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TPAin325 and Training in the Winter
17, Oct 2009Before I run next year’s NY Marathon in 3:10, there’s Tampa in 3:25. And today was my third long run to get there. All the biking and strength training I put in during the weeks must really be paying off, because despite the fact that I felt less than up for it this morning, I blasted out 9 miles at a 7:30 pace like it wasn’t even a chore.
And on top of my stiffness and mild headache, today was not a nice day for a run. It was cold, it was windy and I kept feeling stray rain drops pelt me in the eye as I made my way up the west side greenway. Once I hit the turnaround point at 47th street, it was smooth sailing on the way back. All the head-winds became tail-winds and I ran the second half in negative splits.
It’s getting cold. I’ve never trained for a spring marathon before and I expect it to be a wholly different experience, considering the freezing temps accompanied by rain, wind and snow pose a completely different set of challenges than the heat and humidity we face when training for a fall marathon. Thankfully I’ll be in Florida for at least 2 of my long runs (Thanksgiving and Christmas). But other than that I think I really need to do some shopping for winter gear. Here are a few winter gear guides…
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/printer/1,7124,s6-240-320–13004-0,00.html
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/printer/1,7124,s6-240-320–12187-0,00.html
http://running.about.com/od/coldweatherrunning/a/wintergear.htm?p=1
http://www.marathontraining.com/articles/art_5th.html
You can shop for winter gear here…
http://www.google.com/products?q=cold+running+clothes&aq=f
J
NYCin310 State of the Union
14, Sep 2009Hard to believe but it’s been over a month since the nyc half marathon. That was also pretty much the last time in the past month that I took running seriously. I’m not saying that like it’s a bad thing, I probably could use a break. It just seems a little strange after all the work I put in during the first half of the year.
I got in some great runs during the honeymoon, averaging a 4 or 5 miler at least every other day. I really enjoyed carving out my running routes in a completely scenic foreign terrain. The cities of the French Riviera are stunning, which made the runs much less like work and more about enjoying the views.
Immediately following our honeymoon, I was struck with a week’s worth of chills, aches, sweats and various other unpleasantries that have kept me completely sidelined for the last 7 days. On the upside, I feel like it’s a chance for my muscles and joints to completely recover so at least the time off is productive in that sense.
But I can’t wait to get excited about running again. To get myself into good enough shape where I can start setting PRs and generally raising the bar. The next big goal is still pretty far off in the distance (Feb 28th Gasparilla Marathon), so I need some short term goals to work towards.
One of them will be setting some short distance PR’s at the track. I’d like to figure out what my best track times are for the 400M, 800M, 1 Mile and 2 Mile times are. Another one would be completing a triathlon (although we’re technically exiting triathlon season). Plus I have yet to run an up-to-date half marathon PR, which I’d like to do before Gasparilla.
And of course Gasparilla, which will be a pretty steep challenge in and of itself. I’d like to run a 3hr 25min Marathon which is about 15 minutes faster than my current PR. But there’s a lot of good reasons I think I can step up to the plate.
- I shaved about 20 minutes off my time from 2007 to 2008.
- Training through the winter might be easier than summer, not as hot and better for long runs
- And not as ‘busy’ except for the holidays, which are still 50 days before the race.
- We have a full gym in the building, including treadmill. Training has never been so convenient
Hard to believe but it’s been over a month since the nyc half marathon. That was also pretty much the last time in the past month that I took running seriously. I’m not saying that like it’s a bad thing, I probably could use a break. It just seems a little strange after all the work I put in during the first half of the year.
I got in some great runs during the honeymoon, averaging a 4 or 5 miler at least every other day. I really enjoyed carving out my running routes in a completely scenic foreign terrain. The cities of the French Riviera are stunning, which made the runs much less like work and more about enjoying the views.
Immediately following our honeymoon, I was struck with a week’s worth of chills, aches, sweats and various other unpleasantries that have kept me completely sidelined for the last 7 days. On the upside, I feel like it’s a chance for my muscles and joints to completely recover so at least the time off is productive in that sense.
