Here's a video I hadn't seen before, this was my last race of the 2021 season at the Ontario Masters Championships.
The M60 200m race, broke a 17 yr old meet record, 25.54. Was a bit tight and sore from the previous 2 races, a 12.63 100m and a WL 56.23 400m, also meet records.
The 56.23 400m was the fastest M60 in the world until John W. won the World title a year later in Finland. The 400m meet record I broke by 2.77 sec was set 32 yrs prior by the legendary Earl Fee.
Sunny, breezy, dry, low 50ºs today in Sewanee. Did a brief workout on the track, very brief. Simply accomplished what I failed to do last time in more harsh conditions, 2x300 w/ 3 min rest. Wasn't fast, but baby steps.
Hoka trainers on
stretches, drills, 100m, bands
50m on turf
Hoka rocket X2s on
2 x 300m w/ 3 min rest - 51.65, 51.96
Just wanted to get it done and actually complete the workout. Definitely felt the lactic afterward, pushed hard on the last one to get it under 52. HR hit 174 on the first one but recovered quickly to 110 in a minute, then hit 181 on the second one and took much longer to recover... was 153 after 3 min. I don't foresee myself graduating to the unholy trinity (3x3w/3) for quite some time.
A very quick workout, 5 min, after a 20 min warmup. I was going to do more but instead, I may come out tomorrow and do the same exact workout since my foot is feeling ok, then take Thurs and Friday off. I have to winterize my boat on Friday, nasty job in the cold. Friday, winter arrives. For the following week, it will be highs in the low 40s and lows as cold as 18º.
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Cardio discussion on CAC
I happened across a video by Peter Attia on CAC scoring. Now, I don't agree with everything he says and have openly called him a fraud at times, but this was interesting. I sent the video to Dr. Gary (heart surgeon) for his reaction. In essence, Attia says CAC scoring is looking backward at your body's reaction to disease that already exists, and it is not a great prognosticator for the future of potential CVD. Most troubling he said, "Nearly 50% of fatal MI’s occur in non-calcified areas of coronary arteries." ... Qualified by the disclaimer, "This data is also a bit misleading because many of those patients had calcifications elsewhere."
OK then. Gary had a different perspective: "The doctor [Attia] is correct. Any visible coronary calcification on a CT scan signifies established, albeit often mild coronary artery disease. He is incorrect to say it does not predict risk of future events. In large populations, calcium scan number most certainly does."
Dr. Gary went on to say regarding me: "Given you have zero calcium on TWO scans, a coronary CT angiogram would only show non-calcified plaques....if you have any. And, the only use for this information in your case given your lipid numbers is to help you make a decision about starting a statin drug. If you do not want to pursue a statin even if you have plaque....then there is no reason to get this scan. In current medical practice, we would NOT get a coronary CT angiogram study on an asymptomatic patient with two zero CT calcium studies. Unfortunately, the simulations have been run to show that if you were to offer scans to a 1000+ people in your situation, there would be statistically more unnecessary and potentially risky further testing or even interventions than if the scan was not ordered."
In other words, I took this to mean that I need not be in an obsessive hurry to radiate my chest again with further testing anytime soon. Perhaps in a year or two, especially if the advanced lipid tests show risk.
I found this website called MDsave.com that is a search for medical procedures for out of pocket payers. Seeks out the cheapest rates. Totally legit. I found a coronary CT angiography procedure for only $311 near where I live. As I said, at some point I'll get it.
Attia's video was filled with interesting case studies and analogies. For example: he likened bad lipid blood work as "living in a dangerous neighborhood." CAC score above zero as "how many times your house has been broken into." He highlighted one case study of a late 50s woman, presumably an athlete with rocking metabolic fitness but terrible blood lipid levels. Attia had her do both a CAC scan and and angiogram due to her "dangerous neighborhood". If clear on both, she was "living in a dangerous neighborhood but had a pit bull to keep the bad guys away." I assume the "pit bull" was her lifestyle routines. I'd like to believe I have a pit bull too.
Here's the video: https://youtu.be/Z7MrZRInjvI?si=qLqGZRAFne-NeJfp
I ordered their starter pack of 3 bags of bagels (plain, raisin, and everything) and one loaf of bread. It was my first venture into low carb low calorie bread. Like other low carb foods, I wasn't expecting it to taste anything like 'real bread' but I was happily mistaken. Unlike say, shiritake noodles, the low carb bread actually tasted pretty good.
The Royo plain bagels have 70 cal, 'everything' and 'raisin bagels' are 80 cal. Compare to regular bagels that can be 300-400+ cal. (Panera's cinnamon crunch bagels are 430 cal). Royo bread slices have 30 calories although are pretty small.
The ingredient that jumps out is 'resistant wheat starch'. This is apparently a starch that is non digestible in the small intestine and helps the gut biome in the large intestine. So, it is essentially fiber. This bread is very high fiber but still contains protein and some carb.
Pros:
1/3 the calories of regular bread, high fiber. It toasts well and tastes very good. Gives the feeling of fullness, satisfies appetite. It is claimed to ease insulin sensitivity, inflammation, and boost gut health.
Cons:
Expensive, about $2 a bagel. Digests more slowly, probably contributing to the fullness feeling.
Because of Royo, tea and toast is back as a comfort food for me. When I eat regular carbs like toast, granola, cereals... I find them addictive, hard to stop eating them. This type of Royo bread feels different. It's simply more filling.
Crazy cold for this time of year here today. Never got above 45º all day, frost expected tonight. I went to the gym and indoor track expecting to sprint out of blocks but my foot was too sore so I did a full warmup, 2 starts in trainers and 5 box jumps at 46".
Tomorrow it's supposed to be near 60º so I'll try again.
46" box jump
(To be clear, what you don't see in the video is a 2 step approach, makes a difference)
Started going to the gym on off track days. Doing explosive stuff like hip flexor raises, kettlebell swings, box jumps, medicine ball, etc... not much, just a little.
Starting these plyos... 5x42" box jump. Hope to increase this as I increase my strength.
I signed up for the meet Sat. but it doesn't look like good conditions for a good time. 52º, morning rain, wet track, strong headwind on the turn for the first 100m with a cross wind on the stretch wind 15 mph WSW, cloudy, 25% chance rain at race time, wind chill mid 40ºs. Penn forecast could be better as well. 60º, 60% of showers, 10mph SE wind.
I was watching the USATF TV National Indoor Championships (elite, not masters) ... and they aired a USATF commercial, and low and behold, it captured one of my most disappointing defeats: 2018 Indoor Nationals in Landover on a flat track. I had been suffering from plantar fasciitis and had lost a lot of training time and wasn't in great condition. I got a steroid injection to get me through Nationals. But, I reinjured my foot in the 200m final later that meet and had to stop running for over a month. Didn't even medal at outdoor Nationals that yr, nor did I make the finals in Spain at Worlds in Sept. In Oct I seriously injured my knee and had surgery 1/19. It was a tough year overall. But hey, Silver Medal, I still ran 58.5 or so in this race. I think that would win Nationals in M60.
This guy Ron who beat me in '18 ran 60.3 last weekend, and I know I'm in better shape than when I ran 59.42 6 weeks ago. Ron is capable, ran 57.35 last yr - US #1, and won outdoor Nat'ls at 58.12.
Here's a screen shot from the video (not a video).
Most years, the USATF provides the opportunity for masters to be showcased in an exhibition event at the US Championships for one specific event in one specific age group. It's rare for that event to fall within my age group in an event that I participate in, and even more rare to be held in America's finest track stadium... so the decision to do this was really not a hard one. It was an opportunity that may not ever repeat. Unfortunately, it wasn't my best event but fortunately, an event that I chose to participate in at Nationals for the first time just last year, winning Silver.
I thought it would be great to share this with Roya but spending $1100 for just a weekend flight seemed excessive, but my Dad offered an early birthday gift for me and paid for her flight, a huge help considering the cost of my upcoming trip to Finland. So, just a week before the event, I bought her a ticket. I was happy we were able to sit together on every flight. Nashville-Denver-Eugene, Eugene-Seattle-Nashville.
When arriving in Eugene, I asked the car rental clerk if he had any Toyotas of any kind. Reason: The USATF championships were being sponsored by Toyota and they were offering free and close stadium parking for all Toyota cars. So, I paid a bit more and rented a Toyota Rav-4. Good decision.
