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| Ben Zeeb, Andy Tolliver, and I before a workout at the Bath High School Track...Spring 2004 |
THE WORKOUT:
"I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,
Straining upon the start." - Shakespeare, "Henry V"
The wind picked up on the backstretch, as it usually did. All bunched up and taking slow, mincing steps, we barely noticed it. I found myself surrounded. It was an odd feeling for a workout, especially in high school. The skinny legs of Chris Stoddard pumped directly in front of me. Brett Domeyer's choppy stride was in front of me to the right. To my right was Phillip Liesenhoff (a German exchange student), to my left was the rail. Behind me Ben Zeeb and Andy Tolliver (our two best sprinters) ran effortlessly. We couldn't have been going faster than seven minute per-mile pace, but there was only 250-meters to go in the interval. Thirty-meters later and nothing had changed. Then, all at once:
"Cowards!!*" Phil yelled as his stride quickened, he moved to the outside, and took off at full speed blowing by Chris and Brett and into the lead going into the turn. Almost immediately Andy and Ben were past me, pursuing the fleeing Phil. Chris and Brett tried gamely to match the surge, but their distance oriented leg speed wasn't enough to do it.
Phil, Andy and Ben were telescoping away from us as we rounded the turn.
I had known it was coming. The workout was an 800 meter interval where the first 400 was purposely slow. Then, at any point on the next 400, someone could take off, but they had to sprint to the finish. So it could be a 400 meter sprint, or it could be only 120...either way, you were sprinting your balls off once someone went. We would usually do 3 or 4 of the intervals. It was fun, but it also taught you how to race. Because I was excelling at the high school level, we would sometimes throw the sprinters into the mix to make these "800s" more interesting for everybody.
I quickly moved by Chris and Brett (sadly in lane 2 of the track) as Phil had 10 yards on me; Ben and Andy only 5. Around the bend I reeled them in some, then moved into lane 3 as the track straightened out and the finish line came into view. Phil was 5 yards ahead now as Ben and Andy were only a step in front of me. We were all well into our final sprint now and barely managed to hold our form together as we all became even with only 20 meters left.
We composed a blanket finish of 4 as we leaned across the line with Brett and Chris only a few ticks of the clock back. Phil went to the infield, found a resting spot, and splayed himself on the grass. Ben, Andy, and I grasped our knees and sucked for air around us. Coach Roberson -- the mastermind behind the workout -- came up to us: "25 seconds for the last 200, nice work guys!" We all murmured less than understandable responses. My headache wouldn't subside for hours.
*We actually wouldn't yell "Cowards." The rule was that you had to yell a disgusting word as you took off...none of these words are appropriate for this blog.
--
Those were the days of high school running. Work your butt off and then see what happened on race day. It seems that I'm back in that mode of training, and I'm pretty happy about it. At Columbia and Georgetown I would probably have a "workout headache" once every two months. Lately, they have been coming once every two weeks, sometimes even more. When you start workouts with 2:59 1200s or 54 second 400s I guess that's what happens.
Getting excited for the indoor season to start. The New Jersey/New York TC will be in DC next weekend opening the season up. I'm pretty jacked for it. Hoping to race like we would in those Bath workouts...
"Cowards!!*" Phil yelled as his stride quickened, he moved to the outside, and took off at full speed blowing by Chris and Brett and into the lead going into the turn. Almost immediately Andy and Ben were past me, pursuing the fleeing Phil. Chris and Brett tried gamely to match the surge, but their distance oriented leg speed wasn't enough to do it.
Phil, Andy and Ben were telescoping away from us as we rounded the turn.
I had known it was coming. The workout was an 800 meter interval where the first 400 was purposely slow. Then, at any point on the next 400, someone could take off, but they had to sprint to the finish. So it could be a 400 meter sprint, or it could be only 120...either way, you were sprinting your balls off once someone went. We would usually do 3 or 4 of the intervals. It was fun, but it also taught you how to race. Because I was excelling at the high school level, we would sometimes throw the sprinters into the mix to make these "800s" more interesting for everybody.
I quickly moved by Chris and Brett (sadly in lane 2 of the track) as Phil had 10 yards on me; Ben and Andy only 5. Around the bend I reeled them in some, then moved into lane 3 as the track straightened out and the finish line came into view. Phil was 5 yards ahead now as Ben and Andy were only a step in front of me. We were all well into our final sprint now and barely managed to hold our form together as we all became even with only 20 meters left.
We composed a blanket finish of 4 as we leaned across the line with Brett and Chris only a few ticks of the clock back. Phil went to the infield, found a resting spot, and splayed himself on the grass. Ben, Andy, and I grasped our knees and sucked for air around us. Coach Roberson -- the mastermind behind the workout -- came up to us: "25 seconds for the last 200, nice work guys!" We all murmured less than understandable responses. My headache wouldn't subside for hours.
*We actually wouldn't yell "Cowards." The rule was that you had to yell a disgusting word as you took off...none of these words are appropriate for this blog.
--
Those were the days of high school running. Work your butt off and then see what happened on race day. It seems that I'm back in that mode of training, and I'm pretty happy about it. At Columbia and Georgetown I would probably have a "workout headache" once every two months. Lately, they have been coming once every two weeks, sometimes even more. When you start workouts with 2:59 1200s or 54 second 400s I guess that's what happens.
Getting excited for the indoor season to start. The New Jersey/New York TC will be in DC next weekend opening the season up. I'm pretty jacked for it. Hoping to race like we would in those Bath workouts...
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