After brainstorming and reading a running forum for thirty seconds, I created my own speed workout.
You see, after the entry about my casual courtship with running, followed by a race that wasn't terrible, I decided to maybe try. To actually attempt to improve my times from race to race. It might be good for me. It might be fun?
I'm not sure, but I do know that I like running 800 meters.
I hit up the track after work in a cacophony of colors: orange T-shirt, red shorts, purple socks, pink iPod, blue watch. The only other person out there was a man in jeans, walking while reading a book. I admire that.
My workout, should you want to mimic it, which you probably won't, went as follows:
-400 meter warm-up (I never warm-up for running, but thought that if I'm now trying, I should also warm-up)
-800 meters, timed
-rest for the amount of time it took to run the 800
-x 3 (the forums said x 6, but I didn't want to get too crazy on my first day out)
-400 meter cooldown (see note on warm-up)
A solid excursion. It felt good to run at a brisk clip without worries that I'd throw up at the end. Which happens.
The posters on the forums, whom I believe are middle-aged men, suggested running the 800 in three minutes. I did not want to be so bold, and instead aimed for four minutes.
As I rounded out the first two laps, I thought that four minutes was depressing. I'd broken three minutes in the high school pentathlon, where I'd managed to place last overall because of a lackluster long jumping effort. I must have been swift and sassy then, a shorter ponytail and sleek sneakers.
And as I finished the final 800, I suddenly realized: I never broke three minutes. That was a complete lie. I broke 3:50 on that final day of the pentathlon and celebrated it, and still placed last overall, and still had ice cream after. Which meant my 3:57 was in fact not far from my prime. Which means that even with a longer ponytail and clunky sneakers, the sass is still in tact.
...
#183: Gorillaz, "Revolving Doors"
#184: Lady Antebellum, "Just A Kiss"
#185: My Morning Jacket, "Outta My System"
#186: Thurston Moore, "Blood Never Lies"
#187: The Farewell Drifters, "We Go Together"
#188: Little Dragon, "Shuffle A Dream" -- hmm, no link
#189: Simon & Garfunkel, "At the Zoo"
#190: Bob Dylan, "Meet Me in the Morning" -- everything on YouTube is a cover, and I'm not really a Bob fan anyway, so you'll just have to imagine this one.
#191: The Infamous Stringdusters, "Love One Another" -- heard this at Starbucks but can't find a link, which is sad, because I was diggin' it.
#192: Dave Matthews, "Grey Blue Eyes"
#193: Keith Urban, "I'm In"
4 comments:
How did I ever lose sight of your blog? You're in the top five writers I know -personally that is lol-- Anyway, I need to subscribe to this blog somehow. I never understood subscribing even with a master degree in information science. I just don't get it.
I dig the workout strategy. My fastest 800m was 2:28 I think. I wan't an 800 runner either. I ran hurdles and 400m exceptionally. I ran a 55 second 400m twice and 60 second 400 meter hurdles. It hurt, but I still walked away after.
What's the deal with the numbered songs?
Poop.
Thank you for your kindness, PBJ! A lovely comment to find when I logged in. :-)
To be honest, I have browser difficulties whenever I try to follow/subscribe to blogs myself, so I just visit them 6876 times a day to see if they've updated.
Man, the 400 meter is brutal. Good for you. I always found it a tough race to maintain a high speed for (especially with hurdles thrown in), but clearly you succeeded.
I'm on a quest to listen to a new song (for me) every day for the year, hence the numbers. As you can see, I didn't quite meet the "every day" requirement, but I still figure that 365 songs in a year counts for something.
Are you still screenplaying/looking for MFA programs?
Cool. I do like new music. Music can get old so I like to infuse with new stuff.
My personal deadline for this god awful screenplay is July 31st, 2011 at 11:59 PM EST. Looks like I will make it. So yes. Have I written anything else? No. Grad school sapped my motivation and time.
However, I'm working at Florida International University in Miami now. They have an MFA program that I'm going to try for. If that doesn't work out, I'll probably move on to law school. :-( (I plead with any kind of higher being to let me into the MFA program).
I want to learn more about this screenplay -- I expect it will become a major motion picture.
That's awesome that they have an MFA program! You could always take classes as a nonmatriculated student and then sneak in, but I bet you won't have any problem getting in outright.
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