Today I had the pleasure of competing at the Boston University Mini Meet. B.U. hosts three of these meets per year and they are a great opportunity to get some track races in on a fast track and low key environment. The races are especially cool because it is an all-comers meet, meaning there are kids, masters, high school, college and so on. Only a few events are offered, making the meets quick and efficient. Choosing from a menu of 3,000 meter, 1 mile, 800 meter, 400 meter, 200 meter and a 60 yard dash I decided I would run the 3,000 and 800.
The somewhat tricky thing about track meets are that you have to enter the time you expect to run so the officials can place everyone into heats of the same ability level. Not having run on a track in ages and not racing much recently made my seeding process more of a thought process than it usually is. In college my coach did all that stuff for me, which was great. I sent in my entry early in the week making it even tougher since I would have to not only guess what type of shape I'm in, but also guess how I would feel in five days. After a little bit of thinking I decided I would go with 9:20 for the 3K and 2:15 for the 8. My reasoning for the 3K was that I felt I was in shape to run 9:10 or possibly faster, but wanted to enter on the slower side so I didn't take up a spot in the fast heat to a more deserving runner. Having been to this meet multiple times, I knew that the second heat was where I wanted to be, since the first heat would likely go out a bit fast for me at this time. The 800 presented even more of a challenge since I don't even remember the last time I competed in the half mile event. I figured I should at least be able to manage a 2:15 so I went with that.
Unfortunately for me, there was a mix up with my seed and I was down for a 9:30 and wound up in the third heat, not the second. I realized this before the first heat started, and thought about asking to be switched but decided against it. I figured rather than spend energy trying to get switched at the last minute I would just run in the third heat. Even though it was their mistake that landed me in the third heat, I didn't want to bother the officials. They are doing their best to run an efficient meet and it just wasn't a big enough deal to me at the time.
Before my race I got to watch my teammate Adam Malek run in the first heat of the 3K. Adam has been running great lately and I was excited to see him run. Watching Adam run was truly inspiring and motivating. In college Adam ran for Worcester State, one of my school's rivals. The thing I remember about Adam was that he used to race hard. Adam's favorite sport is actually hockey and he pretty much used to run like a hockey player. And I don't mean one of those finesse players like Gretzky, I mean the big brutes who bash and thrash all over the ice. He had a good deal of success but also had some set backs with injuries.
Luckily, Adam improved his approach, studied training methods, kept a positive attitude and joined the Sisu Project. As we warmed up we had a great conversation about the role relaxation plays in running. I was so happy to hear and see how far he has come. I knew I was in for something special. Adam's previous best time in the 3K was 8:58 which he ran last week. Today I watched adam cruise to an 8:50 and it almost looked effortless. Today was by far and away the most relaxed I have ever seen Adam run. I have video proof:
The somewhat tricky thing about track meets are that you have to enter the time you expect to run so the officials can place everyone into heats of the same ability level. Not having run on a track in ages and not racing much recently made my seeding process more of a thought process than it usually is. In college my coach did all that stuff for me, which was great. I sent in my entry early in the week making it even tougher since I would have to not only guess what type of shape I'm in, but also guess how I would feel in five days. After a little bit of thinking I decided I would go with 9:20 for the 3K and 2:15 for the 8. My reasoning for the 3K was that I felt I was in shape to run 9:10 or possibly faster, but wanted to enter on the slower side so I didn't take up a spot in the fast heat to a more deserving runner. Having been to this meet multiple times, I knew that the second heat was where I wanted to be, since the first heat would likely go out a bit fast for me at this time. The 800 presented even more of a challenge since I don't even remember the last time I competed in the half mile event. I figured I should at least be able to manage a 2:15 so I went with that.
Unfortunately for me, there was a mix up with my seed and I was down for a 9:30 and wound up in the third heat, not the second. I realized this before the first heat started, and thought about asking to be switched but decided against it. I figured rather than spend energy trying to get switched at the last minute I would just run in the third heat. Even though it was their mistake that landed me in the third heat, I didn't want to bother the officials. They are doing their best to run an efficient meet and it just wasn't a big enough deal to me at the time.
Before my race I got to watch my teammate Adam Malek run in the first heat of the 3K. Adam has been running great lately and I was excited to see him run. Watching Adam run was truly inspiring and motivating. In college Adam ran for Worcester State, one of my school's rivals. The thing I remember about Adam was that he used to race hard. Adam's favorite sport is actually hockey and he pretty much used to run like a hockey player. And I don't mean one of those finesse players like Gretzky, I mean the big brutes who bash and thrash all over the ice. He had a good deal of success but also had some set backs with injuries.
Luckily, Adam improved his approach, studied training methods, kept a positive attitude and joined the Sisu Project. As we warmed up we had a great conversation about the role relaxation plays in running. I was so happy to hear and see how far he has come. I knew I was in for something special. Adam's previous best time in the 3K was 8:58 which he ran last week. Today I watched adam cruise to an 8:50 and it almost looked effortless. Today was by far and away the most relaxed I have ever seen Adam run. I have video proof:
Yet another example of someone relaxing more, not trying so hard and running massive PRs.
