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Written by Bwana Bwana

Looking back on the winter (and it ain't over yet), we never really had a proper January (or February) thaw. I'm talking about 4 or 5 days in the 50s when everything melts. And as we wait for the latest Snowmageddon, or Stormapalooza, or whatever they're calling it this time, it's getting a little wearisome. Thankfully, our area will likely be spared the brunt of it. Still, John Domico, Jim Myers, Bob Cornwall, Tom Cali, Meira Minard, Judd Michael, Costas Maranas, George Lesieutre, Marty Klanchar, Mark Fedkin, John Wilcock, newcomer Katrina Bautista, Dana Todd, Kirk Rager, Martijn Westhoff, Michael Goldfine, Lee Culver, Ron Cunfer, Jerry Steffy, Kim Nelson, Ann Marie Oldani, Jessica Wekke, and Marty Mazur headed for the track with snow shoveling on their minds.

For the second week in a row, Bwana dusted off an outdoor workout for indoor use. This one worked out better than last week's fluster-cluck. Bwana had the crew do 4X3 laps, starting in lane 3 and moving out a lane each rep. The object was to keep the same lap pace (or better) each time you moved out a lane. Even sandbagging a little on the first rep, that's not easy to do, especially if you charge yourself with the duty of not only making each rep at least as fast as the first, but also of making each rep faster than the last. Starting in lane 3, the runners were doing about 640 meters. By the time they reached lane 6, they were trying to run 700 meters in the same amount of time!

It's pretty easy to maintain the same lap speed when your lap speed is zero. Lance Bland has lately been transfixed by women's curling and is learning how to yell in Danish. Jonathan Thurley got his finger stuck in his Rolodex and was trapped at his desk. Ann Skulas-Ray was painting the "nails" on her Vibram Five Fingers.  And Matt Soccio has progressed past the Richard Simmons, but has to get through his old Jane Fonda workout tapes before he takes on the track.