The Mile (Read 589 times)

I guess it will be my turn next. 

 

Like stadjak, my marathon was only a little bit ago (May 4).  Now I just got the e-mail yesterday afternoon that our company mile tryout is next Wednesday (gosh just thinking about it, it actually gives me that nauseous feeling running down from my throat through my guts and all the way down into my calves.  ).  This isn't the "real" race.  It's tryouts for the KC Corporate Challenge track meet the first week of June, but for me it will probably be more of a challenge than the actual KCCC mile because in our little tryouts, even though it's just a bunch of guys gathering around the middle school track across the street, it's people of all ages and there are at least two guys who have beaten me in previous years (youngsters!), whereas in the actual meet you run only in your age group and most years I'm not pushed very hard there.  So....  one thing I have learned is that I do NOT have the finishing kick I probably did when I was a whippersnapper and I've got to try to put the young guys away in the third lap making them use as much oxygen as possible.

 

The quarters I ran this morning were not an encouraging sign though.  Geez, where are my fast twitch fibers?!?!  Seems they have all gone dormant.

I'll bet those fibers come back to you pretty quickly. Just don't rush it.

There are several different ways to approach the mile, from just jumping in to focusing on the event. Almost every year I at least try to put down an effort to run the mile. For the past decade where I've lived we have a club series mile at the end of June. It's usually 5 days after our big 10K, so feeling 100% ready and rested is not usually in the cards. Nevertheless, starting about now I will incorporate mile pace workouts, so the event is not a total shock to the system. The 10K is priority, but for June the mile is the next highest. 

Here is a sample from my 2012 schedule (which you can see on my Workouts profile). Most of the other workouts are just distance, probably 50-60 mpw this time of year. Might do a set of pick ups (80 - 100 m once a week or so).

5/17 - interval/fartlek

3 mile warm up with pick ups and some drills

400 (garmin) 74.8, 2 min recovery
400 75:5, 2 min recovery
3X 300 (54-55) with 2 min recovery

3 mile cool down

5/19 - road race

3 mile race

5/26 - interval

45 min warm up including surges at threshold and dynamic stretching. Then 4X100 progressively faster (20, 19, 18, 17) with 100 m jog recovery; 4X400 at 76, 76, 74, 75 and 400 m jog recovery, 200 after the last one; and 2X 200 at 36, 35 with 200 m jog recovery. Cool down about 12 or 15 min.

5/29 - interval

6/1 - interval

2 mile warm up including pick ups

800 (2:31), 400 m jog
2x 400 76, 75 with 400 jog
2X 300 54.8 54.2 with 300 m jog
1 mile cool down

6/5 - tempo

4.5 mile warm up, 3.5 mile tempo (6:30 to 6:00 pace), 3 mile cool down

6/7 - track meet

1 mile race 5:09.60, 800 m race 2:24

6/12 - interval

2 mile warm up
4X 400 76, 76, 75, 75 with 400 m recovery
1 mile cool down

6/14 - 5K track race

17:17.1 (splits 5:33.8, 11:07, 16:40 )

6/19 - interval

1.5 mile warm up
1000 m in 3:07 (74.6, 2:29.7, 3:07.6) at the track
5 min recovery
400 in 72/73 (on grass)
3X 300 in 55, 52, 54 (last one starting easier and progressing at 70-100 m segments

6/23  10K Club Race (peak effort)

6/28 - 1 mile club series race

5:03.9 (77, 77, 74, not much kick! [75])

(note that I went out too slow, the plan was 75-76 for the first two laps)

I(gosh just thinking about it, it actually gives me that nauseous feeling running down from my throat through my guts and all the way down into my calves.  ).  

 

...

 

The quarters I ran this morning were not an encouraging sign though.  Geez, where are my fast twitch fibers?!?!  Seems they have all gone dormant.

Gosh, this sounds so familiar . . . .

Best of luck, man.

I haven't raced on a track in 23 years or so; my understanding of the rules is pretty dodgy.

 

Is there any consequence for stepping over the inside barrier (the rail)?

According to the USATF's "Umpire Guide" it's usually two or three consecutive steps. For record purposes they might require a rail, and for official meets (e.g., hgh school level) they at least require plastic cones on the inside line of lane 1 (i.e., the curves).

"In USA Track & Field running outside the lane to the right is a specified exception but is covered in the IAAF since no material advantage can be gained by running a longer distance (Rule 65.4 & .6). In the NCAA the athlete must step on or over the line with two consecutive steps of the left foot (Rule 5.5b). In high school it is on or over the line with three or more consecutive steps with either or both feet (Rule 5.11). Be sure that you can report the number of steps taken that are on or over the inside lane line. The referee may also want to know how far over the line the athlete was."

4:59.7

By the proverbial skin of the teeth, on a somewhat warm and breezy evening.

Well, it actually felt a lot better than my 5:05 tryout a couple of weeks ago, and I won the race (don't be terribly impressed, it was all codgers age 45-49), but I'm also a little disappointed.  Ran fully 8 seconds faster 1 year ago.  8 seconds.  And I don't feel like I'm that much less fit than last year, if any, but sure am having a harder time finding my fast gears.  But, of course, I am very very thankful to have the health and ability to run this well at my age, and I must keep that in perspective.  As I was telling my sons the other day, I am the youngest 47 year old that I know -- and running is a LOT to credit for that.

4:59.7

w00t!  Smoke'n.  That's the way to nail it.

4:59.7

 

By the proverbial skin of the teeth, on a somewhat warm and breezy evening.

 

Well, it actually felt a lot better than my 5:05 tryout a couple of weeks ago, and I won the race (don't be terribly impressed, it was all codgers age 45-49), but I'm also a little disappointed.  Ran fully 8 seconds faster 1 year ago.  8 seconds.  And I don't feel like I'm that much less fit than last year, if any, but sure am having a harder time finding my fast gears.  But, of course, I am very very thankful to have the health and ability to run this well at my age, and I must keep that in perspective.  As I was telling my sons the other day, I am the youngest 47 year old that I know -- and running is a LOT to credit for that.

Outstanding! It's sub-5. I've never run a single one of those, ever . . .Nice work.