Wednesday, May 13, 2009

I'm Good at Following Directions

Somewhere back in time, the Grand Idiot Nitmos advised, "If you keep knocking out these easy feeling negative splitters, maybe you ought to kick up the training a notch!? Shouldn't be that easy. Start approaching the puke threshold."

Last night, after the sun had finally sunk into its bed below the treeline, I stepped out my door for a four-miler at attempted 10-K race pace. The puke threshold was my pursuit.

The result was failure and success. I blame the sushi for both.

My four-mile neighborhood loop features a mostly downhill first half and a steady uphill second half, with the dreaded Garman Hill a mile from the endpoint. I set my pace range between my 10-K PR pace of 8:11 per mile and that puke inducing 10-K pace of 8:33. The result was a disappointing 8:55 per mile, despite a hard kick to the finish.

I flew through the first half, but maybe took it too easy for the first few minutes. I seemed to be on pace at my estimated mile markers.

When I encountered the uphill portion, I tried to keep up my pace with light pole intervals. My neighborhood loop finishes with a final road crossing and then a very flat 0.1 mile straightaway, where I attempt to expel the remaining effort left in the tank.

I had the right-of-way with lucky timing of the traffic light, and I burst into my finishing kick as I crossed the intersection. The whole time I'm concentrating on forefoot striking and turnover. I do not relent until I pass the gray utility box near the end of the block, where I reach across my body and press the stop button on my watch.

The effort tightened my lungs and diaphragm and I felt the familiar twinge in my guts. I trotted around the corner until the feeling subsided. The puke threshold was near. I could taste rice, soy sauce and wasabi from my dinner.

I don't usually run after dinner. This is probably why.

13 comments:

Ian said...

Your first mistake was paying attention to anything that Nitmos says.

Aileen said...

Is it safe to eat sushi in Ohio?

Nitmos said...

Now that sounds like a work out designed to build speed!

Also, when I said "approaching the puke threshold" I guess I really meant "crossing the puke threshold." Makes for a more satisfying ending (for us).

Jess said...

I can imagine washabi would have been painful coming back up.

FLATOUT JIM said...

At least your abs got a good workout!!!

BLAAHHHH!!!

tfh said...

I agree with Nitmos. More puke, less foreplay. Nobody likes a tease.

Mike said...

I don't want you to puke. But if you break an ankle I'll send you a get-well card.

Spike said...

soulds like some dry-heaving to me; so you made it to the puke threshold (Yeah)!

joyRuN said...

Sounds like the fish was fresh if you didn't taste THAT about to come back up.

S said...

Blech. And I tought burping up cucumbers the entire time on my 4 mile run sucked. That sounds much more unpleasant.

Unknown said...

What a build up to no climax. I was so waiting for the sushi up-chuck.

Jess said...

In the summer, it's always a tough call on when to eat dinner, but trust me (someone who has indeed thrown up sushi), rice hurts to barf.

Funnyrunner said...

lol. Matt Fitzgerald, author of a plethora of running books, is an advocate of doing a "puke threshhold" run at the end of every stage (4 stages) in his training plans. Okay, well, he doesn't call it the puke threshhold, but that's what he means.

I know what you mean about the sushi thing... I ran last night 2 hours after dinner... you do get used to it, though.