Friday, February 23, 2024

Today I went back to the track to finish the week 2 workout I did on Tuesday (which I couldn't finish due to a lacrosse game). Today was a little warmer, 47 degrees. It rained last night (it was still misty and cloudy at noon when I arrived at the track), and there were puddles in lanes 1-4 (at the beginning of the second turn). Before I report my performance for today's workout, I should give an update on what I found out about the track at Franklin Field since Tuesday: Turns out (info found on YouTube) that lane 4 is the true 400 meter lane there. Lanes 1, 2, and 3 were added when they expanded the track (they couldn't add lanes on the outer side due to the stadium walls). Lucky for me, today I came across a young guy who came to run on the track. I have been confused by the markings/lack of markings on the track. I asked if he knew where the 300 meter mark was--and he did! I think I understood that he used to run track at UPenn. He explained that the start line I was using was incorrect--it's actually about 10 meters ahead of what I thought was the Start/Finish line. The little "300" mark I saw in lane 1 on the far side of turn 2 is correct (if I start on the new line pointed out to me, run in lane 4, and stop at the staggered line in lane 4--just beyond the lane 1 300 mark--then I will actually run 300 meters). Whew! he also showed me the 200 meter mark.  

Today's times look liked this (I did 12 x 300 today, with about a minute / minute and a half rest between each):

1. 1:08
2. 1:05
3. 1:05
4. 1:12
5. 1:09
6. 1:09
7. 1:06
8: 1:05
9. 1:07
10. 1:05
11. 1:08
12. 1:08

I felt good today, though my legs and glutes are still a bit sore from Wednesday's leg workout at the gym. Thursday I ran to and from Pilates, and had a nice Pilates session, but I skipped the gym. After my workout on the track today, I ran to the gym, did a Pilates routine in the studio (used the Magic Circle to stretch my legs), and I did a shoulder workout. The best/most challenging exercise is doing plain old wide-grip pull ups on the bar! Yesterday I weighed 154.5 lbs. I am still hauntingly curious about how fast I might be able to sprint at this point. I haven't run an all-out speed practice race yet, like a 100m, 200m, or even a 400m--I'm being very cautious, knowing that I must condition (and stretch!) my body enough so that I won't strain or pull a muscle. Also, it's still winter. These are the reasons I haven't taken my body out for a full-on spin yet . . . and the anticipation is killing me! 

Found a (blurry) photograph of me running high school track in 1982! I was surprised when I saw the photo--I remembered that we ran on dirt tracks. Somehow this makes me even prouder of my time in the 400 meters in 1982--48.51--not too bad considering it was run on dirt, not some high-tech surface.

Santa Clara High School Team, 1982