Tag: Road-to-Carmel

Total Mileage – 20.83

Run 13 – 1/4/21 – Start of an Easy Week – Lucky number 13, and the start of what is suppose to be an easy week. Today was an easy 45. Not much to it than a basic loop around the neighborhood. I did have to stop almost immediately, my tight shoes again causing pain in the arches of my feet. Once I loosened up, so did the pain. Before I run again, I must completely re-lace both my running shoes.

The loop I tried is somewhere in the vicinity of 4.x miles. Since it called for 45 minutes, I opted for the loop, but it fell short of expectations and had to divert a couple of times to try to add mileage. A good rule of thumb should be, if it says 45 minutes, find something that has close to 5 miles.

Run 14 – 1/14/21 – Pain – Pain is a good motivator to do nothing. When I started this training I had just bought a pair of Brooks GTS 21’s that seemed to be fitting the bill rather well. Upon starting the training I pondered the idea of getting a second pair so that I can alternate between two pairs of shoes. Great idea right. I rapidly decided GTS 21’s are very comfy let me get a second pair! This will be perfect! I go and buy the same shoes in a different color. At first, I avoided long runs with them since I needed to break them in before I put them through the torture. After 3 or 4 runs, I decide to up the mileage on the shoes fast so that I can simply alternate between the two shoes. So I went gung-ho on the new shoes and wore them religious. Then! PAIN! I had felt the pain in arch before, the slight discomfort, but figured they would just get settled in. Last week after my Friday run, I really felt it. After the long run even more. I told myself is the way I am tightening them. I spoke about re-lacing, that this was helping. Yet, the pain was still there.

On this run, I ran with discomfort and/or pain the entire time. To the point were, when I finished, I could not put my weight on the foot. Mind you today had strides of 1 minute at 5k pace with 90 seconds of rest. Somehow, I did that without crying or stopping. Yet, when I was done and cooled down. I realized I had made a mistake of gigantic proportions.

I am taking a couple of days off, no training! Stay off my feet. The act of walking hurts the arch on my right foot. I called the company I use to buy the sneakers and started a return process. Now, I am thinking about using other sneaker brands to supplement. Instead of the same exact sneakers. I opted not to decide right away and will await a week to decide. For now, I just hope I can quickly run without that pain.

It makes no sense though, same brand, same model, same size. Yet different feeling!

Run 15 – 1/8/21 – Skipped – Skipped, letting the arch on my right foot heal. The pain after my last run persevered and after talking to my coach I avoided all working out for a couple of days to make sure I could do my long run.

Run 16 – 1/9/21 – Pain but… – After my Run 14 I needed a break due to the pain on my right arch. I returned the shoes that caused the pain, and today when I put on the exact same shoes but in a different color. I knew that things would be alright the moment I put them on. After two days of icing my foot, all I had left was a dull faint discomfort and these shoes were not pressing anything.

I did a reverse route similar to a recent long run, starting on the Bronx River Trail and then coming up California Road. The hills to get to California Road were murderous, but I did not seem to slow down much as I tackled them. By around mile 6 I started feeling a small throb on my right arch. To the point were I felt at times that I was changing my strike. I had to mentally try to correct it, knowing if I continued to modify I would wind up hurting something else. When I did not modify, I definitely did feel the arch. I felt it but it did not hurt. It was like someone pushing in with their thumb hard. Whereas Wednesday when I felt it. It felt like someone was pushing in with a knife hard. Big difference.

I have decided to change shoes. After speaking to my coach and a friend, I will try a three shoe approach. I will eventually purchase a pair of Asics GT2000 and a pair of New Balance 860’s. Let’s see how that ball rolls. I will continue to ice my arch.

Total Mileage – 26.82

Run 9 – 12-28-20 – Today was an easy run with strides at the end. I had never done strides before I started training with Javier and Xplora. The idea is that you do a 5k pace for 30 sec, followed by a trot. In this case to the end the run.

I started with a slight dull ache in the inside section of my left knee. That never really went away. I will blame it on me wearing shorts in 35 degree weather and never warming up. My body though felt real heavy. It’s amazing how Saturday, my natural easy pace came out as a 9:09 pace and today, I barely broke 10! But my legs felt like two lead weights holding me down. As I ran, I really wondered, how in the world I would be able to do strides at the end. How when my body felt so bogged down would I be able to speed up to sub 5k pace.

