2014 Face to Face Germantwon Turkey Trot - 5 Miler

Yesterday was Thanksgiving. And, I have a lot for which to be thankful. One particular item to be thankful for is the fact that I have been going about seven months without a significant running injury. There have been nagging little things, like my ankle/heel, but I have been able to get through them given the low-ish weekly mileage of 40 or so. This was my first ever Turkey Trot in which I have participated. I have done Trot-Off-Your-Turkey races before, but never one on the day itself. We chose to run the Face to Face Germantown 5 Mile Turkey Trot, which was basically an out-and-back race on the Forbidden Drive in the Wissahickon. It was written up in Runner's World this past year as a must-run Turkey Trot: Article.

The Forbidden Drive Trail had just received quite a bit of rain the day before... no snow, though. So it was a muddy track, but relatively benign given the road nature of the "trail." The course was slightly downhill on the way out, and, of course, slightly uphill on the way back. My first mile was 5:42, driven by the "steepest" downhill and a bit of start-line adrenaline. Second mile was 5:57, at which point I had latched onto a "buddy" for the rest of the race. He and I seemed to have a similar cadence and pacing, and we also seemed to intuit which way the other was going when passing and maneuvering around puddles. The next three miles were at 6:06, 6:09, and 6:10. The last mile was tough for me. I tried to kick with 0.5 miles left, but I was fighting a bit of a cramp, and the fact that I got about 3 hours of sleep the night before. I got a bit of a boost when someone came up behind, and I was able to hold him off to the line. My "buddy" got me by a second. Overall 9th place, and a good start to the day.

The best thing for the race, was that my girlfriend won her age group. We didn't even think it was a possibility and left early from the race to beat traffic out of the parking lot. Turns out this morning, M won her group. Awesome job for her. She ran her quickest 5-miler ever, I believe. So happy for her.

Special thanks to Nolan Painting who handed out gloves to runners and, most importantly, gave me a bag to put my jacket in while I stashed it under their table.

A good week of runs.

This last week saw a number of good runs go in the book. Tuesday was a very cold 10.5-miler, but it was a lot of fun. Wednesday was a 4-miler at 6:30 pace that preceded Bikram yoga. The run was great, yoga was a disaster. I think the run knocked my electrolytes down, and I quickly wilted in the heat of the studio. Despite drinking some electrolytes during the class, my sweat was hardly salty at the end of the session. I haven't been that wet without being underwater before in my life. By Thursday, things had returned to a physiological norm, and I did a nice 6.25-mile trail run with @strausskevin in Patapsco State Park. Beautiful setting and great conversation all the way around. Learned some new trails.

Friday, was another 6 miles done at lunch during a day spent working at home. Finally, Saturday was another trail run in the Wissahickon; about 6.25 miles.

I learned that if I am going to be doing more than one trail run per week, I really need to spend some money and get a pair of trail shoes. I normally run in New Balance's 890 v3, which I have been buying on eBay since they switched to the v4. I haven't yet wanted to find out if the v4 works for me since I know the v3 does. But, they are way to flexible, especially in the toebox area of the sole for trails. Several times, I hit a rock or a root and my I could just feel it in the sesamoid area. I lost two months to a sesamoid injury a couple of years back, and I don't want a similar one. Gotta get on that.

Wind chill

Follow up to the First Gloved Run post... Last night was the first pants run. It was about 29 F, with winds at 20 mph, gusting to 35 in B'more. So, I put on some tights (under my shorts), and donned a lycra cap. Went out and ended up doing about 10.5 with the RG3 group. The run mostly hugs the Inner Harbor. And, when you came around certain corners or buildings on the harbor, that wind smacked you in the face. The toughest part for me was that we move a little slower than I would like in that group.. 9:00 to 8:30 to keep it social. So, I had a tough time keeping warm. I seemed to be warmer on my run down to the group at a 7:00 pace.

We finished the run at Social Pub and Pie for their phenomenal deals on pizza and beer. Where else can I get a pint of Heavy Seas Great'ER Pumpkin for $3.21 plus tax? After a half-priced Greek salad (those are discounted, too) and two pints, my friend Matt and I were faced with the choice of a 1.5 mile walk/cab/Uber home. We chose the walk, which quickly became the post beer shuffle and eventually the allout jog trying to stay warm. Neither of us thought to bring anything resembling a jacket for the post run cold. That was tough, as legs had stiffened and temperature had dropped. The wind was unabated, still. But, all in all a good run.

Tonight will most likely involve a 4-miler followed by some Bikram yoga.

First gloved run last week.

I am so happy that winter weather is upon us. I much enjoy running in 35-degree weather versus 75. Last Thursday was the first gloved run of the year. It was 37 F when I went out at 6:15 am for a 10-miler. I met up with the UA Run Club about 2 miles in, and I did 6 miles with them. Then another 2 miles back home. It was nice to not be drenched in sweat and to feel the cool air against my face. I am hopeful this cold snap signals that winter-like weather will remain.

Had a really nice trail run on Sunday with some runners in Philly that I know from having run various Ragnars and other races. We put in about 10k on the trails of the Wissahickon. I can't believe that when I lived in Philly, I never once visited the Wissahickon. I just didn't know about it. It's a great resource though, especially on the colder days when it is not as heavily traveled. The below photo is of a "big damn leaf" that I found all over the forests there during a hike in late October. Apparently from the umbrella magnolia. These are the largest non-tropical leaves I have ever seen. Holy cow. This time around they weren't so yellow, just gray and dead.

This week, I have a scheduled half-day off from work on Thursday. So, I'll be running some trails in Patapsco State Park. Should be the nicest day of the week.

First 5k Win this Past Weekend

A moment of narcissistic indulgence. I got my first 5k win of my life (really the first win at any distance). It felt pretty good. And, I completely realize that this win was due more to the field than to my own abilities. It was a small 5k trail run, called the Turtle Trek. This was my third time running the event in the four years the race has been around. It is about 67% on trails at Marshy Point Nature Center, and it goes to benefit the Katie and Wil Brady Foundation. In the past, it has supported the construction of Katie and Wil's Trail, and now they are working to link the trails at Marshy Point with those of nearby Gunpowder State Park... a worthy goal, indeed.

At the gun, we were led out by a guy on a mountain bike who was going to ride at the head through all the trails. After the first quarter mile, I looked around and there was no one anywhere near me... This actually unnerved me because I had never been in that situation before. I knew were moving about 5:30 pace or so, which for me, is flying. We did a lap of the parking lot and then ducked onto the trail. I actually talked to the biker for a few sentences just to calm my nerves. At a hairpin turnaround, I saw that I had about 20 seconds on second place, and just continued to push. My first mile, according to the watch was 6:03. From then, I just focused on avoiding rocks, roots, and tree trunks. I had to keep my feet and hips shifting to stay balanced and weave on some of the trails. The surface was basically fallen leaves, hiding all the rocks. My finishing time was 19:05, which was 20 seconds faster than I had run this course two years ago. So, I was happy to have improved on that time. The next runner was the female winner at 22:01, and I saw her as doubled back on some of the trail to find my girlfriend, M. I got a nice Under Armour sweatshirt out of it. M finished third female and had a good time running.

Alright, now that I got that self-indulgence over with, I'll thank all of the volunteers and sponsors that put on that race. It really is a good cause, and they all worked very hard. They have a fun run for the kids, and lots of door prizes afterwards. I spoke with the woman who ran the event, and thanked her for holding a true trail 5k because it is different from all the other 5ks that everyone else has. Next year, I hope to get a few more people to run it, as they really deserve a larger field, and one that can kick my butt.

Also... trying to convince my self I don't have a stress fracture of the right fibula. Of course, any time there is pain in one of my legs, my mind goes straight to the worst. A few days off now. I might try a slower trail run on Saturday.

Things I love to hear in a conference call.. Part 1

"You say you can do better testing than others, but we don't care about that. We want the product to conform to the standards of today. Just show that your current tests and our product meet the standards."

