Season update

Hello bloggers! The last time we talked was a little over a week ago. That was my first 400 hurdle race and it seems like a lot has happened since then. One of my meets ended up being rained out. Side note I have had 3 rain-outs at this particular track (they planned it, lol). Seriously though I didn't have a chance to compete in that meet so I had to wait another week (today) to get another shot at victory.

The meet was a twilight meet at USF in Tampa, FL. This was the first time on the South Florida campus and I must say that I was impressed. The school looked brand new with a spacious campus and was filled with interesting people. I definitely have to give them two thumps up for their sports facilities. The track was a specialized surface (forget the name) but was the same surface as the track in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The stadium was very nice and with a fast track like theirs you can imagine how excited I was. I was also excited to see one of my very good friends Roscoe, who I went to high school with. He just graduated from a college in the Tampa area and decided to come show your boy some love. Thanks for the support my dude!

So this was my second crack at the 400 hurdles this year and it was a success. I ended up coming in 2nd with a season best performance. The race was pretty positive all in all, so I have no regrets or complaints. I ended up getting lane 6 and took over the stagger on the two outside guys by 150 so I didn't see anyone for another 200 meters. It was only then when I started to notice the fatigue and lost the race at the last hurdle. Of course as an athlete you always have things to get better at so here goes...
I know I need to work on my hurdling. Not so much form, but getting over or clearing the hurdle faster. I felt like my trail leg was dragging on a few of them. I also have to keep in mind at the end of the race that I need to get my knees UP when Im tired so I won't have to worry about stuttering over the final 2 hurdles. I felt like I was getting in too much of a rhythm about halfway through, but my coach prompted me that 400H races require rhythm. I felt so patterened that I wasn't speeding up and thats my only concern as it relates to that. I REALLY need to work on my form for my opposite (recessive) leg because it used to look as good as my dominant leg, but my coach doesn't want me to focus so much on small things in the race at this point in time; we're just trying to set the race up so that I can run at a fast and comfortable pace. With less emphasis on the opposite leg when it comes time to use it, I look halfway out of control.
As you can see an athletes work is never finished even if you run more than a second faster than your previous race, lmbo!

Just earlier this week my coach explained the thinking pattern of a 400/400H runner and how they handle their race, which is one thing I believe helped me today. Funny thing is that the day before he told me about it I prayed for a way to be more aggressive and confident in my race...prayer changes things yall. This is my rookie year and has shown to more and more to be a learning year for me. With all the knowledge and wisdom my teammates are passing down Im trying to get an understanding of how or when it applies to me and the way to use their advice as a weapon. This is the life...of a professional!