Write about the time you first broke XX:00 minutes for ____distance.

the first time i broke 2:00 in the 800 was also the first time i won a varsity race. i was at one of the biggest invites of the season, and it was my first (and only, thus far) #1 finish in a varsity race. it was awesome. with 250 to go i threw in a surge and nobody went with me. i held the lead all the way through until the finish. i closed my eyes and just went balls to the wall going into the last 100.

fapfapfap

I don't have a good story, yet ;), but I wanted to say that I think this was a good thread idea. :)

My senior year, we had a dual meet against an average team that we were supposed to completely blow out... which we did.

The first event of the meet, the 5,000, was one of my two events. (The other was the 3,200... a few hours later in the day.)

There wasn't much competition in the 5,000, but I was feeling good and decided to let things fly a little bit... just to see what I had under the hood at the time.

And when I heard the first mile split (5:03) it occurred to me that I had a chance of breaking 16:00 for the first time in my HS running career.

So I decided to step on the gas a bit and go for it. My coach didn't think it was such a great idea, however. In fact, each and every successive lap, he yelled at me more and more to slow down.

But me, being the self-centered, stubborn 17-year old that I was at the time, I didn't listen and kept on pressing.

By the time I reached the final lap, I was running as if Satan himself was chasing me down.

I finished in 15:56 and won the race by 52 seconds. My coach was absolutely livid. And even though I begged and pleaded NOT to run the 3,200 later on because I was so tired from the 5,000... PLUS we had already won the meet by then... he still made me run the 3,200... just to make a point.

So I ran the 3,200... and felt like complete crap. And I struggled to run a 9:58 and barely won. In fact, I almost lost to a freshman and came really close to puking my guts out at the finish line. (I was terrible at doubling.)

I was completely exhausted at the end of the day. But the confidence that gave me (breaking 16) completely changed my outlook on what I was capable of running. A few weeks later, I lowered my time to 15:36... and wound up winning the State Championship. But I still think my coach thought I was an absolute douchebag for being so selfish that day... and in hindsight, he was probably right. But what a feeling it was to break 16 for the first time. I felt like king of the world... even though breaking 16 for the 5,000 in HS isn't anywhere near a big deal these days. It sure seemed so back then.

Now, in my ripe old age, if I could break 20 I'd be stoked!

I broke 9 minutes for 3200 and got beat by over 10 people.

My first sub-3 Marathon.

(Mile 1.) Stayed in control, let a lot of people go, 6:14, just a little fast. (Mile 2.) Still easing into pace, running solo, 6:20 (Mile 3.) Not feeling great at this point, but worked to catch up to a group of guys just before hitting the 3rd mile, 6:13 (Mile 4.) Now I had a group to work with, so I just set it on cruise, 6:17. (Mile 5.) We hit the five mile mark just about perfect @31:21, fifth mile was 6:15. Picked up a gel here from Dad (Mile 6.) The pace fluctuated a bit, but I still felt like I was finding my rythym, 6:20.　(Mile 7.) 6:19. (Mile 8.) Now I felt like I was running easy, fast, but easy, 6:12. (Mile 9.) This was the mile with the only uphill on the course, it was tiny, but enough to slow us down a bit, 6:22. (Mile 10.) But we got right back into the rythym, each of us taking turns in the front, 6:14, going through 10 at 1:02:50. (Mile 11.) This mile was straight into the wind, it wasn't to bad, but at this point I was very glad to be in a pack, 6:15. (Mile 12.) Still heading into the wind but feeling good, 6:18. (Mile 13.) Felt good here, 6:18, going through the half in 1:22:27. Right before the half I got another gel from Pat. I think at this point our pack was numbers 6, 7, and 8. (Mile 14.) Now we're onto the second loop and I was feeling strong, 6:18. (Mile 15.) Still cruising, 6:19. (Mile 16.) I think now the group lost a few people, one guy finished at the half, and another guy fell off, 6:16. (Mile 17.) Somehow this mile got away from us, it felt fast, but not that fast, 6:06! (Mile 18.) Back in control, 6:13. (Mile 19.) Now this guy comes out of nowhere and passes us, 6:12, so we're 7, 8, and 9 now. (Mile 20.) But then we see a different guy starting to come back and we pass him as we come through 20, 2:05:19, so we're back to 6, 7, and 8, at 6:12. At this point we also start lapping people, so there are people all over the course, and it was also at this point that our group starts to splinter, every man for himself after 20. It was also at this point that it was becoming really hard to ignore the pain in my legs, and the urge to just lay down right on the street. (Mile 21.) The youngest guy in our little pack now just takes off, not to be seen again until the finish, (he would finish 36 seconds ahead,) but me and the one other guy managed to hang on for a 6:12 mile. (Mile 22.) Then I can feel the wheels coming off and the other guy shakes me, 6:24, slowest mile of the race so far. This is also the slight uphill, and it hurts this time, now I'm in 8th place. (Mile 23.) But now I'm back on flat ground and I know if I let that guy go I'll be in trouble, it would really tough running those last few miles into the wind all alone. So I push just enough and I catch him, and hang just off his shoulder, 6:17, better. At this point we pass another casualty, someone I know who went out way too fast, and is now doing the survival shuffle. Now we're 6 and 7. (Mile 24.) This mile was the first of the 3 into the wind, which had picked up a bit from the first loop. It still wasn't a really bad wind, but at this point in the race, any wind is bad. Obviously both of us were hurting, 6:28, this would be the slowest mile of the day. (Mile 25.) Still struggling, but we're on the home stretch now, 6:27. (Mile 26.) You can't quite see the finish line at this point, but I know where it is, and I know that this guy is not going to beat me. As I start to push with what I have left he drifts back. I can still hear him and it's enough to make me keep the pressure on, 6:11. Now I can see the finish and I know I'm free of the guy behind me, but I still push with everything I have left, covering the last 385 yards in 73 seconds. I finish just 4 seconds ahead of 7th place.

