Photo from Mount Royal, Frisco, Colorado.

"That is happiness; to be disolved into something complete and great. When it comes to one, it comes as naturally as sleep." - Willa Cather

Tuesday 5 March 2013

Beating the girl in purple and 800's

He spotted her at the start line. Along with her two brothers: the main competition for the 3.3km race. And for winning "the gold". The entire race Christian worried she was catching up and "put on the jets" whenever she got close. But when we reached the track and the finish line neared, the girl was getting dangerously close.
The girl in purple.

And Christian started screaming. And holding his belly. There was no way on God's green earth this girl was going to beat him.

100 meters to the finish.

There was almost a photo finish, but he edged her out and took 2 minutes off of his PR - 30:23. I don't think either SR or I had ever witnessed such an exciting (or humorous) race. The best part was the girl in purple didn't seem to know anyone was racing her.

Contrast this with Natty who coolly crossed the finish line in just over 20 minutes.




Putting on the jets.

It is safe to say I also have some g i r l s in purple.  And maybe that's why I do something as painful as running 800's so fast that I lose feeling in my arms and suffer from a headache the rest of the day. (and take a day off the day before just to be able to really, really do it). Let's just say the crowd of Herlufsholm maintenance men standing by the track watching me at the end was alone enough to justify my efforts.

And today was perfect for running. Cool, sunny, light wind.

Oh, you would like to know the times? 800m x 6 (3 min. rest)

2.47
2.47
2.52
2.51
2.56
2.53
Those were the times after my Garmin said I had run 800 meters, though.

Apparently I take really wide turns (or something), because by the time I actually crossed the 800 meter line on the track (same track pictured above), the times were as follows:
2.52

2.55

2.56

2.57

3.02

2.59
I recorded both times so that I can compare the first to 800 meters on the road measured by Mr. Garmin and the second times to 800 meters run on the track. And all of this can be found under my profile on Endomondo.

I am pleased. Not that my intervals ever predict my race times with any reliability. But I am over 10 seconds per 800 faster than I was this past fall.  I am just wondering if I should admit that right now my main girl in purple is a guy - in my house. When are we going to run a marathon together, honey?

(Pretentious) book question: I have been reading exclusively historical fiction from southern Europe from the early 20th century and I'm looking for a new good book in this genre. Any recommendations? (best ones so far were Embers by Sándor Márai and A Farewell to Arms by Ernest (Ernie) Hemingway. (Haha. SR just said if he didn't know me and read this paragraph, he would hate me)

Cultural quiz (about two great running songs): Which one is in Swedish and which in Danish? And how do you know? (sorry Danes and Swedes not allowed).


15 comments:

Fast Bastard - World's Fastest Hematologist said...

(Sung like the Fine Young Cannibals:)

You. Drive. Me. Crazy!

Child, you don't run 800s on a track with a Garmin. Just run two laps and time yourself.

The reason the Garmin always measures long is that you pull up your arm to look at it every 3 seconds.

amy said...

What Fast Bastard said! Plus Garmins are known to be inaccurate at times (especially when not running in a straight line in one direction), and a track is a standard measured distance. That would be like a track athlete stopping 100 meters short in a mile race and saying that he'd already run the distance so didn't need to finish bc the Garmin said so.

Awesome workout, by the way, regardless of distance.

Karen said...

My Garmin sucks on a track. On windy days, it shorts me distance and on cloudy and/or rainy ones, it overestimates it. And it gives me about a billion feet of elevation change.

You can't really compare road and track times with much accuracy anyways, the surfaces are too different.

mmmonyka said...

Christina is hilarious!

As for the book. I have actually never read the book and it is not really from southern Europe since it is based in Parisian region but I still recommend it. Couple years ago, when I was in high school I read the first 4-5 pages of Perfume by Patrick Suskind. Then I had to give the book back to my schoolmate. I am not sure whether it is as good as I remember it or as good as those first few pages but I loved it and told to myself that I was going to read that book one day. The way the author described the objects and places was awesome, it “smelled” as if I was there. Read it!

Also...I judge people who run with Garmin on track..... :)

Olga said...

Christian is your son!!! And I laughed out lod on the Garmin and track...BUT I am all for you racing SR, yes, I am! Do it!

Rebecca said...

I vote the first song is Swedish because it sounds more like the dialogue in the film adaptations of Stieg Larsson's Millenium trilogy. But also I know nothing about non-romance languages so.

I use Garmin for track workouts..how else (besides constantly doing math at every 100m mark) will I know my pace AT ALL TIMES?

SteveQ said...

Arrgh! Third try at this.

"Book of Disquietude" by Fernando Pessoa, tr. Richard Zenith

"Homage to Catalonia" by George Orwell

"Good Soldier Svejk"

SteveQ said...

Petra Marklund I'm guessing is a Swede and Anne Linnet a Dane. The names, the accents, the background in the first video (and the cinematography, which looks like it was learned from studying Bergman films), and the samples of Danish pop songs you sent me on CD once all are suggestive.

SteveQ said...

Just looked them up to see if i was right.

Alicia Hudelson said...

Isn't "tusind" a Danish word? Plus I don't think there's an "a" with an umlaut in Danish, is there? So I'm guessing the first one is Swedish and the second one is Danish. There is my guess without being able to actually listen to them, since I'm at work:)

Jeez, I'm going to have to pick up the pace on my 800s now! How do you think you lost those 10 seconds, from running 200s/other short intervals, or just from generally better fitness?

sea legs girl said...

FB- it just makes it easier to upload onto Endomondo. Plus it gives people yet another thing to make fun of me for.

sea legs girl said...

Yes - you were all right about the songs! The first is Swedish. And Alicia got the hint I was hoping someone would: there are no umlauts in Danish! Only lines: ø and small balls: å and poor conjoined letters: æ. So from the song title: händerna (Swedish) is hænderne (Danish) is hands (English).

Alicia Hudelson said...

"Plus it gives people yet another thing to make fun of me for."

Don't worry, we weren't in danger of running out of them:)

sea legs girl said...

Alicia, I forgot to answer your question! I think it is definitely working basically only on speed and running a lot less miles. To me it makes sense that I take a few months and work more on speed (since I think that is really what I lack). I honestly dont know if all of this short stuff will make my marathon times better, though. Or ultras for that matter.

sea legs girl said...

Thanks for the recommendations, Steve. I found none in English at the library here, but Homage to Catalonia in Danish, so I'll give it a try!