Eighties

8 mile recovery run to keep me on pace for another 5 day/40 mile week,following on from Tuesdays 4x1 mile repeats it was the always welcome recovery run.
Also very welcome was the continuation of these 80 degree days....seriously 80 degrees at the end of July is pretty much unheard of in these parts.
Maybe it's a knock on effect from the "winter of our discontent" to be honest I don't invest that much time pr energy on such things,as a rule I'll check the local news to glance at the 7 day forecast and that's it......unless it's my girl Sheena Parveen doing the forecast......then she's got my FULL attention

No shame in my game,lets just say the temprature isn't the only thing rising when she's doing the forecast!!!!!
and w/ that I'll move on......and even though I'm not schedule to run again till Saturday I'll check the weather on Thursday and Friday......you know....just in case......

Smooth

Since "reinventing the wheel" is NOT on my bucket list I figured I'd stick w/ the basics,the tried and tested 4x1 mile repeats as well as my 4x400m/Decathletes mile as prep for 5th Avenue Mile.
My biggest issue heading over to Temple's Geasey Field post work was access to the track....no worries and w/ a bit of luck i could be golden untill the Fall semester begins which I think is Sept 2nd which would be ideal as I only need use of the track on a week day untill then anyway so fingers crossed.

Arrived at the track by 3.45pm,pretty much had it to myself again which always suits yours truly,also working in my favour was the weather,an unseasonably cool low 80 degrees for late July #hellyeahthatworks.
Mile warm up b4 launching into the repeats,last time out over 4x1 mile I bombed w/ a:
5.25.7-5.36.0-5.43.3-5.41.4 so there really could be only one direction today right?

#1 mile
1.18-1.22-1.23-1.17=5.20.1
Well if I was looking to send myself a message on the opener this more than qualified,at this stage of the season I was confident I hadn't shot my load like I had earlier in the season

#2 mile
1.20-1.24-1.23-1.14=5.21.9
Clearly #1 wasn't a one off as I continued to obilterate my June 28th efforts

#3 mile
1.22-1.25-1.25-1.18=5.30.0
Granted I was  losing a few seconds per lap but still keeping it competitive.

#4 mile
1.23-1.25-1.24-1.14=5.26.2
Another 1.14 closing final lap,the days of closing in the low 60s are from a bygone era but I'll take 74 at my age!

All in all a good solid,consistent.....smooth workout,since the phrase "comparing apples to oranges" applies to this workout and June 28ths lets go back to June 7th and today
5.19.4-5.23.3-5.29.5-5.29.0
5.20.1-5.21.9-5.30.0-5.26.2
A plus/minus of two seconds faster this time out,let's see what I can do next time out

After The Gold Rush

Easy 8 miler to kick the week off,the key word was easy as there's a 4x1 mile repeat on tap for tomorrow afternoon.
Ideal conditions,sunny and 83 degrees,in fact the whole weel looks like it'll be very unJuly like which is somewhat of a blessing....of course the Dog Days Of August are probably right around the corner but I'll deal w/ them when the time comes.

Now that I've had a chance to let the dust settle on Nationals and get a week of training under my belt I can look back on what I achived in Winston Salem and look ahead to not just the remainder of this year but hopefully the next twelve months.
My 800m bronze and 1,500m gold represent the rewards for four months of hard work and determination since mid March when thankfully after the winter of our discontent I was finally able to get into a rhythm w/ my training which paid off in spades.
I said all along two podium finishes would be fair return on my investment and frankly I'd have settled on a pair of bronzes but the 1,500m gold still blows my mind a little,on top of which the 4.21.43 which was totally unexpected given I kept believing a 4.26 was probably the best I could hope for.

As of now I have the #1 US and North American ranking for the M50 1,500m but even more gobsmacking the #3 world ranking.....not bad for a guy who began then year w/ only a 4.5751 mile in mid January followed by a 4.32.58 1,500m in mid March.
I had no plan to go to Lyon next August for Worlds,it wasn't even on my radar but that 4.21.43 time changed that,untill I saw my #3 world ranking not only was Lyon not on my radar I didn't even know the dates for Worlds!!!!!
I can now not only tell you the dates August 4th thro August  16th but also the date for the 1,500m prelim Aug 12th and final Aug 14th........ever the Boy Scout I like to "Be Prepared"!!

