Day in the Life 18 // 15 Miles / Long Run

Hey guys,

Got in a long run this morning after the race yesterday. Legs felt pretty good for the volume but needed to just put the Crit race behind me a little bit. Ran around the park for a loop and then ran into Manhattan to hit two of the bridges and fill up the distance. Went for 15 in about 1:42. Felt good to work the lungs a bit. Splits below, first mile about 6:45.

Day in the Life 17 / Crit Racing / 5k Race

I woke up this AM at about 8:30, had a little trouble sleeping but still got a good 7 hours. I headed to work on my bike and then did an easy mile and a half to stretch out the legs. Grabbed an ice coffee on the way in and then worked for about 6 hours before hopping in an uber to get to the race. 

The race was a 5k, with there being 4 loops to the distance with a lot of hairpin turns and tight corners to work around. I definitely felt ready to race, not necessarily to rip my PR but definitely strong enough to do it, but the way the race went definitely showed me a few things that I need to go back and fix.

The race started out super aggressively, as there’s a $300 prize to the person who completes the first loop. I felt pretty crappy out of the gates, my legs just didn’t quite have the snap today - I attribute that to working for 6 hours and 300s on Wednesday - and I realize I need to take my rest a little more seriously. 8 minute pace some days isn’t going to kill you.

Went through the first loop in about 3:40 which amounted to roughly 4:45 pace, but I was already feeling a little juiced and was starting to have some doubts (not good). Kept rolling, hit the mile in about 4:44 and tried to make some moves on the second loops. I passed a few people and had some momentum, but I kept losing my rhythm with the tight turns and I was feeling tightness in my legs going down one of the long straights. Going into the third loop I was slowing way down and I was really just thinking about getting to the finish, but didn’t feel like I had much in the legs. I was starting to go backwards placewise as well, feeling guys pass me and not feeling like I had the strength to go with them. Gotta work on that.

By the time I finished the third loop, I was mostly dead and was just hanging on by a thread. My legs felt lactic-y and heavy and I couldn’t push myself to turn it over. I kept going and got passed by a few more people (including getting out kicked in the last 70m) before hitting the finish in 25th place in 16:43. That’s a time I’ve run in training en route to a 10k tempo run, in zoom elites. Not exactly confidence inducing. 

The takeaways from this race for me were:

Train easier on easy days.

Practice the type of racing you’ll be doing- in this case, lots of tight turns and sharp corners. Even just having the idea in the muscle memory will help.

Gotta make sure your legs are fresh and uninhibited before a race.

Drink more water.

Save your push for race day.

There’s a lot to work on here, I do feel like I’m pretty fit, but I’ll have to really work on some things to put it all together and get faster. Lots of more training to do, and the smarter I can be, the better.

Snagged one good pic from a good friend to remember the occasion by. This is not the point in the race where I was running 6 minute+ pace (the last lap and then some. lol)

Not the best, got a lot of work to do! 

Here we go.

SC

Day in the Life 16 // Running / Shakeout

Hey guys

Here’s what we got for April 28th. I got up this AM at about 9:30 and headed to work. PM I hit a 30 minute shakeout with a few easy miles around the park. Leges felt good, 5k tomorrow.

Day in the Life 15 // 300's on the Track

Hey fam, This is what we got for 4/26/2017. I got up at 9:30 this morning, I've been a little sick so am emphasizing sleep right now, with a race coming this weekend. Was going to shake out, but instead just stretched my legs and had some almond/dark chocolate Kashi cereal and almond milk and got ready for work. Work was good, on my feet a lot, and didn't take time to properly stretch at the end of the day, but got out at about 8:30 pm to go do a workout at the track. Warming up I felt good, but a little stiff. I figure I need to do a better job warming up in store and getting loose. Workout was 10x300 at 3k pace with 1 minute rest, 2 mins after 5. I warmed up about a mile and did some drills, then switched into my RunBK custom adios and did a couple strides. Then it was on. My legs felt good, but my back was tight and my stride didn't feel super fluid. Hit the paces fine, but wanted to be a little more controlled. Ran about 52s/rep. Cooled down about a mile and a half. Working to get better with turnover, more control, and just overall stronger and more confident. That's all for the day. SC

Day in the Life 14 // Central Park / 2 runs / a shakeout

Hi guys, here’s what we got for Apr. 24th. 

