RunningAHEAD - Topic: Fast 1600m!

On My Horse

posted: 6/16/2009 at 12:53 PM

So, I'm in High school, and the qualifying time for the 1600m in my division to go to the state meet is 4:48. Since I was a freshman (ran a 9:04 mile PR that year, ouch) who ran the 400m in a blistering 68 seconds (my best freshman PR) I've wanted to run a 4:48. That was the line, in my mind, when someone can be called fast. Well, I've been training decently hard since then (20-50 mpw depending on the season etc.) and my senior season came and went without me running that time. I did run a state qualifying time in the 3200m (10:26, the standard was 10:50) but that isn't what I was shooting for. I was a bit disappointed.

Well, three days before graduation, me and 3 other seniors headed down to the track to take one last shot at the 1600m, see who is the fastest etc....

Me (4:55 1600m, 10:26 3200m) definitely the distance specialist, best 1600m pr of the field
Steve Burke (2:02 800m relay split, 4:56i 1600m) a speedster, coming on strong the end of this track season.
Evan Anway (2:06i 800m relay split, ~5:05 1600m) usually a hurdler who runs the 4x8, seeing what he could do in the mile
Karl Roskamp (5:10 1600m) Runs the mile the most of the field, gutsy.

Steve took it out in like 66 with me right on his shoulder (Evan and Karl are complete non-factors after about 100m). Then settled down to a 74 second lap and a 75 third lap. I took the lead around 500m to go and put a bit of distance on him, but he got me on the home stretch. 71 last lap for me, 70 for him.

Steve 4:45 (11 second PR)
Me 4:46 (9 second PR)
Karl 5:12
Evan 5:32

I am now the proud owner of a sub 4:48 1600m time!

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies with in us." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

kpk33x

posted: 6/16/2009 at 12:57 PM

Congrats! You've come a long way from 9:04.

Do you find now that the "fast line" has shifted down to 4:30? That's where I put mine when I did the 4:45 mile...which is still there as my PR 16 years later .

BoilerTom90

posted: 6/16/2009 at 2:08 PM

Congrats! It's impressive you did that in a non meet setting. Luckily you had a few witnesses!!

Perhaps your best running is ahead of you... which IMO is the real point.

VHRunnerAAT

posted: 7/3/2009 at 11:07 PM

Congrats on the PR, that's a huge improvement over four years. I think it's better to start out slow because then there's nowhere to go but up. What state do you run in because I ran a 4:33 as a junior this last year and that's barely competitive for a runner in Illinois, I was 5th in my conference.

Luv Pre

posted: 7/21/2009 at 2:10 PM

Way to go!!!

My best mile time when I was in 10th grade was 4:50........

Marathon PR 3:25:23 http://26point2medals.com/metals.html

Lank

posted: 7/21/2009 at 2:26 PM

Nice work. Great story. I think you'll remember this event for a long time.

"Good-looking people have no spine. Their art never lasts. They get the girls, but we're smarter." - Lester Bangs

mchapman7654

posted: 11/25/2009 at 6:12 PM

thats awesome! This story is alot like mine. Ive only ran a 1600 under 4:40 once. But I'm a senior in high school currently, and live in Illinois. Here, it's really hard to get to state. If we want to get to state, we gotta run a 4:23....so that's wat ill be doing this winter lol.

Fast 1600m! (Read 1883 times)