Spluttering At The Indy 3,000

I always knew the chances of me going one better than I did in Boston at the 2010 Indoor Masters Nationals where I won a silver in the 3,000m were remote.
W/ defending champ and current World Champ Francis Burdett in the field as well as the Atlanta Track Club duo Michael Strickland and Kristen Blaich the odds of reaching the podium were slim,factor in my less than spectacular Indoor season and the fact my lone venture over 15 laps was a hollow 9.38 victory running by myself in a 3 man field at the New York C'ships three weeks ago and you could see why I wasn't talking up my chances of an upset victory but I did think I could be "in the mix" if I ran to my potential and maybe just maybe if I had a career day and ran faster than my 9.07.3 pr I might sneak a bronze,after all I am the poster child for Indoor National bronze medals(07 800m,09 800m,10 800m,09 mile 10 mile).

From the gun I tracked the human metronome Francis Burdett going into the first turn as we broke on the back straight Kristian Blaich and Thomas Lentz hit the front followed by Francis and then me.
I was quite happy to be in 4th as we clipped off 35/36 second splits in the opening laps someone did get my splits for me but frankly post race I was too despondent to write them down.
I'm not sure when the gap between Francis and me began to widen I do recall telling myself to get up closer to the poster child for Kit Kat bars if I wanted to stay in touch w/ the leaders but pretty soon not only had the three man lead pack gaped me but first Micheal Strickland passed me b4 Michael Heffron relegated me to 6th and a distant 6th.

Congrats to Thomas Lentz who once again proved that you have to view everyone as a potential threat at Nationals,pre race I'd never heard of him,should our paths cross in future Masters National C'ships I'll be painfully aware of who he is thanks to his impressive 8.59.2 victory.
Getting beaten by 5 guys all younger than me{45,45,47,45,45}is no disgrace at 48 it's one of the elements of Masters track you learn to live w/{roll on turning 50 next year I avoid the young guns in the 45-49 age group and become a whippersnapper in 50-54 for a few years!!!} but it's the manner of my defeat and the piss poor time of 9.40.4 that leaves a sour aftertaste in my mouth.

I have noticed in both the mile and 3,000m this indoor season that my second half splits tend to balloon up I thought all my weeks of 50 miles per week training would not only prep me for the 3,000m but also the 5,000m and 10,000m, outdoors, a major rethink of my distances needs to take place,is it time to return to the days of 07-08 when I ran the 800m and 1,500m????