Hotels in Eugene were expensive and scarce. Our motel had just one bed but had a fridge and a microwave and wasn't too bad, although overpriced at $155/ night. A lot of other track people were staying at the hotel, which was just a few miles from the track. We went to the local market to buy some food before going to bed Friday night.
I wasn't racing til Sunday, so Saturday we went to the venue so I could be credentialed and attend the meet. The checkin was very formal. ID badges, photos, etc... and unexpectedly the person at the desk asked me if anyone was with me, and I said yes. This was news to me, because I was told we would not be able to credential a guest or even a coach. So, I ran out to the car where Roya was waiting and told her to come in so she could be credentialed.
Check in
After check in, we drove in the direction of the stadium and soon saw the famous Hayward tower. Driving down a side street, we drove directly into Toyota owners parking, we were welcomed and given a pass, parked, and walked a short distance across the campus toward Hayward. The campus was beautiful, quiet, flowers and students hanging out, completely oblivious of the event happening a few hundred yards away.
At the gate, Hayward had very strict entry regulations. Only transparent bags, no metal bottles, etc... however, as a credentialed athlete, none of that applied to us and we were waved in quickly, bypassing the spectators lined up to be searched.
The first glimpse of the stadium was unforgettable.
We then walked down to the athletes' area to checkout the warmup track. It was already warm, mid 80ºs but comfortable and not humid.
We saw the athletes for the 200m first round warming up. The turf warmup area was ringed in tents with trainers and coaches. Other than the tents, there was very little shade for warmups.
Warm up track
We had almost an hour before the meet started with the first round of the 200m
We were told we could sit anywhere in General admission, but no one ever looked at our tickets which we spent $60 on for the 2 days.
We noticed the morning crowd was gathered on the shady side of the stadium, so we sat on the upper side of the stadium above the first turn with a view down the home stretch. Great seats.
We watched the first round of the 200m, and watched the athletes being interviewed on NBC by Louis Johnson.
All the world class sprinters were there: Kerley, Lyles, Coleman, Knighton, Bednarik, Bolling...
This was a huge day with finals in the men and women's 1500m, men's 3000m steeple, men and women's 400m, women's 110m and 400m hurdles.
Highlights included: Evan Jager taking 2nd and get the world standard in the 3000m steeple after a year of not competing due to injury, Allyson Felix running her last open 400m and finishing 6th to qualify for the relay pool on the world team, Michael Norman running a 43.56 world leading time and Florida's Champion Allison running a massive personal best of 43.70 in second, and finally... the only World Record of the meet: Sidney McLaughlin's incredible 400m hurdles in 51.41, which I got a great video of her home stretch run:
Allyson Felix sets her blocks for the last time...
The meet was over by mid afternoon and we decided to drive to the coast after a brief stop at Whole Foods, first to Florence then up to Yachats on the Oregon coastal highway, about a 90 min drive. Great decision. It was cool and so beautiful...
Some of the signs you don't see in the east, "Elk crossing", "Tsunami warning zone".
The water was quite cold, probably in the 50ºs. Didn't see anyone swimming, surfing, or really even any boats.
It was quite a calm scene, never crowded and on a Saturday. Can imagine it would be even quieter during the week.
Eugene was really a refreshing change from TN. Everyone seemed a very courteous and kind, generally more intelligent, easy going. You don't see confederate flags, Trump signs, and churches on every corner. (I saw one local bar that had a sign saying "fuck the supreme court.") I'd drink to that if I were a drinker.
Race day
Due to the heat, the schedule was changed, shifting some events to the morning so my race would be in the middle of the meet instead of at the beginning. My race would be about the same time, 12:26.
Didn't want to get there too early because of the heat, which compared to Atlanta or Ames last year was nothing, so we left the hotel about 10 am. For the morning, the crowd was gathered in the shade on the back stretch and we got a seat right about the 100m mark at the beginning of the back stretch. I saw Tom and Lesley H., who was supposed to race in the women's masters exhibition but sadly, they told me Lesley's knee is shot and will require a knee replacement. They decided to come anyway to pick up credentials and watch the meet.
As I sat there watching the men and women's 5000m final, then Emma Coburn win the women's 3000m steeple, the anticipation was growing and my heart rate increasing. I then got up to go to the warmup area and mens room. I did stick my head out into the stadium to watch the stacked 200m semis.
