Yoga? Yes, Yoga

I gave it a shot … and … I kind of dug it.  Actually, last night was not my first attempt at yoga.  A couple of weeks ago was the maiden voyage in the comforts (and security) of our living room.  I am certainly not ready to go public with my nascent yoga skills … not even sure what I have can be considered a skill.  I pulled down a video my wife recorded eons ago that is still on the DVR.  Not sure how it’s survived the various purges and power outages, but it’s still there.  It must be fate.  I think it was from Fit TV.  It’s been so long that the website doesn’t even have a video clip of it anymore.  She also has yoga DVDs which might be helpful.  I’ll need to check them out.

My initial impressions are that the stretching and especially, breathing, are good for me.  Regarding the latter, I recently acknowledged something that comes to no surprise to those who know me very well (wife, kids, etc.) … I am wound pretty tight in temperament.  Most folks would say that running should provide stress relief for me.  Nope.  Well, maybe, but probably nope.  Subconsciously and physically, the all the benefits of vigorous exercise certainly apply to me (as well as anyone partaking in consistent workouts).  However, my personality is such that I tend to obsess over most everything.  Not in an OCD way, but I tend to lock in to work, play and even family stuff more than is probably advisable.  Toss in a healthy competitive streak and viola … running is not a zen-inducing activity.  I love it, but it’s not the relaxer that you would imagine.

Despite not being comfortable with the poses, I did find that the breathing did bring about a measure of calm.  I think that’s the point, no.  Regarding the stretching, I know that’s great for me. This particular video involves heavy hamstring and hip stretching.  Up until recently, I paid little attention to either area.  The masseuse mentioned that my hammy’s were as tight as a drum.  Therefore, I’ve been actively stretching more and now these yoga poses bring more of a focus on hamstrings.  The video is only 30 minutes so I will likely run through it once or twice a week.  Since we are on the subject of XT, I’m still debating the spin class.  I spoken with a couple of teammates who have given me mixed reviews based on their experiences.  For now, I’ll stick to private yoga with the shades drawn and when everyone in my family gone or asleep.

A Survey of Prospect Park – Brooklyn

I’m still trying to convince myself we’ve moved past Winter … lots of fits and starts in the northeast.  Forget Spring, this weekend brought us a healthy dose of Summer.  Yesterday was uncomfortable, but certainly tolerable and in a month or two, desirable.  If you are an outdoor athlete of any sort and you didn’t get it done early today, then you paid a steep price.  At 8am it was 68* w/ 70% humidity.  Bleh.  At 5pm it was 85* w/ 56% humidity.  Just nasty business for May.

At any rate, my plan included switching up the route to the friendly confines of Prospect Park, Brooklyn.  Sorry, as usual the focus was running and no pics.    Below is an old one from my last running tour of BK in prep for the Al Gordon Snowflake 5k in February 2009.

Grand Army Plaza at the entrance of Prospect Park

Since it’s been forever and then some since my last run in PP and with the Brooklyn HM approaching on May 22^nd, I figured this morning would be a great opportunity to survey the terrain.  By reputation, PP boasts undulating hills, but without the magnitude of grade changes of Central Park.  Still, it’s best to feel those hills first hand rather than rely on a foggy memory.  Friendly folks in BK … no surprise, as most New Yorkers are friendly when you approach them.  I would say the split between walkers and runners was fairly even.  It was very nice to see lots of older folks trying to get into shape.  Goodness knows we need more of that from the little shorties all the way up!

After transportation mishaps (major subway lines were down) that delayed the start of my run by 45 minutes, I hit the watch at 8am for a double loop of the PP.  Note, PP is a “normal” sized, but beautiful park … about 3 miles for the outer loop w/ nooks, crannies and alternate routes within.  The first 7 miles of the BK HM calls for a double loop of PP and this was what I intended to tackle this morning.  The balance of the HM route is a straight shoot towards Coney Island and the boardwalk … this terrain is allegedly flat-ish.  I didn’t feel like navigating stoplights, traffic and such so I left the street portion of the route alone.

