I’d heard rumors about a low-key fun mile track race put on annually by Don and Tammy Slusser. Then I received an inside tip from an informant: the race was to go down on June 14th at 6:00 pm. That evening I threw my shoes into the back of the car and made my way to the track. The event was obviously the work of professionals, but they refused the money offered as an entry fee and told me this was all free. I thought it was odd, but I played along and here’s my story.
The race had a friendly workout feel to it but was run like clockwork. I warmed up with a couple of easy miles and 3 x 200’s. The 200’s felt smooth and comfortable at 36 or 37 seconds, though my left hamstring tightened up a bit on the last one. This is the same area that cramped big time on last Monday’s workout, cutting the workout short, but there was not much I could do except hope it didn’t break during the race. A nasty 10 mph wind was blowing so I was hoping someone would break the wind for me most of the way.
The horn blew at exactly 6pm. Three runners including myself had predicted a 5:00 finish time. Everyone seemed to hesitate a bit at the start of the race. Apparently they were all waiting for someone else to break the wind for three and a half laps. My whole focus of the race was to break five minutes. I theoretically should be able to do, but based on how hard that pace felt in practice, it just didn’t seem possible. My PR was a 5:01 and change. This was uncharted territory.
I wasn’t about to let someone else dictate the pace of the race and possibly jeopardize my only shot at going sub-five this year so I took the lead running my 73 second quarter pace right out of the gate, smooth and steady. Two other fast runners were more than willing to jump on the train ride. I came across the first quarter mark at 73 seconds, feeling strong and relaxed.
I had two runners breathing down my neck so close I felt like I was wearing them. I hit the half mile mark at around 2:27, still in cruise mode. This was the speed and distance that just a few days ago turned my legs to lead, made my lungs feels like bursting, and eventually cramped my muscles to the point I couldn’t run the rest of my workout. Here I was running the third lap and still feeling strong.
By the time I started the fourth lap being the engine of the train was taking its toll. I started feeling tired and my breathing was getting labored, but I knew I had enough left to hang on to this pace for one last quarter.
With half of a lap to go the train riders used the energy they saved from the ride to make their sprint past me for the finish. I thought about trying to make a go of it and battle for the win, but I realized I had already won. I was going to get across that line a hundred meters ahead of me in less than five minutes on a beautiful evening, feeling great, with the help of wonderful people who put on this race for free, and I helped two other fine athletes do the same. It doesn’t get any better than that.
For those of you that aren’t satisfied by just a good story, here are the cold hard statistics for the fast heat.
- J. Brockenbough 4:53.70
- Brian Caskey 4:55.90
- Steven Garand 4:56.79
- Carl Hubel 5:04.75
- Mitch Radella 5:20.79
- John Caskey 5:22.80
- Kevin Dowell 5:23.52
- David Dettore 5:23.96
- Matt Mauclair 5:24.86
- Tammy Slusser 5:37.57
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