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 Friday, September 25, 2026

It has been about a month since I have made a post here.  I have been keeping busy with training and a couple of meets.  I went to Providence on the train weeks ago to compete in their Senior Games.  It was a good event, even though the blocks weren't the best and I got lane 1 for the 200 meters race. But Don McEvoy was there--he had come all the way from Brazil (where he moved to last year). It was great to see him and to compete with him. He beat me by a hair in the 200, and I was happy for him. I didn't have a great race in lane 1--no runners in lanes 2, 3 and maybe 4? So I felt like I was running alone because I couldn't see anyone.  But it was nice to sprint in the sun.  Don also competed against me in the 400, and so did Owen Barrett.  It was great to have strong competition. I won that race, but I didn't achieve a very fast time (60 seconds).  I had been fighting off getting a cold the week before the meet, and I just wasn't feeling my best. I don't like to "make excuses" for performances, but that really was the situation. I write this not to try to get anyone else to think differently about my running, but rather to remind myself that I am human and sometimes I just have to deal with and accept what life throws at me. And it's O.K.  Every meet can't be like a Nationals or a Worlds meet. 


This is a pic from the meet that Don shared with me: Terry, Don, Owen & me


Wearing my medals from the 200 and 400 meter races

I also competed in the New Jersey Senior Games meet in Woodbridge a couple of weekends ago. I only ran the 800 (which I won easily--with the slowest time I've run to date in an 800--again, not feeling great [a bout of vertigo!]). The point of these meets was to run and place in the events that I hope to compete in at the Senior Games Nationals meet in Oklahoma next July. They hold a national championship meet every other year, and you have to compete in a state meet and qualify in the event you wish to race in at Nationals. So now I can choose from the 200, 400, or 800 (though I will probably ultimately do just the 400 and 800). 




With teammates at the NJ Senior Games

On Wednesday, September 9th, I ran a leg of the Great American Relay with Alison. We ran about 6 miles from the Landsdowne Fire Company to the top of the Rocky stairs at the art museum, where we passed off the flag and the baton to the next runners. It was a fundraiser for 9/11 first responders and their families. It is hard to believe that was 25 years ago! What a grim day that was . . . I was at work in lower Manhattan.  Anyway, the relay was meaningful, and we ran back to our cars after we passed off, making it a good workout. 



Here we are after we finished our leg



A short video of our pass off


I have done a few longer runs this month (8-12 miles ish!) in preparation for the three-day trail fest event I'm doing with Alison and Bruce next week in Utah. Each day we will run 10-15 miles in a different national park!  I will stay on in St. George to compete in the Huntsman Games the first week of October. I am looking forward to all of this crazy stuff. 



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