I’m glad I slogged thru the 10+ yesterday because I would have been annoyed if I trudged all the way to BK to have another craptastic run.  Thankfully, the legs and lungs were in harmony for the most part … still remnants of this cold lurking around the sinuses and chest.  My pacing early gave me a sense of relief that I managed the last 2-3 days of recovery well.

Mile 1	9:13
Mile 2	8:23
Mile 3	8:04
Mile 4	8:28
Mile 5	8:19
Mile 6	7:59
Mile 7	7:42

It ended up being 2 mini progressions.  I had to ramp back up after mile 3 due to a restroom break.  Also, since it was getting warm I hydrated pretty much at every fountain (~every 2 miles) that I approached.  I know how important hydration is but even brief breaks from running throw me off and I have trouble assessing the run overall.  Meaning, that I won’t physically stop running during a race (lunge for water cups instead) so in my warped mind, breaks make the run less meaningful … stopping is a sign of weakness, etc.  I know that’s not rational (and a dangerous view of the world), but I’m just being honest.

Question: How do you view stops/breaks during the context of analyzing a run?

12x400s

The title says it all.  That was the “appetizer” workout this week ahead of the “real” workout on Thursday with CPTC.  We met up at the Armory again.  As insane as it may sound, I was very much looking forward to these intervals.  It would mark my second session at the Armory, so the first time jitters would not be an issue.  I knew what I wanted to accomplish in my warm up, knew the feel of the track, knew where the restroom was, etc.  Most importantly, there were familiar faces among club members which makes a pleasant experience that much more enjoyable.

Physically, I felt as refreshed as I have in a very long time … with one exception.  My right Achilles has been slightly tender.  I’ve never had an issue with it prior to or during the race.  However, a few days into my recovery week I certainly noticed tenderness … definitely not strain or pain.  It feels bruised.  I iced it Monday and will do so again tonight.  After thinking about it and speaking with a couple of club members, it could be the rubbing from top of the back of my shoe against the lower part of my Achilles.  I have noticed that the Brooks Launch has a higher ankle and heal support than other shoes I’ve worn.  The upshot is that during tonight’s run on the track I didn’t feel any tenderness in the area … I wore my NB 903s tonight.

So how was the workout?

	Time	Pace
1st	1:39	6:39
2nd	1:39	6:39
3rd	1:38	6:35
4th	1:35	6:23
5th	1:35	6:23
6th	1:34	6:19
7th	1:34	6:19
8th	1:33	6:15
9th	1:33	6:15
10th	1:35	6:23
11th	1:34	6:19
12th	1:29	5:59

With the exception of the 10^th interval, I negative split all the way thru.  Coach told us to run at 85% to preserve the legs for Thursday (or Sunday for those racing in a local 4 miler).  Tonight was a solid VO2 workout.  The key was not to bust out too fast initially to avoid an immediate build up lactic acid.  Therefore, I took the advice to heart and concentrated on being consistent on splits.  I could tell the group was loose by the 4^th interval as the pace quickened.  I love these indoor workouts because there is no thinking required … it’s just playing follow the leader.  By the 8^th interval I decided that I wanted to keep up with the rabbits (of the slowest CPTC group – there were 3 others that were blazing, lead by one guy who at a recent race night dropped a 1:59 800m and then followed up with a 9:27 2-mile).   In this case the rabbits would be the women who are literally 50% of my size and weight.  I figure if I can stay within 1-2 seconds of them on each split while maintaining 85% effort, then I’m making progress.  On this front, I did ok.  I was probably mid-pack tonight and didn’t kill myself doing.  I kept enough reserve to drop a 1:29 on the 12^th interval without sprinting.  That result gives me confidence that I can push it even harder next week.   After we finished, I mentioned to our coach “I’m hanging in there.”  He said, “You’re doing more than hanging in there,” as if to say he was a bit surprised about my performance given that it’s only my 3^rd session with the crew.

Making progress.  Making progress.

