12/26/22-After receiving a text from John at 2:15 that the traffic was superheavy, I started en route to The Armory...at about 2:40. My ETA for the 5:00 start initially said 4:32. As I made my way, the ETA ticked upwards. 4:42, 4:52, and then 5:02 and 5:12 as I neared the NYC exits. The traffic was bumper-to-bumper. I wound up taking an exit I had never taken before and making my way to the George Washington Bridge and route 9 by cutting through a series of NJ towns. By the time I arrived at the Columbia University parking lot, it was 5:12. I jogged to the building, hit the restroom upon arrival, then hit the arena. By the time I got upstairs it was about 5:18. I checked in for the 400m upon arrival and started jogging immediately, not spending any time connecting with pleasantries. As I made my way around the track, I could see that section five of only eight sections of the 60 was on the track. I covered just 4 laps, 800m, and started stretching. By this time, 400m competitors were called. I lubed up with analgesic and kept stretching. As the women hopped on the track, I made my way over, knowing that I would be in heat 5 (with a modest but realistic seed time of 59.95) in lane 5. After the two heats of women, I donned my spikes and did some pickups in the warm-up area. While I felt rushed, I seemed sufficiently loose.
I made my way over to the staging area once heat 3 of the men was up. It was about 5:45. I joined several of my teammates: Rob Ciervo, Nick Damalas (who didn't arrive until 5:35!), Wally Hernandez, and Ray Parker. Made conspicuous by his absence was John Curtis, who I later learned was still en route. Rob and Nick were in heat 4. When the gun went off for their heat, competitors in heat 5 were instructed to hop on the track. I watched their race with interest. Rob had the lead at the 200m mark, but Nick was tracking him with confidence. Coming down the homestretch Rob showed a bit of fatigue as Nick edged him out at the line. This gave me some motivation.
I was in lane 5 with no one to my outside. I decided not to use starting blocks. I knew I needed to be assertive but not aggressive. (I wasn't in sufficient shape to be aggressive!) I broke the cones first and hit the 200 mark in 27.91. Running within myself, I could scarcely sense anyone immediately behind me. The final time, 57.91, was a bit of a surprise given my current fitness level. Admittedly, my goal, however modest, was to break 60 seconds! 27.91/30.00=57.91 isn't that bad. 400m race
Knowing the 200 was just around the corner, I checked in. I kept my spikes on for a while, but then thought better of it since I was in heat 15, lane 5 (again). (After posting 57.91, I wondered if my 28.82 seed time was perhaps too modest.) I wound up having about 45 minutes or so to recovery. Rob and Nick would have none of it; they weren't up for another race, much less a 200 on less than an hour's rest. Wayne and Jacques would find themselves in heats 10 and 11, respectively. I hung out with them in the infield beforehand and passed the time with an awkward conversation or two with other competitors. I jogged around a bit as well, trying to keep myself loose.
After Wayne and Jacques finished their efforts, 26.69 and 25.80, respectively, I put on my spikes and made my way over to the staging area. When it was time, I stepped onto the track. I didn't need to adjust my starting blocks too much. In fact, I left the pads intact and simply softened the angle placement of the blocks. I got out okay when the gun blasted. Perhaps I relaxed too much, as I sensed someone coming on from the inside as we hit the homestretch. I got nipped at the line. 26.39 vs. 26.46. All in all, it was better than I had hoped. And...I was glad to be back. And...I was glad I didn't sustain an injury!
12/25/22-Pre-race effort:1M to Vare. Stretched. .5M back to Jennings.
12/24/22-took off
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