It's getting hot in here

A few years ago an old runner I know told me that training in the heat and humidity of the Northeastern United States was just as difficult as altitude training.

I don’t know about that. I understand the point he was trying to make, but it seemed to me that there is a little more involved, like, for instance, breathing. Trying to do speed workouts at 8,500-feet for a flatlander like myself is a lot like trying to teach a dog the multiplication tables… or maybe simply teaching them to a public school kid ensnared in the inanity of The No Child Left Behind Act.

But that’s a different argument.

Anyway, during my forays to higher altitude to run my biggest challenge (aside from breathing and making it up those “hills” with some type of movement that could be categorized as running) was getting out and back before the temperatures soared to 80 or 85 degrees. Humidity was never a problem because it rarely topped 30 percent, which made for pleasant summer days.

You see, at altitude a runner can crank out the miles like crazy – they will just be much slower than normal. However, after a week of running up high the first run at sea level makes me feel like I’m one giant lung. The feeling doesn’t last long, but it is fun for a day or two.

That is if the summer heat and humidity doesn’t take you out.

And that’s the trouble. Some summer days here in the east make it difficult to leave the air conditioning, let alone go out to run. Last summer I thought about those differences between Colorado and Pennsylvania after returning home to a heat/humidity wave. One my first day back at sea level after putting in 85 miles at 8,500 to 9,000 feet, it was so forebodingly hot and humid that I was only able to eke out 8 miles. As the week continued and the heat and humidity became more oppressive, I waited until 7 p.m. to start my runs, which was OK for a little while, but it definitely threw me off my schedule.

Anyway, as the summer season officially kicks off this week and the humidity begins to creep in for the next few weeks here in the east, I’ll be thinking about Colorado and those lucky folks running around up in the clouds…

I’ll trade humidity for altitude any day of the week.

Monday – 15 miles in 1:39:43
I want to go for at least two hours or 20 miles, but I was delayed because I was reading about The Sopranos on the Internet. I'm such a dumbass. Nonetheless, it would have been a good day to crank out some miles because I felt steady and strong the entire run. Hopefully I feel just as good tomorrow when I try to make up for not running long today.

Tuesday – 15 miles in 1:39:49
Felt tight (but not tired) at the start and it seemed like I was going kind of slow, but I was locked into a pretty solid pace and was able to keep it there until the last 3 miles or so. That's when I dipped to 6:45 pace and started to feel tired. Regardless, the run was pretty solid and I had enough left at the end for another five miles at the same pace.

Wednesday – 18 miles in 2:01:14
Went for ART in the morning and then went out and had my ass kicked. Actually, it wasn't all that bad. I ran steady 6:30ish pace for the first hour or so and then the heat, sun and lack of water took me out. After 14 miles or so it was a bit of a struggle, but I kept at it and focused on my form and elemental running. When I got home I was dehydrated and whipped, so I scarfed down two Clif Bars, lots of water and a big glass of Gatorade. That seemed to do the trick.

Thursday – 13 miles in 1:26:19
After five or six miles I felt great. My splits went 33:34 for the first five miles followed by 32:32 for the second five miles. Not only did I feel strong, but also my stride was good and my feet felt very comfortable hitting the ground. At one point I thought about taking it down to 6-minute pace, but figured I had to save a little for this weekend. But as I always say, “What the hell am I saving this for?”

Friday – 9 miles in 62:25
Ran with the stroller for the first time. It wasn't easy, nor ideal, but I suppose it's something I'll have to get used for certain occasions in the future. Nevertheless, pushing the stroller with a 35-pound, three-year old in the seat wasn't the hardest part -- dealing with the heat and humidity was. Fortunately, today was a scheduled "easy" day so I felt no need to push the pace or mileage.

Either way, the boy seemed to enjoy his nine-mile ride around the neighborhood. Maybe sometime in the future he and I can trade places?

Saturday – 13 miles in 1:26:30
If it hadn't been for the breeze and the hazy cloud cover, I definitely would have melted to nothing but a pile of salt today. The heat index was near 90 degrees and the humidity didn't do anyone any favors either. Nevertheless, I ran fairly solid by going through the first five miles in 33:11 and the second five in 33:10. My last mile home was pretty decent, too.

On another note, the Vermont City Marathon was one year ago today. That one was hot, too, and definitely not as fun as today’s outing.

Sunday – 6 miles in 38:24
Ran easy and steady though I did the last two miles at 5:40 pace. That felt really controlled and strong without exerting much effort. Still, I definitely need to do more speed, that's for sure.

I wore my Nike Air Mariahs today. There was also a pretty intense hail storm in the evening. I've only seen anything like that in Colorado.

