Old Friends

The missus will certainly have my neck if she reads this next bit. Nevertheless, after a solid two months of great (summer) weather, I’ve noticed a subtle change in the conditions the last few days. Nothing drastic, but as I ran to work yesterday morning the air was certainly cooler and the air smelled fresh, alive. Perhaps it’s the measured change in the sunrise, now rising at 5:55… which might also explain why Isla has been ‘not’ getting up at 5:30 the last few days.

On the weekend, an old friend moved back to town and it didn’t take me long before I coerced him out for a run. Truth be told, I believe he was chomping at the bit, anything to get him away from his newfound household chores. Regardless, I welcomed the idea of company and as I loped my way toward the Vic High Track earlier this evening, the thought of running partner was the only thing holding me true.

Brad was already at the track when I arrived and after drawing a literal line in the sand, we began the session. If memory serves correct, I led the first lap, or at least the first corner, before running smack into a relentless headwind on the backstretch. Not only did we have the benefit of the added challenge, but the far side of the track is also home to a small mound. I hate dirt tracks.

Earlier that morning, I’d mentioned running 6-8x800 and after the first interval I focused solely on ‘6’. But as each successive repeat finished, the effort seemed to lesson. Partly as I road shotgun while running into the wind, but also because the body seemed to relax into the workout. This changed after #5. This was also the point that Brad said, ‘last one’… to which I replied, ‘one more’. These words came back to haunt me only minutes later.

2:40, 2:40, 2:39, 2:40,

2:40, 2:41, 2:39, 2:40

The session over, I was really happy with the workout and thankful for the company. I always seem to forget the effort required to finish this sort of training… it always seem so much easier once you’re done.

Training:

Monday: day off (scheduled)

Tuesday: easy 50:48

Wednesday: 1:29:40 with 8x800 5kP (2’)