Blowouts Are Boring

Just finished watching the Lakers/Nuggets game. While I'm ecstatic about the result, the game wasn't that interesting. The Nuggets didn't play like they did the first 5 games: lack of hussle and bad defense. Credit to the Lakers for an extremely efficient offense and tighter defense, but the Nuggets just weren't the scrappy group that I was expected especially in an elimination game. I feel like that lack of effort is disrespectful to the team and to the fans.

Prepping for the Japan Day Race

I know it's only Wednesday, but I think it's never too early to start planning a race. In this case, the Japan Day 4 miler. I actually started thinking about it Monday. I've already run Monday and did a speed workout last night. That means no running Wednesday and Friday; 30 minutes of stretching instead. Tabata intervals on Thursday, easy 10k Saturday, then run like a bat outta hell Sunday. My goal is to run between 6:30 - 6:35 and further drop my 4mi PR this year.

NYRR Workout | 3x Harlem Hill

I was actually hoping rain would offer me up an excuse to skip this evening's workout. Unfortunately, the skies stayed mostly shut so I had to go. It was good thing I did. I needed to get out there after an easy week.

Before going to my splits, I do want to preface that I've been trying to do my speed workouts more "smartly." Read: lazily. I've been used to going all out for every interval workout but that's very taxing. After a PR effort marathon, a biathlon two weeks later, I guess I should have expected a desire to notch down my workout efforts. Going forward, I think I'm going to go at about LT threshold workouts instead of MAX HR. Here's my splits from tonight's workout around Harlem Hill.


The laps are those that measure 1.13 to 1.15. As a comparison, here's my splits from the same workout on March 17.


It looks like the two workouts compare favorably, but I much prefer tonight's effort level. Looking at my HR, it was still a great workout, but it felt a lot less taxing.

The other reason I'm trying to save legs on this workout is that I'm running the Japan Day race on Sunday and I'd like to try and race it.

Back To Life, Back To Reality

All good things must come to an end, and this long weekend can't escape the same fate. Enjoyed a terrific impromptu trip to DC with Sara and some friends. Been to DC a few times before but never on Memorial Day weekend. It was great to be in the middle of patriotism on display. I'mnot always a big fan of the noise generated by Harley's, but this time, I didn't mind the thousands of them circling the Washington Monument. I'm also glad Sara and I finally got some photos together there. We also visited a few museums and just basically enjoyed a nice day walking about.

In terms of running, that break also has to come to an end this week. I went running just TWICE last week, and they were both recreational. Got a race next Sunday and then the Corporate Challenge in three weeks. After I catch up on my sleep, I'm sure I'll feel rejuvenated.

Following Ryan Hall

Not literally, of course. I would need a bike. I'm following him on Twitter. If you're interested, he's ryanhall3. Currently, he's taking votes from his tweeps about whether Chicago or NYC marathon. His last update was NYC-52 CHI-51. If you're from the tri-state area, cast a vote for NYC please :-)

The other reason I'm following him is to see what his workouts are like. He won't publish the details in a short tweet of course, but maybe I'd like to try my own versions and perhaps gain a little bit of speed in the process.

Thinking of Newtons and Running Form

Usually, that means fig newtons, but what I really mean are the Newton running shoes. Since my plantar fasciitis bout 3 yrs ago, I changed my running style to mid-to-forefoot striking. I don't have any quantifiable performance measurements, but I know I've managed to avoid sidelining injuries since even when running very high mileage (for me, 60-70 mi/wk) during NYC marathon training last yr. It would seem that these shoes would be a perfect match for my run form.

Speaking of run form, check out Newton's optimal run form page. They also have a bunch of YouTube videos about run form. I started practicing the principles in those videos when I learned about the Pose method to rehab my foot. Check out this page of Pose videos on Google. Both Newton and Pose running forms share the ball-of-foot strike. BTW, I'm not saying these will work for you as they did for me, but if you're after efficiency and injury-free running, you might want to give it a try. Word of warning - your calves will hurt (badly?) the first couple of weeks.

Here's a bullet list of benefits from the Pose running page:

WHAT CAN IT DO?
Pose Running technique will dramatically change your entire perception of running. It makes running easier and better.

• Reduce impact on knees by 50% (Scientifically proven)
• Dramatically improve training and racing performance
• Give you a competitive edge
• Help prevent injuries
• Help you loose orthotics for good
• Help you enjoy your running for the rest of your life!

Thoughts?

Staying Motivated

I know I'm not the first to deal with staying motivated for running. It's unnatural, at least for me, to be so sharply focused every single day. My situation this time is slightly different in that I don't want to go running to get faster. I feel like I've been doing that for a while and have successful results during races (NJ Marathon, Run As One, Queens Biathlon). I just wanted to go running for the pure joy of it.

So I did.

I'm going to enjoy this week as a recovery week and get back on my horse when I feel like it. Work has been taking a little more out of me and forced me to rearrange my schedule. When I find the balance, I'll be back to chasing lower times.