View Workout (Anthony Belber)

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TJ Open Meet

February 9, 2014 (Morning)

Exercise Type: Run

Weather: indoors, bad air

Comments:
Pretty satisfied despite not being anywhere close to 5:00. Ran 5:14.0 for one English mile on a crumby track with a fair bit of traffic and the usual rushed warm-up. Wasn't expecting to race for at least another 8 minutes, but got called to the line early. I'd done ten minutes of jogging and some drills in the hour leading up, but never did striders. Did manage to put on the Puma racing flats and a T-shirt.

Having opted to do high knees rather than get a good position on the line, I got out slowly in traffic in a very crowded field. (They just put everyone sub 6:00 in one heat.) Spent the first 2-3 laps weaving around folks and trying to get into the clear. Ended up near Jackson and ran on his shoulder for much of the first half or so. Eventually cut in front of him (I hope I didn't cut him off.) It occurred to me a few times that I wasn't really going top speed, and I would accelerate for a bit. The splits didn't reflect that until the final 400, though. I did begin to move on a pair of guys ahead of me during the last 300 and I closed maybe 20-25 meters on them, passing one and coming in about 3 meters back of the familiar looking guy with a European look and kids who race here every year.
440yd splits:
40
38 (1:18)
39
40 (2:39)(1:21)
40
40(3:59) (1:20)
38
35 (5:13.0) (1:14)
avg (39:24)

(In the end, if I could have been more aggressive and less focused on getting around kids, I fee like I could have taken off another chunk of time.) Perhaps I'll try another mile in a better meet in the coming month, but it is obvious that I'm loosing my speed as I age and that I could have run much the same pace for another mile if it had been the 2 mile.