Yeah! Hell, Yeah! That’s it!
My not knowing you already posted it in another thread made you laugh out loud. What kind of sick and twisted person are you? 
Well… I being a CF forum junkie naturally assume that everyone else on this website is as obsessed with reading every single post that has ever been written here. I found it amusing that we were on the subject of “me” (my favorite subject by the way) and you hadn’t seen a post I’d made… which was all about “ME!” heh. Oh well. I figure every one of my siblings has ADD, it rubs off… I’m glad my ADD’s only bad enough for me to confuse people on the internet.
LOL! 
Date: 4/2/05
Meet: St.Francis Invite
Surface: All Weather (Nice track)
Weather: Warm, but windy (easily 2.5-.8 tailwind for 100m runners, hard back stretches 
)
Race Time(s): 2:30PM
Event(s): 800mleg of DMR
Result(s): 2:03 (10:44)
Race Comments: Yah, we were definately running our B team today, but I wanted to clock a good 800 anyway. Our 400 runner was a 56. guy and our 1200 runner was very off today I passed a lot of people during my leg, and went out in 58. I thought I was driving it home pretty well, but obviously not enough. Last lap was a 65 ?! 65?! Oh well…
Reflection: I just gotta keep pluggin’ at it. I’m gettin’ tired of moping, but it’s not that that matters. If “it” comes, it will probably be a breakthrough race. I can’t know when that will happen so I’m just gonna keep running my heart out, and training until my balls fall off.
I’m just gonna keep running my heart out, and training until my balls fall off.
That’s the spirit right there. Normally, I find that a breakthrough performance will come in a high pressure situation (in my case, it was at league finals last year in front of a ton of people). Did you get into the Arcadia meet, cuz if you did that might be the big time stage you need to do well. They also have a really nice track, which is completely unrelated but I threw it in there anyway.
Side note: This St. Francis invite, this was the St. Francis in Mountain View? Cuz I go to a school with the same name (St. Francis in La Canada), so I was just checking…
Yah, it’s the St. Francis (Mtn View). And we’re running a DMR at Arcadia… we plan on uhh… running REALLY FAST! there. Next week, I hope to God I run fast there. That would be totally awesome. Our All-American steepler should be healthy by then, as well as our 4:21 miler (who is also a bit sick), our blossoming soph 400-100-200 sprint star should be ready, he ran a 50.point the other week… man we could go right now, 3:06, 49.8, 1:55(If they suddenly make the track downhill I’ll be able to runt that ), 4:17 That would be a blazing time. BLAZING! Yah, we’re doing the night meet on saturday.
hey palmtag, with all the meets that you had competed in, im guessing you live around the bay area?
By the way i thought the hollister invitational was canceled due to the rain. We drove 2 hours just to find that out =P. I was suppose to be long jumping there too.
anyways, keep up the good work.
Date: 4/8-4/9/05
Meet: Arcadia Invite
Surface: All Weather (VERY Nice track)
Weather: Warm, but with slight breeze, not noticeable during race.
Race Time(s): 5:40PM (4x8), 12:40AM (800)
Event(s): 4x800 and Open 800
Result(s): 8:02 7th (1:59 split), 1:58.93 (10th)
Race Comments: the 4x8 was really cool. I ran second leg, and was pretty much on my own. After getting the boton, I turn to run and almost obliterated a guy who was waiting for his team’s stick in EXACTLy the wrong spot. Lucky for him I have quick feet, and he only ate 1/2 my shoulder I booked the first 400, and “cruised”… well I didn’t exactly cruise but I didn’t go balls-to-the-wall either. THe open 800 was INCREDIBLY hectic. There were 20something people in my HEAT. We started in a triple waterfall, like it was some kind of f-kin’ 2 mile. Anyway, I “jokingly” warned the guy to my outside that if he tried to cut me off that he’d be eating it. Needless to say, he didn’t eat it. The first 400 I got boxed like a mofo and managed I hit 57.5+. I tried to make a big move on the back straight but again, I was boxed. I managed to move into about 6th around the turn, but the home straight. Ugh, I tightened up alot.
Reflection: Not a breakthrough, but definately a step in the right direction. I had a lot of fun, and am glad that I was able to run the 800 w/out the dreaded “booty-lock”.
“An obstacle cannot be actively “overcome” because by attempting to overcome that obstacle mental validation is given to the obstacle. An obstacle must simply be ignored.” (Or the short version…) Don’t think. Just run.
-Mike Palmtag
Oops, yah, we’re running the DMR at Mt. Sac. Hehe, silly me.
Did your DMR team not qualify or were you not included in that relay? What’s up?
Well, we decided to run a fast 4x8 at Arcadia and a fast DMR at Mt.Sac. Coach didn’t want to run both.
Nice job, Palmtag… Keep it goin!
Date: 4/16/05
Meet: Bill Kerney Invite (Mt. Sac was canceled b/c we didn’t have enough $$)
Surface: All Weather (Nice, but not great)
Weather: Sunny with strong-medium crosswinds (As in no help on the back straight)
Race Time(s): 3:15 (800m), 5:45 (4x400)
Event(s): 800, 4x400
Result(s): 1:59.5h 5th (no FAT time), 52.0h 3rd leg 3:28 1st… … … And an unoficial Pr in the shot at 36’ 1" within minutes of the 4x400.
