Rounding that last corner like a bat out of hell you hit the straight away in a full sprint, the pain is intense and you just focus on holding that stride, even increasing it. You can hear the other top runners with the same goal breathing down your neck ready to pass on the slightest inclination of weakness. Like wolves in a pack they can sense it. Time Stands Still.

You are one with the track, nothing else matters, the World disappears, the heat burning through your thin socks from the friction off the reslite track is blistering, but you cannot feel it yet. Once you stop that pain will be more than real, right now you are in it to win it and this slow motion feeling you will remember for the next 35 years. How would I know?

Recently a gentleman who is a Master Champion in the 400 meter emailed me; he runs an impressive 60 second quarter at Age 60! Giving the young men a little competition are we!!!! Excellent indeed. That is an incredible time for age sixty. He asked what times I ran in the 800-meter as he was considering changing races to the demon of all Track and Field events; The 800 Meter.

While looking for my old 800-meter work out schedule from college, I thought back to those glory days and told him that I would dig up one of my old running schedules, but seems to me it was:

• Long Distance Run on Sundays 12-15 miles
• 220's at race pace, 4 miles fast pace run, 6 miles slow on Monday,
• Quarters on Tuesday 110 jog or walk between.
• Distance on Wednesdays
• 110, 220, 440, 660, 660, 440, 220, 100 (walk or jog between) 4-sets. Then 5-mile jog, last mile hard, sprint between telephone poles every half-mile.
• Fridays easy, stretch, 220s,
• Saturdays Race Day.

Also note that I got to the point I was adding in a 3-mile run in the mornings and evenings on top of that every day. But we are talking HS Championship and attempting to keep up with the world class runners at College Invitationals. Gotta do it if you want to win. Now remember I was a miler for the most part.

So those distances and workouts were for the mile run. The 800-meter was to help the team with points, nearly killed me, ha ha ha. Yep, I do remember the pain. But I promised to look thru some of my old schedules, at different times and coaches we did different type workouts, lots of Fartlek or interval training.

It was great to talk with a fellow competitive runner, it has been a long time, but one never forgets. Well, I certainly hope this article is of interest and that is has propelled thought. The goal is simple; to help you in your quest to be the best in 2007. I thank you for reading my many articles on diverse subjects, which interest you.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is a guest writer for Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington