The perfect mile

While I do not have a real coach, Runners World has been instrumental in my training. The website provides lots of good workouts, nutrition advice, tools (like calories burned calculators, etc). So this morning, I used the workout called "the perfect mile." You run 2-3 miles to a track as a warm up. Then at the track, you run 1600, 1200, 800, and then 400 meters, with about a minute in between. Then you finish by running 2 miles back.

Times:

1600 7:31

1200 5:28

800 3:40

400 1:40

I did this slightly slower than the gauntlet last week, because this run was in between 2 sets of 2 mile runs (and this one includes a 1200, unlike the gauntlet). Overall, I was pretty happy with the results. I felt pretty tired afterwards, which was evidenced when a woman stopped my for directions at the Shrine, and I was wheezing the directions to her.

Today really was an appropriate day for speedwork (aside from it being on my schedule). A 72 year old widow in England was robbed by some teenage girls. But Mrs. Jean Hirst (a former 100m sprinter champion) decided to take on the muggers, and she got her purse back! You go girl!

Today is also Rob Denien's 23rd birthday. Rob was Evan's roommate in college, and a very good friend of mine. During our junior year at Holy Cross, he challenged me to a foot race (from Healy to Mulledy on Easy Street). Evan, confident that I would beat Rob given the fact that I was more in shape than him, told Rob that I would do it. I lost. A second race up the Fenwick steps happened about a week later. I lost then too. Cut to March of senior year. We decided to take a winner-take-all race through lower campus. We even had our friend stationed throughout different points to watch the race. I drafted behind Rob, it was going perfectly until the end. I didn't sprint early enough, and he beat me, for a third time. The sad thing is, I felt fine after, and Rob was on the coach moaning for a few hours after. More shame for me.

In a series of voicemails and missed calls: I wished Rob a happy birthday, he told me he's going to be in DC March 20-25, and I told him that that's when my marathon is. Rob, ever the cheeky one, told me he'll race me in it. While that might not happen, he might be there to watch me, which would be pretty neat.

And I will not be ashamed about my running anymore, Rob!