The Mile

It never fails, every time someone finds out that I am a runner I am immediately asked the same two questions; have I ever ran a marathon and how fast can I run the mile? For some reason, if I am crazy enough to rise at the crack of dawn to run a countless number of miles and look like I haven't ate in several months I should be training for a marathon. These well meaning souls typically look at me puzzled that I actually enjoy running around half naked in the wee morning hours just because it is what I do for kicks! I try to explain to them that, even though I have ran several marathons, I compete in all types races: cross country, road races, and track. Then in my poor attempt to convey how my college 1500 meter time is equivalent to a 4:15 or so mile and that I was considered slow and there are high school kids who could have kicked my tail, they remark, "Wow, you almost broke 4 minutes! That is almost world record!" Trying not to chuckle, I usually let them know that the world record is now roughly 3:43 and that I was a "mile" behind.

Now, like most distance runners, my first love was the mile. There is something magical about running the mile when you are a distance runner. Even if your primary event is not the mile, everything we do is based on the mile: How many miles do we run? What is our per mile pace? How many miles is my race? The mile is the cornerstone distance for us who lace up, head out the door and pound out, what else, miles! As a freshmen in high school in the spring of 1982, the very first race I ran on my high school track team on a warm, beautiful gray smoggy spring day in Riverside, California, was the mile. Running a respectable 5:06, I knew I had to break 5 minutes. A few weeks later, with several teammates lining the backstretch of a dirt track in San Bernadino, with our team captain Mike holding a large bush over his head, as they chanted "Tumbleweed!, Tumbleweed!" I won my first varsity race in a blazing 4:59 and my love affair with "the mistress" began.

Even though I eventually went on to be a much better 5,000 and 10,000 meter runner, I always secretly envied my teammates who were mile runners and jealous of their ability to churn 60 second quarters as if they were merely taking a Sunday stroll. Yet, I take solace in the fact that I have always been able to run sub 5 for the mile in every decade of my life since I have taken up this insane running life. That is, until this decade!

To not run sub 5 is kind of eating at the core of who I am as a runner. I use to average under 5 minutes per mile for 10k and low 5's for anything over 10k! Ok. Yeah, I know, I am way over my old racing weight, gray in the temples and not exactly in the spring of life. But hey, March is only a few months away and with it, the promise of a new track season with new possibilities! What does that mean? It means it is time to find some mile races for the ol' pale legs to remember the glory days of the 80's and go sub 5 once again. And to put the right carrot in front of me to stay focused, I have just entered an indoor mile race in late February. No backing out now.

There you have it. My first time goal of 2011, to go sub 5 in the mile! It more than likely will not be in February, but it will be a starting point and give me a framework in order to structure my training to prepare for World Masters in July. As always, stay healthy, keep running and here is to the promises of Spring!