Change of Scenery

This past Sunday, I had a 2:30 zone 2 with 3 minute surges every 20 minutes and 3 minute finishing surge. Being that I live in the burbs, there is still a good deal of snow on the side of roads. Couple that with cars parked on the streets and I am left with running in the middle of the street. I really didn't feel like dodging cars for 2:30 so I headed into NYC for a run in Central Park. Since I don't live in the city, running in Central Park is a treat. Even though I was running alone, I never felt lonely. There were so many other runners out, that's not something I'm used to seeing on the local streets of Bergen County. If I'm lucky, I'll see 4, maybe 5, other runners during my long run.

Sunday's run reminded me how tough a place Central Park is to run. The hills are unforgiving and will eat you up if you're ready for them. To switch things up, I ran the first loop counter-clockwise, the second loop clock-wise, and the last loop (which wasn't a full loop) counter-clockwise. To me, running clockwise always felt easier. Harlem Hill is still there but you run down Cat Hill and the West Side hills are not as daunting. The counter-clockwise loop goes up Cat Hill, Harlem Hill, and, in my opinion, the West Side hills seem harder.

I was very pleased with the way the run turned out. I hit the starting point (West 91st St.) for 3rd time at 2:24. My legs were screaming and would not keep going. I could feel my form breaking down so I called it quits right then and there rather than pushing on for another 6 minutes. I ran 17.32 miles in 2:24:33 (8:21/mile). I'm not used to running this many miles 4 months before my marathon, but Coach Jeff has big plans for me at the Vermont City Marathon. I promise there will be more on this later. 

Thaw, Refreeze, Repeat

That's kind of what I'm dealing with these days. See, the temperatures during the day have been warm enough to start melting the snow from last week's storm. However, it's still been quite cold at night causing whatever melted during the day to refreeze and form many slick spots on the road. In case you are reading for the first time, I am an early morning runner. For now that means that some or all of my mid-week runs are done in the dark. The last thing I need is to slip and break another rib (or worse) while out on one of my faster mid-week runs. This, plus the fact that my local high school track is still buried under a few inches of snow, adds up to me spending more time than I would like on the treadmill. I've grown to accept the  treadmill for what it is, a tool. Doing speedwork or road intervals on the treadmill is somewhat enjoyable. I would much rather run outside, but safety always comes first.

Wreaking Havoc

Just when we finally thawed out from the last snow storm, Mother Nature decided she wasn't quite ready fro spring. Another snow storm is currently dumping over a foot of snow on the NYC Metro area. This weather is wreaking havoc on many of us that are training for spring marathons. In addition, I will be celebrating the Jewish festival of Purim this Sunday. It is a festive holiday that I enjoy celebrating with my family. Because of the religious observances attached to Purim, I will not be able to run long on Sunday. In order to get my long run in, I planned to run to work on Thursday, do road intervals on Friday, and do a 40 - 50 minute recovery run Sunday morning.

Whatever it is they say about the best laid plans, it's true. I woke up Thursday morning to steady rain. I decided that running 1:45 to work in cold rain was not a good idea. The last things I needed were blisters and a cold. During my commute to work, the rain changed to snow, the storm had arrived! I brought running clothes with me hoping to sneak in some miles in the company gym during lunch. I had tons of work to do but I need to get away so I said "to hell with it" and went up to the gym. Since there was a lot of stress and frustration built up inside of me, I decided on the road intervals. The workout called for 4 x 8minute intervals in zone 4 with 2 minute recovery in between. I did an easy 8 minute warm up I cranked up the treadmill to about a 7:45 pace for each of the 4 intervals. It felt good run hard and release the stress and tension from the morning.

When I woke up this morning, there was at least 8-9 inches on the ground. I got my first workout of the day by shoveling. Once I was dug out (for the time being), I drove to the gym hoping to get a run in before I had to work. It was not meant to be. The owner of the gym was outside clearing the snow and his staff could not make it in to open up. I've been working from home all day and Lil Ansky had a snow day from school. Mrs. Ansky had to go in since she is a health care professional. With a Shabbat approaching, it looks like getting some miles in today is not going to happen. This makes getting some miles in on Sunday all the more important. I know I won't be able to run long, but I need to get something in.  Hopefully the roads will be safe to run outside.

