Training -- week 3 (How'd I get lead in my legs?)

I had my third track workout last night….. and I honestly think that track coaches have a slightly sadistic streak. Well, ok I know they push to make us better athletes, but when I posted our workout on Facebook last night, and a friend (who qualified for the Boston Marathon) commented on it stating it was more of a track-work out than he’s done before. He even used an explicative to describe his amazement. Last night we did a 20x400-relay style workout. For those of you who don’t speak track (like me) that translates to 20 laps around the track with a partner, one of you running at a time. So I partnered with Dan, who runs oh let’s say maybe 3 minutes per mile faster than me; each time he was running I was “resting”, which translates to trying to catch my breath in time for my next lap. Each time I was running Dan was lounging waiting for me to make it around the track. Everyone else partnered with someone around their same pace, but not me, nope I had to choose someone faster! I honestly wanted to ask to switch partners several times, and by lap 7 I wanted to call it a night, and say I was done; my legs felt like lead and my breathing with labored with wonderful seasonal allergies. I had a quick conversation with myself and asked what Ken or Cal would have done; knowing they didn’t give up helped me reset my mind and keep moving around the track. Dan was an awesome partner encouraging me every time we switched off, he even ran my last lap with me, cheering me on to sprint the final 100 meters. I dug deep and made the final push…… without collapsing. We weren’t even the last team to finish either.

What made track so much more special yesterday, was that my track coach told me and another teammate that she was facing a potentially devastating diagnosis this week. She didn’t remember the name of the illness but it had to do with lymphoma and autoimmune issues. Instantly knowing what this could mean, I told her privately that I’m a registered bone marrow donor (www.bethematch.org) and if she, for any reason, needed a donor, I would be right there to help. I have no idea what God/Fate has in store for me, but ways to support people with cancer, or help in fighting cancer keep coming into my life. First it was the DetermiNation program, then Be the Match, and now just being there for someone in need. Knowing that I can make a difference for someone like my awesome coach is meaningful to me. Yes, I know I called her sadistic earlier, but it’s more of her workouts then her personally. I know that without her help I wouldn’t be getting faster, or be truly prepared for the marathon in October.

I have a swim team on Thursday (I’m also doing 5, maybe 7, triathlons this year) and a lllllooonnnngggg run this weekend, so check back soon to see if Jon manages to drown me on Thursday, or if I make it through the run this weekend.