Archive for September, 2009

Records set at National Senior Games should be automatic

A masters mole writes: “I note that there are a number of postings across the web concerning the validity of marks at the NSGA Nationals for record consideration. . . . You may be in a position to refer those with concerns to USATF Rule 262.3(a) that states ‘no record shall be acceptable unless it […]

September 18, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  18 Comments

Pete Magill says ‘Drill, baby, drill’ in his latest training video

I’m a sucker for new training ideas. I try ’em out, keep the easy stuff and throw away the hard. Now I have two more to test: the medicine ball and skipping drills. My editor friend Sean Callahan of Masters Athlete Daily noted the medicine (or weight) ball workouts in this article at Running Times. […]

September 18, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments

Bruno Kimmel’s 100 WR for M75 almost defies imagination

On July 11, 2009, I was shooting sprinters at Oshkosh nationals, especially admiring my fellow Jayhawk, M70 Bob Lida. He outlegged Robert Whilden 13.58 to 13.68 in a wind-aided 100-meter final. Hard to fathom such speed at that age. I’d be a half-second behind! But what words describe what happened across the Atlantic the same […]

September 17, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  4 Comments

Bubba Sparks takes mournful detour from Sydney to Swayze

Yesterday’s blog entry by Bubba “Heading Down Under” Sparks is a remembrance of his junior high teammate Buddy Swayze, better known as Patrick Swayze of “Ghost” and “Dirty Dancing” fame. Patrick died of cancer Sunday at age 57. Bubba writes: “I didn’t know that Buddy’s name was Patrick until I saw him in his first […]

September 16, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  2 Comments

If you like meet venue, tell ’em so! My love letter to PLNU

PLNU track overlooks Pacific Last Saturday, in my final meet of a memorable season, I ran the 200 at the San Diego Senior Olympics. Time wasn’t earthshaking — just 29.36 — but it was my fastest legal deuce in tres años. (I’m 55.) Later, while exchanging notes with meet director and announcer Dixon Farmer, he […]

September 15, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  7 Comments

EVAA Academy posts summaries of masters-athlete studies

Several years ago, the IAAF Web site began posting research papers about track and field and related issues.  This year, the European Veterans Athletic Association (which I like to call Eurovets) began doing the same, but on a much smaller scale. Called the EVAA Academy, the list of abstracts is quite small. Five studies are […]

September 15, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment

Steve Peters’ sprint training attracts a convert in Arizona

Doug Thompson, my Finnish-speaking friend in Lahti, was so intrigued by Dr. Stephen Peters’ training routine he decided to give it a go. So out in Arizona, Doug is doing 100-meter repeats topped by a fast 300. He describes his first 5 weeks of this drill on our Forum. He summarizes it thusly: “Dr. Peters […]

September 14, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  18 Comments

Rita Hanscom misses 300 hurdles WR by less than a second

Despite hitting the next-to-last hurdle, W55 multi-eventer Rita Hanscom clocked 50.02 in the 300-meter hurdles yesterday at the San Diego Senior Olympics — and just missed joining the sub-50 club. In the W55 age group, the club has one member: world record holder Phil Raschker, who ran 49.14 at Orono nationals in 2002.  It was […]

September 13, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  6 Comments

Frank Condon enjoys setting records, profile makes clear

M65 miler Frank Condon of Central California talks a lot about his records in this nice profile in his local paper. “I’m number one in the World Masters Track and Field at 800 meters (run) three years in a row,” Frank tells Mary Nugent of the Enterprise-Record newspaper. “I’m the only American in the top […]

September 12, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  6 Comments

Heartfelt Harold Morioka: ‘The Good Lord heard your prayers’

A “dear friends” note from Harold Morioka in Surrey, British Columbia: “I’m home now and on the road to recovery. I had quadruple-bypass surgery, with complications. My first operation began at 1 p.m. Because I was practising kung-fu as I was coming out of the anaesthetic, the doctors decided to keep me sedated. Finally at […]

September 12, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  5 Comments