The mile. Bring back the mile they say. Back on July 8, I raced the Lincoln Mile race for the first time. It’s a little strange I haven’t raced it before. I’m not really sure why. But it was a good opportunity and experience to renew my acquaintance with one of my main high school track events (along with the 2-mile and the 2-mile relay~I didn’t have sprinter speed so they moved me to the longer distances in high school).
I knew that it was a flat course and I liked that. I did wish it was held on a track. Of course we can run a little faster on the track because the surface is softer and more predictable than the roads. But road runners must run roads too and not just on the track.
Knowing that my legs would be tired after racing a 5k that same week (the Sweaty Sparkler race in Omaha), I decided to run as fast as I could without any time goal. After all, I needed to run a cooldown mile with the dog when I returned home.
On the morning of the race, I picked up my race packet at Lincoln Running Company. Then I ran on a slow mile looping around Memorial Stadium at an easy pace, trying to save some energy for the racing mile. This would be my last official race in the 45-49 (or 40-49) age group so I wanted my best effort so it would be a good memory. (There was an interesting coincidence with what time I picked up my race packet aligning with my birthday. 7:21 am and 7/21. I have always loved the Mizuno clock. And Mizuno shoes. Yes I raced in Mizuno Wave Rider 20s.)
During my warmup mile, I noticed fatigue. I don’t know if it was fatigue from racing hard that week, or run-streaking, or lack of sleep. But I knew I was tired.
So I began a little cautiously. I didn’t know many of the people racing with me in my age group except for one whom I had just met. I saw how fast the 50-somethings were running and knew this would probably be a fast group too. And it was.
The race course runs north on 12th Street, then east on R, then south on Centennial Mall for a few blocks, we catch a glimpse of the State Capitol and run back.
Although I was able to pass some people early in the race, in the last half, I was the one getting passed. Then people were pretty much holding their position. I didn’t have a lot of energy left for a strong burst at the end.
Even though I didn’t have time expectations, I was thinking of a 6:00 and wondering if that was realistic. On a track, maybe it would have been. On the roads, not as much. Not this day.
Officially, I ran a 6:42 (Garmin and Runkeeper say I ran a little longer but pretty close to the tangents). 21st out of 29 in my age group. Not as well as I hoped.
But ’twas a good experience and speed test. I enjoyed racing against my 40s friends/peers. And I highly recommend you consider running this race at some point. It’s inspiring to watch the older and younger folks run. Some families had parents and kids running in this. And there were elite runners too.
Do you prefer to race on roads? Track? Trails? We benefit from mixing it up a little bit, don’t we? It’s good to be well-rounded.
Signing off for now, happy healthy trails my friends!
Before I forget, don’t forget to wear bright reflective gear when you run, walk, bike, and race. Even in a mile race, I still wore my Nathan vest with Brilliant Reflective attached. My RoadID also has Brilliant on it. Want to try Brilliant Reflective safety strips? Visit their website and let me know if you have questions, I am a BR ambassador and can give you a special discount code. Here is the website: BrilliantReflective.com. Safety counts.
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