I woke up at about 9:30 as it’s my day off. Was going to really take my time getting up and about, but legs were stiff AF from yesterday’s 20.5 miles (total) and so I forced myself up and went for a 2 mile shakeout. Started super easy and worked my way into it, finished the last mile feeling a little better.

After the run I stretched and rolled out a bit, got my core feeling better. Then I made some food and then hit up the grocery store to get some food for the week.

Spent most of the early afternoon food prepping for the week and whatnot, got some salads together and some meat marinating. After that, I suited up and went on a bike ride into Manhattan to meet some friends for a run. We met in midtown, so the ride was about 5-6 miles (min) and then we ran for about 7/8 miles. Felt really good to get out with some people, as well as be on soft, (central park bridle path) and so we just did some nice easy miles. Took the long way home on my bike after to enjoy the scenery (nighttime in NYC is unmissable). 

Got home, took a shower, had a mango fruit drink and 2 chocolate bars, then made dinner about an hour later - couscous and apricot chicken - and then hit the sack with some Shameless before bed.

Good day.

Keep running! SC

Day in the Life 13 // Long Runs // Facing the Bonk

Hey guys,

Here’s what we got for Apr. 23rd.

I got up at 3:45 am this morning thanks to my room mate’s girlfriend who is in from the UK and was jet lagged. I couldn’t sleep because my doors have semi-transparent covering on them (cloudy glass) and she had the lights on so once I woke up to piss, I couldn’t fall back asleep. But, I chilled out and watched some of the London marathon (coincidentally) and then eventually fell asleep around the halfway point. Woke up again around 9:30 and got my sh*t together with some coffee and oatmeal and then headed out on my bike to my friend’s apartment to go for a run.

We went for a 9.5 mile run around his hood, hit up a nice park and did some easy loops to recover the legs and get the lungs working.

After the run I went to Smorgasburg (Prospect Park) and met up with an old friend/room mate and his wife/kid. Really good to see them and check in, see what’s new. After our hangout, I biked home with my m8 and then I did some light reading before going out for my second run.

I left my aparment around 7pm and realized the sun was going down, so I hit the road running and tried to make it to see the sunset on the west side. I managed to catch the last little bit and took a pic, then continued on my run and hit up Prospect Park for a loop. Managed to get in another 11 miles, but was FEELING IT by the end.

Took a break, stretched, rolled, and had dinner, then watched a bunch of Shameless and went to bed.

Night night!

Steve

Day in the Life 12 / Easy Days

Hey guys,

Here’s what we got for Jan. 17th.

I got up at 8:00 today, made a quick breakfast of Frosted Flakes and coffee and then spent some time reading my book.

Very good book, illuminates a lot of seemingly mathematical concepts and looks at how they are associated with real life events and every day thought.

I got out on my run shortly after that. Wanted to get in 40 minutes of easy running. Laced up my ON Clouds and yogged my way through the neighborhood to work.

Legs felt good, though definitely a little tight and sore from yesterday’s workout. After work, I ran home again, though I took the short route (it was raining) so took just about 25 minutes. I also stopped off at the gym to hit the quad abductor/adductor machines for a couple sets and then jogged on home. Good day.

Day in the Life 11 / Long Run

Hey guys, here’s what we got for Jan. 15th.

I woke up this morning at about 9:30, took me a little while to get out of bed, was super groggy, but my body felt good. Eventually I rolled out of bed and had a bowl of Frosted Flakes and a cup of coffee, and thumbed out some work related emails. Then I took the opportunity to read a little bit of my book and get myself mentally ready to run. The weather was nice and Sunny and about 35 degrees, so good cold weather running. Wore a merino wool Nike long sleeve, some good New Balance tights, and blue under armor socks. For shoes I wore Hoka Clifton 3′s. 

