Turnaround – Every now and then I get a little bit lonely

Turnaround – Every now and then I get a little bit lonely

14 PAX struck out from the Vine Restaurant at 0515 on Tuesday morning for the weekly group Speed therapy session known as Swift.  1 more PAX somehow found us in the gloom.

The Thang:

• Early, early (++) crew of Outback and M. Tussauds were out doing something.  When 4 more PAX pulled into the parking lot at 0500, those 2 were no where to be found.  Apparently, they were out for an early 3 mile therapy session.
• Early (+) crew of 4 pax found a way to spend 15 minutes running around for 1.5 miles.
• Full crew left promptly at 0515 for 1.0mi easy warm-up over to the Ballantyne Corp bridge over Hwy 521 near Bank of America and Snyders Lance.  Commence with 4 drills and strides.
• Stretch, shed shirts (most of the crew), get a Garmin tutorial from HoneyBee, and get the workout plan from the Q.  All run at I-pace / Interval pace / 2mi Race Pace / VO2max – find yours at http://runsmartproject.com/calculator.  Route is stay on Ballantyne Corporate and head towards Ballantyne Commons / Premier deck.  Turn around half-way through interval.
• 5minute out & back, 4min jog recovery
• 5minute out & back, 4min jog recovery
• 5minute out & back, 4min jog recovery
• 3minute out & back, 2min jog recovery
• 3minute out & back, 2min jog recovery
• Grab shirts, head back to COT, but…
• Time for one final effort up to the 4-way Intersection of Ballantyne Corp & Brixham Hill.
• Mosey back to COT.
• Totals between 5.6mi and 6.5mi for the main crew.  Bonus miles count on your own.

The Moleskin:

• YHC was not looking forward to this one, but it’s pretty amazing how the body adapts.  Just when you think, I can’t go faster than last week’s 5minute Threshold intervals, you speed it up about 30seconds per mile and still hold it for 5 minutes. Just when you think, but we only did 1 of these I-pace intervals for 5 minutes a few weeks ago (and the 2-1-30 seems so short now), you push through 3 and still have energy for more.  Just when you think I shouldn’t wake up at 4am and go push myself today, you did it anyway and now have some success to look back on.  Well done PAX!
• Turnaround – because “Every now and then I get a little bit lonely.” Out and back is a favorite for keeping PAX together.  It helps to make sure you are honest with pace in the beginning because if you go out and run the “out” too fast, you’ll get caught on the “back” and become someone’s road “kill”.  Also because most of us only ever have Frasier to chase, the out and back immediately gives you a target to chase down and make your road kill – a feeling to remember in the BRR when you hit those long stretches with only 1 other runner in sight.  There is the negative with out & Back of those sharp turns that mess up the “pure” pace, but it’s a price to pay for all of those other benefits of a way to run intervals as a diverse group.  If you hit the targets, everyone should be starting and finishing as a group.
• While sometimes the recovery wasn’t so “easy”, the goal is to keep moving for these longer recoveries.  It’s not an easy run pace (which could be too fast), it’s a slow recovery.  Just keep moving and keep loose.
• The usual suspects of Frasier, HoneyBee, and Haggis were out front on the “out” and still picking up PAX on each “back”, but SIB FNG Gecko was pulling out strong performances and would refuse to be caught.
• JRR Tolkien fresh off 12 trips up the Mutha yesterday perhaps got too ambitious at the beginning intervals and felt the effects catch up with him, but still is ludicrous to think he wouldn’t help dominate with someone’s BRR team.  Someone sign this guy up!
• Champagne anticipated and stared down the 5 minute intervals with as much pleasure as YHC looks at a 2 Pood Kettlebell.  However, 5 minute intervals did not prove to be his Kryptonite, and he just knocked them out of the way.  If Champagne is not attending #F3FightClub to get rid of that rage, then perhaps he needs to get with Chipotle and workout some sparring sessions.  But YHC looks at sparring sessions with Chipotle as longingly as much as Stump Hugger looks at an elevator door, or runaway car, or crack in the sidewalk, or 0350 on the alarm clock.
• Abacus picked wisely with Van #2 not having to arrive for his 0730 start time, but he has been consistently putting in the early miles at seemingly every opportunity.  I feel bad for the poor tomato he passes at 2am on the BRR while moving past her and barely making a sound.  There will start to be Bigfoot sightings reported after that.
• Somehow Long Haul’s sense of direction is better than his timing.  With Preblasting a location veiled in secrecy, YHC didn’t expect any latecomers to find us.  Perhaps it was a credit to his network of construction cameras on every building giving him the lay of the land.
• Strange Brew led the shirtless revolt amongst the Swift PAX again today and it was either Brew or Honey Bee making gestures to Bagpipe PAX with “want some of this”?  In the end, it seemed only Frasier was comfortable showing the skins at COT or perhaps trying to get a sunrise tan to stop glowing in the dark.
• Tootie, Abacus, MT, and HoneyBee even stayed around longer today at #F3TimeKeeper to hear YHC mumble on about Moses undergoing a 40 year transformation in the Wilderness.  Each morning is a special opportunity to lead at Swift and the group at #TimeKeeper is always open. Come join us as we talk about a new historic figure each week and how each of us can be challenged by what challenged them.

Getting a little less lonely,

Brat