My first race was scheduled for 9:30ish, 1500m race and then the 800m at 1:50ish, I am missing out on the 3000m & 4x400m today as I am going to my uncles wedding at 4pm in Geelong. I have organised all of my clothes and showers at OP so I can make a quick get away.
The Div 4 team were down in quality and quantity for the final, missing for the entire day were David for work reasons, Christian for an aussie rules game, Gary injuried and me from 2pm for family wedding, so were very aware that we would struggle against strong performing Clubs who would be fielding full teams in most if not all events, but we were very proud to be the first Western Aths Open men's team to make this level in twelve years! The first event I was involved in was the 1500m, 12 starters, Clubs represented were Wendouree (Ballarat), Waverley, Diamond Valley & Western Aths. A couple of us were talking up a 90 sec first lap, but a DV runner & 2 Wendouree guys had other ideas, so Ads followed them closely dropping right behind in 4th, I sat back with the pack going through for my first lap in 77 (9th), second lap 77 again (8/9th), I 'm not sure of my third lap, with 500m to go I started to move through the group and got up to 5th with 300 to go, but in the final 50m just after realising I couldn't catch 4th I got caught by DVs number 2 and crossed the line in 4:47.16, 6th, my second fastest time ever. Originally I thought I had PBed, but this morning I discovered that I was .09 behind, but managing my 2nd time in the 47s, so still very HAPPY! So Western Aths finished 2nd, 6th & 12th.
The 800m was my next race, sadly we only had two runners for this, myself & Adrian. At the Region Finals, Adrian beat me by 1.5sec, this time the roles were reversed. Eleven runners for the Div 4 race, I started in lane 2 which is my = favorite, I love lanes 1, 2 & 3, so I was very happy. This being my final track race I knew I didn't need to leave anything in the tank, but I still needed some self control because it is very easy to run a really good 600m race and then flounder the final 200m and that final 200 can be a long way!!! I went through the first 400m in very low 69s and was sitting 10th but I felt fairly comfortable and as soon as I came into the back straight I moved up to 7th behind Adrian, thinking that Adrian would pull away I held back and was prepared to follow him around the bend, but just before the 200m I felt he was holding me back so I went around so I could have the rail on the bend and went for it. As per normal I got rundown by someone in the final straight but I crossed in 6th (again) in low 2:20s. I did wish I could have run sub 2:20, but it wasn't to be today and it was a SB or very close as I have run 2:20 twice this season.
Shield Results: Western Aths won the U18 women, 2nd in U18 men and fourth in the Men's Div 4.
Non running: Todays wedding was a great chance for me to catch up with a great mate who now lives in SA, we have been best of mates for over 20 years and have drank a lot of beer together over the years, have got involved insome BIG bar brawls, kicked out of footy games and have always been there for each other. Mills moved to the UK when I moved to the ACT 15 years ago, but even with all of the kms between we have had many cyber beers together. Five years ago he returned to Oz but decided SA was to be his new home, so last night we made up for lost time and had many beers and celebrated into the morning and celebrated the start of my 40th Birthday at 12:01am in a bar in Corio.... my last drink last night was a Jack Daniels and this morning just after 7am I had my first JD to start the day.....oh dear, thankfully for my liver Mills had to return today, but I'm sure one or 2 more drinks may be drunk to celebrate a new 'birth' year.
This pic is me and two mates, in the red is Mills (the JD supplier and the other is a mate who married my younger aunty, therefore now my uncle).
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