| March 2003 Newsletter |
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Between the Leagues @ the Hartshorne
One of my goals for this year was to qualify for the Hartshorne Memorial Masters Mile. I don't think I have ever run a sub-seven minute mile in my life. So with some good coaching and with help and encouragement from Diane Sherrer and Jeffery Juran and others, I was able to qualify at the FLRC indoor track meets with a 6:50. So after a couple indoor track meets, I was prepared. Well almost, what the heck are hip numbers for? I guess it's so you can't pay off someone to let you start closer to the rail.
At 6:50 I wasn't in any of the fast leagues! Those runners are incredible to me. They make it look so easy. It's nice to read their comments on how much training they were doing to run that fast.
I didn't realize until after my section's heat, who I was running with. I wasn't in their league either. And if they realized it, they might have kicked me out. This was first race I've been in that I was the youngster. I was at least 17 years younger than anyone else in my heat. I am 52 and the next youngest was 69.
But they were all having a good time and didn't seem
to notice.
The race official was wondering, "Where is number 3?"
"I think he went to the restroom," someone said.
(So that's why hip
numbers! They know right away, if you left to the bathroom.)
Another
guy said, "Hey, let's start without him."
Someone else said, "Yea, he
can catch-up."
Well, we finally got off okay and two of the oldsters
finished ahead of me. I came in at 6:54. It was a great race.
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