But I can’t wait to get excited about running again. To get myself into good enough shape where I can start setting PRs and generally raising the bar. The next big goal is still pretty far off in the distance (Feb 28th Gasparilla Marathon), so I need some short term goals to work towards.
One of them will be setting some short distance PR’s at the track. I’d like to figure out what my best track times are for the 400M, 800M, 1 Mile and 2 Mile times are. Another one would be completing a triathlon (although we’re technically exiting triathlon season). Plus I have yet to run an up-to-date half marathon PR, which I’d like to do before Gasparilla.
And of course Gasparilla, which will be a pretty steep challenge in and of itself. I’d like to run a 3hr 25min Marathon which is about 15 minutes faster than my current PR. But there’s a lot of good reasons I think I can step up to the plate.
- I shaved about 20 minutes off my time from 2007 to 2008.
- Training through the winter might be easier than summer, not as hot and better for long runs
- And not as ‘busy’ except for the holidays, which are still 50 days before the race.
- We have a full gym in the building, including treadmill. Training has never been so convenient
- There are no hills in Florida and the Feb 28th weather will be perfect
So that’s my state of the runner’s union for right now. Maybe one of the first things to do will be register for the marathon so that I’m fully committed.
J
J
Today’s Indoor Triathlon Session
7, Sep 2009I’m finally making some progress on the swimming front. About a month ago when I started, 100 Meters had me completely out of breath. Today I was able to swim consecutively for about 400M. This is thanks, no doubt, to the fact that I just spent the last 2 weeks at the beach, honeymooning in the South of France where I was able to enjoy a mid-afternoon swim each day. Unfortunately, today’s swim was in the basement of my apartment and not in St. Tropez… in a 60ft pool, which meant 11 laps back and forth.
The 400M of swimming took me just under 11 minutes, which is probably not very quick. My swimming technique is less than perfect I’m sure. But I’m working on it, and plan to watch a few more lessons from the “Total Immersion DVD” in the next few days (thanks again @dnorton).
After I swam, I decided to see what it would be like to go through the motions of a triathlon. I quickly got into some dry clothes and got onto the stationary bike, located in the gym directly above our pool for 20k of cycling. I was cautious about the biking, not quite sure of what it would be like to both swim and bike before running a 5k. I completed the distance in about 39 minutes. Then I ran a 22:30 5k.
I have to say, the whole process was pretty comfortable. I feel like if I practice swimming a little more, I could put up a halfway decent time in a sprint tri or even complete an olympic with a little more work. The big problem is that I’ve gotten myself interested in triathloning at precisely the wrong time, since the season is rapidly coming to a close. If I can’t figure out a way to compete anytime soon, at least it’s a good way to stay in shape while I allow my right ankle’s tendonitis to subside.
J
Swimming for Runners
29, Jul 2009First, a quick training update. On Monday I ran 5 treadmill miles at a pretty decent clip. This is significant because lately I’ve had to take off 2 consecutive days after each of my long runs. But I wanted to test myself out, I wanted to see how well I could do on tired legs and it wasn’t easy but hey, mission accomplished.
On my days off from running I’ve done a nice job of hitting the weights/abs for 10 minutes before and 10 minutes after my biking/elliptical. I feel a big difference already and am glad I’m back to doing strength training alongside the half marathon preparation. And with that I’ll segue into the purpose of this post which is to discuss my interest in learning how to swim… and one of my other goals, which is to eventually attempt a triathlon.
The pool is finally complete in my building. I’ve been told it’s about 60ft end to end. After my workout yesterday I decided to take my first stab at swimming a few laps, which proved to be no easy task. After swimming 5 lengths (about 300ft) I was dead. My arms and chest were burning and I was gasping for air. I took a breather, collected myself and cranked out 4 more lengths (I believe that’s 2 laps, a lap is once back and forth, right?).
