissful sleep. And Saturday was a gorgeous day at the beach.

Anyway, Sunday brought a tempo workout. This FIRST program thing is a real bear. It was supposed to be 6 miles, four at tempo pace. I ended up going 7.7 miles, with about 5.5 miles at tempo pace. To put it in perspective, I think that if I had run 6.1 miles at the tempo pace, I would have set a 10K PR. Again, the Garmin was just great -- real time distance, pace, etc.

It was a great run. I was hungover, it was humid, but I had a great pace. Of course my heartrate was a little high, not crazy so, but given the conditions (alcohol, humidity) very understandable. And this was after running 20 miles two days earlier. I ran this route last year (actually a shorter one, but major overlap), and the difference is startling. My heartrate was 15 beats per minute lower and my pace was 1:30 faster. What a difference a year makes. I am a little concerned that all this running will produce "dead legs" or even worse, an injury. But so far so good. I have been very liberal about my off days, and it seems to be really helping.

This week brings, ugh, more travel. But I ought to be able to get my workouts in with a little planning. (Looks like my long run this week (18 miles at marathon pace plus 45 seconds) will be on the road. But there ought to be enough of a window I can get it in fairly easily.)

And I need a new pair of shoes. I have been alternating between Brooks Trance 7 and Gel Kayano 15s, but the Brooks are now kind of shot. The Lunar Trainers, I have come to realize, are OK, but really can't be an every day shoe for training or long runs. My problem is that I am a size 12.5 which is a funny size to find. So I have to order shoes, which is not nearly as much fun as going to the running store and walking out with a new pair.

Rome Wasn't Built in a Day...

In my brief fleeting career in Texas high school sports, one of our coaches had a favorite saying to encourage patience or make us wait for something "Rome wasn't built in a day ladies..." He always misused the analogy to imply that we should wait for something rather than the idea that small incremental changes produce great results. And the tone and condescension dripped from his voice, and it always made me want to ask him if he even knew what that meant. So one day I asked about something trivial (I think it was when is the next water break), and he said that to me. Having just read a classic history book (I was always the bookish, nerdish, wannabe athlete who was tolerated to keep team GPA above 2.0), I retorted, yes that's correct, Coach, but it did burn down in six. Coach paused, cocked an eye, and laughed heartily. He said I am not even going to make you run for that smart mouth of yours...

Anyway, I have always remembered that saying "Rome wasn't built in a day..." and as a runner it really is true. One can't radically change form, fitness or condition in a day. Patience, practice, commitment and devotion over time produce change and results. And thankfully form, fitness and condition really won't collapse in a week. Thankfully.

I didn't end up running 17 miles on a treadmill. Rather, I ended up trekking across the country for an unexpected work trip where I haven't slept in the same city in nearly a week. I have literally been on an airplane every day since last Tuesday. Traveling like that makes running 17 miles darn near impossible, and I just didn't get it done.

There, I said it -- I skipped my long run this week. But I can rationalize it because I have had 4 weeks in a row of long runs, one at altitude. And anyways, I just couldn't get it done -- literally there were not enough hours in the day, and been at work or on a plane most of the nights. And I need to sleep, too.

I feel bad about it. Guilty even. But I know it probably won't make that much difference. I did manage two early morning runs (on treadmills!), one in Vegas even. But I didn't go long. I just have to get back on the wagon this week and act like last week was a rest week. Sometime life has a dangerous way of intruding on running and training, and hey, that is life.

Rome wasn't built in a day, and it won't collapse just because I skipped a long run and ran a total of 18 miles last week.

The Dreadmill

Week 3 of marathon training has begun.  That means a long run, a speed workout and a tempo run sandwiched around two cross training workouts.  I have to leave town on a business trip tomorrow, so I did  the speed workout tonight -- on the treadmill.  And we are going away this weekend to take the Official Older Daughter  off to camp, which means it is going to be hard to squeeze in the long run.  Really hard.  I was kind of thinking I would get up early and do it before work on Friday, but not sure that will work with this business trip now in the mix.

So, as I was running tonight, the solution hit me: run on a treadmill on my trip.  UGH.  17 miles on the mill.  That makes all the sense in the world, but just not sure I can do it.  Any suggestions are entirely welcome.  I have an iPod and I sure hope my hotel has a nice gym.

Below is the chart of my speed workout tonight.  It was fast, and hard and went by very, very quickly, maybe because I was dreading the next treadmill workout....