Waverly posts a 1-mile PR today of 10:42.91!

Each year, Waverly's school has a mile run in the spring as part of their overall physical fitness program. And in the fall (or early winter), they do a "practice" mile run at Meyer Park in northwest Houston near the intersection of Cypresswood Drive and Stuebner-Airline.

Her fifth grade class was the first group to do their run this morning at 8:35 a.m. So Waverly and I got there at about 8:15 to 8:20 a.m. and we got out there and ran to the 1/4-mile post just to see what her pace was going to be like. We covered it in 2:29. (We walked back and what I should have done was a slower pace going back to see what 3:00 or 2:50 was going to feel like.)

Her times last year were 11:56.96 (in January) and 11:36 (in April). So I set a target for her last night of 11:00. I felt that this was reasonable and the idea was to try and go 3:00, 2:50, 2:40 and 2:30 in the four (4) quarter mile splits. So when we got there and she did the first one in 2:29 as a warmup, I thought like she'd be able to handle it.

Before we started, I checked with her P.E. teacher, Mrs. Young, to find out what the targets this year were for a 10-year-old girl. The "presidential" time was 9:19 and the "national" time was 11:22. I knew, unless she got hurt on the path, that she'd make it without a problem.

As I mentioned in January's report (which also was the first time Cassie ever posted a comment on the blog), all of the kids go off like gangbusters. Some treat it seriously and do well and there are others who could finish it a minute or two sooner yet they just aimlessly walk parts of it, etc.

Waverly went through the first quarter mile at 2:29.60. I'm thinking "hmmm ... a bit fast". (In the truck coming home, I'm also thinking "hmmm ... wonder who she gets that from.") I made the comment to her that she did great and had some time in the bank.

The next quarter mile she handled pretty steady, but took a quick walk break before the halfway point and logged a second quarter mile of 2:48.21 for a half mile time of 5:17.81. (I remembered a time that there was no way that I could do this!)

Quarter mile #3 was a bit more of a struggle. Not sure if she was gassed or not, but she walked a bit more and posted a split of 2:56.02. (We put off her 8.5 miles on Sunday because I wanted her legs to be completely fresh so she could do well here at school!)

Then with a little bit of a push from Dad, she focused and cranked off a 2:29.08 split (the fastest of the four) for a finishing time of 10:42.91! (For new readers to this blog, you need to know that Waverly's between 5'2" and 5'3" and probably 120 pounds perhaps.)

1/20/05 -- 2:53.34, 3:02.99, 3:12.10 and 2:48.53 -- 11:56.96.
11/22/05 -- 2:29.60, 2:48.21, 2:56.02 and 2:29.08 -- 10:42.91.

Last year, at the Anadarko Run Thru The Woods on Thanksgiving Day, she did the mile in 13:30.5. (Dad remembers it was really cold last Thanksgiving - although not the 28 degrees it was on Christmas Day - and she didn't take to it real well!)

(Dad, meanwhile, ended up getting three loops in of 1.33 miles for a total of 4. Even though I took yesterday off, my quads are still a little beat up from the weekend. So I'm not sure what else I'll do today or tomorrow before Turkey Day's Run Thru The Woods 5M in The Woodlands. I have two targets. My course PR is 49:45.1 and my 5-mile PR is 47:06.7 (Park to Park Run in February). And unlike Park to Park and Saturday's 10K in Missouri City, you have to cross the 45 overpass twice! But I think Dad's done enough hills here recently to handle it!)

Evening addition: After picking up our packets at the YMCA in The Woodlands, I went to Bally's and did 30 minutes on the elliptical trainer (2.67 miles) and 30 minutes on the stationery bike. I was going easy on the trainer, but I also began to get light-headed. So I got some water, got back on to try another 30 minutes and I found that I couldn't get more than about 3 minutes in without wondering whether I could finish it or not.