Southeast East Super Regional June 1-2

Southeast – East Super Regional

My Google maps which I had printed off in case WAZE failed, said my trip would be 4 hours and 40 minutes. All was fine for half of the way. In Dumfries, VA where I stopped for gas etc, I activated WAZE for the rest of the trip to Old Waterloo Dr, Elkridge MD,

At the point where Google had told me to take I-395 towards I-495, the lanes going off to the right, WAZE told me to take 395 Capital. Huh? At this point it was closing in on 5 p.m. I could see the Washington Monument as I crossed one of the bridges leading into DC. Traffic was building up. I am still looking for I-395 (was still on 95) when I noticed that WAZE had me exiting on D Street DC. Whoa. No No No! I am now in the far left lane. No way could I get over to the right. WAZE kept telling me to exit as each exit on the right came up. I ended up getting on 695 which is where the left lane took me.

From this point on for the next half hour or so, I was in the midst of a DC road nightmare. There was construction such that I was on 295 going in one direction and then when I exited to try to get to the correct route, I was back on 295 going in the other direction. Eventually I said to heck with it and exited hoping to find a side street where I could stop and get WAZE back on track. I recall passing or being on M St, then other state named streets until finally finding a place to pull over and reset WAZE to go to Elkridge. This took me on 11^th through 15^th streets, at some point Independence or maybe it was Independence then 11^th! I saw some really neat duplex or single multi story family homes along the way. Seemingly quiet neighborhoods with homes of brick, lots of trees etc. The homes were close to each other. They made me think that any one of them could have been the home of James Patterson's character Alex Cross,. I had lots of turns. I think it was the turn from Independence onto 15^th st that was a bit nerve wracking because it was a short portion with a light and odd angled intersecting traffic. Here, there was traffic coming at an angle from the left and traffic on the right stopped at a light. I was stopped, blocking the cars who would want to go through the intersection from the right. Arrgh. Finally the cars ahead moved and I relaxed. Eventually, from here, I managed to get on a highway that took me to the Baltimore-Washington Expressway. Bottom line – this tour of DC etc made my trip be one of 7.5 hours!

I was staying at Comfort Suites in Elkridge with Angela Staab and Kathy Jacobs. The Inn was located on the edge of a huge new apartment and condo complex at Port Capital Dr. The parking garage still being finished. It as like a rabbit's warren, with so many side streets. I got there before the other two who came from Greensboro NC area and had stopped at Harper;s Ferry to do some historical sight seeing. We ended up eating a BJ's, a place recommended by Kathy. Terrific food. I had lemon herb chicken and asparagus zucchini noodles

Saturday, June 1

Barbara Warren and William Rhoad

Saturday, I only had field events, the two weights and javelin. Angela had all these plus the hammer. I had never seen this implement before so I imagined a hammer-like device. Nope. I would say it resembles a long stiff wire with a heavy ball at the end. This is definitely not something I want to touch. I watched Angela and the others swing this thing over their head before releasing. There were several implement crashes into the edge of the protective fencing. Oy! It was a hot day. Most competitors and spectators had brought chairs to rest in between throws. The hammer and weight and I think discus were all competed in this area which was down below the track in a field. There was a porta potty there as well as about four up near the track and shot put ring.

Waiting.Jane Simpson & Gloria Krug

Gloria Krug & Barbara Warren

Barbara Warren competing in almost every event obtained the silver with her hammer throw of 16.31m and Wahidah Abdulla (the best dressed competitor there) got third with a heave of 15.74m. Angela got edged out by Jane Simpson 13.56m to 13.47m. Gloria Krug, now 88, threw three times in each of her throwing events. She was operating with a pulled groin muscle so did not go all out. Well, shoot, her less than all out is far superior than many of the younger competitors. She threw 17.42m

..

Next up was the weight throw, This time I switched from facing left to facing right (after being informed at the Indoor Nationals that rather than letting the weight go by swinging out with my right arm, I must PUSH with the lower hand. Oy!) My right arm would be better at pushing than my left I decided. Nicole Kelly, the youngest competitor there, threw 7.35m and her mom Linda Kelly threw 6.63m. Pamela Zeyala (PVC) (AG 50) from MD, was there and I am sure she was the envy of a few others. She was fit and trim, and does weight lifting etc to prepare for her competitions. She threw 9.13m. 

Pamela Zevala in blue talking to Wahida

  Barbara Warren threw 8.06 and Wahidah Abdullah (best dressed competitor) 

Angela Staab throwing Hammer

threw 6.83m. Barbara had to keep leaving her events so she could go compete in some other pentathlon event. Gloria Krug threw 7.22, farther than all the 75s and many of the younger down to AG 55.

Wahidah Abdullah

(okay – I have had an interruption in writing this and then I went to National Senior Games which took a week and now more detours. So memory has faded and this will be shorter than planned.)

Gloria, Angela, Kathy, Nicole and others also did the javelin. It was hot and there was no shade. I watched one woman who seemed to have perfect form. Speaking to her later, she said she was not up to par physically. If I can, I will put the video here.