I'm under no illusion that there's twelve months of hard work ahead of me if I'm going to challenge for a podium place at Worlds but what's life w/out a challenge? I do know if the Three H's are in full effect I've got a fighting chance,stay healthy,stay hungry,stay humble and work my butt off and that 4.21.43 can continue to come down,having lowered my 1,500m time from 4.32.58 to 4.21.43 in four months tells me w/ 12 months blood sweat and tears I can hopefully continue to get faster so that's the pla moving forward.

First things first 5th Avenue Mile followed by 12 weeks of off season as I look to build a firm base of milage b4 heading into the Indoor season,once 5th Avenue Mile is over I'll explain my plans for the off season,an increase in weekly malage plus some sellected cross country races to prepare for Indoor and a return to Winston Salem for Indoor Nationals in mid March.....it's all go eh?

Back On The Street Like You Didn't Miss A Beat

Between my taper and Nationals themselves it had been five weeks since my last Sunday long run untill yesterday,you know what they say"you can run but you can't hide"!!!
It was always going to be a rude awakening to jump back in at  a 14 miler but since I prefer the "cannonball" approach to getting back into the pool so to speak rather than pussyfooting around inching my way back in w/ a 10 miler followed by a 12 miler b4 the 14 miler it was a case of "Geronimo" and hope the splash didn't drench those sitting poolside!!!!!

Out the door by 11.25am a little later than I would have liked but somethings are beyond my control ie when my brother is going to call me from back home in South East London,I'd forwarded him the link to the video from Nationals for my 1,500m so he was quite chuffed to see me race as it's not something he gets to do w/ him back there and me on this side of the "pond".

Nice easy 9 minute mile pace for the run,having just gotten my first 8 miler under my belt earlier in the week the big step up to 14 miles was going to be important,a 40 mile week was riding on the outcome and while anything less wouldn't have been the end of the world the old "start as you mean to go on" mindset kind of ruled the roost.
It was shaping up to being a warm one,hence my preference to be on the road by 10.30am but equipt w/ a "can do attitude" and sensible pacing I was clipping off the miles at a decent rate of knots.

I always felt the last few miles would be the challenge both mentally and physically but given my mouth felt like the botton of a budgies cage I knew the sooner I got home the sooner  a pint or two of Strawberry Milk could be enjoyed which serves as quite a deterrent when ramdom thoughts of stopping and walking creep in!!!!!.
2.08 just off the 9 minute mile 2.06 pace I had hoped for but all things considered not a bad return to the realm of 14 miler Sunday long runs,one down several dozen to go!!!!

No Quarter Asked Or Given

Way back when in 07 when I won my first individual National Championship I said I wasn't ready to call time on my season so I ramped up my training and several weekes later won my first 5th Avenue Mile title,a year later following my first 1,500m National Championship title I did likewise to win a second 5th Avenue Mile title........so it should come as no major surprize following last weeks 2nd National Championship over 1,500m that my sights are firmly set on 5th Avenue Mile in seven weeks time.
W/ that in mind I thought it was high time to revist a repeat that helped me in 07 and 08 2x150m,4x400m  and a mile.
I was under no illusion that my splits from 08 would NOT be any help to me now six years later but I would attack the repeats w/ the same vim and vigor and hope for the best.
Keeping in mind that after Saturdays debut at this repeat I still had another six cracks at this bad boy this was more of a point of reference today and fingers crossed over the coming weeks I can lower my splits and get faster for my Sept 13th crack at another 5th Avenue Mile title.

Arrived at trusty Geasey Field at 10.45am the shower at 9.30am had kept the masses away which suited me,w/ 4x400m repeats on tap I needed the inside lane to myself.
Mile warm up and then time for the 2x150m
23.52
23.39
Given I don't do much short stuff below 200m I had to guess what to shoot for,my mindset was if I run 34 seconds for 200m half that {18 seconds for 100m and 9 seconds for another 50m} and 27 seconds was a reasonable target time for this week,the fact I dropped two sub 24s means next Saturday I'll be shooting for sub 24s again in the hopes of going faster.

