Today was my first track day in a good decade. I didn’t time myself but I ran a few 400 meter laps at about 80% full speed – resting for a minute interval in between. Running track is hard. My goal was less conditioning and more training to run with a faster form. It felt good. I increased my normal cadence from 170 to 200 steps per minute and my stride length from .9 to 1.3 meters.
A Runner's Story 
I distinctly remember Rob guffawing when I suggested you start track workouts. I enjoy them, and occasionally it feels good to run in a more controlled environment when you’re working on a specific goal, like pace or stride. When we first moved back to the States in 2001 and discovered that there were no more 10k races, only 5k or marathon, I started training on the track and really embraced what a fast 5k demanded as opposed to a fast 10k.
Another technique which I have trained with successfully is fartlek–remember that? In my case, that just means I run on a busy trail like down at Town Lake, and every time I come across an attractive woman running I lengthen my stride, pick up the pace, and square my shoulders. That works great if we’re going opposite directions, just a short bit of sprinting and I can collapse once she’s out of sight. But if I’m coming up behind her, and then she picks up her own pace as I try to pass because apparently now every woman on the trail is a total badass, I’m taught more and more often that my victims used to be young enough to be my daughter, but now they are young enough to be my granddaughter.
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