7 Laps + 3 Gold's = 1 Great Day!
Greetings,
Wow! What a day to describe! Our state (North Dakota) had its' state amateur games today for a wide scattering of sports, and my events for today were at the track (obviously!) for the 1600m, 400m, & 800m in that order.
The events started at 9am, registration at 8am. My day started off by waking up at 5:30am to take my dog out for a quick walk. Breakfast was coffee & toast at the cafe with the breakfast crew. This worked well for me, just a coffee & toast breakfast, before that 5K I raced a month ago. Stick with what works...
By 7am, my truck was fueled up and another cup of sweet java for the road. At 8am, I got to the track complex, Cushman Field, and confirmed my online registration for my Big 3 events today. I went to the locker room to change into my shorts quickly, and put my valuables in my truck. Here's a tip if it may be helpful: I wore my swim trunks as my running shorts, since they were lightweight and had an inside pocket that I could keep my truck key in. This way, my valuables are locked in my truck, and I can hide a key on me and not worry about it being stolen out of my track bag, which basically held my Stick & my long sleeve shirt.
I was pretty much one of the first few runners at the track, and did roughly a mile's worth of easy stuff, after I first started with a good full body Stick massage. (The Stick device was a God-Send for today!). By this time, its like 8:20, and the 1600m didn't start until 9am. I did a little bit of walking, a lap here & there, some resting on the bleachers, just trying to burn time, but not burn a whole lot of energy either. I probably showed up too early, but its better to be early than late for something like this.
9am comes and the make the first call for the females to run. All the age groups ran at once, since overall this was a really small turnout on both sides, male & female, for the entire race. I thought that it would have built up to a few more people if they were doing events later on, but it seemed like it stayed pretty thin as far as the overall crowd of fans & participants went. By about 9:10-15, we started the guy's 1600m race.
Okay, its GO time...been training hard since April, really, for 5 & 1/3 minutes of hell, a 5:20 time I was gunning for.
Boom! The gun goes off, and I start out in a good pace, couldn't get a glance at the 200m mark very well, looked like 37-38 at that point. By the 300, I was at 56, and I'm thinking I'm going at a good 75-76 clip here off the bat. An 80s, 400m pace would get me a solid 5:20 for my goal. First 400m came in at 1:17, or 77 in track-speak.
I felt solid, good, and steady here for lap 2. Coming around the end, I glance & hear a 2:44 time given out at the line as I pass it. Figured I had a 2:42-3 around that point. Slowed down to an 87 split here...
Still, I felt good with that, because a 2:40-45 time meant a 5:20-30-ish time if I kept that up. My 3rd lap ends up cruising down a bit, shouting out a 4:15 time at the end of that. That's basically a 90 for my 3rd lap. But, with a 75'er at the end, I could perhaps get a 5:30 or under if I really crank it good...
At this point, I told myself to stop looking at the watch and looking into my gut to really dig down after this one. Coming up at the final 200m, I just decide to really hammer it, and drive 'er home for the final 100m kick. Final time? 5:32. A 77-ish last lap.
I was satisfied with that, and even more satisified when I learned that I was the ONLY one in the 30-34 age bracket, meaning I earned my first Gold for the day!
Looking back at this mile, I didn't realize how much I slowed down in the middle there until I calculated my splits by memory. Thinking back, I had a couple people pass me here & there on laps 2 & 3, and maybe that just slowed me down without really mentally thinking about it when they passed me. Anyhoo, a 77, 87, 90, & 77 pattern still ain't shabby, considering back on April 19th with the 1MileNation.com Virtual 1-Mile Race, I got a 6:12. 40 seconds off in about 3 months' time... That's a 47 VO2 rating boosted to a 53 rating on my VO2 chart I have. Percentage wise, that's a 12.7% improvement in VO2.
Highly satisifed with all of that!
The rest of the day went as such: 3 laps to race, 1 in the 400, 2 more in the 800. The events were REALLY going quick, so much so that by 9:50, our men's 400m race was starting, and we'd all be in one heat.
The 400m really surprised me, considering I had about a 30 minute rest of mainly some water and Stick massaging to stay loose, not sure how much was in my tank for this one. I started my watch at the beginning, but really didn't look at because I was paying too much attention to all the action around me during the race. Not really a mass-frenzy, but I didn't want to mess around with worrying about a time once its started so quickly. The quick start kept me going, as I figured it was going to hurt no matter what and I would have some more time to recover for my 800m later on...
