Archive for June, 2009

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Race Wrap-Up: Achilles Hope & Possibility 5 Miler

30, Jun 2009

Sunday’s Achilles 5-Miler in Central Park was different from a lot of recent races I’ve run… for plenty of reasons. I was “recruited” to run this race as part of a fundraising team, the TD Foundation www.tdfoundation.org. It wasn’t a race I would have planned on including in my schedule, but I’m really glad we did it (and extra glad I “recruited Lauren to join me). I think about all the hard work I put in to my racing… and then I look at the athletes with disabilities and it makes my own personal sacrifices seem almost trivial.

Achilles Hope & Possibility 5 Mile Central Park

Lauren and I ran this race together, and agreed we were going out there to have fun, no expectations. It felt really nice to go out and run a race without any of the pressure of setting a PR. Especially since I’m recovering from a slight ankle sprain, and this was my first day back running.

The organization of the race itself had a very different feel than many of the other NYRR races in Central Park. It was a little looser than some of the other events I’ve participated in lately. The pre-race instructions were unintelligible, as the sound system was not exactly working quite right. The front starting corrals, or rather 5, 6, and 7 minute-per-mile flags were set up to accommodate way more speedsters than were in the crowd. But the fact that it wasn’t that crowded made for a really fun race….

23 Tips For Half Marathon Training & Racing

24, Jun 2009

I carefully read each and every article in the Runner’s World vault for half marathon training and condensed it down to 23 tips (17 on training and 6 on racing). The full articles can be read here: http://tr.im/HalfMarathonRW

Enjoy.

TRAINING

1. Use long tempos to learn how to gauge your energy and get your legs used to the pounding. Get comfortable with lactic acid build-up.

2. In the high mileage month before your race, slow down your non-running activities. If you’re lifting or cross training 3 to 4 times a week, cut it down to two or three sessions.

3. Focus less on your projected finish time and more on the training process as a whole.

4. Take a 10-K training model and extend it out, or use a marathon program and take down the long runs a bit.

5. Cut back interval training to twice a month. Run longer intervals with shorter recovery times.

6. Interval Workout: Try two miles at half-marathon pace, one mile at 10-K pace, and a half mile at 5-K pace. Then repeat the sequence.

7. Don’t try to PR in the workout every single time.

8. Training is practice for the real thing and you’ve got to expect you’re going to screw up sometimes.

9. If you go out too hard on tempo runs, it’s good practice for when you go out too fast in a race and have to regroup.

10. If you want to run fast on the roads, skip the track and do your interval workouts on the roads. Find a course where its easy to map out specific shorter distance markers.

11. Come up with a training plan that you can follow without a lot of hassle.

12. Taper for two weeks. This will ensure that you step up to the starting line rested, injury-free, and ready to reach your goal time.

Tips #13 thru 23 after the jump….

Morning Run Masochism, Part 2

23, Jun 2009

The sequel is always worse.

My second attempt at a morning run was doomed from the beginning. Lauren and I didn’t get home until around 8:30pm last night. Nothing wrong with that except it means our dog Charlie was home alone for too many hours. Which means she slept a lot. Which lead her to wake up at 5:17am, about an hour and 15 minutes earlier than I had planned on waking up.

holiday 08 079

When Charlie wakes up, she wants everyone to know she’s awake, so trying to sleep through it is mostly worthless. By 5:30am, I decided to cut my losses and get an early start to the morning. This might have been the only good decision I made, pertaining to this morning’s run.

I followed my own guidelines for morning running that I posted last week. I laid out my shoes and clothes. I set aside a water bottle, caffeine shot, vitamins, advil and an apple. I had my ipod and stopwatch out. Getting ready went off without a hitch and within 15 minutes I was out the door, walking for a few blocks and pausing to stretch on the street corners.

I began to run. My body didn’t feel great, but it was better than last time. I definitely had some cobwebs in the head, but I think I’m finally starting to work out the kinks from too many days of vacationing and poor eating. Then after about a mile it hit me. I had forgotten to partake in one of the cardinal rules of a morning run. I forgot to take a dump.

