Not sure why the running Gods conspire for rain whenever 1000's are on the menu- but they do! Tonight I made it out to the App. St. track with standing water on the inside of lane 1 and me garbed in pants and jacket for the first time this season. Kind of exciting though I am not all that eager for the covering of skin to be a neccessity... today it was more of a luxury for the way home.
After an extended warm up, my little locks frosted with the microscopic droplet of mist, I arrived at the track to find not a soul on the ring of fire. I'd have the fog-enshrouded oval to myself and I would run 5 loops of 1000m at 3:25; 5k pace with a 400m recovery.
A few strides and I was underway, checking the splits at 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m and finally coming in stressed out at 3:30 for the first 1000m. I was trying to stay undercontrol- surely accomplished that, but I seem to be working against myself. Not running free- which is the point of any running, but especially when on the track. Free and fast!
I decided and committed to not checking my watch except at the end of each 1000m, to feel the moment of the turn, the straights. Onto number two. The rain was getting heavier and I focused on the arm swing and drive.
'Run FAST' I told myself. With this in mind I could feel my body's momentum pick up so slightly and feeling this speed I was able to hone in, not on effort but on the rate of speed in space. I came through in 3:22 and felt much better as well. More relaxed, more open, more at ease.
Now I was calibrated. The rains continued to pour down on me. Cleansing the thoughts and allowing the moment to be all there is. Ripping through the ether, driving so smoothly out of, then entering each renewed step. Water splashed from the track surface, drops coating my face, and with each exhalation a fine spray blew outward from my mouth. Number 3 3:25. Right on the mark.
As the recovery came to a close I was feeling water logged and threw the "dry-fit" off to the side. Getting down to business for number 4. Allowing myself to extend a little further and open the stride with more freedom at this point.
'This is the hard one,' I always think. 'The second to last. Make it count.'
As my thoughts tried to wander to the next 300m, to the turn ahead I reigned the mind in and brought upon a concert of the elements. The rain had eased and in its place was a silent, soft breeze. The air was weightless and my breathing was deep, rhythmic. This place is rarely visited, this place where the body is tuned into the intense work at hand, moving along with the exact effort required. Nothing wasted, no thoughts but for the job at hand. Number 4- 3:23.
As the grey sky became tinted and lightened with an ambiguous sun I reached the beginning of the final circuit of 1000 meters. This one I could go for and see what was left. I did not want to strain the body in the colder conditions, but feeling loose enough I did want to strain the spirit- allowing it to grow in this brothe of fatigue. The elements were there today to find a special ingredient. Now, I would drink of it.
"600m to go, now ratchet down, a little further, a bit faster, right here. Nice."
Holding the speed for 300m, emmersed in this feeling of the world spinning around. The whirl about your head as your mind is held to one singular thought- while the body works in concert with what is asked. After initial feelings of resistance the bodies is able to realize the goodness of this movement and now with mind and body together they each ask for more. They plead.
300m to go and now it is all there, almost. The surface is being glided over, are the feet even touching the ground? Running tall, striding out, arms driving ahead it is pointless to distinguish between running and flying.
A final turn now. It is time to go all out. These few seconds of complete speed are what will be remembered! The relaxed mind, while determined for success has a compliant body to rely upon. The spirit is soaring above these earthly elements giving rise to these fleeting feelings which fade like so many steps behind us.
Euphoria is the lingering impression we carry with us. Another physical deposit to the fitness bank, a progression of toughness in the mind, and the ever important cultivation of the soul's soil. All completed, experienced one moment at a time. Don't get ahead, nor behind- but simply be.
Showing posts with label flow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label flow. Show all posts
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Loopy Tuesday- 1000's in the Rain
Now that I have completed a series of 2mile repeat sessions over the previous 6 weeks it is time to move into shorter- faster running. Monday night I ran 20 minutes of strides running diagonally on cushy new turf. I broke that into 4x5 minutes from corner to corner on the local soccer field with end line jog recovery. A simple, effective way to work on running fast, relaxed and efficient without elevating heart rate too much. Relative to 6 miles of track work at mile and 2 mile distances, this was a nice treat!
The Plan
Wednesday brought on one of my favorite workouts for sustained faster efforts. 1000m repeats at 10k effort. These feel easy, and it is difficult to stay at 10k speed, the splits tend to dip into the 5k range as you don't have that final 600m to remind you. To temper this, and to develop surging effectiveness among other benefits I run the final 200m of each 1000m at 3k effort. Basically 800m @ 10k and then roll into a 200m controlled sprint. Jog around for recovery... 400m or so and then go again. I planned on anywhere from 6-10 of these.
