Run Run Away

Question:

I started as a track runner in high school and college, but yes, I came back to the sport later in life messing around with 5Ks and 10Ks and I went back to the track.  I have not been to a road race in about 3 years.  I definitely do not miss 7AM start times and slow walkers in the front row, and do not plan to go back to road races any time soon. Whether you will enjoy track racing depends on whether you can find enough track races in your area (some places don’t have many) and how competitive you are.  Track racing is more serious and more competitive.  Here in Southern California, a 17:40 5K would take you from being one of the faster ones on the road to being one of the slower ones on the track; This can give you an incentive to train harder, but some people don’t like getting lapped. Getting elbowed is something you will see mostly in the 800 (because the way the event is set up) and sometimes in a competitive 1500, but not nearly as much in longer events, or in sprints run in lanes. Lyndon

Response:

Yeah, there’s a point trying the track. Track’s are fast – you’ll probably PR 10-20 seconds first time out. As for the playing rough, that doesn’t happen SO much in longer races and especially races in which the competition varies a bit.  The big races on TV usually have athletes that are all trying to run really close to the same time as everyone else for at least the first half of the race so everyone is really clumped together.  Elbowing can be fun.  I knew a guy that PR’d in the 3200 by 15 seconds one time in high school because he was pissed off because a guy running beside him kept elbowing him.  But I would suspect open track meets are more relaxed and it won’t be much different than a crowded road race. -jeff

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Has any of you done track racing *after* having enjoyed road racing for fun? It seems that track is more "serious" than road, with heats, etc. Then there’s the fact that most runners are probably with clubs and doing it more seriously than me. Also, when I look at big races on TV, they seem to play kind of rough when they position themselves (elbowing, pushing, etc.). I run a 17:40 5K at 29yo and still improving: Is there any point trying the track. Any suggestions?

Response:

Whether you will enjoy track racing depends on whether you can find enough track races in your area (some places don’t have many)

I’m not sure how many there are in my city (Ottawa), but I was informed of one summer evening series. Then again, I’m 2h from Montreal and it’s probably better there so I could travel (parents live there). and how competitive you are.  Track racing is more serious and more competitive.  Here in Southern California, a 17:40 5K would take you from being one of the faster ones on the road to being one of the slower ones on the track;

I’ve got no clue how fast the track runners are in town. I doubt that the local champiom (Canadian record holder for 10,000) would show up for open events. This can give you an incentive to train harder,

Or get discouraged I suppose it’s worth trying. In any case, I *do* want to improve. but some people don’t like getting lapped.

Yep, that doesn’t feel good ego-wise. Getting elbowed is something you will see mostly in the 800 (because the way the event is set up) and sometimes in a competitive 1500, but not nearly as much in longer events, or in sprints run in lanes. Lyndon

– Daniel Pierre-Antoine Department of Political Science Carleton University 1125 Colonel By Drive Ottawa ON K1S 5B6 Tel.: (613) 749-9118 Fax : (613) 520-4064

Response:

At the twilight serie, do they have heats (in the 3000 and 5000) to reduce the # of runners, or is the field small enough to have just one start? (BTW: how many people line up on one given start for 1500, 3000, 5000, and 10000; I guess for shorter races it’s one runner per lane.) Yes they have heats, I don’t think they run the 5000. All heats are according to seed times, when you register, you enter the approximate time you think you can run that distance, you will then be grouped with others of similar abilities. For the 3000, the minimum seed time is 11:30. there are no minimum seed times for the shorter distances, anything goes.

I’m also interested in how many people turn out for your series. My club, the Syracuse Chargers, hosts a series of 4 outdoor meets in the summer and 4 indoor meets in the winter. Summer turnout is light. We typically have 3 sections of the 1500 with about 10 in each. We don’t like to go above 15 in an event not run in lanes. The turnout for winter meets is much heavier. In one recent meet we had 11(!) sections of the mile. Perhaps this is because there is nothing else to do in Siberiacuse in the winter.     That 11:30 cutoff seems quick to me. It would exclude most of our area’s high school female distance runners. — Terry R. McConnell   Mathematics/304B Carnegie/Syracuse, N.Y. 13244-1150

Response:

At the twilight serie, do they have heats (in the 3000 and 5000) to reduce the # of runners, or is the field small enough to have just one start? (BTW: how many people line up on one given start for 1500, 3000, 5000, and 10000; I guess for shorter races it’s one runner per lane.)

Yes they have heats, I don’t think they run the 5000. All heats are according to seed times, when you register, you enter the approximate time you think you can run that distance, you will then be grouped with others of similar abilities. For the 3000, the minimum seed time is 11:30. there are no minimum seed times for the shorter distances, anything goes. Bernard

Response:

