Man, Spring is in full effect here and it's been great to get out and exercise in short sleeves again! After the Patagonia race, I've been easing off with my training -- the Swiss event was three very tough days, but besides that I've been going pretty easy (10-12 hours per week). That's changing now that the weather is really cooperating, and I'm feeling sufficiently recharged after the long Patagonia experience.
Getting back into training also means I'll get back to the running track; it's by far my least favorite training day, but I also think it may be my most effective because the 5 sets of 5 x 200 meter sprints (5,000 m total) taxes my cardio and muscles in ways I don't get during a long bike/run/paddle. I can feel my metabolism charged for a full day after one of these stints at the running track! I dread doing the workout, though, and I rely on my IPod to keep me motivated and pushing hard through the intervals. If you don't push hard on the sprints, you're not going to get the benefit
Speaking of IPod, I've been hearing more buzz around why you shouldn't wear headphones when running -- even at the track. This little write-up touches on it, and there's links to other related stories at the bottom of the article. I'm not preachy on this topic, myself, as I enjoy training with and without headphones and I don't see why people are all worked up about it. When I was logging those long training sessions in advance of Patagonia, for example, I relied on my IPod and a steady flow of This American Life episodes to keep me going. With 4 and 5 hours on the trails, having a bit of audio companionship was nice!