Final time? a 1:06-something: a 66 second lap! Very surprising, because about 5 weeks ago, I remember testing myself on some 400m trials, and only getting a 73 I think on those. Once again, I was the only guy in the state between the ages of 30-34 to run this event, which meant Gold Medal #2! Now I got 2 'state championships' for my age group. This is awesome...& funny at the same time! Am I really the only 30-34 year old guy in the state of ND that gives a crap about running an event like this? huh? That's what was so funny to me!
Anyways, they skipped the hurdle events due to no one registering for them, male or female. (Like I mentioned before, this was a really low turnout, compared to PRSG's of past from what I heard) So, that bumped the rest of the events to the 1500m racewalk, the 2 mile, the 200m, and then the 800m. So, with basically a 1 mile-ish race and a 2 mile race, I had some time to recover.
In the downtime, it worked out great because they announced winners to go to the podium to get your medals, so I got my 2 bling-bling's thus far and took them to my truck, with a quick trip to the restroom once again: too much water to get rid of!
I should also mention how GREAT of a day this track meet was! I think temps were in the mid-late 60's at the start, and felt about the same for the few hours that the meet went on for. Wind was light for the mile & 400m races, which really added to the overall experience of a joyful day to compete.
Okay, about 10:50am, the 800m races start up. We had 15 guys in all age groups, so we did an under 30 heat, and an over 30 heat. A 39 year old guy I met ran the 1600m, 400m, plus the 3200m, and then finished it out with the 800m in my heat. I ended up leading this race for about the first 650 meters...the 39 year old guy I was racing against passed me, and we had a fun little chase going on at the end: he got 2:30, and I got 2:32. My first 400 was a 77 time, with a 75 to end it.. So, I got 2nd in the heat, but ended up once again being the only guy in my age group, meaning I got my 3rd Gold for the day! Yay!
Couldn't really believe how fast this meet was, basically in 2 hours, I had 3 hard races completed. I didn't get out of there until about 11:30, since I had to wait a bit for awards to be announced. At the end, I was in someone else's picture of the guys who all ran that last 800m heat. Chatted with a few of them at the end, most were in their 40's & 50's, one in his 60's!
Overall, I really loved this day, one of my most exciting running events I've ever done. Not because I got 3 Gold's (which is both funny & silly to 'brag' about, since I was the only one in the age bracket for all 3!), but because I got to see where my overall fitness was at in 3 seperate races: one of them being a mix of aerobic & anaerobic endurance, with the other 2 being strictly tests of anaerobic endurance & speed.
I am really KICKING myself for NOT GOING OUT FOR TRACK IN HIGH SCHOOL, after this day today. I know track was a fun sport for me to coach, but I never knew how much fun it really could be when you participate in it! I had a brief spell in my senior year with track, trying out the 100m, 200m, and long jump, just to basically say I did it. At least now, I fully KNOW what my body is now & currently capable of, so it really makes me wonder what could/would have been if I had more track experience in junior high/high school. Well, like I said, at least I know what I'm capable of now, and where I need to go from here.
And, for right now, I'm not sure what's next to focus on. I may find a few 5K's to run in August & September, and perhaps October if there's anything at that point. I plan to use Sunday as a day to really ponder & wonder what's next in my phases of training. I've been looking at the 'soft-style' method of the American Kettlebell Club's way of kettlebell training, so perhaps I will mix that into my overall training. Maybe a small phase of 400m or 800m time trial training would be good to shift gears on as well, doing more work on all-out speed & lactic acid endurance training. Sunday is my day to figure out what is best. That 66 second 400m really sticks out in me for some reason, so I'm leaning towards a 1/4 Mile shift in the 1MileNation.com world of training for a change of (faster) pace.
Here's a pic of my 3 Bling-Bling's (that's the name which my former JH XC team called their first place team medals after they won a meet one time, that's always stuck with me!). Like a guy told me today at the meet, "You're now a defending state champ for next year..." 2010's races are in Bismarck, ND, which may well be worth the 3 hour trek!
Talk about a Gold Medal Day, all-around!
Run Strong, Run Fast...
Run So As To Win!
Coach Rick Karboviak
http://1MileNation.com
http://ASAPWorkouts.com
Wow! What a day to describe! Our state (North Dakota) had its' state amateur games today for a wide scattering of sports, and my events for today were at the track (obviously!) for the 1600m, 400m, & 800m in that order.
