38 Days in a Row and Counting

This streak is not intentional.  I just seem to end up doing them whenever I'm training for a marathon.

On Sunday, I decided to do a long run since I wasn't able to do the long run with Niketown on Saturday, due to the Harlem 5K.  I met up with Farbod and Lou, and we ran down the West Side Highway bike path.  Along the way, we met up with Chuck.  We ended up running down to the tip of Manhattan and running up the east side.  I finally ran out of energy near the 6th Street track, after 15.5 miles.  I had to stop and walk to the train.

When I got home, I bought a bag of ice, dumped it in my tub, and sat in it for 15 minutes.

Yesterday (Monday), I felt like running on a track, so I ran down to Riverbank State Park.  I did 4x200 with a 200m jog in between.  Just enough to remind my legs what it's like to run at mile race pace.  After that, I ran down to the West Side Y.  I did another 7.5 mile with the WSY Running Club, along the West Side Highway bike path.  My grand total was 15.5 miles for the second day in a row.

Percy Sutton Harlem 5K

My NYRR bib has shown a pace of 5:55 on it since 2009.  The last time I ran a 5K race or longer with a pace under 5:55/mile was in 2002.  That finally changed this past Saturday.  It helped that the course wasn't nearly as hilly as the course for the Coogan's 5K.  I was actually hoping to run under 18:00.  However, the humidity and my position in the corral probably hurt my chances.  Still, it was a satisfying race.

My splits were 5:57, 5:51, 5:43.  I had a mental letdown in the last 1/2 mile.  I thought I saw the finish line, but it was actually just a blue sign that said "Harlem."  I hadn't even reached the 3-mile marker.  Once I realized my mistake, I couldn't pick up the pace again and just cruised across the finish line about 30 seconds later.  The results of this race makes me want to train for shorter races and race on a flat course.  I'd really love to do the Carlsbad 5000 in San Diego but will probably have to wait until 2014.  I can just feel the fast twitch muscle fibers in my legs slowly deteriorating.  

The WSY men's team did great, 10th place overall (2nd in the Open B division) and 8th in the Masters division.  

No break yet

The streak continues.  33 days and counting.  On Saturday, I ran 13 miles with Niketown.  Then, on Sunday, I ran the NYRR Long Training Run #2.  I was hoping to make 16 miles with the 7:00/mile group if I felt good.  However, the weather was so nice that morning, I decided to take advantage of the day and run farther.  On the final 4-mile loop, I decided to run on my own.  One other runner came with me and together we caught up to another runner, who stayed with us.  By the 18th mile, I realized I should have probably stopped after 16 miles, but by then, it was too late.  The last couple of miles were a struggle.

According to my watch, I ran 20.4 miles in 2:20.  That worked out to 6:53/mile.  I don't think I could have kept up that pace for another 6 miles.  Obviously, I need more training if I expect to run a 3:05 marathon.

Time for a Break

I ran 13 miles on Saturday, 6 miles on Sunday, 9.5 miles (8x Cat Hill) on Monday, and 6 miles yesterday.  This was on top of some tough workouts last week.  I felt like I struggled getting through Monday's hill workout.  I ran 5 miles through a thunderstorm on my own, and my legs felt extremely sluggish.  There was a tempo run scheduled for today's West Side Y's workout, but there was no way I could run at tempo pace today.  Instead, I ran another 5 miles with Benny and Denie.  I ended up running faster than I thought I could.

I knew I hadn't taken a day off in awhile.  But I was a little surprised at how long it's been.  Today was my 26th day of running, in a row!  I think it's about time for a day off.

Times Squqre #first2fly

Our tribute to the closing ceremonies for the 2012 Olympics on Sunday.

 Chuck, Denie, Farbod, and Me.

 Elmo doesn't look ready to run.

Trying to avoid traffic in Times Square.

I thought Elmo was just promoting his character.  But as soon as the picture was taken, he asked me for money.  

Tempo Run

Tough run tonight.  I'm tired of this humidity already!  I did a mile warm up, ran a 4-mile tempo @6:33/mile.  I ran a slow mile for a slight recovery.  Then I ran another 4-mile tempo @6:32/mile and a one mile cool down.

What made this run particularly tough was the workouts I did the past three days.  I did a 10.5 mile run on Sunday, 10x400m repeats on Monday, and 10 loops of Strawberry Fields yesterday.  I need a day off.