Now for the 4x400m,I allowed myself  four mins recovery between each,this is something I can tweak moving forward not just for 5th Avenue Mile but should I choose to keep this repeat in my rotation once mid December and training for the Indoor season which is someting I'm considering.
Again I had no real idea what I should be shooting for off the bat so went w/ 70 seconds this week,went:
66.07
66.71
68.43
69.02
They were constant if nothing else,again over the coming six weeks the plan is to lower those times

And now for the always fun "Decathletes Mile" named after the fact the Decathlon finishes on a 1,500m that I'm confident Ashton Eaton and company must dread!
If memory serves from 07 and 08 there was a seven minute recovery between the 4th 400m and the mile....I opted to go w/ 4 mins.....A because there's a streak of masochist that runs through me and B I subscribe to the time honoured theory" your repeat is only as good as you recovery" sure we can all be world beaters w/ extended recovery but I do want to be a world beater over 1,500m at next years World Masters in Lyon so short recoverys it is.
1.24-1.31-1.31-1.17=5.43.2
Again like the 150s and 400s this was about putting down a marker for the coming weeks so we'll see what happens next Saturday when I return to do it all over again.

Time Stands Still For No Man

Since I'm playing catch up w/ ye olde blog since my return from Nationals on Monday here are the cliffnotes on my week thus far:                                  Tuesday   easy 6 miler to get back into the swing of things,what w/ my pre Nationals taper it had been a few weeks since my last 6 miler,July 5th to be exact but like the proverbial duck to water I found no issues w/ returning to the day to day training even though I had originally planned to go to NYC for the final Tuesday Nite Speed Series, I opted to stay closer to home,being 100% honest I didn't expect to be as tired both physically or emotionally on Monday when flying back to Philly and while I don't doubt the competitor in me could have risen to the challenge of another 1,500m race there were "day to day"issues on my doorstep that required my attention plus by opting for a 6 miler I could potentially have a5 day/40 mile week under my belt right off the bat.........hashtag.it's NEVER to soon to begin my prep for 5th Avenue Mile. Wednesday an 8 miler,my first since June 29th add that tomy first dayback at work in a week and the 91 degree heat it was quite the challenge but I didn't become National Champion by shirking challenges so it was a have at it  kind of run.......let me tell you that first pint of post run Strawberry Milk NEVER touched the sides going down!!!Got Milk? oh hell yeah!!!!!!!  Thursday another 8 miler to keep on pace for the 40mpw I'm shooting for,thankfully back down to a respectable 83 degrees like Tuesday and w/ Wednesdays "grind em till ya find em"run under my belt   this 8 miler  felt much easier........and only required 1 pint of StrawberryMilk post run!!!!                   So we're all up to date   now, since I discovered   for the price of a Venti Zen Tea{man cannot live off of Gatorade/PowerAde and Strawberry Milk alone!!!}    I can suck up free Wi Fi in any Starbucks I'm able to tap away  on my laptop post repeat this morning,sadly track/running god doesn't allow me to skip out on household chores tomorrow so there won't be time to post this morning's efforts till Monday along w/{fingers crossed} hopefully a successful return to the realm of the Sunday long run  .........it never stops......but I wouldn't have it any other way!!!!!!!!!!!!                                                                 

Silver Machine

Ever since my debut at Masters Nationals in Charlotte 06 the 4x800m relay has become an integral part of the weekend,06,07,08,10 and 11 in Charlotte,Orono,Spokane,Sacramento and Berea,Gold each time three times for the club 07,08,11 and twice ad hoc 08 and 10
Sadly in Lisle in 2012 there was no 4x800 relay,we did have a team  set up only for one of our guys to blow out his hamstring in the 400m prelims which sunk that notion,we somehow managed to throw together a 4x400m team that won a bronze but frankly it wasn't the same,as a 800m/1,500m guy I'd prefer to go w/a 4x800m relay.

