Lexington in the Rain (July 2022)

 Angela Staab and I arranged our flights such that we met at Atlanta Hartsfield airport and were on the same flight from there to Lexington KY where the USATF Masters Outdoor Nationals were to take place. .  The only comment I have re RDU is how long the Farmhouse Bakery concession took to process people. It is right at the bottom of the escalator from security to the area for Gates C etc.

I was one of the few wearing a mask and unthinkingly chose a seat right by the airplane entry door so that everyone who boarded had to pass by me.  Most unmasked in this still contagious time of Covid-19.  Dumb.

The ride from Lexington airport passed by some beautiful large areas before entering a residential area with some nice homes.  Our hotel had a classic horse farm frontage.  Campbell House.  Large place, easy to get lost within. 

The entire meet may be inundated with rain. 50-40% chance of rain each day.  Many of our track cohorts are here: Terry and Phil Ozel, Leslie and Tom Hinz and Catharine Radle. 

 House.

Angela and I ate with Barbara Warren at the Campbell My dinner was a BBQ hamburger with a flavor of bourbon with onions and fries.

made sure that we sat in a corner by the window. .

Thursday July 28, 2922

 

We lucked out in that it had rained earlier but not during our field events.  Angela and I did the hammer throw then Angela did the weight throw, which I had opted to bypass.  I am not so good with the hammer and might remember to people do one thing, such as keep head up, and forget to keep arms straight.  I watched the more adept spin to get more velocity before releasing the hammer but that is not something I will ever try.  I wonder why it is called “hammer”.  I think of Thor’s hammer but the track & Field hammer is a ball on the end of a long wire. In my age group it is a 2K ball.  I bought one to practice with and it came disassembled. The wire came with a handle on one end and a loop at the other end.  The end with the loop consisted of the loop and  twisted wire part way up.  I had to put the wire on the ball which had a metal loop to which the wire was to be attached. This meant unraveling the wire, while avoiding having it snap back on your fingers; then attaching it to the ball and retwisting.  I looked at the video describing this at least a dozen times. 

I found it distressing that hammer throws came close to hitting an official who was standing by the edge of the net.  He said he needed to stand there so he could see if the hammer hit the cement.  The cement area contained a circle plus an expanse in front. One throw almost hit an official standing out in the grass area, ready to place the surveyor’s stake from which the distance of the throw would be calculated.

Barbara Warren was doing the pentathlon as were several others who then tried to squeeze in the hammer throws.

Friday July 29

Well, it did not rain while we were at the track.  The sun made a brief appearance in the morning then came out around 1 pm.

Angela and I had discus. We are in different age groups but they combined groups so it was 75-99.  First, some of us tried to relocate the movable athlete benches, but oh, no, it would then be in the way of the high jumpers.  Well, we did manage to get it to a satisfactory place.  I had Rose Green and Mary Robinson in my group. Rose has not been throwing that long but adapted to it as quickly as a bear to a garbage can.  She throws left handed but sails the discus out there. She won our age group with a throw of 16.78m (55.ft)  Mary Robinson was second with a throw of 14.02m (46ft).  My first throw was a foul - way out of the sector. Except for one throw of 9 something meters, I could not get beyond 10m, ending with a best throw of 10.46m (34’4’’)  . I was five out of five in my finish.’

At 1PM the 80-99 age group had the 400m.  I had signed up for it hoping to just get through it without walking.  Rose had not been running much so she ended up to my right in lane 6.  Mary Robinson was to my left as were Georgia Kightlinher and Mary Smith.  Of course when the race began, Mary Smith came zooming by as did the other two runners. Rose and I were the last two.  While on the backstretch, not pushing, I was thinking that the Finish was just beyond the next curve.  I began to speed up, until I saw the white head of Mary Smith running well beyond where I thought the Finish was.  (The track was pretty wide in the turns.)  Once I realized, oh, no, the Finish is way up towards the next turn, I slowed up.  As we came out of the curve heading for the straightaway, Rose came into my lane ahead of me.  I think I said Rose! You are in the wrong lane.  She probably did not hear me.  I decided I had to pass her, hoping not to step into lane 6 as I did so. Since she was then right behind me in my lane I had to run faster. I was actually laughing a little about it.

I did not think too much about it after, other than to think she was probably DQed.  Not until later in the hotel when I looked at the results for time and saw, gasp, that they had DQed the wrong person - Georgia, who had come in third after Mary Robinson.  AIII.  Then began the phone scrambling trying to figure out who to call to get it corrected. I left messages here and there until contacting our Athlete Rep, Colleen Barney.  She got it taken care of such that Georgia no longer was DQed and Rose was. However, looking at the results now, they still have a note below Georgia’s time that says out of lane.  Mary Smith finished in 1:32.65, Mary Robinson in 1:46.42, Georgia Kightlinher in 1:58.52 and me in 2:09.71.

