The Old Runner

I'm happy to report that as of now, at least (August 2022), I'm still running and racing at the age of 70. However, I think this blog is ready for retirement so I won't be posting about any more races. I guess I should have stopped at exactly 500 just to keep it nice and even, but who knew? If you're one of the few who have been interested in this blog, for whatever reason, I appreciate it. Just so I can keep track, I'm planning on updating the " My Upcoming Races " page. If you ever take a look at that and don't see any upcoming races, most likely I'm either injured, retired from racing, or dead.  Half marathons have always been my favorite distance even though I'm not running nearly as many now, but I'll keep the " My Half Marathons " page updated as well if and when I run a half. I'll also be keeping all of my race results current at Ujena Fit Club , so if you want to see how slow I am now (or if I'm still running) you ...

Oh wow... this was a disaster. With my first half marathon of the year coming up next week, I thought I should probably run a 10k since I've only done 5k races thus far this year. If these results are any indication, the half marathon will be a disaster, or at the very least I'll be over 2 hours for the first time in the past 119 half marathons. I'm not that concerned, and frankly, I'd like to get that streak behind me and start getting comfortable being over 2 hours in half marathons.  Other than my poor showing, the race was a lot of fun. I met up with my good friend and competitor, Bob Nelson, who finished a couple minutes ahead of me and won the 70-74 age group. The pizza after the race was great.  Race Name:  Hit the Brixx 10k/5k Location:  Charlotte, North Carolina Date:  May 21, 2022 Race Rating:  106 Top 10 (10k): Top 10 (5k): Course: My Garmin measured the course at 6.28 miles -- not enough to take off rating points but enough to put my pace over 9...

I had only run this race once before, back in 2016. It's a good one but kind of a long drive from home. This year it seemed like the best local option so a few other Gaston County running buddies and I made the trip and it was fun. My results were nothing to jump up and down about but I did manage to run my fastest 5k since turning 70 (25:51). It was the first time I was under 26 minutes this year so that's at least some minor improvement. The race's first half was almost flat, but the last half was filled with rolling hills. I didn't walk at all for 1.8 miles but once I took one walk break it started the pattern I'd like to get out of. I walked six times in the final 1.3 miles of the race. Definitely room for improvement. As is the case many times, the real highlight of the race was breakfast afterward with friends. Smith's Drugs in downtown Forest City is great. A 3-egg veggie omelet with toast and a bowl of fruit on the side was only $4.99, and coffee was ano...

Like last year, this race was again too long by around 0.15 miles. The new 5-mile race was also long by about a quarter of a mile. In addition, there were 5-year age groups, which is good, but they stopped at age 60, which is not so good. Even worse, when they gave out the awards for the 5k they gave awards for the 60-64 age group instead of 60-and-over, so anybody 65 or over was just completely ignored. I was actually 3rd among the 60-and-over runners, but 3rd place was awarded to a 62-year-old who was behind me. This happened for both male and female runners in the 5k, although in the 5-miler they were included. At 70 years old, I think there should be 5-year age groups up to 80-and-over. Does anybody ever wonder how much harder it is for a 70-year-old to run a race than it is for a 20-year-old? Fifty years makes quite a bit of difference. Despite those complaints, I still like the race. It's close to home and Goat Island is a great place for a 5k race. There was also a professio...

With a start time of 10 a.m., there was just enough time to finish the race in Belmont and then drive to Cherryville for this one. I was a little slower in this one (about a minute overall) but felt okay. It was the first time I had ever run two races in different locations on the same morning. Race Name:  Cherry Blossom 5k Location: Cherryville, North Carolina Date: April 23, 2022 Race Rating:  68 Top 10: Course: Elevation by Mile & My Splits: Weather at Start: Click Here for Race Results My Stats: Time:  27:44 Pace:  8:56 Age Group:  1 of 3   Overall:  25 of 78 Average Heart Rate:  156 Maximum Heart Rate:  165 Age Grade Percentage:  63.58% This photo is mostly the folks who ran both races on this morning! *************** * RACE RATING * *************** RACE COURSE  0 - Chip Timing (Start & Finish Mat): (3 points if yes) 2 - Water Stops: (0)none  (2)normal  (5)extras [Gu, sports drink, etc.] 1 - Course Markin...

I'm not sure how many years I've run this race, but it's always been one of my favorite local events. This year it was the same day as the Cherry Blossom 5k in Cherryville, which is also a favorite. They're both in the Gaston County Race Series so I and around 20 other runners decided to run both races, which started two hours apart (8 a.m. and 10 a.m.). It was a bit of a challenge for my 70-year-old bones and was the first time I'd ever run two races in different locations on the same morning, but it was a lot of fun.  Race Name: Belmont Classic 5k Location: Belmont, North Carolina Date: April 23, 2022 Race Rating:  77 Top 10: Course: Elevation by Mile & My Splits: Weather at Start: Click Here for Race Results My Stats: Time:  26:23 Pace:  8:35 Age Group: 1 or 4  Overall:  44 of 121 Average Heart Rate: 153   Maximum Heart Rate:  165 Age Grade Percentage:  66.84% *************** * RACE RATING * *************** RACE COURSE  3 - C...

This is always a fun and well-organized race in Concord that draws runners from a wide area. The weather report on Friday night called for rain so I had decided not to go, but when I woke up Saturday morning it was dry and the forecast had changed so I decided to lace 'em up, which was a good decision. I'm in that awkward stage of transitioning from being a pretty fast guy to a pretty slow guy, but slow is better than nothing at all. Race Name:  Bunny Run 5k Location:  Concord, North Carolina Date:  April 16, 2022 Race Rating:  79 Top 10 (Male): Top 10 (Female): Course: Graph of My Run: The gray area shows how my heart rate rose to right around 160 from the low 140s at the beginning of the race. The blue line represents my pace, which was pretty awful, and those major dips to the bottom are times that I walked... 12 if you're counting, and most of that was in the last 2 miles. Maybe that's just the way it's gonna go for me in my old age, but I'd like to eliminat...

This race has shrunk in size over the years, possibly because of Covid. Ten years ago in 2012, when the race was called "Run for the Money," there were 1,315 runners in the 5k, not counting the walkers who outnumbered the runners. This year there were only 372 runners, but it's still probably the biggest running event of the year in Gaston County. The purpose of the race is to raise money for local nonprofits, and the top two runners in each age division can allocate funds to the nonprofit of their choice. My choice was Gaston Residential Services.  Notably, the venue has moved from the center of downtown to the new Gastonia Honey Hunters baseball stadium a few blocks away. It's a beautiful stadium and I think it was a good move. The course is different but on some of the same streets, and I'm not sure who designed the course but I think there are way too many turns on it, but that's just my opinion. I didn't run well, but I never do these days, although I...