The Mile, Ron Becht, and Me

February 27, 2018

The first thing I am going to ask when I die and go to Heaven is, "How close could I have come to breaking the 4-minute mile in that life if I really, really tried during my peak years?"

"Hi Ron. I hope your holidays were good. Every winter, my club trains at the Saginaw Valley State University track, a very new, nice 300 meter indoor facility. We always start the once a week session (Tuesdays for ten weeks) with a mile time trial. Last night I ran 6:32. In ten weeks, the last week, we will run another time trial. I want to run a sub 6:00 mile. What's encouraging is that I haven't been running much and am about 10 pounds heavier than my normal racing weight. I think a sub 6 is achievable. Was wondering if you can sort of help me get there with your training knowledge." (Facebook Message to Ron Becht from Jim Ferency, 1/10/18, 12 days before his 66th birthday)

Jim Ferency with Ron Becht, February 24, 2018 

at Rock Bottom Pub, Windsor, Ontario.

On January 10, 2018 I ran a mile in 6:32 indoors. Because it was 12 days before my 66th birthday, and because I love the precision and purity of running ... especially the mile ... a little voice somewhere in my head (or was it my heart?) said, 

“You've thought about it for the last two years. Break the six minute mile before it's too late. Everything you need you have, and the Time is Now. ”

* * * * * 

I was never an elite runner, but this guy was:

That's Ron Becht. I met him through my girlfriend Jackie last Fall in Windsor, Ontario. In the previous photo (by Jackie), we're having beers with a group of track fans and coaches in a local pub in Windsor, after a big indoor meet at the University of Windsor. Just two sixty-something guys who have running history. 

But Ron's running history is special: he's a member of an elite class of runners known as the Sub-Four Minute Milers. They're so elite, you don't often get to meet one, and as it happens, Ron is the first sub-four miler I ever actually met (and the mile was just one of his events).

Me? I'm a member of a class of runners known as the Sub-Five Minute Milers ... but I like to narrow that down to the Sub-Four And A Half Minute Milers.

Because I did one, Once upon a time ...

4:28 on July 4, 1984 at age 32.

I'm pretty sure I was never capable of breaking a four-minute mile ... I certainly didn't have the mind or maturity to entertain the possibility when I was a teenager, which is when I think such a dream and quest begins. 4:15? Maybe. I'll get my answer when I'm dead. That and a host of other answers to a pretty lengthy list of questions (... not all about running, either).

But now I want to run under 6 at 66. I'm feeling lucky, not only for having crossed paths with Ron, who has graciously agreed to coach me, but for the timing of it all. Which, among other things, is what this story is about. The big date is exactly two weeks away, March 13.

Just to be clear, it's not easy for a 66 year-old to run a mile under six minutes.

But I'll be damned if I don't feel like a teenager trying. 

First Sub 5

February 27, 2018

IN THE FALL of 1969, I went out for the cross country team at Grosse Ile High School, Grosse Ile, Michigan. I was a senior, 17 years old, and with a January birthday only four months away, I was one of the older seniors in school. 

The varsity team consisted of Dave Duba, Paul Wylie, Don Barker, John Schultz, Anil Telang, Dennis Duba, and Herb Trix.

I didn't know a thing about running, and I was shocked at how far members of the team ran in practice. I could not keep up, gasping for oxygen every single time. Most days I regretted going out for the team, and meets were an embarrassment as juniors and sophomores beat me.

What I later learned was that these boys had run and practiced all Summer, but all that meant to me was that they were in constant pain on their vacation. I thought, what kind of persons would do such a thing? Why would anyone want to get used to leaden thighs and burning lungs? I understood the feeling of pride in being faster and beating others in competition, but at such a cost? Long distance running seemed like a sport for masochists as far as I was concerned.

But our team was ranked first in the league, and highly regarded state wide, so part of me understood that pain for that was worth doing ... high standing in your school, admiration from peers, press coverage. I knew I would not be part of that group, and if my memory is correct, I never ran in a varsity meet (although I might have because of another runner's injury or illness, but with dismal results). It was embarrassing to be on junior varsity as a senior, and worse not being number one there.

