Track Attack

You see? That's what I have to do to keep track of what I'm s'posed to be doing at the track.

Except what I was supposed to be doing at the track on Wednesday night was explained thusly by my head coach, to wit:

2 x 12:00 tempo run with 1:30 rest between the two sessions

Upon further questioning, my sub-coach (no really, that's what they're called), explained it thusly:

My interpretation: Run 12 minutes, recover, repeat. Try to make sure you go as many laps for second set of 12 minutes as the first set.

That's just too complicated. Plus I still didn't get it. Whatever. I told myself, self, just do the track workout you did a few weeks ago; 6x800. Only this time, at Bex's suggestion, instead of doing it at McMillan's "cruise" interval pace—5:19 to 5:26—I did at at his "speed workout pace" for long-distance runners: 4:55.9 to 5:09.7, with a 3:00 min recovery.

Result:

1st 800: 5:11
recovery 3:00
2nd 800: 5:15
rec 3:02
3rd 800: 5:11
rec: 3:08
4th 800: 5:12
rec: 3:05
5th 800: 4:59
rec:3:11
6th 800: 4:43
rec. walking!

Booyah!

(To add to the drama, it was raining, thundering, and lightning at the track. And I was the only one there. I take my thrills where I can get them.)

So, what else is new, you ask? I'm glad you asked. I have a new running group! The final straw was five pages of instructions from my current group describing our running route this week. For 13 miles. That would have made for a nice walk.

My new group is DCFIT. They run in pace groups and actually have one that is my speed, and is actually a running, not running/walking (not that there's anything wrong with run/walk) group. After much research and calling and e-mailing and research, I decided I'd go with DCFIT. Only to find out they're not accepting any more runners. Only to find out that the only way you can join them at this late date is through one of their charity partners. Which of course means fundraising. Except: I clicked on the first charity partner, Cure Autism Now, and viola (or is that voila?), CAN has no minimum fundraising requirement! Which of course was too good to be true. (I am not against fundraising, but raising $2+K last year for HIV/AIDS about did me and all my friends in.)

So. Where was I?

Lots of calls ensued, because it was all too good to be true. Did I have to pay twice for the MCM, cuz that's what it implied on CAN's Web site? I did not. Was it true no minimum fundraising? It was indeed. And what about DCFIT, how much to join them? Nada, since I'm fundraising for CAN (and I am fundraising for them, look-ee here).

In a world gone mad with no service and outdated Web sites and basically no one who actually runs things ever knowing anything, all the little dominoes lined up on this one, and bingo—I'll be at the Pentagon at 6 a.m. (!#%$!!!!) Saturday morning, all ready to run 10 miles with my new group.

Ain't life grand?

To celebrate, I'm taking down the Bad Steely Dan vid, and replacing it with something. Something better.