The run went well, I didn’t check my watch much and just let the pace come. Finished the last 2 miles a little quicker. 

Couldn’t get my Garmin to upload so here are splits:

7:08, 6:34, 6:41, 6:37, 6:33, 5:58, 6:40, 6:28, 6:21, 6:45, 5:53, 5:48

Total Run 13.25 miles in 1:25:30

Post run I did some core and stretched out my legs. Recovered with some toast with PB, eggs (over easy), and 2 sausage patties, and some green tea. Hoping to get a little workout in tomorrow, ideally something on the track. Quarters?

Day in the Life 10 // Easy Day / Slight Progression Run

Hey guys,

Here’s what we got for Jan 12th. I woke up this morning at 7:30 and immediately went for a bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee. After about 45 minutes spent idly tooling around on my phone, I checked the weather and got dressed to run.

Today was unseasonably warm (50 degrees, going up to a high of 60), after a week of frigid temperatures. So, taking advantage, I wore shorts and a t shirt and was very comfortable out on my run. I also wore my Brooks Launch 3′s, which are a great light, soft trainer.

I started out feeling pretty good, though definitely a little stiff (note to self: stretch more) and rolled through the first mile at 7:30, trying to get my engine going. I ran a couple of loops in the park today, each loop is about 3.3 miles. In total, I got 10 miles for the day.

About 1/3 of the way through the run, I started feeling a little better and started increasing the pace, bit by bit. Wasn’t looking to go crazy, but wanted to spin the legs and flush out the tempo effort from Monday. Finished up with a last mile in 5:51. Splits are below.

Overall my legs felt good, definitely still working on my breathing, but the mileage has helped and when I can get loose, I can have good runs.

Anyhow, onward. Hope all’s well with all of you.

#RUNLOTS

SC

Day in the Life 9 // Tempo Tantrums // Along for the Ride

Hey guys, here’s what we got for Jan 9th, 2017.

I got up this morning at about 8:30. Took a little coaxing but once I got up and at ‘em I put on a pot of coffee and made up an english muffin with some peanut butter. After a bit of facebook and blogging, I got my butt up and headed out for a quick shakeout run. 

I ran only about 2 miles, just an easy jog, but wanted to prep my legs for a little tempo run later in the day. The ground was still pretty slushy and snowy but I put on a pair of adidas Riot Boosts which are pretty rugged, good rubber outsole and are water proof (water resistant, at least?) and just yogged through it.

After that, I got back to my apartment, made a little more food (sausage, egg, biscuit) and then went uptown to have a meeting with my boss and a video production guy who’s going to help us out with some video ad’s. Meeting was up in midtown, so I hopped on the subway and metro’d up.

We met up at a juice bar, had some good raspberry/banana juice and chopped it up, shared some ideas, and whatnot. Meeting went well.

The Workout:

I headed back after that to get ready for my tempo run. I wanted to do a 6 mile tempo, hopefully at a shade under 6 min pace. The pace isn’t that fast on paper, but it was cold AF out in New York and I’m still not very fit, so I knew it would be an effort.

I warmed up with an easy mile up to a long flat, straight road and then did a few brief leg exercises and got going. My legs felt pretty strong and ready to run, but I still had to adjust to the extra cardiac activity early on. I’m also dealing with some sort of weird mucus that seems to be built up in my chest. I’ve been dry heaving after all my harder runs and can’t seem to catch my breath. So trying to figure that one out.

Anywho, back to the tempo tantrum, my first mile was 5:48, and I was feeling pretty strong. I hit the second in 5:50, still feeling okay but thinking about how long another 4 miles would be. The next 3 were a challenge, the footing on the path was still fairly snowy and I was dodging around different piles and alternating between running on the sidewalk and in the bike lane. But no excuses, splits were what they were - 5:58, 5:58, 6:00.2. Was absolutely kicking myself for the 6 flat <.2> because I wanted everything under 6 min pace, buuuut, it happened. I put the hammer down for the last mile, which I hit in 5:43, but it did not feel good.

After I finished, I bent over and dry heaved, and spent the next 5 minutes contemplating why I do this sh*t. 