This years edition of Masters Nationals saw a return to 4x800m thanks to an ad hoc team since once again fielding four healthy 50 year old 800m guys from the club proved to be wishful thinking!
Sadly my proud run of 4x800m golds was about to come to an end as Chuck and I couldn't find two more willing and able 50+ bodies to join us for the relay,we were asked by Johna and Ed if we wanted to run w/ them at M40 and frankly having found a team I was just happy to be running a 4x800m at any age group even if it meant going head to head w/ 3/4s of the Indoor World Record M40 4x800m team!!!!
W/ four sub 2.00  guys on their team their was no suspense as to who'd win not only the M40 age group but the whole race!!!!

As for the actual race it was pretty much over when the gun went off,the team of Chris Blondin,Peter Brady,Mark Williams and Nick Berra ran uncontested,I forget the name of the second placed team but they had two M30 guys on their squad which gave them an uncontested age group gold w/ my team of Chuck Shields,Ed Rhyne,Jonah Silva and yours truly third overall in 9.19.08 and runners up in the M40 age group.
Sadly we didn't get individual splits but Chuck told me I went 62-70 for a 2.12 we were over two minutes ahead of the 4th placed team who won the M50 race also uncontested but prehaps the biggest cheer of the day sshould go to the team of Charles Ross,Roy Englert,Orville Rogers and Charles Boyle who at the ages of 91,91,96 and 90 were out there running a 4x800m,at 50 I feel like a cub compared to these lions!!!

Been A Long Time Since I Took The Gold.....

When I won the 2008 National Masters 1,500m in Spokane it felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders,in high school in my junior and senior year I'd been runner up in the 1,500m but now I finally had a major 1,500m title to my name,given my track career began as a high school freshaman in 76 it had only taken 32 years!!!!!!
Since that glorious morning in Spokane in 08 my record over 1,500m at Nationals had read thus: 10 Sacramento runner up and 12 Lisle fourth,after a six year gap did I have what it took to reclaim top spot in the metric mile???

W/ the new schedule at Nationals this year I had the luxury of two recovery days after the 800m which frankly suited me,however the fact the M50 5,000m fell on the Saturday the day b4 the 1,500m probably didn't help a few of my rivals who had signed up for both,in fact three of the four guys who had entered both opted against the 1,500m on Sunday morning,while sympathetic to their plight it did however remove three potential threats to my my 4th National Championship quest.
Race day morning arrived bright and early at 6.45am in order for me to walk over to the campus of Wake Forest b4 8.20am to declare for my 9.20 gun time,I felt confident but also nervous,you'd think after thirty eight years of competitive track that pre race nerves wouldn't effect me but they do.....that said I've said over the past several years "I'd be nervous if I wasn't nervous"!!! and as long as the line at the batrooms/portajohns isn't long I'm generally ok!!!!!!

Declaration and warm up/ stretches taken care of it was back to the check in tent for hip numbers,#4 for me a chilling reminder of my 4th place finish in Lisle two years ago,that race has haunted me for two years but again like I often say "saying you learn nothing from a loss is looking at it the wrong way" what I learnt the hard way that day was kicking too soon at 400m to go todays plan was wait till 200m then drop the hammer......
From the gun I settled into 5th behind Micheal Sherar,Paul Osland,RubenHenderson and David Bailey but moved into 4th after 100m....only to be relegated to 5th again after 200m by Derek Larner the fellow Brit who'd pushed me in the 800m unseeded heat.
51 seconds at 300m,my mantra all summer has been "53-71-71-71=4.26'' however the caveat to that was the feeling I could go faster if need be,in a season where I've been in 1,500m/mile races where more often than not I was the "old man" in the field at Nationals in my own age group I felt I finally had a level playing.....although going head to head verses Micheal and Paul didn't seem that level!!!!!