We'll see what next week brings. I can see Coach Jeff sitting in his studio thinking of how many ways during the week he can kick my ass.

Using the Treadmill as a Tool

Something Matt said on his podcast resonated with me as I tried to figure out how I was going to get Friday's run in. Friday's run called for 25 minutes in zone 2 on slightly uphill terrain and then run back for 25 minutes in zone 4 on what should be slightly downhill terrain. There was still a good deal of snow and ice on the ground from Wednesday's storm. The combination of the 25 at a fast clip, the ice, and the fact that it's still dark out in the morning, forced my run inside to the gym.

This is where Matt's message comes in. Matt was also forced inside due to record snowfall in Washington, D.C. He said that rather than viewing the treadmill as the "treadmill" (or "hamster wheel" as I sometimes call it), view it as a tool. I think most of us will agree that running on the treadmill at the same pace and incline is quite boring (even with TV). However, increasing/decreasing the speed and/or incline on the treadmill can result in quite the productive run. So with an open mind, I went to the gym knowing exactly how I was going to simulate my run. I set the treadmill's incline to 1.5 to simulate the slightly up-hill terrain and its speed to about an 8:50 pace. even though I was inside, I wore my Garmin to monitor my heart rate. For the first 25 minutes, the pace felt nice and comfortable and my Garmin confirmed that I was consistently in zone 2. After 25 minutes, I dropped the treadmill's incline to 0.5 to simulate the slightly downhill terrain and cranked up the speed to a 7:30 pace. This was a nice hard pace with my heart rate in the mid to upper 170s for the full 25 minutes. I cooled down and headed home pleased with the effort. Total mileage (based on the treadmill display) was 6 miles in 51:55.

I don't think I could do long, slow, distance on the treadmill but if there's a specific workout that I need to do, and conditions preclude me from getting it done outside, I know the treadmill can produce some decent results.

Snowy Recovery Run

Due to a major snow storm in our area the powers that be in my office instructed us to work from home today. I fully expected to wake up to blizzard like conditions and, if I wanted to run, would need to do crank out some miles in the gym. So imagine my surprise when I looked outside at 6:00 to light snowfall and maybe an inch or 2 on the ground. Thanks to the encouragement of several other early risers on Twitter, I got dressed and left the house excited for a run in the snow.

Votee Park, my town's largest park, has a 1.2 mile loop. I decided to run there since there were some cars on the road I didn't want to be anywhere near them in case they spun out. I had a recovery run on tap for today so I was truly able to enjoy my time outside. I enjoyed the "crunch" sound my feet made coming down in the snow, making fresh footprints, and most importantly the looks I got from people in their cars. I saw lot of shaking heads as if they were saying to me "you're nuts." I looked back at them thinking to myself that it was probably easier getting around on foot than with wheels.

I came home invigorated from a 6mi run in 51:59 (8:40 pace) ready to balance a day of telecommuting, entertaining Lil Ansky, and multiple shovelings.

Bridge Run

Last night I asked Mrs. Ansky what, on the surface would be a very innocent question, "Where should I run tomorrow?" She replied, "why don't you run to the Bridge?" I thought, hmmmm that's an interesting idea. I was getting tired of some of my usual local routes so this would definitely be something different. I did this run once before in August 2009 when I ran to Yankee Stadium.All I could think about was the one mile doozy of a hill that is Fort Lee Rd. between Broad and Fletcher. I haven't run that route since that Sunday in August. In fact, I asked myself a bunch of times if it's really necessary running a hill with such a steeep grade. Seriously, I know that hills have a place in marathon training but is it really necessary to incorporate a hill with a maximum grade of 9% into any of my training routes? The jury is still out on that, but who am I to back away from challenge?

It was another cold morning, albeit much less windy than last weekend. I layered up, 3 on top, 2 on bottom, double gloves, my trusty smortwool socks, and my Under Armour ColdGear Hood. The first 3.5 miles were uneventful. I ran at an easy pace so I could conserve energy for what was coming. As I'm going up the hill I got strange some strange looks from folks out walking their dogs and from people driving. They're looking at me thinking this guy must be out of his freaking mind! It's 15 degrees out and he's running up this hill for fun? Meshuga I tell you! Maybe I am, but I kept going, one foot in front of the other. I finally reached the top and after I few more rolling hills, I'm at the entrance to the George Washington Bridge. For a minute I thought about running over the bridge but I looked at my watch and realized I had to get back. I took the above picture, took a gel, and headed home.