Race Comments: The 800 was pretty ugly. I started out slow, 58.? (I actually slowed a bit at the end of the first lap to get my split I can’t believe I did that…) I didn’t try to make a move on the back straight, but I had to push the last 200 hard… Gettin’ passed is good motivation to speed up. The 4x400 was a different story, I had been told after my 800, that I looked real tight in the upper body, I remembered a movie clip of myself from cross country where I run by and my arms are at a very tight angle, I asked my buddies if I did that in the 800 today and they said I did. During the race, I got the boton with a hefty lead, maybe 15 meters, not more than that, though. And I focused on keeping my arm angle open and getting good tri-extension. Man I was ever able to relax! I felt my form breaking down w/35 meters to go, which is about perfect. I opened up another 20 meters on the next team. Unfortunately, our anchor was off his game (2-mile/steepler All American with a 20" 7’ longjump and 6"4’ Hijump Pr’s…)
So the second place team had a 48 second anchor leg, who cares, Nathan didn’t loose the lead. Oh yah, and my hammy? Well I"m sittin’ here on sunday and it is still a bit sore
Reflection: I need to re-learn how to run. I think my form and my strength are two thing I need to re-assess next year, and to a certain extent this year.
Date: 4/21/05
Meet: Alisal Dual Meet
Surface: Gravel…bumpy, with holes near the drains…
Weather: Warm, with light to medium light gusts
Race Time(s): 4:55PM
Event(s): 800m
Results: 2:03.4h 1st
Race Comments: This was a “race to win” situation, so I dragged the first lap out in 64 seconds. But as it turns out the guy I had to beat wanted to win too. So I had to book it on the home stretch and far turn. I hit 57 and change for my second lap… I guess nobody told him my 400PR was 3 seconds faster than his
Reflection: Even during the first lap, I focused on using my arms in the running motion, and it definately made my first lap easier.
4/22/05
Meet: CCS Top 8 Invitational
Surface: All Weather, (hard and old)
Weather: Cold, VERY windy (Try 20’ 8" was winning long jump… And that guy usually jumps 23’8-10")
Race Times: 6:40PM and 8:00PM
Events: 800m and 4x400
Results: 1:59.20 3rd 3:28.?? 2nd (53.9 3rd leg)
Race Comments: I slacked the 3rd 200 of my 800, 28.3,29.1, 32.9,28.7 <–Splits. The 4x400… well it was mostly my fault that we got 2nd and not first. The winning team was only a few tenths ahead of us.
Reflection: I used good arms during my 800, and 400, but I didn’t “attack” the first 200 of my 4. I need to really ATTACK when I’m tired after a really draining 800, in order to split fast, I guess.
I checked the film from my 4x400 leg, and I’m super-exagerating all of the sprint motions during the entire first 400m. I’m running the 400m like I’ve got another 90lbs of muscle on me. Instead of like a 150lb ectomorph with a poor bench press.
4/30/05
Meet: Alisal Festival
Surface: All Weather new, and black
Weather: Windy, not too cold, but died down during my races.
Race Times: 4:30, 5:30
Events: 800m and 4x400
Results: 1:58.70 4th 3:35.?? 2nd (52.7 3rd leg)
Race Comments: Didn’t close as fast as I should have, and so I went from second to fourth. Man I need to get a bit more confidance in my kick. My 400 leg was okay, but I didn’t have any SPEED sigh no go. No gears to shift too. I was shot. Probably had to do with those four 49 second quarter pace 150’s I did on thursday, it might have had something to do with the intense ART session the day before, but it probably had something to do with my pitiful levels of strenght.
Reflection: Definately should make sure my watch is off before I start the race. On a serious note: I need to rebuild my strength. Aerobic is something that can and must be developed over a number of years, but strength. sigh Strength for an 800m runner is a very finnacky thing and must be re-assessed every season and addressed accordingly. Life vacums when you’re not strong enough
Dude that’s preety fast; even the 400 split.
You would be the fastest 800 in the state of Hawaii right now.
I know you have better competition there in Ca. and that makes one train and run harder.
Stay healthy.
Hah! I can’t believe I’ve been whining about my strength so much these last few days…
5/3/05
Meet: Monta Vista+ Seaside+ Pajaro Valley+ Dual/Tri meet
Surface: All weather, decent.
Weather: Windy, but not cold.
Race Times: 4:50, 5:20, 6:30
Events: 400m 800m 4x400m
Results: 51.2 2nd, 2:1xx… (no time/place), 5X.X?? (no time) 1st
Race Comments: I came out of the blocks strong, and just kept being aggressive the entire race. The other guy was fading the last 200m, and I gained a lot of ground on him. He beat me by a couple inches. The 800, my calves tightened up, not a full out cramp, but it felt like I would cramp VERY badly if I did run hard. I had to heal-toe for two laps. I toyed with dropping out. Luckily, our star miler and not-so-star 2miler managed to kick it in for a 1-2 finish. 4x400, was just a cruising affair. No competition, and coaches watch got jacked up, so no splits. We just won the varsity race by 200+ meters, and our frosh team was in second by about 10 seconds. After all three races, my abductor/hammy got a bit tight. A phantom of my previous booty-locks, though.
Reflection: Why was I whining about my strength? I’ve been injured, and sick for most of the year. sighThat 51.2 is a tenth of a second PR. But my old PR was from a relay. If I had run that well in the 4x400, I would have split sub 51 Dang… We’re gonna cream in the 4x400. A team in our league went 3:26.9, but with me at 50.8… heck we could blow the gozoongas off of 3:26…
First of all, what the hell is a “gonzoonga”? Great job on the PR though, that 400 time is really good. Your coming from a distance focus, but our 400 guy (he can run a 22.3 200) gets about the same time you do, so your in good company there.