The body is an amazing thing though, because I was able to push and in that push also went the dull knee ache like it was never there. Oddly that first 30 second push, I had to slow myself down. Let’s see how the rest of week goes. I’m hiking as well this afternoon. So my legs will be extra mush at the end of the day.

Run 10 – 12/30/20 – 800m 5k Pace X6 – Today was going to be a hard day. 5K pace which is sub 7:10, and repeating that 6 times after having warmed up for nearly 2 miles.

I told myself, just do it in the gym. It forces you to keep the pace. You set the speed on the treadmill and just stay there, don’t dare slow down. When I got to Blink Fitness, there was a line to get in, by the time I parked and walked to the entrance the line had already grown. I said FUCK it, and left. That was a sign. It was about 30 degrees not terribly cold and I had told myself that I would try Van Cortlandt Track. So, I went back home to grab my sweater, hat and gloves and off to the track.

The track turned out to be sort of like packed dirt for like half and asphalt the other half. The packed dirt I am guessing is easier on the knees. Do note though that there were patches of mud that should be avoided so going after some heavy rain or a big thaw is not a good idea. I also had the great idea again of running in shorts. Way too cold for that.

The 2 mile warm up was not bad, but, the pushing to 5k for such extended periods of time HURT. Like the first one was fine, the second a little harder. The third time around, it was a struggle to keep the pace. By the 4th round, I doubted I could keep that pace for the whole 1/2 mile. It was a struggle to push. Like David Goggins says in Can’t Hurt Me, when you feel like you can’t go any further, you’ve only gone 40%. You have another 60% if you push. Well, I pushed, and while I felt like I could not do anything more, like I could not push not an iota more. I still did and I finished! It’s a mind vs body fight. My mind is telling me that I can’t, but my body knows best, it’s not giving me signs of anything. Just pick a point and push to that point! Check, rinse, repeat!

The cool down felt amazing, except it was freezing like literally freezing and my gloved hands hurt from the cold. Yet, I was done! Workouts like that help push you to do better! They push you to know that what you thought impossible before you laced up your shoes is possible and look! You just did it!

Run 11 – 1/1/21 – New Year’s Easy Run – The day started, not quite hungover, but not quite right either. It was a long night waiting to say adieu to 2020. I knew I had to run, so getting up and dusted off was a must. A quick easy pace 50 minutes.

I will say running on no sleep is never fun, the body does not react the same way, with the same preciseness. I opted to stay as close to a 10 minute pace as possible. Ended with 9:44 with a nice loop around the neighborhood. Even better, there were many people out and about, so I was not alone.

It’s always nice to see people running. Not sure why seeing other people run makes me happy but it does!

Nothing specific. A slight dull discomfort in the same place. Left outer knee this time. Last time was inner. I did roll it out the moment I got home and that felt painful yet wonderful. Let’s kick 2021’s butt. I did 695.1 miles in 2020, Let’s break 800 in 2021. Life is nothing but goals and I am planning to do 2 marathons and a Triathlon so, why the fuck not!

Run 12 – 1/2/21 – Long Run 95 Minutes – I think the shoelaces in my new sneakers were too tight. After the last easy run, I got a really bad pain like if I was wearing the wrong shoes. I walked and lived it with for the whole time and the beginning of the run. I had to unlace my shoes and re-lace them, to loosen them up. After almost 10 miles for the long run I can say that it worked.

Today, I ran the first couple of miles with my girlfriend in the city. She was hoping to do 4 miles to my 10, so we started off in west Harlem and ran down to the North Western side of Central Park on 110th Street. I don’t know if you have run Central Park, but the hill on 110th on the west side is the worst hill in the entire Park. A full loop of the park is 6 miles. The Upper loop is like 1.4 miles, but like I said it is the hilliest part of the park. I wound up doing the hill on 110th TWICE. I went into the Park with Martha, did the hell of an upper loop, she exited, and I continued to loop the entirety of the park.

