Erzsie’s Running Blog
Erzsebet Nagy is a senior at Lawrence HS in Fairfield. Nagy ran xc for the first time last fall & ran at a high level, finishing as the runner-up. Nagy continued her strong running during the outdoor track season that saw her break the Maine All-time record for 800m with a 2:13.50 clocking. Erzsebet enters the 2012 xc season as the individual favorite. Follow her this summer to see what she is doing to prepare & what she does to have fun.
I am a runner, living in a world where most people are not. Runners are not common and are only truly understood by others of the same breed. This makes the whole lifestyle a bit lonely. Enter stage left: the training partner. Without a buddy, the whole running business would be a whole lot harder.
I have a training partner, and I owe him a great deal of gratitude. He likes to tell me that I wear the pants in our running relationship. We have known each other since preschool, but it was not until our sophomore year that we began running together. At Lawrence, the distance team is not exactly big (But then again, neither is our track team.). We found ourselves to be about the same pace for warm-up runs (behind the one senior and ahead of those who rarely came to practice) so we inevitably developed a running bond. Conversations would range from family to future plans to food. Food was perhaps the most frequent topic of discussion.
Track workouts are different from warm-up runs in that they don’t leave a lot of time or breath for conversation. When we are on the track, his labored breaths are a comfort to me, an indication that he is enduring the same pain that I am. Simply his presence helps me through even the most grueling track workouts. Being an 800 runner (and male), he runs much faster times than me, yet our training paces are not far apart. In shorter workouts, I follow behind him the best I can and try not to let him get too far ahead. In the longer workouts, however, sometimes we switch places so that I lead. Then, his heavy breathing is my motivation to not let him pass me. And when a hard workout is done, we can admire ourselves and each other for finishing it.
I think that I am a good influence on him, but if you were to ask him, he may disagree. This is simply because I like a challenge, so when I want an adventure, I invite him to come along. So is the story of the Augusta Rail Trail half marathon, held each year at the end of June. I talked him into running it with me our sophomore year (this took lots of pleading during warm-up runs). I was psyched for it and asked my mom, a marathoner herself, for training advice. The problem for my training partner was that he neglected to run after track season with the exception of one 7 miler. His lack of training explained his painful first experience with 13.1 miles (in 1:57, I believe). I on the other hand had taken my mom’s advice. My two-week training plan consisted of multiple 6’s, a couple 4s, and one long run of 9.3. I finished in 1:35 and change. So after swearing he would never do it again, he ran it with me this year too! This year, we trained together. I took him on his first 8-miler during which we talked the whole time. He even got a spontaneous bloody nose but wanted to complete the run, even though I proposed we stop at an upcoming general store to grab some napkins while still running. The bleeding did stop, but he looked a bit menacing, running down the road with dried blood on his shirt and face. Even though we were not able to run our long run together, I texted him to make sure he ran between 9 and 10. The training paid off, and he finished in a much less zombie-like state in 1:41, chopping off a whopping 16 minutes! I was thrilled for him and myself (finishing in a 1:29 and change, achieving my goal of breaking 1:30)!
Motivation is a huge factor in training. I think that is why many people quit, because they lack that special force that makes them keep going. I have a lot of will power, maybe even too much at times, but without Sawyer Letourneau, I would not run as fast. Running with a partner turns the longest runs into a long conversation, the speed workouts into a torture that somebody else is sharing with you. So thank you Sawyer, for enduring me and our runs.
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