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Michael Johnson 1996 Olympic 400m Finals

Michael Johnson in the 1996 Olympic 400m Finals.  Watch the clip here.

This is the same race I run, 400 meters.

Many Track & Field enthusiasts say that the 400 is the sports toughest event.

While many Baby Boomers are running 5k’s, 10k’s, half-marathons and full-marathons, I’m running one lap – 400 meters. 

That’s almost absurd.

Until you step on the track as a 50-year old and try to run one lap in 55 seconds.

Make it a great day.  Life is full of surprises.  I hope today, for you, they are good surprises.  Carpe diem, jeff noel  🙂

Damn the Doubt!

Damn the Doubt!

First pain, then doubt.

Add in the underlying concern about expenses in both time and money, not only to travel to Finland, but the constant preparation.

It does wear on me.  A lot of things wear on humans.  We are all carrying a heavy load.

Yesterday’s “walk, stretch, slow jog, stretch combo”, for about 35 minutes, was relatively pain free.

A far cry from the previous day.  This added some hope, to what could have been a hopeless day.

Heading out for another run before Church, so I better get going. 

Make it a GREAT Sunday, because if you don’t, who will?  If not today, when?  Seriously!  Carpe diem, jeff noel  🙂

Damn the Pain!

Damn the pain!

Yesterday’s five-miler started out great.  After the first warm-up mile, the second mile, without trying too hard, was 6:26.

My best “opening mile” since July 2007.

The “opening mile” is actually the second mile – the very first mile is simply a warm-up, in the 8-9 minute range.

Mile three is a “recovery” mile with slower jogging, three minutes of backwards jogging, some walking and stretching, etc. 

Mile four is designed to be the fastest mile of the five.  I use this for conditioning and especially for learning to gauge pace.  I mentally aim for a mile time, then study my 400, 800, and 1,200 split times to see how my pace is going.

I also try to run negative splits, meaning, the second half is faster than the first half.  Last month, a did a mile time trial, and clocked 5:38, with 2:53 and 2:45 splits.

I had juice left at the end, because I was running about 90%.  Going a full 100% felt risky, since I hadn’t run that hard in nealy two years.

Yesterday, however, at the mile four, I was excited.  But quickly became discouraged as the pain started right away and I couldn’t shake it.

Naturally, I backed off, and jogged the rest of the way, called Dr Wagner, my podiatrist and scheduled a 10:15AM appointment.

Now I’m back on Celebrex, and an anti-inflammatory heel cream.  I also delivered a script to my friends at Florida Hospital Celebration Health.  Electric-stimulation and massage therapy might be helpful.

I remain optimistic.  How can I not?  

Hope you have a great Saturday.  Carpe diem, jeff noel  🙂

Run, jeff noel, Run!

Everyday, we are presented with the opportunity to use our gifts.

What gifts?

Great question.

How about the gift of our body?

So in a few minutes, I’ll tie my running shoes, grab my stopwatch, and head out for a five-miler.

It’s been three days since I’ve run.  Monday I ran in Hartford, CT.  Today, Orlando, FL.

Today is also the deadline for Master’s Track & Field athletes to submit their intent to compete at the 2009 Master’s Track & Field World Championships, this August, in Lahti, Finland.

It’s difficult to do what must be done, when it must be done, whether we want to or not.

That, if you really want my opinion, is one of the harshest and toughest realities of our lives.

Embrace it or not, it won’t change.  Will you?

Carpe diem, jeff noel  🙂

World Class in Lane 8?

Can you become world class even if you’re stuck out in lane 8?

What do you think?

I think you can.

So every day, I wake up, and wonder, what would it take for an ordinary person to become extraordinary?

The way Rosa Parks dd.

The way Abraham Lincoln did.

The way Walt Disney did.

I’m acutely aware of how impossible can become possible, and more than that, how impossible can become “business as usual”.

I often say, “The road to excellence has no finish line”.

Well, there is a finish line in Track & Field.

I hope to make it in about 55 seconds.

Lane 8. Men’s 400 meters.  The 50-54 age group.  Finland.  August 2009.  The World Championships.

And, one other important point.  Lane 8, in the finals.

Ya with me?

Carpe diem, jeff noel 🙂