Training Log Archive: PG

SMAC indoor track meet at Smith College. Ran the mile in 5:46.4. Excellent. Excellent. One more time -- excellent. :-)

Was shooting to break 6. Phil said we should be able to do 5:50 but I had my doubts. He ended up just behind me in 5:49 so we were both pretty pleased.

Quarter-mile splits were 87.8, 88.2, 87.7, and 82.7. It didn't hurt as much as I remember previous mile races hurting, meaning you're past the red line and there's still 600 meters to go. So maybe I had more in me -- over-60 record for the meets, which have been going on for at least 20 years, is 5:38. But it's hard to push the pace when you haven't raced the distance for a long time. (Best ever, last real attempt at the distance was 5:01 in 1989.)

Really fun. And there is no fudging the numbers at the track, no wind, no snow, no cactus. You just find out what sort of shape you're in, for better or worse. And with sprints a serious part of O' these days, and often on hard surfaces, running on the track and roads shouldn't be brushed off as irrelevant any more.

About 15 minutes before, including 4 or 5 quicker 100-meter efforts, and then 15 minutes after.

Legs felt good, by the way, helps taking the day before off.

C • Fast 20

Tax time again so running in Grrenfield or thereabouts. Standard "hour loop" on Greenfield ridge. Footing was a little better than I expected -- it's all foot trails (as opposed to snowmobile trails), but there are a few people that walk or snowshoe there so they slowly get packed down after each storm. Today some were packed down well, some a little rough, and in a few places I was going in 6-8", overalll a nice mix.

Legs felt only so-so at the start (or maybe it was not having the good feeling of a running partner suffering behind you?), better as I went along.

With Phil, same as yesterday, plus a little further on the other side of the Conway-Whately Road. We were planning to go a bit more but there was a wide enough stream crossing, not frozen over because of the mild weather, and we weren't keen on wading.

Nice day, sunny, but a stiff wind out of the NW (20-25 mph, a gentle Laramie zephyr). Most of the time we were sheltered from it by the woods and/or the terrain, but across a couple of fields on the top of a hill it was blowing hard and drifting the snow. In a few places it was a foot deep, or at least that's how far it felt like I was going in. And 30 minutes later on the return trip our footprints had already disappeared. I'm glad we weren't relying on them to find our way back!

Relaxed pace, legs felt good, conditions still a bit soft but mostly ok.

C • That was a wise choice, turnin... 3

Snowmobile trails, route 93 from Boyden's sugar shack to the Whately-Conway Road and back. Not bad, a little soft, usually sinking in an inch or so, and a few wet spots that hadn't frozen over. But certainly runnable and nice to get off the roads.

C • V-Dot 8

At the Smith College indoor track with Phil (plus about a dozen members of the UMass women's track team, just to provide something else to think about...).

There's an indoor track meet this Sunday that we are thinking of doing the mile at, so of course we had to get a little faster running in, not that it will do any good. 2 x 800 working hard, with a good rest in between, 2:55.8, 2:56.0, then 2 x 400, also a good rest, 84.5, 83.6. Phil seems to think a mile in under 6 is in the cards, I have my doubts.

C • 6 minute mile 2

Before/after.

Short loop around town at the tail end of a snowstorm, got about 7-8", a little on the heavy side. Footing not too bad.

So we're back to winter again. It ought to be enough snow to get the snowmobiles out, so maybe the trails will be OK in a couple of days.