A10s Championship

Just got back the other day from Charlotte. Amazing trip. The plane ride was excellent, we had no trouble getting through security and the hotel was the best we've stayed in over the past two years. I slept on a king-sized bed, there was a kitchen complete with a stove, dishwasher, refrigerator, and microwave, and a deep tub for ice baths. The food in the area was amazing too, and best of all, since we had a stove, we made our own pasta dinners before bed.

On to the actual running, our team had a pretty solid meet. We were never in contention to win it, as Charlotte's fully funded squad had plenty of ammunition to put it away early, but we still won a hard fought battle for second with Temple.

My first event, the 4x8, was delayed on Saturday due to thunderstorms. When it finally went off, we had the privilege of running under the lights, around 8pm, but it all went downhill from there. The other teams all put together incredible relays, with three teams finishing under 7:30, and by the time I got the baton it was time for us to shut it down and save it for Sunday. I still split a 2:00, for a 7:56 overall, which qualified us for New Englands.

Sunday things went a bit better for me. After psyching myself up all week for the open 800, I was ready. I only took second in the second fastest heat, but still managed to take 4th place overall. I ran a 1:51.97, an improvement of almost two seconds from my PR of 1:53.82 set at Princeton this year. Everything that has been bugging me this season, my knee, foot, hip flexor, and hamstring, all cooperated with me on Sunday. The only problem was when I got boxed in around the 200. I got out fast, and opened in a 26, but then a box formed around me and everyone slowed down. From the 200 through the 500, it felt like we were jogging, until I finally broke out and booked it for the finish line. If I was allowed to run my own race, I may have been even faster. My season goal to break 1:50 remains in place.

Finally, my last event, the 4x4, was another huge success. Although I ran a slower split than I did at this meet last year (a 49.2 up from a 48.7), the result was better, as we finished in third, and I got a shiny bronze medal to show for it.

Next up on the track are the New England Championships at UMass Amherst. I'll be running the open 800, the 4x8, and the 4x4 all within two hours, so it should be an interesting experience. This is my last chance to qualify for IC4As, the qualifying time being set at 1:51.8, so I'm going to leave it all on the track in order to extend my season.