Rust Buster - Texas Relays (Jerry Thompson Mile)
Oh the Texas Relays ...
Not only is this one of the premier track meets in the country because of its competition, location, weather, and fans, but its also a spectacle that, if you have not been privileged to as of yet, you must see in the near future. The congregation of people who come to The Relays are quite diverse and there is a cultural mixture very rarely seen anywhere else. Sure, the weekend causes headaches for some of those not participating in The Relays by ways of crowds, traffic, and parking dilemmas, but this is even more reason for those people to get involved, embrace, and experience the "madness" in a means of appreciating it instead of damning it. This is, after all, the sport our country follows most come an Olympic year, so why ignore it in the 4 years in between ...
I have returned once more to run the Texas Relays, and the Jerry Thompson Mile specifically. This was the race which last year saw me breaking 4 for the first time and becoming half of the first American father/son pair to do so. I have also set records here in high school in the DMR and 4x800 with my high school (and eventual college) teammates, Erik Stanley and Tomas Finol.
While this years race did not go perfectly, it was a very good start. The goal this year was to win, but I also thought I had a chance at running pretty quick despite not having done any race-pace work. We found out shortly before the race that we would have a pace-maker taking us through 1000 (he ended up going 800 perfectly, but that left me to battle the wind for the next 2 laps out in front). I am very thankful to Kyle for doing this for us after already having raced earlier that day. Jake and I came shoulder to shoulder with 300 to go and then a very strange thing happened. Neither of us kicked, neither of us tied up, but both of us got slower and we separated! When you are racing off strength as both of us were, the "red line" is very shallow. The pace seems overly quick from the start and you feel lactic acid building with the anaerobic effort, but you power along anyways with your energy levels getting increasingly lower. By the time came for a kick, neither Jake nor I had it off the brisk pace, but neither was tied up either, we simply didn't have the energy to close, but the strength to finish ... in 32 sec for the last 200 (UGH!).
I finished 3rd (passed at the last second by a kicking Kenyan) in 4:03.83 and was at first a bit disappointed. After reflecting on my training, the race, and my performance, I decided that I should feel just the opposite. I am pleased with how it turned out and believe that it has put me in a good position for the start of the season. I am positive about my trip to Boston on the 17th for the Invitation Road Mile in which I feel the same strength-work that damned me in this race will prove to be VERY valuable.
Not only is this one of the premier track meets in the country because of its competition, location, weather, and fans, but its also a spectacle that, if you have not been privileged to as of yet, you must see in the near future. The congregation of people who come to The Relays are quite diverse and there is a cultural mixture very rarely seen anywhere else. Sure, the weekend causes headaches for some of those not participating in The Relays by ways of crowds, traffic, and parking dilemmas, but this is even more reason for those people to get involved, embrace, and experience the "madness" in a means of appreciating it instead of damning it. This is, after all, the sport our country follows most come an Olympic year, so why ignore it in the 4 years in between ...
I have returned once more to run the Texas Relays, and the Jerry Thompson Mile specifically. This was the race which last year saw me breaking 4 for the first time and becoming half of the first American father/son pair to do so. I have also set records here in high school in the DMR and 4x800 with my high school (and eventual college) teammates, Erik Stanley and Tomas Finol.
While this years race did not go perfectly, it was a very good start. The goal this year was to win, but I also thought I had a chance at running pretty quick despite not having done any race-pace work. We found out shortly before the race that we would have a pace-maker taking us through 1000 (he ended up going 800 perfectly, but that left me to battle the wind for the next 2 laps out in front). I am very thankful to Kyle for doing this for us after already having raced earlier that day. Jake and I came shoulder to shoulder with 300 to go and then a very strange thing happened. Neither of us kicked, neither of us tied up, but both of us got slower and we separated! When you are racing off strength as both of us were, the "red line" is very shallow. The pace seems overly quick from the start and you feel lactic acid building with the anaerobic effort, but you power along anyways with your energy levels getting increasingly lower. By the time came for a kick, neither Jake nor I had it off the brisk pace, but neither was tied up either, we simply didn't have the energy to close, but the strength to finish ... in 32 sec for the last 200 (UGH!).
I finished 3rd (passed at the last second by a kicking Kenyan) in 4:03.83 and was at first a bit disappointed. After reflecting on my training, the race, and my performance, I decided that I should feel just the opposite. I am pleased with how it turned out and believe that it has put me in a good position for the start of the season. I am positive about my trip to Boston on the 17th for the Invitation Road Mile in which I feel the same strength-work that damned me in this race will prove to be VERY valuable.
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