The events started at 9am, registration at 8am. My day started off by waking up at 5:30am to take my dog out for a quick walk. Breakfast was coffee & toast at the cafe with the breakfast crew. This worked well for me, just a coffee & toast breakfast, before that 5K I raced a month ago. Stick with what works...
By 7am, my truck was fueled up and another cup of sweet java for the road. At 8am, I got to the track complex, Cushman Field, and confirmed my online registration for my Big 3 events today. I went to the locker room to change into my shorts quickly, and put my valuables in my truck. Here's a tip if it may be helpful: I wore my swim trunks as my running shorts, since they were lightweight and had an inside pocket that I could keep my truck key in. This way, my valuables are locked in my truck, and I can hide a key on me and not worry about it being stolen out of my track bag, which basically held my Stick & my long sleeve shirt.
I was pretty much one of the first few runners at the track, and did roughly a mile's worth of easy stuff, after I first started with a good full body Stick massage. (The Stick device was a God-Send for today!). By this time, its like 8:20, and the 1600m didn't start until 9am. I did a little bit of walking, a lap here & there, some resting on the bleachers, just trying to burn time, but not burn a whole lot of energy either. I probably showed up too early, but its better to be early than late for something like this.
9am comes and the make the first call for the females to run. All the age groups ran at once, since overall this was a really small turnout on both sides, male & female, for the entire race. I thought that it would have built up to a few more people if they were doing events later on, but it seemed like it stayed pretty thin as far as the overall crowd of fans & participants went. By about 9:10-15, we started the guy's 1600m race.
Okay, its GO time...been training hard since April, really, for 5 & 1/3 minutes of hell, a 5:20 time I was gunning for.
Boom! The gun goes off, and I start out in a good pace, couldn't get a glance at the 200m mark very well, looked like 37-38 at that point. By the 300, I was at 56, and I'm thinking I'm going at a good 75-76 clip here off the bat. An 80s, 400m pace would get me a solid 5:20 for my goal. First 400m came in at 1:17, or 77 in track-speak.
I felt solid, good, and steady here for lap 2. Coming around the end, I glance & hear a 2:44 time given out at the line as I pass it. Figured I had a 2:42-3 around that point. Slowed down to an 87 split here...
Still, I felt good with that, because a 2:40-45 time meant a 5:20-30-ish time if I kept that up. My 3rd lap ends up cruising down a bit, shouting out a 4:15 time at the end of that. That's basically a 90 for my 3rd lap. But, with a 75'er at the end, I could perhaps get a 5:30 or under if I really crank it good...
At this point, I told myself to stop looking at the watch and looking into my gut to really dig down after this one. Coming up at the final 200m, I just decide to really hammer it, and drive 'er home for the final 100m kick. Final time? 5:32. A 77-ish last lap.
I was satisfied with that, and even more satisified when I learned that I was the ONLY one in the 30-34 age bracket, meaning I earned my first Gold for the day!
Looking back at this mile, I didn't realize how much I slowed down in the middle there until I calculated my splits by memory. Thinking back, I had a couple people pass me here & there on laps 2 & 3, and maybe that just slowed me down without really mentally thinking about it when they passed me. Anyhoo, a 77, 87, 90, & 77 pattern still ain't shabby, considering back on April 19th with the 1MileNation.com Virtual 1-Mile Race, I got a 6:12. 40 seconds off in about 3 months' time... That's a 47 VO2 rating boosted to a 53 rating on my VO2 chart I have. Percentage wise, that's a 12.7% improvement in VO2.
Highly satisifed with all of that!
The rest of the day went as such: 3 laps to race, 1 in the 400, 2 more in the 800. The events were REALLY going quick, so much so that by 9:50, our men's 400m race was starting, and we'd all be in one heat.
The 400m really surprised me, considering I had about a 30 minute rest of mainly some water and Stick massaging to stay loose, not sure how much was in my tank for this one. I started my watch at the beginning, but really didn't look at because I was paying too much attention to all the action around me during the race. Not really a mass-frenzy, but I didn't want to mess around with worrying about a time once its started so quickly. The quick start kept me going, as I figured it was going to hurt no matter what and I would have some more time to recover for my 800m later on...
Final time? a 1:06-something: a 66 second lap! Very surprising, because about 5 weeks ago, I remember testing myself on some 400m trials, and only getting a 73 I think on those. Once again, I was the only guy in the state between the ages of 30-34 to run this event, which meant Gold Medal #2! Now I got 2 'state championships' for my age group.
