Despite years and years of soccer "punishment laps" around a running track (or "the Donut" as one coach used to affectionately call it), and me swearing to avoid running laps after I retired my soccer shoes, I've finally returned to the unholy oval.
Why have I stooped so low, you ask? Well, the village we live in (
it seriously is a village: 13,000 residents officially) has a soccer club that plays on a gorgeous field with a seldom used running track around it. I recently learned that it's open to the public to run on, provided we stay off the grass and there isn't a soccer game, and the track surface really is excellent and well marked for 100-400 meter distances. It's also only 30 seconds away from our apartment, which makes the track
really accessible. Let me link up a photo of the track to round out the picture:
Besides the availability of the nice track, I've been hitting the local trails a lot lately and a running track provides some variety from the off-road action. It's a chance to add some fixed intervals/distances to my training and push my anaerobic capacity, and I don't have to worry about tree roots, elevation changes, and so on.
I did some research in deciding which track workout to do; there are hundreds out there, but mostly tailored to prep for a 5K, 10K, or marathon. I really don't care about my "1 mile pace." So I turned to the good old
Trailblazer website as I remembered
a forum discussion a few months back about track workouts. Sure enough, I found a workout simple enough that I didn't need to write anything down and since the source was Jay Curwen (of much AR acclaim in the southeast US) I figured it would do to get me started and not be too 5K or 10K or marathon focussed.
Here was the workout suggested by Jay:
"The Newton"
2 mile warm-up
5x200m w/ 1 minute rest
5x200m w/ 45 second rest
5x200m w/ 30 second rest
5x200m w/ 15 second rest
2 mile warm down (preceeded by a 30 second puking fit)
Sounds easy doesn't it? Try it.
This "Newton" was just what I was needed and, while I didn't puke, I felt fatigue in my legs that I'm not used to. I'm accustomed to the dull numbness and cardio buzz that sets in after 2 hours of trail running, but this 40 minute track workout resulted in my leg muscles wearing out without my cardio fitness really kicking in; it was strange, I could hardly believe my workout for the day was already over but my quads and hamstrings were taxed.
This is just what I need to balance out the longer, slower efforts I often do. With the track so close by, I'll probably mix in one of these each week for the next few months. I think the long term benefits of pushing my pace over 200 meter intervals with this "high lactate" training should be that I can maintain a higher overall pace without succumbing to the lactic acid trolls. Anything to keep those lactic acid trolls away . . .