I don't know why, but I kept at it. I suppose the shame of quitting would have been worse than the disease of mediocrity. In practice I was a slacker; didn't run as far or as fast as I could, or as the other boys did. I hated it.

With one exception that might have been the seed that sprouted a new idea from the whole experience. Six hundred yard repeats on grass at Elizabeth Park across the River. The repeat part (what amounted to my first experience with interval training) was tough, and I couldn't get through all of them, but I learned (and so did the coaches) that I had speed and a certain amount of stamina over middle distances. There was talk of how I could help the track team in the Spring.

In those days, a cross country race was two miles. Our top two runners, Dave Duba and Paul Wylie, closely matched but with an edge to Dave, ran around 10:00 at their best. I think Dave broke 10 as the season progressed. The next three or four came in from about 10:20 to the high 10:45 or so. I don't remember my first efforts, probably in the high 12s, maybe even somewhere in the 13s, but I do know that I gradually improved over the season to being number one on junior varsity, only one runner from varsity! I felt a little pride in that, but not much. I think my best time was the junior varsity league and final meet of the year ... in which I ran 11:30 or thereabouts against all of the runners from all of the member schools, and it was in that meet that I felt good running for the very first time -- no real pain -- the beginning of comprehending what distance racing/training did for a distance runner over time. I also won that meet by a large margin, nobody even close. I remember thinking, where is everybody? Why is this happening? Are they not trying because it's the last meet of the year and are sick and tired of all the running? My teammates cheered me on, too. Much appreciated. 

And that was the beginning for me.

That and a book called The Jim Ryun Story by Cordner Nelson, copyright 1967. The things that boy did. A 4:26.4 one month before he turned 16. And then the rest of the story ... 

Inspired by Ryun, at the conclusion of the cross country season, I marked a mile around our block using a tape measure to record a certain distance, then matched that distance with pedal revolutions of my bike pedals, after which I pedaled around the block with the requisite number of pedal revolutions that covered the distance of one mile. I marked the spot with spray paint on the pavement. Was it exactly one mile? Within inches!

Over the course of two or three weeks, maybe a month (I did not keep notes ... going on memory here), I made multiple attempts at breaking five minutes in the mile. My training consisted of making multiple attempts at breaking five minutes in the mile. I don't remember how many attempts I made (maybe three?), or even the times I was pulling -- but I kept getting closer until one day in November, 1969 (I have a note of that, but unfortunately no specific date), I clocked ...

 4:58.3

Note to self: one way to train/practice achieving a  desire result at a particular distance is to attempt the goal repeatedly until made. 

I was very proud of that achievement, even though I knew it was the same speed as Dave Duba could run for two miles. I didn't care, because I suddenly felt like a miler. I wasn't 15 almost 16 like Ryun, and I only just started my mile fixation, but damn it, I got under five.

References, in which two of my cross country mates, Dave Duba and John Schultz, are named as significant players in the first Annual Falmouth Road Race, 1973: 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1780719258612667&set=pb.100000238301981.-2207520000.1519760966.&type=3&theater

https://www.falmouthroadrace.com/race-history/

https://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2015/08/15/the-most-famous-miles/vEYimIXNOrFu3tLAjq6WfO/story.html

Six Three Three Six Zero

February 28, 2018

I have a particular fondness for the 1.60934 kilometer run. And these distances:

160934 centimeters
63360 inches
5280 feet
1760 yards
1609.34 meters
1 mile

There is only one mile in a mile run. There are only X number of years in a lifetime. There were only a certain number of sub-five minute miles I accomplished; there will be no more; and that is the end of the matter as of Now. Listed are 32 of them; there could have been more, but I have no records of them.

