GRP Run California Recap: Reflections on a Week of Racing

From GRP Runner Mitchell Black. Mitchell’s next race will be at the Portland Track Festival over Memorial Day Weekend.

I arrived in California with hopes, not expectations. After a 3 month hiatus from racing, during which I got stronger on the hills, faster on the track, and more explosive in the weight room, I knew that my fitness was there. What I didn’t know was whether I would have the opportunity to put that fitness to the test. When I touched down at LAX two nights before the USATF Golden Games at Mt SAC I still didn’t know whether I had been accepted into the meet. But sometimes you just gotta send it. And this time my “full send” panned out in large part thanks to my teammates, coaches, and mentors doing everything in their power to advocate for me. Late Friday evening I received second-hand confirmation that my entry was accepted. The race was on.

Mt. SAC

With the pace designed to go out in 50.5 for the first 400m, I knew that it would be a great opportunity to run fast. Perhaps harboring some apprehension as to whether a 50-51 second first quarter would be a shock to the system, I went in with the intention of just mixing it up with the pack and seeing what happened - definitely not full send. In retrospect, this was a bad idea for two main reasons: 1) such a vague, tenuous race-plan allows room for complacency, a trap to which I admittedly succumb too often when racing, and 2) I drew lane 1, which meant that I would be vulnerable at the lane break to being sequestered by other athletes jockeying for prime position. Unfortunately, this was not a consideration I took into account in real-time. When the gun went off, I set out conservatively and found myself running at around 9th position or so (of 11 racers) at 200m. In this case, “found myself” accurately captures my headspace at the time. Like I said, this is what happens when you don’t have a clear race plan. But the pace was quick, I was ~2.5 high through 200m, and I held my position through the bell, crossing 400m in 52.7. Rounding the corner at 300m to go I still felt relaxed, and I knew that if I didn’t move up now I would lose more time and energy trying to do so on the curve. There was someone else moving up on my outside, so I responded and split the gap between him and the runners holding lane 1 to move from about 9th to 6th. Then it was 200 to go in 1:20.x, and I had another competitor in my sights. So I shifted into that final gear and BOOM! An elephant jumped on my back. If you’ve ever run a 800m or 400m, you can probably relate. (Luckily for me, a bigger one hitched a ride to the other guy). Grimacing more than anyone should, I slowly moved by him on the homestretch and held off the “booty-lock” long enough to finish 5th in a season-best 1:48.63. Not the 1:47.x I had hoped for, but I needed this to learn that you need more than hope to accomplish a goal. For me, that means becoming comfortable being uncomfortable, even uncomfortably early in a race. Trust that your fitness and your training will carry you through the discomfort and that your goals lie on the other side. With the way things worked out, I would actually have an opportunity to take my own advice a week later…

Mitchell Black (in red) racing to the finish. Photo by Dave Albo.

Sound Running Meet

In the chaos of not having a race to run while being on a flight across the country to compete in said (still) nonexistent race, I was able to gain late entry to the 800m at “The Track Meet” put on by Sound Running on May 15th. This was a new, clearly unplanned, and welcome development. As such, I decided to treat it like a bonus race — a great opportunity to be uncharacteristically aggressive in the opening lap. I had focused even more so on speed rather than volume over the last week, so my legs were feeling fresh and I was mentally ready this time to go full send. Plus, the good people at Tracksmith had hooked me up with a fresh, new kit that had me thinking there may be some truth to the proverbial “look good, feel good.” I had talked with my coaches and the general consensus was 51.x for the first lap. If executed, it would be my fastest opening lap ever in an 800m. Spoiler: it was not executed. To be fair, I would have needed to come off the break right behind the pacer and to communicate to him that he was going too slowly (either that or overtake him, which is, let’s say, a nontraditional approach in a paced race). In any case, I ran an aggressive first 100m but was too passive at the break. I let two runners tuck in between me and the rabbit, and I settled for the slower pace. Another runner passed me at the bell, and I was 53.1 with 400m to go. Allowing myself to be passed before the curve also meant I was trapped in a box. But I stayed patient and waited for the backstretch to again make my move. I went from 5th to 3rd and suddenly had confidence that a win was within reach. As I closed the gap on the two lead runners in the final curve I thought, “I got this.” And though I was still closing the gap, the last 100m was again a formidable foe. Nobody in their right mind would say that I looked good in the homestretch. But it was enough to get the W. Leaning at the line, I just barely dipped under 1:49, my first result of the calendar year that did not improve upon its last. Finishing time aside, this one was a confidence booster. I’m looking forward to getting after it again soon.

Mitchell (right) on a training run in California with GRP Run Coach Jamie Norton.