I'm doing a track 5K on Saturday. It is at the legendary Hayward Field at the University of Oregon, the site of more records and running history than any other track in the country. Racing there is basically like playing Carnegie Hall.
This has me nervous to start with, but this is a free, all-comers meet run just prior to a major meet, which implies a fairly low level of competition. Still, I was getting a bit panicky that I might be in way over my head, especially how poor shape I am in given my injury. So I hunted down last year's results to get an idea of how low-key this race really was. Unfortunately I got a bit of a shock. The 800m was won in 1:49 by a Kenyan. The 1500m was 3:54. The 3000m was a bit slower, but still way beyond me at 9:06. Last year the 3K and 5K started together, and only one guy kept going the full distance. This meant first (and last) was 15:27.
So, now I'm really freaked out. Had I been in the race last year, I would have been dead last throughout the race, and run the last lap and a half by myself because everyone else would have finished already. Also, because this is the last race before the main track meet starts, there may be several thousand paid spectators there to witness me bringing up the rear. Yikes! Any words of wisdom from the group?
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I would love to say that I competed in any of those venues, even if I finished dead last. After it is over, you will have a lifetime to think back about what it was like to run at place where great runners became legends.
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If someone DIDN'T get nerves for a race like this, then they are probably dead.
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I did jog over to Hayward Field yesterday and do a little bit of pace work on the 200m practice track in the next field over. The main track was closed to the public, with some very fast guys tuning up for Saturday.
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