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10/7/2015: Morning Run: November Project PR DAY YAYAYAYAY!

/ Jim McEvoy / Leave a comment

Yesterday’s Training

I hit the gym and did my leg day routine, which consists of: 1) leg press; 2) abduction machine; 3) adduction machine; 4) glute press; 5) hamstring curls; and 6) squats, usually with a kettle bell pressed to my chest. I also stretched a bunch, and then I ran 6.2 miles after work. Leg day always falls on a running day, but as I’ve been doing it this way for a couple months, my body is used to it.

November Project NYC PR Day

Of course, PR day doesn’t always fall on the day after leg day plus run day, but no matter! When it comes to NP_NYC, you #justshowup and hit the workout hard. I knew that this would be my second to last high intensity run before the NYC Marathon (the other being the Staten Island Half coming up on Sunday!), so I planned to give it my best effort. My first run on the course on last month’s PR day netted me a 22:34. I was hoping to break 21:00 this time.

A quick explainer: The first Wednesday of each month is NP_NYC’s PR day. We run eight loops of a course in Carl Schurz Park on the east side, which makes for a 3.5ish mile run. The goal is to improve every month and earn a PR. Very straightforward. The course itself is mostly flat except for two sets of stairs at the end of each loop. As I’ve discovered both times I’ve run the course, the stairs really slow the run down.

NP_NYC had a surprise for us this PR day: Strava had helped the group create a race within their app, so we could track our individual and team results by logging the run with the Strava app. I dislike running with my phone strapped to my arm, but went for it anyway. I thought it would be cool to see everyone’s results.

After Lew got us going with the bounce, we lined up and John started the timer. Boom! We were off.

I ran the first two loops with Myles, a strong runner who unofficially manages NP_NYC’s NYRR running team efforts. Myles and I tried to make small talk, but I was in the zone pushing hard and not exactly capable of continuing a conversation. Myles pushed the pace after the second loop, and I ran the rest of the way by myself.

I view this run as a great example of my mindset during most races. First, I charge out of the gate, ready to conquer everything and everyone. After a couple of laps, I settle into a groove, and usually slow my pace down. Once I sense the end is near (in this case, the last two laps) I pick up the pace again and fight hard to the finish. This mirrored my efforts from this morning, except that I pushed so hard during the first three or four laps that I had trouble finding that extra push in the last two laps. My legs screamed and I had to fight through some negative thoughts to keep on moving.

I crossed the finish line with a time of 21:07 (John said 21:02 when I crossed, but Strava tells me 21:07, so I’ll go with that). Not quite my goal, but damn close and a solid effort overall. At the end of the day, whether I meet the goal or not isn’t the most important part. I felt great because I gave the run a strong effort, and remembered that no matter how much I’ve improved over the past few months, I can still get better.

November Project NYC

We keep improving one step at a time. Woohoo!

I hung out and cheered on the rest of the Tribe, all of whom were crushing the course. My sister ran what I think were her fastest mile splits ever, which was great. I ran with her for her final lap and was pleasantly surprised when she picked up the pace toward the end and pushed me to run faster. Good work, Katie!

As always, I love NP_NYC and fully support any and all friends coming out. You just have to show up and give it your best effort. No judgment!

Tomorrow’s Workout

Tomorrow I’ll run 10 miles at an easy maximum aerobic heart rate pace. Friday is a day off, and Saturday I’ll run two miles in anticipation of the Staten Island Half on Sunday! We’re so close to the marathon now. So pumped.

Happy running, everyone!

10/4/2015: Long Run, 2:40 p.m., 20 Miles, Central Park Loop x 3.3

/ Jim McEvoy / Leave a comment

I like to run in the mornings. A morning run forces me out of bed and provides an energy boost. It also allows me to focus on activities not related to running for the rest of the day. If I don’t get the workout in, I’ll often find myself thinking, “Well, damn. Now I have to rearrange this and that activity so that I can fit in a run.” In other words, I stress myself out.

This weekend, however, I traveled into the foreign lands of New Jersey to visit my girlfriend’s cousin for an early Halloween party. We explored a pumpkin patch, ate brownies and more brownies, and watched a couple of foreign horror movies I had never seen (including “The Babadook” and “Fragile”). Throughout all of this, I was developing a slight cold, so getting a night of mediocre sleep in a foreign bed was worth it for the fun, but not the sickness.

Pumpkin patch

So many pumpkins (and decorative gourds . . . so seasonal) for such a little state!

That said, between the train back to NYC and an extra two hours of sleep, I didn’t make it to Central Park for my 20-mile training run until 2:40 p.m. Would I finish before the sun set? Would the weather still be cloudy and wet as it had been all weekend? Would there be a million tourists clogging the running lanes?