I moved by Ruben after 500m and b4 600m moved passed Derek now it was me verses two of the worlds best.....no pressure it's only the National Championships at stake here!!!!!
If memory serves correctly I went through 700m in 2.02 a 71 second split right where I visualized the race on my easy.recovery and long runs the past several weeks
At 750m I went by Paul,to his credit Paul had told me pre race as we waited to toe the starting line he may drop out due to his left achilles bothering him,for someone who this time a year ago was on the DL w/ his right achilles I could sympathize and I also thought it was very stand up of Paul to tell me pre race not to base my race off of him.....props and respect.
Remember my pre race mantra "DON'T kick untill 200m to go"????? that flew out the window w/ 600m to go!!!!!
A I was feeling good this was how i felt back in Orono in 07 en route to my first National Championship over 800m when I was chomping at the bit after 200m but convinced myself to wait till the bell b4 striking for home and B w/ Michael's phenomenal 400m speed did I really want to chance waiting for the final 200m?

Off I went,in the back of my mind was the thought that even if Michael did reel me in as a Canadien runner he could win the race{like he did over 400m and 800m} but I could still be National Champion.....and while that was a nice safety net my feeling was "bugger that if I'm gonna be National Champion I want to cross the finish line first!!!!!"
3.11 at the bell a 69 second split,I was feeling strong and frankly wasn't entertaining any notions of being caught,I wasn't sure how much of a lead i had over Micheal{although having watched the race video a few time post race it looked like 10 meters}and I just kept doing what I'd been doing for the opening 1,100m.
10 meters from the finish I allowed myself the chance to enjoy the moment,it's been 6 years since I last won  a National Championship over 1,500m and 3 years since my last National Championship over 10,000m this moment may not come my way ever again{but believe me I'll do everything w/in me to make sure it does!!!} so why not live in the moment???
4.21.43......so much for my 4.26 projected time not to mention the fact my opening 1,500m outdoors this season back on May 29th was only a 4.31.50.......
Splits of 51-71-69-70 and to quote my former coach "there's more meat on that bone" I believe in my heart of hearts I can go faster but b4 I start thing about that and all the leg work that will go into making that happen let me just enjoy this moment and relish the satisfaction of being National Champion again,all the hard work,dedication and sacrifices paid off but you know me I'm not one to scale the peaks just to admire the view.....I'm already thinking about the next challenge ahead......

And Justice For All

When it was announced that the 800m was going to be a timed final at this years Masters Nationals and there were 20 entries in the M50 age group I had a bad feeling about the outcome.....
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.......

This Is The Story So Far......

2006 Charlotte
400m 56.5 6th prelims
800m 2.04.7 6th final
4x800m 8.30.4 1st

2007 Orono
800m 1.59.1 1st
1,500m 4.11.7 3rd*
4x800m 9.30.9 1st
*3rd overall but awarded sliver as runner up was non US athlete

2008 Spokane
800m 1.59.8 2nd
1,500m 4.10.7 1st
4x800m 8.44.6 1st

2009 Oshkosh
Did not compete due to achilles injury

2010 Sacramento
800m 2.02.4 2nd
1,500m 4.14.4 2nd
5,000m 15.36.8 3rd
4x800m 8.57.8 1st

2011 Berea
5,000m 16.45.0 3rd
10,000m 35.27.4 1st
4x800m 8.41.8 1st

2012 Lisle
800m 2.06.1 2nd
1,500m 4.18.6 4th
4x400m 3.56.5 3rd

2013 Olathe
did not compete due to achilles injury

2014 Winston Salem?????

It's a tough one to predict this time around,I haven't competed at Nationals in just under two years and outside the Hartshorne Memorial Masters mile in mid January I haven't had an age group race in that time so I have no real idea where I stack up against my fellow M50 800m and 1,500m runners.
The business of this timed final in the 800m has made life difficult I have no idea how they are planning on running it w/ 20 of us entered I have the #10 seed time{for what that's worth given the obvious imbelishment of seed times} so IF I can get in the seeded heat maybe I've got a crack at a medal I just don't know and that not knowing how they're going to run the 800m has made it difficult to prepare mentally.

At least w/ new but NOT improved schedule I have two recovery days between the 800m and the 1,500m,that could work in my favour for the 1,500m,not sure if we have a 4x800m relay team,I could go Ad Hoc like I did in 08 and 10 but right now that's the least of my worries to be honest.
G I F D..............