So aside from it being exhausting, my big problem with swimming has to do with technique. I don’t like to swim with my face submerged in the water because I can’t quite get the breathing rhythm down. The other problem is that if I swim without watching exactly where I’m going, I have a horrible habit of swimming diagonally which is no good. Here are a few clips that demonstrate proper form, hopefully I’ll catch on sooner than later.
J
Central Park 12 Miler
25, Jul 2009This morning’s 12 miler in Central Park was the kind of run that I live for. The kind of run where you’re prepared for the torture of running a hilly course, on a hot/humid morning, taking on a distance you haven’t committed yourself too in a long time… and you’re able to dig deep and push through, finishing strong.
One of my favorite things about running is the constant opportunity to test how mentally tough you are. The physical aspect is formidable, but the mental tenacity you develop as a runner is something you can use in everyday life. The commitment to finish a long run as you’re pouring sweat, your muscles are aching, and your watching people drop like flys around you… that type of persistence in the face of severe discomfort is badass.
And today was one of the best tests I’ve endured in a while. I did two laps around the park, and after the first brutally hot lap, it would have been so easy to pack it in. When I got home, after showering, stretching and eating, I was channel surfing and stumbled across Ironman Hawaii on NBC. I felt like I was almost able to understand what they were going through as I watched these athletes grit their teeth and suffer through their sport.
J
- In: Training Log
Getting the Groove Back
24, Jul 2009I’ve had some pretty positive workouts over the last week, starting with Sunday’s long run and moving along to Wednesday’s tempo run and yesterday’s speedwork. I’ve also been doing a fair share of cycling and strength training in between which I’m sure has helped. And I’m back on a regular eating schedule: breakfast, lunch and dinner based on the groceries at home.
Is it possible I’m working my way out of a rut? Just in time for the nyc half!
Wednesday’s treadmill tempo run was pretty solid. After warming up a little, I cranked out 3.5 miles at about a 7:05 pace… then finished off with 2 miles at 6:33! It’s been a while since I’ve banged out back to back 6 and a half minute miles, especially after already running 4+ miles. I probably would have gone a little further but I walked away from the treadmill for a few minutes, then came back and all the machines were full.
Then last night, I was running short on time, so I decided to try to fit in as much quality work as possible in a short amount of time. After warming up (I ALWAYS warm up now) I cranked the mph up to 10.8, which is a 5:33 pace. I wanted to see if I could hold it for a full mile and ended up being pretty impressed with myself. I did some treadmill hill work, then a half mile at 5:50 pace, then biked for 15 min.
One of the things I’ve read (I think it’s from Jack Daniels) is that once you break certain barriers in running (ie, marathon completion, 5:30 mile, etc) its always way easier to get yourself back to that level than it was to originally train to that point. Thank god. I would hate to have to repeat all the crazy training I did in the first half of this year just to get back to my new baseline!
J
- In: Training Log
- Tags: cycling, hill training, speedwork, tempo run, treadmill
Prospect Park 11 Miler
21, Jul 2009After 4 hours of cycling through Brooklyn on Saturday I had my doubts about pulling off a long run on Sunday. Then a few Saturday afternoon beers turned into evening beers and I had more serious doubts about a successful Sunday 10-miler. When I walked out the door to 80 degree sunny weather at 11am, I figured my fate was sealed; my long run was going to suck.
The only chance I had of surviving was to load up on fluids and try to find as much shade as possible to run in. That’s when I turned my fate over to the NYC transit system. I decided to play a game of subway roulette.
I entered the 2,3 station at Wall Street. If the uptown train came first, I would take the train to the upper west side, following Riverside Park all the way up into the Bronx. If the downtown train came first I’d go for a run in Prospect Park. Either way I figured, I’d be mostly covered with shade.
The downtown train won and I was on my way to grand army plaza.
Since I had no idea what the mileage was for one full loop around the park I figured I would just run for about 75 minutes and that would be it. Fortunately on the way in, I asked a fellow runner about the distance and he gave me a very precise “3.34 miles.” I was thrilled. That made for an easy way to get in my 10 miles and keep track of my pace along the way.
