Penn Relays Post Audit

I made it back to home to Orlando, coming off of a very successful weekend at the Penn Relays as an entire training group. Tiffany Ross-Williams and Adrian Power ran good 400m legs on the relays for the USA and Canada respectively, Jackie ran a very respectable third leg for the Bahamas in the 4x1, Capel ran a good lead off leg in the 4x1 and back doored that with a win in the open 100, defeating the US Indoor Champion, Aub-Rida, won the open 110 hurdles, Joel ran the fastest split on his 4x4 "World All-Stars" team and of course, we hurdlers broke the world record in the shuttle hurdles. Brooks must be feeling good about our performances this weekend, but that doesn't mean practice will be any better. This week is going to be very tough, I got the pre-audit late last week that we are going to crank it up.

Here are a few pics from this weekend, check out the rest by clicking on the link in the right column.


The top two all-time black college performers in the 110 hurdles, Jack Pierce (Morgan State, 12.94) and myself (Howard, 13.08)
Jackie and Aub-Rida before the open 110s
Capel, fresh off of collecting his Penn Relays watch at the awards stand (we took five of them bad boys back to the "O")

World Record Video

USA Red- 53.31 (David Oliver, Aubrey Herring, Joel Brown, Aries Merritt)
USA Blue- 55.55 (Rickey Pinkney, John McDowell, Decosma Wright, Jeff Porter)
D.C. Capitol- 59.67

USATF NEWS RELEASE

Shuttle Hurdle World Record Holders

Today at Penn Relays, my team of Joel Brown, Aries Merritt and Aub-RIDA ran 53.31 in the Olympic Development section of the shuttle hurdle relays, setting a new World Record. That time bettered the previous record that the team of Merritt, Anwar Moore, Ron Bramlett and Ryan Wilson had when they ran 53.38 at the DN Galan Super Grand Prix in Stockholm, Sweden in 2007. The split the announcer called out on the PA system for me was 13 flat. I thought that I could go out and split the world record, but it didn't happen, but the ultimate goal was still achieved. I ran a very smooth and clean race. It is definitely a nice birthday present.

My weekend of competition is officially over, so I am going to sit back and watch my training partners do their thing in the open 110 hurdles tomorrow afternoon. I will post the video up a little later.

Happy 26th/Penn Relays

Today I am turning 26. The first thing I am going to do in the morning is call Gieco and get my insurance rate lowered. I am also traveling up to Philadelphia later today to compete at the historic Penn Relay Carnival. I haven't competed there since I finished up at Howard and I can't wait to go back and run in front of that crowd. I am just running the shuttle hurdle relay, no open this weekend.

Greensboro, NC Races

Here's my two races from the International Friendship and Freedom Games in Greensboro, North Carolina

Event 92  110 Meter Hurdles College/Open Men
========================================================================
Top 16 times advance to Finals
Meet Record: R 13.22  4/21/2007   David Oliver, NIKE                        
  Name                    Year Team                   Prelims  Wind H#
========================================================================
Preliminaries
1 304 Oliver, David            Nike                     13.10q  3.4  1
2 303 Moore, Anwar             Nike                     13.29q  1.9  2
3 609 Richardson, Jason        South Caroli             13.33q  1.8  3
4 810 Herring, Abrey           Unattached               13.52q  1.9  2
5 291 Townsand, Fred           Mizuno                   13.61q  3.4  1
6 785 Brown, Joel              Unattached               13.67q  1.8  3
7 598 Dutch, Johnny            South Caroli             13.91q  1.8  3
8 823 McDowell, John           Unattached               14.03q  3.4  1
9 805 Graming, Osca            Unattached               14.10q  3.4  1
10 818 Ledwell, Zeickia         Unattached               14.10q  1.9  2
11 792 Carrington, Queen        Unattached               14.13q  1.9  2
12 72 Chandler, Dewayne         Charlotte                14.17q  3.4  1
13 829 Nunley, Booker           Unattached               14.22q  1.9  2
14 79 Mack, Korel               Charlotte                14.39q  1.8  3
15 751 Helwick, Chris           Team Wick-Se             15.04q  1.8  3
16 74 Eure, Derrick             Charlotte                15.12q  3.4  1
17 81 Savoy, James              Charlotte                15.28   1.8  3
18 359 Lindsay, Charles         NC Central               15.39   3.4  1
19 49 Carroll, Damarius         Bos Elite                15.52   1.8  3
20 280 Smith, Anthony           High Point P             16.58   1.9  2

