The 1500 meter distance is the Olympic distance corresponding to the mile, which is probably a distance that most people outside of the United States don't have much of a feel for. I've never run a 1500 meter race (3 + 3/4 laps on a 400 meter track) but assumed that the strategy is similar to that for a mile. I calculated that a 7 min / mile pace corresponded to a 6:30 finish for the 1500 meter. If I ran evenly paced laps, I calculated that my elapsed time should be approximately 1:17 for the first 3/4 lap. Then maintaining a 1:45 pace per 400 meter lap, I would cross the timing mat at approximately 3:00, 4:45, and 6:30 elapsed. That would be tough but might be doable.
The day before the race, I tried a few 300 meter sprints on the track at Tucker Middle School:
 |
| The first 300 meter sprint was deliberately easy: 1:24. |
 |
| The second one was definitely too fast: at 1:12, I barely made it to 300 meters without slowing down. |
 |
| The third one was 1:22. I decided not to try any more, not wanting to tire myself the day before the race. |
Race day was a busy Wednesday at work, starting with a graduate student presentation at 8 am, ending with a departmental Town Hall at 4 pm at which I was a faculty panelist, trying to candidly answer tough questions from students about departmental processes. The Town Hall ended around 6 pm. Fortunately I was assigned to an 8:08 pm heat, so I had plenty of time to drive across town from Emoy campus to the Atlanta International School in Buckhead. As I warmed up, I felt a little soreness in the left ankle in the first few minutes. But as blood flow moved into my leg muscles, the pain disappeared, always a good sign. Overall I felt much better this evening than I had when I was warming up for the Northside Beltline 5K race 4 days ago, so my 6:30 goal might be realistic.
After the 7:56 pm runners had started, the 8:08 group was called together on the infield. 15 to 20 other runners were assigned to this heat. I continued with occasional dynamic stretches as we waited for the 7:56 group to get to their final lap, then we were called onto the track, lining up along a curved and dotted line. I elected to start on the second row, standing in lane 2. My mind was focused on two ideas: 1) "Don't start at top speed," and 2) "The 1500 m race is won by watching the first three laps from behind." I wish that I could find where I had read that, to properly cite it! I wasn't expecting to win my heat, but those two ideas made sense to run my best race at my best pace. The starter cautioned us about not tripping over each other in the start, and advised us to gradually work over to lane 1 in the first straightaway "because it's the shortest lane".
"On your mark..." I started my watch and a second later, the pistol shot cracked through the dusk. Starting on the second row was the right choice. I'm glad that I had rehearsed the evening before, as I had a good feel for my pace. Watching the race from behind, I saw a young boy at the front of our pack. Down the first straightaway, around the first curve, it seemed that I was near the back of our group, although I didn't look behind me. I just focused on my form and consistency running down the second straightaway, and crossed the timing mat at 1:17 - perfect! The pace was fast, but seemed sustainable for me for three more laps.
Coming out of the first turn in the second lap, I began to pass a few people in each straightaway, which I would run mostly in lane 2. Entering each curve I took a quick glance over my left shoulder to make sure that I had room to run the curve in lane 1, and that all went smoothly. It's fun to pass people in a fast race! Second lap: 3:01. This is going very well!
Third lap, on the back straightaway I found myself running behind the young boy. He had definitely slowed down from the jackrabbit start. I planned to pass him, and edged over to lane 2 to make my move. A few people were cheering him on, probably his parents, "Go Emmett!" Chris Carino and Erin McGerald were cheering for me. Emmett stayed a couple of steps ahead of me down the straightaway. As we entered the curve, I tucked back into lane 1. On the second straightaway, I tried to move ahead once again. By now Emmett must have heard some heavily breathing old guy just behind him. He did not slow down enough for me to pass him. I crossed the timing mat in lane 2, 4:49 elapsed, so in fact I HAD slowed down a bit.
Still, only one lap to go. I ran the curve behind Emmett, then entered the straightaway in lane 2, intending to pick up a little speed to finally get in front of Emmett. But instead of accommodating me, Emmett opened a gap of several feet. We were both cheered on, but fan sentiment was strongly in Emmett's favor. One last turn, one last chance to try to catch Emmett on the last straightaway as I tried to speed up. 9-year-old Emmett Crouch crossed the timing mat in 6:36. I was a few steps and a full second behind! Emmett ran a great race - and he will definitely get faster as he continues to grow.
 |
| My 60-year-old heart was working in the anaerobic zone by the time that I completed the first 300 meters. I didn't think that I had slowed down in the last lap, but evidence shows otherwise. I'm glad to see a little acceleration in the last 30 seconds. |
6:37 was only 7 seconds slower than my goal. 6:30 would have been nice, but I was fairly happy with tonight's outcome. After the 1:17 first 3/4-lap, I ran the remaining laps in 1:44, 1:48, 1:48. It was a good learning experience. My next goal is to learn / train to run consistent 1:45s for each lap. Tonight's performance shouldn't be too difficult to improve upon, if I continue to practice paced workouts.
 |
| No one in my heat passed me. Comparing lap 3 to lap 4 positions, it looks like only one person moved past me, in the multiple heats of this evening's races. |
No comments:
Post a Comment