Things were not quite running on time so we had a longer wait in the sun. Gloria threw twice for 11.82m and left (but she did give me a tip before doing so – straighten my hand when releasing. I seem to have habit of twisting it.)

Nicole Kelly (W35) threw 31.54m and Stephanie Colby (W40) who I did not see but to me she is the valiant lady who threw the jav in a decathlon type meet last year after breaking a foot or injuring a lower limb) threw 18.49m. Kathy Jacobs (W65) who has been working on her jav throwing threw 15.89m with a bit of gusting wind offsetting her throw at the time. Jane Simpson (W75) threw 8.79m and Angela (W75) threw 8.72m. I threw 10.85m after Gloria's tip

I saw Barbara Warren competing here and there during the entire meet but she did so many things that I only got to be in an event with her during shot..

Angela Staab, Kathy Jacobs, Becky Bowman and I went out to eat at BJs on Saturday evening (Angela, Kathy and I had eaten there the evening before) I think I had the enlightened kale and roasted brussels sprouts salad.

Sunday June 2

I need to make note of the performances of Angela Staab (she did the 1500 and the 800 back to back,) ; Becky Bowman who did the 400m, 200m and the 100m and Rick Pack who did the 1500, 800 and 400.

While warming up, I watched two thirty somethings being coached. The coach had them start (no blocks) in a crouch, keep their heads down for about 30-40 meters then blast it with head up. So, I practiced that myself. I did not use blocks that day (or since, actually)

On Sunday morning, Becky Bowman blew away the competition in the 100m with a time o 14.92. They had an oddball way of making the heats. I was in the same heat as Becky (W60) and Barbara Warren (W70). There were probably 6 of us in this heat. (Nine total ran the 100) Barbara was on my right, Rose Green (W80) who always beats my butt was right next to me on the left and Becky farther to the left. We expected to get our hip numbers at the Start line, but, no, we were supposed to get them by the Finish line inside the registration and sign up shed. Well, great! It is just about time to start and no hip numbers. I started trotting towards the Finish line and met one of the officials who told me what the hip numbers were for Becky and me. When I got to the shed, there was a long line of people registering, so I just reached over and got our numbers and trotted back. When we finally got settled in our positions, the gun went off and everyone raced ahead leaving Barbara and I to race each other, clip clopping to the Finish (Barbara had probably already done some field events by then). We were close but I just edged her out. (21.02 to 21.11) After all, I had been doing nothing until this event. Rose Green beat both of us running 18.89.

Kathy Jacobs and Angela Staab both ran the 1500m (hot hot hot by now) Kathy's time 8:50.15 and Angela's time 11:49.14 (her second time running a 1500m). Rick Pack (M35) had a very long wait over by the Finish area, in the sun, before his 1500m got underway. I don't recall what the delay was. At one point the steeplechase was delayed because there was no water in the water pit. Fortunately, the Columbia Fired Dept. came out and with a high power hose and water truck filled it up in a jiff. When Rick finally got to run he did it in 5:21.14.

Angela Staab 1500m

Kathy Jacobs 1500m

Rick Pack 1500m

Some time before the 200m, Gloria, Angela, Barbara Warren and others threw the shot. The track facility was nicely organized in that the shot pit was right near the track. Nicole Kelly threw 10.55m, Barbara Warren 6.86m, Gloria Krug 6.03m, Angela Staab 5.06m, Jane Simpson (who also did many events) 4.98. I threw 5.89m.

Next up for me, Angela, Rose Green, and Becky was the 200m. Again, it seemed we waited quite awhile. I think I ran in the same heat as Rose. Rose used blocks and was way gone before I had taken two steps. Rose ran it in 42.49 with me five seconds slower (though three years younger) 47.77. Becky was in the next heat and boy, did she heat up the track, running it in 31.25, three seconds ahead of the second runner to cross the Finish.

Becky also won the 400m in 1:20.22. Not her favorite event that day. Three in one day can be exhausting, especially when it is so hot with little shade (though, thank you Craig Pritchard, Piedmont Pacers for lugging a tent for us to use!)

Becky Bowman taking the 400m. no one near!

Rose Green's 400m

I checked afterward and Rick Pack ran the 800m in 2:20.96 – a blur! And Angela (40 years his senior) in 5:50.96 and our younger female Pacer Kathy, in 4:30.10.

Since I had a six or so hour drive back home I did not stay to watch the 800m.

The young guys in their 100m final

Nonetheless, I did not get out of there until 4:30. I was trying to beat the forecast-ed rain. I did encounter some, but it was light. There was a stretch of real slow up just outside of DC until past Lorton (where again WAZE directed me off then eventually back on I-95. Somewhere after the Quantico exit, traffic began to normalize. This was a first time for Potomac Valley folks hosting the Super regional. It should be smoother should they host again. Though the facilities were great I doubt I will drive there again.