First Indoor Workout

With a long mild autumn to encourage us, and a well-lit, resurfaced outdoor track available nearby, my training partner Terry and I continued to run our weekly interval workouts outdoors until this week. The cold weather that arrived mid-week finally drove us inside, and on Wednesday we did our first indoor workout of the season.

The first time back on the boards is always strange. The springy surface feels almost alive in comparison with the hard, concrete feel of MIT's outdoor track. It feels good on the legs. But it also feels awkward, as though one's stride needs adjusting in some subtle way to take advantage of the resilience and energy return of the track under one's feet. I found myself flailing for a moment or two entering each curve, trying to find a rhythm that didn't squander the "track energy" I felt. The tighter turns also created a minor optical illusion for me, in which I was sure that Terry was accelerating into the first few meters of the turn (when he was in the turn and I was not yet there). When I made the mistake of matching what I imagined was his increase, I would immediately step on his heels. It didn't make things any easier that my stride is a little longer than his anyway.

We were fortunate that the track was more or less empty, with only a few other groups running. that will change in a hurry once the HS meets begin and other clubs begin crowding in all at the same time following the conclusion of that night's meet. Some nights it is definitely a zoo, and avoiding collisions requires constant vigilance.

I know from previous years that within a few weeks, I will have adjusted to the track and it will seem very normal to think of a lap as 200 meters, not 400. It will take me a little bit longer to get used to the indoor air and the dryness. I know I should count my blessings to have such good indoor facilities available. I mean, Having an indoor track at all is a luxury, let alone a banked track which is arguably one of the best facilities in the country.

Having Reggie is also a great temptation to run fast, regardless of whether that is the right workout for one's training. I was pretty stiff on Thursday, a victim of "pace creep" where 400s that were supposed to be at 72 were run in 69-70, and 300s that were supposed to be run in 53-54 were run in 51. Even at my advanced age, speed is addictive and the track at Reggie does nothing to discourage the habit.