Wednesday, January 17, 2007

In praise of the cotton tee


A hint of winter has finally rolled into the Mid-Atlantic, as the mercury dropped into the low 20s last night. Since I needed to hit the gym to catch up on my lifting, I decided to combine my morning's run and the lifting into one trip, and avoid running in the cold, dark morning -- hey, I'm only human!

Coach Debi has me in the middle of a tough week, so at 5:30 AM I toed the line at the indoor track at ACAC and started running laps. 12 laps equals a mile on the square, 2-lane track. Round and round, checking out the early morning pickup basketball game below me, the spin class above me, and the squadron of cardio machines to the side.

Most of my gym companions this morning were dressed in their nicest gym togs -- a variety of sporty outfits made from high-performance wicking fabrics that keep you dry, cool, and comfortable. I've got some nice gear like that -- and they really work -- but today I was old school all the way, with a pair of faded v-notch running shorts and a veteran cotton t-shirt from a local 5-K.

There's something about a cotton tee that endears itself to me. When you're running inside you don't have to worry about your sweat chilling you, so it's almost pleasant to feel the dampness of the shirt grow as you put in the miles. The shirt sticks to you, and the wind caused by your running evaporates the sweat and cools you.

Finally I'm done. 80 laps, about 6.7 miles at a 9 minute/mile pace. And with my old t-shirt hanging damply from my shoulders and smelling faintly of ammonia, I look like I've run for an hour. It's my personal red badge of courage.

A good start to the day. Now on to the weights.

Ken

Keep track of my progress at my training log.

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