5:51 is my 3rd best mile ever. My best from indoor was 5:49. It is a very positive sign that I am just two seconds away from breaking that, and just four seconds away from setting a new personal record in the mile, an accomplishment I have coveted since the end of my freshman year. I have had difficulties with injuries throughout high school which have delayed my success. Perhaps, this is the season I can get back to where I left off my freshman year when I took three weeks off due to shin splints. I will break my PR this season.
I can run good in the rain in a longer distance race. If I had run in the 2 mile, I probably would have done very well today. However, I will not move up to the 2 mile until I break my PR in the mile. I need to get that out of the way first.
I ran the two mile because I knew I would not lower my mile time on this day, so I instead used the race as preparation for the next meet.
I had planned on doing this without expecting to be sick for 4 consecutive meets. However, I still tried to accomplish the feat, running 5:55 and 5:52 to close out the season. I know that if I had just 1 more race left, I would defenitely break the 5:47 mark.
I had my father yelling my spilts to me as I ran. The first lap, 83, was 3 seconds fast, so I slowed down the 2nd lap. However, I slowed down too much, to a 94, 8 seconds slow. I went faster, to a 90 on my 3rd, still too slow. I sped up on the final lap, to an 84.
My biggest mistake was slowing down too much on the 2nd lap. I knew I was going too fast, but I slowed down too much. Another mistake I made was conserving too much. I felt great, and from lap 1 I believed that it could be a PR. So, expecting to run under the mark, I conserved. 'Why should I try to run a great time and risk hitting the wall and blowing the PR?' It was good reasoning, but the plan was overused.
If I had; 1. Not slowed down so much on lap two, and 2. Let myself go faster, I would have had the PR. Now, knowing that I can go faster without hitting the wall, I would be able to run under the 5:47. However, I have no more opportunities to do so.
Official timing has me at 5:42 instead of 5:52, however the officials were having some trouble that meet, and it's unlikely my dad messed up on a wristwatch.
I wanted to break my PR because I wanted to get back to where I was my freshman year. Honestly, there is no doubt in my mind that I am currently able to break 5:47. If I had one more race, I am sure I would.
The reason I wanted to run under the mark was to prove to myself that I have caught up to where I left off. Although I did not officially run the PR, I know that I am capable of doing so. In essence, I am back to where I left off.
I don't want to take any time off because of the good shape I've gotten myself into, but I know that I must take a few weeks off to allow me to run throughout the summer and into the end of the cross-country season. Summer training will begin on the 4th of July with a two mile run.