Friday, September 21, 2012

2013 Indoor Track--Reclaiming My Youth or Embracing My Age

Winter seems far off and I usually dread the winter...but not this year.  Here's my running plan for 10 of the weeks that cover parts of January, February, and March.



2013 Indoor Racing Season
Sunday 1/20 @Winston-Salem, NC Mile.  Goal 4:39.
Saturday 1/26 @Lynchburg, VA Kilo. Goal 2:40.
Saturday 2/18 @Blacksburg, VA  3K. Goal 9:05.
Sunday 3/3 @Winston-Salem, NC 800m and Mile. Goals 2:06 and 4:38.
Fri-Sun 3/22-24 @Landover, MD 3K, Mile, 800m. Goal 8:59.  Last year, 1st place was 9:24 in 3K.  2nd was 9:30.  Mile was won in 4:25.  2nd place was 4:46.  800m was won in 2:03 and 2:17 was 6th place.

Notes:
Eight races over a ten week racing season.  Five weekends of racing.  Season includes setting PR’s in four events.  Podium in all three events at Masters Indoor Champs.

Did you know that Indoor Track and Field begins to include runners in the Master's category once they are over 30?  That's right.  I bet you thought you were only a Master's runner when you turn 40.  Well, that's the heavy influence of road running in our culture these days.  Indoor Track is 30+ and Outdoor Track is 35+.  I've already been a Master's competitor in the indoor discipline for seven years and I didn't even realize this distinction until last winter when I competed in my very first indoor meet.

This winter I will be visiting the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem and Rector Fieldhouse at Virginia Tech University.  I will make my way to the indoor facility at Liberty University in Lynchburg and hopefully all the way north to Maryland and the National Championship race.

There are other harriers that I run with all the time at local races who are older and grayer than I and they are already tearing it up at major indoor events.  Check out Owen Astrachan (image 8 in Carolina Godiva singlet) and Jay Smith (in the blue).  These are both local studs with experience.  I'm going to grow up to be like them.

I would really like to race at The Armory sometime soon.  Maybe I can weasel my way into a Thursday night this winter.