50+ Masters Training and Racing Open Forum

Charlie wrote:

So Hayward Field will no longer exist after this summer they are tearing the whole thing down. Ghosts of the great ones where will they go. So Hayward Classic is May 6th a real last chance meet.

Calendar is checked, planning to be at Hayward.

Also we have an outdoor masters 1500m 6:00 pm April 20th, followed the next morning with a 5,000m at 9:30 am. Races to be held in conjunction with the Treasure Valley YMCA High School Invitational. If anyone is interested email me at:

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I ran about 2:40 and followed it up with a 6:35 50 miler on year, many moons ago. 50 mi-Fountain Valley, CA.

At the time a single age US record - age 17. Not sure what the single age records are now for ultras. No idea why I was running so many miles so young- just felt good to be free an running.

Funny, now at age 49 trying to break 57 in the 400- talk about a turn around. I must say I have no intention or desire to even run anything longer than a 5K.

Old Walker,

You are pretty talented. Looks like you have a good handle on what works for you. Enjoyed reading your posts.

I taught history and coached track/cross country at Blinn College north of Houston 1982-83.

Igy

Racerdb wrote:

Fred still lives in my town. I occasionally see him riding his bike while I'm out running. I've always known his name but didn't know much about him. I think he's about 9 years older than me. Surprised to see his name as I wasn't sure he was known outside of here!

http://www.elkhartcountyhof.com/n-FGHIJKL-Folder-Fred-Lands.html

Dave

Dave,

Fred had a very smoothe gait. At the time I believe he was in the Navy. If you bump into him I have another photo he might like.

Igy

Mike Lundgren, I was at that same Iowa City MS Marathon! But I ran the 5 mile, set a big PR for then and was 4th in that race. Unfortunately, another commonality, MS has struck in my family as well.

I had a couple false starts (DNS) for the marathon. In 1980, I was planning to do Paavo Nurmi Marathon but overdid it and ran a 20 miler the day after a 20K race and ended up with ITBS, three weeks before the start. And in 1981 I was going to do Denver (but got a job in the north country in Northern Minnesota that spring) so opted for Grandmas in June, but got a foot thing (tendinitis I think, maybe a stress fracture) so had to bail. So 0-2 at 22 and 23.

My first marathon was in Denver, a couple years later. I kind of had a breakthrough that spring, and ran a 10K PR, breaking my sea level best at 5000 feet. But I went out and drank a bunch of beer the night before the marathon, downing 3-4 pints, and didn't sleep well. Kind of fuzzy at the start and kept burping, but that cleared up by mile 10. Ran a slightly negative split, despite having to stop twice in Washington Park to lie down and stretch cramping quads. Finished in 2:35.

Sub 3 at 60 is on my radar of the possible but we'll see. I'm more of a 10K to half marathon runner.

Ghost of Igloi wrote:

Dave,

Fred had a very smoothe gait. At the time I believe he was in the Navy. If you bump into him I have another photo he might like.

Igy

Air Force.

Can you send it to me or just posy it here? I just posted the magazine cover pic on our local track FB page but I don't think he's on FB. MF... Do you have any results from this race? Was this Fred's 2:23+ race?

BTW... We both had the same track coach. Though he was several time state champ!

Dave

Dave,

I will work on the photo and post. I was third in 2:22:20, I thought Fred was second but saw your post and did some research. John Gregorio was second in 2:20:45, so I am assuming Fred was behind me in fourth. Gregorio’s time made the World List in 1972 which I found on Ken Young’s ARRS site.

Igy

Dave,

Yes that was Fred’s time from the race. I will post the data as well. Son scanning for me. Hopefully get it up by Friday.

Igy

Old Walker,

thanks for that nice reply. very interesting. I was struck by the mention of 1230 pace. Was this WHILE you were running 85-100 mpw or before starting that block? Also when the mpw was close to 100, any doubles in there or all singles?

xlev2

Thanks Ghost. I have enjoyed writing all this up. If y'all get tired of my drivel, just let me know.

I ran for Southwest Texas State (now called West Texas State for some reason) from the fall of '75 until they got tired of having me around. (My wife claims that when I finally left for good, I was an eighth year sophomore.) We raced Blinn in CC. But I don't recall any meets there.

XLEV2... The 12:30s were when I was getting started in January and was a bit portly. I use 70% of max HR as my guide and that was where my fitness was at the time. It took two or three months to get the pace down to 10:30s and it slowly dropped though out the summer. But I got my mileage up to 90 a week (give or take) within three weeks of starting back. That's the beauty of running really slow :-) All my days are singles. I've always really liked long runs.

