Masters Weekend Races and Runs

Just a quick thank you...thanks to all of my geezer friends who regularly post here and keep this old dog motivated to go out and fight another day...reading on a weekly basis your remarkable training and racing exploits has a knack of keeping me coming back for more...even after four consecutive decades of above said.

Slacked a little this week as host of a muti-day Sonoma County wine bash followed by a (north of 50) birthday bash for another two days...did manage a 'balls to the wall' time trial to the top of Mt Tamalpais as a function of Dipsea training on Saturday...running healthy and a tad bit hefty but runnin' just the same.

To yet another week of pounding away...thanks for keeping me honest and interested...go hard or go home baby!

stay well,

MF

I ran a half-marathon this morning in Eugene. I thought I was running a little slow, just a bit "off", but there was a variety of reasons for that. As it turned out, I just fell apart at 10 miles (not enough mid-week longer runs) and struggled in the last 3. The masters winner passed me at 10, which bummed me out, although I did win my AG in 1:30:09, a PW.

The highlight was watching a very good friend and training partner smash his PR in the marathon at age 42. He was hoping for his first sub-3 and had all the anxieties you would expect pre-marathon (kind of like watching milers before big races ;-D ). It was interesting to observe PMS (pre-marathon syndrome) from a different perspective.

Our original plan was to run near each other for the first 11 miles, but he went ahead before the mile & I never closed the gap. Another friend ran him in the last 8.

He went on to run 2:56 and it was so thrilling to spy him with about 400m to go and to know he was well under 3:00!! It more than made up for my race. He worked so hard and for so long on this race -- and overcame a cold, too -- I can't imagine a person deserving a PR more. It made my week!

TC, Very respectable 20K.Wind was a factor for outdoor activities around central WI on Sat. morn. So I'm guessing it was cool and blustery there in Madtown. Which makes that a very decent run, for early season.

Yes , I am running (not racing) both Journeys and Cellcom 1/2's. My in-laws are from DePere so it's a good excuse to spend a weekend visiting the GB area. This will be 4x's ,so it's becoming a tradition for me. The race has really been growing, with last count at 8000+, all 3 races.

Last year's 41F temps and wind put a real damper on the finish line festivities.

Journeys amounts to a talk and jog with a bunch of yooper's whom I need to catch up on life and times with. A tour on foot of lake country provides that.

The WORS run at Iola was as typical, thinnly attended. 55-60 souls at best.Fellow "pressed rat " teammate Jay Punke won the 10k( short) in 36and change. I lumbered in 7 minutes later. Still, a much better run for me than the week before when I absolutely nothing.

The biker's rule these WORS events. Quite the gala festival for several hundred mountain biker's of all ages.

Maybe this is the week spring comes to our neck of the woods. Saw a large jet black timber wolf on my Weds. morn outing. Have a good week all.

50+ road debut for 5k. 17:26 for 4th overall in the biggest 5k in town (950 racers). Competition isn't too steep here, but a notable finisher was a 45 yr old friend was 2nd in 16:52, just 12 days after running 2:44 at Boston.

Dave,

Congratulations on your 50,000 miles. That's a great milestone, and just as impressive is that you've logged every mile (and tenth!). My own logs have a few gaps in the record-keeping.

Good luck in the 25K this weekend. I'm racing a 25K too. Wonder if it's the same one... :)

Thank you for the compliment, but I know I am mediocre at best. On the other hand your fellow writer cohort, Tom Kaufman I believe is his name, I think was at the race and he is pretty darn fast. Do wolves ever get any of your calves?

I'm getting back in to running after dabbling around for the past couple of years. Been doing more weight lifting than anything.

After running for 2 weeks and finally starting to feel a little better, I seriously sprained my ankle on a non-running incident. It seems that happens every time I attempt to start again. One year it was a broken foot. Last year, it was a fluke infection and related surgery.

At least this year it's just a sprain, I hope, so we'll see if I can stay healthy. There are some local road races I really want to do this year.

Decent week of running. Had a flare up in my left calf which subsided by Tuesday allowing me a decent workout of 800s dropping from 2:40 to 2:33 by the end on short rest. 3 mile tempo Thursday night went well although it involves some dodging of a youth track practice which does make for some close encounters and ensures you pay attention all the time.

