Lap by lap, explain to me what went through your mind during your 1500 or mile PR

Lapland wrote:

Give me a psychological play by play per 400m

Also, Time and Age

Please, tell me, Clariiiiiice...

Lap 1: "Just stay in contention for the final 200m, then it's mine. I'm the quickest sprinter in the field."

Lap 2: Nothing

Lap 3: Nothing

Lap 4: Nothing

It was weird.

Age: 15

Time: 4:32 (Mile)

Indoor 1500

1. Get near the front, stay on shoulder of 2nd guy

2. 62, Relax

3. I'm doing it, focus

4. 2:06, it hurts but I can do it

5. These guys are slowing way down -- grab the lead

6. 3:13, Still a long way to go, keep it together

7. Don't slow down

7.5 No one caught me, whew. 4:01

(splits in yards)

I was no star, but I was determined to win this race. Dartmouth Invitational 1500 heat 1, January 1978.

Yer it was HS I was 17 and going for the school record in a time trial. I had the splits written on my hand and thought I would go out at record pace since I had a good 8x400m session a few days before. First lap I went out faster than I usually would. I wanted to set it up and hang on. I was 2 seconds up after the first lap but smooth. I thought to myself just hold on and stay strong. I felt a little excited. After two laps I was still 2 seconds up and feeling great but I was bit worried about the 3 lap. I just said to myself relax, stay focused and keep the rhythm going. Towards the end of the 3rd lap I felt the lactic coming in but my coach yelled out the split and to my surprise was still 2 seconds up. Adrenalin kicked in and I took off knowing it would take an earthquake to stop me getting the record from there. Got it by 3 seconds. 4.24 to 4.21. I think it was the fact that I was two seconds up after the first lap lap that helped me MENTALLY. Attack and hold on.

400m (65): Alright this is kinda fast but that's fine, I feel alright.

800m (2:13, 68) Holy crap this is way faster than I've ever split in a 1600 before, still feel alright though.

1200m (3:30, 77) goddamit I knew that first 800 was too good to be true

1600m (4:36, 66) owowowowowowowow

Best 1500m race last year.

Lap 1: stay with the lead pack (it was a pack of 4). Split was 65.

Lap 2: at halfway point.. "Ok make a move that i stay with the lead pack and not pass anyone" did that and it was a good move.

After that I was like "is winning this race possible? Well let's do it!"

When I crossed 800m at 2:12..."ok you are on Pr pace!"

Lap 3: with 500m to go.. " make a move now and catch up with the top 2" did that and then crossed 1100 in 3:02. I was like "you are on PR pace!!! Let's go!!"

Lap 4: with 150 to go.. " ahh damn my strides are getting choppy"

With 100 to go.. "Hang on!!! You are almost there"

Result: 4:11 1500 age 21(now 22). Placed 2nd in my heat. 3 second pr.

1st 50m: ok, here we go!

next 250: duh

next 400: duh

next 400: duh

last 400: aaaaaaarrrrgh!!!

800 PR, by 200:

1: Perturbed slightly

2: Malice aforethought

3: Rising rage!

4: Pure, unmitigated

HATE!!!

2:00.2

It'll be over soon.

My mile PR should have been faster given this strategy and given level of pain, but psychologically this worked better then the run hard from the gun strategy I employed all to often with negative results

First 440: coast smooth form to ~64-65, field has left me

Second 440: keep coasting no fast turnover ~65

Third starting to feel discomfort coast and keep strides relatively long~65

fourth start moving don't initiate kick till about 150 out, final 100 pass a few guys. Final time 4:20 FAT true mile evenly paced

1.5hour later employ same pacing strategy to a 1:58 in the 800m

1. Hate

2. Hate

3. Hate

4. Hate

High self selection bias here. The median is about 4:10 for the mile.

Lapland wrote:

Give me a psychological play by play per 400m

Also, Time and Age

4:08 age 21 indoor flat 200 track.

Lap1,2: Just trying to find my pace, did 3x3/4 in 3:11, 3:07, 3:11 on Tue. hit 63 perfect & begin to realize that I am already way in the lead.

Lap 3,4: Nice rhythm. Teammates urging me on. 2:06

Lap 5,6: Hold steady, straining only slightly, bam 3:07.

Lap 7,8: Just cruise and I get what I want, new school record. nice 61

4:08.7 second place runner 4:25.

My teammate had run 4:11 a few weeks earlier to claim the school record and got a lot of attention for it so I wanted to break it.

Never ran faster though I also never really tried that hard. Moved on to longer events but still ran some mile races occasionally as prep.

Just a local all comers meet but it included past and future Olympic runners.

Age 28

1 hang back, have flamed too many 1st laps this season.

2 woah, too slow! 2:15+ and 12th or 13th out of 16 or so.

3 pick them off!

300 m, spriiiint! Closed final 400 in 63, 300 was 47 to finish in 4:05 and about 8th. Elated, easiest feeling finish ever.

inner went 3:46 and went on to run sub 28 a couple years later.

When I ran my 1500m pr. 3:41….. I really didn't even notice the clock each lap. I went out with a large fast pack and before i knew it was kicking down the home straight. I think when you run your best races you don't even notice the clock or recall each lap specifically.

First lap-this feels pretty comfortable... oh god I'm WAY too fast, might as well go with it... second lap- well I'm starting to hurt but I'm hanging in there... third lap-why did I open so fast? Fourth lap- kick kick kick!

Lap 1: Wow. Im in last

Lap 2: Okay catching some people now decent 800 split time to neg split!

Lap 3: Lets gooo pick some people off.

Lap 4: (next to my teammate) Just gotta hang with him here! I know I can outkick him in he last 60. Just hannngg

Locker Room afterwards: Took a shot in the locker room for a PR

Lap 1 : dont fall

Lap 2 : completely zoned out

Lap 3: completely zoned out

Lap 4 : dont f*** this up

4:17 and i was seventeen

1500m PR – pre race 3:42.64 post race 3:40.60

Missed the shuttle to the track and had to wait 40min for a taxi. Got to the track 13 min before my 800m race was due to start, so asked to be switched to the 1500m which was not starting for another hour.

Hadn’t run a 1500 for 12 months, so decided to sit at the back of the pack and pick off as many people as possible on the last lap.

Lap 1 – went thru in 60 point and was sitting comfortably in last place.. 16th!

Lap 2 – Moved up one place (actually, I think someone dropped out), but was still sitting on the rail doing nothing 2:01 point

Lap 3 – Still in 15th place at the bell feeling great and was waiting to hit 300m to go to start my kick. Remember thinking to myself that I can’t lose to the kid infont of me as A. he was only 17 (pretty soft of me to be sitting on a kid) and B he was a steeplechaser. Hit 1200m in 3:02.7.

Lap 4 (last 300) – Moved wide with 300m to go and started picking off runners one by one. Past 6 down the back straight to move up to 9th….I’m flying now. Ran the whole last bend on the outside of lane 2 passing 2 more people. Hit the last 100m and realised the leaders were still 20-25m ahead of me and I had a lot of work to do if I was going to win the race. Closed well, passing 4 more people to grab 5th place (with a dip) and a new PB of 3:40.60. Winner ran 3:38 low

Only ran 2 more (3 if you count heats) 1500’s after that race! Should have run a few more in hindsight, but never really enjoyed them.