March 23, 1979 Friday (Freshman year in college)
Planted March 23, 1979
Time: Age 19
Where: Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
Why: Coach Sam Bell gave me a log book in September 1978. I had kept track of how many miles I had run each day during high school, but not times/distances. Little did I know that this first “Run Log,” made by Accusplit, would lead to me having logs of my running for the next 19 years.
I had run 400s in practice both in high school, and during the indoor track season, many times. There is the mystique of running 400s under 60 seconds – it is natural to think, “If I can run under 60 seconds on a bunch of 400s, I may be able to break 4 minutes in the mile!”
One has to laugh, as I wrote “10x440 with a 220 jog” in my log – have to believe it was a meters track.
2.0 miles warm-up, a few strides on the grass 10x440 (220 jog between each) 59, 58.5, 59.7, 59, 58.5 59, 59, 58.5, 59.5, 58 “All sub 60!!”
Played basketball for an hour that night, in-between an evening run, counted it as 4.5 miles total Pulse AM – 48, PM – 52; Weight 138
Confidence building workout: 10 Crazy workout: 4 Mileage for week: 82 miles One week later: 3:46.62 1500m at U of Arkansas (PR)