first timed 400m on brand new Mondo

 In Atlanta and was astonished to find a brand new squeaky clean 6 lane dark blue Mondo track at Marist school.  It hadn't even been lined yet, good thing I brought my metric wheel.  I was nice and soft compared with the old hardened and beat up Mondo that was there before.  Nice day, mid-upper 50ºs and partly sunny.   Usually schools are protective with their new tracks but I didn't see anyone at first, but then someone appeared across the field and started walking toward me as I was warming up.  I casually A-skipped away from him, and he turned around and left.  Good.  

The track had been laid lane by lane so you could see 'lane lines' where the seams were, so I measured each 100m in lane 5 and taped the marks.  I'm sure it was accurate, easily to within a yard.

I decided to warm up and try a hard 400m, but not 100%... being appropriately conservative on the first 200m.  I set my goal for 62 with splits of 14,15,16,17 or 29, 33.   Exceeded every split.  Not by any means an all out time trial.    

Hoka trainers on

stretches, drills, 2 x 100m

100m - 13.83

400m - 60.20 (28.71, 31.49)

4 x 100m on turf w/ 30 sec rest - 16-17

Even though this 400m was with my usual 3 step rolling start, I was in trainers and it gave me confidence that I could break 60 sec in a 400m if I chose to race in 2 weeks.  I didn't rig too much in the end since I went out conservatively.  My last 100m wasn't terrible at 16.3.

I finished with a brief tempo set of 100s on turf, working  on form.

I am closing in on race weight as well.  140.4 lbs after workout.  Lowest this fall I think.