That night I think I ate the same thing. Angela had gone to a TNT team dinner.  Mary Smith and I went walking around the area after we ate our separate meals.

Saturday July 30

Saturday I had javelin at 8:15 as did Angela and I had the 100m at 10:48.  Sharon Raham in the 75AG excelled as she usually does with a throw of 21.10m (69’2”)  In my AG, Mary Robinson took the win with a throw of 12.76m (41’10”). I got second, throwing 10.83m (35’6”) and Ann Carter third with 10.72m (35’2”).  Jane Simpson, making her first Meet since hip surgery got fourth with 6.59m (21’7”)

My 100m was relatively slow.  I came in last. Georgia was first with 19.95, Mary Robinson second with 20.33,  Brenda Andrieu third 20.34, Rose Green 4th with 21.19. My time was 24.62.

Angela ran the 4x800 (3200) relay with her new team TNT (Today Not Tomorrow) since Mary Trotto said there was no existing American Club AG 75 record.

That evening Angela, Barbara, and Mary Smith went to the athlete’s dinner.  They all looked great dressed up.  Mary Smith was awarded the 2021 Age Group Athlete of the Year for her Outdoor record setting 1:30.78 In the 400m in Ames, Ia.

I got the chopped meat with the bourbon soaked onion as take out and watched TV

Sunday July 31. 

It was raining Sunday morning.  Angela had the 1500m at 8am and I had the shot put.  Barbara Warren wore a USA rain suit.  Most of us had jackets. In the 75AG there was a good competition between Sharon Raham (also receiving an Age Group Athlete of the Year for her throwing in 2021), Mary Trotto and Barbara Warren.  The group had decided to try to slow things up so that Angela would be able to finish her 1500m in the pouring rain and get to the throwing area to get some throws in.  Mary Trotto began sweeping the water out of the circle, slowly, We took our time with the throws while staying within the allotted 30 seconds.  Trotto is a hoot at times!  Angela did manage to get there in time to get some throws in. She had run the 1500m in 12:28.76.  Her new shoes were soaked.  Barbara Warren won the AG with a throw of 7.56m (24’9 ¾”), Mary Trotto 7.46m (24’ 5 ¾”), Sharon Raham threw 6.58m (22’ 10 ½”).  These three were followed by Catherine Radle, Mary Lou Platis, and Angela Staab. 

In my AG Mary Robinson got first throwing 5.85m (19’ 2 ½”). I was second with 4.95 (16’3”) and Jane Simpson threw 3.94m (12’ 11 ¼”)

At 12:19 the 80s ran the 200m.  There were six of us.  I think I stood on 2 blocks.  I started off fast.  Ahead was Mary Smith, Mary Robinson, and Georgia Kightlinher.  I maintained the same speed coming around the bend but at about 50-60m from the Finish something happened with my legs. They tightened up and I could not run.  I ended up walking to the Finish. I was so disgusted after seeing Rose Green and Brenda Andrieu pass me that I did not even attempt to run the last few meters.  Mary Smith won in 39.40, Georgia Kightlinher second in 43.80 and Mary Robinson 44.10, followed by Rose Green and Brenda Andrieu. My time was a miserable 56.31.  Then, to top the humiliation and disappointment, because Mary Smith had run a fast 39.40, at age 81, Runnerspace featured her 200m on Runnerspace Plus as well as on Instagram. The Instagram clip was from coming around the turn, part of which showed me also coming around and then the clip view switched to Mary coming to the finish followed by Georgia and Mary R.  Then Rose and Brenda. Eventually me walking! And it had at least 43,000 views including my former Camp Gladiator trainer!  Worldwide humiliation.  However most commenters were astounded by little white haired Mary’s speed at her age.

Angela Staab had agreed to run two relays with TNT since there were currently no AG 75 records for the Club 4x1600 (400m) or the 4x100. Two relays the same day with her feet hurting. But Angela is not one to say “no”. She is a loyal team member. Also running with her uneven gait due to the hip surgery was Jane Simpson (who, btw, also did the steeplechase!). The four TNT W75s were Angela, Jane, Mary Trotto, and Nancy Berger. I ran the 4x100 relay with Mary Smith, Georgia Kightlinher, Barbara Hensley. Our time 1:29.33.