This weekend was the Senior Games District track and field qualifier for next summer's Tennessee State Finals, which qualifies you for the 2015 National meet--Ponzi would be proud. You can't get out, because you can't get back in!
The meet was next door to our place, at Ravenwood High School. As a note, Ravenwood lost this weekend in overtime to Overton in football. It was probably the best high school game I have ever watched. A real barn burner that came down to a failed 2 point conversion on OT. It had everything, what a game. Overton is your traditional run team with only 5 passes attempted all game with 1 converted. Ravenwood is up tempo, no huddle passing attack, with some really good skill players. 45 yard field goals and even a kicker that can send kick offs thru the end zones!! Overton is 6-0 and Ravenwood is 4-1. Both will make the playoffs in my opinion. Both are great programs.
The race day weather was perfect for the 50, 100 and 200 meter races with nice breeze right down the main straight to the finish. None of the times would be legal, they would be all wind aided. But, we were hand timed, so all the times are subject to error and not really records that would be recognized. Double whammy for any record setting. I signed up for 4 races-- 50, 100, 200 and 400 meters. I had intentions to run hard in the 50 and just get thru the other 3. I ran according to my plan and qualified for all four with three second places and one first. I won the 400 meters by 20 seconds and I ran a very deliberate 69.9 seconds. The wind in the back stretch was not an issue, but I was not going to buck it, the hamstrings loose every time this is attempted. The 50 meter time was 7.03 seconds, which is 0.5 second faster than the Nationals this summer! Wind aided and hand timed--they are iffy for knowing how fast you really ran. 100 meter time was 13.31 which was just a nice easy stride run for me. I felt great and I just enjoyed the nice pacing down the front stretch with no wind resistance. Rarely do you get the wind to cooperate and it is fun when it does. The 200 meters was 29.8 seconds with again a nice easy pace. Just get in, don't get hurt! I am in and not injured, so I did it!!
I am beginning to understand a lot about the 400 meters race. Most of the fast
sprinters hide under the bleachers instead of running the 400. Come on, it is only about a minute of the unknown. "The Unknown" on how you will feel, how your body will respond, if you will find your breath again when you finish, if you can place, if you can stand up after finishing...... But it is an acquired taste. I am a lousy starter and when I get in my "overdrive" stride I can be competitive in the 400 and 200, and this is becoming much more obvious as I progress in the sport. So play to your strength, mine is getting out there and hanging on down the main straight in the 400, some things have not changed since 1973. Kinda funny how that works.
The normal contestants were involved in the district meet, and as usual a LOT of tape and compression wear was being used to combat a partially pulled Achilles and multiple plantar Faciitis situations. There are alot of really good athletes in the Greater Nashville District and I would really like to see more to get a chance at the Nationals--we would stack up pretty good. I did, they can too.
Injury management is the name of the game in the Seniors. You are gonna get hurt and be down for awhile. You just got to fight through it, keep doctoring, and train the best you can to be ready for the next event. It is universal, we are ALL fighting something..Timing is everything and hopefully mine is getting better, I felt really good for this meet.
Until next spring, I will do limited running unless the weather is really nice or the scales start yelling and I need to get them back in check. It has been a fun season, and I will go after it again next Spring when the weather cooperates.
The meet was next door to our place, at Ravenwood High School. As a note, Ravenwood lost this weekend in overtime to Overton in football. It was probably the best high school game I have ever watched. A real barn burner that came down to a failed 2 point conversion on OT. It had everything, what a game. Overton is your traditional run team with only 5 passes attempted all game with 1 converted. Ravenwood is up tempo, no huddle passing attack, with some really good skill players. 45 yard field goals and even a kicker that can send kick offs thru the end zones!! Overton is 6-0 and Ravenwood is 4-1. Both will make the playoffs in my opinion. Both are great programs.
The race day weather was perfect for the 50, 100 and 200 meter races with nice breeze right down the main straight to the finish. None of the times would be legal, they would be all wind aided. But, we were hand timed, so all the times are subject to error and not really records that would be recognized. Double whammy for any record setting. I signed up for 4 races-- 50, 100, 200 and 400 meters. I had intentions to run hard in the 50 and just get thru the other 3. I ran according to my plan and qualified for all four with three second places and one first. I won the 400 meters by 20 seconds and I ran a very deliberate 69.9 seconds. The wind in the back stretch was not an issue, but I was not going to buck it, the hamstrings loose every time this is attempted. The 50 meter time was 7.03 seconds, which is 0.5 second faster than the Nationals this summer! Wind aided and hand timed--they are iffy for knowing how fast you really ran. 100 meter time was 13.31 which was just a nice easy stride run for me. I felt great and I just enjoyed the nice pacing down the front stretch with no wind resistance. Rarely do you get the wind to cooperate and it is fun when it does. The 200 meters was 29.8 seconds with again a nice easy pace. Just get in, don't get hurt! I am in and not injured, so I did it!!
I am beginning to understand a lot about the 400 meters race. Most of the fast
sprinters hide under the bleachers instead of running the 400. Come on, it is only about a minute of the unknown. "The Unknown" on how you will feel, how your body will respond, if you will find your breath again when you finish, if you can place, if you can stand up after finishing...... But it is an acquired taste. I am a lousy starter and when I get in my "overdrive" stride I can be competitive in the 400 and 200, and this is becoming much more obvious as I progress in the sport. So play to your strength, mine is getting out there and hanging on down the main straight in the 400, some things have not changed since 1973. Kinda funny how that works.
The normal contestants were involved in the district meet, and as usual a LOT of tape and compression wear was being used to combat a partially pulled Achilles and multiple plantar Faciitis situations. There are alot of really good athletes in the Greater Nashville District and I would really like to see more to get a chance at the Nationals--we would stack up pretty good. I did, they can too.
Injury management is the name of the game in the Seniors. You are gonna get hurt and be down for awhile. You just got to fight through it, keep doctoring, and train the best you can to be ready for the next event. It is universal, we are ALL fighting something..Timing is everything and hopefully mine is getting better, I felt really good for this meet.
Until next spring, I will do limited running unless the weather is really nice or the scales start yelling and I need to get them back in check. It has been a fun season, and I will go after it again next Spring when the weather cooperates.
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