As I walked to the warmup area, I saw Ajee Wilson, took a photo with her, and she asked me what I was running, I told her the 800m, same event as her. Later she went on to win a Silver, just hundredths away from Gold, giving Athing Mu the Olympic Gold Medalist, the most competitive race she's had in a year, both running 1:57.
There were very few people at the warmup area besides the masters, but I did see Abby Steiner doing a post race shakeout and Devon Allen hanging out along the fence. I politely asked them if they had time for a fan photo, both were very nice. Abby seemed very sweet. I asked them both as well as Ajee the same question: "Do you think you'll be doing this when you're my age, 62?" The ladies said they weren't sure if their knees would hold up. Devon said, "I don't know, probably." The older couple there with him, maybe his parents, seemed amused with the question.
Abby stormed to a then world leading 21.77, fighting off Jenna Prandini for the Gold. Devon didn't run his best race but qualified by the skin of his teeth, for the Bronze, just .003 ahead of 4th.
So... I started my warmup about 11:40ish and reported to the tent to get my bib.
I chatted briefly with some of my competitors, Dan King, David Westenburg, Kevin Paulk and some of the women who were running just before us. I was telling David that this was only my 4th 800m race ever, and that I had struggled with injuries this season, but he said... "I've read all your disclaimers, I know what you can do."
I didn't work too hard in warmups, did my standard warmup and ran a little in my spikes. Felt good. I never really thought much warmup was really necessary for the 800m since I'm never running faster than a 16 sec 100m. I just really wanted to keep calm and keep my heart rate down.
We all reported to the tent 15 min before race time. Lee Bridges, Masters Exhibition chair, met us there and took a group photo. We all got commemorative medals, kind of nice but meaningless to me because I am generally against 'participation medals'. (I would have been much happier with a Bronze for finishing third in the race). There was one scratch so we had essentially 5 racers in M60, and 2 others in higher age groups, ages 69 and 73. They would be quite aways behind the pack of 5.
The shear number of officials, staff, and volunteers at this meet was amazing. It was first class. Every movement was scheduled to the minute and after the group photo we were escorted through the under-stadium practice facilities to a holding area just outside the track. This was my first and only glimpse of the inside of the training facility under the stadium. It was really magnificent. I paused to take this photo of our walk to the holding area where we had baskets waiting for us for our back packs, and a staff member hustled me back in line to stay on schedule.
We arrived at the last holding area where there was a monitor so we could watch the women's masters race. We posed for another group photo, Mike B. was off on his own and not in the photo.
The clerk came and gave us our hip numbers, and it wasn't seeded, but random. I got lane 7 and had Dan out in lane 9 (due to 2 scratches).
Mike, being the top seed by far was not happy about being put in lane 1.
We were finally escorted through the tunnel and out on to the track. It was one of the most memorable moments of my life, and I know everyone there felt the same. We all felt a great warmth from the officials and staff, everyone was smiling and supportive, giving us total respect. Unlike Nationals, we weren't given the silly basic instructions on where to break to lane 1 and all that, they assumed we knew that much. We took our places in our lanes and the camera crews came out to take our image for the big stadium screen. I really could not keep the smile off my face. I'm on the greatest track in the world. It felt perfect, soft yet tight and springy. Hearing the intros, I was most surprised with Mike's intro. I had no idea he was an elite all American collegiate runner who ran for the Oregon Ducks back in the 80's, a 3:57 miler back in the day. I knew Dan was the M60 American record holder in the mile and Kevin and David were both distance runners, Kevin having won Nationals in this event numerous times and this year's National SR. Games Champion. I had beaten both of them at Nationals last year in the 800 but not by much, so I knew it would be a good race. Conditions weren't too bad, 88º but it was dry and didn't feel too hot.
The stadium announcer was great. He mentioned my 7 National Masters Championships, my #1 world ranking last year in the 400m and time of 56.23, and finished the intro with the statement, " he is professor of classical guitar at Middle Tennessee State for 33 years, this is Bill Yelverton."
