Running on a Track

Although I live in an ideal location for running, one thing that I've been missing is the chance to run on a real track. I've done speed work at various locations in Central Park, including the reservoir, and the cinder track at the top of the Great Hill, but these spots fall short of a real track.

Folks who run with me know that I'm not a fan of uneven surfaces. The result is that I prefer to run on the road rather than on dirt, which most people think is a bad choice.

I suspect, however, that I may not be the only one who feels a little funny about doing speed work on uneven surfaces. If I run a 440 intervals on the reservoir, for example, it feels like every 5th stride or so is a slight misstep, and at that effort level it seems risky.

I've known for some time that there is a track at Riverbank State Park, and this morning I finally got up there. It turns out that it's just a 20 minute run from my apartment, which works out perfectly. 20 minutes warm-up, some intervals at the track and 20 minutes cool down, and I'm home in a reasonable time. I could even fit in a speed workout on a weekday morning before work. 

The track itself is really nice. An eight lane, 400 meter track made of that nice soft red surface they use these days. It's the ideal for me - softer than dirt and smoother than the road. It felt really comfortable, even running hard.

This morning, I had a relatively light workout: 4x400 and 2x200. Next time, I'll do more. Here are the times:

4x400 meters:

 127

 131

 130

 127

2x200

 40 

 41

The park is open 7 days a week from 6AM, so I imagine that I'll be up there again soon. PRs, watch out!