Team Championships

80 degrees and 87% humidity at 8:00a.m.?!  I was hoping for a sub-30:00 5-mile, but the weather changed my goals.  I ended up running 30:45 with splits of 6:07, 6:01, 6:09, 6:23, 6:05 for an average of 6:09/mile.  The first couple of miles were OK.  As I crossed the 2-mile marker, I was thinking that it was taking a lot more energy to run 6:00/mile than it should.  The fourth mile included Cat Hill and was  brutal.  I usually don't grab water at the fluid stations, but I grabbed some on this day.  I was so glad to finish this race.

Nike Flyknit Racers

On Monday, I went on my first official run in the Flyknit Racers.  I did 10 repeats on the Strawberry Fields hill.  The Flyknits felt good, extremely light, of course.  I could not quite sense whether the shoes had enough cushion for me since I only ran a total of about 3 slow miles on my warm up and cool down. But they definitely have more cushion than the Lunar Spider or the Zoom Streak.  I think the true test will come on Saturday in the Team Championships 5-mile race.

Yesterday, I ran 3 lower loops with the Niketown Run Club.  We did "lamppost pick-ups."  I've been assigned to pace a group of runners who are trying to do a 8:30/mile marathon.  It was very satisfying to see runners working hard to finish the workout.

I've done two 50+ mile weeks and feel like my marathon training is going OK.  My long run has only been 12 miles, so I feel I am a little behind in that regard.  And I will be missing the long run this Saturday because I'll be running the Team Championships.  But I'm not too worried.

#first2fly

I was fortunate enough to pick up a pair of Flyknit Racers today.  I have only tried them on and haven't run in them yet.  Soon.  Very soon.  The fit is awesome!  I can't get over the feel of the upper.  In terms of cushioning, I would say they are not as spongy as the Lunar Racers but with more cushion than the Zoom Streak or Lunar Spider.

Nike Flyknits

I'm hoping to get a pair of these when they come out.  I tried them out in Eugene, OR, and they felt incredibly light and fit really well.

Nike Flyknits

800 Repeats Again!!!

As if yesterday's workout wasn't enough, I did 800 repeats again.  But today, they included Cat Hill.  No more speed workouts for this week!

800m Repeats

Yesterday was quite possibly the worst weather I've experienced this summer.  (I missed a few days of the last heat wave because I was in Oregon.)  I really didn't pay much attention to my splits.  I just wanted to get the workout over with.  But here are the splits anyway.  2:55, 2:45, 2:42, 2:42, 2:42, 2:48.  Got a nice surprise and ran into Erika right before the workout.

Olympic Track & Field Trials

Hayward Field, Eugene OR

I had the privilege of watching two days of the Olympic Track & Field Trials in Eugene, OR.  The men's and women's 1500 finals were excellent races.  Leo Manzano won the men's race.  Seeing a guy who is only 5'5" out kicking everyone else down the homestretch was incredible.  No trip to Eugene would be complete without a trip to see Pre's Rock.  

Pre's Rock

After the trials were over, we drove up to Portland.  I discovered Voo Doo Donuts and was quickly sent into a sugar induced coma by a ginormous apple fritter.  Got a tour of the Nike campus.  That place is amazing!  

A box of Voo Doo Donuts

Nike Campus

Denie, Josh, and Me

Statue of Michael Johnson

Track on Nike Campus

Trees growing on the infield!

How cool is that?!

Queensboro Bridge

On my way from Niketown to the Queensboro Bridge this morning.  I was standing on a corner with a group of runners.  Some guy who looked like he was in his late 20s reached for my hand and says, "Hey, I think you were my teacher."  I immediately recognized him but could not recall his name.  I'm guessing it had to be over 10 years since the last time I saw him.  It may have even been as many as 17 years.  I always feel bad when I can't remember a former student's name.

Incidentally, I ran across the bridge FOUR times.

Brooklyn Half Marathon

And the good races continue!  1:22:32 (6:18/mile).  The day began at 3:30 a.m.  By 4:30 a.m., I was on the train.  At 5:40 a.m., I was stepped off the train at the Brooklyn Museum.  I hung out with a few friends in the parking lot of the museum.  Then, I dropped off my bag at 6:15 and did a 1/2-mile warm up.    I was in my corral by 6:30.

Fellow West Side Y'ers Farbod and Lou joined me in the corral.  I felt uncomfortable for the first couple of miles.  I wasn't warmed up properly and despite the slow pace, I felt awkward and the pace felt difficult.  Both Lou and Farbod mentioned that they were not going to pass me, or at least for the first few miles.  It was nice running with people I knew.  

We entered the park in the middle of Mile 4.  By that time, I finally felt like I was warmed up.  The hills in the park weren't too bad, but I was still anxious to get out of the park.  When I got out of the park (after Mile 7) I felt like I was in a groove and ready to take on Ocean Parkway.  

