Beginners and Beyond

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Clawson Runs 1 Mile Race Report (Read 65 times)

LRB


    I ran the Firecracker Mile this morning in a time of 5:23.

     

    This was my second (and regrettably most likely last) mile race of the season, and at 59 degrees with only a slight wind at the start, conditions could not have been better for a race.

     

    My warmup was 2 miles easy, a half mile at 6:28, a short recovery then a 28 second stride for a total of 3 miles.  I completed it 11 minutes before the scheduled start giving me time to slip into my racing flats and take a squig or two of water before jogging to the start line.

     

    Looking at those assembled upfront you could clearly see there was some decent talent present.  I took a place on the red line amongst them and chatted it up briefly, not long thereafter the race started at 9:00 right on the button!

     

    It initially seemed as if the entire crowd shot past me like I was jogging!  But alas, Confucius say those whom blast off like rocket, soon fizzle like dud, so I did not panic.

     

    The mile is the one race where I do not look at my watch, so I was just trying to find some familiarity with my effort until the crowd thinned, which it eventually did.

     

    My quarter mile splits according to Garmin were:

     

    1:15

    1:23

    1:23

    1:20

     

    I am obviously none too happy with an 8 second drop-off for the second quarter, but maybe the 1:15 was too fast for a start?  I do not know, I did not feel like I fell off the pace that much.

     

    I guess I just do not do not have enough experience racing this distance to properly critique it.  Perhaps I will spend more time training for it next year and possibly traveling for 1 mile events, which is something I will look at during the off season.

     

    As it is, I suppose it says something that I was able to carry the same split for the 3rd quarter and not completely fall off the face of the earth as has happened in my prior mile races.

     

    In terms of strategy, my race senses were on and I was fully aware, moving past fading runners instead of becoming comfortable running beside them.

     

    There was one runner who I normally finish ahead of at other events who was ahead of me nearing the halfway mark giving me a serious WTF moment!  But again I did not panic, I could hear the fatigue in his footsteps and eventually passed him in the early part of the 3rd quarter.

     

    I always beat myself up for not kicking sooner near the end of my mile races so today, I felt it important to finish strong.  I picked up the pace with about 400 meters to go, and cranked it up a bit more with about 200 meters left.  At about 100 meters I went into an all out sprint, passing about four or five runners just ahead of the finish where the proverbial balls were to the wall.

     

    I will not lie though, I had designs on a little better time than this but that is easier said than done.

     

    Coming into the race today, I felt an enormous amount of pressure for one of the first times in my racing life.  More than I can remember for any other event which is really odd considering that this is just a mile.

     

    I say just a mile when in fact it is a very important distance for me.  I have been really anxious the past week or two and just not myself as the date drew near unusually fast.

     

    That was probably a result of the scarcity of the event, I mean this was it!  And honestly, I am just really glad it's over!!

     

    It's kind of funny as I am just a fuckin hobby jogger, I mean who really cares what I run?!  I guess though that we are out there trying to race our best, and there is pressure that goes along with that.  Of course in the grand scheme of things we are but bit players, but I am not ashamed of being that...somebody has to be.

     

    Ultimately I shaved 12 seconds off my time from this event last year.  No it's not earth shattering but progress is progress, I guess.

     

    Anyway, today's performance gives me a VDOT value of 55, which just happens to have an associated half marathon time with it that I have been drooling for since January.  Of course just having the VDOT value means nothing, you still have to go out there and get your ass kicked while training and racing to your value is a whole 'nother story, but it is an important step.

     

    The race deets:

     

    The overall winner came in at 4:17.

    2nd male 4:21

    3rd male 4:22

     

    The ladies winner came in at 4:50

    2nd lady 5:07

    3rd lady 5:10

     

    The first 15 finishers went sub-5:00 (the first 12 did last year).

     

    The men's and women's winner share the same last name and hometown, I guess they are a couple as they also wore the same patterned shorts (no thank you! lol).

     

    The total number of runners is not in yet but I placed 29th overall (up from 32nd last year), and third in my age group (I won my age group last year).

     

    All in all it leaves me wanting more, which is probably the best thing for me...

     

    If you made it this far thank you!  This ridiculously long ass report probably took you longer to read than it did me to run the stupid race, sorry!

    B-Plus


      That's gotta be the longest 1-mile RR ever! Congrats on a fast time and improvement over last year. Given your finish time, what would the ideal splits be?

      happylily


        I was wondering why your post in the dailies said you had run one mile at mile race pace, plus a bunch of easy miles. I was thinking "WTH kind of a workout is that?" LOL...

         

        Rick, you have acquired great self-control in the shorter distances and you seem to be able to act on your strategies, even if the time allotted is but a few minutes. That is a hard thing to do. Most of us run the mile, or even a 5k, like chickens with no head, with no clue of what is happening when it's happening. Not you. I really admire that about your racing. And as always, you write a great captivating RR!

         

        This line: It's kind of funny as I am just a fuckin hobby jogger, I mean who really cares what I run?! It bugs me. I realize we are not elites. But what is the proportion of elites in the running community? It's a tiny fraction. They have their own world apart. We live in the other world. In my world, you are an elite. You are definitely not a hobby jogger. Congratulations on a fast time and AG award!!!

