JANUARY 2005 - Back in Action

[Sweder]

A valid point well made. My personal experience of track work is positive - hard for me to say having just crawled home from a nice windswept, rainsoaked 70 minutes session, but it's generally true.

My concerns about trackwork stem from a conversation I had with a much quicker fitter runner than myself last year. It was my first night at the track, all googly-eyed and in awe of the exceedingly fit young people hurtling around the 400 metre circuit at absurd speed. This chap spotted the saucer-like appearance of my eyes and made the accurate assumption that I was a newbie.

'Just got back myself' he offered (as with so many running related incidents in this country, the formality of introductions is deemed superfluous). 'Been out for eight weeks - shin splints. Went too mental last year on the track'.

Yet, I was reluctant to point out, here he was, back again for more of the same.
Sure enough, as we started with repeated 200 metre spurts off he roared as if in pursuit of Olympic gold. I suppose I've answered my own concerns with this tale, yet first impressions last and my 'coach' on the evening, the ubiquitous Jog Shop Sam, confirmed it is very easy to get carried away on the track and, err . . . get carried away as a result.

Anywho, as the Grinch might say, on to the track report . . .