2024 USATF National Masters Outdoor Championships

Sacramento, California

July18-21

Full Circle at 60!

Today is my fourth day in Sacramento. As I have probably already mentioned in previous posts, I competed here in 1982 in the California State Championship Meet. I ran the 400 meter race. I didn't place in the race because the state had a bevy of very talented athletes, and I was out performed, even though I entered the competition running 48.50 seconds in the 400. It was a great experience, one of the highlights of my youth. So it is GREAT to be back at age 60 (!) to compete in this meet. I arrived Wednesday evening--flew in from Minnesota--and checked into the hotel that a teammate (Alison Schwalm--amazing athlete and all-around super star person!) found. The place is only 8 minutes from the track. My preliminary race was on Thursday afternoon (in 105 degree heat!). I was a nervous wreck before, but luckily I found Wally Hernandez, another teammate and great runner,  and his wife Lynn in the stadium, and I was able to leave my stuff with her while I warmed up--and Wally was in the same race, so he kindly guided me on where to be and when. 

I was put into heat 1, lane 6. I had a general idea going into this race that my seed time was like "medium", that close to half of the 27 runners had faster times, and I wasn't really sure who was who or what they could run when I sat in the heat 1 row under the staging tent--though I knew that the top seed, Francois Boda (ranked #1 in the country, #2 in the world!), was not in my heat because I had seen his picture online. One thing that was in my head, as I sat down to put my spikes on, was that I was probably one of the few runners in the race with very little experience running track as a Master. I had looked at the competition histories of the other runners (available on the web) the night before, and it suddenly dawned on me that all of the top runners, everyone in the three heats basically, have been competing in Masters track for years, and in many cases, decades! I was spiking up for my third 400 meter race in over 40 years! What was I--COMPLETELY nuts??? But I self-talked myself down: this is for fun, this is a gift to be here, and please, right hamstring, stay O.K. and help me get through the race without pain or fail!

I will post the video of the heat here:

My time was 1:01.08, a PR! I placed 3rd in the heat. I was pleased, for the most part, with my performance, though when I watch the video, I see that my start is really slow, like I'm waiting for someone to come up on my left to set the pace and challenge me to run faster. But the good news was--my hammy held! I was so grateful I did not re-injure it, what a miracle (because during the last 100 meters of my race at Keane University on June 30th, my hammy definitely made some noise, and it was in my head to "manage" it--i.e., stay steady but not to push it). I did not feel any pain in this prelim heat--my only issue was that my right glute and hip area had been very tight and a little "off". However, I was in northern Minnesota for a couple of weeks before coming here, and I had the luxury of having two massages from the best massage therapist I have EVER had in my whole life--Sandy Roubal (I see her every summer when we're at the lake). If you are ever in the Brainerd Lakes area of Minnesota, do yourself a solid and try to see Sandy, here is the website link: https://www.aurorahealingmassagecenter.com/

These two treatments/massages really helped improve the residual pain and tightness in my hammy that I've been experiencing since, well, ever since March 3 (a day that will live in infamy!), and the re-injury I experienced in that 800 on June 3 at Monmouth, and also that last (smaller) irritation at the Keane meet on June 30th. So what I'm trying to say is that the hammy drama and recovery that has overshadowed my return to the track after 40 plus years was still kind of in my head as I ran the prelim heat. 

As it turns out, the first and second place finishers automatically make the Final, and then the next two fastest times overall advance as well. So when I got close to the tape, I made the mistake of kind of NOT pushing to try and overcome the runner who was just ahead of me. Two factors: hammy fear, and also the thought went through my head, "I'm third, and that's that, no Final, because the fastest seed (Boda) will bring his group in with better times." This was a great lesson to learn (hopefully in future, the hammy thing will not be a concern, and I will learn to fight for second spot at least!). Long and short: my time qualified me for the Final on Friday afternoon--the 5th best time overall! Here is a picture of the group with times and lane assignments for that Final:

For the final, I was put in lane 1 (I was getting a fast re-education in competing on inside and outside lanes on the track!). I will post the video of the race here:

I placed 5th (and got a ribbon!). I was fractions of a second slower in the final. I beat the guy who edged me out for second place in my prelim heat, and another runner from a different heat improved his time to edge me out of fourth place. Looking at the video of the race, you will notice I'm one of the two runners who didn't use blocks. I was in a standing start (maybe I should have at least gotten down into a sprinter's start like the other guy without blocks!); you can also see how painfully slow I left the start line--the other runners look like they are starting a sprint, I look like I'm starting a training run! Terrible! Again, I think this has to do with my overarching fear that I may re-injure my hamstring, that it might act up and keep me from finishing (like it did at the Monmouth meet right after I started that attempt at the 800 meter race). I think my default was hang back steady and then push at the end, but clearly that strategy won't fly when competing against world-class sprinters and top national runners (even at age 60!). All in all, I am pleased with my performance in the race considering the short period of time I started back to track (mid February) and with the hamstring pull (early March) and months of slow recovery and re-injury just six weeks ago. 

This afternoon I competed in the Mens 60-64 4x400 relay. I did not commit to the race before the meet because of the uncertainty around my hammy. But since my individual 400 heat and final were complete, and since one of the guys injured his achilles tendon in his individual 400 heat on Thursday, there was no other person available to run, and so I accepted the offer to complete the team. I did not want to go first or last (since I haven't run a relay in 40 plus years and I could feel that my hammy was feeling tight before the race), so I chose to be the second leg. I was fine the first 350 meters, but wouldn't you know, the right hammy seized up again and I had to finish the race at a slow pace--but I made the handoff with ease, and we did fine--we placed second and we each got a medal! 

Pics of my ribbon and medal:

And here's a pic of my relay team: on left in photo--the exceptional athlete and two-year running gold medalist in the Pentathlon--Anthony Pugliese (3rd leg); anchor Wally Hernandez in green hat; on right, Paul Brock (1st leg):

 

I had a GREAT time here at the National Masters meet! I am already looking forward to competing next year! Heading back to the lake in Minnesota early in morning. Time now for some more swimming and golf!