This weekend I went to Pocatello, Idaho for a track meet. I went with my dad and Neal. We were both running the mile and were shooting for low 4:20's. We got there Friday at 5:30 and got to the track in time to watch the 5000. It was pretty impressive to see Nate Jewkes run a 14:42 (I think) and finish with a 30 second last lap. We got plenty of sleep Friday night and headed over to the track after picking up some spikes that worked better with the wooden track. We got there at 10 and learned our race had been moved up, so I went out on my warm-up. Neal didn't want to go as far, so I went a little earlier. I got in a good warmup, and was ready. We got down to the track and got ready. Neal was seeded second, and I was seeded fourth. The gun went off, and they called us back after shooting it again. (I heard them say someone was slipping or something.) We went again, and I got in a pretty good position, sixth or seventh place. I stayed there and went through the first two hundred in 33. It felt smooth, and not nearly as fast as I expected. I stayed in fifth for the next lap and came through in 66. I was still suprised at the slower pace. The next two laps I stayed in fifth, and came through the 800 in 2:13. At this point, I should have moved up into at least second. This was my slowest lap, and looking back, I felt far too comfortable. It didn't hurt as much as it should have, and I know I should have taken a few seconds off those two laps. At the 1200 mark, I made a move and passed the fourth place guy. This was a good place to make a move, and I was feeling pretty good. I stayed here until the last lap on the backstretch, where I made another move. I really pushed it on the last lap, and I moved up into second, right behind Neal. At this point into the race, the floodgates opened. Two or three guys flew by us, and I pulled right alongside Neal. Another guy passed us, and Ben Felix pulled right alonside. Neal, Ben and I kicked it to the finish, and they both beat me. I finished at 4:30.99, with me last lap in 32. The winner did a 4:27, and the next six guys were 4:29-4:30. It was a really close race. I'm not thrilled about this race, but it's a good opener. I haven't raced in nearly two months, and I think I had a faster race in me, I just was a bit rusty. This is a pr, because it's the first full mile I've run. I figure I was about a second off my 1600 outdoor pr (when converted), which is pretty good. I realized how much I missed racing, and It was really fun.
| 