By Mile 8, Lou had pulled away from me a bit.  When I hit Mile 9, I remember thinking I haven't gone on any 10 mile runs lately.  At Mile 10, I thought I was on 1:23 pace but I wasn't sure.  Once I hit Mile 11, I knew I could keep up the pace.  For the most part, I was slowly passing people for all of Ocean Parkway.  When I got onto the boardwalk and approached the finish, I thought I could see the clock showing 1:22 something.  I was excited about the prospect of breaking 1:23:08 (my fastest time for the half since I became a masters runner), so I started running pretty hard.  It wasn't until a couple seconds after I crossed the line and I stopped my watch that I realized I broke 1:23 by a large margin.  

My splits:

1. 6:41

2. 6:35

3. 6:21 (estimated)

4. 6:07 (estimated)

5. 6:25

6. 6:24

7. 6:10

8. 6:13

9. 6:09

10. 6:12

11. 6:16

12. 6:14

13. 6:07

13.1  0:38

My 5K splits:

5K  20:10

10K  19:45

15K  19:12

20K  19:20

Japan Day

I've been running some good races lately.  

Coogan's 5K in 18:22.  (5:56/mile)

NYC Half in 1:23:33.  (6:23/mile)

NY Colon Cancer Challenge 15K in 59:35.  (6:25/mile)

Scotland 10K in 38:15.  (6:11/mile)

Run as One 4 Mile in 23:44.  (5:56/mile)
Long Branch Half Marathon 1:24:17 (6:27/mile)

And now, I'm going to add today's Japan Day 4 mile in 24:05.  (6:02/mile)  It wasn't quite as good as the Run as One 4 Mile but good enough for me.  These were my splits: 6:09, 5:53, 6:08, 5:56

Scotland 10K

Time: 38:15

Pace/Mile: 6:11

Overall Place: 191st

Men: 180th

Age Place: 23rd

Splits: 6:14, 6:09, 6:05, 6:23, 6:02, 6:06.

Nice weather for a race. I'm not sure where that 6:23 mile came from. I felt pretty good throughout the race. I probably lost a few seconds in the first mile because I got stuck behind people.

So far this year, despite my plantar fasciitis issues, I'm doing about the same as I did last year. My Coogan's time was exactly the same as last year, 18:22. My Scotland 10K was a little faster last year, 37:57. I wish my foot pain would go away so that I could train properly.

The West Side YMCA men finished in 11th place out of 55 teams. The women finished 22nd out of 43 teams. The masters men finished 14th out of 49 teams.

Colon Cancer Challenge 15K

I spent all of last week recovering from the 20-mile training run last Sunday. So I went into today's race thinking I would simply use it as a training run.

Splits:

1. 6:33

2. 6:07

3. 6:58

4. 6:18

5. 6:24

6. 6:21

7. 6:14

8. 6:24

9. 6:21

Total: 59:35 (6:25/mile)

NYC Half Marathon

Even though the NYC Half was two weeks ago, it's still fresh in my mind. My plantar fasciitis is still affecting my training. So I wasn't expecting much from myself in the race. I thought I had an outside shot at 1:25. But it went much better than expected. These were my splits:

1. 6:35

2. 6:38

3. 6:22

4. 6:26

5. 6:28

6. 6:15

7. 6:18

8. 6:22

9. 6:22

10. 6:22

11. 6:19

12. 6:17

13. 6:11

Total: 1:23:33 (6:23/mile)

Splits for each 5K:

5K 20:17

10K 19:52

15K 19:43

20K 19:35

Lower Loop Time Trial

Monday: 8 miles

Week: 8 miles

Workout: 2.5 mile warm up, 2 lower loops, 2 mile cool down

My splits were 6:14, 6:07, 6:00 for the first 3 miles on the lower loops. Back, legs, and shoulders were all still sore from Saturday's dodgeball games. So I was happy with today's workout. I don't know if these shoes made me any faster, but it felt like they did.

Long Run

Sunday: 15 miles

Week: 43 miles

Workout: 186th Street - West Side Hwy bike path - 40th Street and back to 181st Street

My body was sore from playing dodgeball and lifting weights the day before.

Long Run

15 miles with Lou and Charlie. 1:52. Ran through Inwood Hill Park, Van Cortlandt Park, and Riverdale. There were a lot of hills! Lou's dog Charlie is amazing.

Easy Run Plus Some Hills

Today: 6 miles

Week: 6 miles

Workout: 5.5 mile warm up, 6 x Strawberry Fields Hill with slow jog down the hill as a recovery.

Oh My Achin' Back!

