Acing the pace!

I RAN A 7:53 MILE THIS MORNING!
And...
I followed it up with 3 more for an 8:07 overall pace!!!

I started to write this post as a long reflection on my return to running after having a kid... but screw it. The thing that has me walking on air (and will have me limping, sorely, tomorrow) is that MY LEGS ARE FAST AGAIN.

I felt like I was going to *die* while running the last mile.
But I feel like a rock star right now.

C'mon, pick up the pace!

Context is everything.

Imagine someone says to you: "C'mon, pick up the pace!"

How do you respond?

C'mon, pick up the pace!
(Image from the State Library of New South Wales with edits by author)

Well, someone yelled that very phrase at me this morning, and my response was... well... we'll get to that.

The incident got me thinking: How would my reaction have been different, to those same words, under other circumstances?

Your coach yells: C'mon, pick up the pace!
Reaction: Shame.
Coach caught you sandbagging and called you out on it. You are probably angry, but can't tell if you're angry at yourself or at your coach. You pick up the pace, even if you don't want to, because you're pissed and because coach is probably right.

Your long-time running buddy says: C'mon, pick up the pace!
Reaction: Compliance.
You dig in and find another gear to keep up. You might grumble or shoot back a "You've got to be kidding?" But you know your running buddy is right, so you push on. If it just happens to be the kind of day where you can't find the energy to rally, you also know that your running buddy will understand. Because that running buddy has seen you at your best and at your worst. That running buddy has probably seen you knocking out hill repeats like a Kenyan, but has also seen you sidelined with stomach cramps. And it's all ok.

Your race-day rival (and possible mortal enemy) taunts: C'mon, pick up the pace!
Reaction: Fury.
You want to kick the smirk off of Rival's face. You fantasize about the gal (or guy) tripping over a loose shoelace 200 meters from the finish line as you cruise by to an age group award. You are secretly filled with glee when you find out that your chip time was 20 seconds faster than hers.

Your neighbor jokes, as you run by: C'mon, pick up the pace!
Reaction: Laughter.
You know your neighbor is just teasing to be neighborly. This "pick up the pace" is more of an acknowledgement that you're out running than it is a commentary on your level of effort. You yell back: "Get off your damned porch and join me!" with a smile on your face.

A race-day spectator yells: C'mon, pick up the pace!
Reaction: Indignation.
You think to yourself: "You get out here and run you lazy F%#$@!& windbag!" and realize later that you forgot to use your "inside voice." Oops. (But, then again, the jerk deserved it.)

So, which "C'mon, pick up the pace!" do you think I heard this morning?
Do you have any context-shifted stories to share? An event that ruined your day, when in other circumstances it would have been no big thing? An event that made you laugh, when in other circumstances it might have made you cry?

Aging and running

According to research published by Stanford University in 2008, running slows the aging process:

Regular running slows the effects of aging, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine that has tracked 500 older runners for more than 20 years. Elderly runners have fewer disabilities, a longer span of active life and are half as likely as aging nonrunners to die early deaths, the research found.

But aging also slows the running process...

In his article "Coming of Age" in the October issue of Runner's World, Peter Sagal interviewed Dr. Ray Fair (Yale University) on the effects of age on runners' pace.

The bad news: it really is all downhill after age 35. Or, rather, it's an uphill battle. Our finishing times increase (as pace decreases) as we get older. Dr. Fair conveniently created a web-based conversion system if you want to see the details. And, for your viewing pleasure, I've turned the data into a chart summarizing how uphill the battle is:

Coincidentally, today's Dictionary.com word of the day just happens to be acme: the highest point of something; the highest degree attainable.

Let's use that in a sentence: By age 35 nearly all runners will have reached the acme of their running performance, and can no longer expect to set PRs.

Wow. That sounds horribly depressing. But...

The good news: The slowdown is very gradual as we age, until the mid-70s. By age 88, we can expect that most running distances will take us about twice as long as they did at age 35. Or, put another way, by age 88 we will run at about half the speed we did 50 years earlier.

But really, if we're still running at all at age 88, isn't that good enough?

Also...for one of my favorite stories of 80-year-old words of wisdom, see "Enjoy it while you can."