Eugene, me, Kevin, David, Dan
The Race
I got out and David initially took the lead until Mike weaved his way through traffic and took off. It would never be close as he stayed comfortably in the lead for the entire race, eventually winning by 4 seconds. I stayed in third for the first turn then Dan passed me on the home stretch. It felt really easy and slow. My biggest fear was to rig up and not finish strong so I was just conserving energy. I was wearing my pace beeper but could barely hear it. I had it set for a 68 sec first 400m and noticed I was short of that. I felt fine at the 400m mark in 4th place behind Mike, Dan, and David. Then Kevin passed me just before the turn so I ran in 5th down the back stretch staying close behind. My plan was to try and out sprint Kevin and David on the homestretch, so I was still conserving. I was a full 2 seconds slower than race plan at the 400m, and about 1:46ish at the 600m, still quite slow. We hit the home stretch with Mike way out in front by 35m, Dan behind him about 20m, and our pack of three - Dan in front of us by 10m, David ahead of Kevin, and Kevin by 2 steps in front of me. I knew I was well within striking range of these 2, but Dan was too far ahead to catch. So, with 80m to go, I turned on the sprint and it was there. Kevin swung into lane 2 and passed David while I swung into lane 3 and passed them both. I was able finish ahead of Kevin by about 4 or 5m in third place, about 2 sec behind Dan.
After looking at the splits much later, I was really astonished that I ran almost even splits: 70.02 / 71.51, finishing in 2:21.53. My last 200m must have been at least 34.5, my last 100m, maybe as fast as 16.5. That was not at all what I was expecting but it turned out well. My fastest 800m training run was only 2:30. Most of my 600s were between 1:43 and 1:46. I thought I'd be at 1:44 at least in a race. But, I never thought I could've run 2:21, I was expecting something more like 2:24.
After the race, I was of course tired, but not falling down exhausted as I should have been. Makes me think I underperformed slightly. Maybe I should have tried to stay with Dan. Anyway, I'm happy with the way it went and we finished as expected according to our seed times.
After the handshakes and post race fist bumps, we were shepherded into the recovery area where we offered towels on ice, sports drinks and ice water. Our baskets were waiting there with a water bottle inserted. I took my time and chatted with people there, wanting to just enjoy the experience as long as possible.
Race Video
We were asked not to post race videos to social media because of the high level of control and sponsorship, but I found a fan recorded phone video and I posted it in an unlisted link here. Some of it is out of focus but, the last homestretch is pretty clear so you can see my final kick at the end.
Most of the crowd at this point was sitting on the back stretch in the shade from where this video was taken. So, there were actually more people in the stadium than the video would suggest looking at the homestretch.
After our race we watched some awesome races. The mens 800m was won by Bryce Hoppel but the real race for the world team spot was the race for third between Olympic medalist Clayton Murphy and Brandon Miller. Miller dove at the finish and beat Murphy by 0.04 sec clinching a spot on the world team. In the women's 800m, I thrilled to see Ajee Wilson give Athing Mu a race. it was very close, with Mu winning by just 0.07 sec. As expected, Rai Benjamin won the 400mH in 47.04, fastest in the world, but the next 3 racers all ran PBs with the 2 other qualifiers under 47.65.
The mens 200m was awesome. WL Erriyon Knighton was leading off the turn and down the stretch but lost a bit of momentum and Noah Lyles passed him to win by just .02 in 19.67. It was the race of the meet, with Noah astonishing the crowd with a little finger pointing celebration before crossing the line. The young Erriyon was not happy about that.
The women's 200m was awesome as well. Abby Steiner an 21.77, at the time a WL. Tamara Clark in 21.92, and Prandini ran well and finished third in 22.01.
In the final race of the day, Daniel Roberts won the Gold in the 110mH and Devon Allen didn't have his best race. It was extremely close for third between he and Jamal Brit. We watch the screen and it took a while but Devon Allen got the third spot for world team qualification, just 0.003 ahead of Brit.
After the meet
So, we were out of there just after 2:00 pm. We stopped for coffee, I called my parents then we headed to the mountains east. I chose a lookout about 90 min away called Huckleberry lookout.
After a long and beautiful drive past lakes and mountains, into the Willamette National Forest, we climbed up a steep unpaved road toward the summit. It was quite anti-climactic as the road was unfortunately gated just before the summit, totally unexpected. But I did get a few nice shots from the road. I could see snow capped mountains including Mt. Hood which I think was about 100 miles away.
It was a great trip, a lifetime memory.
We didn't arrive back in Sewanee until about 8:00 am. It was a hard way to spend the night, on a redeye flight.
