Track time
Schweet, I found another use for my knitting row counter:
Counting laps at the track!
It was -11°F (with a -29°F “real feel”) yesterday when I wanted to do my run, so I decided to go to an indoor track I’ve heard my friends talk about before.
14 laps to a mile?! Eek!
Since I was going to be inside on a flat track, I decided to do my speed work: 7 x 400 m. Only, the lap count was odd for that, so I ran 7 x 4 laps, which equated to 457 m intervals.
The run went by surprisingly fast. That usually happens with speed work though. Here’s what I’m planning for speed work for my 5K course PR training (with some tempos and hills thrown in):
Week 1: 6×400
Week 2: 3×800, 4×1:00
Week 3 (this week): 7×400 (7×457)
Week 4: 4×800, 6×1:00
Week 5: 8×400
Week 6: 5×800, 8×1:00
Week 7: 9×400
Week 8 (race week): 6×1:00
The only bad part about running on the track was the tight corners. I think my right hip will be feeling that today.
Okay, also, the dude who was walking in the run lap most of the time. But, oh well.
Everyone else there was walking, and they were all super nice to me. One lady told me I look really tan and asked if I just got back from a vacation. Ha, I should’ve told her I just got back from Iowa! I had a nice conversation with her.
The next lady asked how far I was going and told me I was inspiring. That made me feel great! And the last guy I talked to also asked how far I went, and told me he admired my pace. I had a nice convo with him too! Talking all those nice people made me want to go back! I’m sure I will. I bet we’ll have a few more days where the temperature and wind chill are cold enough to make me run inside, ha!
Themocracy
I’m glad you had a better experience than I did at the indoor track. Our was like 18 laps to a mile and there were no guidelines about what lanes were for what so I spent the whole time weaving around people!
18! GAH!!!! I wonder if they would come up with guidelines if you suggest them. I figured runners would be on the inner lane on this place, and was happy there was a sign telling me it was the outer lane!
I really need to find an indoor track around here! But yeah, that many laps per mile really does make it sound like the turns must have been super tight. It’s great that everyone there was so nice 🙂
I hope you can find one! It’s such a nice treat when it’s really cold out!
An indoor track is a really cool idea – where is that?
And lol at people walking in the run lane. It happens, I suppose, no matter where you are, race or not! 🙂
This is the Lindenhurst community center at 2000 Grass Lake Rd. Don’t forget the Libertyville Sports Complex at 45 and 137, too!
Exactly! Ha!
I love the indoor track at my gym! 6 laps to a mile. It was weird at first but it’s not too bad. 14 to a mile? Yuck. But hey, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to get those miles in!
I just did speedwork on the indoor track this morning myself, and some guy told me I was a fast runner. Aww! One time when I was working out in one of my run skirts a lady yelled out how cute it was as I ran by. People at the Y are so nice!
The place I normally go to is <4 for a mile so this was a bit different! But I was happy to be able to run inside. 6 laps sounds great!!!!!
That is awesome! You ARE a fast runner. So is the Y the place that has the indoor track for you?
It is! I’m pretty lucky in that the one YMCA in town that has an indoor track happens to be down the street from my work!
That is awesome!!! I wonder how close we’ll be to a Y at our new place. Our old place was a bit of a hike between the few that were around. It’s nice to have it as an option (especially if it has a pool!).
Oooh, a “jogging” lane. That’s pretty much what I do 🙂
I always thought speed work was a lot of fun! I did it on the North Park University track a few times when I lived nearby, and had many speed sessions on the treadmill (which is the only time I like treadmill running – it’s nice to be able to control my speed like that).
I should ask someone there what the difference is between running and jogging 🙂
Fun, like, you actually enjoy it?! Ha ha, I kid, I kid. 🙂 I feel accomplished when I am doing it, and a lot of times it IS fun, but man, I usually dread it (I am getting better). It does make the run go by faster (well, duh, speedwork, but you know what I mean) and it’s the only thing that makes the treadmill tolerable for me!
