He Ain't Heavy

I ran to work today. I've run home from work before, but this was the first time going in. Running to work means carrying a change of clothes, so a pack was needed. One of my co-workers, CD, recommended a Camelback pack, which he uses to run to the office. These packs are designed to carry water, but can carry other loads, and are small and fit snug to your back.

I loaded my new pack with the minimum - khakis, a short sleeve shirt, socks etc, cell phone, wallet... - and hit the road. During the first mile, the pack felt like a ton of bricks. My feet were pounding into the pavement hard. I was immediately concerned that this was not such a good idea. If I ended up with an injury because of this stupid experiment I would be pissed. I wondered how much weight I had strapped on -- 10 pounds? 15?

My GPS beeped... first mile: 9:26. Almost as slow as it felt. I was suffering, and it was time to blame someone. My co-worker, CD. Yeah, this was his fault. "Get this fancy pack, it'll be great!" I had some choice words for him...

During the second mile, I started to get the feel for the added weight. Beep: 9:13. My stride adjusted itself, and my feet weren't hitting the ground so hard anymore. Beep: 8:44. OK, that's more like it.

I started to forget about the pack and just enjoy the run. I was cruising down the running/bike path on the Hudson. Beep: 8:19.

Hey, this beats the hell out of the subway! Beep: 8:27. Before I knew it, I was at Houston and heading to the club. There I weighed myself with and without the pack. It was five pounds. Five pounds?! I was five pounds heavier (without a pack) just a month ago! Sure, those pounds were better distributed, but still... Was the effect of this pack all in my head?

A quick shower, change, and I was off to... well Starbucks... and then work.

It felt great coming into the office after a nice run. Of course, I made sure to stop by CD's desk -- to thank him for recommending the pack.

It's not the heat....

I went on a long trail run today with the Flyers on the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail. The plan was to do 20 miles, but in the end I settled for 18.5. The humidity was brutal, and experts say that sometimes you have to be flexible with your training plans when weather gets in the way. Yeah, I was listening to the experts, that's it...

There was a huge turnout of Flyers and the trail was sweet. I'm not an experienced trail runner, and I'm often nervous about beating up my legs, even on relatively smooth trails. Despite what everyone says about softer surfaces reducing injury, I've always been more comfortable running on the road. Today, however, I felt much better. I think my legs are developing the different muscles that you need for trail running. Of course, I'm not talking about anything rugged. These trails are smooth and well groomed.

The runners broke into several groups, based on planned distance and pace. I went out with a 20 mile group (I hadn't started "listening to the experts" yet...). We started off at an easy pace, but my body was telling me to go faster (listening to your body is not always a good idea). I picked up the pace, leaving my group behind, but feeling great. At around mile 8, I met up with a group of 5 Flyers that was going at a good clip, and I decided to run with them for a while.

These folks all race faster than me, but they were running a reasonable "long training run pace". If I put out a little extra effort, I could hang. Two of the group split off and the remaining three of us pressed on toward the full 20. At around mile 16, I was spent. I dropped off the pace and did the best I could, but after a while, I was only running because walking would have taken too long. When I got back to the start point, my GPS indicated that I had run 18.56 miles, and I decided that was juuuuuuuuuuust right.

I enjoyed a lovely Gatorade cocktail, and exchanged stories with the runners that had finished while we waited for the others to come in. The great thing is that even though this run kicked my butt, I'm more excited about running then ever. I'll be back!

The Right to Tunes

My sister sent me this excellent article on the debate over running with music. It's a hot topic of late, since the USATF approved rule 144.3b, which prohibits the use of video or audio players of any type in the races they sanction. Race directors are just noticing this new rule, and it's not clear yet if, how or when it will be enforced.

The NYRR, which organizes the local races here, is not yet on board. They still list such devices as "strongly discouraged" rather than prohibited.

A recent post on Harlem26.2 points out how difficult it would be for the NYRR to actually enforce the rule. Can you imagine trying to confiscate a New Yorker's iPod mid race? Good luck!

Personally, I don't run with an iPod at all, except maybe on the treadmill, on a slow day. One reason often given is safety. I think that's a good reason, but that's not why I don't use one. There are two reasons why I like to keep my ears open: to focus on running my best, and to fully experience the event, whether it be a race or a scenic trail run.

Although some runners use music for inspiration, I tend to think that if you are training or racing, as opposed to just going out for a run, music takes your focus away from where it should be. In an earlier post, I showed this picture and asked "can you spot the winners?".
The answer was that the two winners were the only ones not using watches. Now I ask you, what to ALL of these elite runners have in common? Of course, none of them are wearing headphones. It would be absurd if they were. These folks are running to win, and they need to focus on what they are doing.

