A Spring in Your Step

It's that time of year again when runners are dreaming of warm weather and fast times...Track season is upon us.  

After a year of marathon training and of staying healthy, I decided that Spring of 2012 would be focused on getting fast again and bringing that "pop" back into my legs.  While I'm not having a full track season, I am stepping away from the marathon (until the fall) to focus on shorter distances: 10k to half-marathon.  I plan to step foot on the track for the first time since 2008 for the Payton Jordan Cardinal 10k.

A big thank you to Eric Heins and Mike Smith for
access to NAU's indoor track.

Unfortunately, this was our last week on the indoor track.
Now it will be outside with the Flagstaff spring winds!

I've realized that four years away from speed work and intensity makes it that much harder to return, especially after coming out of my sweet spot in marathon training.  Training for marathons comes easily and naturally.  I find myself reminiscing life as a first-year at UVa when I was never quite sure I'd be able to make it up the stairs to our 3rd story dorm room after practice.  

I appreciate and welcome a revisit to the intensity.  It will be fun to see how it translates to the roads.  First up is Cherry Blossom 10 Miler.  The cherry blossoms are predicted to be in full bloom and I look forward to the trip back home to see college teammates and family.  

The new 2012 adidas race kits.
Be on the look out for the red and purple.

Super Bee already has the natural balance of
speed and endurance.

Spring racing kicks off this coming weekend with the adidas-McMillanElite men (Nick Arciniaga, Scott Smith, Ben Bruce and Danny Mercado) going for a team title at the Gate River 15k, a US Championship race.  Coaches Greg McMillan and Trina Painter will be racing more locally in the Mountain to Fountain 15k.