Official finish time was 2:44:36!

Some 20+ years ago as a Senior after running all through HS, I finally broke 2:00 in the last month of the season. Oddly I can't really remember that specific race very well. It was a big invitational where I guess I ran with the pack coming in at 1:59.x. However, I much more clearly remember the next two times I broke later than month. The first won me the district championship also with 1:59, and then a week later I ran 1:56 in the final race of the year.

The first time I broke 2:20 for the 1/2 marathon was epic. The crowd got out slow, blocking my path. The Gallowalkers kept stopping and suddenly walking right in front of me, and I had to dodge them. But I held strong and by the 10k I was free and clear to run my pace. I only took 4 swigs from my camelbak the whole race, and my compression socks stayed firm and true. Someone took a picture with their cell phone cam of me running by the Miami River, and it looked like I was an angel floating through heaven.

I will share a bit about two; first time under 5 in the 1500, and first time under 4 in the 1500.

Midway through the season of 8th grade, my PR was 5:18. That put me at 5th or so on the team, behind two studs who had run in the 4:40's or so, and two more who were more at my level. In a dual meet with our main rival, I decided to hang with the leaders for as long as I could. About 550 meters into the race, one of them turns to me and says, "What are you doing here!?!" I hung on to that group (our top two and the top two from our rival school) until about 900 meters or so, and while they pulled away to finish somewhere around 4:45; I had a massive PR of 4:59.

That was my fastest race of the year (other races sub-5:05, but not sub-5), and all throughout high school I didn't really get a whole lot faster for a 1600 - my best effort in high school was 5:06 for 1600.

In college, I managed to get down to 4:03 for a 1500, and 4:20 for a mile; a big improvement, to be sure, but not quite where I wanted to be. This spring, I decided to focus on the 1500, running unattached at college meets. My first two races were 4:03 and 4:04, and I was itching to break 4. In my third race, there was a big pack to run with (I was seeded maybe 10th with my 4:03), and we were moving just a hair slower than I needed to. However, I was running comfortably, gradually moving my way up from last, confident I would be able to move at the end. Coming into the bell lap, I was already kicking, and up to about 7th place by that point. I heard someone yelling "2:59!" as I went by, and knew I had to run as faster closing lap than ever before to have a shot at breaking 4. I passed everyone except the breakaway leader (and was closing on him before I ran out of room) crossing the finish line in 3:59.

In high school, my goal was to break 50 s in the 400 after running 50.8 to start the season.

But I only managed 50.20.

Finally ran 49.50 senior year of college but I was an 800 runner then and had actually run 49 inpractice at that point.

First time breaking 2:00 in the 800 was indoor race as freshman in college. Ran 1:59.00. Just happy to get under.

Skip to my senior year and I had run 1:50. several times over two years and finally ran 1:49.85 in a race where I went out fast and hung on.

Ran a little faster in the next race with more even splits.

Sub 4 for the 1500 came in a big way after running 4:01 in a relay earlier in the year, I won my conference meet in 3:54.4 junior year.

Sub 3:50 and sub 3:45 came two years later.

Never got that sub 4 mile having a best of 4:04.8 indoors and never took a real attempt.

1500m time converts to 3:59.99 with the 1.08 conversion but that just doesn't feel the same.

Sub 15 for 5K came in a road race as fall training and in was nice to see 14 in the results.

I've had a couple of milestone races where I busted through the flat time big time.

1) As a high school junior, I had lowered my 3200 time to 10:03 (10:19 was my best as a sophomore) and then had several races in the 10:03-10:12 range before finally busting through 10:00 with a 9:51.

