The Old Runner

"It's far better to be coming back than going away." That's a quote that jumped out at me as I read Amby Burfoot's excellent newsletter this week. I've had quite a few comebacks during my first 13 years of running that began in 2008, but this one's the biggy. From when I began running in September of 2008 to the beginning of 2020, just before the pandemic, there were brief periods that I was sidelined with injuries but I always came back relatively quickly. I averaged around 40 races a year, give or take, and loved the camaraderie I found in the running community.  During my very best racing years from age 58 to 62 I was able to keep my weight in the range of 138 to 143 pounds. Of course there are lots of factors involved in race performance, but for me, keeping my weight in check has been a struggle because I really like to eat, and I don't mean kale and broccoli. My preferences are more along the lines of ice cream, pizza, burgers, and fries, so it...

Unfortunately my Garmin watch didn't cooperate so I have very limited data for this race. The event consists of a marathon, half marathon, 10k, and 5k, and I chose to run the 10k, which was maybe the smallest race in the bunch with only 36 finishers. I was already feeling the ravages of the Covid-19 outbreak, and although I didn't have the disease itself it had affected my overall running and fitness. I was on my way to gaining an additional 20 pounds over the already 10 pounds above my ideal running weight that I had been halfway trying to lose. Some folks commented to me that 56:41 was a pretty good time for a trail race, but really the course was almost flat and very easy to run on, and just a few months earlier I should have been closer to 50 minutes flat, give or take. The race setting and course is truly beautiful, and although I didn't run all that great I did enjoy it and hope I can go back. I've already asked the warden my wife if we could go back this year an...

When I ran the Winter Flight 8k on January 26, 2020, nobody knew there was a pandemic on the horizon that would change everything. Face masks and social distancing hadn't been imagined yet. I don't remember my exact thoughts, but my general plans were to keep running races throughout my 68th year.  The Winter Flight 8k that starts and finishes on the campus of Catawba College is a favorite for many runners and has been the North Carolina RRCA 8k championship road race ever since I started running. It's an afternoon race, so it's usually quite a bit warmer than the early morning races, and the 50 degree temperature at the start was perfect. I was slower than I had been in previous years but that was to be expected since I would be turning 68 a month later. Still, it was a pretty good race for me and I managed to squeak out an age group win. I remember quite a bit about the race but to be fair, since I'm writing this over a year later, I won't give it the normal ...

If you've noticed that cryptic "GOTR" name on several of my race titles, I should probably fess up that it stands for "Girls on the Run." I can't say that I'm proud of outrunning 4th grade girls, but since they're a part of the Gaston County Race Series they keep me coming back for more.  Fortunately I have my Garmin info about the race along with the race results because I don't remember anything at all about it, but apparently I did run it. If I had known then what I know now, I probably should have cherished every step of the way, since my time of 23:36 will probably be the last time I ever run a 5k in under 24 minutes. Only time will tell. Race Name:  Atrium Health Girls on the Run Fall 5k Location: Belmont, North Carolina Date: December 7, 2019 Race Rating:  (Not Rated) Top 30 Overall: Course: Elevation by Mile: Weather at Start: Click Here for Full Race Results My Stats: Time: 23:36  Pace:  7:35 Age Group: 1 of 4  Overall:  7 of 267 Average...

  This is a popular race that sells out early every year, but as you can see from the starting line picture in 2019 the rain made for less than ideal conditions. I remember being almost miserable enough to walk away from the starting line and go home, but somebody pointed out to me that I couldn't move my car until after the race so I decided to stick with it.  There are too many hills to make it one of my favorite races, but it's just a couple miles from my house so that's a plus. The big draw for this event is that the famous McAdenville Christmas lights are turned on for the first time of the season just for the race, and that's great although it's hard to appreciate the scenery when you're trying to run a race. Race Name: ChristmasTown 5k Location: McAdenville, North Carolina Date: November 30, 2019 Race Rating:  (Not Rated) Top 10 Overall: Top 10 in My Age Group (66-70): Course: Elevation by Mile: Weather at Start: Click Here for Race Results My Stats: Time...

  It's a popular Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning that begins and ends on the campus of Gardner Webb University.  Again I'm just catching up with races not previously posted and I don't remember many details from the race so I'm just including the official stats. Distance: 5k Time: 23:27 Pace: 7:32 Overall Place: 58th of 743 Age Group Place: 1 of 9

I'm posting this over a year after the race so I don't remember a lot about it, although I do remember Scott Hammontree and I were competing not only in the race but also for a Top 3 spot in the Gaston County Race Series. He ended up outkicking me at the end and beat me by about 17 seconds.  Fortunately I still have my Garmin data from the race so I'm able to include that, and there's even a post-race group photo of some friends after the awards. I'm not including a "Race Rating" for any of the races that I'm currently adding since I don't remember enough about the races to rate them fairly. Once I get back to live races in 2021 they'll be rated using the same criteria that I used previously. Top 10 (10k): Top 10 (5k): Course: Elevation by Mile (10k): Weather at Start: Click Here for Full Race Results My Stats: Time:  50:06 Pace:  8:03 Age Group:  1 of 2   Overall:  6 of 25 Average Heart Rate:  157 Maximum Heart Rate:  165 Age Grade Percentag...