Sprints

So I bought a copy of Runner's World the other day and as I was flipping through it, I realized that everyone was talking about sprints and hills and speed workouts.  I'm getting kind of cocky with my running, confident in my ability to run a marathon in under 4 hours.  Now I've managed to convince myself that I can really cut down that time...but that will require sprints. 

I did exactly 2 seasons of track in my whole life.  They tried to make me throw discus (I was so good that I can't even remember how it is spelled...sarcasm there guys), long jump, etc...in the final meet in my senior year of high school (my second and last season of track and field), they set me out on the 2 mile run.  Pretty much they did everything they could to keep me away from sprinting, probably because I'm AWFUL at it.  I blame my inability to run with cheetah-like agility on one simple physical characteristic: I'm short.  I'm 5'4" and not a ton of that is leg.  I mean, I'm not like 3/4 torso and 1/4 leg (that would be odd, where would my head go?), but I don't have long legs.  Also, I think I actually get more bored doing sprints than I do with distance.  How is that possible, you ask?  Because when I do sprints, all I can think about is the fact that my lungs are screaming, my legs are rebelling, and my brain is on repeat with, "Stop it, stop it, stop it, you IDIOT!!!!"  I literally have to talk myself into doing sprints...which is exactly what I did this morning.

I got up at 5am and told myself that I was just going to go back to bed and run this afternoon.  But then I remembered that I had promised myself to do the stairs by the Lincoln Memorial while the sun was rising.

For those of you who never run in the morning, you are missing something spectacular.  I recommend leaving before the sun is out, with just a bit of dusky light to guide your feet.  It's cooler, there's less humidity and there are less people out.  When you come across another person, out on the path, you give each other a little nod.  Morning runners form an elite club and we acknowledge each other's dedication.  But mostly you are free, even in a city like Washington, DC, to look at the trees...run by the Potomac and you may see large water birds walking through the water.  And as you run, the sun starts to rise, washing the sky in pink.  The sunrises in DC are almost always pink, a golden pink that sets the entire horizon aflame.  I get up at 5am not because I don't have any other time to run...I run at 5am because it is the absolute best time of day to run.

But today I had a hard time noticing the sunrise because I was in a great deal more pain that usual.  Ok...so I'm bad at sprints and...I hate them.  I did sets of stairs because reaching the top makes me feel like I've accomplished something.  But after about 6 sets, I started to drop about halfway to the top.  So I decided to jog around to the reflecting pool after 10 sets and sprint up and down one side.

The reflecting pool is a lot bigger than I remembered.

I told myself I'd run to that lamppost, to that next trashcan.  I muttered under my breath, "c'mon, c'mon, let's move, one more sprint, one more, one more is nothing!" but my calves were shrieking and at one point I'm fairly sure I saw black spots before my eyes.  I'm not sure if this will actually help me in a marathon...I'm not sure what good it did me except probably to burn more calories than usual.  But I've decided to incorporate one sprint workout a week in the hopes of beating a 4 hour marathon...and because let's face it: nothing gets my blood going like a painful, intense, over-the-top workout.

Next time (hopefully):  I will discuss strength training.