rowing machine, track, and the moon

SO then I was on this rowing machine yesterday doing my crosstraining.  I’m surprised at the number of people in the gym this early in the morning, at 0530hrs.  I look around and notice something. I see  a different group from the ones I’m used to.  “Age category” wise this group seems older.  There’s youngbloods here and there but mostly “oldbloods”.  Ah, so I see now, this group here actually comes to the gym to do workout for real.  A few mature-looking individuals are coming out of the locker rooms wearing suits and office clothing ready for work.  What dedication!  I’m getting some ideas here.  There’s a gym a block away from my workplace in PB. 

Back to the rowing machine. My workout is cut short because of this lady in red spandex.  She tells me to get off the machine.  “Your twenty minutes is up“, is what she says. It’s the only rowing machine (concept2) in this gym and she looks like she’s in her late 50s so I’m not about to argue.  I politely saddle down, wipe the seats, and get somewhere else…on the treadmill for a little bit, pissed off at the world.  Can one seriously have a workout in 20 minutes?  That’s not even a warm up.  Whatever. I decide to pick it up on the treads. Then over there, my favorite lady in red gets off the rowing machine.  I look at my watch and I’m thinking, 8 minutes?  So Emmit Smith to the rowing machine.  But just when I was about to mount it, here comes an older man in a white head band.  “Hey, it’s my turn, young man, I go next to her”.  I’m shocked at this misfortune here.  So I’m looking around and wondering, who is next to head band here, damn it? Anyways, I go back to the treadmill and stay there.  It’s all good, it’s all good. No it’s not because another older woman shows up and is now standing behind the treadmill.  I don’t even bother.   I leave quickly the moment I see her check her watch. I go, “ah that was a good work out.” There’s about 20 treadmills in the gym and she picks mine. And she didn’t even thank me, what’s up with that?

I made up for it later in the day, after work.  At this time in this same gym, nobody cares about the rowing machine but me.  So 90 minutes I go non-stop. 

Today, Wednesday, 1900hrs was my trackworkout.  Love it!  I feel like I could go faster but I’m not gonna push it just yet.  Good things happen to patient people.  Right. One thing I like about the UCSD track field is that there’s a lot of good runners out there.  Most of these guys are actually there doing their training, more purposeful than I am. With coaches and trainers and all.  I did my warm up, or at least “tried to” do my warm up with this  group of kids for a couple of laps.  Just a couple of laps since they started picking it up on the second lap and I felt like I was getting too warmed up.  So I stopped and do some stretching while I observe these runners doing their laps.Although it felt like I’m in the wrong place with these serious runners I kind of dig the idea of being sorrounded by real runners. They are a nice, friendly, smiley, group here. Hey what’s up? How you doin’, sir? Hah, one kid calls me “sir”.  Ouch. Something. But this one dude that looks like Prefontaine, he was  lapping everybody else, absolutely bat-out-of-hell pace, round and round the track. I put my glasses on as he makes another turn right in front of me and I realize it’s a CHICK! not a dude. Pre without the mustache. There’s others doing sprints and suicides on the stairs. I mean these guys can run, period.  But I’ve seen fast back in the day. Kids their age that can run really fast and then some.  That was then when running really mattered. 

I noted that it’s always in the last lap of the 1600m that makes a difference.  The very beginning of lap 4, that one last lap before the rest interval is when I start to really flap.  The stride becomes inconsistent , the breathing out of rythm, the legs screaming.  I think primarily it’s because of trying to “maintain” a solid pacing, that’s all.  However I  noticed later my time hacks were actually faster in the last laps than the previous ones.  Something to do with the anticipation of the rest interval, I suppose. 

Driving home at genesee I get to enjoy this remarkable view of the big moon.  It was straight right in front of me as I was driving by scripps memorial hospital.  Huge!  Quite a nice way to end the day.  Actually the nicer part is right now as I type this entry and drink my guinness.  Really nice.