That's All Folks

So after 19 weeks of blood sweat and tears it's all come down to this one final race b4 heading southbound to Winston Salem to Wake Forest next Wednesday for 2014 Masters Nationals.
Not only was last nites race my last race b4 then but also my last workout/run of any kind till I get to Kentner Stadium on the Wake Forest campus next Wednesday.
Remember back in early May when I suffered a pulled/strained groin and I was forced to sit a week out? I came back so much stronger the following week that I decided from here on in every ninth week I'd take a week off well this is the ninth week and since I'm on  my taper anyway I figured why not just run my mile race and then shut it down till next Wednesday?
Frankly if I haven't put the work in now it's too bleeding late to be honing and fine tuning in the final week so the plan was a two mile warm up,mile race,two mile cool down.....and Bob's yer uncle or if your a posh git "Robert is your mothers brother"!!!!

Since travelling to New York for the third Tuesday Nite Speed Series wasn't an option since I couldn't leave work at 1.15pm I opted to return to Ft Washington for the final Germantown Academy meet at Carey Stadium,since change was in the air I also opted for the mile again rather than a final attempt to lower my 800m time,the mile came earlier in the schedule plus I feel the "dye may have been cast" where the 800m at Nationals is concerned.
Arrived at Carey Stadium by 5.30pm,figured the mile would go off around 6.30pm thankfully it had begun to cool off a little but I think they were calling for 95 degrees earlier in the day.....frankly w/ Nationals in North Carolina if a little heat is an issue you probably shouldn't be going in the first place!!

Seeded myself at 4.45 following last weeks 4.47 and earnt the #5 seed in heat 1,I knew the first four young guys would be "off like the proverbial prom dress" so it was a matter of just running my own race and letting the chips land where they may.
Good reacion to the gun managed to get on the rail as the "four horseman" broke clear and found myself in 6th at the top of the back straight b4 moving into 5th.
71 seconds at 400m and from here on in it was going to be me against the clock as I was in no mans land.
2.23 at 800m a 72 second split followed by 3.35 at 1,200m another 72 second split
While it was an even pace I wasn't in a position to be taken out of my comfort zone,had that happened I believe a faster pace/time was there for the taking.
Down the back straight I happened to look up at the running clock atop the scoreboard at the foot of the home straight and saw 4.13 w/ 200m to go and just like in training I dropped a closing 200m in 33 seconds to finish in 4.46.84.

For the number geeks it was splits of 71 72 72 71,even splits of 2.23 2.23 and a second quicker than last weeks 4.47.44.
A 4.46.84 mile comes out at roughly a 4.28 1,500m which means since March 20ths indoor 1,500m I;ve gone:4.32 4.31 4.30 4.29 4.28 and my hopes of running a 71 71 71 53 4.26 1,500m are still very attainable,who knows under the right circumstances on July 20h maybe I can run faster?

High Noon At Temple

I should have been a Drama Major in high school it's just inherent in my dna,but for my final track workout b4 Nationals I arrived at Temple's Geasey Field at 11.45am and began my 5x1000m repeats at high noon......you'll just have to hum the Ennio Morricone western tune yourself!!!!

My 21st repeat since March 15th and last one b4 heading to Winston Salem and Nationals so there was a desire to make it a good one but factor in last Saturdays less than pleasing 4x1 mile repeats and the need for a better all round performance kicked up a notch.
Last time out over 5x1000m on June 14th I went:
1.16-1.19-35=3.10.8
1.17-1.21-36=3.14.4
1.21-1.24-35=3.20.6
1.24-1.24-37=3.26.8
1.24-1.26-33=3.23.3
14 seconds slower than my previous effort on May 31st......#redemption

#1 1,000m
1.16-1.19-36=3.11.9
Almost identical to how I opened last time.....and we all know how that went south on me in a heartbeat.....let's hope it isn't a repeat repeat....