This is awesome...& funny at the same time! Am I really the only 30-34 year old guy in the state of ND that gives a crap about running an event like this? huh? That's what was so funny to me!Anyways, they skipped the hurdle events due to no one registering for them, male or female. (Like I mentioned before, this was a really low turnout, compared to PRSG's of past from what I heard) So, that bumped the rest of the events to the 1500m racewalk, the 2 mile, the 200m, and then the 800m. So, with basically a 1 mile-ish race and a 2 mile race, I had some time to recover.
In the downtime, it worked out great because they announced winners to go to the podium to get your medals, so I got my 2 bling-bling's thus far and took them to my truck, with a quick trip to the restroom once again: too much water to get rid of!
I should also mention how GREAT of a day this track meet was! I think temps were in the mid-late 60's at the start, and felt about the same for the few hours that the meet went on for. Wind was light for the mile & 400m races, which really added to the overall experience of a joyful day to compete.
Okay, about 10:50am, the 800m races start up. We had 15 guys in all age groups, so we did an under 30 heat, and an over 30 heat. A 39 year old guy I met ran the 1600m, 400m, plus the 3200m, and then finished it out with the 800m in my heat. I ended up leading this race for about the first 650 meters...the 39 year old guy I was racing against passed me, and we had a fun little chase going on at the end: he got 2:30, and I got 2:32. My first 400 was a 77 time, with a 75 to end it.. So, I got 2nd in the heat, but ended up once again being the only guy in my age group, meaning I got my 3rd Gold for the day! Yay!
Couldn't really believe how fast this meet was, basically in 2 hours, I had 3 hard races completed. I didn't get out of there until about 11:30, since I had to wait a bit for awards to be announced. At the end, I was in someone else's picture of the guys who all ran that last 800m heat. Chatted with a few of them at the end, most were in their 40's & 50's, one in his 60's!
Overall, I really loved this day, one of my most exciting running events I've ever done. Not because I got 3 Gold's (which is both funny & silly to 'brag' about, since I was the only one in the age bracket for all 3!), but because I got to see where my overall fitness was at in 3 seperate races: one of them being a mix of aerobic & anaerobic endurance, with the other 2 being strictly tests of anaerobic endurance & speed.
I am really KICKING myself for NOT GOING OUT FOR TRACK IN HIGH SCHOOL, after this day today. I know track was a fun sport for me to coach, but I never knew how much fun it really could be when you participate in it! I had a brief spell in my senior year with track, trying out the 100m, 200m, and long jump, just to basically say I did it. At least now, I fully KNOW what my body is now & currently capable of, so it really makes me wonder what could/would have been if I had more track experience in junior high/high school. Well, like I said, at least I know what I'm capable of now, and where I need to go from here.
And, for right now, I'm not sure what's next to focus on. I may find a few 5K's to run in August & September, and perhaps October if there's anything at that point. I plan to use Sunday as a day to really ponder & wonder what's next in my phases of training. I've been looking at the 'soft-style' method of the American Kettlebell Club's way of kettlebell training, so perhaps I will mix that into my overall training. Maybe a small phase of 400m or 800m time trial training would be good to shift gears on as well, doing more work on all-out speed & lactic acid endurance training. Sunday is my day to figure out what is best. That 66 second 400m really sticks out in me for some reason, so I'm leaning towards a 1/4 Mile shift in the 1MileNation.com world of training for a change of (faster) pace.
Here's a pic of my 3 Bling-Bling's (that's the name which my former JH XC team called their first place team medals after they won a meet one time, that's always stuck with me!). Like a guy told me today at the meet, "You're now a defending state champ for next year..." 2010's races are in Bismarck, ND, which may well be worth the 3 hour trek!
Talk about a Gold Medal Day, all-around!
Run Strong, Run Fast...
Run So As To Win!
Coach Rick Karboviak
http://1MileNation.com
http://ASAPWorkouts.com
Posted by 1 Mile Nation at 7/11/2009 7:12 PM 
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: amateur track meet track meet interval training
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: amateur track meet track meet interval training
Sounds like a great morning out! Congrats on your bling! I laugh at a similar situation - I am one of the few females running ultras here, and at the same time one of the few females to run some of the low key 5k races so I take out some bling without really feeling like I did anything for it. It's all good though. Great times!
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