[ about three miles of walking interspersed with some running]
Yesterday was race day. We drove over to Tuscaloosa under clouds with patches of drizzle. It was a cool and dreary kind of day.
Found our way to the high school with help from the GPS. It took us a new way, so that had us wondering for a bit. But we found it.
Had to park a block away and walk on the street to the entrance. Then checked in at the check-in table and got my shirt and some race bag goodies.
The pattern for the day was to check in at the event table prior to each event, get a lane number, put the number sticker on my left pant-leg, and hang around until the event was called. Some of the time we were in the fieldhouse to warm up or to use the bathroom.
The “heat sheets” had come in the email on Friday evening. They showed how the age groups would be sorted out. There weren’t many people in the 50’s or 60’s but a big hunk in the 70’s. By that I mean maybe a couple dozen.
The first race was the 50 meter. The young women went first, then worked through the older women. And then the same with the men. They had some trouble with the timing system and the young women ended up starting at least three times. But eventually it worked out.
I was in heat #2 for the men, the 60-64 age group. I think there may have been 5 of us (I could go look it up!). We used the starting blocks and I enjoyed watching the rest of them quickly leave me behind. But I made it to the finish line.
An hour or so later it was the 200 meters. I think we lost one participant. 200 is challenging. I think I did OK.
We poked around the snacks table and I learned that I had gotten bronze metal for the 50. Turned out the other two guys were in the next older group. And I got a silver for the 200 (again, I think two of the guys were in the 65-69 age group).
There were a couple of events I didn’t do, then my next was the 400 and there were just two of us. It seemed that lunch time and the cool blustery weather had caused some attrition. Silver medal for me.
Last on my dance card was the 100 meter which is kind of the main one as far as I’m concerned. By that time all of my competition had left so they put me in with some older guys and I got the gold medal. They gave me a target to aim for, both of them were under 15 seconds and I was 18.something.
One humorous part was: when the young women did their thing the timer again had trouble so they were called back to go again!
My times were consistently about a 1/4 second slower than last summer in Iowa. We had to do a standing-start for the 100 because one of the volunteers had put the starting blocks away some time over lunch.
