D.O.T.K. = 2008 USA Indoor Champion!!!

Wow. That's all I can say. Although the race and the time went as to what I expected coming in, I never considered myself that good of an indoor runner in the past because I am more of a finisher than I am a starter. I always have thought that to run fast indoor, you have to be one hell of a starter, but I found out that you can get it done just as well on technique. Well here is the run down of the day:

I woke up nervous, which was a good sign to me, ate breakfast and walked over to the meet headquarter hotel. I got to the track and opened my bag and I had half a bottle of my glutamine drink, spilled in my bag! I spend most of my time before the first round in the men's restroom, washing my uniform and drying it, along with my spikes under the hand dryer. They got dried, so I had no worries on that end, it was just time consuming. I just figured it was another hurdle I had to get over.

In the first round, I ran a very comfortable 7.61. Anwar Moore cranked one up on us, dropping a 7.50, while slowing through the finish! I was right next to him, I was in 6, he was in 7. When he got out, I said to myself "He got it." I wasn't going to press to catch up, we were only dropping one person from the semi's to the finals, so I figured I will just work my lead leg action and get ready for the finals and not make a mistake trying to press needlessly. I was feeling very good and I figured a bonus of finally getting to run a second race after my initial effort was in store.

I had a very good warm up for the finals, I hit two starts and just sat down because I was feeling ready. I was back again in lane 6, which was funny because I told Kenta before the race that it was sort of symbolical in the fact that Ron won the meet last year out of 6 and I made my first team last outdoor season in 6. In that final, I probably got the best start I could have asked for. I wasn't ahead, but I wasn't behind like I normally am, I was right in the midst of the pack. I executed my race strategy and my lead leg was very efficient. The only problem I had was my trail leg still isn't synced up with my lead leg, which is causing me to drift to the right of my lane, I need to work on that in order to really run as fast as I know I am capable of running. But I can't complain one bit, I won the meet with a time of 7.47, which is a new person best, bettering my previous one of 7.55 from one week ago. Ironically, that time has won the indoor championships the past three years. A great part, post-race, was seeing some of the kids and parents that Lolo and myself spoke to with the Win With Integrity program on Friday. AT&T was thoughtful enough to give away tickets to the kids and they came in full force.

I am heading back home to Orlando tomorrow, getting some last preparations for the IAAF Indoor World Championships in Valencia, Spain. My roommate Kenta Bell made the team in the triple jump as well, so that was exciting. The only problem is that he, myself and Aub drove to the airport in my car and it was already packed with luggage, now Bell and myself have two FULL USA Track and Field suitcases that have to fit in the car. Not a bad problem to have if you ask me!

Men 60 Meter Hurdles
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Advance 8; top 3 each heat + next 2 fastest to final
World: W  7.30  3/6/1994    Colin Jackson, GBR
American: A  7.36  1/16/1987   Greg Foster/Allen Johnson, WC
Meet: M  7.38  2/27/1999   Reggie Torian, Asics
Name                    Year Team                    Finals
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Finals
1 David Oliver                 Nike                      7.47
2 Allen Johnson                Nike                      7.53
3 Joel Brown                   Nike                      7.54
4 Antwon Hicks                 adidas                    7.56
5 Dexter Faulk                 Nike                      7.58
6 Anwar Moore                  Nike                      7.71
7 Aubrey Herring               unattached                7.77
-- Jerome Miller                unattached                 DNF