Monday, January 8, 2018

1500m indoor running race --> 5:07:14


Well,
What a way to start 2018. A friend, who is a very fast runner, invited me to an indoor track 1500m running race at the Air Force Academy. How could I say no. I feel so blessed. I am 46 and after a couple of years of some back problems, I have been able to come back to running and doing it somewhat competitively as well. Thank you Lord for this gift and, as somebody once said, "To give less than your best is to sacrifice the gift". Yes, I did my best and will continue to do that.
I also have some other good reasons to continue running in 2018. A few months ago I signed up with LifeRunners (http://www.liferunners.org/) and I feel it is an honor to wear their shirt and run as a testimony that every life is precious, no matter how small.   Age has also brought some regular physical pain that I did not experience when I was young. So running also becomes a way to feel in communion with and to think about those who suffer daily. 
As for the race:
Well, my friend ended up sick so I went alone. I was hoping to run the 1500m in 5:05 and I did almost that (5:07:14, which equates to a 5:32 mile pace). The AFA (Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs) indoor track is 274m (or so) long, so it is hard to keep track of your pace during the run and the GPS does not work in the facility. 
I ended up as the only master athlete in the 1500m race. All the other runners were teenagers. So, I felt a little intimidated. Yet, they were nice to me.  I ran in the first, faster heat and finished last. Kids went out way too fast. That threw pacing completely off.  I could have probably battled for victory in the second, slower heat, as their winning time was around 5:02.
Overall, I am satisfied and I think I can soon get to a 5:00 with proper pacing. Here the video shot from a phone. The last 10 seconds are missing as the phone rang... Bummer.  I am in a blue shirt if you are wondering.
My two comments:
I had never been filmed before and I have to say that I look really slow from this angle. Yet, 5:07 is a good pace....
I also like Norine and Isabella's comments. Thank you for your support ladies. I love you.