Same phone call...

"You can stop sending us business developers, we don't care about that. We need to work with your regulatory and quality people."

Garmin Forerunner 10 - Watch Band Issue

I have had the Garmin Forerunner 10 for about nine months now. For three of those months, it sat unused due to my IT band injury and the lack of running while rehabbing it. So, after six months of normal use, the watch band came apart. Up to that point, I had been very happy with the watch. I looked at the construction of it, and it is composed of a rubber watch band over-molded on a plastic anchor. Now, this is basically what I expected to find. What I didn't expect to find was that the anchors have no lands or barb-like geometry that would properly hold the overmold in place. The plastic is smooth, and they were basically relying upon the adhesion force between two flat surfaces to hold the band together. There were no physical barriers to separation: picture the barb on a fishhook holding the hook in the fish's mouth. As a materials engineer with a manufacturing background, I find this to just be a poor design. From a quick scan of the web, it appears that plenty of other users have had this issue.

In all fairness, Garmin offered to waive the normal $20 (plus shipping) replacement cost of the band. Awfully nice of them. I asked the woman on the phone if she knew if they had changed the design. She stated that she didn't think they had changed it, and basically acknowledged that they have had issues with this. I imagine I might have to make the same phone call in another few months.

The part of this watch's design that really bugged me was the band lugs. As you might be able to see in the photo, the lugs are designed so as to preclude the use of an aftermarket band. They are too narrow in the middle to allow an aftermarket band to be placed around/under the pins that hold the band in place. I work in medical devices, and in that field it is a matter of safety and liability that you might design something with proprietary fittings. After all, if a medical device fails, it could cost someone their life, which in turn can cost a manufacturer its reputation and business. In the case of a sports watch, there is no real reason to preclude aftermarket bands, particularly when your band is ultimately designed to fail under normal use conditions.

If it weren't for those two design flaws, I probably wouldn't even post this. The watch performs well as a GPS watch. I find it to be within +/- 5% of my runs, tighter than that on most. I love the auto-pause feature. It's just the band... Sometimes, the simplest part of the product is the easiest one to botch.

/Rant

EDIT: I should add that the customer service rep was extraordinarily helpful in the phone call. I have yet to receive notice that my order has shipped, but barring a disaster on that front, the Garmin folks seem to handle CS quite well.

EDIT II: I also realize that there is any easy way to fix this issue by wrapping a wire through the original rubber band and securing it with some twists. Adding a heat shrink wrap over the top of the wrapped wire would help any snags on clothing or skin.

South Foster Volunteer Fire Company 5k and 10k

I have to say, that this was a fun run. It's one the small, which I enjoyed. However, for the sake of the Fire Department, I hope it grows in the coming years. They have a lot going for them. First, the course was beautiful. Some rolling hills on paved and gravel roads through the autumn woods. It's a really nice setting. Second, the people that run it are really friendly. Third, it's cheap ($22). Fourth, the long sleeve t-shirt was pretty cool (would wear in public). Fifth, with your entry fee you get a chili lunch... and they have veggie chili for those of us that are off meat. I strongly suggest that people try to run either the 5k or 10k next year.

I was very happy with my results in the race. The first mile was mostly a straight line, either flat or down hill: 5:45. Whenever you have a combo 5k/10k race, you can never be quite sure if you're chasing 5k or 10k runners. Thankfully, the split in the field came at 0.5 miles. The second mile began with the Swamp Meadow Covered Bridge (honestly, I hardly remember it), but I do remember that a gentle hill followed the bridge. Second mile: 6:39 due to the hill. The next three miles were some rollers through the back roads along pretty woods. Those miles were all about 6:15 give or take. In the middle of the sixth mile, I got a side stitch (forgot to take on extra potassium before the run), which prevented me from breathing right. I actually got a little dizzy and overheated. Took off my shirt, which I never do, and gutted out the last half mile. Overall time was 38:53, which was a PR for me. I have never been below 40 in the 10k. Now, I'll set my sights on 38:30 at some point.

