The Secret

Time: 81:37
Distance: ~11 miles+

Anya was kind enough to give me a ride from OK Runner and take me to the track. The J.D. Martin Invite had just concluded and teams were filing out of the Mosier. I grabbed results and changed into running clothes before setting out on a warm up of 23:49 on the standard loop. Once I came back to the track I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to turn the lights of the track on b/c there were still quite a few facilities workers around. Dave Littlejohn and some of the trainers were mingling in the hallways of the indoor track too so I was a bit hesitant to flip the switch.

I stretched a bit, did some drills, ran a couple strides and spiked up.

Target: 6 x 400/200 in 65/27. Rest of 30 seconds between intervals and 4 minutes between sets.
Splits: 65.16, (:30), 27.44, (3:59). I would jog 600 meters between sets (~3 mins) and then chill for a minute.
65.75, (:30), 27.27, (4:00),
64.20, (:30), 27.60, (4:00),
63.32, (:30), 27.88, (4:00),
64.87, (:30), 27.21, (3:59),
64.13, (:30), 26.86 for 32:13 total.

I was bold enough to turn on the NW and SE lights tonight so that both turns were bright. It seems like whenever the lights come on the recreational jogger has to show up. Tonight it was a lady with reddish curly hair, a floppy stride and a goofy demeanor. After running the first 400 I had 30 seconds to yell at her to get out of lane one. She kind of spazzed out about what lane I was going to be using. She could run zig-zags from lane 2 through 9 just as long as she was out of lane 1. After my hard 200 I was jogging around the track when I see that she is sprinting across the infield looking like she urgently needed to tell me something. If you are reading this you are about to hear the secret of running b/c I found it out last night and thing everyone has a right to know. Runners and coaches have always wanted to know the "secret." Most agree there is no secret, just hard work. Well, they are wrong! There is one.

Lady: "You know that if you smile when you're running it aligns your muscles."
JoKin: "Oh yea?"
Lady: "It is relaxing and all you have to do is smile. Even if it is a fake smile. Smiling can help you run faster."
JoKin: "Thanks."

There you have it. All you got to do is smile. Fake smile. Genuine smile. Gebresellasie smile.

C/d of 25:35 on the phone talking to Jilane, Lo, Coleman, left a message for Tom and a chat with Ari/Sarro.