Spring Track Workout

I don?t know how it is where you are, but at least here in DC, just one month after the Snow, it feels like spring track outside! It shouldn?t come as any big surprise that I judge weather by running: i.e. a crisp fall day feels like cross country, a foggy morning feels like a long run at Mt. Tam.

Unlike ?normal? people (aka: non-runners. But is not running really normal?), my first springy impulse is not to plant a garden?or play tennis?or drink green beer (sidenote: Happy St. Patty?s Day!). No no, when the days get warmer and the sun is shining, the only place I want to be is on a track. Running repeats in my shorts. Loving life.

So last night that?s exactly what I did. Thanks to daylight savings on Sunday, I am slightly sleep-deprived (it is so hard for me to fall asleep early!), but also in possession of a whole hour of extra sunlight. This phenomenon never really fazed me before, but now that I work until 6pm every day, that extra hour is the difference between a pitch-black run and a sunset-gazing evening!

And thanks to high school events at the Washington Lee Track, my team?s evening workout was moved to Georgetown. This is bad for commuters, but absolutely perfect for me. Only 2 miles from my front door, the Georgetown Community Track (at 38th and R) is beyond convenient. And somehow I didn?t know it existed until last night! (Warning: there are no bathrooms, just fyi. And also, it?s a small track, which means 1 mile = 5 laps)

At 7pm last night, wearing green shorts and a old track invitational t-shirt, I stepped to the line on that nice red surface and ran a few reps. And though it was tough (I haven?t really worked out since October), it was absolutely perfect. The only way I want to spend my spring.

If you too are feeling the need for a little Track in your life, get out there and give it a shot. Run a few repeats! If it?s been a while, try something basic:

-       Warm up 15 minutes and stretch a bit. Then do a few strides.

-       Run 1 mile (at a comfortably hard pace ? that means challenging, but you don?t feel like you?re dying)

-       Jog 800m (1/2 mile) recovery

-       Run 2 times: 800m (2 laps on most tracks), jogging 400m in between.

-       Cool down 15 minutes

-       Feel happy.