Negative Splits

I ran six and a half miles Thursday after work, on the trail. Mackenzie had soccer practice for an hour and a half, which meant after I dropped her off and drove to the trail, it left an hour to run. I rode over 30 miles the night before, followed by a short run, and I was a little sore. So I really didn't have a plan, just do what I could do.

My turn around on the trail corresponded with a water fountain and bathroom. I noted on my watch 27 minutes and whatever seconds. I was a little surprised because of my long workout the night before, and running in the evening is not the optimal time for me to run. I decided then to push it a little, and make it a negative split.

A negative split is when you try to run your second half faster than your first. For a slow runner like me, it's hard to do. It's especially hard for me now; my performance compared to a couple years ago has really faltered.

I was a half mile into my second half when a guy passed me. He had a nice easy stride and I decided if I could hang on to him, I would make my negative split. I fell into a bit quicker rhythm, and was heads down, just watching his shoes… and breathing. He'd pick up pace a little, and then slow until I thought I'd have to go around him. He must have heard me, because then he'd pick up pace again. With about a half mile to go, he really picked up the pace, and I was in an all out sprint to keep up.

I wasn't sure if he'd stop at my stop, but he did. I was never so relieved to be done with a run; I had stuck with him. I walked to the stretching post and he came over and said laughing, "I'm very competitive, I don't want anyone to pass me." I laughed and said something about how he must have felt having a girl keep up with him. I just thought it was a little funny cuz he was young, in his twenties, and he felt he was being competitive… with a woman in her forties! That said more about him than me, but I didn’t knock him. Whatever it takes to keep you getting out there…

On the run back my thoughts had drifted as they usually do to life, and how quickly time goes by. Life is a negative split… the last half seems to go so much faster than the first. I wish there was a way to reverse that.