Yeah, those are definitely some tight corners. It’s nice that they already thought through needing to go in both directions, although I suppose that means that it’s a bad idea to run on the indoor track every other day. 😉 LOLing at the Iowa comment. Iowa is totally a place where people vacation, right?
Yeah! That is what I was thinking – hope the next time I am here it’s on an odd numbered day, ha ha.
Well, a lot of people I know vacation there… because of family! 🙂
Inspiring people all over the place 🙂 Holy cow is it cold where you are! It got down to 21 here (no snow 🙁 ) last night and I was worried ha ha, no wonder you are at an indoor track. I don’t mind running on those sort of tracks but they are hard on the joints. Hope you don’t feel too bad afterwards.
So far I feel okay today! 🙂
I don’t miss the indoor track. We had one in college, and I ignored the rules and went in the other direction on long runs to even things out. It’s better if people are crabby instead of my hip and knee.
I’m too much of a rule follower to do that, ha! And this track is too small to have people going both ways, unless there were only one or two people on 🙂
Yes, I agree with Anne speed work is fun! Just a little dangerous for me as I tend to run faster than my prescribed paces and it can negatively impact workouts the next couple of days due to sore legs and general fatigue. You had -11° yesterday?! It was 3° here yesterday, I guess living near the lake keeps things warmer. In the city, I not only have to swerve around walkers on the track, but also bikers and dogs!
Have you tried to slow them down a bit?
Yeah! Isn’t it nuts how much the temps vary around Chicagoland?
People have their bikes and dogs on the running track?!?!?!
I need to work on slowing down, I think that would be my main motivation for getting a running coach – someone to hold me accountable for hitting my prescribed paces and not going any faster. Yes, it’s a free-for-all on my track. There is a tiny sign that says “no bikes” but I doubt many people see it, and those who do, don’t care!
Are you thinking about getting a coach, then?! 🙂
Wow. I am not even sure why you’d want to bring a bike or dog on a track. WTF. lol
I have been on a track that size last year. A friends gym has one and we went when it was storming. I couldn’t handle the corners so I would run as hard as I could on the straights and sloth through corners…lol
You are good to get all that done!
Ha ha, the corners definitely slow you down. I felt like I was on a race track!
Thanks! 🙂
I ran on the indoor track last year, and did my 9 miler on it!!! I bought a clicker, but of course after that the temps got warm enough to go outside. Great job getting it done! I’ll be working out in my basement tonight, and am so looking forward to double digit temps again soon!
How great you found an indoor track, even if it’s a little tights. Generally I’m afraid people are pretty clueless about where to walk and run, even when it’s clearly posted. Glad the people were nice!
We had an indoor track at the rec center in college but I don’t remember how many laps it was to a mile. I wasn’t much of a runner then so I probably rarely made it more than a mile anyway 🙂
When I ran on the track on a cruise ship I couldn’t keep track of my laps so I just ran for time. That’s a great idea to use your knitting row counter!
It’s the only way I could keep track! I can’t even keep track when I run on the track where it’s .2625 to a lap! 🙂
That’s great to have an indoor option (other than a treadmill), but wow 14 laps/ miles is intense!
The only time I’ve run on a track like that was on a cruise ship (when we were in Alaska on our honeymoon), I think it was 12 laps to a mile. There weren’t too many other people using the track, but because it was so close to other parts of the deck, people who were just walking around the ship or trying to find a spot to lounge were sometimes in the way.
I bet that is a neat experience – running laps on a cruise ship! 🙂
Ah, maybe I should get a knitting row counter. I use a notebook, which finds disconcerting (a notebook full of tally marks).
I haven’t run on an indoor track in so long! 14 laps to a mile is so unpleasant. I think I prefer them for running/walking with a friend; it’s too much mental work otherwise. Nice job on the workout though!
I am surprised you don’t have one!!!
It was a total mental workout. Which at least made it go by fast!!!