Given I only had one crack at an 800m seed time b4 the entry deadline a month b4 Nationals and only registered a 2.12.11 I had a bad feeling I wouldn't make the seeded final and I was right!!!!
18 runners showed up so it was determind to split the field at 9 in each heat the seeded heat ended w/ a 2.12.00 and the non seeded heat began w/ my 2.12.11.....I could be forgiven for feeling a little hard done by!!!!
I didn't see any point trying to convince the officials I deserved to be in the seeded heat or trying to convince them that a 10 man heat wasn't beyond the realm of comprehension,hey if it's good enough for the Diamond League it's good enough for Masters Nationals!!!!
If I've learnt anything in 38 years of running track and field it's that once an official has made up his or her mind it'll take an act of congress to change it so why use valuable energy trying to convince them I deseved to be in the seeded heat???
To quote an old magazine headline that I photo copied and put on my fridge door "I have Irish Alzheimers,I forget everything except the grudge" I knew damn well people had lied about their seed times and while some ran w/in a second or two of them one glearing time post final really set me off......
How can you put a seed time of 2.05.00 and only run 2.13.97......that's slower than my seed time for christ sakes!!!!!
At least I drew lane 1 for the non seeded heat of the 800m,my game plan was to run as hard as I could and see what my time would be,when I ran my seed time of 2.12.11 back on June 10th at Icahn I went gun to tape w/ splits of 65/67,the sixty four billion dollar question now five weeks later when I was playing for keeps was could I go faster?
By the time we broke the stagger at the start of the back straight I was clear of the field,I owe Derek Larner from the old country a big debt of thanks he pushed me most of the way and never allowed me to back off my pace.
62 seconds at the bell,on my last 800m outing on June 24th I opened in 62 but couldn't hold that pace.....then again that day I wasn't running like a man possessed or w/ an axe to grind and a point to prove,there be no 70 second 2nd 400m today as I closed in 67 for a 2.09.81.
I posted myself at the finishline w/ a full view of the clock as the seeded final took to the line,World Champion Micheal Sherar and fellow Canadien Paul Osland took up the running and finished 1-2 in 2.02.11 -2.04.73 but as non Americans didn't effect the overall National Championship picture,3rd was McDuffrie Allen in 2.05.61 and 4th was David Bailey in 2.08.85 to take gold and silver now i had to wait for the 5th place runner and hope he didn't better my 2.09.81......
2.10.86 for Dave Bynoe and bronze for yours truly to add to my 07 gold and 08,10 and 12 silvers.
When I began my quest for Masters Nationals glory back in mid March I said If you offered me two bronze medals b4 i even got on the plane to Greensboro I'd probably brake your arm shaking your hand on that offer,now that I had won a bronze in the 800m I'm both happy but unhappy.
I'm happy to have won a bronze from the non seeded heat and running my fastest time in two years but i can't help but ponder the time honoured "what if" question,how much faster could I have ran in the seeded final?
To have the chance to go mano e mano w/ both Michael Sherar and Paul Osland doesn't happen that often and it would have been nice to see what I was capable of running,2.05.61 might've been too rich for my blood but sadly now we'll never know.
If as I suspect the "timed final" for the800m remains in effect for Jacksonville next summer at least my 2.09.81 should get me into the seeded heat if I don't manage a faster seed time between now and the deadline for 2015 entries.
One final footnote,chalk this down to nieviety or integrity taking things to the letter of the law I had a two year window of opportunity to post a seed time,in Lisle 2012 I ran 2.06.1 to finish 2nd at Nationals however that was in the 45-49 age group when I was 48 I didn't feel it was fair to post a time from a previous age group to gain access to the 50-54 age seeded final.....but was it fair that my 2.12.11 wasn't considered fast enough for the seeded final when you took 2.12.00 as the 9th and final time? it may not have been fast but it was legit.......
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