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12-by-Myles

May 29, 2020 (Night)

Exercise Type: Run

Comments:
I asked Myles yesterday if he wanted to run, but he reminded me that Friday when Anthony's running group the Nightcrawlers went run for their weekly crack-of-dawn run. Not wanting to get up for a 6:30am run (a time I've only seen in recent month after a really long night for dissertating), I said if he was up for some more miles in the afternoon I'd be game, in spite of the 86-degree temps and brutal humidity. Around 7pm he texted to say he was heading over to Ft Reno for some hills. "That sounds awful,: I replied. "How soon should I meet you?"

I can't remember if I've ever done a high workout when I'm not training for a particular season or race, but it was either this or run alone. Besides, I really needed to pull myself out of the inefficient work slump I'd been in all afternoon, so after spending 5 minutes looking for the pair of socks I'd misplaced (still missing), I hopped in the car and headed over to Tenleytown for some good ol' fashioned masochism. We warmed up by jogging to Anthony's house where Anna spotted us through the window (or spotted my anyway) and soon Anthony materialized on the front steps. After 10 minutes of chatting/procrastinating we headed back to Ft. Reno at a slightly-too-brisk-to-be-a-warmup pace and started in our self-inflicted punishment. I suggested we do 8, figuring that was the smallest number he'd settle for. He responded that we'd do "sets of 4 and see how we feel after each." I took that to mean we'd be doing 12 and silently accepted my fate. More on that to come...

Myles beat me up the first hill, like I'd expected. He's 10 years younger, a far better sprinter, and has spent as much time lifting weights the past 3 months as I've spent eating ice cream (possible more, but I do often give myself seconds). On the second hill, I was surprised to see how close we were. By the third we were neck-in-neck and by the fourth I was pulling ahead of him. We took at 10 minute break to lying in the grass gasping and chat with Myles' roommate Scott who'd biked over to watch the sunset. Myles said he was only up for four more, but I had already mentally committed to 12. I didn't tell him though. I did just didn't agree or disagree when he said we'd be done after 8.

For the next four he chose a slightly flatter part of the hill -- still the full hill with all three sections mind you, but a bit more to the right where it starts a little higher and the first section isn't quite so long. I really go going on these ones and put my distance-runner pacing to work. We finished together or with me slightly ahead every time, but I was never sprinting all out on the steepest parts because I knew I need to conserve my strength. I felt pretty good when we were done. After lying in the grass another 10 minutes, I told him I was off to do one last set. He was horrified, but wasn't about to let me do more than him, so he said he'd do 2 more. Again, I neither agreed nor disagreed. I brought us over to the steepest part of the hill, all the way to the left where you can't even see the top because the bottom section is so tall and steep. We ran two, sat for 5 minutes staring at the sky and talking, and then I said "hold that thought, I'll be back in a minute." No way he could pass up that invitation, even though he'd already run with Anthony this morning. We ran one more and then he asked "is this really the last one?" "Yes" I finally agreed. And sure enough, just as I'd somehow known all along, he had the oomph to beat me up it! Let it be known to all future athletes and running buddies of Myles Smith---unless he beats you, he hasn't really spent everything he's got. There's still room for one more.

I felt nauseous all the way home. Great workout!