The Fastest 6:03 Mile Ever

I'm not terribly into making New Year's Resolutions, so I won't say that trying to incorporate a bit of speedwork into my training is my resolution. However, I am somewhat motivated to give it a whirl in the coming months just to see what happens. After talking with North Face teammate Kami Semick a few weeks ago I definitely realized that I probably won't be racing a whole lot faster without actually training faster. Interesting concept.

So today I decided I'd better get a baseline reading- find out what I can run a mile in on the track. I'm not sure when the last time I actually ran on a track might have been, but it's certainly been a while. Fortunately I do know where a high school is in the neighborhood, so I knew where to find one of those 1/4 mile running ovals. So I ran over there today, did my mile, and ran home. I was sure I'd be able to get under 6:00, but didn't imagine I'd be much under. I was sorely disappointed. My "official" time was 6:03, but I've decided that that time needs some adjustment. What better way to start the new year than with a list of excuses? Hence, I have compiled a brief list of lousy excuses (complete with corresponding time deductions) in order to calculate my actual adjusted mile time for today;

Lousy Excuse #1- I ran to the track, so already had tired legs when I arrived. (- :05 seconds)
Lousy Excuse #2- A belly full of Swedish pancakes and coffee I had just consumed. (- :20 seconds)
Lousy Excuse #3- The cheese fondue I had last night was still heavy in my tummy. (- :10 seconds)
Lousy Excuse #4- It was really windy. (- :05 seconds)
Lousy Excuse #5- It was warmer than it looked so I was overdressed for optimum performance. (- :05 seconds)
Lousy Excuse #6- I was wearing trail shoes and not uber-fast racing flats. (- :05 seconds)
Lousy Excuse #7- My mind was too focused on all the football bowl games going on today to pay any attention to the track. (- :05 seconds)
Lousy Excuse #8- No iPod, so my eye of the tiger was absent minus Eye of the Tiger blasting. (- :05 seconds)
Lousy Excuse #9- Unaccustomed to the tight turns of a track, I felt intense pressure on my inside knee. (-:03 seconds)
Lousy Excuse #10- I'm a trail runner and never run so fast in the mountains. (no time deduction, just an excuse)

So if my calculations are correct, that brings my adjusted time to a 5:00 minute mile. Very respectable I'd say. Wow, I guess I'm not so desperately in need of speedwork after all. Yes, I'm very pleased with that.

Though I did run a mile on the track today, this is all a joke of course, and I am still motivated to try a bit of speedwork moving forward. We'll see how it goes. Happy New Year to you all! 2009 was a lot of fun, and I know 2010 will bring many exciting and fun adventures for us all!