About to start stretching the mileage

I think I now have the confidence in my IT band that I can start stretching my mileage a bit. I have been hovering at 30 - 33 miles per week for a month and a half, now. I definitely won't go beyond the 10% per week (or per long run).

I'm starting to feel good about the upcoming season. This weekend will be my first 10k in over a year, The South Foster Volunteer Fire Company 10k. It sounds like a fun race. That part of RI will hopefully still have some fall colors, and we get to run over the only covered bridge on public roads in the state, The Swamp Meadow Bridge. Of course, the bridge was built in 1994, as a replica of an early 19th-century bridge. It was built by volunteers from locally-sourced logs.

After the run, I plan on taking my mom and dad, who will hopefully be there as spectators, to Jerimoth Hill, the highest point in RI. At 812 feet, it's not exactly all that impressive, but as a native RI-er, I have never been there. No school field trips, or anything like that. So, I am taking this opportunity to do it now.

Guilt over not running

Interesting post on Will Run for Ice Cream about the guilt that she experienced due to the failure to complete a scheduled training run. I sometimes feel those same feelings when I miss a run, particularly if I miss it because of other decisions made the night before (The TUD = The totally unnecessary drink). But, I found that while injured, I really missed running and the fun that it brought to my life.

I have actually become more of a social runner than I used to be pre-injury. I think that I took running for granted, and started to view it as a chore: "Gotta get my miles in today so that I can run that marathon in March..." I was running solo, training solely with a goal in mind. I would pass up the running groups that I usually went with, or I would run ahead of of everyone else to get the miles in at an arbitrarily assigned pace. Now I run with the group, keeping a conversation. Granted, I go out for a few miles at a typical training pace for me before meeting the group, but then I slow it down to the group pace for the rest of my run. We talk, we laugh, and it's a good feeling when someone who was struggling to keep up says, "I've never run 5 miles in 8:30 pace before." If I were running up ahead at my usual pace, they may never have tried to keep up, and wouldn't have PR'ed their 5 mile training run. I got more joy out of that than I would have gotten out of running 7:00's for whole run.

I too, have been questioning whether I want to run a marathon in the future. I was caught up in the pack mentality with my marathon-focused running group. I signed up because, after a TUD, I felt compelled that it was something I "needed" to do. But, I truly love the half marathon distance. I think that I may focus on that the rest of the year. What's more, with my new joy for running, a refined technique, and the social atmosphere... I think my times are going to come down this winter. And, I often wonder how many more years I have where that will be true.

Post Ragnar Thoughts

It has been quite a bit of time since last writing to this blog. In that time, I have steadily built mileage and pace. I recently ran in the Ragnar Relay DC, as runner #3 on a team with friends from Baltimore and Philly. It was a blast. During my first leg, I ascended 1200 feet of elevation gain, most of that over 3 miles. Then descended 1000 feet, which quite honestly was the worst of the two elevation changes. I just hate that pounding on the quads and knees. I'll go uphill all day long. I had a goal of 7:30 pace for the entire run (7.8 miles), and I hit that with room to spare; going over in 7:05 pace. I was happy with that. My other two legs were both well under 7:00, at 4.8 and 3.2 miles in distance.

More importantly, the Ragnar Relay series is not just about times and mileage. It's about building a team bond, and I have become good friends with past teammates after meeting them for a first time at Ragnar. Heck, that's how I met my girlfriend. My favorite moment from our team was on Leg 5, with Kevin running. I was driving the van, and it was a twisty up hill run. The road was just a dusty fire road, and with all of the vans driving up and down it, I don't know how the runner were breathing. We screwed up reading the map, and missed a great spot to meet him with water. We got about halfway down the hill, and realized we should have met him with water given the hill, heat, and dust. So, I hopped out of the van with a crossing-guard flag and water bottle, fought the dust, and humped up a mile up the hill. I got to the top right as did Kevin, only to hear him say, "No thanks, I'm good." It was pretty comical. So, we had a great run down the hill together to the finish. I had just met Kevin two weeks earlier, as he was the emergency fill-in twelfth runner. It was a great opportunity to get to know him a bit better. The new Ragnar motto is "Connect, Conquer, Celebrate", and that's what it's about.

