Bradley Parks approaches summer track with curiosity
Bradley Parks, wearing #743, makes his debut in the 3000 m run at Summer Series Meet #1 this May. Photo by Ryo Gokita.
Fifteen Rose City athletes competed in track meets across the Pacific Northwest last week. We’re sharing their stories. Today, Bradley Parks talks about his journey competing in this year’s Portland Track Summer Series.
I was ready to shut it down for the season before the Summer Series 3k. I’m a relatively high-mileage runner and with spring track and road racing, the Speed Project and summer track on my legs and a marathon build on the horizon, I felt I was barely clinging to fitness. I was ready for a break.
I didn’t even register until the day before the first Summer Series meet because I was so unsure of racing. But I figured I could use it as a decider: if I hit my target, I’ll keep training through the last meet. If I don’t, maybe it’s break time.
I set the goal of sub-10 in the 3k earlier this year without any notion of whether I could actually run that fast.
I missed by 9 seconds in the first meet. But I learned, adjusted and was able to hit the target this time, despite really wanting to quit after like three laps.
I owe a debt of gratitude (and maybe flowers) to Sam Nishi for excellent pacing and wind-blocking, and to Brandt Bergeron for shouting at me to rip the last 200.
The time itself doesn’t mean anything to me. But hitting my target helped me bust through another false ceiling of cumulative fatigue and will keep me pushing toward the final Summer Series meet.
My last track goal of the year is a sub-17 5k, and it may be the biggest reach of them all. But I’m saying it out loud to hold myself accountable and try to squeeze the most I can out of myself before Big Break Energy takes over in August.