10 Miles @ MP... on the track

That sounds like torture, doesn't it? The first time Sean put this on the schedule, there was a collective groan. However, what he said made sense- you have to get used to the monotony of running 26.2 miles. I don't know about everyone else, but I can't find anything to talk to myself about after 5ish miles... 6 if I don't talk super fast in my head (only sort of kidding). Listening to music helps, but I can't do that in races. Running with people also helps, and while I have talked to strangers during races, that's probably not going to be happening uphill when I'm 18+ miles in. Plus, the last time I tried to talk to someone during the Boston Marathon, he turned out not to speak English (the Italian flag singlet might have been a giveaway).

So, on Sunday, I ran in a circle 40 times at marathon (well, faster) pace. And, I have something to confess, I LOVE this workout. Yes, it is one of the workouts that I look forward to the most during marathon training. Why? Am I crazy? Well yes, but all runners are, so that doesn't explain anything.

So, here's my second confession in equally as many paragraphs, I'm not a marathon runner. I've run 26.2 miles, but my favorite workout is 400m repeats, and I don't particularly like long runs. I started my running career as a sprinter/hurdler, and never had any intention of racing more than 1 lap around a track. Obviously, that changed, and I do enjoy racing other distances (and I'm super excited about running Boston in 20 days). However, the track and field mentality has never left. "Track Tuesdays" are my favorite days of the week, and I've always run my best workouts around a 400m circle.
 
Now, there's a big difference between 1/4 mile and 10 miles, which brings me to the second reason I like this workout- it's honest. The track doesn't lie. The distance is always measured right, as opposed to what my Garmin says, or even some of the "certified 5k's" that I've run. Additionally, there is no good course / bad course excuse, or blaming an uphill for a "bad" mile versus my lack of fitness. Basically, you can't fake the track.

And thirdly, because one of the things that I learned in graduate school is that humans tend to like lists of 3's, there's no thinking. The track just is. It's simple. I've heard people describe this sort of experience when they're trail running and just leave their watch behind. Personally, I've never found this to be true. Even if I don't have a watch, there's still a clock in my car. Trail maps are usually marked with distances. I know approximately what pace I've run. Even when I don't care, I still can't "lose" myself in nature... although I can get straight up lost pretty easily! I'm always thinking. Root? Rock? Shadow? Have I seen this before? Am I headed in the right direction? How much longer is this trail? Holy hill! I can honestly space out better when I'm running on the road, although cars have a good way of snapping me back to reality. So, for me, running in circles on a synthetic rubber surface in the middle of a wide open field is everyone else's "nature".