2) Also as a high school junior, my first season running 5,000 for CC because prior to that the distance in Ohio was 2.5 miles...I had a race of 17:20 and then 17:12 (or something like that) and then I busted a 16:35.

3) As a high school senior, I had been running in the 16:20s all season in CC and then finally at the end of the season at the Wood County Cross Country Championships, I ran 15:48...perfect weather, hard and fast course, some kid I had never heard of busted out to a very quick first mile, and I was scared that he'd get away from me, so I went with him...he died; I did not. My most perfect race ever.

5:00 1600: 8th grade. I was pissed because I led the whole race until the final 200m when the 15 year old 8th grader I was running against blew by me to beat me by 2 seconds

19:00 5k: 8th grade, road race. I was pissed because I was second in my age group by a few seconds. The same kid continued to beat me by 5-10 seconds every time we raced 5k throughout high school. I don't think he even knew who I was but I hated his guts and always wanted to beat him. I think I only did so once.

18:00 5k: Second cross country race of freshman year.

That's about it; I didn't cross any other xx:00 thresholds in these events. I did run faster than 11:00 for 3200, but I only ran it once on the track during my senior year of high school and I know I broke it numerous times in xc races, so I don't really consider it a milestime acheivement.

First sub 31:00 10k

I wasn't going for time in this race because was the national championship meet for XC my Junior year in college on a really fast course.

I went out a little slow in the first mile, getting caught in a nasty bottle neck about 800 in, believe I came through the 5k in low 15's. The next thing I remember about the race was coming through 5 miles and another guy from my conference was just infont of me, some of his supports yelled what place he was in, so I knew i needed to move up 5-10 spots to get AA.

I remember thinking I could roll over and die now and stay where I am or run as hard as I possibly can to get AA. I chose the latter, and it worked out for me.

The first time I broke 5:00 for the mile was my senior year of Cross Country in a team mile time trial, keep in mind I only once ran track the season before and ran a 2:06 for the 800m that season and the 800m was the longest distance I'd raced. I'd never ran a mile before save for gym class, I don't remember splits, but I do remember going out like a bat out of hell and the splits were not at all leading to an efficient race. I ended up running a 4:53, 2nd place was 4:58. The next week the coach decided to run it another time and I raced that against a guy who qualified for the state meet. I led off for 200m, got passed and it was a battle from there, with 200m to go I started my kick, 150m to go I passed him, and as I crossed the line, I went and collapsed. It was the hardest I'd ever run up until that time, I heard my time shortly thereafter, I had run a 4:43, 2nd place was 4:45.

your coach is an idiot

mad at you for running a pr?

that's unfathomable that you ran 9:58 after pr'ing like that.

f***

First time I broke 10:00 in the 3200.

It was my junior year indoor season in HS. Where I came from, break 10 in the 3200 was a big deal and gave you legend status in HS. I ran 9:58 and got like 5th in the race. I crossed the line, staring up at the scoreboard anxiously waiting for the time and when it read sub 10 next to my name I started to weep, in joy. My coach and my dad were there and knew how big of a deal it was to me. Made me feel really good.

Feels silly now a little with me graduated from college and a pr equivalent to 9:19 in the 3200, but makes me realize how much I love to run.

6:00 mile

8th grade. Off of no training whatsoever - in gym class we'd run for like 5 minutes every day, and once a year we'd do a half mile out and back to get a mile time for the presidential fitness test or whatever. Don't remember what I'd run the year before, probably like 6:40, but I decided I was going to break 6, so I went out as hard as I could, and hung on for a 5:57. That's all I remember really, so not much of a story.

Ran track my freshman year - got it down to 5:41. Ran a couple more sophomore year, both in the 5:30-5:40 range, but focused mostly on the 800. Started out running 2:22's consistently, then halfway through the year I dropped it down to 2:13 in a 4x8, then ran a 2:12 later that meet, got it down to 2:08 by the end of the year. My HS had a 'fun mile' type thing after track was over, so I went out and ran something like 69, 76, 78, 74 for a 4:57y. Which was a decent time for someone who'd been running only sort of seriously for about a year, and hadn't done any summer or winter training.

never broke 5 again, for several reasons. Had a bad tachycardia that acted up whenever I tried to do any speed work, wasn't sleeping or eating nearly enough, but the main reason was that we got a new coach my junior year, who was retarded and had us "peaking" at 20mpw in FEBRUARY and starting our taper then (sectionals were mid-May). Workouts were mostly burpees, situps, and crab walks, with the occasional 2-mile run for "cardio." He threatened to kick us off the team if he saw us doing additional running.

What school runs 5km &3200 on the track?? Just kinda need to know cause your story seems very bogus

Connecticut does the 5,000 and 3,200 at every outdoor meet.