I spent most of the last week trying to talk myself out of running this race. I knew there was no way I was even remotely ready to do it. I had only practiced twice since last fall, and that was limited almost entirely to drills. I hadn’t used starting blocks, I hadn’t run over a full flight of hurdles, and I just didn’t have any idea of what to expect.
But I also knew it was probably going to be the only opportunity I would have to run in a meet before the National Championships. It would at least give me an idea of where I was at and what it feels like to line up and run the race. So I decided to go for it.
My goals were simple….don’t fall down and try to 3-step between all the hurdles. I definitely was feeling some pre-race jitters as I began my warm-up, but after I checked in and started working through my drills on the backstretch they faded away. At that point I was resigned to simply do what I could and accept whatever happened.
There were two other runners in my division. We lined up and were given a few moments to adjust our starting blocks and get ready to race. I made one practice start and made it to the first hurdle with the proper number of step and cleared it. So far so good.
The starter called us to our marks. As I was settling into my blocks and getting ready to set, he told one of the other runners to get his fingers off the starting line. Then he said it again. I looked over and saw that the guy wasn’t responding, so I went ahead and stood up. Once that got straightened up we returned to our blocks, got set, and “bang-bang” we were off, but instantly stopped because the same guy with the finger issue false-started.
So now we settle back into the blocks for a third time and try and get this race completed. Nothing like extending the drama. This time we get a clean start and we’re off and running. Here’s how it went:
I stumble a little going over the first hurdle, but right myself and settle into my 3-step stride pattern. By about the 3rd hurdle I notice I’m in the lead. My rhythm feels OK, and I get a little more comfortable. By the 5th hurdle my form is pretty good (for me) and I accelerate across the finish line for my first masters track victory.
My time was just where I had predicted, a little better than 10.5 seconds. That’s not too bad, as 10.3 qualifies for “All-American” status in my age group. But I really need to be in the mid-9s for Nationals.
I think that you are supposed to be able to accelerate through the first 3 hurdles. I felt like I never got going any faster than I was traveling when I reached hurdle number one. I was too high going over the top and this would cause me to lose momentum. So I’m going to need a lot of practice and a lot of stretching. A full second is a lot of time in a race this short. Hopefully I can get it done.
