Track and Field Blogs - Reid Coolsaet

Let me recap the spring and summer of 2007 for yÂ’all and to do so IÂ’ll tell you where I was coming fromÂ… 2006 was a disappointing season as I contracted a nasty case of Bronchitis in March which completely screwed up Commonwealth Games in Australia, World Cross in Japan and much training going into the summer season. So not only did I have my first season of not PBÂ’ing over 1500m and 5000m since I started running seriously in 1998 but, I actually wasnÂ’t even that close to my PBÂ’s. I managed to run 13:43 by the end of the 2006 campaign, 20 seconds slower than the previous year. I knew why I had an upsetting year but, there was still some doubt if I ever could get back to where I wanted to be.

By the fall of 2006 I was training well again and felt that 2007 might be alright. Lots and lots of base work throughout the winter and spring and after 4.5 weeks in Flagstaff in March/April I PB’d over 10000m with a 28:21 at Mt. Sac and then a 27:56 two weeks later at Stanford. After my 27:56 I was very confident in running some good 5000m races and qualifying for Worlds again. To go to worlds I had two options, race Simon Bairu over 10 000m at our National Champs (since we both had B Canada could only send one of us) and/or get the time standards for 5000m. To fulfill the Canadian standards I either had to run under 13:19.71(Eh) or two races, one under 13:25(B+) and one under 13:28(B). I call the faster Canadian “A” standards the “Eh” standards as to not confuse them with the IAAF “A” standards (13:21.50). I really wanted to make the team over 5000m and I felt travelling in mid-June for the 10 000m Canadian champs would take away from my 5000m preparations. The choice was made to go full-bore at the 5000m.

My first 5000m of the season was in NYC at the RBK Grand Prix on a hot and humid night in early June where I ran 13:50 and was still pleased with the race because of how I finished relative to the field. Next up was Aarhus Denmark at the end of June where I ran 13:29, less two seconds from a B!!! That race could have easily been 2 seconds faster if I had another body or two to run with in the middle stages. Next up was our National Champs in mid-July. Paul Morrison, Eric Gillis and I decided to run a fast time so we switched up the lead for the first 3000m and got there in 8:04. After that I ran by myself and missed a B again with a 13:34 win. One race left and I didnÂ’t have that sub 13:28(B) I was hoping for, so I had to run 13:19.71(Eh). I felt confident going into Heusden having PBÂ’d in the 1500m, 3:40.38, the week before. Heusden went as planned through 3000m in 8:00 and then it came down to myself and Ian Dobson pushing the pace. I was still pretty much on pace with 400m to go as I needed a 62 high to get under the Eh standard. With 300 to go I started to hurt and with 200 to go I was fighting for everything. I ended up struggling with a 64high and finished in 13:21.53, less than two seconds from Eh!!! So if either Aarhus or Heusden had been two seconds faster I would be going to worlds.

On one hand it’s very frustrating to come so close but, on the other hand I know I have the ability to make the standards, I just didn’t quite put it together. I have my health and I am very motivated for the next 12 months. The Canadian “Eh” standards for the 2008 Olympics are 13:19.62 and 27:47.31, about two seconds faster than those published by the IAAF. I know I have my work cut out for me and I’m ready for that challenge.