Rest day, more on the meet

I feel good enough to run, so I may go out on Monday for some endurance running.

Normally, I've taken two days rest after a meet, but my total lack of soreness and my own food splurging tell me it wouldn't hurt to burn some calories tomorrow by exercising the aerobic system. Going to be cold tomorrow, high of just 42º. Good day to run.

On the meet...

Since this was my last home meet, I'm happy with the way I left it. I wish I had run a better 400m, Iska was amused at how far behind the leader I was on the final turn. I finished last, by a lot ... 3 seconds slower than the next slowest guy. However, in my 200m heat, I stayed with the pack and finished just a few meters behind the next slowest guy, actually ahead of 2 others overall. With Coach Kelly and Mrs. Dean Hayes looking on at the finish line, both congratulated me after my race. Coach Kelly even shook my hand, congratulating me a second time. I was happy to speak with Jan Hayes at length about track and the enjoyment of getting to know her husband, the legendary Coach Dean Hayes.

The greater point was that I feel I proved I can run with... or at least, close enough behind the college sprinters to justify my participation. My college competitors seemed genuinely happy to see me out there (no threat!). The only weird and confused looks I got were from spectators, especially parents watching their kids compete, many of which are younger than me. I actually heard one guy mutter to his wife, "isn't that guy kinda old for this?"

Word seems to have spread that I am a masters athlete and am 51 yrs old... some people came up to me to ask about masters track, and ... I did one interview with a Belmont University student sports blog editor who obviously saw me as 'a curiosity.' Because there is no online open registration at MTSU, I am the only guy older than 25 competing, and one of just a few white sprinters (there weren't any in the 55m event). I'm kinda 'unusual.'

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Thursday is the deadline for the USATF Indoor Masters Championships entries. If everyone that came last year comes again this year, I'm totally S-O-L for the possibility of a medal. We'll see. Should be interesting.

Just two meets left before nationals:

Sewanee 2/25: (55, 200) ... I may run the 400 too, but it's a 160m track.

Mason-Dixon 3/2: (200, 55, 400) ... hell, I may even run the 800m race just for a workout since it is after all the sprint events, and last year, the M40 winner ran only 2:24. I guess it depends on how much rest I get after the 400m.

The season is going ok so far.