On a hot and muggy Saturday afternoon at the Peddie School I competed in a 1500m race. I was using it as a time trial in preparation for the Nation Senior Games. My finishing time was a respectable 6:57, but that was slower than I had hoped to run.

I approached the race with some trepidation because I had been feeling some nagging injuries in my leg muscles during training. I even considered withdrawing from the race for fear of aggravating injury. My impression from my performance is that it was a below par effort, especially in the second half of the race. I realized early that my splits were too slow for me to achieve my pre-race goal. I think that led me to have no enthusiasm for the final 800m. For now that will have to suffice as my rationale.

The outcome of the race on my physical well-being is much more positive. I felt nothing of the leg muscle issues that I noted during the warm-up, the race or post race cooldown. Plus, on this rainy Sunday morning I am experiencing none of the muscle soreness that I felt after last week’s 800m time trial. It could be because of a less demanding effort. Or it could be because my legs are becoming more fit. I would like to think the latter, but it’s probably a little bit of each. In any event, I look forward to two more weeks of solid training and a fun trip to Pittsburgh with Arlene for the nationals.