SUB-4 MINUTE MILE ATTEMPT....DOWNHILL!!!

Are you kidding? I am TOTALLY faster than Alan Webb. I mean come on...his best mile ever is a 3:48 or so? I could give him a 2 second head start and still whoop his ass...in flats! El Guerrouj here I come!

PRE-RACE THOUGHTS: So anyway, I had been feeling kinda sore from a workout on tuesday, and was getting kinda nervous about the run. Especially when on Thursday after a 45 min run, I did a sort of stride/sprint for 400m down the hill and only ran a 65.

Anyway, around 1am or so we decided that I should start to warm up and start my race at 1:30 as soon as the lights turn yellow (we guessed this was when it was gonna happen). But what ended up happening is that they didn't change...and we came to the conclusion that we didn't think they were going to that night. But we waited until 2am just in case. So then we checked again and they still weren't changed and so we just decided to go for it despite the stoplights. I warmed up again, and this time I became more confident. Don't know why, but I just felt good. Not many people came out to watch because it was so late and people had finals to study for, but whatever. I was determined now. Especially with a few people betting that I wasn't going to break 4. Such as my roommate. Who now has to do 600 pushups in one day.

MID-RACE THOUGHTS: I got out hard the first 200m because that's what I usually do, but because of the downhill I guess it made me continue the speed. I thought I was gonna hit the quarter in like 52-54, but after hearing only 58 I thought I was done. Seriously. I was thinking to myself, "Am I going to have to drop out at 800m?" But then I looked up at the SUV ahead of me with my friends hanging out the windows screaming at me and I found the strength to go on. I swear the middle 800 I was running 2:08 pace and I was expecting to hear the 800 split to be 2:03 or something but my friend yelled out 1:54 and I was shocked. Same thing for the 1200 when I heard 2:52. At that point I knew I had it, and kicked it in decently. I probably could have gone harder for the last 4 thinking back to it, but I was pretty tired.

POST-WATCHING OF VIDEO THOUGHTS: Damn my form is horrible. Especially my right arm. I need to work on that big time. And I have a huge nose.

CONCLUSION: DO THIS RACE! It is crazy fun. I wasn't sore at all afterwards. No aches and pains, nothin'. Try and get as many people out there to either run with you, bike alongside you, or just to support. All my friends just got drunk and piled in a car (except for the driver ofcourse) and we're screaming like crazy at me while they blasted music to inspire.

All in all it was a great time, and again I highly suggest that you make your own 1st annual David Torrence Downhill Invitational Mile.

Now, just to let you all know what I have been up to, I've just been going to a J.C. and gaining my eligibility back (which should hopefully be by this spring and if not then for sure by fall). I train every once in a while with other athletes in the area such as Bolota Asmerom and Ozzie Pina.

If you guys want to see the video of this or the 1600 somebody's gonna have to email me to let me know how to post it somewhere because I have no clue. Thanks a lot guys and I appreciate everybody cheering me on.

Oh yeah, and the "official" time as stated before was 3:46.3.

Where was the race/run, in the bay area? Near Cal?

I go to Cal, just curious :)

Down Bancroft.

No shit? I run there all the time, that's an awesome place to do it. Are the quarter mile marks still up? For all you letsrunners out there, this is a street that goes along the side of campus and has essentially zero traffic crossing it. It's long, straight, and it's easy to fly down it on an easy run if you aren't thinking about what you're doing.

GO DAVID!

Im the webmaster for the Cal Running Club, we have some webspace and Id help yah out getting this thing up. hit me back with an email, and with how big the video is as well. You did this down bancroft? That's nuts man.

tom allen could have done that whilst drinking a guinness

Wash your mouth with soap wrote:

This post was entirely inappropriate. Please don't post like this again.

John boy, I'd like you to meet Mr. Eamick. He's something of an institution around here.

so if there is video of this will it be the new american record? not too sure of the rules.

Great job. I can't wait to see the video.

I think the guy who ran the 3:46 has also run a legit (track race) 3:43-3:44 1500. I'm pretty sure about this.

yeah, 3:43.62 from world juniors, what exactly is considered sub 4:00? Just converting pace, his time would be 3:59.9, but I know there is some slight fatigue factor for the extra 109ish meters.

pacten wrote:

tom allen could have done that whilst drinking a guinness

Guinness? Do I look like I'm f***ing Irish....3:43 with a Newcastle

i love you tom.

Tom is not simply the "Godfather." Rather, he is GOD.

wet-blanket.

with a 360 you would still suck. think about it.

Well, FIRST of all, I am 20 years old, not 19. So by that error, I'm going to derive that you have no idea what you are talking about.

Second of all, I'm doing these kind of things because I love this sport. I have a great time racing and running. Well, maybe not when I'm losing...but that's why I ran this race solo.

Third of all, I think Alan Webb has bit more than a few seconds on me. And I don't know if he performs awesome downhill miles like myself, but I do recall him bringing a keg after a race for himself and I think his competitors as well. Hopefully it was just for himself, cause that'd give him way more cool points.

Fourth of all, the term sub-4 DOES mean ONE thing...and I'm pretty sure that "Sub 4", in terms of distance running, refers to the size of my penis. So I'd like it if you just stayed out of my personal life thank you very much.

And Fifth of all, you are more than welcome to come out to the race next year. If it does give your career a complete 360, then I'm glad it will keep you going in the same direction.

hey TOM (godfather),

what are you, too cool to show up for the run? you can play soccer in the afternoon, but can't stick around for a couple hours?

i used to look up to you, tom. but after demonstrations of ass-clownery on such a large scale, i can no longer.

it's sunday, and all i have to say is that you better be at the track house, or i will shed my last ounce of respect for you.