Woodrow Wilson HS Track.

Most days when I run at Woodrow, I run alone. This morning, the track was busier than usual. A couple of young guys (who could have been father and son, as I think of it) set up a small area with some plyometric hurdles, jump rope, a rope-ladder for side-stepping, etc.

As I walked/jogged/ran around the track, trying to better my previous time and pace, they ran through a series of exercises punctuated by a lap or two of running at a medium distance pace.

At about the 2-½ mile mark, the younger guy — who was roughly my size but likely a ⅓ of my age — and I happened to sync up right at the start of the backstretch 100 yds which I sprinted on each lap. We both took off. I’m proud to say that I held my own with the kid. At about 80 yds, I realized that I was running as fast as I possibly could and he was holding back, with plenty left in reserve. He still “won” by only a half-step. Even so, I felt pretty good keeping up with this young guy.

No problems with the knee today. But my average pace is still down and I really need to start working on that. By sprinting on the backstretch, I’m getting my top speed up and my wind holds up to the finish but I have to admit that it’s taking me too long to recover. . . almost back to the start of the next sprint. I think what I need to do is figure out how to recover more quickly. I’m enjoying this, greatly. I just need to get better at it.