Training With People

Earlier this week, I was doing a hill workout over at the Columbia Heights hill near the Promenade (over in Brooklyn Heights). It's a short, steep hill (maybe 150 meters, 8% grade? - I need to use a GPS to get this thing measured) - anyway, perfect for the shorter hill workouts.

So, my first four are run at: 42.6 seconds, 43.1, 42.5, 42.6. I'm feeling, a little fatigued, but thinking I'll do a couple of more. I'm also thinking that I'm getting a good workout.

I'm walking down the hill (remember, the knee injury, which I continue to baby) and I see another runner - male, early 20s, built like a runner, stretching out at the bottom of the hill. I'll call him Z. We start chatting and agree to push each other for the next few hills. I joke that I'm going to hold him back (though secretly thinking that maybe I can take him.) Hah.

The next hill is done at something under 39 seconds. We stayed together for the first 50 meters (Z was being nice), and then he accelerated away. He didn't break a sweat. We jog back down the hill, run another couple (both sub 41 for me, probably sub 37 for him). Z just moved from Manhattan, looking for some running ideas, racing thoughts. I wasn't planning on it, but run an eighth hill, again sub 41, but now totally gassed. I give him some ideas, hope we run into each other again.

The point of this post isn't to talk about my times on the Columbia Heights hill (which go from the street crossing at the base to the second tree at the top, right after the crest, if you really care). It's actually two different ideas:

-- First, one of the things I love about running and racing is that you get to meet so many different people. I find it perfectly natural to go up to complete strangers and talk to them, whether they just outkicked you at the finish line or you happen to be approaching the same water fountain). I learn so much just from talking to other runners, regardless of ability, age, or what not, because while they have a shared experience, it's also completely unique. My dry cleaner runs, which we realized after he passed me/I passed him at a cross country race a couple of years ago. Who'd a thunk it?

-- Secondly (and, the ultimate point): Training with people, especially those who are slightly better than you, will make you a better runner. Not only will they give you the mental and emotional support that you might not find when you train alone, they likely will push you to perform better. Z was great timing for me, because I got a much better workout. I've also found that the speed/tempo workouts that are so necessary to get to the next level are comparatively easier done with other people than by myself (others may find they excel without anyone around them, to be sure).

OK, so that said: Where do you find people to train with? I'll post some places, both club-oriented and free flowing, over the weekend. But also, keep in mind, it's also permissible to walk up to that person you've seen countless times every morning, running the same route, and strike up a conversation.

Running in Park Slope at 6 a.m.

Readers, I recently received an e-mail from someone asking about running in Park Slope/Prospect Park in the early morning. Thoughts?

"I live in Park Slope and have been running in the evenings for awhile. However, would like to become more of an AM runner. Any thoughts about if it's safe to run in Park Slope at 6 am? I have a feeling that there are probably a lot more folks out there than I think and I'm trying to convince my current running partners to try morning runs, but still not sure if I want to run the back end of the park by myself at 6 am."

Random Thoughts on a Sunday Morning

-- Should you be out running this morning, be sure to wave to the cyclists (and be careful in crossing their path) that are participating in the NYC Century. Good thing Hanna blew through, though the streets may still slippery with some of the wet leaves ...

-- The Fitness Games result for men and women are posted on the NYRR site. My favorite stat: the races were run in 94 percent humidity ...

-- The second NYRR long training run, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 13, has sold out as registration reached its 2,500 limit. So, if you don't have a number ... it's too late. One wonders, by the way, why the Central Park races can accommodate 6,000 runners but these training runs can only handle half that.

-- Not a fan of football? Universal Sports will broadcast the IAAF Grand Prix meet from Rieti, Italy, this afternoon at 3 p.m.

Upcoming Races

Still compiling the list, but there's plenty of stuff already here ...