Event 92  110 Meter Hurdles College/Open Men
========================================================================
Top 16 times advance to Finals
Meet Record: R 13.22  4/21/2007   David Oliver, NIKE                        
  Name                    Year Team                    Finals  Wind H#
========================================================================
Finals
1 304 Oliver, David            Nike                     13.08R  1.6  1
2 810 Herring, Abrey           Unattached               13.30   1.6  1
3 609 Richardson, Jason        South Caroli             13.31   1.6  1
4 785 Brown, Joel              Unattached               13.56   1.6  1
5 291 Townsand, Fred           Mizuno                   13.82   1.6  1
6 792 Carrington, Queen        Unattached               13.93   1.8  2
7 818 Ledwell, Zeickia         Unattached               14.00   1.8  2
8 805 Graming, Osca            Unattached               14.14   1.8  2
9 598 Dutch, Johnny            South Caroli             14.30   1.6  1
10 79 Mack, Korel               Charlotte                14.36   1.8  2
11 823 McDowell, John           Unattached               14.50   1.6  1
12 72 Chandler, Dewayne         Charlotte                14.63   1.8  2
13 74 Eure, Derrick             Charlotte                15.39   1.8  2 

COMPLETE RESULTS HERE

IFFG Recap: 13.10(3.4w) Prelim, 13.08(1.6w) Final

Well today was one of the best day's I have experienced thus far in my career. It was a long one that started around 7:45am when I woke up and ended around 5pm when I hopped out of the ice bath at the track.

In the preliminary race, I was in the first heat. I ran a very hard 13.10 with an aiding wind of 3.4. I'm calling the race a tough one because I never got a chance to really open up and run, I hate when we run with those tailwinds, but you can't help it, you just have to perform when your name is called. during the race, I was backing off a lot, but I didn't hit any hurdles and executed my technique to the best of my abilities. I was sick when I got back and started getting dressed and watched the other two heats run with legal winds. I was hoping that by the time the final rolled around, I could get a legal race in. My boy Anwar dropped a 13.29 (1.9w) in the second heat and looked pretty impressive, that's a great opener for him. Jason Richardson from S. Carolina looked very comfortable in his prelim where he ran 13.33 (1.6w).

In preparation for the final, it took what Brooks preaches all the time, the ability to focus and re-focus. We were slated to go off at 2:45pm, so I warmed up accordingly, then all of a sudden an announcement is made over the PA system that we are about an hour behind schedule and the women's hurdles will go off at 3:30! I really had no idea what to do, so I just sat around for a while, got up and did some very uninspired strides and sat around some more. I was feeling ready, so I didn't feel as if I had to do much. When we finally got into the blocks and the gun went off, I got away from the blocks very cleanly and was ahead from the jump. The only problem I had in the race was my last three hurdles, where I got, what Brooks calls, the "Greg Foster Syndrome". Because I'm a bigger hurdler, I have to really be contentious about hitting my clip step towards the end of the race when running at high speeds with a tail wind. That is one of the things I need to work on more.

I'm happy that my good friend and training partner Aub-Rida ran a personal best as well by finishing second in 13.30, shaving one-hundredth of a second off his previous pb of 13.31. He said he did that in August, so he's about four months ahead a schedule. Richardson ran an impressive 13.31 finishing third, I believe setting a new personal best as well. To me, he's clearly the best collegiate 110 hurdler in the nation and will be a force to reckon with in the near future.

We are all heading back on the first thing smokin' in the morning, all I have on deck is watching the Hopkins-Calzaghe fight tonight. I personally think Calzaghe is going to get his head beat in tonight, although I was going for him in the Kessler fight a couple months ago.

As I get ready for my race tomorrow, I wanted to give a quick update on things going on out here in Greensboro. Yesterday we had a press conference at which Brooks, Jackie, Joice and myself were honored by the city of Greensboro and were presented with keys to the city. I have never been given a key to anything, aside from my mom's house, that I didn't have to pay for to get. LOL. I personally feel very honored that someone thinks highly enough of me and the things that I have accomplished to award me with such a gift.

I'm getting ready to lay it down in a minute, my first round race is around 11:30am and if I am fortunate enough to make it to the finals, that will be hosted at around 2:45pm. It's pretty hot and it will be a long day tomorrow, so I have to rest up.

IFF Games: Year 2

I will be heading up to Greensboro, NC for the second year for the International Friendship and Freedom Games, hosted at North Carolina A&T. My coach, Brooks Johnson, is putting this meet on again in honor of the "A&T Four" . I ran very well here last year, I set the facility record in a time of 13.22. This year I am looking to lower that record and build upon my performance from Florida Relays. I have had a good last couple of weeks of training, I'm turning over well in my 200's and fly-in 30's. We have prelims and finals about an hour or so apart, that plays right in to how I train, I always have enough ass to run the rounds. If I execute and get progressively more aggressive in my race strategy, I will do what I set out to do this weekend.