Eventually, I convinced myself to go ahead and cool down, and I got in another 2 miles heading back to the store. Once I got back I swung my kettlebell around to work on my posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes, hips) a little bit.

Splits are below, incl. 1 mile w/u and 2 mile c/d

After the run, I went to Whole Foods to get some chicken thighs (and paprika!!!) for supper, and then headed home to set up my slow cooker. I also ate 2 packets of Ramen as well (don’t worry I cooked them) and then headed back to work (wait, what?)

That evening, we had scheduled a group fitting event @ the store (I work at a running store), so I had to go back and help out so I biked back over to work and spent a couple of hours there helping with the event. It went well, and we got a lot of people what they wanted.

After all that, I biked back home and ate dinner - chicken, onions, peppers over veggies, with some nice broth over it all. Quite delish.

Anyway, that’s all for the day. Sorry for the wordy/lengthy post.

#RUNALOT

SC

Day in the Life 8 // 10 miles over the Snow

Wakey wakey!

Got up this morning at about 9:30, sleepily shuffled through my phone and finally managed to get out of bed by about 10/10:15. Started the day off with an English muffin with some peanut butter and a cup of coffee with a bit of milk. The weather in NY has been cold AF the past few days, including a bit of a snow storm the other day. Yesterday it was about 20 degrees (F) with a real feel of 9 or so. Not cold compared to some places I’m sure, but it was definitely palpable, and I wore two pairs of gloves.

Anyway, I ran for about 70 minutes total, giving me just over 10 miles. Splits are below. 

Near the end of the run, I stopped by my apartment and grabbed my gym shorts so I could hit the gym. I did a bunch of leg and posterior chain exercises - some hip extensors, quads, single leg hip thrusts, and over-the-head presses.

That all felt pretty good, but pretty hard. But an effective way to end a long run. The rest of the day I just played Assassin’s Creed, watched some Football (STEELERS), and then watched Menace II Society at night while I folded my laundry.

Here’s a look at the snow in the park I run in:

#ALLINADAY

SC

Day in the Life 7 // Back to the City // Low Key Runs

Hey guys, here’s what we got for Jan. 7th.

Got up this AM at 7:44, a bit later than planned, had set my alarm for 6:30 to run before work but unfortunately didn’t get up. :( 

Anyhow, I was home in CT with my family for my dad’s bday, and so I was heading back to the city to go to work for the day. Luckily I didn’t have work until 12:00, so I had some time to pack up and get lunch with my dad. Talked with him a little about plans for the future, incl. possibly going to grad school, etc.

Anyway, I got a good brekky of pancakes, sausage, bacon, and eggs over-easy, coffee, and a good conversation with dad, and then we headed to the train. I rode to Grand Central, read a bit of ‘The Jungle’ which is very good so far, and listened to some of Belly’s album, “Inzombia” : 

I arrived at Grand Central at 11:00am ish and then headed to work. Worked 12-8 and then had a decision to make. It had been snowing since about 10:00 in the Northeast and so the roads were shit, so I didn’t really want to take my bike. Fortunately I had some running shoes and a bag, so I ran home - about 3.1 miles - back to my place. Run was good, the sidewalks were pretty snowy and slippery but overall not bad, felt pretty comfortable. Plus I got in a little extra mileage for the week, which is nice. After the run, I had a nice bowl of beef, beans and veggies and a dope beer called Elysian ‘Space Dust.’

These are great.

Had a chat with the room mates after that and am now just listening to some good music, having another IPA, and getting ready for bed. Currently listening to the singles off of Big Sean’s upcoming “I Decided.” album.

Yee.

Having a coffee and a read post-run. Eggs and Toast to follow.

Day in the Life 6 / 6.5 miles AM / NOTHING PM

Hey guys,

Here’s what we got for Jan. 4th.

Woke up this morning again at 7:00, got a little coffee in me along with some toast with PB and honey and then went out for my run around 8:10. Legs felt okay today but I was feeling really lethargic. Probably need to switch things up a bit.

