Life DOES Revolve around.......

Yesterday, we had a pretty big invite @ Pomona. There were ~1500 entrants, aka 11 heats of the 100m, 4 heats of the 5k, etc. Everyone was in a heat where the competition was good and fierce, but not too slow and not too overwhelming. A good, solid meet.

I ran the 1500m, and with the 16th best seed time of 4:05, my goal was to run aggressively in 2nd/3rd the whole way, and kick if I could. The #1 seed time was only 4:00, so the pack would be very tight.

As the race went out, I sat in 2nd for the first lap, which we came through in at 65.high. Upset, I took the lead but made TOO strong a move, running the second lap in ~62.0, and leading the penultimate lap in 65 as well. I was dieing HARD with 400m to go, and I held on for 5th with a 4:04. That second lap just killed me, and I feel that I can run 4:00 in an even paced race. Very painful way to run.

Throughout the team, events were taking their mental toll. Some were elated with their marks, some were okay (that's me) with their marks, some were upset, and some dropped out of their events, defeated before it even finished.

We got Sunday off, so a lot of us Track types were partying together behind a dorm Saturday night. It was the usual party scene except for one distinct feature - Everyone who had run well was having a BLAST, and those who hadn't were downright depressed.

The mind of an athlete is a fragile thing, and it was interesting to see a usual charismatic 200m runner visibly morose after running 0.6 slower than his best mark. Try clapping the difference of 0.6 seconds. It's not that much time. At all. But in the world of Sprinters, 0.6 seconds is a lifetime. As far as those who live and die by the explosive power of muscles are concerned, if you're going to run 0.6 seconds slower than your previous best mark, just don't run. It's pointless.

On the flip side, a tiny Pole Vaulter who is often quiet was the bounciest and happiest I've ever seen her, and it took me several tries to understand that she had cleared a height 3 or 4 inches higher than her previous best. When you're being literally LAUNCHED into the air, well over 10' up, you would thing that the 2% difference wouldn't matter much, but to them, its a world of difference.

A 4:30 miler respects a 4:20 miler far more than a 5:00 miler does. The same goes for a 4:10 miler respecting a 4:00 miler in comparison to the same 4:20 miler. 404 ~ 4:21, so as a 4:20(ish) miler myself, I can tell you that I have tremendous respect for 4:00 milers, but in all honesty I have no idea what running at that speed feels like.

I image it hurts.

Our sport of Track & Field is tumultuous, at best. The highs and lows of really ANY athletes career is reflected back on their life in either a positive or negative light. But when the sport is purely individual, it reflects that much more on the individual. There are no teammates to fall back on, no excuse that your "touch" was off. YOU were the one who screwed up. YOU were the reason you failed. YOU were the only one controlling the event or race that you fell apart in.

Or, YOU are the person who just ran an absolutely ridiculous time.

And it feels gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood