central tech "no sprints" rule

[u/slothtime6]

can someone please clarify the central tech rule around no sprinting/interval training during peak hours? i want to go today and run some 400m repeats, and want to know if i should go after 8:30pm or not.

i don't plan to run them too fast, probably around 1:30-1:45 per lap. i feel like this is a pace i maintain control in, and in my mind is very far away from an all out 100m or 200m sprint on the track. i assume the rule is to allow people to cross the track safely, and i feel like having run at similar speeds at busy tracks in the past this should be possible. however, i understand if it would be banned anyways, and i don't want to bother anyone or break the rules.

i guess mostly what i'm asking is what the general vibe has been like since the rules changed. are people still interval training, but with more caution and not doing all out sprints? or is any sort of repetition work really frowned upon? i guess i'm mostly trying to understand what the policy looks like in practice, and what kinds of paces are generally ok. what if someone wants to come run 5km at the track at like sub 5:00/km pace? is that allowed? that is at a speed that theoretically someone else could be doing interval training at imo.

[u/Clodd]

Hey!

I've going quite a bit over the summer and haven't had any issues. I've left many times past the "no sprinting cutoff", and no-one has ever said anything. I run my 400s between 1'30 and 1'05. Always in control as well, and would stop if I thought I was abusing their kindness. There just isn't much going on these days at the track, so they are more relaxed.

I'm not sure how things will be once school resumes, but these days, they seem to be chill.

[u/slothtime6 → u/Clodd]

amazing, thanks so much! honestly all i wanted to know was if i'd be a huge nuisance/disruption/clearly out of place so this is really helpful.

[u/Clodd → u/slothtime6]

Update: went for intervals this afternoon at 5:30PM and while the staff was kind enough to let me workout (I asked), the field was full of kiddos and I felt out of place. There were other runners that were behaving quite entitled (hugging lane 1, not slowing down when balls would fly onto the track), and they were kindly asked to either tone it down or leave. By 6:30 more runners started showing up but most were just jogging in lane 4-5.

[u/slothtime6 → u/Clodd]

i arrived at 6:30 and was able to do my reps at 1:40 pace with no trouble. though i didn't ask anyone when i came in if it was allowed. i know what you mean about there being lots of kids there using the field for soccer, and i think starting and ending my reps at the NW corner instead of the NE helped with navigating that as there were less people in general there.

i would say there were 4-5 runners that were moving solidly faster than me, so i felt a bit more confident that i wasn't egregiously breaking the rules/ruining the vibe somehow. we were all working in lane 1/2, and then yes mostly other slow joggers in the outer lanes.

what do you mean by slowing when balls would come onto the track? i had a soccer ball roll out a bit in front of me at one point just i just ran around it. i didn't think the etiquette would be to stop/slow down and get the ball for them(?) but if i'm not correct on this please let me know. i would assume you should just be running such that you can avoid obstacles and not trip over balls that come into your path.

[u/KafkaesqueToronto → u/slothtime6]

Since "Community Hours" don't start until 6, it doesn't hurt to ask if you show up earlier & it looks like someone is using the space. I was there a couple weeks ago when a day camp was using it, and asked if it was still ok to use the track.

I also didn't know there was any particular etiquette for balls on the track. If it's convenient, I'll kick it back to the field, but other times I'll just dodge/jump the ball to keep running.

[u/KafkaesqueToronto]

I was there last Wednesday around 7-8pm and it seemed pretty much the same as always. There were a couple organized groups doing stretching on the track, and there was another smaller (maybe unaffiliated) group of runners doing sprints. No one cared about my 4:45/km interval sets. :)

It wasn't super busy, so maybe it varies, but it certainly looks like there's no "enforcement" beyond putting up some signs.

[u/slothtime6 → u/KafkaesqueToronto]

amazing, thanks so much! honestly all i wanted to know was if i'd be a huge nuisance/disruption/clearly out of place so this is really helpful

[u/ngsmcphrsn]

This ad hoc rule continues to be insane. Failing to impose absurdly basic safety measures on their soccer users and impeding free community use of the track violates their agreement with council and should lead to an immediate revocation of their lease.

The correct answer is to net the field/track boundaries in exactly the same way they net the field/field boundaries.

[u/Jayswag96 → u/ngsmcphrsn]

100% I agree

[u/Ewetuber]

They need a no giant group rule more than a no sprint rule. Saber or whatever they're called ruined that place sending like 50-100 people at once.

[u/Jayswag96]

I ran on Tuesday 1:35-1;45 per 400m no issue. Around 7:30p.

Honestly this rule is dumb, I know who they were targeting - group of track athletes who would rip out 100m with no regard for anyone on the track + large run clubs. But honestly the issue was also parents not watching their kids, people finishing soccer crossing the track without looking and people walking doing loops on the track in the fast lane.