Gotta start somewhere

After the original race I had planned on racing was nonexistent, I decided to open up my season with a meet that's held the day after Christmas. Little did I know when I came to this decision that this meet was condensed to only sprint events (400, 200, 60, 60H)  from the previous full bill of years earlier. At any other point in my training I probably really wouldn't have cared but I did not want to open with anything short, and honestly it wasn't in my plans. I want indoor to be concentrated mostly on the longer endurance part of training, over distance training.

Needless I had bend my plans because I also did not want to open in January. I opted to do a 400/200 double and told myself to treat it like a really hard workout. Unfortunately in my head I can't detach myself from the word race or meet. As much as I want to treat this like a practice, it still looms in my head and I manage to get myself all worked up. Then you can guess what happens I under preform and get frustrated. My 400 was about 3 seconds slower than I know and my coach knows I'm capable to hit at this part of my training. Grrrr. I finished up with plenty left in my tank to repeat that same interval at that same pace with little differential. Oh and wait that's exactly what I did in the 200, split the exact 1st 200 split of my 400. Seriously not impressed. 

I know that it is the season opener and it is used as a cobweb shaker. I can't really expect to be in peak form since the last time I raced was back in July and I did just come off of a crazy work schedule that kept me up weird hours and on my feet for long hours. BUT I did expect to come off a little bit faster than I ran. 

Ok fine for the positive plus side that I need to find in every race, since I did have extra gas left in my tank after the 400, it means I can absolutely go faster. It also means that I'm strong and my 800 should be looking not too shabby. 

Now I'll carry on to the new year and other races.

Indoor voices please

The cold is upon us which means the move from the nice wide-turned cushiony 400 meter outdoor track to the tight banked fast 200 meter indoor track is here. I sold my first born away so I could train at pretty much the only accessible indoor track in Manhattan. Ok so maybe I sell anything but ugh it sure does seem like it. I always cringe when I have to pony up the cash to the Armory, I get that it's a good track and it's non-profit but $300 is a lot of money for ridiculously super limited hours and just the track (yes I've made this complaint about this a few time in past posts, I will leave this one at that).

Monday left me with the case of the Mondays, or better yet a lovely cold of some sort. I woke up with an elevated heart rate, a sore throat, nagging cough, oh and yes no voice. I decided to call into work, cancel client appointments, not run and rest up. I thought that was a smart move. Tuesday I was feeling a little better (less fatigued) so I bellied up went to work, whispered workouts to clients, and trekked my way to 168th St for practice. Though the fatigue was gone I should have known better that indoor track and somewhat bum lungs don't mix well. Breathing in extremely dry air at an extremely rapid pace with a cough already on top left me hacking up at least one of my lungs and almost my lunch. By Thursday I had my voice back but the nagging cough wouldn't budge. Still I managed to crank out my workouts for the rest of the week taking another extra day off over the weekend. Hopefully I'll be back to my normal self next week, 1st meet of the season is in 4 weeks, need to be set to go (because there ain't not rest for the weary).