Sunday, 3/24/24-As has been the case several times before, today would prove to be my hardest day at Nationals...with the open 800m and 4x400 on tap.
I managed a good warm-up for the 800 and tried to do some visualization exercises for good measure. Admittedly, I felt a pang of nervousness, having not raced an 800 in a while. The nervousness seemed to subside when I assumed, wrongfully, that there would be either one large heat or two heats, with me being sectioned into the slower of the two. There would be two heats, and I would find myself in the faster of the two.
I lined up in the second position of six. My goal was 2:15/2:16, managing paces of 32, 33 (65+), 34, 35 (69+)=2:15 or even 32, 33 (66), 34, 35 (70)=2:16. I was able to keep to the 200m splits, but the finishing times escaped me due to an especially sluggish last 200, in 36 seconds. I hit 2:17 (32, 33 (65+), 34, 36 (71)).
https://www.usatf.tv/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=45365&mgroup_event_id=1079&year=2024&do=videos&video_id=388595
Less than two hours later I found myself on the track again for the 4x400MR. I decided to run second. Andrew would lead off, Wale would run third, and an injured Jeff Flock would anchor, subbing in for Jason Fairlee, who had vacated the premises. I was told the 200 was a stretch for him, and thus the 400 would be next to impossible.
I was able to pass Neil Fitzgerald from CPTC and came within a few meters of Andrew Bayne of Atlanta TC. Based on my assessment, I'd wager I managed a 58-high/59-low split.
Jeff deserves a medal for "injury-jogging" around the track for points.
https://www.usatf.tv/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=45365&mgroup_event_id=1079&year=2024&do=videos&video_id=388606
Saturday, 3/23/24-With only the 4x200MR on tap, I'd consider today my fun, easy day. I arrived a few hours before the race, having consumed leftovers from the restaurant we went to the previous night. I started my warm up an hour before my race as I had done yesterday. I went outside (.8M), jogged in the corridor inside, and stretched in the fitness center. We were assigned lane 5 on the full three-turn stagger. I'd run leadoff, against a formidable opponent in Southwest Sprinters to my outside in lane 6 and two more to my inside, Atlanta Track Club and another Southwest Sprinters relay. Also in this full heat was another Greater Phila TC quartet.
My relay (cut and pasted from the website!):
Delvin Dinkins (25-high split)
Andrew Albright
Wale Aka-Bashorun
Jason Fairlee
1:51.71
Friday, 3/22/24-Arrived at the several hours before my race and hung out with teammates, who seemed to vacillate between excitement and nervousness. With an hour before go time, I went outside (.8M), jogged in the corridor inside, and stretched in the fitness center. Predictably, with a seed time of 58.xx, I'd be in heat 2 of 3, not the fastest heat. Given how I ran, the heat was appropriate! I was in lane 3. I had a decent start, but I let someone take my at the break. I didn't respond, but should have. I was missing my fire and fight!
