Victoria Track Series #6 - Open 800m

After a somewhat disappointing Mile at the previous race I was hoping for a better performance at the Open 800m on July 31st. The main reason I signed up for these track races is because I was so inspired watching the elite 800m at the 3rd Victoria Track Series event, where Cam Levins narrowly won in 1:51, with 5 guys coming in under 1:53. Back when I was in elementary school the 800m was my distance of choice, for some reason. So it had been about 17 years since I last raced that distance. I think my best time back then was around 3 minutes.

A big reason why the Mile race two weeks before wasn't so great was due to my pre-race preparation. I showed up late to the track and didn't get in enough warmup, and I had also eaten some food a few hours before the race that was a little suspect. Anyways, I made sure to take this race more seriously, eat properly, and show up with lots of time to warmup.

I actually still didn't get in enough warmup, but I blame the race organizers for being on time for once :)
As the gun went off I quickly took off, leading the pack around the first bend. There was one runner (Brett) that was staying right on my heels.  At the 200m mark I checked my watch and was very pleased to see 31 seconds, and I felt good. At the half way point, 400m, the clock was reading 64 or 65 seconds as I passed, with Brett 1-2 seconds behind. On the back stretch I tried to get my legs moving a little faster to put some distance between us. By the final corner I couldn't hear him anymore, I'm not sure if I actually did pull away, or my breathing was louder so I couldn't hear him. Anyways, I pushed the final straightaway with a pretty weak final sprint, crossing the line in 2:11^.5.

In the previous week I had done a 4x800m track workout where I really struggled to get under 2:30, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I figured with some adrenalin and the competition on race day I would be under 2:20, and secretly aimed for 2:15. So I was pretty ecstatic to run that well, and to win the race to boot. It was also interesting to see that the elite men did the 800m between 2:00 and 2:06, so I wasn't far behind.

Next up is the 5000m track race to finish up the series. I haven't raced a 5K on the track in a few years, so I'm looking forward to it. It has been a lot of fun racing on the track this summer, and a lot of the credit goes to Chris Kelsall for organizing these races. Hopefully they will continue next year!