Tired Of Waiting

It's almost a week now since the first Thursday Nite @ The Races at The Armory and the website is no nearer putting up the results so I'll just have to give my account w/out a bunch of data that frankly would make for a better entry......since I won't be taking part in next Thursdays meet due to a schedule conflict w/ the Hartshorne Memorial Masters Mile it'll be Feb 9th b4 I race at The Armory again.....let's hope they've gotten their act together by then to post results!!!
Big shout out to Lauren Valentino for the photo I have 2 more that she sent me I'd like to post over the coming days.

So the race,as is my won't my indoor season officially kicks off on the first Thursday of January each year w/ the first of 4 scheduled "Thursday Nite @ The Races,5 times in the last 6 years I've made the short journey to New York to run the mile,I had side step the 08 series due to my stress fracture.
There have been highs and lows a win in 07 in 4.33.2. 3rd in 09 in 4.28.1.{my track mile pr I have faster 5th Avenue Mile's} and who could forget the infamous 8th 4.51.2 in 10 or as it's widely known as "the bitch slap heard around the world" last year I finished 8th in 4.33.7. and based on my 4.15.8. 1,500m 9 days earlier I felt a 4.33/4.35 was a reasonable pre race expectation.

W/ hindsight I'd have done better to get into the seeded heat w/ each heat being contested at 12 men per heat heat #1 was already at 8 when the track official asked who had a 4.35 time,several hands were raised but I thought I could take my chances in heat 2 and still run 4.35.....this would prove to be my undoing.
One of the reasons I've held out for several days in posting this is I wanted to see the results of heat one to see the times the mid pack ran,had I have gone w/ them in heat# 1 I'm confident I'd have been pulled to a 4.35 at the very least.

As it was I drew the rail in heat 2 and remembering my poor reaction to the gun in the 1,500m I knew the need to get a good start and surprised myself taking the lead going into the first turn.....start as you mean to go on!
Another issue I've had w/ The Armory in both meets is the lack of a clock at the start/finish it's all well and good having a timekeeper calling out splits each lap but frankly they went in one ear and out the other at least w/ a clock at eye level I'd have had a chance to eyeball my splits and maybe recall a few post race.

Having lead from the gun I was hell bent on staying there,I was very aware someone was breathing down my neck throughout the race,it turned out to be Tom Fitzpatrick who down the back straight on lap 7 pulled up along side me but he left me enough room on the rail to squeeze through and reclaim the lead going into the turn,but coming up to the bell the runner from Siena collage{4th in the photo}hit the front and pulled away,having done all the pace making for almost 7 laps I just didn't have it to respond but held off Fitz to claim a second runners up finish in two races.
4.39.8. was well below what I was looking for,it may've cost me a trip to Boston in early February as the cut off is 4.35,I do still have the Hartshorne Masters Mile on Jan 21st where providing I can clock 34 seconds per lap I could run a 4.32 mile so I'm not writing off Boston just yet.....but!

It wasn't all doom and gloom rounding my time up to 4.40 that's 35 seconds per lap,not earth shattering for the mile.....but over 3,000m that's sub 9 minute pace,something to work towards for the Feb 9th meet.