Masters Weekend races and runs

Sorry for your loss OMBTS. No running for me this weekend as I had a nasty headcold that turned into an ear infection.

Today is my fourth day off, but I'm feeling better and will start up again Tues morning. Good week to all.

OMBTS and Ghost of Ashenfelter:

It has been a tough week for the two of you. I wish I could say something comforting. I am always especially sensitive to the death of a child or young adult. That is when life seems very very unfair, and my faith is always challenged.

There is so nothing to report about my running, just base training day after day 50-60 minutes on trails until my body is ready for more, and if it ever is, I so want that sub 2:15 800 meters. But after what I've been through, I probably could accept just being able to run everyday. My companion, an aging German Shepherd has lost 8 lbs running with me as she had a vet appointment a week ago. She is sleeping better through the night and getting on my couch less. When I don't run her there is always hell to pay somehow.

Have a good week everyone. Sue, don't tear yourself up with those marathoners!

OMBTS and others- Very sorry for the losses. Everyone else, great thoughtful posts on this subject.

Your timing is scary for me as regards my own life. This is almost too personal and sensitive and new to share with who knows who but.. I got a call Saturday that a long time friend of mine who I initially got to know through running had taken his life, age 47. He'd been suffering depression, I mean really suffering, many (including me) had been trying to help him through, but to no avail. It was a really rough weekend, I am all over the place emotionally.

I think we can't underestimate the value of something like running on health through its balancing of the mental and emotional with the physical. My friend had, to give one example, run 15:00 for 5k in 1999 at age 40, after at least a decade of consistently brilliant running. He was my initial inspiration to go for big running achievements, which I still am doing. His hamstrings went several years ago and he never was able to get back into regular running again. I really believe this loss of an outlet and stabilizing influence was a factor in his illness.

I had excellent workouts this week including a nice 1k time trial in 3:05. It's a beautiful thing to get out there and really experience moments of performance.

Pete,

Have fun at Winter Nats. Too bad y'all weren't there this past weekend. Perfect conditions for a tough old crapper like you. Hey man... I am a long long way from helping he cause for The Hayward 1500. 4:33.42 at UW Open Mile yesterday... with no arms left for that last 307m lap. Got a long.... way to go man. KP

sounds like some tough weeks for folks in terms of emotions. My sympathies to everyone who has suffered a loss this past week.

I ran my final indoor collegiate meet this weekend as it appears conference meets and nationals are all that is left on the collegiate scene. Ran an 800 in 2:20, and I guess I will have to settle for that until outdoor. It would be absolutely great if Sue, 16x and Sarah would all shoot for outdoor master's nationals this year.

No posting yet from Wildwood? I enjoy reading her adventures on the trail.

Kevin, i wish that you would have said you were coming up here, i would have come out and heckled/cheered you on!!

Are you coming out for the last chance meet in two weeks?

tony

Sugarpie wrote:

"It would be absolutely great if Sue, 16x and Sarah would all shoot for outdoor master's nationals this year."

I am definitely considering outdoor nationals this summer and it would be great to meet up with some of you! I'm not even sure where the meet is - I'll have to check on it.

Sugarpie wrote:

"It would be absolutely great if Sue, 16x and Sarah would all shoot for outdoor master's nationals this year."

I will definitely think about getting ready for outdoor nationals. It would be great to meet up with some of you!

Sorry for the double post - it didn't seem to go through so I wrote it again. Now you have three posts from me!

That's ok Sue, we enjoy all your posts!

Charlotte, Aug 3-6

I don't post here anymore (my boss doesn't like this message board) but am very sorry to learn of everyone's losses. The Boulder Roadrunners are also in mourning today. It seems that Andrew Crook passed away this weekend at age 48. I don't know the circumstances but from all accounts he was in fine shape. He was an Australian runner, a little reserved, kind of tall and quiet. I remember Andrew breaking 33 minutes at the Bolder Boulder at age 41 and I think he ran 15:00-flat for the 5,000 at the World Master's Championships track meet in England one year. A tough and inexplicable loss.