That’s 89 miles for the week… maybe I should run around the block for an extra miles to give me 90?

Time for racin'

As the weather gets warmer and spring slowly morphs into summer – or something like that – the running and racing season gets into full swing. These days, certainly, there is no dearth of racing opportunities for anyone looking for a 5k anywhere on any weekend, but the well known, long-standing road races are looming.

Around here there is something called the Red Rose Run that is quintessentially a local five-mile run as opposed to a five-mile race that attracted world-record holders and Olympians that it did during its heyday. That’s fine, I guess, because I doubt most people really care if it’s Kenyans or local racers at the top of the leaderboard. Most people who run (based on my uneducated experience) don’t particularly care if they get faster from race to race or what place they finish. Everyone has a reason for running, and sometimes one doesn’t have to be fast to enjoy it – that’s the beauty of it.

Nevertheless, there are a few of us who don’t do this for our health. Deep down we’re aggressive, hostile and competitive. Running is the perfect place to channel those feelings.

Anyway, speaking of racing and really good runners, Khalid Khannouchi was back racing in a 10k through Central Park last weekend after dropping out of the London Marathon in April. Actually, the fact that Khannouchi was racing in New York was such a big deal that The New York Times offered a pre-race feature on the runner as he prepared to race against American Dathan Ritzenhein and Australian Buster Mottram. After the race Ritzenhein told reporters that he was “intimidated” at the starting line to see Khannouchi, the American record holder in the marathon, standing there.

As followers of the sport know, Ritzenhein finished the race in a Central Park-record 28:08, 17 seconds ahead of Mottram. Khannouchi, meanwhile, was 14^th in 30:06.

Perhaps the injuries that plagued Khannouchi in London resurfaced in Central Park? I couldn’t find any post-race comments from Khannouchi online aside from a rhetorical question posted on his web site:

Is Khalid back?
Obviously, not yet!!

According to the story in The Times, Khannouchi wants to race in Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Games and then call it a career. First, however, he has to make the U.S. marathon team, which doesn’t sound too difficult noting that he has the fastest qualifying time for the trials and that he is the only man in history to run under 2:06 three times. Khannouchi’s five best marathon times make him the fastest ever.

Yet for some reason his name doesn’t enter the conversation when talking about who will finish on the podium and make the Olympic team at the marathon trials in November. Never mind that there is no other American within three minutes of his best times. For some reason Ritzenhein, Ryan Hall, Alan Culpepper, Brian Sell, Meb Keflezighi and Abdi Abdirahman are the runners to beat, while Khannouchi seems to be forgotten in the, “oh yeah… him,” sense.

Is that because he missed the trials in 2000 and 2004 with injuries that some whispered weren’t serious enough to really keep him out of a race like the Olympic Trials? Is it because of his age (he’s 35)? Could it be that he has completed just two marathons since running Chicago in 2:05:56 in 2002? Forget that only one American was even in the neighborhood of the times he did register (2:07:04 in London in 2006 and 2:08:44 in Chicago in 2004); he has run 2:05… three times!

Either way, the trials in Manhattan in November should be quite interesting. Take Khannouchi out of it and it’s the deepest American field in a long, long time. Add him into the mix it’s possible that the American marathoner could be one of the strongest teams in Beijing in 2008.

Anyway, I think I’m getting closer to deciding whether I will run a local road race or two in the upcoming weeks. Aside from that, I’m also continuing to build up for a marathon in October and/or November. So far my strength and recovery is pretty good but my speed… well, let’s just say I’m strong.

Here’s how the week of May 14 to 20 broke down:

Monday - 18 miles in 1:59:38
I was consistent and strong for the entire run. It helped that the weather was perfect, of course, but this was a good one. I only started to feel slightly tired toward the end and I'm quite sure that I could have busted out another hour with no trouble.

First 5: 33:21
2nd 5: 33:05
3rd 5: 32:56

Aside from a slow first loop, I was pretty rock steady consistent.

Tuesday - 13 miles in 1:26:48
Felt pretty good in the beginning. My legs had a little snap and I was raring to get out the door and get busy. But it was hot and sunny, which slowed me down as the run wore on. It wasn't anything major, but it was quite obvious that the sun and heat were a drag.

Splits:
1st 5: 33:05
2nd 5: 33:24

Elsewhere, I read that Deena Kastor has skin cancer and has been battling the issue for a little while. Not so seriously (except for where it pertains to my finances), my car came dangerously close to overheating and I had to take it to the garage. Hopefully it's not too major.

Tomorrow: ART.