Final impressions on this event
In elite track and field, there are a huge range of competitors. Everyone from up and coming collegiates (...maybe staying in a cheap motel like me), to the Nike supported Olympic champions on million dollar contracts with a support staff. Doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done, all that matters is what you bring to the track at the moment. I was sad to see elites and former Olympians, and even Olympic medalists not qualify for the team, while some - like Devon Allen made it by just thousands of a second. We saw college athletes running in their first National Championship, while we saw Allyson Felix set her blocks for possibly the last open 400m in her storied career. To be a young pro track athlete in your first few years on the pro circuit, to qualify for the Olympic team last year, and then fail to qualify for the world team by just tenths of a second this year, must be devastating, both emotionally and professionally. I was particularly thinking of my friend David K. who had a huge breakthrough last year making the Tokyo Olympic team as a 2nd yr pro in the 400mH. I remember his emotional interview on NBC with Louis Johnson after finishing third and clinching an Olympic spot. This year, he missed making the final by 0.23 seconds even in running a very good 49.58. I saw him walk off, right past Louis Johnson who... this time didn't speak with him. He wasn't the only one. Clayton Murphy, Cole Hawker, Gabby Thompson, and others didn't make the team, despite previous Olympic medals. The pressure on these young athletes and the sacrifices they’ve made are tremendous. However, everyone recognizes that this is the nature of the sport. Perseverance in the face of not meeting goals is one of the hardest paths to take. Happy to be a masters athlete and not have as much at stake.
Well, it went as best as could be expected. I took third behind two elite distance runners and was quite satisfied with a 2:21.53, amazingly running almost even splits: 70.02 / 71.51. I took a very relaxed approach to this race. I really didn't think I could run 2:21, but now, I think I could have run faster as I had plenty left in the end to sprint past David W. and Kevin P. to move from 5th to finish 3rd. Winning in 2:15 was Mike B., a former NCAA All-American from U of Oregon who had run a 3:57 mile back in the day. In second in 2:19 was Dan K., the M60 American record holder in the mile.
I have so much to tell in the story of this amazing experience, so many photos to sort out, this is going to take time to post. So, for now... here's my stadium introduction on the big screen.
Finishing 3rd behind Dan K., M60 Mile Record holder
Did nothing today save for some pullups and a few RDLs and some hot tub and stretching. Was definitely sore after the race. Got back to Sewanee at 8am this morning and did sleep a few hours this morning.
Much cooler this week, with highs only in the low 80s. Hoping to train Tue, Wed, and Friday this week.
Back home to the paradise of the Cumberland Plateau. Arriving after midnight, I was greeted with a full moon, a roaring creek, and a panorama of a white fog-filled valley. A splendid day forecast for today, Monday, sunny and mid 80's. After a week of not running, and nearly sedentary life, save for some light swimming and hiking, the damage was about a 3 to 4 lb weight gain. I was 143.8 around noon today. Today, the cross training begins with a lake swim this afternoon and a bike climb this evening. Maybe some light resistance work also.
Although my weather station recorded a healthy 6" of rain this past week, no significant flooding at either of my homes in Middle TN.
I'm thinking I'll take one more week off from running and slowing begin again with one or two sessions on grass per week. The soreness of the lower ab and proximal hamstring tendinopathy is almost gone.
Rankings
As I had expected, the British Masters Championships resulted in some great performances and John W. has made his mark as the leading M60 UK sprinter, recording times in the 100m and 200m just a few hundredths off of my season bests, .0.05 faster in the 100m, and .06 slower in the 200m. He knocked me down to 3rd in the 100m rankings, and I remained at 3rd in the 200m. He did not run the 400m and there were no exceptional performances in my age group, only one under a minute at 59. So, I remain now well over a second (1.33) ahead of the world in the 400m M60 rankings, and I have been on top since my first race July 25 of last year (57.49). It's a long time to hold the top spot, I'm wondering if any of the German's are in shape to top it?
I did get a video of the end of my 400m race in Toronto. It shows just how unremarkable my finish was, running the final 60m in only about 9 sec and rigging in the last 10-15m. Some at the finish were looking at their watches to see if I would break Earl Fee's record, saying that I ran somewhere around 57. Still amazed I ran 56.23. I think my 3rd 100m must have been fast.
