Sometimes we Run in Circles--Literally

So the streets are not safe in my opinion to run on, let alone do speed work on. In an attempt to avoid another run on what I call the dreadmill (treadmill) I headed over to a nearby YMCA which has an indoor track for my speed work. Now, I had not been to this YMCA before, but the Y changed their policies and you can go to any YMCA now and this one is just 10 minutes from my house and I thought a track sounded much better. There I go thinking again!! Next time, a little more thinking may be in order as it took 19 laps around the crowded track to make a mile and I had to do almost 7 miles with speed work and all the dreadmills were full so no other option but to run in circles--a lot of circles. Further, the "crowd" on the track was mostly walkers and kids, which is fine. . . except, the walkers were bad drivers constantly wandering from the walking lane into the middle of the running lane and the kids, well the kids were everywhere like bad gnats in the summertime. I needed to do 24 x 200 meters at under 5K pace (53 seconds was my best time). I managed to survive, and also managed to not kill any child or adult by trampling them, which I imagine is a bad way to go. In just over an hour of running I completed 132 laps around this darn circular nemesis and covered a total of 7 miles. Speedwork sometimes leaves me a little queasy, but I think the circles added to the icky feeling in my belly. On the way home I stopped to vote (duty calls) and was exhausted and too worn out to eat when I got home, but forced a pb and banana sandwich with honey down my throat (of course Otis helped) and then had to play some tug of war before going to bed.