"That's just the pros, you say? OK, here's the starting line before a local race this past weekend. No headphones. Period.

I may not be half as fast as these folks, but I enjoy making the most of my training and racing, and that's one reason I don't wear headphones when I run. There was I time when my focus was on distracting myself from the discomfort of running, but now I really want to focus on what I'm doing.

In a race this past weekend, a runner I knew passed me going up a hill. He was charging hard, and passed me like I was standing still. I wanted to say something congratulatory to him, but he was wearing headphones, and he didn't seem to be aware of me. I was struck by the feeling that he was missing something - something more than hearing "looking good!" from me.

In these races I love taking in what's going on around me. How people are breathing, the sound of their footsteps, cheers from the crowd, everything. Tuning out is not what I want to do.

It's one thing to prefer to race without headphones, but it's another to prohibit others from doing so. I don't really mind other racers with headphones, but the races here are pretty crowded. It probably would be better if everyone had full use of all their senses. I don't agree with the runners vs joggers attitude of the Pearl Izumi adds, but perhaps there should be a distinction between jogging and racing. There's no reason you can't be a jogger with an iPod on one day, and a racer the next.

One of the things I concentrate on in races is not going too hard up the hills, and picking it up at the crest of the hill. So many runners charge up hills, and then pull back to try to recover at the top, and even on the downhill. I find that if you push too hard you can't recover. But if you save a little, you can explode over the top and down the hill. It's hard to think this way when you are running to music.

At the top of that hill last weekend, I put on a push, and low and behold, I passed that runner back. I was pretty sure that he wouldn't be returning the favor any time soon. How did I know? I could hear how hard he was breathing.

Team Championships

The NYRR Team Championships were today -- what a great event!

The field was limited to members of the various local clubs that are competing for the points championship. The race was split into separate men's (8AM) and women's (9AM) five mile races. This meant that the men could cheer for their fairer team mates, and visa versa.

I had a goal for this race -- to finally average under 7:00 minutes per mile. At the race start, the scene seemed to be set for me to make it. The weather was unseasonably cool, and the starting line traffic jam would be greatly reduced by the club-only limitation and the separation of the men's and women's races. There were only 777 folks in my race, instead of the usual 5000.

At the start, I was able to set my own pace. No bobbing and weaving today. I hit the first mile at 7:07 -- good, I didn't go out too fast, but I did have to pick it up if I was going to make my goal. The second mile was downhill, and I knew I had to take full advantage. I ran a 6:48, which put me on pace, but without room to fade. I passed a few female Flyers along the way, and their cheers were inspiring. I knew that mile 4 was going to be tough, so I tried to maintain pace in mile three (6:59). It was looking pretty good, but "cat hill" lay ahead. My plan was to let my time slip up the hill, just maintaining the effort level, and then nail the last mile. The question was, how slow would mile 4 be? The answer was 7:10, which left me with 6 seconds to make up in the last mile.
I had passed cat hill, and I knew the last mile was downhill overall. When I saw that I had 6 seconds to make up, I was pretty sure I could do it. I kicked it up a notch on the flat and did a mental "health check". The legs were holding up fine. When I hit the big downhill, I was sure I would make it. It was just a question of by how much. I burned down the hill, and just had a few hundred yards of flat to coast to the finish. Good thing too, 'cause I was spent.

It was then that I hit the first Flyer cheering section. The split of the men's and women's races resulted in much better cheering than usual. I decided I could coast later, and tried to look strong and fast for the crowd. Then I passed yet another group of cheering Flyers, and had to kick it up a notch again! When I crossed the finish line I was gasping for breath, but feeling great. My time was 34:41 (6:56/mile). I had run 6:34 in the last mile.

I met up with a bunch of other Flyer men, and we cheered on the women. Then we all met for a post race hang with bagels and a club photo. I saw nyflygirl, who introduced me to runner26, which was great since I'm a regular reader of her blog. I'd been reading about her recovery from injury, so it was great to see her out at the races! Trakmaniac was there, running fast as always, despite only two hours sleep due to a canceled flight home the previous night.

There were tons of Flyers there, including a number that didn't run. FA was there, with her two very cute kids. Madam President was also in attendance, not running, but gearing up for the big softball game against the Central Park Track Club. Unfortunately, I had to skip the game to go to a dentist appointment. That is a much less pleasant story that I will spare you.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Take It Easy...

I took Sunday off to recover from the 20 miler, and on Monday I felt good doing an easy 5. Tuesday I was really excited to get back to running with the morning Flyers. Tuesday is speed work, and half the group did 220s while those training for marathons did 880s. The group did 6 880s, but I was still pumped, so after we said our goodbyes, I did another 3.