I may do one more outdoor meet this year on Oct 16th just to see where I am. I ran 16 meets and 28 races this season, comparable to my '17 season where I ran 29 races in 12 meets, but three of those included WMACi in Korea, USATF Nationals, and NCCWMA in Toronto - multi race meets with rounds.
Indoor season meets sometimes start as early as Thanksgiving week in Nov and run through to USATF Masters Championships March 18-20 at the Armory. Then... Finland for the next WMAC world meet in late June.
I have not confirmed this but I'm pretty sure I'm the only person in an age group below M70 to medal in these four events at one USATF National Masters Championship meet, certainly in a championship where all events had qualifying rounds (100-200-400) and/or multiple heat finals (800).
I had inquired about this to one of the greatest Masters Track announcers and historians, the great Pete Taylor, who pointed out that many of the most senior age groups above M/W75 sometimes lack the participation numbers, and undoubtedly have had medalists in all four events. As he put it: "many people, especially those 75+, have entered all four of those events with the idea that there will be no more than 3 entrants in their age group, thus guaranteeing them a medal if they cross the finish line."
A lack of participants was certainly not an issue in this meet with a turnout of 1051 athletes, the largest USATF National Masters in 7 years. The events: 100m, 200m, 400m, and 800m are the mainstay and most popular of track events. (Unlike say the W60 2000m steeplechase). In order to verify the above claim of "only person in an age group below M70 to medal in these four events," a lot of research would have to be done. It could be simplified by just looking to see how many people entered both the 100m and 800m. That's exceedingly rare, I would expect, and a medal in both, plus the 400m and 200m... even less likely.
I got a very nice text from my fellow M60 sprinter Jim C. from CA who congratulated me and said he's not seen a similar achievement in his 20 years in masters track.
For the first time in 7 months I went to the gym in Sewanee Monday night. If there ever was a gym that was safe during this pandemic, it's this one. All Sewanee students are tested every 10 days and all the gym equipment was moved onto the center of the track and spread out so there are at least 10 feet between machines. All machines are meticulously cleaned and everyone wears masks.
I did 25 min stairmaster and a set of hip flexor machine. Same morning I did a brief bike ride, and some upper body stuff. I always jump on the pullup bar when I get out of bed, try to get 20 pullups but more often 18 or 19. Gotta do something or I'll gain weight. Still holding well below 145 avg daily weight.
I can only go to the gym on Fri - Mon. The stairmaster is alway a really good sweat. I guess I sweat so much more on the stairmaster because I don't have the wind of running to evaporate and cool.
Thinking about going swimming today in a bit. It's much cooler now than it was last year at this time. O nly 80º right now and forecast to be 83º high. A little cool for swimming but not many more days to swim. Last year by contrast, Sept was the warmest month, with 19 days over 90º and the first 4 days in Oct over 90º (...the first 3 were over 95º !). Nothing like that now. It didn't reach 90º once in July, and only 3 times in Aug.
Overall, I'm recovering quite well. Aches and pains just about gone. May do once running workout a week on turf starting next week.
Video.
Not one of my fastest races, but happy that my body is in shape enough to race a 100m without fear of injury. My reaction and first step is as good as fastest guys. After the start, if you listen carefully one kid remarks to another, "He's 60." The other kid watches the race and says "Sheeesh....sheeesh!" Happy to race with these fine young men in their 20s. Didn't occur to me til I saw the video I was the only white guy on the track through the whole meet.
Did swim across the lake today. Then a brief nap on my porch during a light shower, and thunder rumbles. Nice life.
Warm in Sewanee, upper 70ºs, calm winds. Feeling a little beat up from the last 2 training sessions so I didn't run anything past 250. But, I got a new pair of Clifton 3s which really helped my feet. Love these shoes and they are becoming rare now that the Clifton 5 is out, I bought 2 pair at $73 each, almost half the price of new.
Hoka trainers on
400m warmup, stretches, drills
2 x 100m - 13.96, 13.09
2 x blocks starts
200m (from blocks beep start) - 25.9
250m (3 step flying start) - 32.87
3 x 100m (3pt start) - 13.21, 13.06, 12.67
The 200m was an honest event run, about 400m race pace, reacting to a beep start. Maybe a tad fast considering under 26 in trainers. I was really working on form during the last 3 100s. They felt good, running in near darkness, I found that when I made a conscious effort to align my stride, I covered more ground with less effort. I need to do some form work every workout. Went to the weight room for some prehab afterward. Tomorrow off, massage, and then hard tempo on Friday. I leave for Spain 3 weeks from today.
