Another take on the word “track”
Photo by Janusz L, fllickr.com
I hope that title doesn’t offend anyone. It’s just what my husband calls my Tuesday night track practices, is all, and he means it in a good way. I think he’s happy I’ve found other folks out there who love running as much as I do, enough to torture ourselves on a weekly basis.
A large number of folks had run a 10 mile race this past weekend, so they were given modified workouts. I ended up only being able to run with Francine and another lady named Diane. Diane usually runs in a group much faster than us but she’s missed a few practices so she decided to stick with us. Diane is one of the folks who prefers to stick to the paces on the card, so that was good for Francine and I, as we usually do also, as much as we can anyway.
Anyway, it’s hard to believe we only have two weeks left after last night. I definitely feel like I’ve gotten much faster. Sometimes, the 41-42 second pace almost feels a bit easy to me, which is a great thing.
- 39 second = 7:09 mile pace
- 4o seconds = 7:20 mile pace
- 41 seconds = 7:31 mile pace
- 42 seconds = 7:42 mile pace.
Here are the stats of last night’s workout – most included one lap walk/jog recovery in between:
- 6 laps 42 second pace
- 5 laps 42 second pace
- 4 laps 41-42 second pace
- 3 laps 41-42 second pace
- 2 laps 41 second pace
- 5 laps 41 second pace
- 4 laps 41 second pace
- 3 laps 39-40 second pace
- 2 laps 39-40 second pace
- 2 lap walk
- 5 laps of .5 pick up and .5 walk – for this we tried to run as fast as possible – one of my 1/2 laps took only 14 seconds!
I hope we get to do another time trial by the time we are done – Francine mentioned that between the first week and a few weeks ago, she’d brought down her mile at max speed from 7:56 to 7:19. I think when we first started, I might have been able to do a mile in 8 or 8:15, and only if you’d been chasing me with a loaded gun.
Also, Diane gave me quite the compliment last night – she said she thought I was built like a sprinter. No one has ever called me that before that I can remember. 
She was also quizzing me about my long runs since I told her I’m doing a HM in May, and she was like “oh, you’ll be fine to do that with your base….” Now I’ve just got to be able to hold onto the pace!
I am also happy to say that when I was pacing us, I was pretty dead on! Yay!
My inspirational post is coming – just not tonight probably as I’m working a longer day today than usual. (Or, as Bill was kidding me earlier, I am actually working a 10 hour day, the type of day MOST people work.)
Hey, that’s why it’s academia, and we DON’T get paid the big bucks…Plus, I need to get my Runner’s Lounge article submission done! Reminder everyone, they’re due this week!
HappyRunning everyone!
February 25, 2009 at 11:47 pm
ok i don’t get how the title is offensive so i guess that’s a good thing! (or i’m just really out of it?) anyway, hooray for another great track day! it’s amazing to see how far you’ve come in such a short time (although i’m sure it didn’t feel so ‘short’ at times). i remember the nights you wrote about barely being able to breathe and wanting to collapse from the intense pace. now you’re telling us “the pace is easy”! awesome stuff. that train track is also way shiny. i would have imagined it to be all scuffed up myself.
February 25, 2009 at 11:56 pm
It is pretty cool actually. For the most part I’m feeling comfortable with my group now. I even toyed with the idea of going to “F” but I think I’d be all alone, and part of what keeps me going is being able to run with others! What am I going to do when it’s all over? It’s SO Much harder to do this stuff alone!
February 26, 2009 at 12:40 am
I figure you must have changed the title because I don’t see anything vaguely offensive about it.
My B Q time was 3:43 and I needed to do 3:45 or better. I’ll give you my bib number when I get it.
February 26, 2009 at 1:12 am
I’m interested to see your time trial at the conclusion of all this, it sounds like it has been really good for you.
I hope most of the world doesn’t work 10 hour days, that would be sad. No wonder we’re such an over-stressed nation. I try really hard to not work longer than 9, I’m not paid enough or rewarded enough to do more than that. (Really, I should be as “fastidious” as my co-workers and work exactly 8 hours, but I can’t bring myself to have a work ethic quite like that.)
February 26, 2009 at 5:21 pm
I’m impressed you can pace so well. I totally suck at trying to maintain a certain pace. I’ll be interested to see how much you’ve improved when (if) you do your time trial. I bet you’ve really improved. Those intervals are FAST!
February 26, 2009 at 10:10 pm
Ok, I thought the title might offend because there’s always some idiot who watches you run who yells out “Run, FFFooorrrest, run!!!”
I am thinking of actually asking our coach if we can do a time trial for the last week’s session – now I know I’m demented!
Reese, yes, definitely do give me your bib number. Wow, a 3:43 time – that is awesome! Get ready for hills – Boston’s marathon hills are definitely some of the worst. My brother said Heartbreak Hill is not actually the worst part of it- it’s the beating that your legs take on the 3 or 4 leading up to it. Also be ready for the screaming and cheering – my brother said it’s so unbelievable, it’s almost freaky! I am going to be involved in packet stuffing – if I see yours, maybe you can get a little something extra – ha ha!
Jill, yes, I hope most of the world doesn’t do 10 hour days either. At my last library job, I felt like I did between what I did in the office and always bringing work home.
Lindsay, thank you as always for the support. It really means a lot to me. By the way, were your ears ringing on Tuesday night? I was telling my friend Kara and some of the other folks I run with on Saturdays about you! They all couldn’t believe your Goofy times!