Bottle It Up & Go!

Ran this morning with Tina, a friend of Annette’s who, after conversation and mojitos last night, wanted to come out and run for the first time in several years. I said come on out, and to my surprise, she actually showed up this morning, 9:30 sharp, and we went out to the track.

When people ask me how to start running, I tell them to pick a time, say 30 minutes, and run for as long as you can for that time period, but taking walk breaks when needed. The idea is to keep moving for the allotted time and each following workout you run more and walk less. Once this whole time could be spent running, then shift over to measuring workouts in miles.

Tina did much better than that. We ran out to the track and did 10 laps in 30 minutes, with her not stopping to walk at all and then surprising me with a burst of speed around the final turn of the last lap. A good start; if she sticks with running she should do well.

As we ran I kept up a banter about various aspects of running, partly in response to her questions and partly in an effort to provide some diversion. Looking back, some of the topics we covered still intrigue me. Explaining the meandering flow of running conversation. Describing how an essentially solitary activity such as running can facilitate intense support and friendships. Making concrete the somewhat abstract connections I make between racing and training. And divulging to the uninitiated the secret that running slowly, almost imperceptibly, changes you – physically , spiritually, mentally, etc. – as you keep it up. I hope Tina got as much out of this workout as I did, but I probably sounded nuttier the farther the 30 minutes progressed.

When we finished Tina headed back to Annette’s and I did an additional quick 12 laps, plus another cooldown lap and the quarter mile or so back to Annette’s. This was supposed to be an easy workout for me, so I just ran fast for the joy of doing so. Those twelve laps went by in 19:25. By this time the sun was beating and the heat was rising from the track, but today this energized me, and I felt I could fly. Today I thought that maybe I can master the heat and use it to my advantage in Virginia Beach. Tomorrow I suspect that I’ll laugh at that idea.

Bottle it up and go!

6.5 this morning in 56:14 on the track. 4 this evening – Franklin Field loop to 49^th St. without a watch.