Upcoming 1-Mile Race

After some good intervals all spring and summer, I'm ready for another shot at a sub-5:00 mile at the upcoming Raspberry Run 1 Mile. My last intervals were a week ago, and (as I noted in that post) my last 7 weeks of sprint work starting back in late May have been:

- BK 5K
- Resting after the 5K
- 4x800 / 4x400 up north
- 12x200
- 800 meters in a track meet
- 4x(4x200)
- And 8x400

Times were a BIT better than they were before last year's 1 mile race, so I'm really hoping to crush the 1 mile. I'm trying to tell myself how much it will hurt and how I still need to push hard through that hurt because a funny thing happens when I'm "happy" with my training over a period of time: even though I train to be FASTER, something in my mind starts telling me that the race will be EASIER.

So it's like I (subconsciously) think the race isn't going to hurt as bad because I'm in better shape. But if I'm to PROVE that I'm in better shape, I need to make it hurt just as much as it did last year and then MAYBE I'll be able to post a faster time. So I'm trying to keep telling myself that it will HURT.

The only 2 "negative" thoughts I have are [first] that I did an 800 meters at a track meet a few weeks ago and it KILLED me, so now a mile seems like a long way (when usually a mile seems like the shortest possible race to do). And [second] that my 8x400 track workout last week was a full second FASTER than last year's (which is a GREAT sign), but last year that workout was earlier in my "1-mile specific" training, so maybe I would have even worked my way past this year's time if I did that as a later workout last year. If that makes sense. I just need to kill the negative thoughts and push through the pain at the race.

So clearly, I hope to be sub-5:00 again. My training's been there. I wonder if I can break last year's time of 4:55.7 as well. That's my goal. I'll see if I can hit it! Stay tuned....