Sept. 7, Fallen Heroes 5K Memorial Run, Elizabeth, NJ

Sept. 13, Woodlawn Run for a Cause, 5K, Yonkers, NY

Sept. 14, Corazon A Corazon Fund Raising 5K, Flushing Meadows Park, NY

Sept. 14, Queens Half Marathon, Queens, NY

Sept. 14, USATF X/C, 1 mile/3K/5K, Van Cortlandt Park, NY

Sept. 20, New Hope 5K Run, Jamaica, NY

Sept. 20, 6 Hour Ultra Marathon Race, Staten Island, NY

Sept. 21, Liz Padilla Memorial 5K, Prospect Park

Sept. 21, Berkeley Heights 5K, Berkeley Heights, NJ

Sept. 21, Yonkers Marathon, 13.1/26.2 Miles, Yonkers, NY

Sept. 21, Fifth Avenue Mile, Manhattan

Sept. 21, Project Sunshine’s 5K Run, Riverside Park, NY

Sept. 21, Fred Lebow 5K Cross Country, Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx

Sept. 21, Chris Hoban Memorial 5 Mile Run, Shore Road Promenade

Sept. 21, Brian’s Run for Tomorrow’s Children’s Fund, 10K/5K, Wayne, NJ

Sept. 27-28, The Shag, Adventure Race, Lower Hudson Valley

Sept. 27, Race for the Kids, 4 Miles, Riverside Park

Sept. 28, Tunnel to Towers Run, 5K, Red Hook

Sept. 28, Paine to Pain Classic, 13.1 Mile Trail, New Rochelle, NY

Sept. 28, Odyssey House Run for Your Life 5K, Icahn Stadium, NY

Sept. 28, Music That Heals

Sept. 28, Newport Liberty Half Marathon, Jersey City, NJ

Sept. 28, ING New York Marathon Tuneup, 18 Miles, Central Park

Sept. 28, USATF X/C, 1 mile/3K/5K, Van Cortlandt Park, NY

Oct. 4, Grete’s Gallop/Norway Run, 1.7 Miles/13.1 Miles, Central Park

Oct. 5, Miles for Midwives, 5K, Prospect Park

Oct. 5, Jeff’s Run, 5K, Staten Island

Oct. 12, Harry Murphy 5K, X/C, Van Cortlandt Park

Oct. 12, Staten Island Half Marathon, Staten Island, NY

Oct. 12, Bed-Stuy 10K, Bed-Stuy (Restoration Plaza)

Oct. 19, Race Against Violence, 5K, Fort Hamilton

An Ugly, Humid, Day

Today was simply brutal.

I don't think the temperature got much past 80, but the humidity? I started dripping just walking to meet some friends at Grand Army Plaza this morning. Can only hope that Hanna brings some drier air after it. (At least until we find out what happens with Ike).

It's a reminder, though, that even on days now that the summer has passed us by, to be prepared. Modify your runs or races if you're not adequately prepared to battle the elements (remember the Chicago Marathon last year?) My on-again/off-again knee injury started tweaking again, and I was readily happy to cut a planned 10 mile run short. I still paid for it: It took me most of the day to get rehydrated, something I wasn't expecting, and didn't plan for, even though I had decent amounts of water on the run.

Reminder: You bought the Clif Shot Blocks. It's worth still carrying them.

New Haven Race Results

For those of you who traveled north this weekend, the New Haven 20K and 5K results are available. No location results, so can't tout the top Brooklyn finishers ...

New Sports Channel on Cable

Just stumbled across this, not sure how long it's been like this:

If you get Time Warner Cable in Brooklyn, and get 162, check it out: NBC Universal has launched UniversalSports, a cable channel with world athletics and sports. The company recently partnered with WCSN to boost the content online, and it looks like there's a cable component as well (I'm watching a track meet from Gatehead, UK, right now).

I love running, and without the right context, it can almost be like watching paint dry. The flip side is the overemotional exposure that NBC does at the Olympics, with too much story, not enough event. Here's hoping that this channel, like WCSN did, gets the balance right.