Leaving the track

I skipped the second session this week. Or maybe I just hit my limit. Running in circles around a stadium — again and again — it wears you down.

Last time, I finished strong, the last five minutes flat out. Today, I just needed air. Asphalt. Dirt. Exit the track.

I started easy. Legs felt good. Bit by bit, I picked up the pace without really meaning to. It felt great — almost freeing.

I told myself I’d try to keep it up for thirty minutes. Nothing guaranteed. A few times, I wanted to stop, just for a moment — but no. At worst, I slowed down for a hundred meters, then got back into it.

I felt good. Deep breaths, steady rhythm. And then I passed the 4 km mark. 5 km under 30 minutes suddenly seemed possible.

So I didn’t let go. Not until the end. I wanted to see what I had in me. A first real test — rough, improvised, but real. There had to be a first one anyway.

The first kilometer was too relaxed, really. Right there, I could easily shave off a minute. The margin’s there — now it’s just about keeping on.

Keeping on leaving the track, breathing outside air, and, above all, keeping those easy runs. Because, as they say:

to learn to run fast, you must first learn to run slow.

Maybe I’ll even add a third easy session during the week. But that, I’ll let my body decide.