1969 4:58.3 (November)
1970 4:51.6 (6/27)
1972 4:48
1972 4:38
1981 4:59.32 (3/28)
1981 4:54.93 (6/13)
1981 4:57.3 (11/3)
1982 4:57.98 (3/19)
1982 4:53.5 (6/2)
1982 4:51.9 (6/23)
1982 4:14.49 (1500 meters)
1982 4:11.06 (1500 meters) 
1982 4:50.6 (7/10)
1982 4:50.57 (7/19)
1982 4:11.7 (1500 meters)
1982 4:47.34 (7/26)
1982 4:32.26 (7/28)
1982 7:29.4 (1.5 miles)
1983 4:53.25 (5/3)
1983 4:48.56 (5/15)
1983 4:38.1 (5/22)
1983 4:53.87 (6/23)
1984 4:55.52 (5/2)
1984 4:57.89 (5/11)
1984 4:50.3 (5/20)
1984 4:21.9 (1500 meters) (6/10)
1984 4:28.03 (7/4)
1986 4:54.08 (1600 meters) (6/4)
1986 4:52.57 (6/2)
1986 4:57.8 (6/25)
1986 4:56.47 (1600 meters)
1987 4:58.21 (11/8)
2018 6:02.7 (2/13) Equivalent to 4:36.4

Sub-four minute miles: 0

* * * * * 

On February 29, 1992, a New Zealander named Derek Turnbull ran the mile in 4:56.4. He was 65 years old. That’s the world record for that age and age group (65-69). A farmer, Derek took up long distance running in his early 40’s. Three of Derek Turnbull's notable marathons include the New York Marathon in 1990 placing 1st for his age group 60-69 in a time of 2:41.21. Derek also placed first for the London Marathon, 2:41.57 in 1992 in the 65-69 age category. However his fastest marathon time in the 60+ age group was at the Alaska marathon in 2:38.46 in 1987.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Turnbull

The top American record in the mile, age group 65-69, is 5:11.74 by Tom Bernhard, July 23, 2016.

All I want to do is break 6:00. After that, I’ll think about setting a new goal.

Maybe.

Training for Boston 1982; Spectacular Disaster in Waiting

February 28, 2018

 Boston Marathon Training

January to April, 1982

I'm in the Frank Shorter style red and white striped shorts.

I was arguably getting in the best shape of my life for this iconic event. In Denver (briefly) and Seattle, I trained and entered two races in preparation over a period of 13 weeks. I qualified for Boston with a time of 2:47:26 (6:23 pace) in the Detroit Free Press Marathon on October 11, 1981 ... my first marathon. I was quite literally running away from my life in Detroit, but that's a story beyond the scope of this one.

 Countdown to Boston

Week 13, January 18 thru 24: 
Five days of easy running at altitude in Colorado. I turned 30 on the 22nd. 22 miles

Week 12, January 25 thru 31: 
Colorado, then Seattle, 
Monday, 36:42 undetermined distance, 
Thursday, 5 miles at 7:37 pace,
Saturday, 8.25 miles at 7:28 pace. 18.5 miles

Week 11, February 1 thru 7:
Monday, 3.9 miles at 7:34 pace, 
Tuesday, 3.5 miles at 6:58 pace,
Wednesday, 8.25 at 6:03 pace,
Friday, 9 miles at 6:37.5 pace, 
Saturday, 6.5 miles at 7:40 pace,
Sunday, 6 miles at 6:52 pace with the 5th mile at 5:36. 37 miles

Week 10, February 8 thru 14:
Monday, 4 miles at 7:42 pace,
Tuesday, 6 miles at 6:19 pace, 
Thursday, 10 miles at 6:42 pace, 
Friday, 5 miles at 6:58 pace, 
Saturday, Mercer Island Half Marathon, 1:16:37, a 5:51 pace on a hilly course. 
38.1 miles

Week 9, February 15 thru 21:
Wednesday, 4 miles at 7:28 pace,
Thursday, 5 miles at 6:59 pace,
Friday, 8 miles at 6:54 pace, 
Saturday, 8 miles at 6:52 pace. 25 miles


Week 8, February 22 thru 28:
Tuesday, 10 miles at 6:59 pace,*
Wednesday, 5 miles with third mile at 5:21,*
Thursday, 7 miles at 6:57 avg. pace (variable)*,
Friday, 10 miles at 6:10.5 pace, 
Saturday, 4 miles at 7:52 pace, 
Sunday, 12 miles at 7:20 pace. 50 miles

