Heusden 5000m

Heusden is known for having deep 5000m races year in and year out, this year being no exception. There's an A & B elite section and a whole slue of National heats. For myself it's as good a chance to run fast as there is. When the heats came out the day before I was in the first National section, was hoping for the B. Luckily I was able to get in the B with help from a couple friends. Proved to be the right place for me. I finished 13th and ran a new PB 13:36.78, down from 13:40.96. It feels great to finally be in the 13:30's.

Split 3k in 8:10, same as Brasschaat but right then I knew 30 mid was possible. Felt stronger with five laps to go then I did a week earlier and was catching on a pack of guys. I caught up to them a short time after, passing one then another, until by 4k I was at the front. Led a lap, then a couple guys passed me back and I managed to hang with them to the finish closing pretty hard in 61-2 ish, best last 400m ever.

Outstanding run by my training partner Reid Coolsaet, 13:21.53, heart breaking too though as he only missed IAAF A standard by .03 of a second!!

Another of my training partners, Taylor Milne was in the 1500m finishing in 3:43.3, a solid run.

Watch my race here http://www.flocasts.com/flotrack/coverage.php?c=74&id=4535

1	11	406	DOBSON IAN		USA	13:18.87
2	10	428	RILEY JONATHAN		USA	13:19.92
3	3	702	YUICHIRO UENO		JPN	13:21.49
4	14	405	COOLSAET REID		CAN	13:21.53
5	12	414	MORRISSON PAUL		CAN	13:22.39
6	7	408	GRAHAM SEAN		USA	13:23.50
7	32	780	SJOQVIST ERIK		SWE	13:25.37
8	1	401	BAIRU SIMON		CAN	13:25.91
9	31	411	KIPROTICH STEVEN		UGA	13:27.40
10	23	425	DAME TASAMA FAYISA		ETH	13:33.27
11	18	402	BANDI PHILIP		SUI	13:35.26
12	2	700	CARLSON IAN		USA	13:35.86
13	34	735	GILLES ERIC		CAN	13:36.78
14	27	732	GAHUNGU VITAL		BDI	13:38.19
15	13	731	GABRIELSON MATT		USA	13:38.96
16	21	426	FAYS GUY		BEL	13:41.59
17	9	410	KING KYLE		USA	13:41.71

Leuven

Leuven is my base camp here in Europe. It's a great little city in the south east of Belgium. Reid Coolsaet (training partner) and I are in dorms at the University of Leuven just on the outskirts of town. It's an ideal place to train, with a track on campus and trails shooting out to a larger park close by. We're not alone here, far from it. There's upwards of 50 US, New Zealand, and Canadian athletes all scattered in residences across the campus. So many in fact, race directors provide a lage bus to transport us all to meets.

My routine here is get up late morning, eat, run, walk to GB (local supermarket) pick up something for supper, run/workout/watch ppl workout, make dinner or walk 20min into town to one of the countless patio restaurant, then back to the laptops.

The highlight so far had to be seeing Allan Webb run 3:46.91 to break the American mile record! It could be another 20 some years before it's broken again, so to see it in person was something.

There's a workout up on flotrack.com Reid, Paul, and I did on Monday, can find it here http://www.flocasts.com/flotrack/speakers.php?sid=330&vid=4506
My last race in Brasschaat is somewhere there too, catch only glimpses of me.

5000m Brasschaat

I ran a new personal best tonight by one second over 5000m 13:40.96, not a lot but it's a step in the right direction (if they posted the same results they had after the race my time of 13:36 is wrong).

Split 3k in 8:10-11. Ran a few 66's and two 67's. Closed ok in 63. This race has given me a lot of motivation to get under that 13:40 mark next weekend in Huesden!

Nationals

Three of us formulated a plan to switch off leads for the first 3200m on 13:25 pace. First 200m get settled in then I lead 600m, Paul 600, Reid, then we each take 400m. This worked very well, taking us through 3000m in 8:04 right on pace. Started hurting at this point, dropping back. Think I let myself get a little dehydrated before hand, developed very dry throat 2k in, took a lot of the fight out of me the last half.

The temps were good but it was a bit windy which made things that much tougher. I'll take the bronze (2nd place wasn't a Canadian), second time in three years. Time to move on. Head over to Europe knowing I'm fit and prepared to go for it again. This time hopefully with more bodies around me in the race and minus the leading, dry throat & wind.

1 Coolsaet, Reid 79 Speed River 13:34.55
2 Morrison, Paul 80 QC - Sherbrooke 13:43.55
3 Gillis, Eric 80 Speed River 14:06.50
4 Kerr, Geoff 84 AB - U of Calg. 14:12.08
5 Ziak, Jeremiah 76 BC - Kajaks Trac 14:16.20
6 Mosley, Richard 82 Unattached B C 14:18.27
7 Caldwell, Trevor 79 ON - U of T 14:20.26
8 Smith, Andrew 79 Brooks Canad 14:25.85
9 Marial, Deng 83 ON - Windsor Leg 14:28.42
10 Nakluski, Derek 82 ON - Tor. Olymp. 14:28.73
11 Staples, Cal 76 Speed River 14:42.31

Aileen Meagher

First off, the fact we had a track meet tonight was bonus after all the rain of last night and this morning, it flooded lanes 1,2&3. They only drained just in time. The high winds of yesterday are gone, race condition's good.

The race it's self went ok. Won it in 8:01.5, slower then I was expecting but a win in front of the home crowd was a nice consolation. Rabbit only lasted 800. Probably under estimated the effects racing 800m, 25min earlier, would have on him. Mike Woods then took a lap, injection some speed into what was a slowing pace. I then moved to the front for the rest. Felt good leading and after seeing 5:52 with 2 laps remaining I envisioned closing fast enroute to a new pb. Well let's just say the leading took more out of me then I thought, and that fast close, didn't happen.

Time to rest up and get ready for a 5000m at nationals one week from today in Windsor.

3000 Meter Run

1 Gillis, Eric                Speed River          8:01.50
2 Woods, Michael              Ottawa Lions         8:02.58
3 Benninger, Kurt             Saugeen Trac         8:15.74
4 Kerr, Matthew               Tri City Tra         8:19.46
5 Caron, Jeffrey              Independent          8:20.69
6 Kitz, Robert                Independent          8:27.36
7 Flynn, Sébastien            Dartmouth At         8:30.39
8 Britt, Barry                Saint John T         8:36.05
9 rae, david                  Independent          8:42.00
10 McCarron, Lee              Antigonish T         8:44.88