The need for speed

I viewed my planned workout for today. More 400 meter intervals were in order. I thought back to the last time that I did the 400m repeats and how I didn’t actually remember the correct time target for each repeat. I figured that a little help would be in order so I talked Garminia into taking on this task.

In my office, I communicated the planned workout and goal paces for each segment. The Garmin Training Center acted as a translator for this process so that there would be no misunderstandings once we hit the road.

Soon after I began the workout, Garminia started in on me. “Slow Down,” she chirped. I did as I was told, thinking how smart it was of Coach Jeff to dictate a slow warm-up pace that I would help me to be better prepared for the speed segments of the workout. The wind was blowing hard and I was delayed my signal for Garminia that I was beginning the first of ten 1/4-mile repeats.

I finally got brave and went for it. I signalled to Garminia and began running hard into the wind. She hollared for me to slow down. I was happy to comply. Within a few seconds, Garminia began hollering again. I couldn’t hear well enough to understand what she wanted. I looked at her only to find that she was done with the signal. I kept running. She began hollering again. I quickly looked her way to see her signalling “Speed Up.” I’m trying I whined. I pushed harder, feeling the wind playfully blocking my way like a big brother testing my abilities. “Speed Up” she hollered. “I am” I yelled back. Garminia kept on me “Speed Up…Speed Up…Speed Up!”

I guess you get what you ask for. “Oh SHUT UP already” I hollered back to Garminia. I was trying but I just could not hit the targetted pace. Even after I turned around so that Wind was on my side, trying to give me an encouraging nudge, I could not hit my goal.

I thought about how it might have been easier to see how much longer I would have had to push if I were on a track. Coach had requested that I try to do these workouts on the track, but my schedule just wouldn’t allow it today. In the end, it may just be that the target paces are just a few seconds out of my ability. Still, I’ll trust Coach to give me workouts and assume that he is either giving me a goal that I will eventually be able to achieve as long as I don’t give up, or that the goal will be adjusted if I continue not to meet it.

I could make a lot of excuses as to why I wasn’t able to hit the requested target pace (running into the wind, not as solid of footing on the dirt portions, etc). Instead, I will congratulate myself for not giving up. Believe me, I thought about it many times. Instead I kept up the effort to the end and had a Good Workout in spite of my limitations.

Now, I have to appologize to Garminia for telling her to Shut Up when she did exactly what I asked her to do. I have to Thank her for believing in me when I didn’t believe in myself.