Dave,

I do have those specific race results...may I email them to you?

MF

Looking at the marathon listing, I see that it was a Mike Gregorio, not John, who ran the 2:20. That clears something up, since I was thinking that John was more of a miler than a marathoner.

Coyote, interesting that you ran Iowa City also, I'd completely forgotten that the short race was 5 miles, since I am so used to seeing the shortest races attached to marathons now are 5 and 10 km's. Hopefully, someday we can meet and reminisce, that was a fast course running out Sand Road and back. I think my last sub-37 10 km was at that race a few years later, though it was then called the Iowa City Hospice Road Races. I had considered Paavo Nurmi Marathon, too, but being poor and without a car, held off (not to mention I was not too crazy about running a hilly course). What had you in Iowa City? I received by Bachelor's from the U of Iowa in August of 1981, and was off to Ball State for my Master's. Our favorite long runs took us around the Coralville Reservoir. I just learned that there's a new marathon this spring, running from Cedar Rapids to Iowa City. I was born in Cedar Rapids, so that is so tempting, but I find it VERY hard to train for something that long.

Anyhow, if you are ever in the KC MO area, stop in Garry Gribble's and say hello.

Sad to see that T&FN is stopping their print editions, but no surprise, given that there is such a small demand for their print version. My wife and I have been on 3 of their World Champs tours, and enjoy them a great deal, but we were the young ones in the groups! It was so great to meet the founder (was it Ed Nelson, or Cordner that was still going on the tours?) as he thought the distance races were the most memorable.

MikeF wrote:

Dave,

I do have those specific race results...may I email them to you?

MF

Dave

Mike Lundgren wrote:

Looking at the marathon listing, I see that it was a Mike Gregorio, not John, who ran the 2:20. That clears something up, since I was thinking that John was more of a miler than a marathoner.

I went back to Ken Young’s ARRS site and indeed has Michael Gregorio misidentified as John Gregorio in 2nd for that race. Another error was in my time in the Runner’s World listing of 2:22:30 as well as Young’s record rather than on my race certificate of 2:22:20. So I rembered I have a copy of all the entrants for the 1972 Olympic Marathon Trials. It shows Mike Gregorio San Diego T.C. (US Navy) 2:20:45, Fred Lands Air Force 2:23:53, and Igy Santa Monica T.C. 2:22:20. Interesting that I may have been the first athlete to compete at a Trials under the SMTC affiliation. Kind of cool. Never thought of it before, not sure it is true, but it may be.

Igy

Old Walker wrote:

Thanks Ghost. I have enjoyed writing all this up. If y'all get tired of my drivel, just let me know.

I ran for Southwest Texas State (now called West Texas State for some reason) from the fall of '75 until they got tired of having me around. (My wife claims that when I finally left for good, I was an eighth year sophomore.) We raced Blinn in CC. But I don't recall any meets there.

Old Walker,

Coached at Blinn 1982-83, Texas A&I University (Texas A&M-Kingsville) 1983-1985, and UT-Pan American (UT-Rio Grande Valley) 1985-1996. Son was born in Brenham and daughter in Kingsville. I know the state well as well as the coaches and athletes of that era. Texas was good to our family. God bless Texas.

Igy

My dad taught at UI during most of the 70s. As kids we were bummed to move from Colorado to Iowa but made the most of it. I went to WHS. In college ran at DIII school; that was my first year in XC and didn't make the top 7 for our conference meet so ran the short race at the MS Marathon. They also had a half. Fast course but not that interesting!

I also liked the reservoir loop, through River Heights, by the dam, and back on Prairie du Chien. It was about 11 or 12 very hilly miles from our house and I'd do that run almost every week.

Did a lot of racing in Cedar Rapids, on the roads, track and XC.

The new marathon sounds interesting!

Ghost of Igloi wrote:God bless Texas.

Igy

Indeed. Texas is pretty diverse and it seems like you experienced several very different areas. I grew up in South Houston and Dickinson. Dickinson just about got washed away with this summer's flooding. Our old house got six feet of water. We drove by while in town. They seem to be rebuilding. It was tough to see.

I recruited throughout Houston over the years. One of my former assistants is teaching at Cinco Ranch, in Katy. They fortunately missed flooding by a couple blocks.