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Thursday, April 25, 2024


Penn Relays


Today I went over to watch the Masters events at the Penn Relays. It was a nice day, mostly sunny and mild. Here's a pic at the stadium:


It was a fun couple of hours. Bill Yelverton won the M60 100m in 13.23, which was pretty great to watch. He also anchored both the M60 4x100m and 4x400m races for the GPTC. I was impressed by his performance, knowing he's recently overcome an injury. Also, the runners on the M60 4x400 winning team looked great--the Global Sprinters TC: Oscar Jose Fabra, Owen Barrett, Jerome Bryant Applegate, and Ronald Humphrey. I see their names at #2, #6, #11, and #15 in last year's Master Rankings in the U.S. for the 400m (Bill Y. is there at #3 with a time of 57.59, which is amazing). Incidentally, #1 last year was James Lundberg (62) with a time of 55.96. I guess when I decided to start this little project in February, I couldn't imagine that guys my age and a little older could run the 400 meters in 55-57 seconds! The entire M60 GPTC 4x400m team looked strong, some great runners.

I have lost the past 8 weeks to the hamstring injury--no serious running/track workouts--and I can't imagine I will be able to gain the conditioning I need to be a serious competitor in the 400m this outdoor season. My 60th birthday is May 15th! I will be at the bottom of my age group, but honestly, nothing can replace the hard work needed on the track to be one of the better runners in the 400 meters. It's kinda depressing. But, then again, this is supposed to be in the spirit of fun, so I need to just move on emotionally. 

I'm off to California tomorrow, and I won't be back until Sunday, May 5. That gives me a month to train before the first meet in June (once I return). Hopefully, my hamstring will be 100% healed by then. The past few days it has been feeling better--longer periods of not noticing any pain/tightness, which has been good news to meditate on :) 


 


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