Marilyn Arsenault: Back to School
CIs Indoor Track Championships
March 18th, 2009
There was a small group of us this weekend from the Vikes team travelling to Windsor for the Canadian Inter-University Indoor Track Championships. We flew in on Wednesday to help get accustomed to the 3 hour time change. The team sonsisted of the men who qualified for the 4 x 800 event and our sole 60m sprinter. The men on the 4 x 8 also qualified individually in the 1500m. I was the only gal from the team this year. Athletes have to make a standard in order to qualify to race this championship. The guys were good at including me in their lunch and dinner plans…thanks you guys! I felt like part of the team despite not having the gitls there for company. I slept long and hard both nights befor ethe race. I woke up on Friday mroning, the day of the race after a good nine hours which is unusual for me. I don’t usually sleep too well the night before a race but I had no problems this time. I woke up feeling groggy and out of it though and spent the rest of the day in a fog. I got in a good hour of singing which made me feel good. I practiced in the bathroom since the hotel room was carpeted making for lousy acoustics. I really have to make sure I stay in good singing shape these next few weeks which means I will be driving my room mate a bit nuts in Jordan. At least I only practice for a maximum of 90 minutes a day.

I decided to go for a walk in the afternoon after lunch just to wake up and move around in the fresh air. MC, our team physio agreed to come with me so went walked along the river across the street from the hotel. I didn’t feel any more awake when I got back so I made a small coffee to see if I could drug myself into a perky state. It helped somewhat. I would just have to wait for the warm-up to wake up!
There was a great atmosphere at the track when we got there. Races and field events were going on and I could feel my senses coming alive the second we walked into the stadium. The Vikes team found a section of stands to camp out on while we waited for our races. Brent had a little pre-race chat with me. The goal was to medal. Period. I told him I would give it my all. With one of the top runners, Megan Brown out of the race due to sickness, I knew third place was up for grabs and there was a group all of whom capable of nabbing the spot. Darren was the first to race and won a gold for the 1000m. This was a great start to the night. My race was up next. It took me going to two wrong tables before I found where to pick up my position number…typical. I did a few strides. Everything felt fine. I felt fairly relaxed. I think I was still feeling groggy! haha! The race began with a girl taking out the first 200m in about 33″ leaving the rest of us in the dust. By 400m she was a good 25m in front. There was no way I was going to be running after her and everyone else had the same idea. I figured she would come back eventually and just focused on our group. Paula led the chase pack for about 3 laps with me on her outside shoulder. I heard Brent tell me to run on the inside. I didn’t want to clip the girl behind me so I moved up ahead and took the lead. For the next km, I held a steady pace. Everyone was happy to let me lead and no one made a move until Linsday Carson and her team mate started to cruise by us making their move with about 1200m to go. I hesitated as they passed wondering if I could pick it up and hold a faster pace at this point or if I should wait one more lap. With Brent’s prompting to stay with them, I surged ahead and caught up to them figuring I better give it a try and not be left behind. This was a very good move. I wasn’t sure what the others girls were doing behind me but I was told later that they waited a bit too long and couldn’t make up the gap. I just knew I had to keep going and not slow down. I was able to hang in behind the two Guelph girls until the last 600m. Linsday pulled away from her team mate who now had a good 5″ gap in front of me. I was starting to hurt but I managed to hold the pace. I knew I could still get caught in the last 50m so I flailed my way down the last stretch. It wasn’t pretty but it got me across the line for the bronze. I was thrashed….but very happy. It wasn’t the fastest race of my life (9:50) but I think I ran as fast as I could have that day and ran a smart race.
Parched!
Next up was the men’s 4 x 800m. Our men’s team was favored to win. I guess the Vikes are infamous for their 4 x 8 team. I haven’t watched a relay live. It sure was exciting and I loved every minute of it! The guys ran superbly and won the race so it was a very good night for the Vikes team!


I ran the same route for my cool-down as I did for my warm-up outside. It wasn’t very cold in Windsor this weekend thank goodness and it was nice being out in the fresh air. MC gave my calves and feet a good massage. I wore spikes and sacrificed my calves for this race…I knew I would pay for it and I did!
MC and Mar
We all went out afterwards for something to eat. Unfortunately, the place we went to had closed their kitchen and were only serving sushi. I wanted steak. I was disappointed but at least the sushi was decent.
The next morning, I did an easy 45′ along the river with Keith. It was a another sunny day so it was a pleasant run. We spent the rest of the day at the track before heading to the airport. Geoff, Logan and Dan were running in the 1500m. Geoff defended his title and won a gold while Logan took the bronze. Dan did his best and led for a few laps but his lack of training due to injury these past few weeks caught up to him and cost him a possible medal which was a shame.
Geoff
Dan Pacing the Race
Cheering Squad
Darren after the All You Can Eat Buffet at the Casino
Cliffy, Darren and Brad
A few of us flew back that night while the rest of the team stuck around for the party. It was a tiring weekend…I am very jet-lagged but it was a lot of fun! Here is a link where you can find videos of all the races at CIs this past weekend. Just click on the site’s homepage to get in and then click up on the top right tab – Race Videos. The women’s 1000m is an exciting race to watch!