Just Short of Amazing

I had a tough time getting out of bed this morning.  I didn’t have sense of urgency at all.  I was happy to lounge around for a bit.  However, after the obligatory cappuccino, I slipped into the morning routine.

Yesterday, I pulled up short on the run to keep a little extra in reserve for today’s LR.  That was the plan anyway.  Absolutely perfect running weather … 51*, sunny and light breeze.  My lethargy wore off once I reached the park.  Today was the NYRR Knickerbocker 60K race (37.2 miles).  The goodness includes 9 5.14-mile loops of Central Park, requiring amazing stamina, patience and ability to block out pain and monotony.  Aside own desire to get ready for my half marathon in January, watching the ultra marathoners is pretty motivating stuff.  You would think that a 60K would merit similar pomp and circumstance as the ING NYC Marathon.  Nope.  Fairly bare bones … 2 water/fuel/food stations and a fair number of volunteers to cheer on and monitor traffic.  No ads/sponsorship, no dignitaries, no big stage.

To provide that little extra motivation, I ran in the opposite direction of the ultras to cheer them on as well as to gain from their struggle.  I’m sure it helped, but a pleasant surprise helped even more.  I was determined to hit a negative split today and started off nice and slow to warm up.  Around the 3-mile mark I started to hang with a guy going at my pace.  We ran side-by-side for a while and passed each other on a few hills, but nothing competitive.  He was stronger going up hill (smaller guy).  I’m better downhill (bigger guy).  Then we just started chatting … initially about how great the ultra marathoners looked (most were about 3 hours in at this point).  Other than running with my wife, I never speak while running.  I’m not opposed, but it just never happens.  However, I really enjoyed chatting and running with Mark for probably about 3.5 miles.  He was older, but in amazing shape.  Mark said he ran the NYC Marathon in 4 hours but trained twice a week.  That’s mind blowing.  Anyway, I noticed that the miles and time just few by.  It was great.  I’ve read that if you can carry a conversation while running, then you are running at an appropriate pace.  I definitely did that … I was a chatterbox!   For the first 7.5 miles, I maintained a 9:02 pace.  Mark eventually veered home, but I’m sure I’ll run into him again soon.

I had no problem with that LR pace, but wanted to turn it up a bit for the balance of the run.  I felt like I was humming along until the last 1.5 miles.  This shutting off the water fountains in the park is annoying me.  I could only find 1 working fountain.  I hit that fountain at the 7.5-mile mark (and took a GU) and again at 13.6 miles.  Since I only wanted another 1.5 miles, I didn’t take the second GU as I didn’t want to waste it on such a short distance.  I ran out of gas during this last bit though.  Still, it was a really good run … 15.2 miles at an 8:54 overall pace.  I hit my negative split.  Woot!  More importantly, I gained more confidence that I am training properly (talking while running).  Also, while I ran out of gas, I was not gassed.  I just could have used more water/Gatorade.  I actually felt great once I stopped.  And yes, picking up a handheld bottle is on my to do list.

Fine-Tuning Race Fitness

While I have not had a race in almost two months, I have been thinking more about race fitness and my ever-evolving training program.  I came across an interesting article about assessing and adjusting training in Running Times.  Apparently there are three signs if your training program is running off track:

1. Signs that your AEROBIC FITNESS is lagging
   1. You fatigue faster than you feel you should during long runs
   2. You feel fast in speed-interval workouts, but you fatigue after just a few intervals
   3. In threshold workouts, your legs seem to want to go faster than your lungs can handle
2. Signs that your NEUROMUSCULAR FITNESS is lagging
   1. You feel sluggish in your speed workouts
   2. You feel weak when running uphill
   3. In threshold runs, your breathing is under control but your legs feel heavy
3. Signs that your SPECIFIC ENDURANCE is lagging
   1. You have trouble sustaining your goal race pace in specific endurance workouts
   2. You fatigue faster than you should in specific endurance workouts
   3. You don’t perform as well as expected during a time trial at or near your goal race pace
   4. You perform poorly in a tune-up race

