You Run Funny

Monday - Day off
Tuesday - I went over to Via Verde for an easy 4 miler. I hadn't been over there in a couple of weeks. I took it easy on the way out and decided to kick it up a notch on the way back. I did the return trip nearly 4 minutes faster than the out. A decent negative split, I thought.

I had originally planned on doing my speedwork session on Thursday this week. But then I got an opportunity to go out for sushi on Thursday with my wife (no sushi for her) and a friend from her work. The friend wanted to see my India pictures. I'll take any excuse to have some sushi. So I decided to move my speed session to Wednesday. Doesn't this sound familiar?

Wednesday - When I got home from work my wife informed me that she was waiting for her friend Kellie to pick her up.

me - "Do you have some scrapbooking thing tonight that I forgot about?" This is a normal question for me. My wife scrapbooking and me forgetting something are both perfectly within the realm of possibility.

she - "No, we are going for a walk." A walk? Not normally within the realm of possibility, but...

me - "Oh, that's cool. Where are you going to go?"
she - "Over to the track at Royal Oak."
me - "Really, me too. I was going to do my speedwork tonight."
she - "Oh....."

It seemed a little weird to be running around the track while she and her friend were walking. I don't really know why. There is almost always other people walking or running the track. Its not as though I have the track to myself. I think we both felt a little self conscience about having the other one there. Anyway, Kellie comes to pick her up and they drive over to the track. I ran over to to get in my warm up.

I started my speed work with a 400m lap. As I ran by them the first time, Kellie yells out "Run, Forrest, run!" After that we pretty much ignored the fact that we were there together. I think it helped a lot that there are no lights at the track so you can only really see people as you pass them. I did three 400m laps each followed by a slow recovery lap. I decided it was time to step up the program and try an 800m leg. Twice around! I usually feel like dying after once around. But I made it just fine. The first lap in 1:49 and the second in 1:54. I felt like I had just broken some great barrier. I could do two laps "fast" without exploding or something. I did a couple more 400m legs then started by cool down run home. My wife and her friend ended up walking 2 miles. Yeah for them.

When I got home we talked about it and decided that it wasn't that weird that we shared the track. But then during dinner she dropped the bomb - "You run funny." What??! She said that I don't pick my feet up very far off the ground. I guess she's right, I do kind of shuffle along (like an old man). The funny thing is I only passed them during my speed laps not my recovery laps. I shouldn't be shuffling when I'm trying to do speedwork.

It's been 2 days since then, but I can still hear "You run funny." I promise to work on that. I could probably go faster if I picked up my knees (and feet) a little more.