First Day On The Track

I’ve been in Colorado Springs now for a little over a week. Even with one day on and the next off, I’ve managed to hit the weights hard twice, do speed work (150s), do two very long runs, run The Incline, and gotten on the track for 100’s.

I did 30 x 100m today, but I was suppose to do 50.  In 2003 when I was in Bolivia training at altitude (it’s about 7400 feet there oppose to about 6300 in Colorado Springs), I did this same workout but did 50; however, I did not do this type of workout until 3 weeks into my stay. In 3 weeks time here I will make myself do 60.  The only real reason I did just 30 is because I’m so sore from the weights I did on Saturday. I’m trying to “bulk up”- nobody laugh please, so I’m lifting with less repeats and more weight. I ran with tightness that was most annoying and it was becoming counterproductive. I had to stop.

The problem will Bolivia is that even though it’s HIGH and DRY and the season’s are reversed (going there in the winter, it’s summer), it’s way too difficult to be able to do track workouts (meaning to run anything remotely fast) in 45 days.   Colorado Springs is about 1400 feet lower, but already I’ve been able to run over a hour at a nice clip without my heart exploding!

The track here is really nice. It has a great view of Pike’s Peak and I’m really thinking about running up it. I can see where The Incline (”the scar”) runs up the side for about a mile to reach about 9,400 feet.  You can see The Incline from anywhere in Colorado Springs.

 I thought I was to keep going once I reached the top of The Incline (last week), so I’m thinking I can probably keep running up higher. This might be more of a mind expansion type workout, then something I can actually use. It’s good to build up my blood cells here, but I don’t race over 4 laps on a track, so running for a few hours straight up could be kind of stupid (probably not worthless though) or it could be awesome.  I guess I won’t know until I do it. …so I’m going to do it.

This week I will have to get on the track more and start doing some ladder repeats. Not the most fun thing to do, but it has to be done. So I will cowgirl up and “get’er done.”