One thing I will say about running in the park, it is never boring. You always have something to see, always have something to distract your mind as you tug away at the miles. The worst thing to do though which I did as I was traversing the southern most part of the park is look at the street signs. The miles don’t pass when you are seeing. 6601 – 6602 – 6300 – 6301- 6302 – 6400. DON’T DO that. Instead, let your eyes wonder. Do some people watching, do some scenery gazing. As you are running south on the west side of the park, partake of the skyline over the park. It’s a sight to see, how a metropolis and such a huge park coexist. As you head north on the east side of the park try not to think of the end. Try not to think I just have to get to 110th, that’s how you start looking at street signs. NYRR has a training series that does 12 and 18 miles in the park in preparation for the Marathon. The 12 mile run is 2 loops and the 18 mile is 3 loops. So, yesterday I just told myself. It’s just 1 loop, and it’s almost over. Run Roddy Run!

As I exited the park on 110th I had a decision to make. Retrace my steps back to my girlfriends house on the east side of Morning Side Park or take the West side and go for the loop. Sorry, I will choose the loop every time, but the elevation was murder! It was just as high as the highest point in Central Park, with the exception that before getting there you brought it back down to 0 ft before climbing back up. In other words, a terrible idea to end a long run.

I was in pain the whole run. The left knee is starting to be of concern. It’s not pain, but discomfort. Yet, I have been running with discomfort for two years now. It just moves around. I’m really taking advantage of my day off today (Sunday) and relishing that this coming week is an easy week consisting of all easy runs ending with a 105 minute long run.

Lastly, I decided that my backup to NYC Marathon being cancelled this fall will be the Savannah Marathon in Georgia on Nov 6 or San Antonio in Dec. A backup plan against COVID.

Total Mileage – 38.87

Run 1 – 12/14/20 – Easy Run – Today was my first run en route to the Carmel Marathon. I woke up right at 6am and did not hit the snooze button, not because I did not want to sleep more, but because the day calls for sleet/rain/snow that supposedly starts at 7AM. So I wanted to make sure Day 1 was in the books. Now it is.

This new phase and this new marathon is being done using a coach, Javier from XPlora, in the Dominican Republic. The hope being that with proper coaching I can somehow break the 4 hour barrier.

It was drizzling when I left this morning and that drizzle almost kept me at home. I checked the weather on the way out and it said it would continue doing so the remainder of the morning with actual rain/snow starting at 7am. So I put on a hoodie and went. I was going to try the new shoes today, but figured I should wait, not knowing how bad the weather would be.

The run was uneventful, with about 15/20 minutes left I started feeling pain on the inside back part of my left knee. I ran with it the rest of the way. I told myself I need to roll out as soon as I get home and I did.

50 minutes at an easy pace. I use to think easy pace was a 9:15-9:30 pace. The new coach says I need to run slower. So the new easy pace is a 10 flat. We will see how that goes. I have been practicing for a couple of weeks now. I was able to do 5.03 miles in that time of a modified hilly loop or a 10:02 pace. The great thing about that pace is that thus far, I always feel like I can keep running.

Day 1 in the bag, and since I am paying for coaching and this week is about to turn messy. Let me reach out to my coach to modify the week around the snow.

Run 2 – 12/15/20 – From the very get go I knew it was going to be a hard run. The idea of holding and 8 minute pace for that long put doubts in my head. So I think I had lost before I even left. Not sure how the 5k will work later this week.

Maybe its the fact of going in circles that kills you. Doing the circles in around the lake sounded like a good idea when I got there, but waiting to get to a certain place just does not make much sense.

Run 3 – 12/18/20 – It snowed quite a bit yesterday and the day before, so I have not ran in two full days because of it. Today, I will run at the gym and it was the first but will definitely not be the last I run on the treadmill. The winters could be tough. I will try and run outside as much as possible, but the treadmill will have to do at times.

The run was an easy one, with strides at the end. I have seen that in different apps but have never really done them. Basically you run slow and just push to 5k pace in 30 second intervals. Nice and quick. I have a 5k test tomorrow and it was nice to see that I can speed up to that without much pain. Can I really hold that for three miles. Tomorrow will be the indication of that.

