Growing up back home Dennis Nordon used to host a bloopers show on tv called "It'll Be Alright On The Night"......sadly for yours truly last nite was more blooper reel than highlight reel.......
Seven weeks removed from my Outdoor season opener over 1,500m in 4.30.64 I didn't feel it was an unreasonable expectation to be faster..........the best laid plans of mice and men.....
Following an initial downpour on the train out to Ft Washington the sun broke through the clouds by the time I arrived at Carey Stadium around 5.30pm as I took my place on the infield after regestering and "availing myself of the facilities".
W/ the mile following the 100m which began at 6.15pm according to the schedule I waited till 6pm to warm up opting for the track and infield as oppossed to outside the stadium,worse case sinareo I'd be off warming up when they called the mile,at least on the infield I could make a quick dash for the starting line if need be.
Stretched and awaited "first call" w/ a 4.45 seed time I was reasonably sure I'd be in the first heat,seeded 6th in a field of 12 I took my place on the starting line.
W/ hindsight I wish I'd gone w/ the leaders as they had a "rabbit" for the opening 800m and it would've been good prep for Worlds to go out hard from the gun,unfortunately I got boxed on the rail going into the first turn{why I prefer the 1,500m over the mile} and it took me till the top of the bottom turn to get clear by which time the rabbit and the lead two were well clear.
70 seconds at 400m right where I wanted to be not sure of my overall position w/ in the race but this was more about time than place.
72 seconds for the second 400m,800m in 2.22,4.44 pace,I dropped back a few places by now but at 51 and the "old man" of the field as ever I was doing my bit for the "blue pill/grey beard" crowd....
3.38 at 1,200m a 76 second lap,the buffeting I was taking from the wind on the back straight had taken it's toll and having some 18 year old drafting off me had gotten old......wanna run w/ the big dogs kido......I dropped the hammer w/ 300m to go.....
Closing in 70 seconds I finished 7th in 4.49.03 not really what I had hoped for yes it's nice to be sub 4.50 at last this season and let's not gloss over the fact at 5 months shy of 52 I can still crush a sub 5 minute mile.......however lets not gloss over the fact I was a second slower than I was 7 weeks ago and w/ Nationals and Worlds 3 & 6 weeks off this was NOT the time/performance I had hoped for.
Rather than panic and "run up the white flag" I will offer this thought.....
Normally going into Nationals I'd have more than three races under my belt and I'd be tapering three weeks out so it's possible I don't have my "race legs" beneath me just yet and that a little fatigue has set in,both of last weeks repeats were slower than the previous efforts over the same distances.
As luck would have it next week is "week 9" and while I had initially considered just doing my two repeats that week I think now after Sunday a whole seven days off would be better period which then just leaves an easy run the day b4 my final race b4 Nationals on July 14th,lets hope for a "Golden Mile" that night........
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