        PRs: Boston Marathon, 3:27, April 15th 2013

                Cornwall Half-Marathon, 1:35, April 27th 2013

        18 marathons, 18 BQs since 2010

        LRB


          But I want to be a hobby jogger dammit!  

           

          Your comment about what kind of workout I had was funny!

           

          B, since I do not practice at goal race pace, I guess the thing I would have liked is not to have had a 16 second drop-off between the first split and splits 2 & 3.  But is that splitting hairs?

             

            If you made it this far thank you!  This ridiculously long ass report probably took you longer to read than it did me to run the stupid race, sorry!

             

            Ha! I think that is true!

            Great race, that time is smokin' fast. What a fast field;  I guess there aren't too many competitive mile races out there.

            I think the race was a straight shot, wasn't it? Better than the hairpin turn in Novi, I assume? I wonder how it compares to racing a mile on a track - ever done that or considered it? Probably even tougher to find, as a hobby jogger anyway.

             

            Interesting how nervous you were, since you do a ton of racing. And for short races, you can always have another go at it again pretty quickly. But I guess you considered this truly a goal race, and put a lot of prep into it.

             

            I am almost tempted to try one sometime....

            Dave

            Jack K.


            uʍop ǝpᴉsdn sǝʇᴉɹʍ ʇI

              Dang, that is fast. I cannot even relate to those numbers!  12 seconds off your previous time is HUGE!! Great, great run, LRB.

               

              P.S. Did Confucius really say that? Wink


              SheCan

                "Ultimately I shaved 12 seconds off my time from this event last year."

                 

                It amazes me that you're able to still make such big gains.  Whew@ how fast everyone ran.  When you're doing a mile race, it sure is a race.  Congratulations on the PR, the 3rd AG, and the extremely fast time!

                Cherie

                "We do not become the people who this world needs simply by turning our backs on anyone we don’t like, trust, or deem healthy enough to be in our presence. "  ---- Shasta Nelson

                Docket_Rocket


                  Congrats on shaving that much time from one to the next!

                   

                  59F in Summer?  You flipped the digits, it's 95F! 

                  Damaris

                   

                  As part of the 2024 London Marathon, I am fundraising for VICTA, a charity that helps blind and visually impaired children. My mentor while in law school, Jim K (a blind attorney), has been a huge inspiration and an example of courage and perseverance. Please consider donating.

                  Fundraising Page

                  LRB


                    59F in Summer? 

                     

                    It is bizarre that I had temps in the 50's for PR races in July and June, and in the 40's for the one in April.  Then again I wore the same singlet for all three events, so maybe it was that and not the weather.  

                    Brrrrrrr


                    Uffda

                      Nice running Rick! You're fast in my book (and probably everyone elses)!

                      - Andrew

                      fourouta5


                      Healed Hammy

                        Happy 4th LRB.

                         

                        Thanks for the report.  You make this forum imensely enjoyable, and your reports are motivation to get out and run.

                         

                        Hope you take the time this weekend to hug those around you, the kids and grandkids, and give thanks for all that we have.

                        wcrunner2


                        Are we there, yet?

                          I ran the Firecracker Mile this morning in a time of 5:23.

                           

                          My quarter mile splits according to Garmin were:

                           

                          1:15

                          1:23

                          1:23

                          1:20

                           

                          I am obviously none too happy with an 8 second drop-off for the second quarter, but maybe the 1:15 was too fast for a start?  I do not know, I did not feel like I fell off the pace that much.

                           

                          I guess I just do not do not have enough experience racing this distance to properly critique it.  Perhaps I will spend more time training for it next year and possibly traveling for 1 mile events, which is something I will look at during the off season.

                           

                          As it is, I suppose it says something that I was able to carry the same split for the 3rd quarter and not completely fall off the face of the earth as has happened in my prior mile races.

                           

                           

                          The splits aren't great, but they aren't bad either. Yes, it can take some experience and a lot of pace work in training to perfect that. For someone who doesn't specialize in middle distances, these are good and indicate a sub-5:20 is where you should probably be. Having some competition to chase in the 3rd quarter really helps because it doesn't allow you to lose concentration and drift off pace. It also sounds like there's a growing interest in the race which can only help with your time even if you do fall back a place or two in your AG.

                           2024 Races:

                                03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles

                                05/11 - D3 50K
                                05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour

                                06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.

                           

                           

                               

                            Nice report, Rick.  Congrats, you did well.

                             

                            Elite or not, you are training, studying, and racing to do your best and beat the guys that you can beat.  Football doesn't have to be played by the NFL to be entertaining or enjoyable.

                            LRB


                              Speaking of that you got Jim Schwartz (AKA Gym Shorts) running your D now.  You should be pretty stoked about that!

                              LRB


                                There were a shit load of 20 somethings who ran the event, which is good for the sport.

                                 

                                Here are the top 3 men and ladies winners.

                                 

                                .

                                A couple of shots from the front of the pack:

                                 

                                 

                                And here is me wearing the most ridiculously short shorts I have ever worn in my life! 

                                 

                                 

                                Before you laugh your ass off though consider this; the shorter my shorts have gotten, the faster my times have gotten...okay, go ahead and laugh your ass off! 

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