Sometimes workouts imitate life
Ever have one of those days on which you run from one task to another, barely having a break, barely time to do more than slow down slightly? Perhaps you wondered how you'd get through the day, how you'd put it together. The October 11 Bryn Mawr Running Club workout resembled (in microcosm) such a day. It called for running three miles, alternating quarter miles at mile race pace with quarter miles at 10k race pace. (Warm-up and cool-down depended on the runner. For me it was a mile for each.)When Bob announced this workout, I had one of those "OMG!" moments--but not for long. My first goal: enjoy the workout and keep my focus positive. Second goal--see what I could do time-wise. Third goal--don't panic if times slowed down. Just keep running.
"Enjoy?" you ask. Isn't that like enjoying having the wind punched out of you? Well, it's true, people think runners are masochists and this probably proves it. But here's why I felt I could enjoy it. This is WAY less stressful than my everyday life. This is where I go to drop the baggage and run free--and also be surprised... at the workouts... at what I can do with them.... Sure, sometimes I wish I could do more, but even then, I beat what I would have accomplished by not showing up.
The life of a writer and teacher involves carrying literal baggage: books, laptop, notebook, pens (okay they're not so heavy), paperwork, etc. Sometimes, to catch trains or buses, I have to run with all this stuff--in shoes not strictly made for running. So running without all these things in lightweight running shoes is so very freeing.
It brings me back to a time as a child when, home from school and all its pressures, I'd throw down book bag, change clothes, and sprint as fast as I could across the lawn, sometimes into the woods bordering our house. I'd stop when out of breath. Sometimes I'd dive into a pile of leaves--enjoy the time just completely released from whatever weighed me down physically or mentally. I never thought of these runs across the lawn as any competitive venture. I just wanted to outrun the "stuff," not some other runner. (I wouldn't have been fast enough to do the latter anyway, but I'm grateful that during those moments, it didn't matter.)
Back to the present, then. Whatever workout Bob announces, it's a vacation compared to the demands of keeping up with teaching and writing deadlines. And it keeps me sane and ready for those demands. Even so, I must admit a bit of trepidation about completing that "in and out" three miler--until I set the goals I did. How would I be able to maintain the pace? What if I collapsed from hyperventilating? What if I couldn't finish? Well, I thought, those things haven't happened yet. I'll deal with them when/if they do happen. So off I went... First two quarter miles were just about what I wanted by way of pace, 2:03 and 2:16. But the wheels loosened as I went along and were on the verge of flying off by the time I finished the last two.
Still, in the first two miles, the overall mile times were pretty close together--9:11 and 9:12. I admit to slipping off after the first mile to grab a quick sip of water, but then decided to see if I could take the next two mile without stopping at all. (I'd only stopped for probably half a minute when I did stop, but felt it was lowering the bar more than I'd have liked.) I'd reset my watch after the first mile, and during the second, as the sky grew darker, I was having more and more difficulty seeing the splits at each quarter or figuring out the math of how long each took. So I decided by mile 3 to just keep up the effort, whatever it produced, which by then was considerably less than I'd managed in mile one.
Yet I didn't give up, didn't collapse, didn't die. The last mile was 9:24 for a total of 18:36 for miles 2 and 3. So significant falling off. But I'd kept at it and finished, given it my best effort. If that workout comes up again, I'll skip the water stop and see if I can keep going. But that's a challenge for another day.
The next day, I had a day that mirrored (but over a longer time and more mentally than physically) the intensity of this workout. But the workout had given me some tools to help me cope. The goals had to be the same: enjoy the challenge. See how I do... but don't panic if real performance doesn't match what I hope for. Can't say I enjoyed every moment.
But then again during the workout, as my breathing and heart rate sped up, and I wondered if my lungs would explode, it was, finally, just good to be there, good to be running, with friends. Similarly, the next day, beyond the discomfort of new students, new challenges, it was good to be helping people, learning, trying to make a difference--and despite it not being easy, good to just keep going--and discover that opportunity and challenge are akin to the linked courses I've taught at the college: part of the same package.
posted by DPMcManus @ 6:43 AM
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