It's a crazy thought, because we all know that February is still going to hit us over the head like an errant hammer. In the same way, when we track fans see the calendar turn over for a new year, we think: "Track season is here!"

Yesterday, while I was taking care of some business in a nearby town, I happened to pass by that town's high school track. I stopped and enjoyed a flashback to the only time I had ever run on that oval.

As a 17-year-old high school senior training for the two-mile, I decided to run the 880 to get a little speed work. Our team enjoyed the luxury of never having to worry about team points, because we were destined to lose everything that year. We had over 1,000 students in our school, and seven of us ran track. We were seriously outgunned every time we competed. I recall debates about whether it was legal for us to have the same athlete run lead-off and anchor on the relay, for instance.

A friend and rival on the opposing team wanted me to race him in the two mile; I declined. This was my only opportunity of the year to run the open half; in fact, it would be the only time in my high school career. In retrospect, however, this doesn't sit well with my currently fierce stance against ducking.

My rival, who could have fairly accused me of ducking him, ran the two-mile alone. A stray dog got onto the track and chased him for a while, but otherwise, he put together a fine solo effort. Myself, I took pre-race relaxation to the extreme and fell asleep on the infield. A teammate awakened me as the starter gave instructions to the other half-milers.

I got to the line just moments before the gun went off, and spent two laps chasing guys who seemed to be sprinting like maniacs. I passed halfway in 65 seconds (I never said I was fast), and finished, finally awake, in 2:09.4. I was thrilled. The fact that we lost by nearly 100 points didn't dampen that excitement.

And yesterday, looking at that track on an unseasonably warm January day, I still felt that excitement. I couldn't help but wonder, "What if I had warmed up? What if I had gone out faster? I might have run 2:07."

Twenty years ago. Get over it, a wiser man would say. Yeah, that makes sense. But sometimes the yearnings of spring never go away, no matter how hard we try to grow up. The best we can do, I figure, is to try to pass them on to another young soul.

A long season ahead
The indoor track season has already started with a bang, but we all realize there is a long way to go. This year's campaign, for instance, will take us to late September and the Olympic Games. Then there are the post-Olympic meets. Do the math and you'll quickly realize that, for the most part, the athletes who are performing well now aren't going to be there in September.

Some will, to be sure. It's just that from this perspective we can't tell which ones are training through the indoor season, and which ones are competing hard. Does Regina Jacobs' 4:21.79 in the New Balance Mile Challenge at New York's Armory recently mean that she's peaking way too soon, or does it mean she's on her way to much better things this year. I suspect the latter, but who knows?

Jacobs deserves more attention

	Regina Jacobs holds American records in the 1,000 and 5,000 meters.

Jacobs is, I believe, the best distance runner in the United States. Her indoor breakthrough at Boston shows that she may finally be reaching a level that will put her above Mary Slaney's remaining American records for good.

The careers of the two have had some similar features, though their personalities couldn't be more different. No one ever wants to kick Jacobs, for instance.

Slaney was a brighter star at an earlier age, and reached higher peaks than Jacobs has: Her two gold medals at the first World Championships stand out as the high point of her career. Both have been hampered by health problems. Slaney suffered serious injuries on a regular basis, and probably could have been much better had she ever experienced several consecutive, injury-free years.

Jacobs' early career was marred by ups and downs, a series of great performances that always seemed to be punctuated by disasters. It wasn't until a serious anemia problem was diagnosed that she was able to get her career on track. Now she is one of the world's best and has captured American records in the 1,000 meters and 5,000 meters, along with the World silver medal in the 1,500 meters.

She will turn 37 before the Olympics and surely knows that this has to be her year, if she is ever to win gold. Her race at the Armory is one more step along that path.

The Mailbag
Nate Browne: "I want to let you know that I appreciate your rankings of the track races of the century. Just to compile the list is an incredible feat. You should be commended for the work you have put into the list. For a fellow track and field addict it was most enjoyable."

Monte Wells: "I appreciate your informative list of great competitions. A couple which come to mind but which I don't remember from your list -- they may not have fit your criteria -- were the NCAA cross country race between Nick Rose and Steve Prefontaine and the World Cup in which Yifter absolutely destroyed Craig Virgin in the last 300 meters. I also recall Salazar's great duels with Dick Beardsley and Rodolfo Gomez in Boston and New York, as well as his pre-marathon 10,000 against Rono and his indoor 5000 against Nyambui."

Bob Newman: "I went through your list twice and there was one race which I saw that was missing from the list. It was the 1972 Olympics 5,000-meters race. I remember watching that on TV and thinking before the race how stacked the field is. There were honestly at least seven guys who could have won a gold medal in that race."

Bob Webster: "While the article is excellent for selecting the greatest track and field performances, it is a bit premature to be closing the book on 20th century performances. Would it interest you to know that the 20th century will not end until Dec. 31, 2000? This means, of course, that any performance during the year 2000 (the last of this century and millennium) will need to be considered for inclusion in any list of achievements for the century."

Response: I must confess that if I had it to do over again, I'd probably make some changes in the list. The 1972 Olympic 5,000 final was the race most frequently cited by my readers. I would include it in the top 100, but probably not as high as my readers would like. We tend to favor what we are familiar with, after all, and legions of fans put a high value on that race because of the Prefontaine mystique and the movies that have featured it. I suspect if Hollywood paid similar attention to other great races, say the 1912 Olympic 5,000, I'd have just as many readers clamoring for those races.

As for when the millennium ends, aside from not really caring much either way, I have to lean on the defense that now was a great time to run the series. I'm not sure my editor would be interested in running it a year from now, when all the hubbub about the new millenium will certainly be diminished.

Unless you're a Kubrick fan, 2001 just doesn't have much of a ring to it.

Jeff Hollobaugh, former managing editor of Track and Field News, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. He can be reached by e-mail at michtrack@aol.com.