The Wildcat Road Mile- Race Recap
Racing an all out mile is by far the most intimidating distance to me. For the last three years I have raced the mile once each summer. My time has gone from 5:17 in 2013 to 5:20 in 2014 and then even slower this year with a 5:31. For whatever reason I was a little off this June at GoMile in Little Rock so I was very tempted to redeem myself when I had the chance.
I had already registered my older 3 kids and a few days before the race I decided why not- might as well put myself out there and see what I could do. The only problem was my marathon schedule. Marathon training is not always conducive to racing an all out mile. The day of the race I was actually supposed to run 16 miles with 8 @ tempo. I messaged my coach and asked him if / how I could work in this race. I let him know my priority was getting in a good quality workout- not necessarily running a mile PR. I was able to run the 16 miler with tempo (8@ 6:28) on Friday morning so Saturday I could race the mile. I knew my legs would not be fresh or tapered but I wanted to do the best I could and not hold back.
The Wildcat Mile starts behind the Harding intramural fields and finishes on Burks Blvd. which is only about a 5 minute drive from our house! My friend Kerri and I warmed up together and then I did some strides. Both of my girls were also in this race. (There are two heats- women’s heat first followed by the guys.) Last year I ran this race with Abi because she wanted me to pace her. We both quickly realized that was a mistake! We run better together in longer (read: slower) distances.
My strategy was simple- run hard and leave it all out there! I did not set my watch to beep every quarter like I usually do for the mile because I didn’t want to stress/ over analyze this race. I was just going to run it and not make a big deal about it. I think I tend to psych myself out too much with this distance.
The gun went off and the girls took off flying. There were a lot of high school girls running this and I forgot how crazy fast high school girls take off. This made me smile because that was my high school racing strategy too! I think this was my fastest mile start ever. The first quarter I glanced down and I was at a 5:07 pace! One high school girl stayed with just passed the first quarter. I looked down at my watch way too much for this short race. It was hard and fast but it wasn’t awful. I didn’t feel nearly as bad as I did in June. It felt very controlled and smooth despite having run long the day before.
As I rounded the corner before the final stretch I saw John and Ashton cheering. Then I saw the finish line clock was still in the 5:20’s. Official finish time- 5:28. (1st female). Official results can be found here. Overall very happy with how this last minute one mile race went. I think if there’s one thing I learned from this race it’s that I can push myself harder from the beginning. After I finished I turned back to cheer for Abi and Anna as they came in. Abi finished in 7:12 and Anna set a mile PR in 8:57.
Then I jogged back over to the guys starting line. I wasn’t sure if I’d make it to my son’s start in time but since I did I was able to run it with him. I always love being able to run and share race experiences with my kids. My son finished in 8:15.
The mile is a great racing distance because it brings in a lot of runners who might not normally go for a longer distance. It’s a perfect race for kids who don’t have much (if any) running or racing experience. This race definitely had a younger crowd than most of the races I run but it was a lot of fun. I want to give a little shout-out to one of my coaching clients Kerri who set out to break 7 minutes and she smashed it with a 6:32!! Her daughter also ran and set a PR as well!

Overall it was a great morning and we were home from the race by a little after 9! I must say I really like this course. The start was a little crowded but I think the fast start worked to my advantage. I think next year I’ll actually plan this race into my schedule and try racing it on fresh legs! It’s time to go sub 5:17!

When was the last time you raced a mile?
Up Next… Ark Classic 5k Race Report
11 thoughts on “The Wildcat Road Mile- Race Recap”
The mile is so intimidating. but you always race it well. Congrats on getting under 5:30 the day after a long run. I’m very impressed.
Gracie recently posted…Why that was probably my last Hood to Coast
Thanks! I don’t know if I race it well or I’m just crazy enough to race it often!
Tia Stone recently posted…Ark Classic 5k Race Recap and  Breaking 18 minutes?!
I raced my first mile race a few weeks ago. It was so much fun. I am not fast, but did was able to finish in a faster time that I ever would have imagined. It was my area’s first mile race. They anticipate more in the coming months, and I am looking forward to them.
*please ignore typos…commenting makes me nervous
Thanks for the comment! No worries about typos- story of my life! Thank goodness for spell check!
Tia Stone recently posted…Ark Classic 5k Race Recap and  Breaking 18 minutes?!
Congratulations on your win! You did an amazing job to race a mile while in marathon training. I love how you race so much and how you don’t discriminate against shorter or longer distances, you do em all :).
I agree that the mile is really intimidating, although I find that around here, our mile races have the opposite effect and don’t bring people out. It seems like so many runners think Longer = Better = Harder and don’t want to pay to run a mile because it’s only a mile. But if you race a mile all out (or really if you race *any* distance all out), it hurts like crazy! I think it’s a great distance for kids too and seems like a good race.
Amy Lauren recently posted…Friday Five: Fall Bucket List
Ha!! Thanks Amy! You are right about that- I definitely don’t discriminate! I’d say the Ark Grand Prix series has me trying out a lot of different distances whether I’m ready or not!
Tia Stone recently posted…Ark Classic 5k Race Recap and  Breaking 18 minutes?!
I’ve never raced a mile so I can only imagine how intimidating it is. You have to lay it all on the line for 5 or 6 (or in my case closer to 8) minutes. Great running by you and the kids.
Char recently posted…I Can Read Between The Lines
Yes! That’s what’s so scary- no room for error. No settling into your pace. It’s just pure all out sprinting!! You should try it Char! I bet you’d have an interesting experience and you’d probably surprise yourself at how well you’d do!
Tia Stone recently posted…Ark Classic 5k Race Recap and  Breaking 18 minutes?!
Great job, Tia!! Um, yes, I’m sure your next mile race is going to be the speediest one yet…watch out Go! Mile!! Woo hoo!
Tara @ Running ‘N’ Reading recently posted…Training Recap