Track-tastic

I have a love-hate relationship witht the track. It's intimating, yet worhtwhile. It hurts, but produces fast times. It sucks, but is essential to any runner wanting to be faster on the road.

The track doesn't seem like a big threat. It's just a loop for crying out loud. Wrong! That loop stops being "just a loop" when your halfway into you first 400. Wait, let me back up. When you do trackwork, you go with a set time frame and distance you want to complete. It may be 400m or 800m or even mile repeats. The time is supposed to be faster than your comfort level. It's actually puke level.

Anyway, you start your speedwork with a "hey it's just a loop" attitude. Your going along your loop to get a nice blow from the headwind on the backstretch. You slow down, and start to doubt why your doing this. If your only doing 400m repeats, then you have one loop of pain- drop your hammer and run 4 it. You celebrate when hitting the start/end mark. If your doing 800m, then you wish you could stop, but charge on for another loop- and swallow the urge to puke. If your doing mile repeats, then I feel for you. You need to reserve some juice since you've got 4 great loops. Conserve my friend.

My problem with the track is not the boredom of it. Each loop is timed to keep me mentally in it. I seem to hit my times the first attempts. Then my time usually slows down as my legs fade. It frustrates me to no end, not being able to hit my time with each attempt. I swear at myself as I check my watch and see I'm off by seconds. I charge on for another attempt, just to find another 10 seconds added to my last time. If it says "3x800's at 3:18" then I want to do 3 complete 800's hitting that time. Never seems to happen like that, though.

I try and keep running. By the last repeat, I'm bargining with myself. It sounds something like this "I could just not do the last 800's. I can do an additional 2 miles of slower running instead." or "If I do this last repeat, I can have some ice cream for dessert". I have only cut my trackwork when it's been too hot or I'm dehydrated and cramping. Then I dwell on it all week. Stopping never results in anything good mentally.
Anyway- when all is done I do feel good. Not just because the trackwork is done, but because the track is good for runners. It works.