1500 Metres Heat - 5.52

Today I was finally go back on the track after 2 days off, my race was @ 9am, I had a booking @ 8am with a guy in a sports medicine place at Sports Centre to strap up my hamstring, I was going to need that if I was going to get thru the race, he strapped it well and I did a few warm up laps on the outside track, it felt ok but when I tried to increase the speed I still had a bit of pain. I was in the first heat of 7, they all looked really good, it was 7 1/2 laps of the 200m track, they had a clock at the start and at the finish, so you knew your time every 100 metres.

I started off ok, but the rest of the guys quickly ran away from me, I was struggling and I felt really unfit and the legs were sore, I got thru the 1km in 3.48 and then I was lapped by the whole field with just over a lap and the straight to go, I finished in 5.52 (close to that), I was reasonably happy with the run, I was glad to get under 6mins and I think if I had not hurt myself I could have run under 5.30, so I would really like to go to Finland in 2012, as I said to Rad I have un'Finnish' business with the Indoor events. Stuart Patterson ran in the 2nd heat and he comfortably qualified for tomorrows final, below is of him & me after the heats, in the 2nd heat there was a guy that did 6.06 and another about 5.40, I think we wished we were all in the same heat.

Tomorrow I have the half marathon, it is 2 laps, so I thought I will start it, if I am really struggling I will drop out after the first lap.

Here are Gay & Carol Dixon from Florida USA, I competed against Gary in the Pentathlon, Carol actually lived in Sydney when she was young for 4 years.