The Etrain 11: Putting The “Fast” In “Slow Heat”

Putting The “Fast” In “Slow Heat”

On Sunday February 19^th, I sat at home on my couch, waiting for the state performance list to come out. Twitter was open. Penntrack was open. The blog’s comment section was on watch. For me, the web browsing was purely driven by curiosity. Sure, I was more curious than your average observer, but it wasn’t like the results actually affected my life.

But for the runners on the bubble of the 2017 PTFCA Indoor State Championships, it was a wait for a life changing moment. “I was extremely nervous waiting to see if I’d get the spot,” said Sean Brown, a bubble competitor in the mile. His prospective event was accepting 20 entries and he was only 34^th on the state rankings prior to scratches.

Bonner’s Dave Whitfield shared a similar feeling, sitting in 30^th place for the 24 spot 800 meter field. At 11 o’clock, he even tweeted out that he wasn’t leaving his house until the state performance list was posted. The results weren’t posted until over four hours later.

The drama can make you wonder, how did I get here? For some, like Southern Lehigh’s Thomas Matsumura, the bubble entry mark was posted back in 2016.  For others, like Sean Brown, the SQG wasn’t properly eclipsed until the last possible moment. “I started off the season changing it up and running some 800s,” Brown explains, “So qualifying for the mile wasn’t in my head until the last few meets.”

At the 2017 TFCAofGP Last Chance Meet, Brown ran 4:39 for the mile just two weeks before the state championship. That was some 10 seconds behind where he needed to be. Brown had to hope for one more breakthrough race when he returned to Lehigh for the Meet of Champions. Pressure beginning to accumulate on his shoulders, Brown rose to the occasion with a 4:29 indoor PR. He finished third in the heat. With scratches, it looked like he would make it into the state meet, but things were far from guaranteed.

At the same meet, his PCL comrade Dave Whitfield was hoping to better his 1:59.10 seed time in the 800 meters. According to TheRealTrain projection machine, Whitfield was very much on the bubble for states in an 800 field where few scratches were expected. But when the heats unfolded, and 27 runners were stuffed into two sections, Whitfield didn’t have enough in the tank to improve his seed time. In fact, almost no one in the race did as two of the fastest 3 finishers came from the first, “slower” section. “I kept hitting a brick wall on the last lap of my 800s this season. Couldn’t get past the 1:59-2:00 barrier.”

So flash forward. One runner with momentum. One runner hoping for redemption. But both runners nervously waiting. Until finally … they’re in. When the dust settled, Brown was 14^th out of 20 acceptances and Whitfield was 20^th out of 24. Thomas Matsumura and Dylan Binda were the last guys in for the mile and 800 respectively at 4:31.91 and 1:59.55. It took not just fast times from the runners accepted to help them get into Penn State. Bubble runners in both events were also helped by last minute relay qualifying from DMR squads or breakthroughs from 3k runners. More than one die has to land with its six facing up.

Regardless, now they were in. There’s officially a chance. Anybody can leave with a state medal or even a state championship. You get to start fresh with a clean slate. Well-almost clean.

As bubble qualifiers, Sean Brown and Dave Whitfield were both pushed down to the slowest heats of their respective events. While the fast heat would contain the best competition and know exactly what they had to do to get on the podium, the slow heats had to run blind. It’s a unique spot to be in and leaves the runners in a classic boom or bust position. Go for it all and try and sneak a medal or race conservatively and aim for a PR without the risk of blowing up?

And it wasn’t just the bubble guys facing tough strategy choices. At the Meet of Champs another top 800 runner, Hudson Delisle of Quakertown, had tried to improve his seed time just like Whitfield. Not to get into the meet, but to get into the fast heat. However, the junior had to settle for a 6^th place overall finish, another victim of the crowded, talented group. The same was also true for Kamil Jihad of Neumann Goretti and Matt Kraus of William Tennent. Although each of these athletes won their heats at Meet of Champs, it still wasn’t enough to dig out of the middle and first heat respectively.

Now, a total of twenty-six individual distance runners had to grapple with their “slow” heat realities. And prove that the theoretical air quotes were accurate.

“Running out of the slow heat isn’t always the best scenario at State Champs,” says Whitfield, “But you just gotta play the cards you’re given.”

“Running in the slow heat didn’t damper my attitude,” added Brown about his positioning.

The evidence was in their favor from the first event. Bishop Shanahan won the slow heat of the 4x800 meters, behind a huge anchor leg from Logan Yoquinto. Ultimately, their efforts helped the squad sneak into the top 6 finishers overall. It not only got the relay some coveted hardware, but it also set the tone for a team title. However, Shanahan was the only team to get a medal from the slow heat. The runner-ups, North Penn, were 9^th.

“The goal was to win.”

With this motto in mind, Sean Brown started the first heat of the mile. However, his race strategy of getting out and sitting near the front was thrown off early. That left him with a deficit and open real estate between himself and Springfield Delco’s Joseph Cardie. With 200 meters to go, it seemed like his dreams of winning the heat were out of reach. Well, it seemed that way for people watching like me anyway.

“My kick is one of my best attributes, so I knew it would be there … After passing the small pack, I saw the leader 15 meters ahead of me and I knew I could catch him so I just dug deep.”

In a dramatic sprint to the finish, Brown overcame Cardie on the final straightaway and closed out the race in a 4 second season best at 4:25. Ultimately, the win meant everything as Brown was the 8^th and final state medalist in the mile.

Next, it was Whitfield’s turn. Unlike Brown, he had not just one but two heats left to run after he was finished. So it was an up-hill battle if he wanted to jump into the top 8. But he entered the race with a game plan that he felt confident in and never backed down.

“My mind set going into the slow heat was that I have to get out fast if I want a medal … I had to separate myself from other competitors early. It’s also a mental wall to overcome thinking to yourself that you’re in the slow heat and the possibility of getting a medal from Heat 1 out of 3 is slim. That’s why I had to run my race and push the pace to win my heat.”

Setting a torrid opening tempo, no one could hang with the Bonner senior and Whitfield led the race wire to wire. He busted triumphantly through the line with a huge season best of 1:57.03. Then it was time to wait. “As long as I won my heat, I controlled my own destiny.”

Whitfield’s run may have set the tone for the entire 800. After him, Kamil Jihad and Chris Cameron of Wissahickon attacked the second heat. Quakertown’s Hudson Delisle hung tough to their shoulder and, putting on a huge kick, rolled through the final 200 meters en route to a 1:54.99. Behind him, three more runners broke 1:57. Three of these runners would end up on the medal stand as well, allowing the slow heat award winner streak to continue.

But after a quick opening pace from Noah Affolder in Heat 3, Whitfield moved to the 10^th place spot in the standings and was left just to the right of the podium. Despite this disappointment, there were plenty of positives to take away from perhaps his best race on the state championship stage. Dave will run the 800 in the emerging elite section of the New Balance Indoor Nationals and hope to cut a bit more time off that indoor best to keep this positive momentum alive.

Then, it will be time for outdoors. Whitfield, who also played hockey this winter, will turn his attention full time to the track. Both he and Sean are excited to get back on the outdoor oval, where they have each seen their biggest successes.

“Outdoor track is my best season of the three so I’m excited,” says Brown. “I’m going to build off my confidence from indoor and just try to drop some fast times.”

“I’m still in search of my first state medal.” Whitfield added determinedly. “Hopefully I can get one outdoor.”

I think we can expect big things from both of these runners on the 400 meter oval. And I’m optimistic that both will be back at the front of the field if they head to Shippensburg in May.

One thing, however, is already set in stone. There are no slow heats to worry about at outdoor states.