Masters Weekend Runs and Races

This week I decided to throw a little sprint action into the mix. I warmed up with a mile jog and then did 5x50m with gradual acceleration. Since I only have a short straight on the indoor track I was probably top speed for 20m --short, but probably appropriate at this stage. Wow, it was FUN. I concentrated on my form and the last couple of sprints I tried to increase turnover. It was a very good beginning to getting back into sprint training. It felt so good that I was tempted to throw in a few more intervals until I got smart and reminded myself that I must build up gradually!

So workouts this past week were two run/sprint workouts as I described above; one 2 mile jog broken up each half mile by pushups, crunches, and single leg squats; and two weight-lifting sessions that included squats, glute press, deadlifts, pushups, bi/tri curl, and planks. Plus thorough stretching after each workout. It pains me to admit that I gained 17 lbs this year (injury inactivity and hypothyroidism contributed to this) but I have lost 8 of them. Still working on the remainder.

Happy running and racing!

Perfect autumn running while hanging out here in NYC this week...highlight was having two of my college teammates (Mt St Mary's, Emmittsburg MD circa 1974) take the train into the city to meet for a run in Central Park...we hadn't worked out together in 39 years...priceless.

On not as pretty a note, my long awaited prostate surgery takes place this coming Thursday and along with it will come the longest bout of non-running ever in the past 40+ years...so it goes.

Look forward to hearing results from Worlds in Brazil (KP?) and Natl Masters 5K in Jersey this morning.

Oh, and GO Niners...beat Titans (in spite of the fact that my wife went to both Scranton Central and Penn State with Tennesee's coach Munchak)

Relish every step...catch up again soon.

Your pal,

MF

Boa Tarde from Porto Allegre and XX World Masters Athletics.

Travelled 24hrs door to door on 3 planes to get here the day before the M50 800m Semi-Finals. Agree THAT was risky; but I was lucky enough to Declare in time and shake the legs out late Friday, try and unlock this stuck right ankle, to then feel much looser for late Saturday's 800. Lots of no-shows. M50 800m ended up with only 3 SF Heats of 11 or 12 each. Top 2 automatic advancement "big Q" / next 6 fastest times "little q". I drew Heat 1 and stuck to the top seed Swede for 700m and thought it was comfortable until all of a sudden seed 2,4 and 5 came breathing down my neck. I could not hold off the 2nd seed from Canada but was able to run fast enough for a little q. At least I'm pretty sure I did 'cause we STILL don't have results posted. Remaining positive - 'cause you have to - but the whole operation is pretty dang shoddy. No splits either - my bell lap clock read 5:27. Was told by others we hit 63. Here's hoping/expecting that 63 is going to feel a lot more comfortable in tomorrow's final.

Wish all y'all were here toeing the line, enjoying the after race fellowship. But maybe theres a massively better chance of that happening in Bend OR for Club XCs.

Send you RACE WITH CONFIDENCE prayers my way good Masters.

Tchau

KP

Good luck KP! Let it rip in the final! Sad to say I have heard a lot of less-than-stellar reviews of the meet and its organization. Too bad; we deserve much better. Lyon 2015, anybody?

Good luck KP. One of the reasons I resisted worlds this year was how time I need to put aside to get there, and then race. Yes, I'd like to enjoy the sights, but I think racing takes precedence, as I would have shelled out quite a bit just to enter. I do envy you though, but I never have liked the travel part of racing. Kick butt over the double lapper though.

As far as my week, it was fairly routine.

Monday: no running. Went hiking around mt Adams all day and played some volleyball.

Tuesday: 1000--3:06 400 jog

16X200 with 75 sec recovery averaged 32.1

1000--3:05

Wednesday: 5 miles easy

Thursday: (morning) ran half of A.Webbs workout at Nike.

It was 4Xmile cutdown with 400 recovery

Me: Alan:

2:12. 4:23.3

2:12. 4:22.7

2:09. 4:18.6

2:08. 4:15.7

I was pretty spent, but didn't think that was enough, so did my training groups workout later that day.

2000--6:10. 400 recovery

1600--4:47 400

1200--3:27 400

800---2:15 400

400---:59.1

Friday 5 miles easy

Saturday. 6 miles easy

Sunday. 14 miles relaxed

Might race an 8k next Saturday, so I'll back off a tad with the workouts.

Hope to see those World Masters results when they get around to posting them.

Ahrlin

Good luck with everything Mike.

Kevin, that was a good effort - looks like a hot final.

Sorry to post so late. I have been travelling since Sunday morning and each time I got on the internet there was urgent stuff at work.

I was in a different kind of chaos at the medal tent while your 800 was going off. At least the main stadium had the WMA council and Alan Bell (the guy who disqualified Bolt...) to keep things organised.

The 5000 boys and girls spent Saturday over a Sogipa, a former Turner Gymnasium and "country club" with an absolutely beautiful track built in 1917 - sunken steps, trees, giant stone columns and Olympic rings. A lovely setting, but not a single knowledgeable track referee. They scheduled 50min for each age group, then scheduled THREE races (the C race usually involving a fat jogger somewhere) which would obviously have needed 90min to complete. In the end, we all managed to explain the obvious to the kids running check-in and we all worked out a system, so everyone would know went to warm up. My 10:30 race went off at 13:00, in blazing sun and 32'C heat rather than the cooler 21'C we should have had.

