(Irish)Cream Always Rises To The Top

"Put on your shades cause I'll be dancing in the flames tonight,yeah baby it doesn't hurt cause everyone knows my name tonight alright
It's hard to feel the rush to push the dangerous I'm gonna run right to,to the edge w/ you where we can both fall over in love
I'm on the edge of glory and I'm hanging on a moment of truth,out on the edge of glory"

The Edge Of Glory- Lady Gaga

At the start of every season my goals are clearly defined,becoming National Champion at the Outdoor Masters National Championships is the huge carrot that helps me get through the peaks and troughs of each year but this year I could've been forgiven for thinking 2011 wasn't going to be my year.
I've still yet to win an individual gold at Indoor Masters Nationals(1 relay 4x400 gold,1 silver,5 bronze) and I passed on a trip to Albuquerque in March for this years Indoor Nationals and after my woeful 4.54 mile at West Chester on June 3rd I could've been forgiven for thinking that Berea Ohio for Outdoor Nationals in 8 weeks time was even a possibility much less getting on the podium or even returning to the realm of National Champion a title last associated w/ me after the 1,500m at Spokane in 08.........

I never gave up hope much less gave up training and while I fought against a backdrop of red tape to get a doctors appointment or a referral for the much needed blood work that would eventually confirm a mild form of anemia was to blame for my dip in form I never lost sight of my goals.
While publicly I'd gone on record to say"if I come away from Nationals w/ 2 bronze medals I'll be happy after all the crap I've gone through this season" publicly I believed in my heart of hearts I could win the 10,000m.
Some may say that was a bold statement for a runner w/ only 2 prior 10,000m races on the track to his credit but it's what I believed and in running as in life you have hold onto what you believe in.

As a Masters Nationals rookie at 10,000m I wasn't aware how previous years races had gone off but given the lower than usual turn out for this years event due to Worlds and World Senior games it was no surprise the fields had been combined to accommodate 6 age groups,although technically 5 as there were no takers in the M30-34 so 27 of us lined up on the track Saturday just b4 10.15am to duke out the 25 lap race.
Pre race the M45-49 stood at 6 entries but a notable dropout meant only 5 of us would contest the race,like in the 5,000m I'd done my homework to see who I thought would be likely to take up the early front running,Paul Manwaring a M35-39 runner from North Carolina by way of England and Brian Pilcher who'd ran the M50-54 5,000m were the two runners who's seed times stood out so it was somewhat of a surprise neither of them took up the lead from the gun but rather a runner from the M40-45 age group,whom I can only imagine had put NT(No Time) as his mark,why else would he have not registered on my radar?

Not to be pulled from my square I eased my way through an opening lap of 85 seconds,I had hoped for 80s but it was already warming up on the track and even though I'd ran two 3x2mile repeats either side of Worlds at 10am on a Saturday I had to make sure I was prepared for the heat.
Over a 25 lap race I forget where I moved to the front of the M45-49 age group,it was w/in the opening couple of laps I was 6th overall but more importantly 1st in my age group.
5.32 for the opening mile and 11.03 at 2 miles which is as close to even splits as you could ask for I'd established a good pace and rhythm which I was keen to hold onto.

Props to the officials for supplying a misting station on the top turn,I didn't bother w/ it as I felt running 6 miles in wet running clothes was a recipe for a slower time but that said if it helped runners from over heating fair play.
I did however take advantage of the two man water station on the back straight but only after every 4th lap and after two cups of water successfully "down the hatch" I them opted for water in the face to keep me cooled off.
My buddy Ron gave me my 5,000m split 17.25,potentially 34.50 pace,a shade off my 34.44 pr but hell I'd take it.
For me the trick to running 6 miles on the track would be to visualize my out and back 6 mile loop along Cobbs Creek Parkway so now having gone through 5,000m I had imagined making the turn towards home.

In my previous track 10,000m the sense of relief when I got to single digits on the lap counter was a huge lift and today was no different when I saw 9 laps to go,the only fly in the ointment was the lead 2 runners were about to lap me which meant I would have to keep adding a lap to the official lap counter.
As runners we are told we're responsible for counting our own laps which at 5,000m is no biggie but at 25 laps(I ran an indoor 5,000m earlier this year which was also 25 laps)you have to hope the officials have gotten your laps correct I've seen races where runners and officials have begged to differ on the official lap count,I did not want to become one of them today and to that end having Pete Taylor announce me as the "unofficial" M45-49 leader probably helped.
At some point a runner ahead of me dropped out so I was now 5th overall,an M35-39 runner lead w/ 2 M40-45 runners in second and third and Brian Pilcher the M50-54 leader 4th overall.

3rd overall overtook me w/ 2 laps to go but now all I had to do was stay on my feet and not get tangled up w/ runners I was lapping and I was home free,I forget what I came through the bell in but honestly it didn't matter I knew it wasn't going to be a pr but I could live w/ that and I managed my customary sprint finish up the home straight to finish 5th overall but more importantly 1st in the M45-49 age group in 35.27.4..........National Champion Again!!!!!
It's been a long time since Spokane 08 and my 1,500m victory,my 09 outdoor season got torpedoed by an achilles injury and last year in Sacramento after my hard earned bronze in the 5,000m Mike Blackmore and Jeff Mann both bested me for Gold in the 800m and 1,500m so this was a moment to savour.

The cynics,critics and haters will say it was lighter field than usual this year in Ohio,I for one won't dispute that,however what I will say is A I could only race who showed up and if somebody had to win the M45-49 10,000m why not me? and B I don't see an * next to the winners of the 76,80 and 84 Olympics when there were boycotts by the Africans in Montreal,the Americans in Moscow or by the Russians in Los Angles so........

Is this it for me at 10,000m on the track?I don't think so,granted I adopted the When life gives you Lemons make Lemonade mindset when the anemia meant I was only able to run 5.20 pace this season but I would like to make a fair fist of 10,000m on the track,I'm sure the turn out next Summer at Lisle Illinois for Masters Nationals will be bigger so let's see what I can do there,and while it's been fun getting ready for Masters Nationals on the track w/ only 7 weeks to prepare I'm not about to let all this hard work go to waste,my oldest pr is for 10k on the road,set way back in 1984 I ran 34.53........it's time for that pr to be put to bed so don't be surprised to see me in a 10k road race this fall.