Mile High Mile 2009

"What time's your wave?"

"Wave?"

"Yeah. Your wave based on your age group. What time to you start?"

So asked Keri when I checked in with her at the staging area for the Mile High Mile. I had no idea there were waves for this race. It makes sense, because if everyone started at the same time, the race would be over very shortly. So I checked the brochure. My wave started at 9 AM, which meant that I would be able to see the start and finish of each wave preceeding mine. And, since they were all spaced 10 minutes apart, I'd be able to see the waves after mine, including the Elites (under 4:30 for men, under 5:00 for women).

I enjoyed watching the little kids run, I have to admit. They were so eager and excited. Most of them were students at a handful of Denver schools (I found out later that the school with the highest representation got a big honkin trophy). Unfortunately, because there were so very many kids and they were all trying to crowd to be at the front of the line, tragedy was bound to strike. And it did, right out of the gate: two kids bumped into each other and fell down and were promptly trampled by all the kids behind them. Actually it wasn't that bad, and from what I saw both kids got up and kept on running.

As I queued up for my heat, I took a look around at the other runners. There were fifteen or sixteen that I saw, and about half-and-half men to women. In fact, it was the biggest adult wave of the day (other age groups included under 8, 9-11, 12-15, 16-19, 20-29, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70+, and the Elites). So much for my dreams of being one of three guys to run; but I still felt confident that I would make a strong showing. I've run some pretty fast short-distance races this year, such as a sub-23 minute 5k. And this was only one mile! Even so, my whole body was cold with nervousness and a rush of adrenaline, and my heart was pounding.

Then it was time. The countdown: "Five...four...three...two...one..GO!" And we were off. I can't tell you where I was in the pack. I didn't notice any other runners specifically, and although I knew there were some in front of me and some behind, I couldn't tell you how many. What I can tell you is that I covered the first quarter mile in about 85 seconds.

As a marathon runner I've trained myself to "start slow, settle in, and finish strong." This is Coach David's mantra, and it makes sense for 26.2 miles, of course. But for this one-mile race, I wanted to push myself as hard as I could, to "run hard, run well, and run fast!" And although I'd told myself that time and time again before starting, when I looked at my watch and saw my pace was sub-5, I panicked. There was no way I could hold that pace, even for 1200 meters more! I pushed that thinking aside in an instant, but it was too late: I'd slowed down. Not a lot: I was still going at a very fast clip and pushing myself really hard. But not as hard as I had at the start. I prohibited myself from looking at my Garmin for the rest of the race.

The race starts at 14th and Grant, moves south on Grant to 10th, then west one block to Sherman, then back north. Crossing 14th again brings the course right in front of the State Capitol building. As I turned onto Sherman at the halfway point, seeing the gold dome of the Capitol in the distance gave me a boost. I could see the runner in front of me, about a block ahead. I didn't worry about catching up with him, though. I was focusing on myself, running as hard as I could, and if I caught up with him, great! I couldn't hear the runner behind me, but I could sense him, like a tremor in the Force. But I put him out of my mind as well, and concentrated on moving my legs as fast as I could.

He caught me just as we crossed 14th. I'd heard him coming at the north side of the intersection, and by the time we were through it he'd pulled ahead. I dug as deep as I could to find as much as I had left, and pushed my legs even faster, but wasn't able to bridge the gap between us again. Still, he'd given me a great final push for the last tenth of a mile, and helped me to finish in 6:31!!

I watched the last few waves start, including the Elite men (at 10:00) and Elite women (at 10:02). Of course, as soon as the Elite women left, I needed to run back over to the finish area to wait for the Elite men (who by that time were almost halfway done!) to finish. And finish they did! The first one came screaming up the street, graceful and smooth and a solid six seconds ahead of his nearest competitor! His official time was later announced as a blistering 4:16.

This is the fastest mile I have ever run. I'm very happy with my time, and my result: 7 of 16 in my wave, and 13th overall! For next year, the goal is to shave 31+ seconds off and come in at or under 6 minutes. Piece of cake.

Official Time: 6:31
Total Races: 10
YTD Race Miles: 86.4
YTD Total Miles: 528.55
Smallest age group: 60-69 with three men and one woman!