I don't know what I did to my back, but it's killing me! One minute I'm sitting down enjoying Christmas, and the next minute I can barely walk. I decided to go to the doctor on Thursday. It's only a block away from my apartment. On my way there, a woman who looked to be about 80 years old was walking faster than I was, and she had a cane! The doctor said she thought it was a muscle spasm and would probably go away in 3 days or so. It does feel better today but not good enough to try running yet.

But good enough to go to the Giants-Cowboys game tonight!!!

Christmas Run

Today: 6 miles

Week: 21.5 miles

Workout: Fort Tryon and Inwood Hill Park run.

Burned a few calories and now, about to consume 5x as much as I just burned off.

Yesterday: 9 miles

Week: 15.5 miles

Workout: NTNY - 65th - E. Drive - 102nd - W. Drive - around top of park, down E. Drive - right on 72nd - lower loop - 1 mile of course in reverse. Then another lower loop.

Plantar fasciitis has been acting up again.

Strawberry Fields Loops

Monday: 6.5 miles

Week: 6.5 miles

Workout: Lower loop, then run from YMCA - Strawberry Fields - run hard for 25 minutes - return to YMCA.

Usually, my first loop is very slow. However, since I warmed up in advance of the workout, I was ready to go relatively quickly on the first loop. My splits were 2:35, 2:38, 2:38, 2:36, 2:37, 2:33, 2:35, 2:32, 2:29, 2:19. I ran with Lou for the entire workout.

This is one of my favorite workouts.

Urbanathlon

I'm supposed to be tapering for the marathon, but I couldn't resist doing the Urbanathlon this morning. It was about 9 miles of running, a bunch of obstacles, temperature in the 40s, and rain. Obstacles included 5 foot high hurdles, monkey bars, parallel bars, stairs at Arthur Ashe Stadium, using cargo nets to climb over a bus, and stairs at Citi Field.

Long Run

I ran 22 miles yesterday morning. The route began at Niketown, went to the FDR, ran around the bottom of Manhattan, up the west side to 125th Street, and back down to 59th. The workout was supposed to end there at about 19 miles, but I had my heart set on doing at least 20. So I went back up the west side for about a half mile, came back, and then ran back to Niketown via the bottom part of the lower loop in Central Park.

The wind on the Hudson was really strong on the way back to 59th. This was my only 20+ mile of the year. Usually, I do at least 3 if I'm training for the marathon. Maybe, I won't taper as much as I normally do since my marathon training schedule was shortened this year.

I was accepted into the "locally competitive start" this year. I've never applied for that before. I'm looking forward to the separate staging area, especially the bathrooms! Hopefully, the lines won't be as long. The bathroom lines in the regular staging areas are so long, I get in line BEFORE I need to use the bathroom because, by the time I get to the bathroom, I need it.

It's Been Awhile

5th Avenue Mile

Grete's Gallop Half Marathon

Well, it's been quite some time since my last post. Not much has actually happened since my last post. Where to begin? I'm registered for the NYC Marathon but wasn't too sure I'd be running because I've had a bad case of plantar fasciitis. And even though the cortisone shot I got at the end of August worked, I didn't think I had enough time to get back into marathon shape. However, in the middle of September, I went on an 18-mile run in Van Cortlandt Park. It was at a very slow pace, but it made me realize that I could probably finish the marathon, albeit at a slower pace.

On September 24th, I ran the 5th Avenue Mile in 5:12 without any speed work. That was encouraging. The day after that I ran 16 miles in Central Park @7:52/mile. Another boost to my confidence. Last weekend, I ran Grete's Gallop Half Marathon in 1:28:52, with these splits:

1. 6:58

2. 6:49

3. 6:44

4. 6:34

5. 6:56

6. 6:36

7. 6:40

8. 6:46

9. 6:45

10. 6:38

11. 6:46

12. 6:27

13. 6:31

I was planning to run 1:30, so I was very satisfied. The only problem was that I ran in racing flats and aggravated my plantar fasciitis. As a result, I took all of last week off.

Yesterday I ran 17 miles, running across the Queensboro Bridge 6 times! My foot was killing me after the run. I was all set to skip the marathon. But I woke up today and the pain had decreased substantially!

So, the bottom line is that I'm not in great shape, but as long as the pain in my foot is manageable, I plan on running the marathon. I'm just going to have to adjust my goals.

Today: 10 miles

Week: 23.5 miles

Workout: 5 miles @9:00 a.m. with Niketown. Across Queensboro Bridge once. 5 miles at 1:30 p.m. on my own in Central Park.

After the Niketown workout, I still felt good. So I did some miles on my own. I'm still holding out hope that I may be able to run the NYC Marathon. But with only 9 weeks left and my heel still a little sore, I'm prepared to skip the marathon.