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This is the time of year where we're used to watching Sam Bair circle the track, defying nature and destroying record times with each measured stride.

The Shaler senior has dominated the high school middle-distance scene since his freshman year, when he won the 800-meter run at the WPIAL Class AAA championships.

Bair continued to amaze in the following years, claiming WPIAL and PIAA titles in the 1,600 meters as a sophomore and winning both again in record time last year.

A stress fracture in his right foot, however, has sidelined Bair for his final season, when he was expected to try to eclipse the four-minute mark in the mile.

The injury has been devastating to Bair, but it also has given him time to consider where he'll run in college.

"It's disappointing to not be able to run," Bair said. "I do have a lot of time to sit back and figure out where I want to go."

Bair is considering Pitt, Arkansas, Kent State, Tennessee and Villanova and prefers to stay close to home. There are multiple factors involved, though, and while Pitt might be a favorite, he realizes it might not be his best option.

"I don't think I want to go too far from home," Bair said. "It is tempting. It's going to be a tough decision."

Arkansas and Tennessee would typically be a runner's favorites, considering their warm climates and track-friendly athletic programs. But Bair has allergies and asthma and is hesitant to venture South for college.

Yet, the temptation remains.

Arkansas, for one, has one of the NCAA's strongest track and field programs and some of its finest facilities. Bair visited Fayetteville for an indoor meet this past winter.

"Their facilities were unbelievable," Bair said. "They have an outdoor stadium just for track and field and one of the nicest indoor facilities in the world. It makes a difference.

"Just because a school has the nicest of everything doesn't mean it's for me."

It certainly doesn't help the cause for Pitt, which placed a premium on improving the football and basketball teams before addressing its non-revenue-producing programs. The Panthers practice indoors on a hard surface at Fitzgerald Field House and don't even have an outdoor track.

Kent State and Villanova are strong, local programs with nationally renowned middle-distance coaches in Wendell McRaven and Marcus O'Sullivan, respectively.

Bair also has to decide whether he wants to be teammates with two of the nation's top seniors -- Bobby Curtis of Louisville, Ky., (Villanova) and Adam Perkins of Liberty, Mo., (Arkansas) -- when choosing a college.

"I want to get with a coach I like and a group of guys I like," Bair said. "I know my body, but there's coaches out there that know a lot more than I do."

And Kent State happens to be the alma mater of Bair's father, Sam Jr., who still holds several school records and was the 24th American to break the four-minute mile.

If Bair did the same, they would become the first American father-and-son combination to run sub-four-minute miles.

"When I go to college, I want to try to break four minutes in the mile," Bair said. "That's what I'm shooting for."

It's definitely within reach. Bair ran the 800 in 1 minute, 50.4 seconds last spring, then broke long-standing records in the 1,600 at the WPIAL (4:12.45) and PIAA (4:09.61) meets.

But the stress fracture has prevented his title defense. At first, he thought his shoelaces were tied too tight. When a cortisone shot couldn't dull the pain, he got an MRI.

The only time Bair is concentrating on now is the six remaining weeks he has to continue wearing a protective boot on his right foot before he can start walking again.

For a guy used to thinking on his feet, Bair will have to make a major decision while on crutches. His heart might be in Pittsburgh, but it's no guarantee his future is.

"No matter where I'm at when I graduate, I want to come back here to live," Bair said. "I'm still up in the air."

With the future of his track career running circles in his head, Sam Bair, for once, is taking his time.

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