I don't really like excuses.

Saturday, 5/31-I headed to the track late this morning after yesterday's debacle.  I couldn't decide what I wanted to do; I just knew I needed to do something.  After I warmed up well and tried to shake off the tire in my legs, I was ready to get to work.  I decided that I would start with 150s and go from there.  After a 21.6 first effort, I figured I'd do 6x150 and 6x100.  I'd eventually change this to 8x150 and 4x100.  I'd wear my 400m/800m spikes for the 150s and the sprint spikes for the 100s.

150s: 21.6, 21.4, 21.3, 21.8; 20.3, 19.8, 19.9, 19.2.  (3:00 rest: 100m walk, 100m jog, 50m walk to the start)
100s: 12.2, 12.2.  And that was it.  I decided I was finished with the 100s.

I went to the trunk of my car to retrieve the starting blocks.  I practiced a couple of starts and I was finished for the day.

Friday, 5/30-Rushed out of the athletic awards assembly at EA at about 3:45 and headed home to change for the 9th Annual John Hay Memorial PA Distance Festival at WC Henderson HS.  I arrived at the track at about 4:30, giving me what I thought would be an hour before my event.  Knowing that I needed to leave at no later than 6:00 or so return to work for an event, I had registered for 800, the first event, and the 200, the third event (just in case the event was cancelled or my presence was no longer needed).   When I arrived at the meet, I happened upon what appeared to be an updated flyer/order of events.   It showed that the 400, not the 800, would be the first event and that the meet would begin at 5:45, not 5:30 as advertised.

As a result, I had to switch out of the 800 in favor of the 400.  I gave the time of 54.00 as a seed time.  I warmed up, but I did not feel that pop that I should feel before racing.  I felt like I was lumbering.  Even when I did my strides I felt stiff; my running felt forced and slow.

I'd eventually be assigned lane 7 in the first of the two men's heats.  Oh how I hate the outside lanes!  At least there was one guy to my outside.  However, because he is far more of a miler than a quarter-miler, his presence in lane 8 was far from helpful; I caught him within the first 30-40 meters.

So, I was not enthused to begin with.  Why was I there?

Anyway, I got out of the blocks okay and the guy from lane 6 caught me at about the 140m-150m marks.  By the time we reached the 200m mark, I could feel that he had stopped increasing his lead on me.   I felt for a second that I could catch him.  Wrong!  Unfortunately, runners from the inside had made up the stagger by then.

At the 300m mark, all I could think about was finishing this damn race.  Coming up the home stretch I could see 47, 48, 49, 50, 51...and then the clocked stopped, marking the winning time of 51-point.  I counted in my head as I approached.  I prepared myself for a disappointing 54-point.  The last 50 meters had been especially slow; I had no arm action.  I was dead.   I wasn't really prepared for the 55.15, a time I hadn't run since December.  The last 100 meters must have taken me 15 seconds or so.  I felt so diminished.

It's been a rough stretch, these last weeks.  My life has been busy; my job is demanding.  I have felt a bit worn down.  Despite this, I always feel like I should be at the top of my game.  I don't really like excuses.