Barefooting Once Again…

Yesterday we went barefoot sprinting again. College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn has a beautiful soccer complex that features three fields sitting right next to one another. That is to say at COD we have lots and lots of well-manicured green, green grass where we can walk, jog, and sprint without fear of stepping on a rock or a golf tee and ruin our wonderful, youth producing, barefoot sprinting experience. And early in the morning the dew feels so good on our bare feet.

After warming up with walks and jogs (25 counts) for between 10 and 15 minutes we’re ready to pick up the pace. The first 25 count sprint (probably 120 yards) at about 80% I win, surprisingly, by a couple of steps. I figure that Pam is holding back trying to avoid bruising my male ego.

The second 25 count sprint at about 85% I win again by a couple of steps. I know in my heart that Pam must be holding back. But I still avoid saying anything.

The third 25 count sprint at about 90%, I win again by a couple of steps and finally I accuse my wife of holding back and letting me win. She promises to give it her all the next time through.

The fourth and final 25 count sprint at about 95% was a photo finish – as near as we could tell without a real photo for reference. It felt like we finished at exactly the same time. Since on previous occasions Pam had been winning by a couple of steps, I also felt like I was running faster, covering more ground than I had been a couple weeks back. Hmmm.

In any case, we both felt as though we had a great, 30 minute, high intensity workout on a beautiful morning in July at age 70 and 71. Knees were good. Hips were good. Feet and ankles were good. And we were both 17 years old again…for the moment, in the moment. Erotic!

Sprinting on the Track

We visited a local, quarter mile track this morning.  The weather was perfect. Blue skies, temp in the mid-seventies, low humidity, and enough of a breeze to make it comfortable.

We warmed up for 15 minutes, running slow and walking, picking up the pace gradually with each of a half dozen short (100 yard), running intervals, before we finally put the pedal to the metal…so to speak.

Pam--two strides ahead

Then we each sprinted 100 yards as hard as we could go. No it certainly wasn’t fast. But we both gave it 100% and we were gasping for air at the end the sprint. We repeated that scenario three times while recovering with walks in between each interval. And we counted our strides (see the 5/15/18 post on stride counting) each time.

Rick--trying to catch up with Pam

As it turned out, Pam covered 100 yards in17.5 counts (70 strides), while I covered the same distance in 18 counts (72 strides).  This means, on average, that Pam’s strides are a little longer than mine. It means that she’s two steps faster than I am in 100 yards.  (Pam:  “I always tell him, I’m two steps ahead of you.  This just confirms it!”)

It also means that Pam may have picked up a little speed when compared to last year when she required 18 counts (72 strides) to cover the distance. And it means that I remained about the same because I’d required 18 counts (72 strides) to complete the task last year.

Bottom line is that we’re playing and experimenting with our sprinting hobby. We’re having fun with it. And monitoring our progress in this simple way is part of the fun.

Earphones VS No Earphones

Alright now, here’s one place where Pam and I have a minor disagreement. When we venture out to the local forest preserve path, Pam sometime runs long, slow distance while I tend to stick with my sprints. And with my recovery walks in between, we finish about the same time.

But when this happens, Pam plugs into her IPhone, installs her earbuds, and listens to her favorite oldies podcast while she runs long. I on the other hand, prefer to avoid such distraction in favor of tuning into and exploring my own thoughts and ideas, experiencing my own body in motion, my own breathing or inability to catch it. 

I confess that Pam is certainly much more in style in this regard than I am. Most runners that I see striding along the local streets and sidewalks these days are hooked-up, plugged in, earphones or ear buds, IPhones in a pocket or strapped onto a bicep and they’re listening to whatever or whomever they care to listen to.

On the other hand, the luddite in me says, “No way amigo!” I’m suspicious of technology. I feel like the robot is in control of far too much of life already. Why should I give up an hour with myself, my own thoughts, ideas, etc. to yet another frickin’ machine? I simply choose to avoid this particular high tech distraction.

On the other hand, I (Pam) find that the music energizes me in a way that Mother Nature doesn’t!  That’s not to say that I don’t appreciate the beauty of my surroundings, but the music doesn’t close me off from the world.  I have no problem smiling at the sight of a coyote sitting on the side of the path, or pointing out a deer to Rick, as he’s catching up to me.  Perhaps the music heightens my senses in a way that is unappreciated by my husband.   

But sprints are another story for me when I’m with Rick.  Because they are short and sweet. I lose my headphones.   The sound of his counting our steps is a rhythm all unto itself.