As I embarked on my run, I started to really enjoy the new scenery, and the abundance of fellow runners in the park, quite different from my usual outer perimeter of Manhattan long run. The hills were somewhat challenging, but never overwhelming, which also made it fun. When I completed my first lap in 24:06 (7:13 splits) I was shocked how easy that pace felt and also a little concerned about keeping it up.
For the next lap, I intentionally slowed down a bit, but still felt pretty great the whole time, completing the lap in 24:36 (7:22 splits). I knew I had a lot left in me for the final lap and paced myself accordingly. I set my sights on a fellow runner who looked to be going 15-20 seconds faster than I was, and vowed to keep him in sight and eventually passed him in the final mile. The lap flew by in 23:40, finishing fast with 7:05’s. I felt so good, I ran a victory mile at the end, but was smart enough to keep the mileage under 12 miles.
Then I pigged out at the Arab-American festival which was going on in the park. I ate 2 grapeleaves, 2 falafel and a spinach pie on my walk out of the park, the perfect end to a perfect run.
J
GA Running + Brooklyn Biking
19, Jul 2009My training schedule this week was sucky, but what else is new!
I had some good treadmilling on Tuesday morning. Then Wednesday, I left the apartment at 6:30am for a business trip down to Atlanta. I had a granola bar in the morning and somehow didn’t eat a thing until 5:3opm, so an evening run wasn’t really an option. I woke up Thursday morning after 10 solid hours of sleep and banged out about 5 miles in the Buckhead suburbs.
I don’t know how runners in the ATL do it. It’s hot and humid like Florida… but with hills, and lots of them. I was dying, 3 miles in. Then after getting home late on Thursday night, Friday was pretty much shot. Finally, on Saturday morning I redeemed myself with a 40 mile bike ride through Brooklyn.
I started at Battery Park, went over the Brooklyn Bridge and worked my way down to Prospect Park. From Prospect Park I followed the Ocean Parkway all the way down to Neptune, and continued east along the Belt Parkway bike path which brought me all the way to Canarsie Pier. Half way back, I was spent, but I finished the job. I have some pics and a map that I’ll post later.
J
Tuesday Treadmill Tempo Run
14, Jul 2009I rocked it this morning, not sure how or why, but I did. Maybe its because lauren persuaded me to do my run on the treadmill, rather than outdoors. Its been so long since I’ve treadmilled, that I forgot how much easier it is. Either way, it was a big confidence booster to effortlessly bang out a 10k with 7 minute splits, whilst still in bachelor party recovery mode.
Maybe I’ve found the solution to my dreaded outdoor morning runs. Maybe its better to just hit the gym and do them on the treadmill. It’s an easier run, I can pre-set the pace and just go with it and I don’t have to worry about the terrain (see ankle twist, 2 weeks ago). And at least that way if nature calls, I’m a few quick paces from the locker room!
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J
Wednesday Night at the East 6th St Track
9, Jul 2009Some good workouts spaced a little too far apart, add in some work/life craziness and some unlucky injuries and that’s about where I am right now with my half marathon training program. I have no doubt i’ll be able to get through the distance at a comfortable pace, but I can feel the speed I worked so hard to build up slipping out from under me.
It kind of sucks but I just have to keep telling myself that I’ve made some amazing gains this year and that when I need to get serious about running again its not going anywhere. That being said I had a pretty good run yesterday.
- 2.5 mile slow tempo run to the east 6th track
- 2 sets each of pull-ups, dips and push-ups at the fitness park
- 4×400’s averaging 1:16
- 2 more sets each of pull-ups, dips and push-ups
- Then a cool-down 2.5 mile jog on the way back
I bumped into @runanskyrun at the track, he was training with the Paragon group. They run a weekly Wednesday night speed session there. I’ve never seen the track so busy, and although it was somewhat challenging to do speed-work while sharing the track with about 200 people, it was pretty cool to be around so many enthusiastic runners.
J
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