All set... You bet!
Words of wisdom
The golden evening
Matt at speed
Boston gear
Finished
Stories
MF in repose
To all,
I hope Friday is G-R-E-A-T and the 400's were fun and the times
either JT or JS wrote down were amazing.
We had a great workout last night, running on the Glen Ellyn track
by Lake Ellyn in 68 degree weather. Matt ran 73, 74 and 72 for his good
400's and his slowest was :80. Rudi, recovering from flying back from
Nigeria, ran 6 in the 80-84 range; Kevin Kelly had by far his best workout
of the year, running the goods between 1:43 and 1:46, and all under 1:58.
Rich, with Diane and Brad in the AM by themselves, ran 147, 145 and 141
for his goods and all under 1:57- The last 2 weeks for him have been his
best training since 2007. It was, a great day to be alive, running on the
track, and kicking the tracks rear end. We sat on the grass after the
workout, gloating, like the Gladiator sitting on top of challenger they
have just slayed, for 20 minutes. See Rich's Blog for photos of last
night's workout which I am sure will be up over the weekend:
http://richasiseeit.blogspot.com/
To me, this is what running is about. Training through the tough
times, be it snow, rain, bad weather, and trying to find the motivation to
get that one more workout in. Putting in the runs when no one is
watching. Maybe that is the thing about training ... the "one" thing.
Those runs, that only the front door of your house knows that you put it
in, and the towel after the shower. A family member may come in and see
paper stuffed in your shoes on a rainy day, and wonder why. I push myself
through those days, to have days like last night on the track.
After the first 400, you wonder, "can I hit all that fast?" You get
through the first set with little effort, and think, "I have a chance," to
hit all my times under some allusive number that you now set in your mind.
The second set has more concentration required, and doubt begins to creep
in - this set strains the body. But then you convince yourself on the
recovery lap: "It is only one more set." The last set starts off good,
and your body clings for the air that is going down after the good 400.
But you want to leave your mark on the track, what you write in your
training log, what you talk about tomorrow, that you rode high.
The 8th 400 - maybe the toughest one for the day. In your mind, you know
that you can run this one slow after the 7th fast interval, yet, you also
know that times will be talked about, posted, written about, and you will
say "I ran my fastest ones at this pace, but, my slowest one was .... "
This is the interval that challenges the mind. You run, and become
"Comfortably Numb," as made famous by the song. The finish line is
crossed, and a time recorded. The last 400 is easy.
Then, you can sit on the ground, with your friends, people you would go to
battle with and know they would carry you off the battlefield if you fell,
and bask in the sun. I can remember days at Indiana University, sitting
on the track with my friends, victorious, letting the sun be soaked up.
The workout was over, no more intervals for the day. Everyone had a
smile, and the books, rent, calling home, fixing the car, dinner - all
that all could wait. Just to sit, and reflect, and try to soak up as much
as you could, to remember: To help you through those days when no one knew
you were running. How many days like this helped me get through the 2 a
days for 13 years? Too many to count.
Let's just say they are too few. Because one of the requirements of the
Great workout is that "everyone," has to have had a great workout. Then,
it can be written down: "All had a great day."
For the Nashville crew: Tom Carr is a good friend, and put on a race
recently. See his note below, and please give recommendations to race
management. You can reply directly to him.
js
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