Wednesday June 7, 2006 Workout in the Central Park

A big E for effort today. Today's workout was all about Effort levels.

I think the group who showed up today should get an extra gold star because the weather today was miserable. It was that misty rain that doesn't really come down but is present everywhere, so no matter what you get soaked.

Tonight's run started at 90th street and Fifth, we ran up town to the 106 traverse, the down to 86th street and back. The Effort level training came in to play at the turn on to the 106^th street traverse.

Light Poles its all about the Light Poles- on the traverse we were to the distance between three light poles at Effort Level 3, the slow down to Effort Level 2 for three light poles and so on until we go to the west side. On the West Side Drive we headed south to 86^th street then at 86^th street, we turned around and ran back. The whole time we’re supposed to be doing the whole 3 light poles thing.

Today’s discoveries: 1) don’t start out at level three, 2) If I have the smallest inclination to urinate; I should do so before running 3) I can not see out of fogged up glasses 4) my beloved green pull over from LL Bean is not water repellant, 5) the location of the tennis center in Central Park.

1. I started out much too fast. By the time I got half way through the traverse, I didn’t have much left for the down and back to 86^th street.
2. Always “go” before you run. Besides starting at too fast a pace, my small urge to “go” had turned into an all consuming feeling. Ugh! I thought about just running in to the bushes, but I just couldn’t. I kept looking out for a port-a-potty but oddly enough there were none to be found.
3. My X-Ray vision that I inherited from Superman (third cousin twice removed on my mother’s side), was not working to its best capacity. I was wearing my glasses and if they weren’t fogged up they were covered in water.
   
4. I thought it’d be a good idea to wear my 10+ year old LL Bean pull-over thingy. Wrong move. It soaked up water like a sponge, and then bothered the heck out of me.
5. The Tennis Center is located at about 96^th street on the west side. Restrooms are available. Please wipe your feet before entering.

It was cold and wet, and damn proud of myself and all the TNT who showed up for training.