Hyett on a high to beat his own mile

Gareth Hyett wants to cover Tauranga's new all-weather athletics track in glory but like any good runner he's just focused on one step at a time.
That's why he's putting his frustration aside and watching from the sidelines in today's Tauranga Open crosscountry race at Waipuna Park.
The 28-year-old - one of only 31 New Zealanders with a sub four-minute mile to his name - admits he's wary of his new-found training partners, especially coming back from a long injury layoff.
While the likes of Tauranga Ramblers Ben Ruthe, Craig Kirkwood, Iain and Kyle MacDonald and Mark Williams are fantastic for the odd training session, he knows he can't overdo it.
"My coach warns me not to do too much with them - they're obviously a lot stronger than I am with all their marathon training," Hyett explains.
"I've just got to be a bit careful because I'm a 1500m runner - it's good for some sessions but on the longer runs, I start off with them and then get left behind."
Hyett was a late starter to track running, only taking it up seriously in his second year of a PE degree in Dunedin.
His progression since has been steady, and last year he ran his best time in the 1500m of 3.38.63, equivalent to the Olympic 'B' standard, and the 16th fastest time recorded by a Kiwi.
He also set a new mile personal best last year of 3:57.46, 13th-fastest on the New Zealand all-time list and ahead of such athletic luminaries as Murray Halberg, Phil Clode and Dick Taylor.
Hyett, who ran the 1500m with Nick Willis at the Osaka world championships last year, shifted to Tauranga in December to be with partner Emma Wright, daughter of former Commonwealth Games track star Rosemary and sister of marathoner Jess Ruthe.
His arrival coincides with a revival of running in the city, a new track and an enthusiasm Hyett hasn't seen since his junior days in Hastings training alongside Richard Potts and Hamish Christianson.
"Training with these guys is brilliant for my strength and I think that's why I've come along so quickly. It's just a fantastic group - I don't think I've ever been in a group so good and if I play my cards right, I should really start to notice some improvements in my strength."
He's just spent the last three months getting over inflammation in his Achilles tendon, but resumed training again in the last two weeks.
He'll give the crosscountry scene a nudge, switch to road running in spring, then dive headlong into track.
"My first aim is to run a sub four-minute mile here on the new track - I was planning to do it this year in March but then Ben got sick and I got injured and everyone was pulling out so we thought we'd just wait.
"But the big goal is the Berlin world championships next year. In some ways, I reckon it was almost a good thing getting injured because it made me rest a bit and I was probably pushing myself a bit hard.
"I didn't run for eight or nine weeks and my body has just recovered - it feels great."