speedwork on a FLAT NOT SNOWY/SLIPPERY SURFACE!!!

Yep, the indoor track was open this week and the run club went. I was really looking forward to it for two reasons:

1. I'd never been there before.
2. Running--heck, even walking, well, really trudging--in snow is starting to wear me down. My legs are feeling pretty dull and my foot/toe was acting up again, after my foot slipped sideways for the umpteenth time. I swear, it was fine, then I slipped the wrong way, and, boom! I can't wait for this snow to leave.

Yesterday was supposed to be a recovery run but the snow made that difficult and I didn't do what I needed to do. It was still an ok run, in terms of fun and getting the dog out, but not a recovery run.

So, this morning, I decided to try to take things really easy and the dog and I jogged up and down the streets in my neighbourhood for about an hour, only a couple of lights, not much traffic, nice and relaxing...for me. He was on a different wavelength plus he has better traction than I--he wanted to go faster (we only covered about 5 miles, I think). After a while, though, he settled in. I had a few good moments of recovery running--there were a few flat areas that were not very snowy, and one with actually bare pavement, whoa! but for the most part, it wasn't totally what my legs needed. It doesn't help that the area isn't flat--it's mostly just in the 2-3% incline range but there are blocks with steeper inclines, including a couple over 15%. And we run up and down all that without much on the flat. It's usually not too bad but with the snow amplifying the inclines, it can get sort of rough. So I took things slowly and annoyed the dog.

And then I went to get an EKG. I have something benign but funky with my heart, probably mitral valve prolapse. My doctor is checking it out again because, uh, apparently, all those years ago, I was supposed to get more stuff done instead of just one EKG. I heard 'probably mitral valve prolapse' and 'it's not going to kill you' and skipped out. lol. So today I got another EKG and we'll go from there.

And then, after more studying, I jogged over to run club with my shorts and singlet under my clothes, and this time the track was open and we were good to go! This was my first time at this facility, the only indoor 400M within an umpteen mile radius, I guess....not really sure, but it's the only one in the city at least.

I don't know what I was expecting--something high-tech and professional, with rules and so forth? It was more relaxed than I'd thought, and less crowded too. There was plenty of room. The place smelled like an enclosed plasticky area containing perspiring bodies and a rubbery track, but it was fine, and it was far less stuffy than I'd been warned about.

We jogged about 8 times around as a warm up, and then it was 2(4 X 300M). I had to miss the 200M repeats last week, so I was a bit psyched out by the 300M, but they went pretty well. The first one was the fastest, at about 1:01, and then they settled into the 1:02-1:03 range, except for the 2nd last one which sagged and was 1:06, and then I tried to pick it up for the last and totally blow that minute barrier, lol, but still only got 1:03. I was getting pretty tired.

So, I'm happy--it was consistent, and an improvement over the last time I've done 300M repeats, about a 1/2 year ago, albeit on a path and not a flat flat track:
(1:07, 1:10, 1:09, 1:12, 1:11, 1:12, 1:11, 1:08, 1:12--this was 3X (3X 300M))

In total, I guess I ran/travelled
1 mile to run club,
2 miles warm up
8X 300, plus walking in between....heck, let's say that was another 2 miles total, because we did form drills and strides too.
1 mile cool down.

Total 6 miles, so about 11 for today. not bad! I don't think I'm going to make 50 miles this week, but I should get pretty close.