My plan was to do another easy run on Wednesday, and then join the Flyers on Thursday for the usual park loop, which if I run with the front group is like a tempo run for me. Then I would take Friday off, and do the Team Championship race on Saturday.

When I went out on Wednesday, however, my legs felt heavy. My pace was slow, but I didn't mind, this was supposed to be a short slow run to recover. I jogged to the park and did the 4 mile loop at a reasonable pace. When I got back, I my right ankle was sore, and both my hamstrings and quads were sore and tired.

I realized right away that my "recovery run" probably should have been a day off, or I shouldn't have pushed the speed work on Tuesday. I had felt that I had recovered from the 20 miler really quickly, but I now realized it's effects were still lingering. I iced the ankle right away - it wasn't bad, but it was slightly swollen and tender, like a minor twisted ankle. I skipped the Thursday morning Flyer run, and my legs do feel better.

It's amazing how much self control it takes to avoid injury. They say "listen to your body", and you certainly should when your body says "slow down" or "stop", but I'm not sure you can always trust your body when it says "go!". You really need to listen to your HEAD. Your head knows how many miles you've run this week. How many were fast, how many were long, and how those miles compare to your training up to this point. So far, my body has let me know in time when I needed a break. I'm not sure that I can always count on that in the future.

Tomorrow, I'll either just go run 2 or 3 miles on the treadmill, or I take another day. I would still like to run the race on Saturday, and tonight I'm feeling pretty positive about it. It's going to be a special race, with only club racers, and a team hang afterward. I also have a certain goal for my race time that I'm excited about, but health comes first.... (stupid health!).

20 Miles

This morning I ran the ING New York City Marathon Long Training Run #1 , an organized 20 mile training run complete with water/Gatorade stations, emergency medical services and pace leaders. The Flyers were a huge part of the event, supplying all of the pace leaders and the brilliant announcer.

I ran with the 8:30/mile pace group which was a group of around 100 runners led by 8 or so Flyer pace leaders, about half of whom I knew. There was great spirit in the group and the miles passed quickly.

The plan was to do four loops, a six mile loop, two five mile loops, and a four mile loop to finish. After each loop we would stop for about 2 minutes to gather ourselves.

My longest run so far had been a 16 miler two weeks ago, so I wasn't sure about going 20. I really wanted to though, because to reach that distance with the marathon still months away would do wonders for my confidence. Most training programs, including the one I'm following, put 20 miles as the longest training run. It would be a nice milestone to reach.

After the first loop, I used the 2 minute break to jump in a port-a-john to relieve myself (phew!). After the second loop, my legs were starting to feel a little soreness, but a quick stretch and a drink of Gatorade, and I felt amazingly fresh for the third loop. At the end of the third loop, I had run 16 miles, matching my longest run to date. The legs were tired, but again, a quick stretch and a beverage, and I knew I could run another 4.

The fact that I know these park loops like the back of my hand made a huge difference. First, it broke the 20 miles into pieces that I knew I could handle. When it came time to run the last short loop, I had no doubt. I finished feeling strong -- well OK, maybe a bit tight, but otherwise strong.

This chart from my Garmin GPS shows how well our Flyer pacers kept us steady. Distance is on the X axis and pace is on the Y axis.
The first three big lines are the breaks between loops, and the fourth is the end of the run. Otherwise, you can see that we stayed remarkably steady.

After my 16 miler two weeks ago, I asked myself if I would be able to go another 10.2, but that was hard to imagine. This time, I asked myself if I would be able to go another 6.2, and it was a whole new story. After all, that's just one loop of the park. ;-)

Back in the Saddle

I took two days off after the NYC Half, one day to rest, and one because I couldn't get the time away from work and family. Today, I managed to slip in a quick 4 miles on the treadmill and it felt great. I was really afraid that another day would pass with no running, so even a short run boosted my spirits.

The other nice thing was that going to the health club means an official weigh in -- and the pounds are still coming off. I don't own a scale, which saves me from checking my weight every day and freaking out about meaningless fluctuations. I just weigh myself 2 or 3 times a month at the health club on one of those nice professional scales - you know, the ones with the sliding weights.

Starting next week, my schedule will return to "normal" and I will be able to run in the morning again. I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to that. It will be great to see the morning Flyers again, and to not have to worry about how I will get my miles in each week.

I've read some great race reports from the NYC Half including Flyer Crazy Bandana and another local runner Harlem 26.2, who points out something interesting about this picture of the start.

Can you pick out the male and female winners? Something sets them apart from the other elite runners in the photo. I know, some of you will say "their names - duh!" But check out Harlem 26.2 if you want to know what caught his eye.

Property Of...

After the race, I changed into my hard earned race T-Shirt. When I stepped off the elevator at home, I saw it in the mirror, and realized that it accurately expressed whom owned whom...