When our team needed that twelfth runner due to an injury, I posted on one of my local running group websites. Someone wrote, I'd rather just run a half marathon than do all that. He obviously didn't understand it, and probably wouldn't until he did one. In fact, I'm not sure most people would understand it until they ran the Ragnar.

Of course, there are plenty of people who run and just don't get it at all. The most annoying thing is to hear someone bitching and moaning about not getting a good sleep, or how miserable it is to run at 3:30 am, or how bad the porta potties are. Talk about first-world problems... I heard so many people stepping out of vans whining about how bad the free coffee is, and how they just can't run without good coffee. "Why don't they get Starbucks to sponsor it?" Sometimes, I think they should change their motto to "Wake Up, Shut up, and Run!" but perhaps I'll save that for the van decorations next time.

Feeling yesterday's run, today

This morning, my plan was to do a "nice" 4-miler, hopefully at 7:30 pace as kind of a recovery from the "fast" 6-miler yesterday. I managed that, in fact it was 4.75 miles at 7:23. But, I felt pretty crappy throughout. My right ankle has been bothering me. Back in PT, the therapist said, "Wow, your ankles are really inflexible, let's work on those." I never really had ankle problems before, but my right ankle is now stiffer than ever since they worked on it. Damn it. It's always something. It took about a mile to loosen it up. I actually considered turning around after 0.25 miles because it was hurting.

My decision for tomorrow is whether to do the Pirate 5k in Havre de Grace, prior to heading up to NJ, or to run with the Pacemakers before the drive to Jersey. Oh decisions.

First time running the Thursday morning "Under Armour" run

At 6:00 am today, I went to the Under Armour Brandhouse in Harbor East. This is a run that a friend, Cory, has put together for a fairly quick pace... around 7:00 min/mile for 6 miles. Most of the other folks... OK the three others today, run there from their respective homes, and run back. I chose to bike down, because running there would have resulted in an overall distance of 10 miles. A little too far to travel for my current fitness level, and the last thing I want to do is push my distance too far , too fast and get laid up again with another injury.

The run goes from the store at Harbor East, along the harbor and some streets (Key Hwy) to the Under Armour HQ, and back again. As advertised, we kept a 7:00 min pace, although I think we started a little quicker than that. It felt good to stretch my legs like that. My last few runs have been slower dur to slower company and that puking incident. It was soupy out there with the humidity. I was soaked about a mile in. The bike ride home actually let me get some real air movement, and helped dry me off and cool me down. Cheers.

First time I have ever puked to start a run

Last night was my usual Tuesday pizza and beer run. It was 93 degrees at the start, and I left my apartment a tad late. So I pushed it to run 7:00's down to the meetup location. This was after drinking a cup of coffee and eating a large spoonful of marinated mushrooms (wonderful pre-run nutrition). My stomach was feeling a little weird for those two miles to the meetup spot, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle.

We waited about 5 minutes for the last person to show up and headed off for a 5-miler around the harbor. About five steps into it, I let out what I thought would be a small burp... Nope... it was that cup full of coffee and some mushrooms. Thankfully I was right next to a trash can at the time, and managed to hold it till I got over the can. A couple of swishes of water, spit, repeat. Off I went. Of course I was fighting stomach cramps after that, and basically kept it in the 8:30 range for the rest of the run. Felt OK at the end.

Then, on the walk to the pizza joint, we saw quite the storm heading towards us. We ended up sprinting the last three blocks. The wind was so strong that all of the street debris was smacking us in the face. It took a good five minutes of constant blinking in the pizza place to get the stuff out of my eyes.

Last week, I was at 15.6 miles for the week, which doesn't sound like a lot. But, since the IT band flared up, this is the most I have run in one week. This past week, I was able to stay up in Philly with a good friend, and I got to travel the streets of South Philly for a few miles on Monday and Tuesday evenings. Running from Passyunk down Broad to the stadiums and back up. It was the first time running in South Philly, and it was an interesting view of that part of the city.

