This morning, I returned to Quito’s 800m public running track for the first time in what seems like ages. The track, located in the center of Quito’s Parque de la Carolina (across street from my apartment and seemingly a stone’s throw from my room’s window), is home to walkers, cyclists, and runners ranging from 100-year-old abuelitas to Olympians.

Today, I’m here just for a quick tune-up. Some shorter intervals to get used to running a bit faster than my marathon pace. But on Friday, I’ll be back to race – a race that I haven’t run in close to a year – the track 10,000m.

What used to be my steady other-half now seems like an old friend. I’m excited for our reunion. But I can’t help but feel a sense of apprehension. The 10,000m is a long race to run in little circles – 25 of them to be exact. There’s a mental and physical strain that’s the result of fifty left turns that seems so foreign now compared to the long, asphalt- or dirt-roads that have stretched out under me during the last eleven months’ worth of races.

It certainly does have its advantages, though: this circle-running. The lung-crushing hills of the high altitude Andes have no place here. The pace is easier to monitor. In general, it just feels a bit easier to control.

But whatever happens on Friday, I’m just glad I have the opportunity. I’m glad to be back on the track. And I’m glad I have something to think about and focus on these next few days. This taper is driving me bonkers.