You can watch a live webcast of the meet at www.iamsport.com starting at 9am Saturday, April 19th. Brooks and Randy Hadley have done a hell of a job transforming this meet in to one of the elite meets on the domestic schedule. There are several past and present Olympic and World Championship team medalists and members on the start lists this year.

Rest In Peace Andrew Charles Cobb II

On this day seven years ago, when one of my best friends was laid to rest. He was a sophomore at Kansas State University and passed away on campus. I was a freshman at Howard at the time, I was at a track meet at the University of Maryland when I received the unfortunate news. I had run very well at the meet and called my mom immediately to let her know. I knew something was up, due to her tone on the other end of the phone, she didn't want to tell me, but I forced her to tell me anyway and I broke down. I had to leave the meet right then and there with my aunt and uncle. I had just talked to him that Wednesday on "BlackPlanet". I have had a hard time dealing with it since then, I was having nightmares about how he looked laying in the casket, it was several nights I would be on the phone with my mom at 1 or 2 in the morning. I was 18 about to turn 19 and had zero experience with how to deal with death of people you consider close to you. He was a guy I grew up with, went to the same church with, played on the church basketball team with, I was a "Beau" in the 1999 Beautillion after he was one in 1998, his birthday is May 15th, two days before my brother's. I have so many memories. When I go back to Denver, I still see his parents at church and my heart starts to hurt everytime I see them.

I have been sitting around wondering if I was going to post something about it, I didn't last year, but I figured I may as well do it in hopes that maybe it will help me out as well. It's sort of like when I do these camps for these high school kids, helping them out with the basics in turn help me understand minor things too.

People who know me, know I am definitely an open individual and don't hold my tongue for much, but I have a hard time dealing with expressing my emotional feelings. I have found that maintaining this blog really helps me see eye to eye on certain things and come to grips with things as well, rather it be a poor performance in a race or life's usual going ons. Of course I have shed a few tears today, just like how my eyes well up a bit everytime I think of him. "If it is to be, it's up to me" was one of his favorite quotes he got from our high school Sunday School teacher, Mr. Ron Green Sr., and that is something I think about all the time, it's one of the truest quotes I have heard. I have and will continue to pray for him and his family, we all know he is in a better place.

Shuttle Hurdles Video

Here's the video from this weekend's Florida Relay's Shuttle Hurdle Final in which we won. Watch the egregious false start on the second leg by Josh Walker. There is no way he should have left the zone before Aub-RIDA because even with me running a disastrous last two hurdles, I still had a gap on Mitchum. I'm calling a little home cooking for them! LOL.

Since I can't seem to upload the video from my computer, I will just forward everyone to the link. I might figure it out later, but until then enjoy.

SHUTTLE HURDLE VIDEO COURTESY OF FLOTRACK

Florida Relays Day 2

We went on ahead and tapped the Gainesville Elite team out like I suspected. We set a new meet record in the process, we stopped the clock at 54.10 (Oliver, Herring, Brown, McDowell), they ran 54.43 (Mitchum, Walker, Jennings, McCloud). I had a great time out there with all of those guys. It's always fun going up to Gainesville with Eric and Josh being there. My man Young Hughes was up there too, so was Allen Johnson, so we always have a good time. I didn't run the greatest lead-off leg, I killed the ninth hurdle and almost went down, I still handed off to Aub-RIDA in first place, but I'm glad my teammates picked up my slack.


Here is the race footage courtesy of Flotrack.com

Florida Relays Day 1

Today, down in Gainesville, Florida, I ran a windy 13.10 (+2.4). I knew while running the race that it was going to be wind-aided, I was hitting quite a few hurdles. The wind always causes me to run up on the hurdles. I felt great, I told my training partners that I was ready to run 13.10 or better on the drive up from Orlando. Eric Mitchum finished the meet in second in 13.34 and Aub-RIDA finished up third in 13.54.

It was very hot and humid out there, I had a good warm up and while doing my starts, was thinking I was ready to go fast. I'm happy with the result, I cant wait to hop on those shuttle hurdles tomorrow. RIDA, Joel (who didn't run the open hurdles for some reason), J-MAC and myself will form one team, we are going up against the Gainesville Elite team of Mitchum, Josh Walker, Jared McLoud and Karl Jennings. I've been talking major trash over the past month about this race, so we better not loose! Get your popcorn ready!

Florida Relays Results

Rest In Peace, Storm Trooper

I had to let my car go, the transmission was acting up and I didn't want to get it fixed. I had spent enough money fixing things up on it in the past six weeks or so, so I just said enough was enough. I sure didn't want to get a new vehicle, but sometimes things happen that you don't want to happen or plan on happening, so I went to the dealership and bought a 2004 Jaguar S-Type R. It's got 400 Barbaro's under the hood (horse power) and a whole entertainment system complete with DVD player and TV's. I like it so far, hopefully I won't have to get another car for a long time.