Day 5 - Speed Day

Thank God for the ice bath and 3 days of rest!  I was excited to return to the track this evening.  I got there around 7PM and it was a beautiful evening.  No wind, perfect temperature, and no rain.  I did my stretches and warmed up with the 800Ms.  I was pretty much pain free and loose and feeling good. 

Once I finished the warm up, I had a challenge in mind.  See, last week I never did complete a full out 100M.  It bugged me all weekend and because of the difficulty I was having in the 200M, I really wanted to know if I could do a complete 100M at a full sprint.  I had these thoughts bugging me in the back of my mind “what the fuck am I doing” and “I must look like a complete asshole” and other self doubts and I needed to blow them out of my mind by successfully doing a 100M.  

I stretched really really well at the 100M starting line and concentrated on my hamstrings.  I've been prone to pulled hammies all my life and I'd rather blow out my knee (seriously!) than pull a hammy.  After doing 5 sets of stretches, I went to the starting line.  Wow!  Talk about memories, I know there was no one there, but in my mind I felt competitors from the past around me.  It was surreal.  I even felt an old twinge of intimidation and nervousness that crept in my mind once in awhile back in the old days. 

I went to the starting line and pushed everything to the back of my mind.  I imagined the starter saying, “Runners take your mark”.  I moved to the line and although I didn’t have starting blocks, I imagined setting up in them.  “Set” and I rolled into form.  I was thinking, this is it… don’t false start Bobby and… “BOOM!”  I launched into the race driving low and hard and coming up on my toes in good form.  I flew down the track, 80 yards, 60 yards, half way and still going in good form and driving.  At the 40 yard mark I made a mental decision to let it all go and just SPRINT.  It felt remarkable.  No pulls, no tweaks, just freedom of body.  I knew I was going to make it. In fact, I barely noticed that I’d passed the finish line.  I wanted to run like that forever!  I slowed in the curve and I felt a little giddy thinking “Shit, I can do it and I don’t give a rat’s ass what anyone else thinks.  I’m going to keep at this until I can do it faster and faster”.

It was an ugly 100M and it was probably pretty slow, but there is this simple fact.  It has been 25 years since I last ran a 100M on a track.  I just did it again!  I hope it’s the first of many.