As the old saying goes, what comes up must go down. In order to get home I had to run down the same hill. Easy schmeasy right? Wrong. Go down a hill that steep too fast and you'll fall right on your face doing some serious damage. I took it easy and made it to the bottom without incident. I purposely threw in one more hill towards the end of the run to get myself ready for the Manhattan Half Marathon on January 24. Chances are there will be some hills in the later miles and I wanted to get my body used to that feeling.

When all was said and done, I ran 11.88 miles in 1:42:41 for a 8:38/mi pace. My fastest mile was 8:15 and the slowest 9:57 (going up the hill). Here is the elevation chart to get a better idea what I was faced today.

Lastly, congratulations to everyone who ran down in Disney today. I know the weather was unusual, more typical for for the Northeast than for Florida.

Gearing up

I woke up this morning to howling winds and very cold temperatures. It was 19f with a real feel between 1-4 (depending on which weather site, TV weatherman you listened to). I had some serious concerns about going out in such brutally cold weather, but I drew inspiration from Stubborn Triathlete's video of her 16 miler in Fargo, ND where it was -18f. She didn't give a shit if her eyebrows frosted over, all she cared about was getting her miles in.I thought, if she can run 16 miles when it's -18f outside, surely, I can run 8 or 9 miles in temperatures right around zero. So with that, I geared up and prepared for battle.

Most of you that run in cold temperatures know that the key to survival is wearing layers. The body does generate heat when you run so you want to feel slightly cold before you start running. I decided to go with 4 layers on top:

Layer 1: Under Armour Coldgear Compression Mock 

Layer 2: A basic Long sleeve tech-shirt

 
Layer 3: My Trusty Road Runner Sports Velocity Thermo 1/2 Zip

Layer 4: My Nike Fleece 1/2 Zip

I like wearing some layers with zippers. This way, if you warm up, you can lower the zipper to cool off. When you start feeling cold, just zip up the zipper. 

On bottom I wore 2 layers of running tights. First my Under Armour ColdGear Legging

Then my Adidas Adistar Long Tights

To keep the hands warm, I wore 2 layers of gloves. The Craft (on the left) are thin, and the Swix, (on the right are thicker)

On my head, I wore my Under Armour ColdGear Hood

.I love this piece of headwear. You see a lot of NFL players wear these when playing in cold weather. This hood is a technical balaclava/neck gaiter. It's very thin but it keeps all parts of the head and neck warm and dry.
Last but not least, the feet got my Smartwool PHD Running Socks

I can't say enough about these socks. Wool is not a material associated with running gear. But these bad boys kept my feet and toes warm and dry. If you do not have a pair of Smartwool socks, I suggest you get some.

I had a surprisingly good run. There is no such thing a flat run where I live. At some point I will have to tackle a few hills. My slowest mile split was 9:08. This came on one of the later miles which was uphill into the wind. Not fun. I did 9.33 miles in 1:20:10 (8:35/mi). When I got home, I stripped everything off and put on some dry and warm clothes. I made myself a cup of hot tea (I'm not a coffee drinker) and started my recovery.

Call me crazy, insane, meshuga, whatever but there is something invigorating about completing a run in such harsh conditions. I don't know what the rest of winter will bring, but if this is the worst Mother Nature has to dish out, I think I can take it.

A Winter Treat

Today we were blessed with one of those rare warm winter days. When I turned on the TV to check the weather, I couldn't believe my eyes 53 degrees at 7:00 a.m. I had to check a few channels just to make sure I wasn't dreaming.All the local channels confirmed the mild weather. I layed out a cold weather outfit the night before so I had to go upstairs quietly, so not to wake the family, and pull out a pair of shorts and a long-sleeve tech shirt. It's always a treat being able to run in shorts during the winter. We don't get too many of those days so I wanted to take advantage of it and run long.