Wednesday - 13 miles in 1:26:16
I actually veered into the Brick Yards today for some reason. I also had a fairly quick pace thanks in part to hard winds blowing a nice tailwind. Better yet, the wind and approaching rain storm brought the temperatures down to something more conducive to distance running. If only the weather would be 55 and overcast for two hours every day...

Thursday - 10 miles in 64:00
I didn't sleep well, so I decided to get up and run early. Surprisingly, it went fairly well. I kept the pace steady and ran a few surges, though nothing that would constitute speed work or to get too excited about.

Friday - 15 miles in 1:36:49
This was really good one. The weather was perfect -- 55, cloudy with drizzle -- and despite feeling a little tight when I woke up, I was solid and smooth the entire time. Who knows... maybe I'm starting to get into shape.

Saturday - 12 miles in 1:18:24
I ran well and felt strong. I'm sure I could have put in many more miles, but I don't want to overdo it quite yet. I guess I stopped because I want to pace myself. On another note, I added a few faux strides when I was finished. I definitely feel as though I have to do a better job with my speed work.

Sunday - 6 miles in 36:32
This one proved that I'm not in great shape and/or that I need to start getting busy with the speed workouts. I tried to run up tempo with the possibility of running a 5k time trial, and it didn't really go as planned. I ended up just doing a tempo run, which wasn't spectacular. I didn't push it because I didn't feel too good, but the times when I did push it ever so slightly, it didn't feel good either. I ended up doing five miles in 29:24, which was disappointing, but at the same time, I really didn't push it. Nevertheless, the point is that I have to get to work.

That’s 87 miles for the week.

A different element

Adaptability is pretty important in running. Because runners and running, by nature, is a selfish act, occasionally one has to alter his plans, regime or surroundings if they are going to a session in. For me that usually means getting up out of bed and out the door hours before normal so that I’m all finished before I typically even wake up. I keep late-night hours so this is difficult, though necessary.

But if that’s what it takes from time to time, so be it. As long as I get the work in, I feel good.

I suppose all runners are like this, too. In fact, I remember reading an interview with Bill Rodgers where he talked about squeezing in runs while waiting for a flight at the airport. Of course doing something like that these days would be nearly impossible with the raised levels of security, but it seems to me that real runners have put in some work on the access roads around the airport. That’s a definite hardcore running act that makes my list next to having just two remaining original toenails, urinating blood, or not quite making it to the bathroom in time and dropping the deuce in those microfiber shorts.

It really is quite a durable fabric.

Anyway, I did three runs where I was finished for the day and showered before 9 a.m. Two of those three were in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware where my wife, son and me spent the weekend. Frankly, though, the toughest part wasn’t waking up early because after chasing around a 3-year old boy every waking hour, I was too trashed to keep my normal schedule. I had no other choice but to be in bed not too long after the sun had set.

Here’s the week of May 7-13:

Monday 15.3 miles in 1:42:20
Still nursing the remnants of my cold, but, surprisingly, I ran very well. Despite the day off I was very strong and kept a solid pace. A few more runs like this and I'll be feeling much better.

Tuesday 15 miles in 1:39:46
I did the entire run on the field and was very solid with my pace for the first 11 miles. After that it faltered slightly, but not too much. Anyway, I kept a steady 6:37 pace for 11 miles with very little effort. What made it telling (or something) was that I was (and am) phlegmy and stuffed up from my cold/allergies. The damn late spring is wreaking havoc with my head.

Wednesday 13.2 miles in 1:27:53
This was a weird one. I woke up in the morning feeling like I had to throw up. I don't know if that's because of allergies or a cold or what, but my stomach felt quite quesy and it really affected me. Running-wise I felt great, albeit a bit tired, but the entire time I felt like I needed to throw up.

Thursday 13 miles in 1:27:37
This was definitely a beater. The humidity mixed with tired and stiff legs didn't make this run fun. Plus, I still have remnants of my cold/allergies wreaking havoc with my head. I even took a sudafed-type pill, which contains a substance that is banned (if used in large quantities) by the IOC or WADA or whomever. Then again, if it were up to Dick Pound and WADA, shoes would be banned. Digressing, I toughed it out for 13.

Friday 10 miles in 66:03
Got up early to run before driving to Rehoboth and surprisingly did well. Maybe there's something about running at 7 a.m.?

Saturday 10 miles in 67:16
Did another early morning run and felt nearly as good as yesterday. It was kind of fun to run in a different place (I went from weaved my way around Rehoboth and Dewey Beach), but truth be told, I like my regular routes the best. I'm not saying I didn't have fun, but it's very evident that some serious work has to start soon.

