running on clouds

this was the first morning that i could see my breathe linger in the air. a little windy but no rain. drove to bush park where i was greeted by considerably less runners than in last weeks nicer weather. i shaved my head fresh last night so things were a little bit chilly until about five minutes into the warm up.

i don't ever want to be accused of saying the running ten 400m at a fast pace is an easy workout, for it never has, and i highly doubt that it ever will be. yet this morning, i hit upon a strange phenomenon on the last four repeats. i found a new gear, a faster gear, that excited me, and took me quite off guard. i would hold back (as much as you can in a sprint which is not really holding back) until that last 100m. and then i would just shift. whereas before i would come across the line weakly and in disrepair, i strode across, lightly, loosely, strong muscles pushing me forward. this is the third monday in a row that i have been running this exact workout and i can feel my improvement.

the day started out overcast, dark, cold. at about the fourth or fifth repeat, the sky cleared in an instant, unaware to me until it was upon me. then light white fluffy clouds hovered low. i noticed them first during a three minute recovery reflected on the track in the puddles from yesterdays downpour. it gave me the illusion of flight, running on the clouds, running through them, soaring, ever faster. i suppose this is a good picture to have in your head while doing 400m. i stole it for the final few laps.