I chose a particularly hilly course so my legs would be used to the hills of Central Park when I run the Manhattan Half Marathon on January 24. I had no pace in mind and all I knew I wanted to run more than 10 miles. My only mistake was not bringing a GU with me. I had 20oz. of Gatorade with me but a gel might have made to run a little less painful. My quads were hurting from the hills but I expected nothing less.As I got close to home I took a peek at my Garmin and saw that I was a few tenths of a mile short of 13.1. I ran up and down some local streets until I hit 13.1. Stats for today's run: 13.1 in 1:50:08 (8:23/mi). I'm pretty thrilled about this considering I haven't run this far since August 2.

I haven't started working on my training plan for the Pocono Mountain Marathon on May 16. I know I will have a good base since the Manhattan Half is the first official day of my 18 week training cycle. I'll talk about this more later but I know I will have train my legs for a net downhill race. It should be interesting and challenging. Bring it on!

Safety First

Winter finally showed it's ugly face by dumping 8 inches of snow on my town (some place got a lot more) Saturday night into Sunday. Once the snow stopped, plows started coming through and pushing the snow to sides of the streets and many sidewalks were not yet shoveled. I needed to get some miles in, so rather than playing chicken with the plows, I moseyed over to the gym for a treadmill run. I wasn't looking forward to doing 7 miles on a treadmill but I took Matt's advice and kept an open mind. Thanks to the Run Run Live and Run Digger Run Podcasts, the experience wasn't so bad. I finished the 7 mile in 57:19 for an 8:11 pace.

Last night as I was walking home from the bus stop, I made sure to look at the conditions of the roads and sidewalks. There was still lots of snow on the side of the street and the most people did a bare bones shoveling. On top of that, people started to park their cars on the street again instead of in their driveways. WHY????? YOUR HOUSE HAS A DRIVEWAY PLEASE USE IT!!!!

All of these factors, coupled with the fact that I run in early in the morning when it's still dark, do not make for very safe running conditions. So this morning, I went back to gym for a 4.5 mile tempo run on the treadmill. Fortunately, I had Brandon's newest podcast to keep me company. I did today's run (4.5mi) in 34:55 for an 7:45 pace. I hope I'll be able to get out for my other mid-week runs, if I can't, it's OK too. I don't want to risk slipping or something worse. I am thinking about getting a pair of Yaktrax but they wouldn't solve this particular problem. The streets are in good condition, the bottom line is, it's not safe. Between the snow, the parked cars, and the cars on the road, there isn't enough room for me to run.

My Kind of Weather

The weather gods teased the Northeast with some snow on Saturday. No major accumulation just enough to cover my lawn and to get everyone complaining about how much they hate winter. Truth be told, I have a love-hate relationship with old man winter. I can certainly do without the shoveling, scraping ice off the car, and juggling work schedules becuase daughter has a snow day.

When it comes to running, the cold weather is my friend. Safety always comes first, so if the roads are not safe because of ice or snow I won't chance it. This morning however, I was chomping at the bit to get out there. I put on my tights, compression base layer, half-zip pullover, fleece hat, and warm gloves and headed out around 5:45. There were some icy spots on the road but nothing dangerous that forced me to turn around and go home. I haven't run more than 10k since coming back from my injury so I was hoping for 7 or 8 miles today. I love running around my neighborhood in the early morning. I get to see the town wake up. Papers are getting delivered, people getting making their morning bagel and coffee runs (no pun intended), dogs getting walked, you get the picture. I ran 7.74mi in 1:05:26 (8:27 pace).

The cold air felt invigorating. I find that the cold air is better for my asthma than warmer air. During Tuesday night's Tweet-up run, EG mentioned how she's never trained thorugh the winter for a spirng marathon (she will be running Boston in April). I told her that I prefer to train in the winter. As long as you dress right, the cold should not be a problem. There is nothing you can do to make yourself feel cooler when it's 90 degrees and 100% humidity. So I'll leave you with this, don't be afraid of cold weather. Get yourself some quality cold weather running gear, get out there, and enjoy it.

Isn't It Cold Out?

