Masters Weekend Races and Runs

Wenzhou, China

Old Man by the Sea wrote:

Toughest place to train ? what city or country have you lived in or traveled to made it very tough to train and why ? Don't say Rocky Mount NC ! I have seen one runner outside the whole time I've been working there. One, and I understand why .

Post em up !!

hardest place to train for me was in Jordan - the idea of lacing up a pair of shoes and going for a run was farcical. Although I hear that in their capital people can be more open minded.

I've also struggled to run in the winter in Lake Placid, NY - there is a tremendous amount of snow up there, and it gets plowed into huge berms, which get pushed out by homeowners when they block their driveways so there are ankle biting ice cubes all over the place

so you end up running in the middle of an icy road, moving to one side or the other when a car comes. Beautiful, if you can see over the snow berms.

I imagine this sort of thing is inevitable in many northern towns - but maybe traffic is lighter some places.

I struggled to train in Bamako, Mali when I was in the center of town where vehicles, goods, and activity take up every square inch and it was very hot in the summer, but then when I was house sitting for an expat, I ran early in the morning and found great training further out in the city on the dirt roads from the Hippodrome to the national stadium (a good track) and dirt xc trails in a nature preserve near some prehistoric cave paintings.

I was sick all week and this time it went through all the stages, and I'm still sick but on the mend. However, I managed to run 70 miles, including a 4M on the treadmill in 26:56 with the last mile at six down to 5:20 pace, and 2x1.5M (1/4 mile moderate jog) in 8:40/8:35. The latter was almost precisely my opening 3M pace at the Savannah Bridge Run, where I ran creditably up the bridge, caught and passed three people on the downhill, really opening up my stride, struggled back up the bridge, opened up again on the downhill, and fortunately none of them caught me again, giving me a solid third in 35:43, 1st master. That was a solid race for me because I was sick all week, the course was tough, a 5.5 percent grade, two very long bridge hills and two other decent hills at the end, and I hadn't been able to train very fast in ten days. Charlotte in six days.

I always liked xc better than track, but I haven't raced xc since 1984. Roadraces have always been my favorite and I enjoy the racing much more than the training. After an injury this summer I ran 10 races over 12 weeks without running at all between them!!

Today was only my second run since I broke a toe. My back tightened up after the first one last week so I went to a steep grade (10%)at a slower pace on the treadmill and did a good hour. Nice to take a break from the eliptical.

thanks Pete for the shout...good luck next weekend and i hope you guys get a title as it is your last year in the 40+, lord knows you guys are looking scary good for 50+ next year. .i am sad i am not going to Nats this year. But I am finally running again so hoping for good things in 2011. Just did my second week of over 60 miles with a long run of 15 on sat with Rob A.

here i come 2011......

I'm headed to NC, too. Sadly, unless a miracle happens, we only have 2 50+ women and so we'll have to drop down and run on a 40+ B team. I'm not very excited about that. I did a quick check and noted that there are at least 90 guys in the 50-54 division!!!! NINETY! Isn't that something?

I just got back from CA (again - I was in Sacramento before Thanksgiving with daughter #1)this time with daughter #2. She ran the Footlocker senior girls race. The trip was a reward for her first real season of running xc. The last 3 years, she's run 3x a week and danced the other days and competed in the Regional world qualifiers for dance at the end of the season.

We got in late and drove from LAX (near her sister) to Ontario and so we didn't get to see the course and of course, we never got to warm up on it either! She was well prepared for the uphills (although they were shorter than she expected), but her legs took a beating on the downs. I was proud of the way she raced -- she really kept her head in it the whole time. While she didn't medal (her goal), she ran well and tough and had a great experience.

She never did beat my time this season, but she has been kicking my A@@ in training. She's a great trail runner already and can hold her own on longer intervals -- but on the short ones, look out. I joined her for some 200s last week and she was finishing about 12 or more seconds ahead of me (I didn't time mine)- it was almost a whole straightaway! Embarrassing for me, but actually fun and inspiring to watch. Once she figures out this racing thing, she will be fast.

Worst place to run? I'm sorry Old Man, but I'd have to say the Outer Banks in the summer. No place to go and hot and steamy. I survived 11 years of running through the extremes in temperature in Minnesota and still think that was my worst running, although southern Florida runs a close second.

Muddy, you get no argument from me. I hate running here in the summer. Good luck in Charlotte.

A good solid week of 60 miles. SoCal Pete, after reading your post, man, it brought back a flood of memories of running xc with my teammates from the past. In fact, it was twenty years ago that our little Sonoma State team made its one and only appearance at the D2 nats. Those guys were a great bunch of characters to be around. Anyways, I hope everyone stays healthy and keep running!

Great post, Pete. I noticed a ton of the good-but-not-great Pacific Assn masters clubs aren't going.

an interesting conundrum this past weekend that'll exemplify and amplify pete's post: my son was attempting to qualify at the footlocker west regional meet. at the beginning of summer, when pete made his last, and successful, plea to get us local masters off our asses to train for clubs, i joined with the caveat that if my son makes footlocker nationals i wouldn't go since they're the same weekend. at that point my son was a long-shot, having only run 15:40 over mt. sac's hilly 2.9? mile course as a junior, and footlocker would probably take the equivalent of a sub-15 effort (the footlocker course is 5k). well, at the mt. sac invite my son dropped 39 seconds off his time to run 15:01, and then placed 3rd in his division at state (15:15 on woodward park's 5k course) a week ago with the 16th fastest time overall in the state of california. suddenly, he's not a long-shot anymore. so all morning saturday i'm already composing in my mind the email to my teammates explaining how i won't be goin' to carolina in my mind, then trying to get it out of my mind because i don't want to hex my son by counting my chickens prematurely. however, as much as i wanted my son to make the team, i couldn't help but be sickened by the possibility that i might have to let my teammates down...

well, my son struggled over the last mile when he realized he just didn't have it (he was in the top 20 over the first two miles, but needed to finish in the top 10); two kids that he beat at state finished 9th and 10th for the final spots. he had a great senior season, though, and it looks like i'm goin' to carolina. i don't give a shit who's there; yes, i want our team to win; but really i just have two goals: 1) grow up and become a real cross country runner; 2) grow up and learn to hold my liquor. i'll still have a blast even if i go 0 for 2...

SoCal Pete wrote:

But that's the way of the sport. Great guys like Skin won't be there. Or Tim Minor. Or David O'Keefe. Mike Platt. Tracy Lokken. Paul Aufdemberge. John Hinton. Tom Dalton. Simon Gutierrez. Nolan Shaheed. Etc., ad nauseum.

Thanks for the nice compliment, Pete.

Since 2004 it has been hard to find the time to train and race at a level worthy of toeing the line with you boys.

I put in a good effort in 2009 and times were dropping again and wanted to lace on the spikes but injury and life are the trump cards.

I saw Tom Dalton in Syracuse, he looked good, seemed happy, and poised for a comeback. But I am sure his feet will speak for him not me.

Dr. O'Keeffe had a terrible knee issue. I am unsure of his present status.

Good luck...it's good to be young and fast!