Project 56, Starting With a Random Note About Yesterday
I originally called the Skipper "Captain" in yesterday's post. I've lost all credibility.
We have dozens of sports records in our family, all held by myself or Eli 24.11. He's surpassed me in most things by now, but my running records, particularly for shorter distances, are holding.
Mostly because he hasn't tried to beat them, but still. I'll take what I can get.
Last week he announced Project 56, his very brief training period to beat my 440 record (57). That's not fast, for a track runner, but it's not a pushover, either.
Also, the project name. Every attempt to beat a record has to have a cool project name. It's essential.
He has a few advantages. One, he's wearing spikes and I wore regular running shoes (heavy ones back then, too). Two, he's on a synthetic surface while I was running on a red dirt track. Three, the fastest 800 meter runner in Oxford history is helping him train, and is going to pace him during his attempt.
He's become the ultimate "guy who knows a guy" (or girl) for every conceivable situation.
Plus he's running on the same track where Roger Bannister first broke four minutes in the mile. Not cinders anymore, of course, but the same physical location. Epic.
He messaged me last weekend and said he'd done a test at 300 meters in 41.8 seconds. That translates to a 400-meter (440 yards, or very close) time of anywhere from 56.7 to 58.4, depending on his ability to hold form for the last 100 meters.
In other words, it doesn't appear to be a route.
He still has 3+ weeks of speed training to do, so I may be cooked. But he promised to have video of the record, at least, so I can enjoy watching him run that fast.
It's a great feeling when you're running as fast as you can. Nothing like it.
<< Home