INTRODUCTION

It was that same feeling I’ve had countless times through the years as a competitive runner: Nervous, excited, scared. I was used to it. It came with the territory. The race was just a few hours away yet those feelings were what woke me on this morning. Today was a big day. It’s not everyday you have a shot at the realization of a dream. When we entered the Armory at Boston University the musty smell of an ancient structure hit me. This building had been around forever. This was the site of what many believed to be the fastest indoor track in the country! The corridor was dimly lit and the sound of water dripping somewhere in the darkness created an ominous feel. We came upon some big old steel doors as my Coach said, “step aside” and without hesitation pushed with ferocity as the doors sprang open. Suddenly the dark corridor was bathed in light as we entered a huge cavernous indoor facility. In the center was the track. We approached the track almost reverently because we had heard the lore of the incredible races that were had on that old wooden relic that lay before us. 

As we stepped on the wooden track it had a very familiar feel to it. It was just like the one me and my teammates built back at Loyola University Chicago a few years earlier. This track had that bounce to it and the turns were banked almost identical to ours. As I ran, a smile came to my face and a surge of adrenaline shot thru my body for this felt like home. The nerves I was feeling were giving way to confidence with each stride I took. I was feeling good! 

My Coach pulled me aside then said, “lets go over the game plan.” We sat in the stands about 90 minutes before the race and methodically worked out exactly how this race should go. My teammate and very good 800meter runner, Andre Fomby had graciously agreed to be the “Rabbit” in the race even though he had a race coming up about 30 minutes after mine. The “Rabbit” is a runner that is designated to set the pace for the rest of the runners. They only run 1/2 the race but they lead you through to where you need to be if your goal is to run a certain time. The “4 minute mile” requires a nice even pace in order to run that fast over that distance. This indoor track was 8 laps to the mile so do the math, 30seconds a lap will get you 4 minutes. Obviously, the goal is to run just under that. Once the rabbit drops out, the rest of the runners need to take over. My coach had informed me that there was another great miler there that day that I needed to be aware of. His name was Paul Vandergrift from William & Mary College. He had run 4:01 the week before and he was hoping that this fast track could help him break that illustrious mark as well. I ran 4:03 a week earlier so I felt it would come down in the end to the two of us. I approached Paul and asked him if he wanted to work together. I told him that when Andre dropped out that I would be willing to take the 5th lap if he’d take the 6th lap? The last two laps would be “Every man for himself.” He agreed to the game plan. Everything was in place and now all that was left to do was race!

The moments before they call you to the starting line are typically the most nerve wracking. Although you are ready to race, there is a nervous apprehension because you know that this will not be easy and that you will suffer. This is why distance runners are an “interesting breed” because they voluntarily set themselves up within a race to have to negotiate pain. It’s in these precarious pre race moments that you try to calm your body and mind because you know the explosion of energy that will come at the start of the race is going to be intense. On this day, I felt pretty calm, confident and ready. The announcement came, “Attention, Attention Please...it is now time for the mile run and we need all milers to please report to the starting line.” I put the final touches on my shoelaces making sure my racing flats were secure. I then stood and turned to make my way to the starting line, when out of nowhere my Coach appeared before me. He put his hands on my shoulders and with a reassuring smile he said, “This is it Eddie! You’ve done everything you’ve needed to do to prepare for this moment and I am so proud of you! Now its time to go out on that track and MAKE IT HAPPEN!” I gave a smile of my own and confidently headed to the starting line. As I took my spot on that starting line I thought about what my Coach said and I thought about his smile. That smile told me everything I needed to know, my Coach believed in me but now it was time for me to believe in myself! The starter raised his right arm, “Runners Take Your Mark...BANG!”

As the gun sounded, my body sprang into action. It’s hard to describe that moment. A surge of pure adrenaline courses through your body in a matter of milliseconds and before the mind can catch up to what is happening the body has reacted. I shot off of that line as the runners to my left and right jostled for position. The plan was that Andre would immediately take the lead and my job was to get out right behind him. That’s exactly what happened. The race had begun! As I followed the lead of Andre who needed to bring us out around 30 seconds, I found myself right up on his heels like a car tailgating to close on the highway urging you to speed up. Half way into that first lap I yelled to Andre, “Pick up the pace Dre, your not going fast enough!!!” I’ll never forget Andre’s response. He glanced over his shoulder at me and said in a very controlled voice, “Trust me Eddie, I got this.” As we approached the first lap the pace felt slow and I was sure we were going to come thru at 33 or 34 seconds but as we crossed the line completing the first lap the official holding the timer yelled out, “28-29 seconds!” Andre was doing a perfect job pacing and I just needed to trust in him and know that he had my back. I’ve always had trouble giving up the control in life and it has actually been something that has hindered me and not helped so I began to calm down and trust in my teammate and follow his lead. (This is a precursor to living a better life. We can’t control it all. We shouldn’t even try) Second lap, we were at 58 seconds and the 3rd lap 1 minute 28 seconds. Andre was doing a perfect job pacing and I was running as comfortably and confidently as I could, conserving my energy for the 2nd half of the race. Now we were coming up to the 1/2 mile point where we obviously needed to be at 2 minutes to be on pace and Andre brought us thru at a perfect 1:59! At the half, we were exactly where we needed to be. Andre had done a perfect job setting the pace and I felt good!

The 2nd half of the race had begun and it was my turn to take over the pacing. As the body slowly begins to tire you need to actually feel as though you are picking up the pace to stay consistent so that’s what I did. I tried to keep it as even as I could so as not to expend too much energy to soon. At the 5th lap we needed to be at 2:30 to be on pace and I brought us thru at 2:29. I had done my job and now it was Paul’s turn to take over so I drifted into lane 2 in order to allow Paul easy access to take over and lead us through the 6th lap. As I began to move into lane 2 coming off the banked turns I noticed my teammate, Marc Burns who was diligently watching the race and cheering me on sprinting across the infield of the track yelling something to me. I couldn’t hear what he was saying until I came off the turn and was now running past him. With great ferocity Marc yelled, “Eddie, Paul’s not there!!! He’s not There!!! You’re gonna have to do this yourself!!!”

Paul wasn’t there, he was hurting and falling behind and was not able to take over the pace. In fact, no one was there with me but I hadn’t noticed because I was out front and “in the zone” so focused on the task at hand. I had no clue that I was alone out front until my teammate made me aware. I’ll never forget that moment and I’ll never forget those words, “Paul’s not there...You’re gonna have to do it yourself!” One thing that became crystal clear in that moment was that as we all journey forth toward our personal goals and dreams, of course we need the help of other people. No one can do it alone. In everyone’s journey though, there will be some definitive moments where it is you and your dream and the question comes down to: How bad to you really want it? What are you willing to do, what are you willing to sacrifice to make your life everything you hope and dream it could be? This was that moment for me! So I put my head down and headed back into lane one. I was going to have to take it the rest of the way by myself. The problem now was the pain had arrived. Yeah here it comes, the pain. It’s inevitable because in every race you run as a distance runner, pain will always be part of the equation and its how we deal with this pain that will make or break us. This was my moment of truth.

As I approached the 6th lap, I needed to be at 3 minutes to be on pace and that’s exactly where I was. I had just 2 laps to go and if I could run these last two laps in under a minute I could have my dream of breaking the “4 minute mile!” The final phase of the race was now upon me and the pain was intense. My legs are getting heavy and my lungs are starting to burn. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest and the body slowly shutting down. But this is why we train. This is why we put in all those miles, all those hours and all that sacrifice. The pain is now your companion and you simply cannot allow it to take over. One must live with it and try desperately to overcome it. 7th...