KMS Invitational - Meet report

For me, it was a fun meet to participate in, but really a big lost opportunity when I false started in the 200m.  I had the best lane on the track - lane 5.   I was the only false start in the 200m - 65 competitors.  However, there were a few in the 60m - including one in my preliminary heat, and one in the exhibition final that DQ'd favorite, Marvin Bracy.

But, better a DQ than an injury.  This was my first 'drag race' since the devastating hip flexor injury 10 months ago in the 100m.   I was a bit worried about an injury, but I put it out of my mind.

This was the Men's Exhibition 60m dash - with some of the fastest men in the world entered.   World Silver Medalist Marvin Bracy and 10.1 Bahamian sprinter, Adrian Griffith in my heat.

60m - 7.77 

I got a decent start, same reaction time as everybody else, but Bracy had me by a meter in the first 10m and pulled away, beating me by a whole second - a lot in a 60m.  Maybe I could have been a bit more aggressive but nevertheless, my 7.77 is a World Leading time in my age group, 0.02 off my last season PR.   Not bad since I don't specifically train for the 60m, and rarely race it... though I'm considering doing it at Nationals.  Since I choked in the 200m today, I reluctantly submitted my time from the 200m I ran at TSU a few weeks ago on that slow track less than an hour after a 400m, a meager 25.46, yet a World Lead.   So, now I have the world lead in all 3 sprints.

THE GOOD News
I'm in the Vanderbilt meet a week from Friday and Sat.  It is simply the best track I've ever run on.  As soon as I checked and found it to be be unrestricted, I registered for the 200m and 400m, and I think they are on Friday and Sat, which is great.

The 200m
It was a bit of a chore to hang around 4 hrs after my 60m to race in the 19th heat of the 200m.  I was tired and my foot hurt, I was sore from Friday's speed work and I just had no appetite in the morning and didn't eat all day.  So by 7pm, I was dragging a bit.  My heat had some scratches and it was just me and one other guy.  I was psyched and ready to go on a hair trigger.   I don't know what happened... a long hold at set, a noisy environment, something triggered me to go.  The sad thing is, when I DQ'd, the kid didn't want to run the heat alone and just walked off.   I feel like I let both of us down.

Maybe it was a needed rest.  My training is becoming unsustainable.  I need to crosstrain, maybe get into the pool, rowing, or something.   I can't do track every other day all the way to Nationals just over 4 weeks away.   I'll hit the weight room tomorrow, and wait til Wed to hit the track again.  My schedule makes it almost impossible to train on Tues and Thurs.   So, preceding the Vandy meet, it's going to be Wed, Fri,  Sun, Mon (weights), Wed.  Then, it's off to Millrose the following week.   Looks like us - GPTC vs Southwest.  We have a shot at beating them.      

It was an incredible meet.   I saw an 18' 9 1/4" polevault by Gavin Kendricks.   Calvin Smith ran the first 400 under 46 sec in the facility.  And I got to race with the best in the world...  how often can an old guy do that?

When I checked in, I registered with the meet director for my wrist band and he said to me what most people say to me at these college meets, "Ok, coach."  I said, "no, competitor, not a coach."  He said, "Really?  What events?"  I said, "60 and 200."  He said, "You know, there are some of the fastest men in the world in that race."  I said, "Good!"

Sprinting with the fastest in the world

World Silver Medalist - Marvin Bracy, after our race

Olympian and sprint pro - Trell Kimmons