Okay, so I got this idea in my head, right? The 1600 race. Like, a mile. Haven’t really pushed that distance hard in a long, long time. Figured, why not? Let’s see what the old legs and lungs have got left.
Getting Started Again
First thing was just getting out there. Dug out some old running shoes. Headed down to the local track. Felt kinda weird being back there, honestly. Lots of memories.
Didn’t have some fancy plan. Just decided to run. Started jogging, nice and easy. Then I thought, okay, let’s try pushing the pace for a lap. Man, that felt different. Winded. Way faster than I thought.
So the next few times I went, I focused on just doing the four laps. Didn’t even time it properly at first. Just wanted to get the feeling back. You know, that rhythm. It wasn’t pretty. Some days felt okay, others felt like I was dragging a sack of bricks.
- Session 1: Just survived 4 laps. Felt slow.
- Session 2: Tried to keep a steady pace. Harder than it sounds.
- Session 3: Focused on breathing. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Still got winded.
- Session 4: Actually pushed a bit on the last lap. Almost threw up. Good sign? Maybe.
The Practice Run That Mattered
Decided one morning, okay, today’s the day I actually race the clock. Not a real race, just me against myself. Did a proper warm-up this time. Some dynamic stretches, strides. Felt a bit more serious.
Lined up at the start. Clicked the watch. Took off. That first lap, classic mistake, probably went out too fast. Felt good, but you always pay for that later.
Second lap, reality started hitting. Pace slowed down whether I wanted it to or not. Lungs started burning. Started thinking, “This was a dumb idea.”
Third lap was just pure grit. Or maybe stubbornness. Everything kinda hurts. You just focus on the line ahead, one step at a time. Kept telling myself, “Don’t stop, don’t stop.” Honestly, just wanted to walk for a bit.
Coming into the final lap, I tried to pick it up. Not sure how much faster I actually went, but it felt like a sprint. Legs felt heavy, like lead. The final 100 meters were just a blur. Crossed the line, hit the watch. Stood there gasping for air for what felt like forever.
Looking Back at It
Checked the watch. Wasn’t a world record, wasn’t even a personal best from way back when. But you know what? It felt good. Like, really good. Accomplished something. Pushed through that wall.
It’s rough, this 1600 distance. It demands a bit of everything – speed, endurance, mental toughness. Mostly mental toughness, I reckon. You gotta be willing to feel uncomfortable.
So yeah, that was my little adventure back into the mile. Will I do it again? Probably. Am I gonna suddenly become a track star? Definitely not. But it’s good to push yourself, remind yourself you can still do hard things. That’s the main thing I took away from it all.
