Confession: I Cheated, Sort of

I cheated? What?!? I mean I ran fast last night even though I'm taking it easy. I pretty much decided to take the whole week off, something I don't think I've done since I sprained my ankle back in my junior year of college. I haven't been lazing around, though: I've done some strength and core work, things that get semi-neglected when I'm really training hard. 

A real life benchmark

Anyway, I said I cheated and I did. Four times a year my team has a benchmark workout where we do several "tests" to see where each person is at in terms of explosive strength, heartrate recovery, and VO2 Max. The last one was in March and it was my first benchmark workout and since the next one won't be for three more months I didn't want to miss last night's workout.

Unfortunately, as any of you on the Eastern seaboard likely know, mother nature wasn't so cooperative last night. I poured for quite a bit so the track was pretty wet. That meant we had to modify our tests so the only one I can compare to the last workout is the VO2 max test. The good news? I improved slightly since the last benchmark. The bad news? My legs still felt like crap last night. That's okay, though. I'm going to use it as an excuse to relax on the beach this weekend, catch up on crappy television, and probably visit a couple bars I've been meaning to check out. 

I promise this blog will return to real running soon but right now I'm kind of enjoying my break. 

Your Biggest Competitor

Last night I went to my first track workout with the Dashing Whippets, a local running club that, incidentally, after the workout, I am now sure I want to join. While usual track workouts involve intervals at set distances, last night's was a bit different; it was a benchmark workout. They do these workouts once a quarter and the whole purpose is to see where you are at in your running.

One of the things I love about running is that, for most of us mere mortals, training and racing isn't about beating everyone else. We're not running for bragging rights, we're running to see how far we can push ourselves and to see how much we can grow and improve. In other words, while running is very competitive, most of that competition is internal. That's why you always here runners talk about PRs (U.S) or PBs (everywhere else), personal records and personal bests.

Last night's workout illustrated this perfectly. The whole point of a benchmark workout is to establish a yardstick against which you can measure yourself. While you may be running with others, it's not someone else's fitness that matters, it's your own. I've been keeping a running log for ages now, but since most runs (except for races) are done at prescribed paces, it can be hard to pinpoint improvement. I'm really excited about the prospect of working with a team and watching my performance (hopefully) improve.