I hope you continue reading out of morbid curiosity.

“No worries” I thought. I was heading up to the east 6th st track and there’s a men’s room right by the entrance. I’ll lighten my load and then proceed with my track workout. By the time I got there, it was about 6:20am. I read the signs posted around the track.

The bathrooms don’t open until 8am. Shit.

This required a quick assessment of the situation. I walked over to the ladies room in hopes that maybe it was left open from the night before. Then I jogged around looking for port-a-potties. I even scouted out some secluded corners of the park, which I’m embarrassed to admit I even considered…

Manhattan Perimeter Bike Loop

22, Jun 2009

I wish I had the patience to type out instructions for my Manhattan perimeter bike loop, but I just don’t. This post has been sitting in my drafts for 2 months. So I’ll publish the photo-only version. If you have any questions about a specific leg, just ask and I’ll spell it out for you!

manhattan-perimeter-bike-01a1

NYC Chase Corporate Challenge Video

21, Jun 2009

Here’s the highlight reel from the JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge…

J

Training for NYC with a Spring Marathon

20, Jun 2009

It’s been a while since I’ve given much thought to the idea of running 26.2 miles. So far this year, I’ve been wrapped up in racing 5ks/10ks and now, training for a half marathon. Even the 13.1 seems daunting right now, since I’ve been slacking a little in the workout department and stuffing my face with foods a runner shouldn’t touch with a 10ft pole.

Let me remind everyone that I’m not attempting my 3hr 10min NY Marathon this year. I’m attempting to Boston qualify in NYC 2010, which means that I still have plenty of time to get on the ball. And despite a recent plateau I’m in much better shape than I’ve ever been before.

Now before I dive back into the NY Marathon with an anticipated improvement of 30 minutes, I’ve decided that I first need to dip my proverbial toe back in the pond. So I’d like to split the difference by running about 3:25 in an early-spring marathon. Now… when and where to do it?

I’ve run the Miami Half before (www.ingmiamimarathon.com), so I considered running the full race distance early next year. But Miami is on January 31st and I get back from my honeymoon the second week in September. That leaves me enough time to train, but barely. I also considered the Disney Marathon (http://tr.im/Disney26) which is on January 10th, but the other factor I’m up against is the cost of hotel and travel.

So I need an early spring marathon that’s in a snowbird state and won’t cost me more than the price of entry and an airline ticket. Pretty strict criteria, where am I going to find that? Easy. Crash with my parents in sunny St. Petersburg, FL and run the Gasparilla Marathon in Tampa on February 28th (www.tampabayrun.com).

Not only is this a perfect race for me in terms of timing and expenses, but Gasparilla is an exciting time in Tampa, complete with…

Achilles 5 Miler – Help Me Raise Funds

19, Jun 2009

I still need your help.

https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=234836&supId=258430466

I’m running the Achilles Hope & Possibility 5-Miler in Central Park on June 28th. This event brings together able-bodied runners and athletes with disabilities, many of whom are recent veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s sure to be an inspiring day.

Please consider making a small donation to this cause, $5 would be enough. Remember, I post all of this great content every week, ad free. I don’t ask for much, just the occaisional contribution to my fundraising activities! Here it is again:

https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=234836&supId=258430466

Thanks!

