July 30th, 2019 By Chum

The morning temperatures are in that goldilocks zone. Humidity is still there but it’s not oppressive as its been in recent weeks. YHC was a little early so he drove the route to double check mileage and conditions. As he rolled onto the launchpad he finds a single PAX had arrived earlier for extra mileage in the 0500 pre-run. The clock ticks off the minutes and more PAX start arriving till the last one rolls in to 2 wheels at 0529. YHC is describing the route for the different pace groups. Honestly he is telling the rabbits where to run because he himself will be in the back with the turtles. 0530 and the PAX set off. From the start the quicker group pulls away while the slower group walks off the warmup. 2 in the front, 2 more following, then the rear group of 4. This is where trouble began. Before the rear group had gone 200yds, 1 of the PAX in the middle had gotten separated from both ends and lost track of the route. Worse yet, no one realized it till the end, 3.5 miles later. Fortunately this PAX was very knowledgeable of the area so he never got lost, just off route and alone. At the end everyone started searching for our cloudy buddy. One group started repeating the route from the beginning and the another reversing it from the end. Fortunately he just finished a few minutes behind the 6, catching everyone from behind.

In this morning’s event, YHC has relearned a couple of important lessons:

• The unspoken rule of “no one runs alone” needs to be spoken at the beginning with the disclaimer. These routes are suburban, open streets. No need to take the risk. Every pax should be keeping a conversational pace with at least one someone. No talking with oneself lest oneself starts responding.
• Some conversations can be faster than others, so pick your partners accordingly. These runs are for distance training and building, not racing.
• Always be aware of the PAX around you for the sake of the PAX around you.
• If lumber lays in the middle of a dark intersection, leave it in the middle of a dark intersection. Unless you are wearing a neon tubing blinking TRON light vest thing. Really it’s better left there than risking a morning driver.

Lessons aside, this morning’s events remind YHC that the PAX are special. It was inspiring to see everyone jump into search mode at the first hint that someone was missing.

This morning’s run was fuelled by week 9 of 10 in the Podrunner First Day to 5K program. Like the many previous weeks, the speed is set by a cadence of music beats by DJ Beatsmith and is available for free at the link above. Today’s run included a 30min run between a warmup and a cool down and the cadences were between 130bpm and 140bpm

BPM CHART
5 minutes @ 130 bpm (warmup)
30 minutes @ 140 bpm
4 minutes @ 130 bpm (cooldown)

PLAYLIST:
01. Le Mode – Hit Record
02. Angel Alanis – Drop the Bass
03. Silencer – Rollin N Controllin (Tex Mex)
04. Oksygen – Drift
05. Basic – Sushi Wasabi
06. Eskimo – Traveling

Next week will be the graduation Mix including a 35min run, to prove just how far these new runners have come.

 

#MintHillRunClub

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