Anyway, started super slow, eaaasy easy 8 minute miles around to the park. Did a full loop and then added on on the fields, doing a few little pickups to turn the legs over. I need to be OK to take some real easy days like this, and to maybe get my hormones where I need them. 

After the run, I stretched out a little (not enough) and then made some brekky (ok... I cooked bacon in my new cast iron skillet, put it on two biscuits and called it breakfast... health game low) and drank some coffee with milk while playing assassin’s creed. I’m a host of bad habits.

Did that for maybe 45 minutes and then got ready for work. Biked over to work, worked a full day and then came home and cooked up some beef + veggies to finish out the day. Played some guitar with my room mate, had 2 yogurts, and went to sleep!

Things I need to work on :

Getting mobile before runs

Stretching post run

Doing some core post run

Eating less bacon.

SC

Day in the Life 5 / January /Blog-U-Ary

Hey Guys,

Want to start upping my game on blogs, so here we go. If I f**k this up, blogging just isn’t for me. But I’d like not to.

I got up this morning at 7 am, had a coffee and a couple of bowls of Honey Bunches of Oats (I was hungry) and scrolled through my phone a while (Read: wasted time). After that, I got dressed in my running stuff  - wore Mizuno Wave Inspires on my feets - and headed out for the Park to meet up with a coworker and go for a run.

Legs felt ok on the run, my glutes were supremely tight this AM because of yesterday night’s 10miles on the treadmill and the glute/hip exercises after, but slowly loosened up and by mile 2 or 3 were feeling pretty normal.

Run was in total about 7 miles, I stopped at the grocery store on the way home and grabbed some beef chuck for my slow cooker (not yet on the veggie game, I’m building up to it though) and made some pretty good beef and beans that I put over a bed of veggies and a dinner roll I got for myself. Pretty good.

After that I played a little guitar and then did my laundry, watched some of a pretty cool looking art show on Netflix -

Ate a bunch of sour patch kids and am now sitting up in bed, writing this and listening to some badddd ass Jose Gonzalez and his album, Veneer:

That’s all folks. Thanks for reading.

SC

Day in the Life 4 / PM Long Run / Snow

Hey guys, here’s what we got for Dec. 12th 2016.

I got up this AM at 8, snoozed till 8:30 and then hopped out of bed, got dressed in some New Balance Tights, Saucony Jogger Pants (Doubled up, it was chilly out in New York!), and then an adidas tech t-shirt, cotton long sleeve, and a Sugoi Shelter jacket. All in all, quite a good set-up for 31 degrees and windy. Anyway, hustled my bustles up to Randalls Island to check out a race being held by Girls On The Run and check out their organization a bit. They seemed absolutely AMAZING and I’m hoping to work with them on a race we’re putting on soon.

Anyhow, I was able to jog around before the race and got in an easy 4 miles, feeling pretty good, and so stopped and watched the race go off (nat’l anthem included) and then stayed through the race to see them all finish. Even managed to get down to the finish line and talk to the race organizer and do a little PR schpeel about the store I work for and then she gave me a free t-shirt and I helped guide the runners through the finishline.

I bounced after the race, took a bus back to Manhattan and then the 4 train down to where I live in Crown Heights. Stopped at The Bagel Place on Franklin for a sausage, egg, and cheese bagel (I’m not healthy right now, it needs to stop) and then got some curly fries at a deli (again I’m not healthy, please intervene). After that I watched a really good ep. of Anthony Bourdain in Russia (Parts Unknown) and took a little nap.

So after I woke up, I had a banana and half a bar of chocolate and some water and then got dressed for a run. Wanted to put in about 12. It was snowing slightly and so I suited up, tights, rain jacket, long sleeve, all that, and then headed out. Run was good, I felt good in the beginning, though the banana was bubbling up a bit, but found a rhythm. Last 2 miles were tough just aerobically and stamina-wise but muscled through it. Came home, shook off and stretched out and drank a bunch of water. 

Post run, I hung out with my room mate, cooked some dinner, and watched Home Alone 1.

Anyway, that’s all. Good night!