Something refreshing happened. On my first repeat I was fast at 200, 400... all the way through 800m and then hit the sprint portion spot on. It felt- easy. For me it had been awhile since anything on the track was not a complete chore. I also knew this was too fast on number one. Mainly a result of anxiety to hit my splits I would guess. Number 2 and 3 were much the same but finally I was feeling the effects slightly.
The Reality
Number 4 was bringing on the accumulation of lactate but the legs were still moving quicker than I had planned. At the same time the ASU marching band showed up for their practice. Since my pace was already established I made the decision to see how many 1000's I could run until I began to fall apart. This workout being within the framework of an upcoming 10k Xterra trail race on Sunday- no need to leave the race out there at this point.
After the sprint portion of #7 I was completely anaerobic and decided that would do it. I'd been going for 65 minutes total running time and with a 10 minute cool down it seemed the prudent thing was to feel tired, slightly worked, but as if I could still have done a couple more- if I pushed to hold pace;)
So down the road I went. The Appalachian State marching band "serenaded" my last few repeats giving me a nice cadence to speed along to. I doubt I could convince them to meet me in the middle miles of future races...
The Plan
Wednesday brought on one of my favorite workouts for sustained faster efforts. 1000m repeats at 10k effort. These feel easy, and it is difficult to stay at 10k speed, the splits tend to dip into the 5k range as you don't have that final 600m to remind you. To temper this, and to develop surging effectiveness among other benefits I run the final 200m of each 1000m at 3k effort. Basically 800m @ 10k and then roll into a 200m controlled sprint. Jog around for recovery... 400m or so and then go again. I planned on anywhere from 6-10 of these.
Something refreshing happened. On my first repeat I was fast at 200, 400... all the way through 800m and then hit the sprint portion spot on. It felt- easy. For me it had been awhile since anything on the track was not a complete chore. I also knew this was too fast on number one. Mainly a result of anxiety to hit my splits I would guess. Number 2 and 3 were much the same but finally I was feeling the effects slightly.
The Reality
Number 4 was bringing on the accumulation of lactate but the legs were still moving quicker than I had planned. At the same time the ASU marching band showed up for their practice. Since my pace was already established I made the decision to see how many 1000's I could run until I began to fall apart. This workout being within the framework of an upcoming 10k Xterra trail race on Sunday- no need to leave the race out there at this point.
After the sprint portion of #7 I was completely anaerobic and decided that would do it. I'd been going for 65 minutes total running time and with a 10 minute cool down it seemed the prudent thing was to feel tired, slightly worked, but as if I could still have done a couple more- if I pushed to hold pace;)
So down the road I went. The Appalachian State marching band "serenaded" my last few repeats giving me a nice cadence to speed along to. I doubt I could convince them to meet me in the middle miles of future races...
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Disney Marathon. Triumph of Hope.
3 am... the alarm sounds and somehow I am ready to wake up and run. Stepping outside the chill slaps me and I try to settle into it telling myself it's only getting colder in a few hours when all of the layers I've donned will be stripped away and the essence will remain. Just a runner and the elements to join forces and see what may be accomplished.
The bus ride was savoured as I was aware what awaited us all... 2 hours of waiting out in the elements, and battling for bag checks and port-a-johns. After spending some quality times with new "friends" from Tampa completing their first marathon(!) I departed to to all the necessaries before show time. 20 minutes before the start I was down to a race singlet and short-shorts definitely ready to race now, just to stay warm. I trotted to the starting line some 1.5 miles away bring the total for the day to 2.5!
(On the way over I questioned my clothing choice as I left a wake of comments like "look at that crazy guy" and "what the hell?" or "he must've been running in the snow for the last month of training..." which no one actually said except the voice in my head.)
Only a Marathon to Go!
After Mickey and Donald had their say we were off into the darkness and the cutting wind. I tucked in and found the place of least wind resistance in the form of some very tall man. Mile one 6:50... a little slow but alright. We entered Epcot to the sound of triumphant music and flaming torches; this was cool and we circled the lake and many countries passed by. Mile 2-6:30, a little fast.
Around mile 4 we passed back to the starting area which had been transformed and broken down in only about 30 minutes! There were still runners in the other corrals waiting to start and I was thinking about how cold they must have been at that point... I knew I was. Chest and arms freezing I continued in my pursuit of a new PR, 6:45 pace, feeling urgent yet not rushed, patient and not bored. Right on the edge, directly in my moment.
On the way to the Magic Kingdom we ascended and descending on and off ramps as we hunted down the interstate in search of dreams. The miles were soaring along and the aid stations were flying by. I stopped taking water as it seemed to go right through me. I had to stop for a second time at Richard Petty's driving experience, seemed appropriate?
Into the Magic Kingdom, zooming down Mainstreet USA!!!
On into the Land of Tomorrow and now the pace was quickening, I knew I was getting caught up in the excitement but allowed this to occur. I was here to PR, to take chances and see what I was able to accomplish. Between the excitement I made to sure to gather my thought and re-establish sustainable effort. To stay within my Hydrogen (Lactic) Footprint Threshold. The Magic Kingdom came and went and we reached halfway, still in the dark passing light-alls and reaching the midway in 1:29:11, on pace for a PR but not for the 2:57 I was aiming at. So, I made a decision, to start running faster, seemed logical.
Through the wastelands...
Approaching the Animal Kingdom the course meandered through the Disney dump, waste water facility and greenhouse. A neat perspective but some slow miles too, the splits were fine, even a little quicker but mainly out of my effort to attach boredom with will, to stay engaged with a tempo-type of approach. We'd reached mile 15 and a glorious Floridian sunrise, the next two miles were spent taking that in and savouring the moment.
The Animal Kingdom was kind of tough, with winding pathways to wake of the ankles, some people were really beginning to struggle here and for the next 10 miles or so I would do all the passing. I was a lion out there, using the prey to attain my goals. Like Einstein said, "Hey man, it's all relative!"
Moment of Truth
With 8 or 9 to go you begin to get the idea of what the day is going to be like... will you blow up or soar away? With a series of interstate overpasses (aka hills) I continued on, flying through aid stations, soaking in the positive vibes from the generous crowd. Out and back to mile 21 and now only 5 miles remained. I was feeling a little stressed, that is tired, but knew that will another gel I was golden. This run was all but done and now I could really push beyond the aerobic zones and into the spiritual realm. I choked down a strawberry GU (not too bad really) and decisively charged ahead channelling my inner Catherine Ndereba.
The Streets of NY
Hollywood Studios brought NY to us and it was almost believable with the frigid air and endurance induced euphoria. The moment was short and were were back out to the interstate. Better enjoy it while you can... that goes deep.
Finally we reached Epcot in the light of day. The lake had grown in size apparently. 2.2 to go and I was ready to be finished, dropping in 6:30s now but the finish seemed so far away, perhaps because I missed the 25 mile marker... but soon enough a pile of kegs and a marker for mile 26 brought such relief. I burst forward giving my last efforts at speed and crossed the line in 2:56:51, 9 seconds faster than the goal of the day and a brand new, etched in history PR!!!!
Some statistics:
Splits: 1/2 1:29:11
2nd 1/2 1:27:40
49th overall, 47th male, 11th in age group (30-34) and rated at 70% on some age based, gender based formula???
Most important of all was that at the finish I looked up, thinking of the amount of doubt I had over-come and just at that moment I hear an excited voice say the simplest of things, my name.
I walked over to Lynnea and kissed her through the chain-linked fence. We boarded the (warm!!!) bus and went back for a mid-morning nap before conquering Disney's Epcot that afternoon!!
Note: A HUGE thanks to the 6,000 volunteers and countless masses of spectators who make this event so special. If it weren't for such positive influence the logistics of this event could make this rather disastrous.
The bus ride was savoured as I was aware what awaited us all... 2 hours of waiting out in the elements, and battling for bag checks and port-a-johns. After spending some quality times with new "friends" from Tampa completing their first marathon(!) I departed to to all the necessaries before show time. 20 minutes before the start I was down to a race singlet and short-shorts definitely ready to race now, just to stay warm. I trotted to the starting line some 1.5 miles away bring the total for the day to 2.5!
(On the way over I questioned my clothing choice as I left a wake of comments like "look at that crazy guy" and "what the hell?" or "he must've been running in the snow for the last month of training..." which no one actually said except the voice in my head.)
Only a Marathon to Go!
After Mickey and Donald had their say we were off into the darkness and the cutting wind. I tucked in and found the place of least wind resistance in the form of some very tall man. Mile one 6:50... a little slow but alright. We entered Epcot to the sound of triumphant music and flaming torches; this was cool and we circled the lake and many countries passed by. Mile 2-6:30, a little fast.
