Some Potentially Smelly Speedwork - Pokey Style

Last night was long-run-recovery-run-night, and I decided to mix things up a bit.

People use the term LSR quite a bit – the Long Slow Run. And it made me wonder - what happens when ALL your runs are slow?

I only have 2 types of runs in my running repertoire – LSR and SSR. Yep – Long Slow Runs and Short Slow Runs. So it was time for a change.

My legs weren’t doing too badly after Saturday’s run. I had been really sore on Sunday, but most of it had passed by yesterday.

So I headed out after dinner – weather was great and I knew I needed a run. The first un-pokey-characteristic action of the night: I left my iPod at home. [insert shocked face here] Those who have known me long enough know that I would rather DIE than run without my iPod. When I am alone, I have only done that one other time that I can think of...and I hated it. I hate being trapped alone with myself in my head. I have relied on the music to occupy my mind and keep me focused on ANYTHING other than running.

Well last night I needed a focus-shift. I NEEDED to focus on running. I needed to be trapped in my head for a period of time so I could focus on nothing else BUT my running.

So I did.

And my goal for last night was SPEEDWORK.

Now, some may chuckle. Keep in mind that my speedwork is a slow jog for some of the experience runners.

No biggie. It WAS speedwork – it was just done Pokey Style. :P

I had no watch, no Garmin tracking my speed or distance – just my shoes, the road and me – running segments at a brisk pace that I would not have been able to keep up for any real duration. I would run a segment of unknown distance (i.e. “from here to the stoplight”) and then take a walk break. Then another segment. Some faster, some slower than others – but all of them at a pace substantially faster than my normal waddling.

When I first started out, my lungs started burning. Anyone remember that feeling? It took my thoughts back to my first few runs ever – the burning in my chest, the cramping in my side. UGH. I am glad those days are over. I am not sure if last night’s burning was a result of the much cooler air, or the tougher pace. Probably a combo of both. It only bothered me for the first couple segments and then I was fine.

I had planned to run one my normal routes – a 1.5 mile out and back route from my house. It’s easy, brainless, and keeps me on major streets – which I like to do when it’s dark. I only had one, small, teeny, tiny, MAJOR problem:





Yes, a SKUNK.

I heard some rustling in the grass during one of my walk breaks and I look to my left to see Mr. le Peu about 12-15 feet off my sidewalk, tailed poised right at me. I have no idea how far a skunk’s spraying range is, but I wasn’t going to stick around and find out. See, and you all thought I was doing any real speedwork! But can bet your sweet selves that I high-tailed it out of skunk zone and made a serious detour as to not have to run past the same spot again on the way home! Had I been running with Pat, we most likely would have had to stop and take a picture, but since I was solo I got the heck out. I would have hated to arrive at my office today and explain to the new hire that I just recruited about my new perfume. It was just way too close for my comfort.

Mr. Stink helped me get some extra mileage in, however, and I completed my run at 4.02 miles. I came home happy, feeling energized, please with my run, and most of all – smelling like a rose. :)