Today’s run also was done with the mask on the whole time. I need to see about getting a better running mask for when I have to run in the gym. What I am using is too tight and actually feels like it cuts circulation.

Run 4 – 12/19/20 – 5k Test – For this run, I needed to do a 5k test to make sure that I was running at the adequate pace. I was afraid of undertaking this, since the other day, during run 2 I had so many struggles pushing. Having had a big snow storm the other day, the only logical way of doing this was to head to Central Park.

It started with a 15 minute warm up that consisted of 9 minutes at an easy pace. Then 4 rounds of 30 minute at 5k pace and 1 minute super easy. Called Strides. It really does help to ease out the muscles.

Then the 5k test, I came out of the gate WAY too quick. WAY too quick. I started at a sub 7 pace, even though I knew I would not be able to uphold the pace. I then had to slow down and stopped the watch at the 72 street pass, between the horses and the snow. It was the safest thing to do, at least that is what my mind told me to do.

After that, it was just pushing. I have no explanations if not to say that it was hard, but I am guessing it was suppose to be hard. Central Park is not the right place to undertake runs like this. The hills, oh the hills, are long and violent and the downhills somehow are not any better.

I wound up finishing the test in 22:53, a descent showing.

With the result of this test, all my times dropped and now I am training more in line with what I think are my capabilities as a runner. This whole week will be a gym week, so we will see how this all goes. I think I will wear the disposable masks which may be better in the long run for what I want to do.

Run 5 – 12/21/20 – Easy run but on the treadmill which adds a certain overall difficulty to the equation. I had not slept well the night before and running for 50 minutes made things rather difficult specially on the fucking treadmill.

The first treadmill was skipping so I had to change machines mid stride. The second machine was better but the never ending monotony of running at the exact same pace for a such a long time makes the whole process rather boring and difficult. I will have to run again on the treadmill soon and not only run, but also do sprints of about a 1/2 mile each while I am at it.

Run 6 – 12/23/20 – 800m at 5k Times 5 – Again this was done at the gym, but I am recollecting it 3 days later. It was the first time I did not wear a mask at the gym. I tried, but running at a 5k pace for a mile with a mask is not easy. Also, my 5k pace was dropped precipitously after the 5k test so it’s even harder to keep tabs on it. Instead of the mask I wore the chin strap, and brought it up if anyone was walking by and during my breaks.

I had to do this 5 times, the first 3 times were hard but doable. 800m is about .5 miles. The last 2 times, I felt like stopping the treadmill as I got close. I take it that if I was running on the road, this is where the drop in speed would happen. The moment in which you give up and let go. The great thing about doing this on the treadmill is that all you have to do is nothing. DO NOT TOUCH the speed controls and ride it through.

Next week, I will try going to Van Cortlandt park for this and see how that goes in the very big running track. Since I also feel that doing it in the track by my house makes it hard by it being so small. Going circles in the track or having to traverse narrow bridges in the park make for a poor experience.

Run 7 – 12/25/20 – Missed – I did not run this run. I went to mom’s house for Christmas with the clothes to run it, but, I could not. It was 100% chance of rain and it did not disappoint. First missed run!

Run 8 – 12/26/20 – First Real Long Run – 80 Min – Just like my 5k pace dropped, so did my easy pace. Supposedly I can go as fast as 9:09 pace. Yet, while I did just that, having done the run at a 9:10 pace. I think this was too fast. I felt like I should have done it slower. I seemed to hit zone 3 quite often and that is not the way it should be. I should have never touched Zone 3 and stayed in Zone 1/2. I tried a different route today, one that included some long arduous climbs. Yet, I still get the pace. I’m guessing that those 3’s are the hills!

Other than that, it was an uneventful run. I started listening to Ready Player 2. Not sure how I am enjoying it , but I enjoy the cadence of Whil Wheaton’s voice doing the narration.

The end of the loop I did is California Road a long 2 mile stint. When I use to do my daily drive from work to home. I use to see this road and say damn, look at that hill, imagine running it. I eventually got to bike it a few times which added to the desire to run it. Not sure if it’s long run material. But definitely enjoyed the run. It was solitary with few souls running as well and the few I did see were seemingly concentrated on their task!