J

Chase Corporate Challenge Results

18, Jun 2009

Interestingly enough, it turns out this was a relatively slow year for the NYC Chase Corporate Challenge. I mean, with my 21:25 I’m in no position to call anyone out, but take a look at the Top 10 from 2009 vs. 2008…

2009 MEN
1 Jeffrey Rios 17:29 DAVIS LANGDON
2 Matthew Forys 17:37 BLACKROCK
3 Sean Swift 17:45 JP MORGAN CHASE & CO.
4 Aidan Walsh 17:46 THE RUNNING COMPANY
5 David Sorensen 17:48 D. E. SHAW & CO.
6 Frank Corrigan 17:51 THOMSON REUTERS
7 Chris Delaubenfels 17:56 UFT RUNNERS-DOE
8 Jacob Gomez 18:00 MEMORIAL SLOAN-KETTERING
9 Chris English 18:03 LEVY & HALPERIN, LLP
10 Larry Contrella 18:10 BANK OF AMERICA

Now compare that to the 2008 results, where all the Top 10 men broke 18 minutes. Also interesting that the top competitors from 2008 barely appear in the 2009 results…

2008 MEN
1 Matthew Forys 17:25 BLACKROCK
2 Karl Dusen 17:28 AIG INVESTMENTS
3 Francis Corrigan 17:30 THOMSON REUTERS
4 Ryan Hays 17:36 LEVY & HALPERIN
5 Ben Reynolds 17:42 MERRILL LYNCH & CO.
6 Chris Ellis-Ferrara 17:51 ALLIANCEBERNSTEIN LP
7 Mark Olivier 17:54 TEAM PFIZER (PGRD)
8 Chris English 17:57 LEVY & HALPERIN
9 John Traugott 17:58 CREDIT SUISSE
10 Dean Charette 17:59 UBS

Same thing with the women, the top 2009 woman was 13 seconds slower than ’08s winner, and this year’s number 10 woman was 19 seconds slower than her counterpart in 2008…

Morning Run Masochism

17, Jun 2009

“This is me at my most masochistic.”
Kill Bill (2003)

That’s the thought that kept running through my head as I embarked on the first mile of my run this morning.

As I suspected, waking up at 6:40am was no problem. All my running gear was neatly laid out, including a bottled water, a vitamin, 2 ibuprofen, and a caffeinated Powerbar gel. Per somebody’s recommendation, I hopped in the shower quickly to wake up/warm up, and then proceeded to dress and ingest.

All in all the routine took about 12 minutes. I did some quick stretching on my way downstairs in the elevator and once I made it down to the street I walked for about 2 blocks, periodically stopping to stretch a little more. Then I started running at about 6:56am, only 16 minutes after waking up.

I had high hopes, but really I just felt like shit.

Today was scheduled to be an interval day. I continued to feel shitty as I ran up the east river towards the E. 6th St Track. I just felt really stiff, like my running form looked arthritic. Mentally I enjoyed watching the Brooklyn skyline at sunrise, and I was proud of myself for being out there though.

As I approached the track I decided to pull into the “fitness park” where I earned some extra tough guy points with a quick circuit of pull-ups, dips and pushups. Then it was off to the track for some 400’s….

Tips For Running In The Morning

16, Jun 2009

I read a great article the other day, I wish I could remember where. It was about a boxer. He went out of his way to wake up a 4am to begin his training sessions. He said he liked the idea that while his opponents were sleeping, he was preparing himself for battle. And with that being said…

I’ve found it much harder to make time for running these days. So difficult in fact that I’m considering scheduling some of my runs… in the morning. There I said it.

This is a big step for me, I’ve made serious efforts to avoid morning running so far. I’ve dedicated many a lunch time to tempo and interval sessions. I’ve cancelled plans with friends after work so that I can get my runs in. But I think it’s finally inevitable, so tomorrow morning, I’m waking up at 6:30am and jogging down to the track for 400M repeats.

I’m really not bad at the waking up part. That’s fine. The big problem for me is just the way that my body feels when I run before work. The normal wear and tear pains seem amplified. The motor skills required for running just seem much less natural. I’ve scoured the internet for tips, so here are some of the highlights. Forgive me if they’re too obvious. And again, since the actual waking up part is not a problem for me, I’ve omitted those from the results…

1. Go to bed early. The better rested you are, the better you’ll feel

2. Prepare the coffee maker so that all you have to do when you wake up is turn it on. Drink a cup of coffee with some water while getting dressed.

3. Alternately, have another source of…


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