That's what people ask me when they see me before or after I've come back from a run in cold temps. Case in point today, I met up with co-worker JS for 5 miles before work. The temperature was 12 degrees, 3 with the wind chill. I treated today's run as a recovery run after last night's intense speed workout. We ran 5 miles in 44:22 (about 8:50/mile). As I was walking to my desk, a bunch of co-workers barked "I hope you didn't run outside today!" I immediately responded "I sure did!"

Personally, I would much rather run in these conditions than 85 degrees and 100% humidity. There is nothing you can do to beat the heat. No matter how much you hydrate, wear light layers, the heat has a way of draining every ounce of energy from you. As long as you dress properly, running in the cold is not so bad.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

I was looking forward to tonight's speed session at Paragon. Coach Kate posted on the RUNNYC Facebook page that tonight's workout was going to be a "pyramid" workout. Here is how it was described on the FB page: "The workout is a fartlek run (Swedish for \\\"speed play\\\"), alternating between fast pickups (\\\"on\\\") and easy running (\\\"off\\\") at 5k race pace or slightly faster. We'll do 1-2-3-4-3-2-1 (advanced groups can add a 5 min pickup if time allows; beginners will top out with a 3 minute pickup) with 2 minutes recovery on all but the 1 minute pickup, where we will have a 1 min recovery. Unfortunately, the weather gods had other plans. This morning's snow turned into rain. I've mentioned in other entries that rain and I don't mix. I'd rather stay healthy than get sick so I decided to bail.

Tomorrow morning I'm running with co-worker, JS who is training for the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile in Washington, D.C. April 5. I'm off from work on Friday so I hope to get some quality miles in the morning.

Wednesday Night Speed Session - 1/14/09

Tonight was week 2 of the RUNNYC Wednesday night speed series at Paragon. I was looking forward to the workout despite temperatures around 20 degrees. The original workout was supposed to be 6 800m repeats on the 6th St. track. Coach Kate told us that the track was iced over so plan B was to run down to the West Side running path for a Fartlek workout. I've spoked about Fartleks before but just to refresh everyone's memory...Fartlek is Sweedish for "speed play." The basic concept behind the workout is you run faster for a pre-determined amount of time during your run.

We warmed up by running from Paragon to the West Side, about 1 mile. After a short regroup, we started the workout. I ran with coach Kate who led the 7:30/mile (5k pace) group. We ran a little faster than our 10k pace and then on her mark we picked up the pace for 3 minutes.

All in all we did 6 fartleks and ran 6.79 miles in 57 minutes (about an 8:23 pace). That time includes the warmup to the West Side and the cooldown back to Paragon. Here is the route we ran (courtesy of mapmyrun.com):
I'm really liking this new group. For now, it's much smaller, the runners are friendlier, and I think there are more pacers/coaches. I will be missing next week's session because I will be on vacation. More on that (hopefully) before I leave.

Ice. Ice, Baby

I had a feeling it was going to be a challenge getting out this morning. After spending about half an hour getting the ice off of my car, I decided to drive to Votee to see what the conditions were like.

Before I left the house my my wife said "If you fall before our vacation I'll flip out!" We're taking a family vacation to Disney World next week and last thing I need is to be agony during the vacation because I slipped on the ice while running. I drove over to the park around 7:40 and the running path was a sheet of ice. I got back in the car and drove home. A little bit before 9:00 a.m. I saw that the sun was out and the temps were rising so I decided to try again. Still a sheet of ice.

I'm a little bummed because I was hoping to get 12 or 13 in today. I also know that I won't be running the next 2 Sundays because we'll be traveling. I'm hoping to get some runs in Florida but not the mileage I usually get in on the weekend. Hopefully it won't set me back too much in my attempt to train for the NJ Marathon.

I just got back from a social obligation, and a friend who lives in NYC posted on my Facebook page that Central Park was salted and plowed and full of runners. Oh well, I'll know for next time.

8 (well almost) @ 8

I met up today with some runners I met on Facebook. I try to post my long runs on my FB status when I get home so if there are other runners who live nearby and run at the same pace we can meet up. The plan for today was to run 8 miles at an 8 minute pace. We started out at a slightly slower pace for the first 3 miles. We then picked up the pace for the last half of the run. I'm not sure if it was because of the cold but my breathing was heavy the last 2 or 3 miles and I was struggling to keep up. I had enough left to finish strong. We did 7.52 miles in 59:02 for a 7:50 pace. You can check out the details here: FAst 7.5 in Saddle River Park.