Sunday 5.5 miles in 36:47
Retraced some of the same tracks I ran yesterday, only not as long. For the third day in a row I was finished running before 9 a.m. and I even did this one in a misting rain with ocean winds (trade winds?) blowing fairly hard. Midway through this one I felt really strong and ready to crank out some miles... not today.

That’s 82 miles for the week. There are 21 weeks to the Steamtown Marathon on Oct.7. I wonder if I can get close to 2:30 again? Either way, I have to make a decision about which race I’m going to do and when I’m going to do it.

Still going...

I never really got too many colds or had allergies until two things happened. The first was when I bought my first house in Delaware in 2002. As any first-time home owner I was very diligent about cutting the grass, trimming the edges, planting the flowers and trees and making sure to maintain all of the little maintenance issues to keep them from turning into something bigger. After selling that house and buying another, I don’t go as crazy with all of the yard work and everything. A lot of that has to do with the fact that I’m tired of it and simply choose to, as they say, pick my spots.

It’s similar to my approach during college when I studied like crazy during my first two semesters before coming to a realization that it wasn't so hard after all. From there, I coasted, which isn’t what I’d recommend, but what are you going to do now?

Anyway, from the time I started cutting the grass regularly the allergies and head stuffiness came along, too. Sometimes it knocks me right on my ass for a couple of days, other times it’s just uncomfortable. Always, it alters my workouts.

The second element is my three-year-old boy. The kid is a veritable frappe of bacteria and germs, which is especially fun when he decides he wants to pretend to be a dog and lick me or give me the raspberries an inch-and-a-half away from my face. I guess I can’t be too upset about it since I do it to him, too… except for the dog part. My biggest worry with him is how he mimics my voice. That’s just not fair and I don’t recall reading about how to handle that in any of those parenting guides. Worse, the kid has the nuances of me down cold which will only improve and get sharper when he gets older.

Yeah, I’m in trouble here.

So a combination of mowing the lawn and hanging out with my boy could have led to the late week cold that had me fighting to get out and coughing up some fascinating fluids to hack out during my runs. It’s a veritable science experiment, in fact.

Anyway, here’s the week of April 30 to May 6 where I continue to train for something:

Monday: 15 miles in 1:40:29
This was a weird one. Before I started my stomach was a little upset from eating a bunch of sweets the day before -- normally moderation is my tact when it comes to junky food, but for some reason I went a little crazy. Either way, I started out running pretty well at 6:20ish pace. In fact, I had to slow myself down because the sun was out and it was a little warm. Thankfully, there was a stiff breeze going which kept the temperatures from making me wilt.

Anyway, I tore through the run at a fair clip and my legs felt great, but my stomach bothered me the entire time. I thought I was going to have to veer off into the woods or something, but luckily I finished without incident...

Until I got home. For about three hours I was in agony with nasty stomach cramps. I assume some of it was from dehydration and the heat and the rest from my crappy diet. Nonetheless, I guess it's time to make sure I'm loaded with electrolytes before I run.

Tuesday: 13 miles in 1:26:51
It felt like I was going to continue to have trouble with my stomach when I started out. But once I got going and settled in I felt great. I definitely could have cranked out the miles and even the 6:20s I was running for the first 5 or 6 miles felt very easy. Better yet, the weather was as perfect as it could be -- the temps were around 60-65 with a nice breeze. Perfect.

Wednesday: 1st run: 13 miles in 1:25:17
2nd run: 4 miles in 28:05
Doubled for the first time in a long time. I guess I feel the need to work on my base. Plus, with the weather as perfect as it's been for the past two days how could I not do two runs?

Thursday: 10 miles in 68:19
Got a late start because I had the boy all day. That wasn't the bad part... what was bad was that I stayed up until 3 a.m. writing, watching baseball and old Sopranos episodes. I was cranky and tired all day. But once I settled into the run I felt really good.

Friday: 15 miles in 1:40:57
I'm very strong. In fact, it's safe to say that my strength is my strength. Now if only I had some speed to go with it, then, perhaps, I'd be an ass kicker. Instead I'm just a strong dude who can hold a steady pace for a long time.

Saturday: 7 miles in 49:17
Ran OK considering I got up after five hours of sleep, drove for three hours (to Jennerstown, Pa. for a wedding) and ate lunch. I never do any of those things -- mix that with being at 2,000-feet of altitude and a throat/head cold and I think I did OK. I could have gone longer, but whatever...

Sunday: goose egg
Just beat. I felt like crap because of my cold and then I drove three hours to get home from Jennerstown, Pa. After some Mexican food, The Sopranos and Entourage, I went to bed.

That’s 77 miles for the week. Not bad, but I was on to something better.