Week 7, March 1 thru 7:
Tuesday, 5 miles at 6:49 pace, 
Wednesday, 7 miles with tempo miles of 5:14 and 5:31, 
Thursday, 8 miles at 6:16 pace,
Friday, 5 miles at 7:39 pace, 
Saturday, 12 miles at 6:45 pace, 
Sunday, 3 miles in 28:00. 40 miles

Week 6, March 8 thru 14:
Monday, 8 miles at 6:27 pace, 
Tuesday, 8 miles at 6:47 pace with an up-tempo last mile in 5:50, 
Wednesday, 6 miles at 7:53 pace, 
Thursday, 10.2 miles at 6:23 pace -- the last 8 at 6:17 pace and the last mile in 5:50, 
Friday, 10 miles at 7:30 pace, 
Saturday, 8 miles with the first 5 at 7:22 pace, the next 2 at tempo 5:30/5:40, then mile jog, 
Sunday, 14 miles at 6:32 pace. 60.2 miles

Week 5, March 15 thru 21:
Tuesday, 4.1 miles at 6:51 pace, 
Wednesday, 6.9 miles at 6:40 pace, 
Thursday, 13 miles at 7:08 pace, 
Friday, 6.25 miles, first 5.25 at 6:40, last mile in 4:58, 
Saturday, started work at Runner's Place,
Sunday, the Sri Chinmoy 10 Mile race in 57:53, or 5:47.3 pace.* 40.25 miles

Week 4, March 22 thru March 28:
Monday, 7 miles at 7:33 pace, 
Tuesday, 11 miles at 6:27.6 pace, 
Thursday, 9 miles at 6:58 pace, 
Friday, 6.9 miles at 6:43 pace, 
Saturday, 4.1 miles at 8:02 pace, 
Sunday, 17.3 miles at 6:21.3 pace. 
55.31 miles

Week 3, March 29 thru April 4:
Tuesday, 4.1 miles at 7:22 pace, 
Wednesday, 6.9 miles at 6:40 pace, 
Thursday, 11 miles at 6:59 pace with tempo miles of 5:30 and 5:21, 
Friday, 9.7 miles at 6:26 pace, 
Saturday, 6.9 miles at 6:38 pace, 
Sunday, 4.1 miles easy. 42.7 miles

Week 2, April 5 thru April 11:
Monday, 6.9 miles at 6:01.3 pace, three under 6:00, 
Tuesday, 14 miles at 6:39.5 pace, 
Wednesday, 7 miles at 5:54 pace, 
Thursday, 7 miles at 7:19 pace, 
Friday, 20 miles at 6:53.5 pace, 
Saturday, 4 miles easy, 
Sunday, 11.2 miles with the first 7 at 5:57.5 pace. 70.1 miles

Week 1, April 11 thru April 18:
Wednesday, 4.1 miles at 6:42 pace, 
Friday, 26:00 slow run w/Lee in Fitchburg, 
Saturday, 21:00 easy run in Fitchburg. 
10 miles

Week 0, April 19, 1982:
The Boston Marathon ... 

Oh, the mistakes I made.

Let's start with the training. I didn't keep good notes on how I was feeling during training, but there were a few, which I marked above with asterisks*: On February 23, 24, and 25 ("heels still sore," "heels felt better," "heels a little better") ... and instead of taking heed and resting, I ran through it ... the next day I ran 10 miles at an average pace of 6:10.5. 

On March 15 I had to stop during the Sri Chinmoy 10 mile because, as noted in my log, "I did not feel good -- almost quit at 8+ miles ..." (As I recall, I had a stomach cramp or side-stitch at Sri Chimney  and doubled over for 20 seconds or so.) "... although I'm satisfied with my time, I thought it would be easier. Maybe I am tired from Boston training."  

No kidding.

Mistake number one: I had little rest for 12 weeks, always pushing, training as though I were racing myself, each successive week an attempt to go faster than the last.