Ran Bloomsday yesterday which as always is a good time - although I brought the family along which meant for the first time in 13 years I drove and I found I did not miss the drive. Finished in the money as the 5th place master and as I said to Don - I never thought Bloomsday would ever pay me for racing.

A little sore this morning on the run but saw KP out there logging some miles as well on a beautiful spring morning here in Portland.

Old man in the woods wrote:

Good luck in the 25K this weekend. I'm racing a 25K too. Wonder if it's the same one... :)

There aren't too many 25k's...Is yours in Michigan?

Dave

well, i have continued my slow detraining slide.

i went to las vegas for the supercross races and saw there was a 5k.

well, i roll up to the starting line and there is Andrew Duncan, the guy that beat me by 2 seconds at XC Nats in San Diego.

Anyway, he smoked me by a minute, 15:44 to 16:44 (Nice run for sure Mr. Duncan!). Guess this 30 miles a week in 4 runs thing is not a valid training plan after all!! :)

but, as soon as mammoth motocross passes i will be back training for the fall xc season.

I am still going to run the 3000 in a few weeks even if i will stink it up as it is going to be an awesome race to be in!!!

Good luck !!

So far wolves have presented no problem to our herd.

Raced with Mr. Kaufman at Bellin last June. He coasted in a few strides ahead, but Dan Rindfleisch was a few strides back. And all 3 of us were ahead of Joan Samuelson,(but not by much).

I gather you are only 2 years into your return to running?? look for continued improvement, it takes 5-7 years to develope all the aerobic tools.

You are not perceived as mediocre by the runners finshing behind you.(A large percentage of the field) or fellow Master's runner's.

kevinb,

Of course you omitted the most important information - how was the motocross? An older gentleman at my gym does road racing, but evidently there are not enough seniors for him to race against guys his own age. He still has fun though.

You'll do fine in the 3k - a 16:34 5k maps to about a 9:30, but that might take a little bit of speedwork to get there. I gave up on my aspirations to get the qualifier when I saw all of the fast times being submitted. I hope to be there after a few months of hill and track workouts, but not after one month.

nyloco

Thanks PTF. Now that I see the results from Rye it strikes me as a little sad that it looks like I was the first American-born runner (12th overall, 7th male) and that this great race couldn't get a bigger show from local runners (although many of them were working on the course). That fourth mile was tough, but there was a well-placed water stop on Playland Parkway.

Race report.

I ran the Lincoln marathon this last weekend. I went through the half way point in 1:20 and then hung on. I finish with a 2:50:06. good for second old guy and I think 23rd overall. My team won the National Guard championships once again.

this lack of training really makes running marathons hard.

nice to see Runguru and many friends from all over the country.

Time to rest and hope the snow is finally going to stop. Tim

JPGarland wrote:

Thanks PTF. Now that I see the results from Rye it strikes me as a little sad that it looks like I was the first American-born runner (12th overall, 7th male) and that this great race couldn't get a bigger show from local runners (although many of them were working on the course). That fourth mile was tough, but there was a well-placed water stop on Playland Parkway.

Seeing your name, the word "Parkway", and remembering your last HM time made me think of the one I ran on Saturday. It was the Parkway HM in Sacramento and winning time was 1:18:56. There were 1534 finishers and you could have won the whole thing--didn't you run 1:18:3x in your last one? I managed a 1:27:27 for 15th overall, 3rd master, and 1st 60-64.

Jim from 50-plus thread.

nyloco wrote:

kevinb,

Of course you omitted the most important information - how was the motocross? An older gentleman at my gym does road racing, but evidently there are not enough seniors for him to race against guys his own age. He still has fun though.

You'll do fine in the 3k - a 16:34 5k maps to about a 9:30, but that might take a little bit of speedwork to get there. I gave up on my aspirations to get the qualifier when I saw all of the fast times being submitted. I hope to be there after a few months of hill and track workouts, but not after one month.

nyloco

supercross was good, the 250f race was awesome and the 450 race was pretty good. i am actually doing a track day this sunday on my CBR600 at California Speedway. should be fun.

yeah, my team yells at me for my "cross training" techniques. :)

but what can you do. I am thinking I can go 9:20ish. But i am not going to eugene anyway so no worries....