Sub 5 Over 5 Decades?: A Solstice Pipe Dream

First, Happy Solstice! Officially they're (USA East Coast & EuroZone) calling the 22nd as the winter solstice, but technically for Alaska it's today. 3 hours 42 minutes of daylight. We gain three seconds tomorrow. Yes! Light, bring it on. Actually it will take about three or four weeks to notice a difference, but after that it's simply amazing how fast we gain light. February and March are awesome months if we can avoid any deep, long-lasting cold snaps.

Okay, on one of the running message boards someone positited the question of running sub 5 for the mile over five decades. They weren't exactly clear whether this meant calendar decades (e.g., 1970s, 80s, 90s and on) or chronological decades (a given runner's teens, twenties, thirties and on). Either way, I come up just short. I need a sub 5 in the 2010s/my 50s. Maybe have one or two more chances to do this. It's a worthy goal.

Here's the chronology, and below I'll write up the strategy.

I started training seriously just before turning 19 in early 1977. In years that I ran 1500 instead, I use a converted time. Some years I didn't attempt a mile/1500, but use race splits (only the first mile counts) as a time.

4:41 (1977)
4:39 (1978)
4:55 (1979) - first mile of a 2 mile track race
4:31 (1980)
?:?? (1981) - did not race a mile but did run 33:30 10K; may have done a workout sub 5
4:45 (1982)
4:57? (1983) - race split, did not race a mile but ran 15:28 5K
5:00? (1984) - not sure, ran 15:53 5K and ~10:20 for 2 mile
4:26 (1985)
4:26 (1986) - also ran 1500 in 4:05, converts to 4:24 mile (PR)
?:?? (1987) - ran 16:00 5K, maybe ran a sub 5 in a workout but not sure
?:?? (1988) - ran 49:50 15K (5:22/mile), so was in pretty good shape
4:31 (1989) - converted from 4:11 1500 m
4:32 (1990)
4:32 (1991)
4:43 (1992)
4:46 (1993)
4:51 (1994)
4:56 (1995)
4:58 (1996)
-:-- (1997) - mostly injured, but ran 35:44 10K, 17:21 5K (not = to sub 5)
4:38 (1998) - Masters PR
4:40 (1999) - converted from 4:20 1500 m
4:45 (2000)
5:00 (2001) - road mile at altitude, but slight downhill
-:-- (2002) - injured all year
5:03 (2003) - road mile, same course as 2001
5:08 (2004)
4:56 (2005)
4:54 (2006)
5:08 (2007) - road mile (Need to check if I did any track miles that year)
5:00.8 (2008)
5:00.8 (2009)
5:14 (2010) - converted 1500
5:11 (2011)

The tentative plan, finances and logistics permitting, is to run Eugene Marathon in April with ski training as my base (sub 3 hr would be cool, but we'll see), and then take a two week recovery and then focus on miler training for about six weeks in preparation for Flint Hills Mile, and a serious attempt at sub 5:00.