Mistake number two: Two long distance races in the mix, not a good idea.

Mistake number three: Multiple days in a row of fast-paced running.

Mistake number four: During April 5 through 11, I ran seventy miles in seven straight days of fast; 7 miles of at 6:01 pace, 7 at 5:57 pace, and 7 at 5:54 pace; 20 miles at 6:53.5 pace; only one day over 7:00 pace. I don't know what I was thinking. Wait, yes I do. I had a goal. An unreasonable goal: 2:36.

In truth, I was in fantastic running condition; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to handle what I did.

But the truth of the matter is that I overtrained. Although I made it, I was not fresh at the starting line on April 19. To worsen the situation, the weather was warmer than I was used to by 15-20 degrees. 

Equivalencies of Time

March 1, 2018

Certain tables tell you equivalencies of times for different distances as well as different ages. For example, if a runner finished a 10 mile race in one hour and 15 seconds, that effort is considered equivalent to a 2:49:38 in the marathon. To give another example, my 4:28 mile at age 32 is equivalent to a 5:49 mile at age 66, 5:56.6 at age 68 (my age as of typing this sentence), and so on. There are various sources that calculate equivalencies. In 1982, I used a book I purchased in 1970, Computerized Running Training Programs, by James B. Gardiner and J. Gerry Purdy, published by TAFNEWS PRESS that same year. According to CRTP tables (see images above), my 1:16:37 half marathon is equivalent to a 2:41:32 marathon. My 57:53 10 mile is equivalent to about a 2:42:48 marathon. Two more current sources for such calculations are Masters Athletics and WMA Age-grading Calculator, which had my 1:16:37 equivalent to 2:41:47 and 2:41:27. Each source is within seconds of the other two.

But I thought I could run 2:36:36, because 1) I thought two months of hard training between the Mercer Island Half Marathon and Boston would bump me into a faster time than what the tables predicted, and 2) that's what I wanted to run: a marathon at 6:00/mile.

Which I now call Wishful Thinking.

Maybe I could have achieved 2:41. It might even have been possible to dip below 2:40 if my strategy was well-planned, taking into consideration the weather, hydration, nutrition, the nature of the course, and unknown variables I might have discovered by doing a little research ahead of time (something as simple as asking the veterans of Boston questions). I confess I thought I knew what I was doing and didn't bother with any of that. Of everything that should have been done by a smart racer, before and during the race, I either didn't do or did the exact opposite.

WMA Age-Graded Calculator

Masters Athletics Age-Graded Calculator

Eleven Days from Now

March 2, 2018

Left, Ron Becht (No.1116), in the Tillsonburg Classic, '91 or '92; Right, the beginning of our coach/runner relationship on Facebook Messenger. With a bit of nervousness, after having met him at a cross-country meet and banquet in Windsor, Canada last Fall, I asked him on January 10 of this year if he would help me set up a training program to break the six-minute mile. To my delight, he agreed. I would be coached by a sub-four minute miler! I could and can hardly stand my good fortune. That mile is only 11 days away.

Sir Roger Bannister

March 4, 2018

I had no idea I would be writing this in One Seven Six Zero.

Roger Bannister
May 23, 1929 - March 3, 2018

                 

May 6, 1954, the First Sub-4 Minute Mile

Roger Bannister's 4-minute mile. Video

New York Times

(I am writing this on Sunday, March 4, when I learned from Jackie that Roger Bannister, the man who first broke the 4-minute mile in 1954, died yesterday, March 3, 2018, at age 88. Words cannot express the thoughts and feelings I have about this news. It is not that it is sad, really. We all will die. It's just that this athlete affected so deeply my understanding and appreciation for what he had accomplished, which made him a standard bearer for my own aspirations in the game of running. When you spend as much time as I have revering such an accomplishment, thinking about Sir Roger and the others (e.g. Jim Ryun, Marty Liquori, and many more), it somehow becomes a permanent and eternal aspect of your soul.

Now I have someone for whom to dedicate my attempt at breaking six minutes. The timing could not be more perfect, his death 10 days before the scheduled day.)

