Sprinting is 100% harder than expected for M60 newbie
An interesting story about M60 sprinter Homer Guerrero shared his hopes for a track comeback after a 40-year break. He told a reporter in San Marcos, Texas, that he was in shape for a 13-flat 100-meter dash. “My goal is to bring back the gold,” Homer told the San Marcos Record. “I’m 100 percent sure I can do it.” The story appeared October 31 — the day he was to run in the Texas State Senior Games Championships in Houston. But he apparently has some work to do. These results show he took fourth in 14.46 — with first in his age group being Edward Jones in 13.66. Actually, I’d be thrilled to be running mid-14s in five years. I can barely do that now. But maybe Homer has acquired some new respect for the M60 group. Welcome to masters, Homer!
Here’s the story about Homer, in case the link goes toes up:
Guerrero shoots for gold at Senior Games
By Tyler Mayforth
Daily Record SportsSan Marcos — Homer Guerrero never planned on competing at today’s 2009 Texas State Senior Games Championships.
Guerrero didn’t intend on getting back on the track to race again after a 40-year absence.
He only started training again because we wanted to lower his blood sugar.
“I’m a diabetic, so I wanted to bring my blood sugar down,” Guerrero said. “When I was out there running, I said ‘You know what? I should run in the Senior Olympics.’ Plus, it works out because my wife has always wanted to see me race.”
And just like that, Guerrero’s plan was born. The Senior Games were two months away (in Houston) and he wanted to compete in the 100-meter dash.
For any other 60-year old this would be off the radar. Yet, speed runs in Guerrero’s blood.
“I think my speed is a God-given speed,” Guerrero said. “In other words, I was born with it. My dad was fast. I was fast. My brothers always ran track and I had a sister (Barbara) who was in the summer Olympics 40 years ago.”
Guerrero isn’t a slouch either on the track.
He was a member of the 1968 1600-meter relay team at San Marcos High that still holds the school record (3:16.8). He finished his leg in 47.9 seconds.
After high school, he earned a full scholarship to Southwest Texas State (now Texas State), where he led off the Bobcats’ 1600-meter relay team.
“I was always a gifted athlete,” Guerrero said. “I always liked being competitive and track is one of those sports where you don’t only race others, but yourself.”
When he began training for the 2009 Senior Games, Guerrero blasted through his 100-meter sprints.
Guerrero set his sights on last year’s winning time (13.39 seconds) as motivation. He blew that time out of the water.
“A few weeks ago, I wanted to see where my conditioning was,” Guerrero said. “I finished the first one in 13.01 seconds and just to make sure the timers were working, they wanted me to run it again.”
He matched the mark again.
Guerrero feels ready for today’s race even though he hasn’t raced competitively on a track in 40 years. He’s admittedly nervous, but at 10:15 a.m., Guerrero will feel right at home.
And hopefully with a gold medal around his neck after he finishes.
“My goal is to bring back the gold,” Guerrero said. “I’m 100 percent sure I can do it.”
11 Responses
He might want to check out that stop watch and/or timer he’s using back home. I can understand an injury adding 1.5 seconds to your 100m time, but it’s hard to imagine nerves doing that. Oh well, his time was very respectible and I hope he is in Masters Track to stay.
I’m afraid he seems to have publicly had that realisation that we all went through when we picked up our spikes again! Let’s hope he continues, as that flap in the face tends to send many running (not as fast as they anticipated) for their pipe and slippers! It ain’t easy – but worth the effort!
Every year Ken writes of former track athletes who make bold predictions of gold medals and world class times. They forgot how hard they had to work to get respectable marks in college or high school. Intense training is difficult at any age— particularly after years of relative inactivity.
Two years ago I threw the 1 kg discus 189 feet. I got injured in February and couldn’t even manage 164 feet this season. I never stopped training, but I just couldn’t throw hard during workouts. If I hadn’t thrown since college, I would have been lucky to throw 100 feet.
We have to do the best we can and improve slowly through improved fitness and technique. Try to get better and take it one season at a time. Training and attempting to getter better is what makes this sport so wonderful.
My orthopedic surgeon once told me that training was like walking on a balance beam. You fall off one side and make no progress if you don’t train hard enough, and off the other to injury if you train too hard. He added, that as you age the beam becomes narrower. At the Drake Relays this year I told this to 2004 PV silver medalist, Toby Stevenson, who had been fighting injuries. He added that even the climb back up on to the beam is farther the older you get. Bubba
My coach took some videos of my first meet as a master –an all-comers meet in February 2006. I had 3 months of sprint training after a 25 year layoff. Watching the video of my race was a very humbling experience. I thought I was running so fast, but the camera showed otherwise! However those first races are extremely helpful—they give you a line in the sand from which to start. I was able to build on my “humbling experience” and I hope Homer has the fortitude to build upon his!
Here’s another personal story
I had no real idea what I would be able to run the 100m in, so after I got my time of 13.6 in the first race I ran, after 27 or so years, I was thinking “cool, that’s pretty good”. Then my pal Rachel, W30, got her time for the same race (mixed age groups) and her time was a low 11. I was pretty sure she wasn’t training for the Olympics…So our timer( yes it was FAT) was about 2 seconds off.
I think I know how you feel Homer, and it is much more difficult than you’d ever expect, but I’m still hoping to reach my goals and I’m having a blast doing it, hope you will too! Good luck!
Ken, were you actually making the “neener neener neener” noise when you wrote this or does it just sound like it?
Let’s be truthful here – we’ve all had to sit through those, ‘I could run that time without even training’ look from ex-athletes, but every now and again we get a chance to smirk quietly. This is one of those occasions!
Agree wholehartedly but I guess we differ with our definitions of a quiet smirk…
once again the “all showing mirror of track and field ” gives a measure of sobriety. i am all for someone that’s been out of the sport for awhile giving it their best, with lofty intentions, and slightly rose colored glasses. i’ve witnessed more than one ex high school or college athlete that hasn’t competed for some time show up and say they’re coming in at 5’10” at age 50 + and is hoping to jump 6′ 4″…while tipping the scales at 240 plus.i always wish the best and would really be thrilled to see him do it, and i feel genuinely bad when “the mirror ” reflects… goals are important , but realistic goals are paramount, lest they’ll never be attained.for the first time in my life, i missed outdoors this past season, and am trying to rest my knees.my mind is telling me one thing and my knees something else.i hope that i’ll be able to get back to the sport i love and when i do, i’ll be happy to once again be measured as i am… for me, that’s the whole point.
The rest may do you good. One of the main components of masters track training is rest and learning when and how to do so. When we were young it use to be “Mind over matter”. Now it is “What matters over mind”.
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