The answer to all these questions (of course) was: just relax! I ran a fairly steady pace and felt strong for most of the run, although my right leg began to feel sore after mile 15. The weather was absolutely fantastic: blue skies and 60 degrees with a slight breeze to keep you cool. And the running paths were mostly clear, with the occasional tourist cutting in on a bike because he or she wanted to take a picture of a tree or something. Besides the slight sickness, I’d rank this as one of the nicer runs I’ve done this training season.

Central Park Running

All smiles after a good effort.

I tried out some new things on this run. Recently, I’ve been using gels instead of pinole/chia in large part because they’re easier to consume. I had one before the run began, one around the start of mile 9, and one in the middle of mile 15. I also didn’t carry a water bottle, utilizing the many water fountains in the Park. I only had to wait on line once, which wasn’t so bad. That’s always my biggest fear about not carrying a water bottle on long runs: waiting forever at water fountains. Perhaps my fear is unfounded.

Anyway, looking forward to the Staten Island Half on Sunday, and then the NYC Marathon in just under four weeks!

Here are the mile splits for the run:

Central Park 20 Mile Route 20 Mile Splits

Happy running, everyone!

10/2/2015: Morning Workout: November Project: The Quad Thrashing Continued!

/ Jim McEvoy / Leave a comment

Yesterday’s 9-Mile Treadmill Experience

Yesterday I ran nine miles on the treadmill at the New York Sports Club near my office in White Plains, New York. I didn’t run in the morning because I needed the extra hour and a half of sleep. Solid move. The only problem: running on the treadmill is incredibly boring. I pounded out 7:30 miles without any problems, but I would have preferred the hills of Central Park. Keeps it interesting, at least.

Today’s November Project NYC Workout

Wednesday I wrote about November Project NYC’s quad-heavy workout. I was hoping that this morning’s NP_NYC exercises would diverge from that format. Again, alas.

We met at 68th Street and Riverside Drive, a location only ten blocks from my apartment. I jogged to and from the workout. The intersection sits atop an entrance to the West Side Greenway, and sports a steep set of stairs down to the Hudson River. At the bottom of the stairs is an entrance to a field with an incredibly steep hill. You see where I’m going with this.

The Workout

We split into two groups and partnered up. Group one started at the base of the hill. While one partner planked, the other sprinted up the hill to the top, and sprinted (or slipped, slid, and rolled) to the bottom. Once at the bottom, the runner would straddle the planker and run over him. Once past the planker, the planker became the runner, and vice versa. Repeat for 10-12 minutes. The goal of the straddling, according to John, one of the Tribe leaders, was to make things as awkward as possible. He wasn’t too far off.

November Project NYC

Sliding down the hill! (Repost from November Project NYC Facebook page)

Group two started at the top of the stairs. Partner one stayed atop the stairs alternating between five dips and five pushups. Partner two ran down the stairs, lunged from the stairs to the West Side bike path (for me, about 20 lunges), bear-crawled back to the stairs, and ran up them. Switch with your partner and repeat for 10-12 minutes.

After 10-12 minutes groups one and two switched and did the other circuit.

November Project NYC

I can’t even pretend that I’m enjoying this moment. (repost from November Project NYC Facebook page)

As you can see, hill running, lunges, and stair running all engage the quads. So, once again I punished myself with short bursts of quad speed. Overall I felt good running up the hill, but the stairs (which I did during the second half) hurt. The most difficult part, though, was the dips/pushups combo. The stairs/lunges/bear crawl/stairs segment took 2-3 minutes, which is enough time to do a lot of dips and pushups. After the 20th dip, though, you no longer want to do dips and pushups. Relative strength is really important for running, though, so I can grin and fight through it. Overall, though, my legs felt better this morning than on Wednesday. Sometimes a long, easy run like the one I did on the treadmill yesterday eases the muscle soreness.

As always, the NP_NYC crew found a way to elevate the cold rainy morning into a joyous experience. High fives up and down the hill, Billy and John rolling down the hill in every direction and getting dizzy and confused in the process, Amir pushing it hard each plank and each uphill sprint: They help keep the energy and spirit high. I also like when John and Paul, the other Tribe leader, jump into the workout and push it with us. It keeps the anarchical spirit of the group alive and well. And really, everyone who #justshowsup: that’s the hardest part and most important for keeping the group going!

November Project NYC

It’s this kind of intensity that keeps NP_NYC pushing hard in the mornings! (repost from November Project NYC Facebook page)

#weekendearned.

If you’re running Grete’s Great Gallop half marathon in Central Park this weekend, kill it! If you’re like me and putting in a long run for the NYC Marathon, good luck out there. And if you’re just taking it easy, then take it easy like a prince.

Happy running, everyone!