Edwin, who has a good ear for odd events, mentioned the open track meet. I met up with him, Lisa, and John. I immediately liked the sprawling spectacle, the kids everywhere, teeming, ready to run races, yes, but also just run madly around in the sun.
Edwin and I signed up for the predict-a-mile. Really, this was an event about pacing, about knowing your speed and sticking to it. Competition doesn’t figure in. But my stakes were different: I hadn’t run a timed mile since the 8th Grade. I wanted a “respectable” time: 6-6:15 is pretty fast, 7 is slow. 6:45 seemed about right, a tad on the cautious side.
I wanted to go at a fast clip, yet have a bit left over for the last 200 meters. I found it surprisingly easy to find a comfortable pace, one that was fairly fast yet still allowed me to think and make small adjustments to my speed. The last 100 went well, not quite finishing at a sprint but pretty quick. My time turned out to be 5:56. I was surprised, delighted…
Edwin wanted to do the 800; I was on the fence about it. Though I did run it in middle school, I never had much success. I couldn’t come up with the right formula-fast yet able to finish strong. Too much like a stamina sprint. This event was structured as a race (without kids). My approach, I decided in the minutes beforehand, was to go at a fast pace at the get-go, maybe I could sustain it the full distance.
The first lap was awesome. I found myself midway through the first turn without anyone in front of me. Strange, like being suddenly untethered–weightless and wondering when gravity will reel you in. I felt a bit euphoric. Near the 200 mark was a small boy with a raised palm. With a tinge of self-reproof (shouldn’t I be saving my energy?), I high-fived him.
As the first lap ended, I knew I was in trouble. I heard the time, 1:15, for me a respectable 400 time. All thought was drowned out in the effort to finish the race. Three people passed me in the next 150 meters. After the third one, who looked to be 1/3 of my age, I tried to keep on his pace. I did not fall any further back and finished with a time of 2:38. I gasped for air afterwards, pain and lightness in my lungs-an old feeling, back for a brief while.
Credits
Writer: Adam Crane
Recent Comments