Some Surprise Speedwork

On a Marathon Day.

My alarm is so loud, you can hear it across 4 rooms of my railroad apartment. Party Girl has been known to curse me because of this alarm.

Yesterday, it was just a suggestion. "Lord", I yawned when the suggestion took seed. "Ack! It's 4:45am!"

And so the day began, with free time parceled out in the number of minutes toddlers can count on their fingers.

Chewing shot blocks, I texted Story Finder to see if she had managed to finish up enough of her business to be able to meet me.

See, we were going on the 2nd Run Together.

This is, in a way, much scarier than the 1st run. You are running with each other for longer, the initial politeness has been buffered away.

Plus, I suggested the route. Pressure!

But then I remembered how it's always more fun to run with someone else when it is late in your day (check), you are tired (check) and hungry (check).

So I ran out to meet her. "I'll start running up the West side of the park. You can start running down. Then we'll meet and go off to Riverside."

I swear I said the outside. But I bet I didn't. To me, talking about the West side of the park means going along the outside.

But Story Finder never runs on the outside.

I'll bet you can already see where this story is going.....

I scramble into clothes and start running up MY west side of the park. I'm starting a bit earlier, so I know that I'll likely meet her in the higher-numbered streets. After my heavy backpack run the day before, my legs feel so light and free. I pick up the pace a bit, not sure of what pace we will finally settle on for the rest of the run. Story Finder is a great runner but she's increasing her miles.

I get to 110th. Ok. Now I'm worried. "What could be keeping her? Why don't I have my phone, Idiot?!" I squint as best I can at all the passersby. Several people give me a wide berth. I guess the intense squinting might be mistaken for the crazies.

Now I'm pacing back and forth between the edges of the circle, checking my watch and counting under my breath.

There is no way she would have taken this long. Lives too close and is too prompt. F****!

My mother always told me to stay in one place if I got lost. But my mother told me lots of things I never paid attention to.

I started off into the park, hoping I made the right decision.

But when Story Finder is running in the park, she likes to run pretty fast. And she's got a major head start on me. I start running faster. And faster. I imagine I'm at that last 10k I did in the park with the Speedy Blonde......

Wait. Scratch that. I felt awful that whole race and wheezed so badly the Speedy Blonde remarked on it afterwards.

Try number two. I imagine that I'm in some imaginary race where I am flying and everyone is cheering, amazed at my lightning pace. Plus, I imagine Story Teller thinking "This is it. No more running with her for me! She can't even get here on time!"

I don't have a lot of people to run with in Manhattan! I increase the speed even more. I am passing everybody now. Going up a hill, a guy says, "going to fast for me!" I shout the whole explanation at him as I run by. Because it's important to let complete strangers know that you messed up a meeting place for a run. Getting it out there.....

At the top of that same hill, a shirtless buff guy passes me like I'm in the walkers corral. I imagine briefly deputizing him to find Story FInder. But he passes too fast for me to get the words out.

I finally find her right at the turn-off for the 72nd street Transverse. She's kind of peeved. I'm kind of out of breath. Not expecting that tempo run!

Then I explain and help her with her new water bottles, and off we go. Out of the park and (finally!) onto Riverside.

We run up Riverside to past 165th. I've never been up that far on Riverside itself. It is absolutely beautiful. Interesting buildings on one side, the George Washington looming in front, crazy cloud-sky overtop and the river to your left. I'm thinking it's a bit windy in the winter. Brrrr!

So few pedestrians, too, which is great. A welcome change from the park. The lack of slant is also a welcome change. We see some other runners. They pass us but we keep a steady, comfortable pace. Maybe a bit too comfortable: Story Finder might have wanted us to go a bit faster, to slow the stream of gabber coming from my mouth. Everyone who's run with me knows that the only real way to shut me up if I've got mouth trots on a run is to speed up the pace.

Having been a biker, Story Finder knows all the good trails to and past the George Washington. I filed some of those away. I won't remember most of the details but will hopefully remember enough to at least attempt getting over the bridge one of these Manhattan runs.

My left knee and right quad hurt a bit. I chalk this up to the unexpected speedwork followed by a solid but not blazing pace. Both of us had lung problems during part of the run, likely due to the weird weather changes. But, all in all, a pretty good second run on my side.

When she had been running for two hours and I had been running for 2:15, I stopped and got on the subway at 110th. Later, Story Finder told me she completed the whole 2:15, for at least 15 miles. Yay!

Later, going down the stairs to the subway, a different part of my right quad was really kind of painful. I've tried to massage it out but we'll see how the run goes today. You are supposed to do tempo work the week of a race, right? To 'wake up' your muscles?