If there are any readers out there who are on Facebook, please let me know how to find you. If you live nearby, Bergen County, NJ or NYC, I would love to meet up for a run.

I hope that everyone's 2009 running is off to a good start.

Race Report: Fair Lawn Sunrise Rotary 1st Day 5K

What better way to start 2009 than with a new PR? That's right, my first race of 2009 and I set a new 5K PR! Today I ran the 7th annual Fair Lawn (NJ) Sunrise Rotary 1st Day 5K. Race start was at 11:00 so I was able to sleep in (I woke up at 7:30 instead of 5:00 or 6:00) and enjoy a lazy morning with my family. When I left the house, the temperature was 15 degrees with wind chills in the single digits. On top I wore my UA Cold Gear Mock, my heavy 1/4 zip pull over, and a windbreaker. I only wore one layer on bottom, my line Addidas tights. On my head I wore my UA hood. When I got to the school I debated if I should wear the jacket during the race. In the end I decide to leave the jacket in the car thinking that I would warm up quickly.

Before the start, I said to a friend that I didn't think I'd set a new PR given the conditions. The streets were in excellent condition given the dusting of snow we got yesterday and the frigid overnight temps. At the very end of the race I heard footsteps and heavy breathing behind me. I was determined not to let the guy on my tail pass me so close to the finish so I kicked my pace up a few notches. When I crossed the finish, I looked at my Garmin and saw 22:39. Even if I was off by a few seconds, I knew I set a new PR.

Here are the official stats:
Time: 22:46 (7:20/mile)
Overall Place: 58/227
Age Group Place: 7/25

Here are the mile splits:
Mile 1: 7:21
Mile 2: 7:02
Mile 3: 7:03
last tenth: 1:04

Looks like 2009 is off to good start.

Christmas Day Run

My internal clock woke me up at 5:00 a.m. this morning and I seriously thought about getting out of bed and starting my pre-run routine as I would on Sunday morning. Then I thought better of it and went back to sleep. I can't remember the last time I got out of bed at 7:45. My wife had to work today, she is a dietitian in a long-term care facility. State regulations are such that there has to be someone from the management team in house at all times. Since we don't celebrate Christmas, my wife works every Christmas Day to allow those who do celebrate to be with their families. So with my wife at work and my daughter at a friend's house, what's a Jewish running addict like me supposed to do with himself? You got it, GO FOR A RUN!

With temps in the low 40's a put on my Addidas track pants and long sleeve tech shirt and drove over to Overpeck. When I got there I know I was in trouble. The were puddles all over the the running path. At first, I tried my best to avoid them but my feet were getting too wet. I then tried running in the parking lot but that too was soggy. I saw some people walking on the 1/4 mile so I went over there. The track was very slushy but there were no puddles. When all was said and done, I did 5.26 miles in 43:26 for a 8:15 pace. Not bad considering the conditions. More details of the run can be found here: Slushy Christmas Day 5+ miles on Overpeck Track.

I hope that everyone who was celebrating today had a merry Christmas!

Running in a Winter Wonderland

Woke up this morning around 5:30. When I came downstairs to get dressed I some pitter patter on the air conditioner. I prayed that it was not rain, luckily it was just sleet. I went through my pre-race routine and left the house around 6:45. Because of the weather, I decided to stay close to home and run in Votee. Usually I run to the park, but because of all the snow, I decided to drive. Last thing I needed was to get hit by car that was sliding on the road. The town does a pretty good job making sure the walking/running paths in the parks are plowed so when I got to Votee, there was light coating of snow on the path. When I started the run, it felt like it was sleeting. About 1.5 miles in, it changed to snow. The rest of the run was very peaceful. I love the sound of my foot striking fresh snow. I decided not to push myself too hard, both in pace and length of the run. I did 7 miles in 58:54 for a 8:23 pace. You can view the run details here: Snowy 7 in Votee.

Here are some pictures:
I had to my glasses off about half way through the run because they were covered in snow and I couldn't see.

This is a picture of the local community/recreation building.

We'll see what old man winter has in store for the rest of the season, but so far so good.