back on track

1/5/12     Being back on the track at MHS, especially an outdoor track in January, for the first interval workout of 2012 was great for many reasons:

1. I got an extra-long warm up in by running to the track at my old high school before the workout.

2. The stadium lights (that are usually only on for football games) lit up the track for the duration of our workout for the first time ever.

3. I was able to run with 2 other guys who started 15 to 20 seconds ahead of me, giving me people to chase. (A big thanks go out to Matt S. and Paul J.)

4. The original 8x400 workout that we had agreed upon turned into a 10x400 night with only a 200 for rest between 400s.

5. It was much warmer out than it had been earlier in the week. (30s instead of teens)

6. The songs that surfaced during the track work on my iPod shuffle (circa 2003, the first one ever made) were kick-ass enough to convince my legs to add on the 2 extra 400s.

     I was also happy to get such a great track workout in because of the bad news phone call that came through on my cell phone just minutes before lacing up my Brooks Ravenna 2s and heading out the door. My good friend and training partner Darrin Rees, who helped pace me the first 20 miles in my first marathon last October and pull me to a BQ time, called to tell me that his plantar faciatis had gotten worse and now was causing other leg and lower back pain, had to take at least a month off of running for his body to heal and most likely won't be able to run with me in the New Jersey Marathon on May 6th. To say I was bummed would be an understatement. So I ran for both of us last night, pushing my body to its limits like I knew he would have done. And as I stated above in reason #6, the tunes playing during the 400s helped me kick it up a notch as well. Most notably, the three Metallica tracks that played back-to-back-to-back during the last three 400s made me proud I was able to push myself like I did and still feel good after finishing up. I wore my Metallica shirt before the ING Hartford Marathon as I warmed up with Darrin (pictured below) and felt he was at the track with me last night in spirit as I 'rode the lightning' to the finish line.

Thanks again Darrin, get better soon my friend.