I'm grateful to have the Pettit. It beats running on icy sidewalks in wind chills that get into the double-digits below zero. But like anything, you sometimes have to take the good with the bad.
Ten Things Pettit Runners Know
1. There's always something to see on the ice. The Pettit hosts all kinds of great ice skating events, from ice hockey to skating lessons to speed skating time trials. When your friends ask you if you ever get bored running in circles, you can tell them about the adorable kids you saw taking their first steps onto the ice, the raucous hockey match you witnessed, or the figure skaters you saw practicing their routines.
2. But it can be a little dull, too. Running isn't always exciting, right? The key to a good, long workout at the Pettit is a good playlist, some good podcasts, or some good company.
3. After a few laps, you'll either be great at math, or you'll forget how to count. The track is 445.2 meters long (measured on the inside lane), which makes a mile slightly under four laps. Because that makes for some ugly math, runners going for long distances track laps instead of miles and then calculate their mileage at the end by using the handy chart by the track. But even counting laps gets strangely challenging after about a dozen times around the circle. Maybe we all get a little dizzy by then?
4. Fifty-five degrees is not as warm as it sounds. When the whether outside is below zero, a run in perfectly controlled 55 degree conditions sounds lovely. But with the Pettit's low humidity, it actually feels pretty cold. A hat and gloves are nice to have until you get warmed up.
5. The Pettit Lung is real. That dry air can wreak havoc on your lungs and you might develop a bit of a hacking cough after a hard workout on the track. Still better than freeze-your-face-off wind chill. Have a nice cup of hot tea after you cool down from your run - it seems to help.
6. Sometimes you have to pull over for the National Anthem. Many of the sporting events at the Pettit kick off with the National Anthem. You may be in the middle of an 800, but the right thing to do is pull over, take off your hat, and listen respectfully. Your 800 will be there when the song is done.
7. You'll see all kinds of characters on the track. There's the barefoot guy who makes his way around the track with a slow-but-steady distinct cadence. Army guys and gals run in between sets of situps. You'll always see a few impossibly fast people who make the rest of us look like we're taking a leisurely stroll. And there's nothing quite as humbling as being passed by a kid who looks like he's about six - kids are welcome at the Pettit run/walk track, and the few that I've seen there have always been super fast and incredibly awesome.
8. Zamboni Crossing is an actual thing. Look both ways!
9. You may start to wonder what it would be like to run a marathon around a track. And if you really want to see what it's like, you can! The Icebreaker Indoor Marathon takes place every January. 94.9 laps around the Pettit will get you to 26.2 miles. (The less cuckoo among us can opt for the half marathon, which comes in at about 48 laps. But if 94.9 laps doesn't feel like enough, there's always the Gold Medal Challenge, where runners can do the half marathon and the full marathon on consecutive days). The post-race cookies make it all worthwhile.
10. We're lucky to have the Pettit. It keeps us off the treadmill during these long, cold winters.
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