Big gap in training.  Mild adductor tweak.  Exactly one day of any sub-5K pace stuff (the day before the race, mostly to see if anything was going to really hurt.)

Sub-5 was nearly out of the question in my mind.  But then teammates and fellow runners kept mentioning numbers starting with 4 in close proximity to my name.  Ack, pressure.  There was nothing to do but start warming up, stretch, and do my core drills.  The weather was not summery, but it was idyllic for racing.  Cloudy, a breeze, very light rain, and mid 60's.  Highly unusual for mid-August.

There would be 3 heats of this road mile -- "Open Citizens", "Elite Women", and "Elite Men" (very broad usage of the E word here).  With the start and finish just around a corner from each other, it was easy to spectate both earlier heats.  The all-comers race had a best time of 5:11, with quite a few HS kids towards the front.

Next, the women in black would finish 1-2-3 as pictured, with the younger girl on the outside dropping to 4th.  Strong times from 3 of Buffalo's fastest, all in the 5:1x range.

(Photos by Rick Schoellkopf, Checkers AC)

Then, it was time.

(This guy won in 4:27)

How to report on something that was over in a flash, yet with certain details burned into the memory and others totally missing?  I remember going out very hard, seeing the first 400 clock while still not too distant from much faster dudes.  Then another 400 repeating the same mantra in my mind as last year -- "this isn't a 5K, don't slow down".  400 more of chaos.  Guys speeding up, others faltering, everyone being very careful to not impede or clip anyone else.  Discomfort had set in, and for the last 400, shit got really weird.  Legs that didn't want to move, but strides that felt enormous.  Knowing that a fellow BNAC was right on my heels, trying to keep ahead of him while thinking that I had fended him off but had fallen seconds behind another targeted competitor.  Finding out at results that we had all been separated by fractions of 4:54.  In the Matrix, those guys were not at the finish line with me, haha.  4:54!  Only 2 seconds shy of last year, when I was much better trained.

"No one can be told what the Mile is.  You have to run it for yourself."

Wow, nice job! Wicked fast! The level of fitness you have been able to maintain despite your training interruptions is a great testament to the kind of shape you were in before that.

And the two things that I notice are (1) the winner appears to be a severe supinator, and (2) how old is #50 and what was his finish time?

MTA: OK, I had to look up the race results to answer my own question. Does not show exact ages, but #50 finished at 4:56 and is in the 50-54 AG. But did not even win the AG - another guy finished at 4:43, which is an age-graded 4:08.

(2) how old is #50 and what was his finish time?

 

MTA: OK, I had to look up the race results to answer my own question. Does not show exact ages, but #50 finished at 4:56 and is in the 50-54 AG. But did not even win the AG - another guy finished at 4:43, which is an age-graded 4:08.

And an 89.92 AG%, the best of the day.

I don't know anything about the mile, so I'll just say congrats! I would lIke to try one day though.

Sweet kicks.

nice going Jay...great stuff!

Jay in a singlet?  You been hanging around dem boyz 'eh? 

Very nice to see this this man, injuries are so fickle that you just never know...

Some details are hard to recall regarding the mile but what is not is usually that feeling that you could or should be running faster, like a lull.  Did you get that at any point?

The baggy shorts definitely have to go. Jay is too fast for those basketball things. And I bet his legs are like his arms, and so they greatly deserve more attention than they are getting now. Kindness, generosity, perseverance and patience are good qualities for a runner. Modesty? Meh... So wear them short shorts, Superstar!!!  Oh and congratulations on that blazing fast mile! The Buffalo area sure has a lot of wicked strong runners...

Thank you all, for the kind words.

Lily, there is a pair of short shorts, I think they have made one picture on here (and were used at Boston to good effect, but didn't buy the photos this year).  They'll have to make another appearance soon.

(That baggy pair is great.  They're similar to Umbros crunchy, light material if anyone remembers when those were a fad, but never ride up and weigh next to nothing.  I don't even know where I'd find something like them anymore.)