My initial, uber self-critical view after digesting this information is that I stink at all three measures.  But upon further reflection, immediately after racing season (August) I felt that my specific endurance was definitely lagging.  My race times slightly decreased as the season went on … most of my PRs occurred during the Spring.  Looking at my running log for April, May, June and July, this makes complete sense as my mileage was a pitiful 77, 81, 63 and 96, respectively.  As a result, in mid-August, I committed to ramping up miles per week from low 20s to low 40s.  After a month+ of 40 mpw, my legs rarely tire during long runs (neuromuscular) and I’ve done a decent job at maintaining goal race pace for periods during daily and long runs (specific endurance) … although, I need to turn it up a few notch to hit 8:30 HM pace by January.

Therefore, we are left with aerobic fitness.  My legs do want more miles when I finish a run.  Also, while I have not done enough intervals or repeats to be completely certain, I do fatigue faster than I think I should.  Okay, great … now what is the solution?  Back to the article:

1. If your AEROBIC FITNESS is lagging, make these adjustments for 2 to 3 weeks:
   1. Add 1 to 2 miles to your longest run of the week.
   2. At the end of an otherwise easy recovery run, run 1 to 2 miles hard, starting at marathon race pace and working down to 10K race pace.

I’ve been steadily increasing LRs … 12 to 14 to 16 to 18.  Yesterday, I added 3 miles at MP at the end for the run and pushed 5K pace.  I’ll keep at it and let you know the results.  I’m also looking forward to the hill repeats next Tuesday … I think I may be on to something there.  What about you?  Where can you improve?

Below is a link to the full article

Fine-tuning your race fitness

Run, Link and Be Merry

What Price Perfection?  Inside the Mammoth Track Club

Mind Over Matter

Making Sense of Performance Gels

Marathon Runners Mull the ‘D Word’

The Barefoot Route

Phys Ed: How Do Marathons Affect Your Heart?

Nova Marathon Challenge

Nova Marathon Challenge

I found an interesting program on PBS.com entitled the “Nova Marathon Challenge.”   The series chronicles the nine-month journey of 13 sedentary people, aged 22-60, through a training program to prepare them for the 111^th Boston Marathon.  Tufts University coach Donald Megrele and three-time Boston Marathon winner, Uta Pippig, lead the group.  What I like most about the program is you receive a peek into how running has changed (and in many cases, saved) the lives its participants.  Putting aside races, competition, pacing, etc., increasing your fitness level and self-esteem are the greatest gifts running can give.

Below is a highlight clip and link to the full program.

Nova Marathon Challenge

Ironkids: Triathlons for Kids

Ironkids

A couple of weeks ago, I came across a link to an article that just made me happy (how often does that happen to you?).   The story is about the growing popularity of kid’s triathlons.  No, not a video game on Wii, but the real world application of a swimming pool, bike and running shoes by kids.  Maybe I’m just late to the party on this topic and everyone knows about kid’s triathlons.  However, I doubt it.  Based our multiple family trips this past summer to the Bronx Zoo, NY Museum of Science, Coney Island, etc. and the dispiriting number of physically unfit children (and parents) that I saw, ANY activity requiring kids to be more active should be emphatically embraced.  If the physical activity requires using multiple skills and muscles to test cardiovascular fitness, even better.

Child obesity is a severe problem in the US (see here, here and here).  As the father of girls, I need to keep an eye on both extremes of the weight and fitness divide.  However, since my wife and I are both physically active (and acutely aware of the issue), our girls should be fine.  Our oldest is enjoys swimming and the idea of adding biking and running to the mix will keep her interests broad enough to mitigate boredom.

Now, sometimes, competitive activities + over-reaching parents + kids = bad combination.  As with anything in life, moderation is critical and the child’s health, happiness and well-being should dictate the degree of, if any, involvement in triathlons.  A daily run around the block may be equally effective.  In other words, please consult your child’s pediatrician prior to enrollment.

See Jane Run, Bike and Swim – NY Times