Disappointing Mile

First screen only showed top 6, but there were really 10 guys!

After 4 to 5 weeks of training including some speed workouts, I bettered my "season's" mile time from 5:30.7 to 5:21.99 today, in an indoor USATF track meet.  I was shooting for 5:16, but it just wasn't going to happen today.  I felt tired even after 200 meters.  I had trouble memorizing the splits due to fatigue, but as best as I can recall, they were about 79, 2:41, 4:02, then 5:21.99.

mid race in the pack (I'm No. 152)

I was 5th out of 10 guys (all over 40), with the top two guys under 4:53.

I felt like I pushed hard, and had to bend over gasping for breath for several seconds at the end.

Now one silver lining is that using age graded calcs, my time today at Age 54 was slightly better than my 5:17.8 at Age 52 (81.8% for today's race versus 81.57% two years ago).

But, I still like to think in absolute rather than relative age graded terms, so the bottom line is that I ran slower this year than in 2010.

I think in order to run a quality mile, I really need to train in the spring and summer instead of trying to do a single track race on the heels of trail and cross country season.  But unfortunately, clay court tennis season starts mid-May, so I have too many conflicts in the spring and summer, and really only start serious training in September, even October.

But overall, I guess I'm pleased.

Raybuck finishing (fatigued!)

Mark