Thursday, April 16, 2026

From the archive--me on the curve in my leg of the 4x400 relay at the Millrose Games in February

I've having good training weeks since my last post. I think I have mentioned before on this blog that I started using Strava last year. It is an easy place to record the results of all my workouts (when I press "outdoor run" on my Apple Watch, I am making a record of the run--and when I'm finished, it automatically uploads to Strava. Then all I have to do is edit the activity, add interval times and rest, and explain the workout). I noticed I used to write out here on the blog my workouts . . . Strava just makes it easier. Also, I follow/I am followed by teammates and friends, so they get to see what I am doing on the regular, and I get to see what they are doing. If you follow me here on this blog and want to see my weekly workouts, you'd have to subscribe to Strava and then search for me and click "follow" etc.  It is just too labor intensive for me to write out the workouts with split times, etc., again here each day. Makes me think that I might have to reevaluate what this blog is actually for, and if it makes sense to keep at it. 

Ultimately, I guess, this blog is a love letter of sorts to the experience of finding track again in my sixties and the surprise of what a miracle it has been. I don't think I have ever been happier in my whole life! Next month I turn 62. And I'm excited about it! Somehow the notion of adding another year seems wondrous as opposed to some kind of obligatory onus. 

Anyway, yesterday morning I got up early and drove over an hour (traffic!) to Ursinus College to meet Alison and Lorraine. We did 4x200. I ran them fairly fast. Alison kept telling me to not go too fast. And I listened. A week from today is Penn Relays! My team will consist of John and Bruce--but no Jacques. He can't make it, which is a bummer, because he's really fast! A new team member named Brian, who is from Virginia(?) or Maryland (?) has the seed time to make our A team. Bruce met him last year at a meet; I think he can run a 400 around 60 or 61 seconds. Turns out the team with the top seed is Southwest Sprinters, which means it could be Jones, Boda, and Gibbon (the three fastest 400 runners in the country for M 60-64). So, while we had this vision of running a strong race and probably winning, we have to "reimagine" lol.