#2 1,000m
1.17-1.20-36=3.13.8
Level after two repeats the trick now was to not fold like I did over the final 3x1,000m like I did three weeks ago

#3 1,000m
1.20-1.22-37=3.19.1
I was a second up w/ two to go,granted I was slowing but not at the rate I was slowing last time out

#4 1,000m
1.22-1.24-36=3.22.7
5 seconds up w/ 1 1,000n to go,did I have anything left.........

#5 1,000m
1.22-1.24-33=3.19.5
You bet ya I did!!!

Nine seconds up on last time out and only 2 seconds off of getting alll five 1,000s at 3.20 and under which I had done back on May 31st thanks to repeats of:1.17-1.21-35=3.13.2 1.19-1.21-36=3.16.3 1.17-1.22-36=3.15.2 1.20-1.22-37=3.19.1 1.19-1.22-35=3.16.1
Overall I'm pleased period,it was quicker than last time out,I'd reversed the trend after last weeks 4x1 mile repeat fiasco and for a final repeat session b4 Nationals I'd ended on a high note.
Now we have to see if 21 repeats over 17 weeks has been enough to get on that podium at Nationals

One For Another

I'd have prefered to have been up earlier than 9.30am on Saturday but it wasn't the case.....no big in the general scheme of things,I could still have my cake and eat it so to speak......
Normally 9.30am on a Saturday would not have been an issue for hitting the track at Temple......however factor in the World Cup quarter final between my pick to win it all Argentina vs my dark horse Belgium and I could be forgiven for opting to switch things around this weekend.

Since I'm tapering my Sunday long run was only 6 miles......it's really difficult to type that w/ a straight face!!!! so I figured I could knock out an easy 6 miler Saturday and do my 5x100m repeats Sunday.....and cop all of Argentina Belgium.......winner winner,Chicken dinner!!!!!
Out by 10.45am.....things were alot less hot and oppressive than Wednesdays 5 miler at 4.45pm and thankfully my day to myself on Friday to decompress from the shit show that was my job last week and take the considerable edge off where I was when I posted on Thursday.

Out and back to Lloyd Hall along the Schuylkill Banks keeping it nice and easy since my final repeat session b4 Nationals was following tomorrow,which meant reigning in the temptatation to get involved in pissing contests along the Banks...no point winning the battles if I lose the war when it truly matters over 5x1000m.
Home in time for the national anthems and kick off and 90 mins of yours truly up and down like a Jack In A Box as Argentina beat Belgium 1.0 to reach their first World Cup semi final in 24 years....Vamos Albiceleste!!!!

Generating Steam Heat

It was bad enough it was 95 degrees to begin w/ on my run but given the steam pouring out of me like Mount Etna ready to blow it's maybe a good thing I only had a 5 miler on tap.
The less said about my day at work the better{but trust me my diary is fit to burst w/ the events of yesterday,frankly the rethoric is a tad scarey and it makes Charles Manson come off looking like a fuckin' Boy Scout!!!!!!}but like I said that's a private matter,I've been pissed on and pissed off at work b4.....I will be again let's just be thankful I have an outlet for my seething anger at the blatent level of utter incompetence that runs rampant through the powers that be on the job even if it was only 5 miles yesterday.

95 degrees or not I'd have ran yesterday and it's only due to my taper that I made it a 5 miler,had yesterday been a 6 or 8 miler I'd have ran that but I have to say I was happy it was only 5,trust me it was a 2 pint of Strawberry Milk day post run!!!.
Thankfully it's due to cool off by Saturday and Sunday for my 5x1000m repeats and 6 miler.....maybe by then I'll have cooled off......but I wouldn't bet on it!

In The Heat Of The Night

I figured once I made my way past the massed ranks of the worlds media who'd descended on Carey Stadium in Fort Washington to witness this event of biblical perportion a Philadelphia track meet by yours truly I'd be ok,local news ABC,NBC,CBS,CNN the BBC I swear I even saw an Al Jazerra news crew there wow this shit has gone global.........................................and clearly too much time out in the heat has made me delirious some people see mirages in the heat I see news crews...................

