Sat 7/6 - PM 50 minutes incl. track mile

Went into this race with deep ambivalence, generally about as pessimistic as two days ago. In addition to the ever-present heat wave continuing unbroken and the fatigue that comes along with struggling to sleep in such conditions, there's the fact that I hadn't set foot on a track in a month. No idea what to expect in terms of time or pace. Thankfully the event is low key which is why I went through with it in the end. Tried a few tricks to cope with the heat and humidity which seemed to have some beneficial effect. Lazy and late in getting warmed up, however the high temps decreased the length of time a warmup would require anyway. The only tactic I had in mind was not leading; within 200m it became clear that it was a 2 horse race. Things seemed a bit quick but I tucked in behind the leader and stayed there through a first lap in 72 or so. Pace slowed noticeably the second lap which was fine by me, around 75 I think. Decided on the third lap that I would make my move at 1100 with the breeze at my back and hope this would put an end to any drama. The move was as explosive as I could muster, resulted in a faster 3rd lap than the second for sure (72 or so) but not definitive as it turns out. Spent the final 300m peeking over my shoulder and playing keep away. On the plus side it felt like I was able to change gears when needed, but of course the slow pace would have something to do with that. Given that I had no idea if I could even break 5 minutes right now, dipping under 4:50 qualifies as a pleasant surprise. Less pleasant and not the least bit surprising was the stiffening of the right glute/piriformis after the race. The right leg held together well enough during the warmup and race, although I could feel a twinge or two on the last lap, but tomorrow will be another story in all likelihood. Cooldown was delayed and quite slow, also longer than I planned.