Training Update: Week 12 - Wherein I learn to loathe intervals and embrace being a ‘running nerd’

Galloping Geeks

My sister visited this blog this week and when she spoke to me on the phone a few days later, she said: “You’ve become a running nerd!” And you know what? I think she’s on the money. I was a little taken aback at first, but think about it. What other impression would a non-runner have of a blog like this or the hundreds of others like it?

I’ve learned to embrace being a running nerd this week. Why not take this simple test to see how you rate in the galloping geek stakes:

If you devour other people’s race reports, you might be a running nerd.
If you’re forever collecting training tips and comparing training plans, you might be a running nerd.
If you obsess over the latest running gadgets and gizmos, you might be a running nerd.
If you’ve read ‘Born to Run’ and tried barefoot running at least once in the last 12 months, you might be a running nerd.
If you feel like wearing sackcloth and covering yourself in ashes because you’ve sustained an injury that will keep you off the roads and trails for a few weeks, you might be a running nerd.
If when you hear the word ‘endorphin’ your eyes roll back, your tongue lolls out of your mouth and imitating Homer Simpson you say “Mmm… endorphins” before making a gurgling sound, you might be a running nerd.
If you love pouring over stats and data on Daily Mile, Buckeye Outdoors, Nike+, Runnerplus, RunKeeper and Garmin Connect and analysing the life out of it, you might be a running nerd.
If your iPod no longer has any music on it, but instead is loaded to capacity with back episodes of Run Run Live, RunDiggerRun, The Extra Mile, Running with the Reaper and A Mile with Me, you might be a running nerd.
If what will happen next with Phedippidations means more to you than what happens in the finale of the last season of ‘Lost’, you might be a running nerd.
If after a day or two inside without a run you start pacing up and down like a caged tiger and driving your family crazy with how on edge you are, you might be a running nerd.
If you have made it this far through this list and have either nodded in agreement or laughed at yourself even a little at some stage, then you are, most definitely my friend, a running nerd. Embrace the galloping geekiness.

Mmmm... Brussel Sprouts

Intervals are the Brussel Sprouts of run training. You know in your heart of hearts that they are good for you, however you just can’t bring yourself to even begin to like them.

I did my weekly intervals at lunch today. It was hot and humid and I had a particularly brutal set to do. I’m glad I don’t currently have a heart rate monitor, because I’m sure it would have spontaneously combusted today.

Here’s what the evil geniuses at the Furman FIRST program had for me this week:

10 min warmup jog
4 x 100m strides (inc one with 20m of knee raises and one with 20m of butt-kicks)
1200m (target pace 5:39, actual 5:59)
1000m (target pace 4:40, actual 4:55)
800m (target pace 3:42, actual 3:48)
600m (target pace 2:46, actual 2:49)
400m (target pace 1:49, actual 1:49)
200m (target pace 0:52, actual 0:56)
All with 200m slow jog rest intervals in between
10 min cool down jog

Having just typed out that list I can hear Marlon Brando’s whispering voice from ‘Apocalypse Now' in the back of my head: “The horror…. the horror…”

Here are the other stats for the week:

Week 12
20 Mar: 21.6 km
21 Mar: 9.2 km
23 Mar: 6.2 km
25 Mar: 8 km (intervals)
Total for week: 45 km
Total for 2010: 347.9 km

I hope your training is going well. Happy Running!