Minnesota Mile '14

It's been a little bit since my last post and in that time period, I raced the Bix 7 Miler (US 7 Mile Road Championship), took a much needed break from running, went to Alaska for 2 weeks for some outdoor adventures, and then started training again on the 14th of August. Without diving into too many details, I never made a post about the Bix 7 Miler because it was a rather poor race and certainly an indication that I had overextended my fitness for a long season. My break from running was much needed and very refreshing.

The Famous Lift Bridge in Duluth

But alas, after 3 weeks of training, I jumped into the Minnesota Mile, which was the last stop of the Bring Back the Mile Tour and only a short drive up to Duluth, MN.  I went in with no expectations and just wanted to run a fun and competitive road mile, hoping that I could make a little money on the side.

Race day was absolutely beautiful, but compared to the swift tailwind of last year, this year's race featured an equally brisk headwind, which slowed down the field. Getting off the line it was clear that I had brought a dull metal bar to a knife fight, but I was going to give it all I had. The race quickly separated into two packs: a lead pack of about 10 and the rest of the field.  I hung onto the back of the lead pack to pass the quarter mile in ~61s and stuck there through 800, where the field began to gap me.

I fought through the third quarter, feeling like my lungs were so far ahead of my legs, which was appropriately so given that the past 3 weeks of training were typical of fall: an emphasis on threshold pace and longer runs. With only a single 8x200 session, my legs simply did not have a 4:00 mile in them yesterday. As I passed the 1200 mark, the finish line came into view and another shot of adrenaline dropped into my legs, which served me well enough to pass two people and move myself into 8th and make it into the prize money.  I had told myself before the race that if I ran under 4:10, I'd be happy with the race given my short period of training.  I crossed the line at 4:10.9, so just marginally off my goal. It was a really fun event and I'm glad I got the opportunity to race such a competitive field in my new home state!

~100m to go, Photo Credit: Chad Austin (@MinnesotaRunner)

A huge thanks goes out to Grandma's Marathon, which was the organization that put on the race, and Bring Back the Mile, whose mission is to "return the mile to prominence on the American sports and cultural landscape by elevating and celebrating the mile to create a national movement."

A town in love with a race: Duluth, MN

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