TROPHY CHALLANGE

I'm in it for the trophy. The training, the pain, the no quit in me, is all for the trophy. It all started when I turned 70. The Mattapoisett Massachusetts 5 mile road race gives a finishers trophy to everyone 70 or more years of age.



I have run this race countless times since starting on July 4th, 1987. My fastest race time is 34 Minutes 45 seconds in 1990. I also used this 5 mile course for marathon training . Since it is a loop course I could get to my water bottle every 5 miles.



I started RaceWalking on the 2nd of January 2008. I used the indoor track at Healthtrax in North Dartmouth Massachusetts where 17 laps equals one mile. I worked myself up to 5 continuous miles. I averaged 8 to 12 miles of RaceWalking a week by the first week of April.



In the second week of April warm weather allowed me to go to the quarter mile track in Fairhaven Massachusetts. I Racewalked a continuous 6 miles and trained the rest of the week by doing speed drills.



On April 15th I challenged myself to RaceWalk the 5 mile Mattapoisette course. This was the first time I had to RaceWalk up and down hills and I was surprised how well my body adapted to the change. I averaged 16 minute miles and finished in 1 Hour 37 minutes.

My next challange was RaceWalking the half mile up hill and 1 mile down hill of the ring road at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. This training I am sure will make me stronger and faster. I hope to visit this training course many times before the 4th of July race.

Another training course is the 2 miles up and 2 miles back around east and west beach in New Bedford. This course is relatively flat and a good place for tempo training.

I am enthused with my RaceWalking so far. Now my objective is to gain strength and speed and be able to RaceWalk 2 continuous times around the 5 mile Mattapoiset course before Race day.



More training news to follow.

Getting Hip

On July 17th 2007 I had my left hip replaced. This event has change my life. The doctor said I should not run any more because I could complicate my hip replacement.



I have to my credit 21 Marathons and too many to count shorter races since I started running in 1985.

My Marathon site is http://www.webshots.com/ (TYPE IN SEARCH SPACE pogomail4you THIS WILL TAKE YOU TO MY PHOTOS)


I was 52 years old when I quit my job in a factory and joined the Massachusetts Army National Guard Active Guard Reserve (AGR) program. The factory as I suspected closed up shop and moved away two months later.



I already had eleven years active Army service and 10 years part time National Guard service. I had the grade of Staff Sergeant (E-6) but I had to take an administrative bust to the grade of Specialist 4th class (E-4) Battalion Clerk because that was the only position open in my Unit.



My biggest hurdle was passing the Physical Training Test. I was required to run 2 miles in 18 Minutes for my age group. That's 9 Minute miles. I was smoking two packs of cigarettes a day and was 173 pounds. Slightly overweight for my height of 5 feet 6 inches.




For the next 90 days I poured my body into heavy training. Gave up my smoking and watched what I ate. I passed the PT Test.


I enjoyed running and my Lieutenant entered me in a 10K (6.2 Miles) road race. The road racing bug bit me and my running career started.


I became a member of the Massachusetts Army National Guard Marathon Team and took home awards in my 55 year age bracket (see my web site).




After I retired from the Military I continued running and Joined the Greater New Bedford Track Club. (They take care of the water stop at the 5 mile mark of the Boston Marathon. Because of this, the club gets 10 time waved numbers that they raffle to club members. To get an official number for the Boston Marathon you have to meet age time requirements or belong to a sanctioned charity group).



In 1990 I officially qualified for Boston while running
the National Guard Marathon in Lincoln Nebraska
with a time of 3 hours and 34 minutes 20 seconds in
the 55/59 age group.





In 1993 I had a time waved number for Boston from my track club and I was looking to do a 20 mile run. I decided to run the Hyannis Marathon since I would not have to worry about traffic and they would have water on the course. I would just run it slow and get the miles in.




The Hyannis Maraton is a double loop course with a half marathon race and a full marathon. I knew the course because I had run it as a half marathon and a full marathon a couple of times. The people running the marathon were subject to traffic flow because they were by now spread out and traffic was was being let through.




As I reached the 16 mile marker I was all alone on a two lane road. An 87 year old lady who said I ran out in front of her ( I was always in front of her) came down the road and hit me with the front of her car and threw me against her grill. She was going about 20 miles an hour and she carried me about 10 yards when she stopped the car and I slid to the ground. Short story. She broke both my legs and four of my ribs.




I trained like crazy to come back and one year later I ran the Los Angeles Marathon. Not fast but in 4 hours 38 minutes and 14 seconds. I continued running races and started having calf problems. Seems I had blood flow to my legs problems. Unknown to me my stride had changed and I was eating up the cartilage in my left hip. This was causing the blood flow problem and causing my calf pain and diminishing run times.




My last road race was the 2007 Mattapoisett 5 miler on the 4th of July. They give out finisher trophies to anyone over 70 who finishes the race and I didn't want to break my string of getting a trophy for the last 4 years. I finished with a painful 1 Hour and 21 minute run. Averaging a 16 minute mile pace. The fastest my calves would let me go.




After my operation on the 17th of July 2007 I thought my days on the road were over. I asked the doctor about Race Walking and he said I could do that but I should not run. I sent for DVD's about Race Walking and began my training the 2nd of January 2008.




Since my operation my calf problems have greatly diminished and I am working to get my trophy from the Mattapoisett 5 mile Road Race on the 4th of July 2008 when I will be 75 years old.




My motto "IF IT'S TO BE IT'S UP TO ME" and when I'm hurting I say to myself "HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT"











Stories of my training to follow.