All American Runner...me???

It is funny how we as individuals do not seem to age. Well, that is not true. But, we don't seem to age in our mind. You may wonder why I am bringing this up. It is simple, I read a lot about running in magazines, books and on-line. I occasionally come across descriptions of runners where they are called a "masters runner". Naturally, I assumed that a masters runner is someone much older than me. I imagined that you crossed over into the masters runner category when you turned 50.

Now, I don't want to burst any of your bubbles out there but you officially become a masters runner for road races at...40. 40!?! I have been a masters runner for almost 10 years now? I only ran one marathon as a "youth"? I have to say, I don't feel old enough to be a masters runner. I figured I had at least until my birthday in September before I would have to admit I was one of the older runners out there on the road. Not to mention the fact that I would inevitably receive my invitation to join AARP. Ugh! This was quite a blow to the ego when I found this little tidbit of information recently.

I decided to look into it a little further. I found a really nice website for National Masters News magazine (www.nationalmastersnews.com). I found out that even at my age I could become an All American Runner albeit in the masters category. In fact, in 2009 I ran a 5k in 21:19 which at age 48 was under the All American Standards of Excellence in Road Running (Men) of 21:49. I can honestly say that I never felt that I would be able to call myself an All American runner. I won't be publicizing it widely. But it is something to be excited about, right?

When I turn 50 in September, I will be shooting for some new PRs and more All American qualifying times. They are acheivable with the right training. I am not sure about the marathon time but it is worth shooting for as it would allow me to qualify for Boston.

All American Standards of Excellence
Road Running - Men
Age 50-54

5K - 22:42 - 7:19 per mile pace
10K - 47:16 - 7:37 per mile pace
Half Marathon - 1:37:38 - 7:27 per mile pace
Marathon - 3:35:09 - 8:21 per mile pace

As I contemplate my being a masters runner, I realized that the one thing I have going for me is my consistency. It has allowed me to run in all kinds of races and enjoy the challenge of each one while having fun and remaining healthy. I also have learned that as I get older, I can train rigorously as long as I take the requisite rest days. I am still running 6 days a week and logging good mileage. But, if I don’t feel good on a run, I simply slow down and take it easy. I know that the next run will be better. As long as I am consistently getting out on the road, I won’t lose my focus when I am ready to start seriously training for the next race.

I have also learned to set my training goals carefully. The goals I shoot for are challenging yet achievable. As you know, I set a pretty aggressive goal for the Boston Half Marathon and was a bit disappointed in not being able to reach it. Sometimes, we all set goals which are too lofty or unattainable and that they have a detrimental impact on our psyche. If we let it get too ingrained, we can lose motivation and might even choose to give up the sport we love. That is why I always set an attainable and a stretch goal. It allows me to walk away from a race feeling good about the effort even if I don’t hit my higher target goal.

The biggest challenge I found over the years is the need to manage my time well. Before having kids and a career, I didn’t have the same outside commitments as I do now and could devote more time to my running. Unfortunately, at that time in my life I didn’t dedicate the time to it. It may be why now I am an injury free runner due to the fact that I didn’t beat up my body when I was younger. To manage my time, I am a bit OCD about my running schedule. I plan out my workouts carefully and try my best to not waste any time during the workout. This way I can meet my training goals without sacrificing time with my family and friends and not detract from any of my work obligations.

I now need to think like a masters runner. I need to do a better job of regularly taking scheduled breaks from competing in big races. This year it happened naturally with some of my other outside commitments. But, I do want to train for and race in another marathon. As you know, training for a marathon is very time consuming and taxes us as runners both physically and mentally. Therefore, to remain healthy and not burn out, I am going to taking periods of time each year where I am just running for the sheer joy of it.

I would like to wish all of you and your families a most joyous holiday season and a very happy and healthy New Year! Run long my friends.

Dec. 5 – 8.00 miles (1:12:21, 9:03 pace)
Dec. 8 – 6.10 miles (54:49, 8:59 pace)
Dec. 10 – 3.10 miles (27:20, 8:49 pace)
Dec. 13 – 6.10 miles (54:20, 8:55 pace)
Dec. 14 – 3.50 miles (28:12, 8:04 pace) – Speed Work
Dec. 16 – 6.20 miles (49:34, 8:00 pace) – Tempo Run
Dec. 17 – 6.10 miles (56:48, 9:19 pace)
Dec. 18 – 10.00 miles (1:30:19, 9:02 pace)

Total Miles: 49.10 miles
2010 YTD Miles: 1,676.20 miles