I got a great view of my friends in the M50 5000m. Gomes, the Brazilian, was smooth as silk and kept it going all the way in 15:45ish pace, with Guy Bracken and Mike Trees of GB hanging on until 4 laps to go. Conor O'Driscoll ran well to take fourth.

My own race was scary as three guys had run 25:02-25:17 in the 8k cross two days earlier and they all declared; I though there was no chance of hanging on and resolved to just run safely. In the end two of them took off at the mile (4:57 after four laps) and went at each other hammer and tongs in a sort of macho Latin way, and I hung on behind Anders Dahl in third, expecting another half a dozen guys to blast past us. They didn't, we ended up well clear, and I basically sat and relaxed for 8 laps and then produced a pretty good kick in the last 200m to get a bronze in 15:48. Looking back, I wish I had chased Abad and Troncoso, as I was in the form of my (later) life - but a first world medal, and no regrets.

I had something of an inside view as I had a meeting with the WMA council an hour later. Suffice to say that the issues will not be repeated as the next few are in athletics-savvy countries. But despite the chaos, 99% of the people were having a LOT of fun. The hosts were great people, the other Latin fans were a huge bundle of fun and it has been the adventure of a lifetime. I have a week of vacation in Brazil to enjoy now...

Cheers,

Andy

Cheers Andy. Well done in your race mate. Damn fast!

As for me here's my recap (hidden excuse = this foot injury - just no power).

Well, I swear I ran smart, strong, and as fast as I could. I know so because my arms and quads were burning dead hot in the home stretch. For what its worth no one caught me but I could NOT get that dang Chilean for top 8. When I was World Champ in 2006 the guy in 11th (today) won Bronze. Today we were the 2 older guys happy to show up AND make the finals. Lots of other 53 & 54 year olds did not.

Was thinking how cool it is that I have now raced on 5 continents. I am a fortunate one.

Better than this I am forever grateful for your friendship and support.

KP

Time for a few local pints with my Scottish older bud Alex. But first more foot therapy – injury's been a challenge thru 800 semifinal & final; two 1500 races to go.

M50 800 Meter Run

================================================================

WMA: # 1:58.65

Name Age Team Finals

================================================================

Finals

1 3578 Duren, Gunnar M50 Sweden 2:02.12

2 592 Cook, Allan M50 Australia 2:03.01

3 2215 Abdellaoui, Habib M51 France 2:03.81

4 2804 Romeo, Giuseppe M50 Italy 2:06.98

5 2048 Stilling, Ole M51 Denmark 2:07.00

6 1445 Tuovinen, Andrew M50 Canada 2:07.54

7 320 Lazaletta, Marcelo M51 Argentina 2:08.69

8 1710 Roncatti, Gustavo M50 Chile 2:10.43

9 3870 Paulk, Kevin M53 United State 2:10.99

10 676 Stacey, Alan M50 Australia 2:13.55

11 2460 Bryce, Alex M53 Great Britai 2:14.13

12 604 Egginton, Andrew M52 Australia 2:50.39

I ran a 27:28 5 miler last weekend at 5200'. Biking 4 days a week and running 3.

Good luck with the 1500!

I'm in a small hotel in Iguazu falls where I just spent a pleasant hour with a recovering French 100m / triple / long jumper. Be grateful that we just run ;-) See you in Lyon, 2015!

Amen to that Capn' Robo. Wish we would have spent more time together than ships passing in the night. Lyon it is.

Master Competitors,

Well this has been quite a challenging Worlds for me. Zero regrets before I whine. Woke up yesterday with a nasty ate-something bad GI situation. Hit the Brazilian toilet at least a dozen times up until 3 hrs before 1500 SFinal time. Let me tell you it was a mental & physical challenge to remain positive. I credit two of my lifelong middle distance friends from Scotland (Alex Bryce & John Thomson) who will show up to any race, any time, for any reason, AND still have fun. 2 immodiums, 1 portland hipster organic probiotic something else, and loads of water later, and I made it thru to the 1500 Final with a 4th in Heat 1. But I tell ya, so far, I've had to run as hard as I ould for all 3 races at this Worlds. Not a whine. Just a reality that you can't always be fresh-legged and fit enough to run negative splits with tactical ease. Not at age 53+ anyway.

Will someone please cut me a break for tomorrow's 1500 Final? Better yet remind me to run like Alex & John. "Relax KP... have a little fun will yer mate"

Obrigado!

KP

Iquazu is amazing. Was there in 1996. Stayed on the Argentine side, then via Brazil. Our guide took us to Paraguay and the black market on the border with Brazil - anything you could want was available.

Loved the tropical birds and jungle life at Iquazu, truly a beautiful place.

KP - nice job in the race. I looked at the results this morning and was happy to see the little q next to your time.

I will add that I ran one of my better 1500m races in 2012 while suffering from salmonella. I still don't know how I pulled myself together. It wasn't easy, and I lost 6 pounds that weekend. Hopefully you'll have a happy story to tell.

Scott

Good job and good luck, KP. Wish I was there with you.

JM

PS. I took care of a non-running get through this achilles thing with some semblance of fitness bucket list item last week. I rode my bike 102.5 miles on Thursday of last week, circling Lake Tahoe and Truckee on a beautiful fall morning/afternoon. 6:48 ride time; 7:10 total from start to finish with a couple pee stops and a quick food break.