Three. Two. One. POP!

How many workouts and practices have I overseen in the past 23 years? It’s mind-boggling to think about this, as it certainly numbers in the thousands. That’s a lot of van rides, water coolers, measuring wheels and cones. Earlier this season, one of our athletes questioned why I say “ready, go” at the beginning of every interval repetition. I usually say it in a very low-key and matter-of-fact way. He was wondering why it was not more elaborate and in three parts – you know, “on your mark, get set, go,” or something like that.

I really did not have an answer for him. Probably, sometime back in 1991 at one of my earliest practices, I said “ready, go” and that’s what it has been ever since. I really gave it very little thought. As the team has grown from one van and a ragtag group of 10 men (circa 1991) to three vans and a very cohesive unit of 30-plus men and nearly 30 women, so too have the workouts and workout groups grown. So while “ready, go” still works just fine, thank you very much, there is also the need for a bit of self-service timing given the spread among groups and runners.

And so, in the past few years, the men have grouped up and given themselves a countdown to the next interval. It goes like this: 3-2-1 POP! And off they go. I feel like I have posted about this in the past. If so, I am sorry for recycling material; it happens, I guess. This topic is fresh in my mind as we are in the middle of perhaps the most intense week of training during the cross country season, featuring long workouts and long runs.