* * * * *

Tuesday Track Nights at SVSU

March 4, 2018

My Ron Becht-coached SVSU Track Night Tuesdays workout plan, and my results and thoughts:

No. 1 January 9, 2018 - Mile time trial, 6:32.02. To Ron next day: Last night I ran 6:32. In nine weeks, the last week, we will run another time trial. I want to run a sub-six minute mile. What's encouraging is that I haven't been running much and am about 10 pounds heavier than my normal racing weight. I think a sub 6 is achievable. ... the 6:32 wasn't an all out effort. I mean, it was just a time trial, I had no expectations, and I just wanted to see if I could get under 7:00 because that was pretty much what I expected ... under 7:00. Not that it was easy. It just wasn't the kind of thing where I crossed the line and had to walk off lactic acid build up.

No. 2 January 16, 2018
Workout: 4-5x200 meters at 48-49 seconds with a 2-minute active recovery between each. Result: 8x200 with 2-minute active recovery between each, 45.2 second average (which is about a 6:02 mile pace). 

No. 3 January 23, 2018
Workout: 1x800 meters in 3:05-3:08, 1x600 in 2:20, 1x400 in 94-96 seconds, 1x200 in 45 with 2.5-minute active recovery between each. Optional: 4 x acceleration on the straightaway. 
Result: 1x800 @ 3:05.8; 1x600 @ 2:22.5; 1x400 @ 91.4; 1x200 @ 43.1 with 2.5-minute recovery between each. 

No. 4 January 30, 2018
Workout: 10-12x150 meter accelerations with gradual increase in speed reaching peak speed over last 50 meters, with 1.5/2-minute active recovery between each. 
Result: 11x150 meters @ 6-minute mile pace or slightly less for the first 100 meters, and 5:30 mile pace for the last 50 meters; 73 second recovery between each.  

No. 5 February 6, 2018
Workout: 6-8x400 at 90-93 with 2.5 minutes active recovery between each. 
Result: 6x400 meters, 89.8, 92.2, 90.5, 92.5, 90.5, 91.1; 2.5 minute recovery between each.

No. 6 February 13, 2018
Workout: time trial over 3/4 miles at 6-minute pace or under; clear head and strong, confident effort. Don't sweat the small stuff ... when it gets tuff you get tuffer." 
Result: 3/4 mile time trial, 4:27.25, at the 800 meter mark, I was 2:59.93. My last 1/4 mile was in 87.3. Notes: I was paced by Bob Miller, went through the four 300s as follows: 1:06.26, 1:08.67, 1:07.31, and 1:05.01. It felt great ... a great hard effort.

No. 7 February 20, 2018
Workout: intervals under 6-minute mile pace as follows: 3x400 at 86-88 seconds, 4x200 at 42-43 seconds. 
Result: 3x400 @ 83.9, 87.6, 86.3; 4x200 @ 41.6, 41.1, 41.8. 41; 1:50-2:00 rest recovery between each.

No. 8 February 27, 2018
Workout: 1 mile on track, striding strong straightaways jogging curve, 3 minutes rest, repeat. 
Result: 2x1 mile striders, fast on the straights, easy on the curves; 3:00 recovery jog. I had a pretty good idea that the straights pace in the first mile was around 6:00, second mile around 5:35-40.

No. 9 March 6, 2018
Workout: Warm up, 5x200, jog 100, stride out 100, 2 1/2 active rest (200’s @ sub-6 pace, 42-43 seconds). 
Result: 
42.02/19.70         mile pace: 5:36/5:15
42.89/19.95         mile pace: 5:43/5:19.2     
42.08/19.99         mile pace: 5:36.6/5:19.8
42.63/19.47         mile pace: 5:41/5:11.5
41.36/20.23         mile pace: 5:30.9/5:23.7
xxxxx/18.78         mile pace: xxxxx/5:00.5

Note: I did an extra 100 because I got confused about my fifth 100, thinking it was a 200, and ran it a little slow.

No. 10 March 13, 2018
Goal: One mile under 6:00.
Result: