Never Have I Ever Been The Rabbit
Leading races, basic reminders, and yes, Talking Heads still rock
On Saturday, I had the pleasure of being the lead bike during a local 5-mile race. Along with ensuring the course was clear so that the leader could focus on their race, I got the added bonus of being equipped with a walkie-talkie and fluorescent vest, and the license to yell “RUNNERS COMING THROUGH!” at anyone on the course. It’s the simple things in life, kids.
Never have I ever been the rabbit, and even on a bike, I heard his footsteps behind me from the start. I wasn’t expecting an easy ride. I had watched the leader cruise to an easy finish in the morning’s 2-mile event and was anticipating a fast start. As I rode along, I could sense him egging me to go faster than his 5:47 per mile pace. Determined to do my part, I occasionally pedaled harder to pull away, only to be caught. We yo-yo’d the pace like this until the finish. Afterwards, I received a post-run dap, so I must have done my job sufficiently.
Then, as if the effort wasn't good enough, he took off running again! The victories in the 2 and 5-mile races he won that morning weren't enough and were just part of his daily mileage plan.
If circumstances dictated, I could run 5:47 for nearly a mile before fading into the abyss, but even that may be an aggressive estimate. It takes a large aerobic base to be that fast over that distance, a base that I currently don't have. I didn't get the chance to ask, but Saturday’s winner is probably doing 100-mile weeks consistently. Tune into the Boston Marathon next week, and you will see the best in the world running even faster paces after 20-plus miles of racing. At peak training, they are covering over 130 miles per week.
The concept of a 100-mile week as the usual is a little hard to wrap my head around due to logistics, but I can understand the need for it. It's one of the simple truths you learn over time - to get faster, you have to run more.
Back to Basics
My season is getting underway so the basics are good to remember. The higher the volume, the larger the aerobic base. The larger the aerobic base, the easier it is to go faster for longer. It’s a proven strategy. That’s important to remember as I venture into the base phase of my training for the year. I’m trying to get myself to a point where I can handle big miles. But it doesn’t happen overnight. The current fitness I have was developed over years of running, and the baseline I’m hoping to get to will still take weeks to achieve.
Right now I am hovering between 15 and 20 miles per week. That’s far from race shape. But this period is all about reminding myself what it’s like to run most days of the week and to prep my body to handle the physical demands of the mileage.
It’s also helpful to remember that the guy who is in 5:47 shape once had the same fitness level at one point, albeit it was probably a long time ago. His training journey is different than mine, which is different than many of the other runners that were out there on Saturday. Among the contestants were kids, moms pushing strollers, and others who were hitting personal bests. I passed a guy pre-race who was telling his friends that he was aiming for a sub-40-minute race. After breaking 40, he was pumped from his accomplishment.
We’re all running our own races. And although it’s a cliché at this point, the statement is as simple a truth of what it takes to build your aerobic base. I think whether you are running your first 5k or 50th marathon, it’s important to constantly be reminded of those basic truths.
Join Your Running Community (Even if you’re not a runner)
While Saturday gave me plenty of takeaways for my own training, it also reminded me how cool a running community can be. I wrote about some reasons to run locally in this archived post a few years ago, and my belief in the importance of local races continues to grow every time I volunteer.
There is something about waking up before the sun rises, assembling the start line and timing equipment, and watching runners compete that makes me feel some type of way. It’s a joy for me to see people accomplish big things or just get out and enjoy the local parks or neighborhoods where races are held. And it brings me closer to the local running and non-running community.
And you don’t have to be a runner to be a part of the community. Many of the other volunteers I was working with told me they weren’t runners but simply enjoyed being there and part of the action. Whether it’s setting up tables, doing packet pick-up, or working a water station, there is a number of ways to get involved. And those race directors always need help.
FYI - Talking Heads Still Makes Sense
Since I wrote this post last summer, all sorts of people have come up to me to discuss my fandom of Talking Heads. Saturday was Record Store Day, and I was able to get my hands on their RSD release Talking Heads Live on Tour, a live recording from their 1978 show in Cleveland.
It, as always, rocks. Shout out to reader Anna, aka my sister for driving to her local store to pick up a copy after all the shops near me were sold out.
Until next time, cheers!