"Operator error" behind a dismal Pearl Street Mile

Well, I say "dismal", and all the other Ric Rojas runners are all laughing at me as usual, because I won my age group (and a $20 voucher from the Boulder Running Company).

In fact Pat Parkhill didn't even wait until she knew what time I'd done before asking Abby, "Has he got the whips and chains out yet?"

And yes, I did feel like going for an immediate punishment run, after finishing in a disappointing 5:32 (chip time). My PR on this course is 5:13. But what bothered me even more than the time was that fact that I went out in 85 seconds for the first downhill 400m to the Boulder Army Store, and got to the 800m mark at the bottom of the course barely under 6-minute mile pace.

Have you ever watched the elites throwing down a few quick strides while they wait for the start? Notice the zip and bounce...compare and contrast... I felt like I was lumbering through my strides. There was just nothing there.

Cut to Vic's coffee shop, coach Ric's unofficial office. I'd asked for a meeting to try to get to the bottom of what's going on. It feels like I'm getting faster and faster on the track, but it is not translating into races. I can do 400m in 64 seconds, for goodness' sake, so what's with 85 seconds in a mile race? Three and a half hours later -- yes, I kid you not, Ric is nothing if not thorough -- we've examined an entire 18 weeks' worth of training and I have some answers.

Apart from my inconsistent mileage, the switch to 5k training for the masters' medal hunt and a two-week loss of momentum while I tended to an ailing hamstring, and a whole slew of other stuff that we are going to put right, there were two obvious immediate factors behind a poor Pearl Street Mile. Two things stood out. One was that I'd attempted to recreate a training week that had led to a fantastic Thursday evening run the week before. That week, because of work deadlines I'd missed two days training on Monday and Tuesday, done two hard track sessions back to back on Wednesday night and Thursday morning. On Thursday night, expecting to feel tired on an easy 6-miler, I found myself absolutely flying. It was one of those spirit-soaring, permanent wind at your back type of nights; I covered a hilly, winding, crap-underfoot 10k on my favourite trail in 48 minutes -- and I was holding myself back.

Yep, stupid, but I tried to recreate it. Unfortunately I didn't have the cash to repeat the two bodywork sessions I'd also had that week. And this Thursday night it was 95 degrees in the town centre. Any zip I'd had was destroyed by my pulverizing session of alternating 100s and 50s on the Wednesday night, also done in a head-bending temperature.

So, lessons learned and bigger-picture course alterations being made. Meanwhile, hats off to top master Steve Gallegos, who showed how it should -- and can -- be done, with a 4:50 (4:49 chip time) at age 53. Olympic marathoner Colleen DeReuck again won the women's race, while husband Darren nearly won the men's race. As far as we could all tell, their warm-up consisted of easy jogging with Darren pushing the baby stroller alongside. Off that Colleen then "switched on" and produced 5:05 (5:03 chip time). I saw Patty Murray disappear into the distance to chase Colleen -- Patty's sprint finish, practised on me in the last "Beauty and Beasts" race at Pearl Street, was used to perfection to take second place in 5:20 (5:18 chip). My mile sparring partner Kyle Hubbart was slower than he'd have liked, but well up there in 5:18 (5:17 chip).

Next year.