My health prediction was spot on

Florida Masters runner Charles Williams
Nudged Charles at the finish line by .02 of a second

 

My health prediction was spot on. Three weeks ago this post predicted that I either lost or won by a couple hundredths of a second.

Didin’t check the official results until last night.

Freaky how expert we become when we invest thousands of hours into something.

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We’re finished when we’re finished

Three outstanding Master's 100m sprinters
Three outstanding Master’s 100m sprinters

 

Trio of High School 100m sprinters
Two of these boys lost to the young athlete in the next photo

 

Double leg amputee teenage High School 100m sprinter
Courage is hard to see, except when it isn’t, like here

 

Finding motivation doesn’t have to be hard. Yet we also know it won’t always be easy. The key is to understand when to up our game and when to ease up.

Too much is as dangerous as not enough.

Yesterday was my first Track meet since last summer. And if you count these two, they are the only meets since 2009.

When we stop changing, we’re finished.

I either lost the 800 M50-54 by a couple hundredths of a second or won it by that much.

Either way, the motivational fire has been stoked.

Hoping all of you are stoked too.

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How much competition is enough?

Masters Track
seeded 20 out of 34 in the M45-49 400 meters
Masters Track
moved to 10th overall, missing finals by two spots

How much competition is enough? You know, competition isn’t even necessary, except for one place – with the devil. We MUST find a million ways to stay motivated to keep moving.

For three years, 1999 – 2002… no competition, recreational running only.
…got bored, demotivated… ready to quit…

Three more years, 2002 – 2005… discovered the joy (and pain) of 5k’s.
…got bored, demotivated (again)… ready to quit…

Found Masters Track meets locally 2005-2007

In 2006, after six years solid running and conditioning foundation, the photos show, going into the 2006 Masters Track & Field National championships, jeff noel seeded number 20 of 34.

Finished 10th, missing the finals by two spots.

It doesn’t matter. What matters is it’s 2013 and I’m still running with a passion stronger than quitting – that’s 14 years, by the way.

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London 2012 Olympics Team USA Track & Field results

USATF truck

Team USA should be proud of the way they prepared for, competed in, and spread good will and inspiration at the 2012 London Olympics. Here’s a cut and paste from USATF’s official press release:

Team USA Superlatives

  • Allyson Felix is the first woman since Florence Griffith-Joyner in 1988 to win three gold medals at a single Olympic Games
  • 1st time U.S. women won 2 medals in the long jump
  • The .55 improvement in the women’s 4x100m relay world record (41.37 to 40.82) was the largest drop in that event in the modern era.
  • Will Claye’s bronze in the LJ and silver in the TJ marks the first time since 1936 that any man has medaled in both jumps at the Games and the first time an American has done it since Meyer Prinstein in 1904
  • 2012 marks the fifth time the U.S. has gone 1-2 in the decathlon; the last time was 1956
  • Ashton Eaton’s 10.35 in the 100m is an Olympic decathlon record
  • Galen Rupp’s silver medal in the men’s 10,000m is the first medal by an American since Billy Mills’ gold in 1964
  • Leo Manzano’s silver medal in the men’s 1,500m is the first medal by an American since Jim Ryun’s silver in 1968
  • Sanya Richards-Ross is only the second U.S. woman to win the 400 at the Games
  • The two-medal effort by Richards-Ross and DeeDee Trotter in the 400 is the second for the U.S. in that event in Olympic history.
  • The two-medal effort by Allyson Felix and Carmelita Jeter in the 200 is the second for the U.S. in that event in Olympic history.
  • The U.S. won multiple mens’ medals in distances 1,500m and above for the first time since 1968
  • Best U.S. team finish in the men’s 1,500 since 1936 (2nd, 4th)
  • Brigetta Barrett’s silver in the women’s high jump is the first U.S. medal since Louise Ritter won gold in 1988.

U.S.-best performances at Olympic Games (18)

  • Galen Rupp, men’s 10,000m – 27:30.90
  • Trevor Barron, men’s 20km race walk – 1:22:46
  • Dawn Harper, women’s 100m hurdles (tie) – 12.37
  • Matt Centrowitz, men’s 1,500m (run in the semifinals), 3:34.90
  • Leo Manzano, men’s 1,500m – 3:34.79 (surpassing Centrowitz’s semifinal time)
  • Maria Michta, women’s 20K walk – 1:32:27
  • Justin Gatlin, men’s 100m – 9.79
  • Duane Solomon, men’s 800m – 1:42.82
  • Aries Merritt, men’s 110m hurdles – 12.92
  • Men’s 4x100m relay – 37.38 in prelims
  • Women’s 4x100m relay – 41.64 in prelims
  • Women’s 4x100m relay – 40.82
  • Men’s 4x100m relay – 37.04
  • Brigetta Barrett, women’s HJ – 2.03m/6-8
  • Ashton Eaton, men’s decathlon – 8,869 pts.
  • Lashinda Demus, women’s 400m hurdles – 52.77
  • Amber Campbell, women’s hammer – 69.93m/229-5
  • Brittany Borman, women’s javelin – 59.27m/194-5

Records set at Olympic Games by Team USA
World Record – Women’s 4x100m relay (40.82)
American records – Men’s 4x100m relay (37.38), Men’s 4x100m relay (37.04), Women’s 4x100m relay (40.82)