I checked out the website. That sounds interesting. Last fall I was doing my intervals at the Terry Fox track (after they re-built it). I wonder when the snow will be gone; I can’t wait to do some more intervals there. I’ve been doing 400s and 800s all winter but the distances I measured seemed to be quite inaccurate (I always do them on the same stretch of road, though, so times compare easily). At the twilight serie, do they have heats (in the 3000 and 5000) to reduce the # of runners, or is the field small enough to have just one start? (BTW: how many people line up on one given start for 1500, 3000, 5000, and 10000; I guess for shorter races it’s one runner per lane.) Daniel – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi Daniel Pierre Antoine, Track is awesome, with specific training, you would be a pretty good 1500-3000m runner, give it a shot. There’s a great summer twilight series in Ottawa http://ottawalions.com/twilight.html. After my April marathon, I plan a track comeback, in H.S. I ran 100-200-400m. I will compete in Master’s track competition this summer, I look forward to it. Hope you give track a try, it’s really fun. Hope to see you Saturday at the St-Pats road race. Bernard Has any of you done track racing *after* having enjoyed road racing for fun? It seems that track is more "serious" than road, with heats, etc. Then there’s the fact that most runners are probably with clubs and doing it more seriously than me. Also, when I look at big races on TV, they seem to play kind of rough when they position themselves (elbowing, pushing, etc.). I run a 17:40 5K at 29yo and still improving: Is there any point trying the track. Any suggestions?

Response:

Track racing is good for variety, and is also a more accurate indicator of the suitability of your training program.  With road races, there is always a caveat involving the terrain of the course, which is a much less important issue on a running track.  Your times therefore tend to have fewer variables affecting them on a track than on a road or cross-country course. I like the variety of a mixed program, so track racing, road racing, and cross-country racing are a good mix.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Has any of you done track racing *after* having enjoyed road racing for fun? It seems that track is more "serious" than road, with heats, etc. Then there’s the fact that most runners are probably with clubs and doing it more seriously than me. Also, when I look at big races on TV, they seem to play kind of rough when they position themselves (elbowing, pushing, etc.). I run a 17:40 5K at 29yo and still improving: Is there any point trying the track. Any suggestions?

Response:

Has any of you done track racing *after* having enjoyed road racing for fun? It seems that track is more "serious" than road, with heats, etc. Then there’s the fact that most runners are probably with clubs and doing it more seriously than me. Also, when I look at big races on TV, they seem to play kind of rough when they position themselves (elbowing, pushing, etc.). I run a 17:40 5K at 29yo and still improving: Is there any point trying the track. Any suggestions?

  Track has its range of experiences too.  If you haven’t tried it out, it’s something to do.  I swap between road, track, and trail. They’re all enjoyable in their different ways.  10 days to my trail ultra, then when I’m back training, it’ll be for a track mile.   (‘only’ one measly mile.  Counting laps, rather than hours …   The kinds of track races that get televised are rather different creatures than what you’ll experience at an all-comers meet in your area.  For me the track has been, if anything, more casual and open than the road races.  Possibly it is because of the heats.  Folks try to relax before their heat, and even more so after they’ve run.   The range of ’seriousness’ strikes me as about the same for road races.  Self-reminder: a person can be more ’serious’ than you, and still be slower.  Just go and run your race.  With times like yours, you’ll be ahead of some and behind others.  Same deal as on the road.  It is possible that you’ll be closer to the back than on the road.  Que sera, sera. — Robert Grumbine http://www.radix.net/~bobg/ Science faqs and amateur activities notes and links. Sagredo (Galileo Galilei) "You present these recondite matters with too much evidence and ease; this great facility makes them less appreciated than they would be had they been presented in a more abstruse manner." Two New Sciences

Response:

Give it a go. If you run 17:40 at a track meet you can expect lots of interest from clubs looking to sign you up! IanB. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Has any of you done track racing *after* having enjoyed road racing for fun? It seems that track is more "serious" than road, with heats, etc. Then there’s the fact that most runners are probably with clubs and doing it more seriously than me. Also, when I look at big races on TV, they seem to play kind of rough when they position themselves (elbowing, pushing, etc.). I run a 17:40 5K at 29yo and still improving: Is there any point trying the track. Any suggestions?

Response:

Hi Daniel Pierre Antoine, Track is awesome, with specific training, you would be a pretty good 1500-3000m runner, give it a shot. There’s a great summer twilight series in Ottawa http://ottawalions.com/twilight.html. After my April marathon, I plan a track comeback, in H.S. I ran 100-200-400m. I will compete in Master’s track competition this summer, I look forward to it. Hope you give track a try, it’s really fun. Hope to see you Saturday at the St-Pats road race. Bernard

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Has any of you done track racing *after* having enjoyed road racing for fun? It seems that track is more "serious" than road, with heats, etc. Then there’s the fact that most runners are probably with clubs and doing it more seriously than me. Also, when I look at big races on TV, they seem to play kind of rough when they position themselves (elbowing, pushing, etc.). I run a 17:40 5K at 29yo and still improving: Is there any point trying the track. Any suggestions?

Response:

Has any of you done track racing *after* having enjoyed road racing for fun? It seems that track is more "serious" than road, with heats, etc. Then there’s the fact that most runners are probably with clubs and doing it more seriously than me. Also, when I look at big races on TV, they seem to play kind of rough when they position themselves (elbowing, pushing, etc.). I run a 17:40 5K at 29yo and still improving: Is there any point trying the track. Any suggestions?

Response:

i would definitely say there is a point in trying track. i agree though that generally the atmosphere at road races tends to be friendlier and usually less time and competition orientated. open meetings are fun in my opinion…if you try a few track races and isn’t for you… you have not lost a great deal… but you might end up loving it! laura

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