inauspicio.us

its been a long time since i’ve actually trained hard: i have this great idea to get back into things slowly, so i don’t hurt myself, training a little more every week, easing into interval workouts, etc. this is undoubtedly the wisest possible choice, the most responsible course of action, and the best chance of maximizing my longevity in the sport. so it could not last long. you can only go so long jogging around, increasing your mileage by ten percent a week and playing The Healthy Jogger before you start doing idiotic things like reading runners world, watching your protein intake, and wiping your answering machine down with a damp cloth. something has to be done before you succumb to the curse of the Recreational Jogger, and that something is running further, faster, and more often.

so back when i used to be fit, i ran a workout periodically that consisted of two laps of a shortish loop, the first lap at a plain old pretty slow running pace, and the second one at a you-could-carry-on-a-conversation-but-only-a-couple-words-at-a-time pace. about ten miles total, and great for improving fitness. running the same loop twice in a row was also a great help in preparing for the soul-crushing tedium of a 10k race on the outdoor track. the perfect workout to help me get back in the swing of having a perpetual low-level soreness in my legs. the loop i chose is a little shorter than the one i ran on at home, but it starts a mile or so away from my apartment, so i get a sort of decent cooldown afterward. the other difference is that the last 2k or so is on a dirt trail beside a stream. i’d done some out and back workouts here, but one 2k interval is not really going to get you in tip top shape, ever. if you tack that on to the end of fifteen minutes of tempo work though, 2k full out starts to look like a bit of a challenge.

don’t worry: i’m not going to start posting split times and paces and my weekly mileage here, and i won’t start getting all impressed with myself for stringing together a thoroughly mediocre workout in perfect weater after an easy day. but its nice to be back in the mix again, and i’m glad to have jumped in with both feet.