Last night was the first disgusting run of the year. IT was 83 F and humid when I went out at 6:30. I only did 4 miles, at 7:10 pace, but it felt like I did twice as much. It's the heat, and the humidity, damn it. I can't stand summer for running, and it's not even that hot yet.

Supposedly, I have a video gait analysis scheduled for this coming Wednesday. We'll have to see if I have really improved my form as much as I think I have, or if I have over corrected and am now doing something equally as awful.

So F'ing Foggy

This morning, my run was spent breathing the thick air on the streets of B'more. It was so foggy, I couldn't see the skyline from my bedroom window. It was a cool 65 F. I did a total of 3 miles, down to the Science Center and back. I stopped to take a photo of the USS Constellation and World Trade Center in the fog.

I am slowly getting my legs back under me. Foam rolling before and after the run is proving to be key. I am at about 12 miles per week, increasing by 10% each week.

Two days in a row for the first time...

Yesterday marked the first time I had run two days in a row after the IT band issues came to a head in late January. I put in 2.5 miles on Monday at 7:21 pace, and then I did 4.1 miles last night at 7:00 pace. I felt good after both runs, although I was approaching the end of my endurance limits after the 4-miler. I could feel my form slipping a bit and my stomach was starting to burn. Last night was also the first run in 80+ degree weather. The first part in the city was warm, and I had to dodge crowds around Camden Yards... someone forgot the Tigers were in town. After going through Fed Hill, and getting to the harbor, it was much cooler. Although the last half mile was dead into a stiff headwind. That really tired me out. The Duclaw Sweet Baby Jesus after my run never tasted so good.

I just have to resist the urge to push past the 10% increase per week. It's going to be tough, but I don't want to end up back at square one with another injury.

Progress is being made

I have been given the go ahead to start increasing my mileage by the standard 10% per week. I am still keeping myself to every other day running to allow things to heal. I am thinking that the key to managing this will be foam rolling both before and after a run.

This past weekend, I managed to get a nice 4.5-miler in at Heinz Wildlife Refuge up in Philly on Saturday. A really flat, gravel trail around the wetlands. It was great, because of my running partners that day, E and D. D is actually a German Shorthaired Pointer, who really seemed to be rather lackadaisical about the 8:23 pace we set. I could tell he was capable of more. Sunday, we got up to watch the elites at the 8-mile marker in the Broad Street Run. They were cruising at about 4:45 pace. It was educational to watch their forms as they went by. I would love to have that springy, shock-absorber look to my stride. After some coffee and a pastry, we watched the sweaty masses roll by somewhere between 8:30 and 11:00 paces. Still fun to watch that many people... most of whom were having fun, too.

Last night's run was a 2.7-miler at what I felt was 5k pace. That turned out to be about 6:30 in the shape I'm in. Not, too bad. I tried to meet up with the RG3 Tuesday pizza and beer run, but missed them at the finish. I checked out our usual places, but it appears that they may have gone home after the run rather than partaking of food and booze. Too bad. Maybe next week.

Camden Yards this morning

One o the best things about Camden Yards is that they open the gates on Eutaw St. at 7 AM, so if you can run down there and through the stadium (or at least by a lot of the concessions) in the morning. It's usually pretty quiet, too.

I think I have personally seen Big Papi put four homers onto Eutaw Street. However, I wasn't here for this particular shot:

I know there's a few Troy O'Leary's out there, and a Carl Everett about four feet from Papi's marker.

So, it was two-miles this morning with no issues. Just focusing on form, which is becoming more natural. Arms swinging by my side, hips underneath me, and each foot in its own lane. Alignment and balance. I hope this works. My next jaunt will be the Newport 10-Miler. I will most likely start the race with my sister, run the first mile with her. Then I'll peel off the course and walk it out to either the 7 or 6-mile marker. I'll hopefully not have to wait too long to see her. Then I'll run the last three or four miles in with her. It'll be fun, and hopefully it'll be dry.