Posted by AKA Darkwave, AKA Anarcha, AKA Cris.

http://wellimtryingtorun.blogspot.com/2025/06/race-report-run-unbridled-track-meet.html

 I ran the 800m at the Run Unbridled track meet in mid-June, finishing in a time of 3:41.45, which was both a) good enough to lower my American record for the women's T36 division and b) earned me the last place finish in the slowest heat of the 800 (had to be someone, right?)

Racing the 800 here was a semi-last minute decision. The hosting team - Light Horse Track Club - held two track meets this summer.  I hung out at the first one in late May and had a lot of fun.  Afterwards, I checked the schedule for the next meet and noted that the 800 was offered. Brian and I had tickets to a concert that evening, but the 800 was scheduled early enough that I could do both.

I had wanted to run an 800 at some point this summer - I ran it several times last summer and set the 800m national record for my classification. However, because of paperwork issues the 800m time that counted for the record was my slowest time - a 4:07 I ran when injured (I just jogged to finish the race and never bothered to do a race report). Though I've been struggling this summer, I was pretty sure I could run faster than 4:07 and knock some time off of that.

So I signed up about 3 weeks before the meet.  And then started adding some 100s and 200s into my training in a last minute attempt to get some speed back.

***

A major part of my struggles recently has been getting my medication right. It's just been off, and I don't seem to be responding well to the longer lasting version of my medication.  So...I decided to swap back to the immediate release version - with that medication I get about a 90 minute window where I feel really good.  This makes things really tricky when running a track meet with a rolling schedule.  But...the 800m is short enough that I had a good margin of error - I just needed to make sure that my final warm-up AND the race fell within that 90 minute window.

Thus, Saturday ended up being a carefully scheduled day - I mapped out when I expected to run the 800 (it helped that I was in the first heat and there was a set time for the 800) and then set my watch to remind me to take a pill an hour before the scheduled start time. The medication would take about 30 minutes to kick in, which hopefully meant that I would be feeling good about 30 minutes before the scheduled start and could handle a delay of up to an hour. 

***

I arrived at the race around 4:30, picked up my bib, and chatted with some friends before heading out to warm-up.  I had several options, including a nearby parking lot, a section of road some distance away, and an indoor track almost immediately next to the outdoor track.  I opted for the indoor track, both for convenience and because I've never run on an indoor track before.

Unsurprisingly, I was way stiff, and it was awkward to work my way through my standard warm-up of 3:00 at tempo effort, 4x30 seconds harder, 4x10 seconds harder still.  When 5:15 buzzed on my watch, I popped a carbidopa/levodopa pill, and about 20 minutes later was rewarded with loosening muscles. Just in time for me to head to the main track.

***

The track meet generously allowed runners in the next race to jog on the infield, and so I repeated my 3:00/4x0:30, 4x0:10 warm-up (it felt much better the second time).  I was able to keep jogging until a few minutes before my heat started, which was ideal.  Then we lined up and the gun went off.

I tried to start patiently, but unfortunately my muscles tightened up anyways.  Shorter races are harder for me to run fast, simply because if I try to run fast my muscles (especially my quads and adductors) lock up.  To run my fastest I have to try to stay relaxed above all else and be sure not to try too hard - as soon as I think "HAMMER" or "GO" everything locks.  In longer races, it's easier to maintain this patient mindset and gently/gradually open my speed up (and at some point a few miles in everything starts working more smoothly). In short races, it's harder.  Especially in the 800, where the expectation is to go out really hard from the gun because you don't have much time.

So the next two laps were a mental game.  I had been dropped completely by the field within the first 3 seconds of the race, so it was just me and the track. And a bunch of people on the side cheering for me and yelling "GO" which I had to try to ignore.  I mostly accomplished this, until the last 100m, when I couldn't resist the urge to try to "kick" - which of course made everything tie up.  

But, I managed to get myself across the finish line anyway, with a final time of 3:41.45.  Which was enough to knock some time off of that 800m record (though I think I can get it much lower if I can figure out the right balance of trying/not trying for the 800).

***

I had checked with the race director before to confirm that they could complete the necessary paperwork if I ran the time.  What I failed to do was bring the record form to the meet to get it signed that day, and I realized a bit later that this was a faux pas on my part.

To give context, at adaptive or para-athletic meets all record forms are handled by the race management - the runner isn't involved at all.  So...I had naively assumed that this was the same for USATF meets - all I had to do was give the director the form a few days before, and they'd take care of it all - part of managing a race.

But...after chatting with a very nice (and very fast) masters runner who holds some age group records, I belatedly realized that records forms are handled differently at USATF meets - it's the athlete's job to collect the signatures and mail the form in.  Oops (and awkward). 

I didn't bring the form with me to the meet, and so I had to ask the race director to complete it for me later.  Which he very kindly did, and sent it in.  But mental note - next time I need to bring the forms myself instead of imposing extra unexpected work on someone else.

Other notes:

• It was a bit warm and sticky for the race - 79 with a dew point of 71. Fortunately it was the 800, so the temperature and humidity was a non-issue.
• I ended up skipping my concert and staying for the whole meet. The concert was in DC, which had a lot of roads shut down for a parade/fireworks, and Brian and I decided that we didn't feel like fighting our way in.  Which meant I got to eat tacos and nachos while cheering my teammates on in a steeplechase and a distance medley relay.  Which was a fun way to spend a Saturday night.
• The rules for my para-athlete division require that I wear shoes with a sole of 20mm or less in thickness, so I wore my old Reebok RunFast FloatRide Pros again.  I am so glad I didn't toss those a few years back - they have come in very handy lately.

http://wellimtryingtorun.blogspot.com/2025/06/race-report-run-unbridled-track-meet.html