Sorry to hear about people's losses this week. If you're spiritual, I suppose you can take some comfort that your friends are in a better place waiting for you to get there and join them for a cold one. If you're not religious, then you can remember the good times you had together and think about how they made life better for you.

My running week was a funny one. I took Monday off to make sure I was fully recovered from the cold/flu that knocked me out the previous week, and took a couple other days off (cross trained on the bike) to encourage my foot to get better.

I ran a lacklustre 5k on Sunday, but I'm OK with that because I should have expected a lacklustre result. Still, it was fun to run (almost) fast. There are too few racing opportunitites here in the winter, especially road races.

The high point of my week came yesterday when my son played his guitar for me a bit. He's been working hard to master the solo guitar parts from Dire Straits' Telegraph Road, and he's got a good chunk of it almost mastered. It put a great big smile on my face. He's working on it because he knows I'd like him to. It's rare these days (he's 14) he'll do anything that he thinks I want him to do, so this is great.

After he gets this one perfected, next project will be Sultans of Swing. If he gets that pretty good, I dare say I'll be obliged to get him an electric guitar.

I could have used your heckling. Driving 175 miles Sunday morning to run a 4 and a half minute race (uh plus 3 seconds) sucks enough. Whah, whah, right? Seriously, it was lonely up there that last lap. Last Chance Meet? Love to - but a'int fast enough to get in.

Sorry to hear about the losses these past few weeks.

Yesterday was one of my days to give back to the sport - spent 6 hours working a local 5/10k doing everything from course setup to entering times/places in the computer. It was a beautiful day and there were no significant glitches.

I did run 15 on Saturday on 7 yesterday. Only 42 for week because I missed two days earlier because of some pain in my lower leg, which has since cleared up.

Kevin P - I'd be happy with a 4:32 right now; I haven't raced a mile since Boise.

Be well.

JM

Perhaps your heart has been lightened OMBTS by the empathetic responses you have received here about the death of your friend. "Time soothes all sorrows" Antoine De Saint-Exupery wrote in one of my favorite books "The Little Prince".

I hope your week is a good one.

KP wrote:

Hey man... I am a long long way from helping he cause for The Hayward 1500. 4:33.42 at UW Open Mile yesterday... with no arms left for that last 307m lap. Got a long.... way to go man. KP

4:33 is fine for February! Jeez, I probably couldn't run much faster than that right now either (IF I could run that fast). June is 4 months off; you'd be in trouble if you WERE running fast miles right now. Seriously, you can't be on top of your game all the time (especially now that we're masters runners). Personally, I don't even want to think about being in any kind of racing shape until April. So relax ... and work on the beer-after-the-race part of your training ... ;-)

KP wrote:

Hey man... I am a long long way from helping he cause for The Hayward 1500. 4:33.42 at UW Open Mile yesterday... with no arms left for that last 307m lap. Got a long.... way to go man. KP

4:33 is fine for February! Jeez, I probably couldn't run much faster than that right now either (IF I could run that fast). June is 4 months off; you'd be in trouble if you WERE running fast miles right now. Seriously, you can't be on top of your game all the time (especially now that we're masters runners). Personally, I don't even want to think about being in any kind of racing shape until April. So relax ... and work on the beer-after-the-race part of your training ... ;-)

Yeah I know I know it seems early. But I'm racing at Indoor Worlds in 4 weeks. This year will be one of those up, down, up down type of peak gigs.

WG, My heart has been lightened immensley. To say I am appreciative of the kind comments would be a understatment. When I wrote the thread this week I struggled with including that portion, but that was my week so to speak. To Ghost, my most heartfelt thoughts go out to you and also to the Boulder running community.

To my friend from this thread that sent me the kindest email one could send I say thank you. The quality of people who post here is unbelivably high. Thank you again...