Weight up a bit after big meal last night - 143.4 lbs
VIDEO:
Classic rig up - what every 400m runner dreads, a great first 300m, then rigging up hard in the end and losing big time. This is the Final of the NACAC Championships, check out Trinidad's Taplin in lane 5. He looks great for 300m, takes a commanding lead, then starts to flail badly in the last 100m and ends up last. One of the worst rig ups I've seen in an elite meet. Every 400m runner has made this mistake before and it's a horrible feeling. By the 200m mark, he is 15m ahead of the guy in lane 4, who sticks to his race plan, and eventually passes him to finished second.
As I gain a bit of weight, not so much from lack of exercise, but from eating carbs and generally eating more, I saw this documentary on human evolution. Here, I excerpted a section on the famous running tribe of NW Mexico, the Tarahumara.
As in a previous post on fasting, I had noted that humans are genetically predisposed to be physically active, and to NOT eat multiple regular daily meals. Humans' genetic heritage predisposes the species to store fat, as our ancestors had to deal with an intermittent food supply. Early humans and indigenous people, have also have been accustomed to a lifestyle of physical activity, intermittent food sources, and usually natural foods.
When taking indigenous people and putting them into a modern society, there is a genetic mismatch of genes and lifestyle which results in disease. The video shows an example of this from the Tarahumara people of NW Mexico. The Tarahumara aren't unique in having these genetic predispositions. When our distant relatives lived on the African plains, they developed these genetic characteristics, an ability to run, an ability to store fat. Industrial society has been around for just a tiny sliver of our evolution.
The Tarahumara people are the subject of the McDougall's book, "Born to Run," which I received as a birthday gift a few yrs ago from my parents. I read this book on my long flights to Australia and Korea to compete. It is unofficially reported that a Tarahumara record for long distance running is 435 miles in 50 hrs. Runs of over 100 miles are not uncommon for these people.
Check out the entire documentary, "The Evolution of Us" on Amazon Prime Video. This section is from Part 2.
An easier workout today, low volume but still hard on the feet. 53º, dark, moist, and misty in Sewanee. Emphasis on acceleration, and mechanics.
Hoka trainers on
400m warmup, stretches, drills and more drills
3 x 50m accelerations
Puma spikes on
starts from 400m start:
2 x 50m from blocks
2 x 100m from blocks - 13.3, 13
Hoka trainers on
3 x 100m w/ 30 sec rest - 14, 14.5, 15.5
Today was specifically to work on mechanics. I've not done enough work on form. Drills are like any technique study, they require repetition to become integrated in running. I realized I was doing my B skip drill wrong by forward stepping.
I put spikes on and did 2 full speed starts, then two 100s with a beep start command at 400m race pace. I try to hit it around 13, the issue is how long do I put up full power before I switch to the 'float pace'. My second one was faster but it seemed like a lot of effort, close to 200m race pace.
My feet were hurting after 4 full speed blasts so I put the trainers on and did one short conditioning set of 100s. 145 lbs after workout. Eating very clean. Basically, fish and greens. Some berries, nuts.
I found some decent sprint drill videos from a high school coach on form and mechanics, acceleration, and max velocity Here they are:
A new pro photo and youtube videos of my 200m and 400m finals have emerged. Thanks to Shane for the FB tag on the videos. These were recorded by someone from France.
Here's the photo in full resolution, you'll have to click on it or scroll to the right to see all of it.
What is interesting is the 400m Final where Benoit caught me in the end, running a PR 54.39 - the fastest M55 400m in the world this year by a lot, both indoor or outdoor. My 200m split was clearly at least 25.4, faster than my 200m race at Nationals and NCCWMA. Might have been 25.3. I was just inches from a PR and going sub 55.
200m prelims - 25.07 200m prelims went pretty well - 2nd fastest M55 time in the world, just over a tenth second behind '84 Jamaican Olympian Karl Smith. I flinched a little prior to the start, so my start could have been better. Overall, the race felt fine, strong to the end. Second fastest qualifying time puts me in lane 5 with my stiffest competition - Karl in 4, and Don in 3. Not happy to be running blind to my competition, so I have to take it out hard and trust my training to bring it home.