OK so I'm taking the piss nobody gives a shit if I run in Philly but you know me I like to have fun at least till the gun goes off then it's time to get down to business and last nites business was a mile.
As I mentioned in yesterdays blog I was quite pleased to to have a mile on the schedule for once,I've ran  two 1,500s already w/ two more on tap Nationals and the final Tuesday Nite Speed two days later so why not kick it old school for a change?
It had been a hot one all day by the time I arrived at the Germantown Academy track around 5.30pm I figured the mile would go off around 6.30pm following the hurdles and the 100m so I bided my time till just after 6pm b4  my warm up and stretches and eventually first call on the mile.

Three heats thanks to a 4.50 seed time I drew the first heat,it's becomming a way of life now that I'm one of the "elder statesmen" in these heats 13 of us most of whom were younger than me,but frankly untill younger guys are tripping over my zimmer frame I aim to be out there at 50 the fact I can still clock a sub 5 minute mile is a credit to my dedication to my craft,sure I'd prefer to be faster my 4.30 days are behind me but there's still life in me yet,it's not the size of the rat in the fight,it's the size of the fight in the rat!!!!!
Drawn 7th of 13 I was in the middle of the starting line as we broke from the gun,given I was hoping for 71 second splits I knew not to go off too quick and settled into 9th down the back straight b4 moving up into 7th on the home straight.
70 seconds at 400m pretty much where I wanted to be pacewise,2.22 at 800m a 72 second split,sure I'd prefered 71-71 but I'll take 70-72.
Lap 3 I was pretty much in nomans land the lead 5 were off in private battle as I made my way upto 6th I still felt comfortable and running w/in myself but when I saw 3.35 at the bell I knew that 73 second split was going to cost me the 4.44 I had hoped for.
While I accept that track can sometimes be a physical battle say in the 800m I don't expect to be bumpped in the final lap of a mile/1,500m around the top turn,while it had little impact on the final outcome of the race I didn't appreciate the lack of an apology post race......trust me I have that dudes # and if he wants my spikes in his leg next time out it won't be a problem to oblige him!!!!
Closed in 72 for a 4.47.44 w/ splits of 70-72-73-72 a little off the 71-71-71-71 4.44 I was hoping for but given the heat and how the race unfolded it was  the best I could do.
4.47 for the mile works out to a 4.29 1,500m probably not good enough for a medal at Nationals right now but here's hoping on the morning of July 20th I can deliver a better performance at least around 9am it won't be as hot as last nites race and my rivals will all be in my age group!!!

Behind The Lines

Easy 4 miler to kick off week two of the taper....I should make the most of this downtime w/ my mileage post Nationals it'll be full steam ahead for the Fall Classic aka 5th Avenue Mile b4 then beginning my off season where I'll up my mileage to 50 mpw in prep for next season but rather than get ahead of myself w/ the future lets stick closer to the here and now.

Even w/ the start of my taper last week and a low mileage day yesterday on the eve of a race tonite I still logged 168 miles in June my heaviest month todate this year which may explain why I've been feeling a little dead below the knees the last day or two,for the year sofar I've logged 808 miles this year,it'll be interesting to see my year end tally in six months time.

Tonite is somewhat of a landmark occasion,it's rare to get the chance to race over a mile in the summer as the more traditional 1,500m usually gets ran so I have a chance to post a time on the Masterstrack Rankings page,while it's safe to say Ray Knerr's 4.41.13 is  probably beyond me but I'd settle for second place on the rankings for now,I'm not sure how realistic a 4.44 mile is for me at 71 seconds per lap it may depend on the heat as tonite is being touted as being a hot one plus who else shows up to race.
The other anomaly tonite is the fact I'm racing in my native Philadelphia,take away the 2012 Greater Philadelphia Track Pentathlon which is also held at the Germantown Acadamy track in Fort Washington then the last time I set foot on a track here in Philly was on June 9th 2012 at the Mid Atlantic C'ships at Widener.
It remains to be seen if I'm treated as the Prodigal Son returning home or if I'm as popular as a fart in a phone box.....either way I'm not there to win friends or court the popular vote I'm there to put the finishing touches to my build up for Nationals in two weeks time and run as fast a mile as I can,the rest as they say is just details