Get on Track

Races held on the track can be hard to find once you’re out of school. But especially during the summer, many local running clubs will put on one or more all comer’s meets. In some parts of the country, you also can find indoor track meets open to all runners during the winter. These track meets are usually sparsely populated events, with less than 100 runners taking part. There are no T-shirts, and the entry fee is nominal. All comer’s meets have an intimate atmosphere that’s hard to match at a big road race.
Whereas road races are often about doing the best you can on the course you find yourself on, there’s no such mystery in track races. Seen one, you’ve seen them all. Because of this universality of tracks, most runners are going to be there to chase after a time goal. As a result, many runners are intimidated by track races because they associate racing on the track with something that only really fast people do. That’s a shame, because I think all racers should experiment with different types of races occasionally. Track races are usually shorter than road races; 5K (12.5 laps of the track) is usually the longest race. Many runners gravitate to the longer distances because that’s what’s available on the road. But by running track races in addition to road races, you might find that you have a talent for speed-based events such as the mile. Track races are also a good place to develop a strong sense of pace. Because there’s no variation from lap to lap, you do best by getting in a rhythm. Learning how to get in a rhythm can help you on flat road courses as well. You also develop the ability to concentrate when you compete on the track frequently because churning lap after lap can get so boring.