Land of the Kiwis A runner in New Zealand

Kiwi Nationals Day 2

Today is the biggest day of the meet for me.

I woke up and immediately assessed the discomfort level of my calves. I cautiously stood up and walked to the stairs, then took a step, then another. Shockingly, my calves didn't feel at all worse for wear! I still took it really easy though, slowly stretching and resumed drinking liquids.

All too soon we headed over to the track for my 11:38 race. Warmup went well and I congratulated myself for having the foresight to wear flats the day before (nothing like a good self-pat-on-the-back...) This time, unlike yesterday, I was ready for the 20minute wait we were required to sit through (in a tent) before the race got under way. I laced up and was feeling sprightly when the gun went off.

Once again I felt the race out from the back, watching the jostling ahead and trying not to gawk at having to run 56. It's a pretty easy race plan when you have nothing to lose. That's not to say I didn't have a goal and a focus for the race. I really wanted to see if I could get foward onto my toes and close well since I have not accomplished this for over a year now. I don't think it's an essential part of running fast, but I do see it as a requirement for winning! At the end of races I just end up reaching more with my stride to get that extra speed rather than using the sprinting muscles that should be relatively fresh. My problem for quite some time has been that those muscles have received no specific training, and the calf/glute/stride issues I've had for a few months has really highlighted that weakness.

So with 400m to go, I tried to get into sprinting position without picking up my pace too much (ended up in a failed move around a few guys). Stay on my toes. It felt awkward and I really couldn't imagine having more efficiency in that position. However, soon there was only 100m left in the race and I felt like I was stuck in sprinting position,  exactly what I wanted. I closed pretty well, but more importantly, I confirmed my hypothesis when I started to rig. This is important! I have not rigged in a LONG time. I have fatigued at the end of races, but that's really quite different from what happens when your feet splay out and your hammies clench (even when they should be releasing). When you fatigue, your hips just sink and it looks to the public like you weigh a million pounds and are about to fall over. When you rig, it's like a full-body cramp. It was great!

Oh and the race result: I came in 3rd - 1:53. Interestingly enough though, on the podium I was given silver! The change in result happened because the winner was Canadian and each event requires a kiwi podium. So naturally, the kiwi that came 2nd, the lithe Aniel Smith, was boosted to gold as well with the Canadian. Then I assume the official's thinking was "We can't give this kid from the States a bronze and then the kiwi he beat, a silver!" So I shared the silver medal spot with Josh Komen of Canterbury. James List, a Welly training buddy, was 3rd. Crowded podium...

I wasn't done yet though. The real consequence of the rig was that I knew my calves had taken a beating. I had 4 hours before the 1500m and I managed to get back home for some lunch, and, I was hoping, a nap. However, all of a sudden, I was eating a piece of toast with butter and cream cheese when JVD commented, "Well, 2 o'clock. Better think about heading back." What!?! Somehow I had lost an hour and here I was eating cream cheese less than 2 hours before my race. Stupid. And missed my 30min nap too... Great.

I wasn't as lucky in 1500m heats as I was in the 800. I was in the first heat and it looked stacked. No flats for me. That decision was solidified when I looked up and saw a strong overcast grey. Wet track and flats is a disaster.

My race went out and I settled right in a the back (starting to sound like a broken record). However, this time I noticed a gap forming less than a lap in. Looking ahead there were 5 solidly in the pack, and Aniel, the other doubler, was already trying to cover their move. No one said it would be easy but I was feeling up for it and so I moved out and stuck right on Aniel's shoulder. We picked up the pace but never gained ground on the front pack, staying about 10m clear.

2:07 at the 800m.

With 600m left I saw the pack getting restless and Aniel was starting to look the part of an 800 gold medalist as his shoulders began to sag. I moved around him and made the conscious decision to get with the front pack in about 200m. However, as I finished my move on the turn and looked up, I was puzzled. The pack was no closer than before. I redoubled my efforts for the next 300m but still couldn't get any closer to the 5 up there. Now, top 4 make it from each heat and next 4 fastest so I was understandably starting to panic. I went into full gear with 200m to go like I would at the end of a final. I closed pretty well again but realized I wasn't going to get the still quite strong 5 guys in front of me. I accepted my fate with 80m to go and stepped off of 100% to cruise through the line. They actually did the same thing and I finished half a second behind in 6th. For some reason I thought I ran a 3:56 and I was a bit bummed for a few minutes thinking it might be likely I would be first out. However, I was quickly reassured by one of the guys in front that we had finished in 3:53. Wow! I'm actually impressed I ran that fast.

The second pack scared me by running 62 for the first lap but then went through 800m in 2:10 so I had nothing to worry about there. They ended up running 3:58 with my cousin Cary picking up 5th and the last place qualifier spot in 3:59.

That night I repeated the same routine of getting a massage and having a beer and light calf hot tub run. This time though, the masseuse pulled my hairs. Waaa