NYC Half Marathon

I ran the NYC Half Marathon today -- a great race put on by the NYRR with sponsorship from Nike. I've been targeting this race for a while, planning to use my race time as an indication of what pace I should be targeting for my first marathon.

I "tapered" this week, and planned to race hard to see what I could do. Preparations were going well until life got in the way of me getting a good night's sleep and the right food. When I dragged ass out of bed at 5:15 AM, I felt not only tired, but a bit sick. I knew I was OK for a run, but 13.1 miles in nasty heat? Not so much.

Fortunately, the weather broke just in time, and it was a beautiful morning. When I got out to the start, I was still not feeling so good, but I ran into a bunch of other Flyers, and the time passed quickly. I didn't know what pace I should be really targeting. Ideally 7:30, but that was very optimistic, and again, I was not feeling... OK, I'll stop saying that.

When the race started, I felt great. We had the whole road, so it wasn't TOO crowded, and my legs felt really strong. My first mile clocked in at 7:20. Too fast, probably, but I did not feel like I was pushing at all, and a lot of it was down hill. I decided to just make sure to go easy over the hills coming up, and then enjoy the fact that the whole second half of the race was flat. It occurred to me that maybe all I needed to get rid of that sick feeling was to get the old bones moving.

Mile 2 and 3 were at 7:20 again (hmm) and mile 4 was at 7:08 (uh oh...). Next came the "Great Hill" and I dutifully got the pace back to 7:42. After that, I just kept the pace in the 7:40s for a few miles. When we exited the park, there was a a great rush of crowd cheering, live bands, and, of course, the amazing feeling of Ten Thousand runners blasting right through Times Square. What a kick!

Next we headed over to the West Side to run down the West Side Highway to the finish at Battery Park. I had been counting on this flat section being "easy" but it wasn't feeling that way. I had been running with fellow Flyer CB since around mile 6, but she was keeping a pace I couldn't stay with, and at around mile 10 I lost sight of her.

I began to get concerned again about my health. The feeling of strength from the first miles had been replaced by a feeling that I might have problems with the heat, even though it wasn't really that hot. With just two miles to go, I dialed it way back to make sure I was OK. When I hit the last mile, I felt more confident and picked it back up.

With less than a mile to go, I passed a runner who was being helped by two others. He was on his feet walking (with assistance), but he did not look good. He had a gash on his forehead that made me suspect that he had taken a fall. He also had that look in his eye like he was not going to give up in the last mile. As I passed, I heard one of the guys helping him say "you alright?" and then the crowd gasped. I looked back and he was on the ground. I'm pretty sure he tried to run again and only made one or two steps. Hopefully he didn't try again.

In the end, my time was 1:40:44 (7:41 pace). Part of me is not satisfied, because I have the feeling that I could have done better, but that part of me is just stupid. It was a PR, beating my previous best from the Brooklyn Half in April by almost 1o minutes (1:50:39).

As for thinking I could do better, I'm going to look at it this way: I've got a faster Half Marathon in me, and I'm looking forward to running it!



Here I am with Flyers JM and TD at the finish. Nobody tired here.

After the race, I saw several flyers, include JM and BS, who I had started with, and CB who had dusted me at the end. A lot of other Flyers were about, including a crew that was handing out the finishers medals. Good times.

The Heat

I went for a lunch hour run yesterday. From the office (well, the gym), I headed south to see if I could scope out the finish line for this weekend's NY Half. I remembered that it was at Rector Street near Battery Park, but if there was a street sign, I didn't spot it. When I reached Battery Park, I turned around and headed back.

About that time, the heat started to get to me. I probably should have slowed down, but for some reason my instincts told me to keep pushing so that I could get out of the heat sooner.

As I passed a slower runner, he asked the time. Then he asked what pace I was going, and decided to pick it up to run with me for a while. I was more than happy for the company. He said he was training for a relay in New Hampshire. "Reach the Beach?", I asked? I felt like a real runner - setting the pace, and knowing about the cool races. He had done the Hood to Coast relay in Oregon, and said it was great. Unfortunately, one of his teammates from that run had passed away, and the rest of the team was running Reach the Beach in his honor.

After a while he dropped back to a slower pace again, and I finished my run alone. When I got back to the gym I was really feeling the heat. Doing my post run stretches, I felt light headed when I stood up from a "head down" stretch. I'm thinking that if I have to run at midday in this heat, I may just stay inside on the treadmill (yuck).

The NY Half on Sunday will start early (7AM), so hopefully it won't be too hot. Right now, the prediction is for an overnight low of 72, with a high of 87. I imagine we'll be feeling the effects of the heat even in the morning. Hopefully it will be closer to 72 than 87...