tcs nyc marathon

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!

10/3/2015: Morning Run: 8:00 a.m., 5.2 Miles, Central Park Loop

/ Jim McEvoy / Leave a comment

The rain continues. Well, the misty wetness that passes for rain continues. 52 degrees, cloudy skies, and wet roadways. Not the conditions running dreams are made of. I also have this low-grade sore throat and headache, which adds another wrinkle to the current dreariness. Blah-zay.

Of course, none of that matters! A rainy day means a chance to prepare for the worst on race day. Colder weather means a chance to acclimate to NYC Marathon weather conditions. Slightly-less-than-perfect health provides an opportunity to test your ability to push through less-than-ideal race day conditions. (note: If you’re really sick, don’t push yourself! Sleep.)

Also, I wanted to run this morning, and ain’t no rain gonna hold me down.

Central Park Running

Way too happy after running in the rain!

Not much else to report today. I had fun out there and feel fully recovered from the Bronx 10-Mile. I’ll be running 20 miles tomorrow in Central Park in the afternoon, and can’t wait to see how well I hit the hills. Staten Island Half in one week! NYC Marathon in four! NYRR 60k in six! Oh wondrous fall racing season!

Off to the many pumpkin patches of New Jersey for the rest of day. Get out there and have a great one!

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!