As the second heat was going around I did a few strides and some jumping to give my strings one final tuning. I didn't have much of a plan for the race and didn't have a clue how I would feel once I attempted to run fast, but it didn't matter. I was just happy to be racing on a track! I love track. Luckily my college coach Jamie Aubuchon was there to run the mile and he helped make sure I didn't let off the throttle. I got a bit of wisdom from Jamie once per lap and that was a huge help. As you can see from the video below, I ran in front the whole time, pretty much solo for the entire race. This is definately not my preferred style as I tend to like to hang back behind guys that are faster than me, but being outside my comfort zone was good for me and I think it helped give me a little confidence boost. Since I was running by myself the whole race I got a chance to focus even more internally than I usually do in a race. Normally I'm focused internally as well as keeping an eye on the runners in front, to the side and behind me. Today the competitors melted away and I was really able to focus on myself.
The coolest thing about this race was that I managed to get my face so relaxed that my eyelids would flicker and shut every time my foot hit the ground. Taking about 180 strides per minute, this makes for a very cool special effect. There were a couple times where I looked around and lost focus, but I quickly gained it back and once I was able to deeply relax again, my eyes would start the flickering.
I think this was the most relaxed I've ever been in a race. I had felt the eyelid flickering thing on a few training runs before, but getting there in a race was just awesome. I cruised my way in for a 9:25 finish and stepped off the track feeling fresh as a daisy. I think had I been in the second heat I could have run about 9:15. I felt like I had a lot more in me, and had there been some guys around me, I'm confident I could have easily run ten seconds faster. The good news is I will have two more cracks at the 3K on upcoming Saturdays.
After the 3K I had a couple hours before my next race, the 800. I watched my coach Jamie run a smooth 4:39 mile. Pretty good for a 44 year old father of 2! Unfortunately my camera stopped working seconds before Jamie's race and I could not obtain video footage. This is not surprising as Jamie Aubuchon is more like a myth or legend than an actual person.
After watching Jamie I sat down for a little while, drank some coconut water and ate an energy gel. About 30 minutes before my race I ran around the outside of the track for a little while in my socks and was just springing along feeling great. I was thinking through the 800 and playing out various scenarios in my head, preparing myself for just about anything. After about a mile I decided I would do some walking around the track. This felt really great for my hips and pelvis. I felt loose, relaxed and ready to go.
Once it was showtime I got on my spikes, did a few jumps and set my mind on running fast. There were only about 5 or so other guys in my heat, so it wasn't a crowded race at all. For the first two laps I was a little bit behind the first place runner, and had a good distance on the runners behind me. I tried my best to stay with the runner in front of me, but he ended up pulling away during the third (of 4) laps. Since I haven't run in an 800 in years and was never great at it in the first place, I did not run a very well paced race. I ran the first half in 62 seconds and the second half in 70 seconds, finishing with a 2:12. This was not a well run race by any means but I'm still happy about it. The reason I am happy about it is that I was willing to step outside of my current comfort zone today in order to improve for the future. Another positive was that once again I felt totally relaxed and at peace while racing. The race didn't feel as fast as I thought it would, but then again, I didn't really run that fast. I thought I would be winded heavy afterwards but I felt great after finishing, so that's promising. Since my camera stopped working right before the Legend Of Jamie Aubuchon crushed the mile, my camera crew (the lovely Fawn) had to film the 800 with my phone.
After watching Jamie I sat down for a little while, drank some coconut water and ate an energy gel. About 30 minutes before my race I ran around the outside of the track for a little while in my socks and was just springing along feeling great. I was thinking through the 800 and playing out various scenarios in my head, preparing myself for just about anything. After about a mile I decided I would do some walking around the track. This felt really great for my hips and pelvis. I felt loose, relaxed and ready to go.
Once it was showtime I got on my spikes, did a few jumps and set my mind on running fast. There were only about 5 or so other guys in my heat, so it wasn't a crowded race at all. For the first two laps I was a little bit behind the first place runner, and had a good distance on the runners behind me. I tried my best to stay with the runner in front of me, but he ended up pulling away during the third (of 4) laps. Since I haven't run in an 800 in years and was never great at it in the first place, I did not run a very well paced race. I ran the first half in 62 seconds and the second half in 70 seconds, finishing with a 2:12. This was not a well run race by any means but I'm still happy about it. The reason I am happy about it is that I was willing to step outside of my current comfort zone today in order to improve for the future. Another positive was that once again I felt totally relaxed and at peace while racing. The race didn't feel as fast as I thought it would, but then again, I didn't really run that fast. I thought I would be winded heavy afterwards but I felt great after finishing, so that's promising. Since my camera stopped working right before the Legend Of Jamie Aubuchon crushed the mile, my camera crew (the lovely Fawn) had to film the 800 with my phone.
Next week I will return to BU for the second mini meet. I plan to run the 3K and one other event again, but probably something different than the 800. I might go with the mile, but I'm also contemplating doing a 200 just out of curiosity of what I could run in a sprint. Unfortunately, athletes are limited to two events per meet, or else I would just run all of the races.
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