Beating Your Own Best Time
By Paul Baltutis
In one of my previous articles I described how a non-running activity, such as putting a pen to paper to log your miles can help you establish a consistent pattern of running. When logging those miles becomes a habit, then runners often create increasingly progressive goals to test themselves. The goals they create range from completing their first 5K all the way up to becoming a champion athlete. Once again, a non-running exercise can help you in these efforts. I call it “flapping your jaw.”
Flapping your jaw is basically talking to yourself or to anyone within earshot who might be mildly interested in what your specific plans are for all that running you’re doing. Flapping your jaw doesn’t have to be boastful or arrogant, it simply means you want to let others in on what you are aiming for.
Machelle Cochran, a truly nice woman who would never be mistaken as a boastful or arrogant person, has told me that she wants to run a qualifying time for the 2008 U.S. Women’s Olympic Marathon Trails. Cochran, the head cross country and track coach at Alamo Heights High School, simply is stating her aspiration, as you would expect a goal-oriented person might do. After the statements are made, runners know that they need to put in the leg work.
One of the greatest jaw-flappers of all time was Steve Prefontaine. Perhaps the greatest American distance runner of all time, in the early 70s, Prefontaine held all seven American track records from the 3,000 meters to the 10,000 meters. There were some who thought he was good because of his confidence, while other thought he was a little bit too cocky. He did back up his words more often than not and performed at an extremely high level at a very young age. He was a classic case of someone who “talked the talk” and then was able to run the run.
As a personal example of how flapping your jaw can work for an age-group competitor like me, I let it be known that my goal this summer was to break 20 minutes in the 5K. I felt this goal, although challenging, was within my capabilities. After increasing both the quality and quantity of my workouts, I was ready to attempt this. Beginning in May, I ran four 5Ks, but I didn’t break through the barrier. I ran 21:00, 20:18, 20:20 and 20:13. With one more race on my schedule, the Silver Stars 5K on August 12, I was determined to give it another shot.
Turns out that fate and multiple jaw flapping were also present on that day. Fellow runners Jim Faucett, Toni Gonzalez and I would team up for a memorable race. It started when I bumped into Faucett during the pre-race warm-up. We made a pact earlier in the year to race against each other. For the last few years we have been trading off who would win against the other. In 2006 we never raced, and now, quite unexpectedly, we found ourselves facing off. I knew Faucett would raise my adrenaline and push me to a good effort. I asked Faucett what his time goal was in this race. Sure enough he said, “I would like to break 20 minutes.” My pulse raced, I said “Me too”. Faucett, then said, “Hey, you know Toni Gonzalez? She wants to break 20 minutes really bad.”
Turns out all three of us were bearing down on the 20-minute mark. Toni Gonzalez had a similar pattern of oh-so-close calls this summer. She had run a 20:17, 20:03 and a 20:16. So when the gun went off, there was no doubt every second would matter. I didn’t see Faucett or Gonzalez until just past the one-mile mark. Sure enough we were all in sight of each other and on pace. The humid weather and the AT&T parking lot hill, however, were making things tough. Faucett was 20 yards ahead at two miles, and I was shoulder to shoulder with Gonzalez. We hit the 2-mile mark in 12:50. We would have to run a solid last mile and hope for the best down in the home stretch if there were to be any hope of making the time goal.
I remember saying to myself “Fight!” at the last water stop. I knew that the race and the time goal were on the line. It was certainly on the line for Gonzalez because she passed me at 2.5 miles and looked strong. I tried to stay with her, and we were soon gaining ground on Faucett. When we made the final turn, Faucett took off. I said it was too early to go, especially with this heat; sure enough, Faucett misjudged the finish line and slowed back down. I looked at my watch, something I rarely do unless I’m at a mile marker, and it read 19:04 with about 300 yards to go. I said to myself, “Hey, it is still possible.”
The homestretch in front of the AT&T Center was lined with people on both sides of the finish line, and with the clock in sight I started to sprint. I didn’t catch Faucett or Gonzalez, but that wasn’t the point. And as the clock ticked away, I was all smiles when I crossed the tape. The final tally was etched for all to see. Toni Gonzalez 19:54, Jim Faucett, 19:56 and Paul Baltutis 19:59. All three of us had all met the time goal. In races it doesn’t get any better than talking the talk and running the run. Told you so.
Paul Baltutis is the manager of Soler’s Sports in Alamo Heights. He is also a certified Marathon Coach for Team in Training. He can be reached at sage_run03@yahoo.com.