Around mile 4 we passed back to the starting area which had been transformed and broken down in only about 30 minutes! There were still runners in the other corrals waiting to start and I was thinking about how cold they must have been at that point... I knew I was. Chest and arms freezing I continued in my pursuit of a new PR, 6:45 pace, feeling urgent yet not rushed, patient and not bored. Right on the edge, directly in my moment.
On the way to the Magic Kingdom we ascended and descending on and off ramps as we hunted down the interstate in search of dreams. The miles were soaring along and the aid stations were flying by. I stopped taking water as it seemed to go right through me. I had to stop for a second time at Richard Petty's driving experience, seemed appropriate?
Into the Magic Kingdom, zooming down Mainstreet USA!!!
On into the Land of Tomorrow and now the pace was quickening, I knew I was getting caught up in the excitement but allowed this to occur. I was here to PR, to take chances and see what I was able to accomplish. Between the excitement I made to sure to gather my thought and re-establish sustainable effort. To stay within my Hydrogen (Lactic) Footprint Threshold. The Magic Kingdom came and went and we reached halfway, still in the dark passing light-alls and reaching the midway in 1:29:11, on pace for a PR but not for the 2:57 I was aiming at. So, I made a decision, to start running faster, seemed logical.
Through the wastelands...
Approaching the Animal Kingdom the course meandered through the Disney dump, waste water facility and greenhouse. A neat perspective but some slow miles too, the splits were fine, even a little quicker but mainly out of my effort to attach boredom with will, to stay engaged with a tempo-type of approach. We'd reached mile 15 and a glorious Floridian sunrise, the next two miles were spent taking that in and savouring the moment.
The Animal Kingdom was kind of tough, with winding pathways to wake of the ankles, some people were really beginning to struggle here and for the next 10 miles or so I would do all the passing. I was a lion out there, using the prey to attain my goals. Like Einstein said, "Hey man, it's all relative!"
Moment of Truth
With 8 or 9 to go you begin to get the idea of what the day is going to be like... will you blow up or soar away? With a series of interstate overpasses (aka hills) I continued on, flying through aid stations, soaking in the positive vibes from the generous crowd. Out and back to mile 21 and now only 5 miles remained. I was feeling a little stressed, that is tired, but knew that will another gel I was golden. This run was all but done and now I could really push beyond the aerobic zones and into the spiritual realm. I choked down a strawberry GU (not too bad really) and decisively charged ahead channelling my inner Catherine Ndereba.
The Streets of NY
Hollywood Studios brought NY to us and it was almost believable with the frigid air and endurance induced euphoria. The moment was short and were were back out to the interstate. Better enjoy it while you can... that goes deep.
Finally we reached Epcot in the light of day. The lake had grown in size apparently. 2.2 to go and I was ready to be finished, dropping in 6:30s now but the finish seemed so far away, perhaps because I missed the 25 mile marker... but soon enough a pile of kegs and a marker for mile 26 brought such relief. I burst forward giving my last efforts at speed and crossed the line in 2:56:51, 9 seconds faster than the goal of the day and a brand new, etched in history PR!!!!
Some statistics:
Splits: 1/2 1:29:11
2nd 1/2 1:27:40
49th overall, 47th male, 11th in age group (30-34) and rated at 70% on some age based, gender based formula???
Most important of all was that at the finish I looked up, thinking of the amount of doubt I had over-come and just at that moment I hear an excited voice say the simplest of things, my name.
I walked over to Lynnea and kissed her through the chain-linked fence. We boarded the (warm!!!) bus and went back for a mid-morning nap before conquering Disney's Epcot that afternoon!!
Note: A HUGE thanks to the 6,000 volunteers and countless masses of spectators who make this event so special. If it weren't for such positive influence the logistics of this event could make this rather disastrous.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Dancing Machismo or Simply the Flow
The essence of running and living at our best involves simple things. Moving forward, always toward the next goal, the next step... doing so in a relaxed manner and within the natural order of things... this can be called a dance; though some of the more machismo oriented of us may call it simply flow.
Click here for a more in depth look at this concept as experienced by me this past spring, when the colors were just arriving and the air was a pleasing, fresh hug of an old friend.
Click here for a more in depth look at this concept as experienced by me this past spring, when the colors were just arriving and the air was a pleasing, fresh hug of an old friend.
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