Toda 10k 2023

 

As you can see from the picture, I am delighted with age group medal from last week's Toda 10k event.  

<-  My pacing is rather abysmal.

You would think after all these years I could set and maintain an appropriate pace.   Especially given how much I kept staring at my watch throughout the 10k.  

I was hopeful about maintaining a sub-4:00 pace right up until a U-turn at 6.6k where we hit some headwind and I started slowing down.   Perhaps I am still deluded about how fast I can run.

Fortunately I came back with a ridiculously fast finishing kick.  

I ran well over 2 minutes faster in this same event five years ago and back then I was disappointed with my time.  This year I am content with my time.  

Really I am content and relieved to finally avail myself of moving up to new age group.  And thrilled to make the all-time top-10 list for my age group at this event, joining Bob the legendary founder of our running club. 

And grateful to be racing again after struggle with injuries, with fatigue and dealing with pandemic cancellations.

Park Run - November 21

I am awake and jet-legged at 5:30am so might as well get up and do the Parkrun with my teammates right?   The wickedly cold wind at the starting area makes this seem like a poor idea, I feel miserable and I struggle to a 4:12 first kilometer.  

Then I get into a decent rhythm and actually start enjoying the experience in the moment.  When was the last time I could say that about a running race or hard training session?   For too long now running is something I enjoy having done not doing.  

It is great to be mixing it up again after so long away from competition.  Including Parkrun I will be racing on three consecutive weekends. 

I run 20:20 for 5 kilometers.  

Pacific NW Cross Country Championship 2023

 It had been seven years since I struggled with a cross country competition, and it is still a painful memory.   

But I am determined to make at least some small contribution on the CNW team and that means dealing with the fast starts and challenging terrain of cross country --- cross country being the raison d'etre of this team and the passion of the cohort of national champion guys around my age.  

I am happy to see that the 8 kilometer Lincoln Park course is not as difficult as the Lower Woodland course in terms of soft grass, side hill running, and tight turns.

There are 40 runners in the over-40 field, and when we burst out along the long, slightly-downhill 500 meter opening straightaway, I am right in the middle of the group.  This changes when we turn onto a winding trail and I drop to maybe 30th place clocking 3:45 for a fast first kilometer.  I grind out the remaining 7 kilometers and finish in 32:59 - somehow managing to overtake several other guys to finish 25th in the field. 

I am 4th among the small group of 60-69 year old runners.  This strikes me as another case of "survivor bias" in my age cohort.  The handful of aging runners who have overcome overuse injuries and make it to the starting line are only the fastest, hardiest athletes with commitment to the sport - an age group world record holder, two high school track coaches, and a former cycling champion.  In this race I am simply pleased to be among the survivors. 

My splits are abysmal and of course my teammates only vaguely remember me, but I feel like a contributing teammate again after so long.  

Whidbey Island Triathlon 2024

 I compete in one triathlon again this year - a convenient sprint event on Whidbey Island:

Swim - I diligently trained daily for several months in the tiny 20-meter pool in my apartment and this seems to pay off.  

Unlike last year I am not in last place during swim leg and felt strong.  Though it may not look this way in this picture of me struggling to emerge from the lake ----->  

Bike - On the other hand I did not train much at all for bike, basically a couple Zwift indoor training workouts, daily slow rides on shopping bike, and one quick test of the bike right before the triathlon.  Interesting challenge to suddenly be back in competitive mindset on hilly course after so long. 

Run - Running hard is more familiar - but of course my legs were trashed from bike and the 7k course did not give me much opportunity to overtake people.

But I do manage to make the podium - helped by fact that there are only three finishers in my advanced age group.  It seems a case of "survivor bias" - the only other 2 guys who complete the triathlon in my over-60 division are established, elite cyclists.  So it feels like an elementary school where "everyone is above average" and all the participants in races are handed medals in order to raise self-esteem. 

Swim - 16:02    53rd

Bike - 1:13:33   46th

Run - 25:48      8th    

Overall - 2:02:05    33rd of 116

I suppose finishing 33rd out of 116 total participants should bolster my self esteem and allow me to feel above average.  

Murph Test 2023

 

Four years later I return to the Murph Test challenge last Friday. 

I am pleased and surprised to break 40 minutes again -- hitting 39:56.  

My mile times were surprisingly solid - 6:05 and 6:21. 

And as expected I was strong on the chin-ups -- I was able to maintain blocks of 10 chin-ups at a time.  Push-ups were harder.  And my squats were pathetic, my teammates kept saying "no-count" because I was not bending my knees enough. 

Chiangmai 2022

Of course I used ChatGPT to generate my most recent race report (see below).    

I mean aren't all race reports pretty much the same boilerplate formula?   And despite my reputation as a Luddite, I am always curious about new technology.  

So while the artificial intelligence failed to capture the story I would hope to tell and tiresome phrases like "it was a bit daunting to lace up my shoes" make me cringe, it would appear that it will be futile to resist the robots..   

So here is my Chiangmai race report as told by ChatGPT  -- 

Last month, I had the pleasure of participating in the ChiangMai mini-marathon, an annual tradition that I was excited to return to after over a year away from running competitions. I have to admit, it was a bit daunting to lace up my shoes and hit the starting line again, but the joy of competing and the excitement of being back in the race scene quickly overcame any nerves.

As for my performance, I am quite pleased with it, at least as long as I don't pay too much attention to my time. My pace was slightly over 4 minutes per kilometer, which isn't my personal best, but I was passing other runners throughout the 10.5k course, which was a nice boost to my confidence.

But the real highlight of the day was my placement in my age group. I was thrilled to be on the podium and even more thrilled to win an excellent stuffed elephant as a prize. It was such a fun and rewarding experience to be back in the race scene and I'm already looking forward to next year's ChiangMai mini-marathon.