4th Gear

When I say I'm running on all five gears, it means I'm able to hit my top speed, which for me is a 6:45-7 minute mile. Not the quickest but a far cry from the 10.5 minute miles I used to pull when I started running 6 years ago. And When I say I have a full tank that means my endurance level is enough to run a 100k/100-miler. Well I don't know how much I have in the tank but tonight I got back my 4th gear and it felt very good.

Today I had a late afternoon meeting. By the time I got back I had just enough time to change, go through emails before I had to set out for track. I was hungry and I gave in to my cravings, had a Snicker's bar. Taste so good but not the smartest thing to do - sugar crash. I laughed off my concerns and ate the bar anyway. An hour later I was at track. To stave off the sugar crash I had more SUGAR! I choked down an energy gel and washed it down with water. I always have an energy gel before track anyway. By the time we started warming up I could feel my body revving. Body felt light, responsive, agile and in control. What a great feeling! It didn't last very long but it was there for the majority of the workout. We were doing (3 x 200m and 2 x 500m) x 2-4 reps. I did 3 reps.

When I hit the track it all felt right. I pushed and the body responded. I pushed some more and it gave me more. Sweet! To make things even better, our group had a guy who was faster than me but not overly so. I used him as a bunny and chased him all over the track. Never caught him, he would increase his pace when I got close but just enough to keep me chasing. Great guy, I've run with him before. He really helped make my workout.

What a good workout, the road to Big Kahuna starts here. Oh don't let the name fool you, it ain't in Hawaii. It's in Santa Cruz, California. There is however live Hawaiian music at the finish and a lot of "aloha" throughout the race.