So it's been about two weeks since my last training run, but no apologies here. This break, or lull, or down-time, or whatever you want to call it seems to be a standard part of any training plan of mine. I'm not saying this is the right way to do it; I'm just saying it always happens and I always end up ok. Just sayin'.
Fortunately I'm still on a total vacation high from last week's trips to Kashgar and Yellow Mountain. Honestly, the 2.5-hour uphill climb on Thursday and 4-hour down and up and up and down hiking was really good preparation for the Great Wall. I can only wish for the same forgiving weather with overcast skies and cool temperatures. I'll have to use those memories as motivation as I battle heat and smog in Beijing mid-May.
Anyway, back to today's run. I went out to Jiaotong University again to hit the track for some methodical intervals. The training plan actually called for three reps of 2-mile intervals with a minute rest, but I kept it to just 1.5-mile intervals with the goal of maintaining a brisk pace for all three.
I really love running at this track because the energy of just being on a university campus isnostalgic and almost tangible, and the track is a real gathering place for a fitness community. Again there was a little girl digging in the long-jump sandbox, a group of old men walking together, a few serious sprinters literally running laps around everyone, and plenty of casual joggers. And of course there were a few soccer games, a few uncoordinated couples attempting to play badminton, and another girl trying out her rollerblades.
I also like running on the track because I can focus more on my body and less on the road hazards and traffic. I can feel how my feet land on the track, notice which point is the last to push off, check how steady my hips are, feel whether I'm maintaing good core control, listen to my breathing, and use my arms to balance out each stride. I like imagining that I look like a runner on the cover of Runners World magazine with powerfully extended legs and easy confidence in my gaze. I'd much rather imagine all that and try to make it happen than look in a mirror beyond the treadmill and see reality.
In the last quarter mile of my final interval I still felt strong and decided to go full throttle for a 100-meter stretch. I like to kind of hunker down, extend my stride, pump my arms, and lead with my sternum and my head tilted back like I'm some sort of world champion setting a new record. Again, how it looks to everyone else could be quite different, but for those few seconds,when I'm not sure if my legs are even still connected to my body, I feel the runner in me burst forth, triumphant.
The real test will be to find that feeling again after 13 miles of a grueling race for that final .1-mile push to the finish. I hope I can. I know I will.
Fortunately I'm still on a total vacation high from last week's trips to Kashgar and Yellow Mountain. Honestly, the 2.5-hour uphill climb on Thursday and 4-hour down and up and up and down hiking was really good preparation for the Great Wall. I can only wish for the same forgiving weather with overcast skies and cool temperatures. I'll have to use those memories as motivation as I battle heat and smog in Beijing mid-May.
Anyway, back to today's run. I went out to Jiaotong University again to hit the track for some methodical intervals. The training plan actually called for three reps of 2-mile intervals with a minute rest, but I kept it to just 1.5-mile intervals with the goal of maintaining a brisk pace for all three.
I really love running at this track because the energy of just being on a university campus isnostalgic and almost tangible, and the track is a real gathering place for a fitness community. Again there was a little girl digging in the long-jump sandbox, a group of old men walking together, a few serious sprinters literally running laps around everyone, and plenty of casual joggers. And of course there were a few soccer games, a few uncoordinated couples attempting to play badminton, and another girl trying out her rollerblades.
I also like running on the track because I can focus more on my body and less on the road hazards and traffic. I can feel how my feet land on the track, notice which point is the last to push off, check how steady my hips are, feel whether I'm maintaing good core control, listen to my breathing, and use my arms to balance out each stride. I like imagining that I look like a runner on the cover of Runners World magazine with powerfully extended legs and easy confidence in my gaze. I'd much rather imagine all that and try to make it happen than look in a mirror beyond the treadmill and see reality.
In the last quarter mile of my final interval I still felt strong and decided to go full throttle for a 100-meter stretch. I like to kind of hunker down, extend my stride, pump my arms, and lead with my sternum and my head tilted back like I'm some sort of world champion setting a new record. Again, how it looks to everyone else could be quite different, but for those few seconds,when I'm not sure if my legs are even still connected to my body, I feel the runner in me burst forth, triumphant.The real test will be to find that feeling again after 13 miles of a grueling race for that final .1-mile push to the finish. I hope I can. I know I will.
The Fine Print
Date: 4/10/13 Time: 5:30 pm Location: Shanghai, PRC
Time: 51:55 Distance: 5.25 mi Pace: 9:55 (average interval was 9:35)
Music: Running Mix; best heart-thumping song intro: LMFAO "Party Rock Anthem"
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